Viera

As I write this entry, I find myself midway through summer break. It has been a surprisingly cool summer, the anticipated (and slightly dreaded) heat has yet to arrive. I have spent all of May, June, and July thus far enjoying my time home and without any due dates or deadlines to meet. I guess I took the time to relax, which is why I haven't posted in a while. I spent time with my family, at parks, painting, taking music and dance lessons, along with reading. Summer is a time to savor and make the most of each day. I've regularly been making lemonade and baking, and being present. I will always say that autumn is my favorite season, but summer has a special place in my heart as well. My mother has always made them cozy, bringing all of us together. I could live in an eternal summer and never remember there were other seasons at all. I also updated my wardrobe and added some cute skirts and dresses, including a cherry themed outfit complete with a red hair bow. Some series I've watched are "My Life with the Walter Boys" and "All the Light We Cannot See". I just ordered the complete "Anne of Green Gables" series, for the first time I will have my own Anne Shirley books! It's a series that I've read every summer since I think sophomore year of high school. The little things, like the walks I take with my family, the games I play with my family, and the music I learn are what the true essence of summer is all about. Life at its core is about relationship, and that is what this summer has been about. Waking up and knowing I have all day at home is an incredible feeling. I hope that you experience this for yourself this summer :) 

I was pleasantly surprised with spring this past week, and the lovely weather that comes it. I grabbed my bike for the first time in two snow filled months and headed for the library. I picked up two books, "I loved You In Another Life" and " A Curse for True Love". I read I Loved You In Another Life between yesterday and today, and I was caught completely unaware. It's the type of book that I loved so much I'll have to buy my own copy to have at home. I was in the mood for romance since Valentine's Day is this coming Wednesday, and this book was filled with it. I usually don't like the bouncing around time periods, but this book did it beautifully. The characters stole my heart, not just Evan and Shosh, but Will and the parents, and the friends did too. What I loved the most was the facts that were scattered throughout the book. My favorite was the part that talked about how people used to think birds migrated to the moon. If you haven't read the book, this will make sense once you read it. I also loved one part that talked about how the word "blue" didn't appear in language until some centuries ago. These things made me think and realize that the world we exist in today did not always look the way it does., it's been in the making since the beginning. Reading the book gave me the feeling of a slow rainy morning, and a phrase in it inspired the title of one of my poems. I've actually decided to share some of my poetry here in my blog, more on that in an upcoming post. The book also had poetry in it, and songs. All of this added to the experience, which surprised me because I tend to disconnect if the characters sing and the lyrics are in the book. There was something about the writing that made it work. The ending was not what I expected, and I find it heartbreaking that it ends the same way it did lifetimes ago. This book made me wonder what the possibilities of finding a love that lasts are. 

This has been a question that has haunted me since picking my college major in high school. As you might know, I am an Elementary Education major. There are days when I'm convinced that I made the right choice, and others when I question why I didn't major in a career that is less people related. I'm an introvert by nature, so having to go in an out of classrooms to fulfill my clinical hours really threw me off at first. I've questioned whether I'm good enough to be a teacher, who are some of the most important people in kids' lives, especially when they're small. Every time, I reach the same conclusion. I would love to be a teacher; I'm just freaking out because field work is new to me. I know that other students reach college and declare they are undecided. Still others change majors multiple times. Some simply do two years of community college and take some time to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their life. And that little phrase is the real problem. The rest of your life. It makes it sound like you'll be stuck doing the wrong thing for the rest of your life if you graduate with a degree that isn't uour perfect fit. It's scary to think about that way. And the reality is, it doesn't have to be like that. I would love to be a teacher, and if I had to do it until I'm 65 and retiring, I know I would enjoy. However, I have other personal projects I would like to work on as well. I love writing, so I hope to one day publish my books, or start my own fashion line. There's also the possibility of going back to school to become something else if I truly feel the need to. I think that the best thing to do is realize that you are never stuck. You never will be stuck. And you will learn as long as you're open to learning, regardless of the path you choose. 

