Pity Party Over.

It has been awhile since I last posted, and I have been in a slump.  My room is a mess. I have been consuming large amounts of Taco Bell.  I lay in bed all day on the weekends.  I am heavier than I have ever been before. I haven't been motivated at work or school.

I moved to Colorado almost 8 months ago and am not feeling very settled here which I think is a large part of the problem. I don't have any close friends except my roommate and rarely go anywhere but my apartment or work. Flat out, I am lonely. Worse than being lonely, I am letting this loneliness and self-pity consume me. I am allowing my loneliness to justify every poor decision I make.

So starting today, I am ending this pity party.  I am going to get involved in something, anything. I don't know what that something is, but I am going to find it. My fridge is stocked with healthy and delicious food, and I am going to eat that instead of Taco Bell. I used to love working out so I am going to get back in that habit, even if it is just a brisk walk every day. I need to feel my heart pumping and feel alive.

I need to make this place my new home.  I am going to focus on the positives. If you would like to follow along on Twitter, I am going to post one positive thing about my day, every day.

Have you ever struggled to make friends after a move? Do you have any suggestions for activities I should get involved in?

We Need To Talk About Kevin - Book Club

I am excited to be participating in my very first book club, even if I am a little late.  I hadn't finished the book by the end of December when Bonnie (read her review is here) began the discussion, but I have finished it now and am excited to talk about it!  For this time around, I am just going to answer some discussion questions on the book.  Hopefully in the future I can provide better book reviews/discussions.

This month's book was We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Kevin murdered 7 of his fellow students, a teacher, and a cafeteria worker at his high school.  The book is a series of letters written by Kevin's mother, Eva, to his father, Franklin, following the murders.

I would recommend this book to others however getting through the first 150 pages is rough.  I didn't feel a connection with the characters, the language is complex, and the book just drags on. As the book went on, I became more attached to the characters, with the exception of Franklin, and the language no longer seemed to inhibit the book.  The last 75 pages were wonderful and are worth reading the rest of the book.

Did the letter format of the writing bother you, or do you think it enhanced the story by being told this way?

I didn't mind the letter format except I found the language to be very complex with plenty of new vocabulary words (plenty of material for future word of the week postings).  Without giving anything away, I think the ending of the book was enhanced by the letter writing format.

 What did you think of Eva as a protagonist?  Did you find her likable?  Did you relate to her or were you disgusted by her thoughts on motherhood?

I didn't especially like Eva or any of the other characters in the book to start with.  As the book went on, I really began to like Eva.  I thought she was the only one who truly understood Kevin, even if she resented him.  

Eva didn't want to be a mother but wanted a change.  I wasn't disgusted by her thoughts on motherhood however I did think that she would have been better off not having a baby.  I do not blame her for Kevin committing the murders.  He came out of the womb as a bad egg.  

 What were your impressions of Eva's visits to Kevin in prison?  Why does she feel so obligated to see him and do you think she should continue to do so based on the way he treats her?

Initially, I hated that Eva visited Kevin in prison.  I felt that she was just subjecting herself to more of his cruelty.  As the book went on, I began looking forward to Eva's visits with Kevin because I felt that her visits with Kevin gave her some closure on the incident as well as opened Kevin up to the readers.  

I think that Eva should continue to visit Kevin.  After all that he did, she is still his mother and he is still a young man.  There is hope for him in the future, and I think these visits are necessary. Once again without giving too much away, I think these visits are fruitful.

Have you read the book?  What did you think?  Has anybody seen the movie? I am interested in watching it to see how it compares to the book.

Word of the Week - Zealous

I have holiday brain this weekend so I am going to keep this post short and sweet.

Prononced: zel-uh s

Part of Speech: adejective

Definition: ardently active, devoted, or diligent; full of, characterized by, or due to zeal.

In a Sentence: She wore the most zealous costumes to themed parties.

The happiest foreign exchange student you ever did see at a high school clicks party.

Zabrina Secret Santa

I decided to participate in a secret Santa this December with Sabrina and Z. I sent a present to Mrs. Aguila and received one from Kate. I loved doing this gift exchange and hopefully can do one next year!

