Recent Reads

I read like it's going out of style. I read like if I don't finish twenty five books in one day I'll never be able to. I've always been obsessed with reading. I love anything and everything, I couldn't just pick one genre. Although I suppose mostly I'm a fan of fiction and chicklit, I do love a good murder/mystery/suspense/true crime book. Again, I'LL READ ANYTHING. It's truly the one thing I find  most enjoyable on this Earth. So I'm going to be doing a Recent Reads post once a week. Since it's almost officially summer break I'll be reading a lot more. I guarantee I'll have at least one new book to review each week, if not more. Plus I've read so many I can review old ones as well. So today I'll be reviewing the last three books I've read and letting you know the current book I'm indulging in!

By the way, just an interesting little fact I want to share. Did you guys know the children who have father's who read a lot and enjoy reading are more likely to read themselves? This rings true for me, my dad and I read constantly.

(via)

Currently I'm reading the second book in the Fifty Shades Trilogy, "Fifty Shades Darker."So far it's really good, it has more of a plot than the first book (which was amazing anyway!).

These are the last three books I have read:

Fifty Shades of Grey: Amazing. It's definitely racy and I felt kind of embarrassed buying it at Target with it's 'mature audience' sticker but it was really good. I loved the romance and passion and couldn't put it down. There isn't an amazing plot, it's more of a cat and mouse sex book but it's definitely worth a read if you enjoy chicklit.

The Fault in Our Stars: I can't say enough wonderful things about everything John Green writes. He has a phenomenal way with words and all his books have resonated with me. This one was beautiful. Such a great story, amazing characters and plot line. I cried like a baby. Couldn't recommend this enough.

The Descendants: Again, great book. Not much of a plot line. I mean, there is one but it's not a "at the edge of your seat, what's going to happen" kind of book. But I enjoyed the characters and the story immensely. Now I just have to watch the movie!

That's all for this week! Let me know what you have been reading and if you have any recommendations. I have so many books on my "to-read" list, this summer. I want to buy them all because I love owning books and I always reread them, but they are just so pricey. So I will be indulging in the library for books I'm not sure if I'll love.

The Final Two

Only two weeks left of this semester and I am beyond ready for it to be over. I'm sick to death of my apartment and my roommates and I can't wait to move home. Next fall I've already got a place to live (thanks to my parents!) and it's a nice condo in a nice part of Tampa where I'll feel safe and everything will be clean and up to my standards and I won't have to live around/with other people besides my lovely mister. I have .. let's count real quick, six tests/finals before I can call it quits and move out. I have no idea when I'm going to be able to pencil in time to study for everything plus go to work and lab and class. This is my last week of classes and technically next week is final's week but I have finals all over the place. I probably won't update until I come home this weekend, if that because I have a final Sunday to study for. But I'll be back soon, just in time for summer!

The Day I Swam with a Manatee

I live right by the Homosassa River and you can canoe, boat, kayak, and swim all throughout the river and channels or go all the way out into the Gulf of Mexicao. One day the mister, his pops, and I were on the boat and the cutest, funniest, most attention craving manatee swam by. He (she?) kept flipping over and showing his belly and coming up and rolling around to show off. So adorable. I love being able to see these animals so close to where I live.

Flashback Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone's week was peaceful and relaxing and fun. Mine was quite the opposite but I have only two more weeks left of living at school until I come home for the summer! Finally, thank goodness. I'll still have to commute twice a week for work but I'd rather drive then spend one more week in my crummy apartment with roommates. I cannot wait for fall when I get to finally live alone, just me and the mister and HOPEFULLY a puppy. Enjoy this week's flashback Friday, feel free to do your own!

Positivity

Posting a happy picture with the cutest furball to remind me to not dwell on negative situations. Life is too short and in the grand scheme, the stuff I worry about has no importance whatsoever.

How I'm Feeling Right Now #2

Last week I felt like this. This week I feel a bit stressed but I've tried really hard all weekend to relax so as of right now it is working. I had a pretty bad week last week. Just a lot of stupid drama in one of my research labs and I am dreading going in this week. I'm trying to come to a decision on whether to quit or not. It's way more trouble than it's worth but I've already been there a year and I feel like if I quit not it'll be such a waste to not get that letter of recommendation. Although I have no idea if it'd even be any good. The girl who writes them doesn't seem to like me much. I could just put up with it through the summer and ask for the letter right away in fall and then bail as soon as I have it. It is just the most annoying part of my week and again, I have yet to determine if it's worth the added stress.

Also work is always overwhelming. I literally feel my heart drop every time I get an email because I know it's from work giving me one more thing to do and fix. I get it, I'm the research assistant so all the grunt work and trivial tasks fall to me but I hate getting in trouble because other people make mistakes. I've only been there for around 6 months so I still don't know when data are missing and last week I got "scolded" for having missing data and not being on top of everything. But I am getting paid so I'm not going to complain too much.

This week is a lot better than a few weeks ago when that last post was written. Maybe because I can see the end in sight (two mores weeks and then exam week and I'm OUT OF HERE!) and I'd rather drive up here two days in the summer than live up here like I did this past year because my house makes me feel better about the world. Let's just hope the next three weeks fly by. I get to go home Thursday this week instead of Friday because I don't have a quiz in class on Friday so I'm being a very very bad student and skipping. DO NOT follow my lead.

Here's a picture of me, bored with a hair beard and no make up.

Bucket List

I live my life through other people's adventures. I just am at the point where I can't afford to go anywhere exciting. I can't take time off from school or work. I cannot fathom getting to travel somewhere with my mister that we have wanted to go and not worry about taking time off and being able to afford it. I know it's worth it and I know people do it who are in worse circumstances than me. But from reading other blogs and watching shows I now have begun a list of things I am determined to do before I get to old and start having babies. So if anyone reads this and has any suggestions/places/ideas as to where I can accomplish these things or the best things to see, feel free to add on! I'll probably post more bucket list ideas as I have them of course.

• Pet/ride an elephant.

• Pet a tiger, a REAL LIVE GROWN tiger.

• Hold a koala.

• Go to Alaska and hike and see wild grizzly bears and moose.

• Shark watching in a shark cave.

• Spend as much time as possible wandering around all of Italy.

(all images from google!)

Flashback Friday

I have a ton of pictures. Maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. I just always feel the need to document anything important. I'm not the best at taking pictures every single day because most days I do absolutely nothing. But if I'm going out somewhere or seeing someone I haven't in awhile, a picture will be taken! Anyway, I get really nostalgic sometimes and like to look back and remember the memories. Join me every Friday!

How I'm Feeling Right Now

I feel completely overwhelmed. It's hard for me to be positive and happy during the week because I dread going to school/work and having to be busy every single day. Whenever I am just consistently busy from the beginning of the day until the end of the day for several days in a row I start to get extremely stressed out and negative. Luckily today I didn't have to go into work so I, instead of going to my research lab and getting ahead in my work, decided to come back to my apartment and sit in my bed and take a nap and read .. FOR FUN, during the school week. Which is just unheard of in my life. I am now off to enjoy my day, enjoy this picture of my face!

Sick

I woke up sick yesterday. Whenever I wake up and feel crummy I know that it's going to be a long hard few days ahead of me. I'm the worst when I'm sick. I'm weak, unable to do anything, I won't eat or drink, I complain and whine and cry and I'm just awful. I HATE BEING SICK. Especially when I'm at school and actually have stuff to do and things to get done and being sick just gets in the way. Luckily it's Easter weekend so I have time to lay around in my home and get better.

Plus my parents are bringing me home a steak from the restaurant they went to. YUM.