Saturday Morning Epiphany

I just poured myself a nice cup of coffee and sliced up a piece of Buttermilk Banana and Blueberry Bread that I made last night. Yummmmy!!! And I'm going to sit down and get some reading done....that is after I post this. *snicker

This morning, as I was lying in bed, I watched a short video about books and reading. We all know.... at least I hope we do, that reading is the gateway to success. It expands our minds in so many ways, challenging us to reach deep into ourselves as well as pushing us to step out into the unknown. Now, I have always been a strong proponent of reading, but as a practitioner??

I am probably the worst! Yes, I'll admit it. I am the worst!

I am so impressed by the sheer number of books that successful people read in a day let alone a week, month or a year. So, upon some reflection on my own life.... I need to do better. 

I'm embarrassed to say that I have not read enough books. It's quite sad honestly.... I tell my daughter that I don't have time, yet I am able to find time to read news snippets on Facebook and the Internet. So, my goal this year is to read more. I'm going to increase the number of books I read in a month as well as stretch myself and venture into other genres. But where to start?

Well...... 

I have found it quite ironic that our current president, who is not an avid reader has actually inspired more people to pick up a book (i.e. 1984, The Handmaid's Tale)..... Unbeknownst to him, he has actually started a nationwide, perhaps worldwide, book club for those that are still grappling with the results of this election and the direction of the administration. If you are curious about some of the books that have been revived, take a look at the Literary Hub. In the future, I will most likely be looking to our current state of the Union to help me find a new book to read.... Until then, I already have a few in mind.

Since it's already on my TBR shelf, I will be tackling Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man as well as finishing up The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir.  As you can see from the picture below, when reading Alison's book, I have to printout a family tree to keep all the names straight for my journey into English history, which I love to study, but really......why is it that everyone had to be named Henry, Mary or John!!!

What book do you recommend? What has inspired you this year? And don't you just love my chaise lounge.....I love purple!

5 Things.....

I saw this little exercise on Stephanie's Life-Unexpectedly and thought that it would be fun to do. So here we go.... in no particular order

5 Things I have a passion for:

• family
• music
• lyrics
• computers/gadgets/graphics (that's the geek in me)
• cooking

5 Things I'd like to do before I die:

• enter a dance competition (Tango all the way!)
• learn another language - Italian or French --- or better yet, both
• write a book and have it published
• see my children grow up to be happy, responsible adults
• learn how to really code & start my own web design company

5 Things I say lot:

• Uh-huh....
• Did you hear what I just said?
• Hurry up!
• Love you honey (this is from my Baltimore days)
• I'm tired (because it's true)

5 Books I've recently read:

• Inferno by Dan Brown 
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (yes...... I heart teen paranormal romance books)
• The Host by Stephanie Meyer (better written than the Twilight series - I'm Team Edward!)
• Defending Jacob by William Landay
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (hated the ending!)

5 Favorite Movies:

• Under The Tuscan Sun (probably my all time favorite)
• Dirty Dancing
• Pretty Woman
• Independence Day
• Gladiator

5 Places I'd like to travel to:

• Italy - Tuscany
• Morocco
• Croatia
• Germany
• France

5 Blogs I'll tag: Like Stephanie, I would like to open this fun little game to everyone....so let me know if you decide to partake. I would love to see some of your 5's!!!!

Three for Me

This past weekend, after the snowfall, the weather started to warm up....the birds started chirping and the sun was peaking out to say hello.

That was when my best friend and I hopped on the ferry and headed off to New York City to watch Girl Rising. Although the movie was showing later on in the day, we decided to go in early so that we could do a little shopping in SoHo...shhhh, don't tell the hubby.....Unfortunately for us, we left the stores empty handed. Anyway, despite the frozen toes and fingers we had a good time.

The Three for Me this week are:

1. My Best-est Friend: Rita. Okay....I know that this is going to sound like a dating channel, but it's all true.....Rita is a beautiful, fun loving and passionate woman. She loves street art, painting, music and dancing (my partner in crime when we go clubbing). She has been beside me through thick and thin and we have shared many tears and laughter together. She is very near and dear to my heart and I honestly don't know what I would ever do without her. Sure....we have not always seen eye to eye on things and we have had our little moments, but she has stood by me through it all, even when I'm the one who messes up. I love ya!

Here we are after a Maroon 5 concert last year
We tried to get a nice photo of us this weekend,
but they were all out of focus! :(

2. Strand Book Store  I love this place! Rita and I came across it quite by accident. We darted into this corner bookstore in search of warmth and were immediately transported into a different world. I was in awe. The towering shelves full of books, both old and new, stood proudly and majestically in front of me. Rows and rows of bookshelves juxtaposed in a quirky and deliberate manner entices you to wander through the labyrinth of books.... one could get lost in here forever.....I wish I could have stayed there all day.

If you haven't been there yet, definitely make the trip.... I can't wait to go back!

3. Girl Rising. This was the reason we ventured into the city this past weekend. I mentioned this film in a previous post called Girl Rising....Girl Power, but just to give you a quick synopsis, this film was made to bring awareness to everyone on the importance of educating girls throughout the world. The stories were very moving and made me realize how very luck I am. I strongly believe in their cause and it is my plan to take action. I will definitely keep you updated as I move forward. Have you seen this? If so, what did you think?

Thank you so much for reading and letting me share my Three for Me with you.....Now, it's your turn.

What are three things that made your weekend special? Do you know of a hidden garden somewhere in the big city? Who do you share your moments with? Is there an organization that you are passionate about?