One. The outside of my package was decorated beautifully.  At first I thought this mistletoe was a snitch and squealed.  I think I have been reading too much Harry Potter lately.
Two. All of my little presents were individually wrapped.  I had so much fun unwrapping each of them.  That candy was gone in about 10 minutes.
Three. All of presents unwrapped.  I loved them all.  There was thought behind each one. Oh and they were handmade which I love.
Four. I didn't find the note until the very end.  I was worried that I wasn't going to know who my secret Santa was.  I am so glad!

one.  It feels like she knows me because I just lost my pearl earrings and bam there they are in the mail.

two.  This cupcake ornament is absolutely adorable.

three. Shiny, animal print, and stationary!  All of my favorite things combined. I cannot wait to start sending these babies out in the mail.

four. A stamp to put on all the letters I mail out.  This is perfect!  I just need some ink so I can go stamp crazy!

five. The cutest little lace bow (for my hair) that I ever did see.

six. A handy book marker that slides on the edge of the page.  And the other side is purple, my favorite color.

seven. A cute magnet for my fridge.

eight.  A button ring.

nine.  A cute Kleenex holder that is going to be perfect for my purse.  I hate not having a Kleenex when I need one.

I just loved all of Kate's presents.  A lot of them were hand-made, and I could just feel all the love and work she put into it.  Handmade presents are my favorite! Thanks again Kate!

Anyways, I hope everybody has a very Merry Christmas!

Word of the Week - Yuletide

Can you believe that there is only 3 days until Christmas?  Yikes, it is so close, and I still have so much shopping to do.  And without further ado, here is this week's word:



Who the heck even knows what Yuletide means?  I have absolutely no idea, except I know it is a good thing because I like the yuletide season, and I want yuletide treasures.

Prononced: yool-tahyd

Part of Speech: noun OR adejective

Definition: Christmas season OR of or pertaining to the Christmas season

In a Sentence: Alexandra was very excited to find Yuletide treasures under the tree on Christmas morning.

I hope all of you have a wonderful yuletide season and get all of your shopping done!

A Very Harry Christmas

I never read Harry Potter growing up (what the heck was I thinking?), but his summer I decided to start reading from the beginning.  I am in LOVE.  I talk about it all the time and have even named my fish, Dumbledore.  So obviously for Christmas this year, I need ALL things Harry Potter.  Here are some of the things that would bring a huge smile to my face.

1. A Wand, obviously from Ollivanders.

Any good witch or wizard needs a wand.  This wand will be my first step towards becoming a witch. I wouldn't mind a unicorn tail hair in my wand either.

3. My own knit sweater from Mrs. Weasley.

A nice deep purple would be a lovely color for me, but really anything from Mrs. Weasley would make my heart happy.

2. Chocolate Frogs.

I need the Dumbledore card that comes inside.  There is a candy shop near me that sells them, but I have only gotten two cards so far.  Silly Lockhart and some famous band. Clearly not on par with Dumbledore.

4. Ravenclaw Paraphernalia.

I have taken more online quizzes than I can count, and I almost always get Ravenclaw.  I am pretty sure I would bffls with Luna anyways. So I need some accessories to support my house! A scarf would be the logical first choice, but really anything will do.  Also, this card is perfect.

5. A Trip to Harry Potter World or London or Both.

I am dying to go to Harry Potter world so I can do all the Harry Potter things and drink butterbeer until I am sick.  If I went to London, I could head to Platform 9 3/4s and do the Harry Potter museum tour.

P.S. Has anybody seen the Harry Potter monopoly?  I saw it on Pinterest the other day and just discovered it wasn't real. So, so sad.

Word of the Week - Heinous

Hey!  So I finally got all of my computer back from Best Buy, and it is working like a gem.  I have had an this idea in my head for a long time, but I was always nervous about starting a series on the blog.  So here goes nothing, I introduce to you Word of the Week.

The idea for Word of the Week came about when I wrote the post about how my blog got its name and realized there are many words that I hear and I have no idea what they mean.  I also feel like my vocabulary is limited and some new words may help.



This weeks word, heinous, was chosen because I use it in a very different context then its actual meaning and outside of my close group of friends, people are confused when I use it.  If you are a fan of Law and Order SVU, it is also used in the opening credits.

Prononced: hey-nuh s

Part of Speech: adjective

Definition: hateful, totally reprehensible

In a Sentence: Bob was put in jail for life after committing some very heinous crimes.

When I use heinous, it is typcially used to describe something outrageous, absurd, or unbelievable.  It is most commonly used when talking about events that happened after a night out.  These pictures would qualify as heinous in my book.

Thank you college for all these heinous moments.

If you have any words that you would like to see for Word of the Week, let me know.  I am sure eventually I will run out of new words.  Hope you have a great Saturday!