Tag: Richard Paul evans

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Currently

Currently #24

Hey guys! Happy December…the countdown is on until Christmas! I hope you are gearing up for the holiday season!

Quick check in time…How are you doing? Got everything wrapped? Checking off all those holiday traditions? Feeling overwhelmed with everything you still have to do? Weā€™ve all been thereā€¦while it may seem like this season will never end, it will. In the meantime, enjoy every moment and soak up all the moments, the big ones (like decorating the tree) or the little ones like looking at Christmas lights.

Onto todayā€™s post, can you believe that we are up to two years of Currently?!  This has been such a fun monthly post, not only does it keep you updated on my life but it also puts in perspective everything Iā€™ve done in 30 days or soā€¦without further ado, hereā€™s this monthā€™s Currently.

What Iā€™m up to: ALL the Christmas fun and cheer. From skating, to watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music at every opportunity, baking cookies and shopping and wrapping this month has been about enjoying all the Christmas fun!

There’s Christmas cheer all over the house.
We got our tree earlier in the month and it was perfect tree cutting weather.

What Iā€™m wearing: Besides work clothes, Iā€™ve been getting in the Christmas spirit by wearing Christmas sweaters, some cute graphic shirts and of course, Christmas socks!!! I canā€™t get enough of Christmas socks!

What Iā€™m reading:  I finished reading ā€œAll the Light We Cannot Seeā€, it was definitely a heavier read but it was so well done. This month I have been reading all the Christmas books. I read “A Shoe Addictā€™s Christmas”, which was super cute. I then read “Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe”, this was the perfect mix of Christmas and a beautiful tribute to Jane Austen. Iā€™m currently reading “The Mistletoe Secret” by Richard Paul Evans, I read his series, ā€œThe Walkā€ during the pandemic and loved it, so Iā€™m very excited to read this one too. 

What Iā€™m Watching:Ā Besides watching classic Christmas movies and some Hallmark ones too.Ā Ā I have also been watching Selling Sunset on Netflix and like many other women out there, Iā€™ve been watching ā€œAnd Just Like Thatā€ā€¦the first two episodes were so beautiful and so poignant, but broke my heart. I canā€™t wait to see what else this season has in store. If you have watched them, what are your thoughts on the shows?

What Iā€™m Loving:Ā Christmas spirit all day, every day! I love this time of year, thereā€™s nothing better than having a candle lit, while wrapping presents and watching Christmas presents. Plus, making treats hasnā€™t been bad either. I made some Christmas bark this year and it was so good. Itā€™s super easy to make and itsā€™s easy to save and store. Hereā€™s the recipe I used, thank you Mix and Match Mama!

Look at all this delicious Christmas bark!

What Inspires Me:Ā The holiday season puts me in the best mood. I decorated my room at the end of last month and whenever I put on my tree and light a candle, Iā€™m automatically put in the Christmas spirit. I also canā€™t wait to spend time with family and continue our holiday traditions.Ā I went skating this month and had the best time.

Skating in the city
Buffalo was beautiful.

What I accomplished: Iā€™ve been doing a great job at being intentional and present during the holiday season. From the gift buying to the family time and holiday traditions. I wish this season was longer. Even enjoying a hot coco and cookie while driving back from ice skating made me so happy. 

Besides homemade cookies, I can’t resist some Pillsbury cookies too!
Even the shopping malls are all decorated

Goals Accomplished from Last Month I got all my Christmas shopping done by my deadline and I got almost all my gifts sent out or wrapped. It was a huge accomplishment! I love all the gift giving but it can be a lot to get everything organized. I donā€™t know how parents do it, they are the real super heroes during the holiday season!

My presents for others all wrapped up under my tree.

Goals for the New Month:Ā Ā Kick off 2022 with my New Yearā€™s Resolutions. I also canā€™t wait to break out my new Simplified planner and start getting ready for the next. As much as I hate to see the holidays come to an end, thereā€™s nothing quite like a fresh start.

Thatā€™s a look into my life this past month, lots of holiday fun and traditions. How are you spending the last few weeks of this year?

Categories
Fabulous living

The Walk Book Review

A few months back, I started the book, The Walk, by Richard Paul Evans, I started it in college, as a way to de-stress after a busy week of classes, papers, and job applications, I finished the five book series, a few months later, in those few months I finished school, graduated college, and am now working full time. Itā€™s amazing how much life can change or the world will be different but how many things can still be the same.Ā 

I used this same example last week, I was watching the season finale of This is Us, which was incredible. I realized when I started this current season, how much had changed and how much was different but at the same time so much stayed the same between the beginning and the end of the current season. I started the season in September as a college student, going to classes and applying for jobs, and I ended the season as a college graduate, with new friends, co-workers and people in my life. I got the same feeling while reading The Walk.Ā 

The Walk follows the story of a man, who goes on walk across the country after he loses everything. He hits rock bottom and the only thing that makes sense is to clear his mind and just walk. As he walks from Seattle to Palm Beach, he encounters people young and old that makes an impact on him, he learns a lot about himself and sees God in a variety of people.Ā Every book continues from the last and by the last one, the reader finds out if the protagonist, Alan, reaches his destination and finds what he is looking for when he started his walk many months earlier.

Without giving too much of it away, it reminds me a lot about life with all the twists and turns and never knowing what will come next. Especially in todayā€™s climate with all the unknowns going on, it shows that sometimes when we take away all the excess, we can still live the simple life and sometimes all we need is just a walk to realize what’s truly important in life and refocus.

Overall, I felt myself going along with Alan on his journey to find peace and happiness in his world. I love when books truly help me escape my world and transport me into a new place and this book did exactly that. If you are looking to truly escape for a few hours and maybe even learn about yourself too. 

I hope you are taking care of yourself, sending positive thoughts, and well wishes for anyone who needs it. Sending love to you all!