My favorite months are October, November, and December. They are months filled with birthdays, Thanksgiving, and of course Christmas. I love the delicious foods, the Christmas decorations, and all the family time we get to enjoy since everyone is off from school and work. It's a time when I really don't care about the daily stresses, and I can even ignore the university finals that are looming. I'm blessed in many ways, and the biggest blessing is that I have so many people to be with this season. I know that this is not the case for everyone, the holidays can be very lonely for some. Regardless of everything, it's important to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas. It's all because of Jesus. As Catholics, we are familiar with the Nativity story. Virgin Mary and Joseph were unable to find lodging, and our Saviour was born and placed in a humble manger. Merry Christmas :)

I am happy to say that despite the fall semester being in full swing, I've got time on my hands to read, sketch, and other hobbies. This past week I picked up the Cruel Prince by Holly Black from my local library, and I am in love. Cardan has my heart. I'm a fan of fairytales, fairytale retellings, and fae books too. I love the magic, the whimsical feeling to the world. This book has it all. Jude is a strong character, and her twin, Taryn, is a hypocrite (I say this after reading Wicked King). The way Holly Black writes is the perfect balance between describing too much and too little. There are characters, like Madoc, who you can't bring yourself to hate, despite the horrible things they've done. I've never come across villains that are "not all bad" as convincingly as Madoc is. Vivienne is a cinnamon roll, falling in love with a mortal and wanting to take care of her sisters. She is the opposite of Jude, who wants to belong in Faerie but isn't fae. Vivi wants to belong in the human world, but she's not human. Heather, her girlfriend, makes me curious. I want to eventually get her point of view, because she's got a gf who won't tell her much about herself or her family, but she still moves in with her. Also, I love that she has pink hair and is a fellow artist. Cardan, a High Prince, captured my attention from the start. He's cruel, stylish, and hates Jude. I want to see his heart softened as the series goes on, because I'm sure there's more to him than we know. So far, I think he's hilarious with always being in a bad mood. Jude is a firecracker if I've ever seen one. She's traumatized, angry, scared, violent, and power hungry. She kills, fights, threatens, and never stops exploding. I don't think I've come across a character with so much pent up anger as her. I want to see her heal and free herself from her trauma. I want to see her realize that all she wants is a safe home, surrounded by people who love her, and that no crown, power, or forced acceptance from the fae can give her happiness. I'm intrigued by this book series, and I can't wait to read more. 

The fall semester has officially started, and I'm only a couple weeks in. I'm happy to say that I love how things are going this semester, everything from my schedule to my professors, homework, and extracurriculars has been amazing so far. I have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the rest of the week I'm off. I like it this way because I'm able to do readings and homework on my days off, and I have time to plan my outfits and actually enjoy my days on campus. I'm also taking a guitar class, which, if I learn well, is going to give me a skill and hobby that will last me the rest of my life. The instructor is patient and compared to my past electric bass instructor, more productive. Walking around campus with my guitar for two classes before I have my guitar lesson made me a bit self-conscious at first since I don't like to draw attention to myself, but all I've gotten have been questions about my guitar and encouragement from professors and classmates. I still would prefer not to carry around a guitar along with my backpack, but it is what it is and it's all more than worth it. Thankfully, this semester I won't be having so much homework. There is a project or essay here or there, but it's mostly readings that I have to do. I'm also going to start completing observation hours at a school, which has me terrified and excited at the same time. I'll probably make a whole other post (or posts) about my feelings on that and how it goes as the semester goes on. I'm definitely stepping out of my comfort zone this semester with guitar lessons, observation hours, and some personal life things with my family. I know this is one of the periods of my life I'll look back on as a period of visible growth and change, and I'm glad to know that I'm handling everything well. Managing life day by day and not letting myself be overwhelmed is a lot easier to me now that I know that everything literally passes, like my middle school social studies teacher always said, "this too, shall pass". Autumn is such a beautiful time, and I know that summer is not officially over yet, but the leaves are starting to change colors. The days aren't hot anymore, and in the early mornings when I ride my bike the air is cool and there is dew on the grass. Autumn is my favorite season, and I hope this one brings many more good experiences with it. So far, it has been perfect despite the imperfections. 

This has got to be one of my favorite romances. It is such a cute, fun, romantic read, and to think that I almost didn't read it because the semester started makes me glad I did.

Hello again! In this post I will be reviewing the book Forever After All by Catharina Maura. I copied and pasted the book's description from Goodreads below so that you can get an idea of what it's about if you haven't read it already. 

So I've been reading plenty this summer, and I've just finished The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose and Forever After All by Catharina Maura. I plan on writing book review for both of these books and a couple of the others I've read, but these are the freshest in my mind. I don't usually read murder mysteries, I tend to go more for fairytale retellings, YA books, and classics. The only other murder mystery I read was In Cold Blood for school. This book caught my attention because I can't imagine the wife of a cheating husband wanting to defend him on a trial for murdering his mistress.