.April Books.

This was a GR-EAT month for reading!! I am really excited about all the books that I finished and get to share with you!

Mockingjay: Suzanne Collins : This is the third and final book of the Hunger Games. I did sneak ahead and read the epilogue first...ooops! I love knowing whats going to happen before it happens, its a downfall of mine. Collins did a great job with this book, she completed the whole series very well, you don't walk away with more questions, it is all wrapped up in a bow for you. Plus I will always love Katniss!

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Meet Josefina: Valerie Tripp: This is an American Girl book introducing the character of Josefina. (hmmm..I wonder where I worked for a few weeks) I never read any of the American Girl books while growing up and was surprised how good the books are! I loved reading about Josefina and learning more about history. I now have handed my book down to my niece to read!

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The Book Thief: Markus Zusak: I heard about this book for a long time ( I even heard about it in Australia) and finally read it. The book follows a foster girl in Nazi Germany during WWII, we follow her book stealing, spending time with her best friend, her lovely foster dad, and her new friend, Max, the Jew who now lives in the basement. This book has been said to be a life changer and tons of people love it...me, I'm just not one of those people. I didn't like the style it was written in or the narrative by the soul collector.

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We Are All Equally Far From Love: Adania Shibli: I had high hopes for this book based on the summary written on the back. However, I was disappointed with the book and was happy it was a short one! The book consisted of shorter stories dealing with love, the lost of love, etc. I wished that the author would have connected the stories together better, each one felt far from the other and didn't relate. 

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Little Princes: Conor Grennan: OHHHHHHHH... I LOVED this book! I spotted this book way back before we were leaving for Australia in the bookstore and have been waiting to read it! Ever since spending a week in Kathmandu I have been interested in learning more about Nepal and it's culture. Grennan was a 29 year old who quit his job to travel around the world, his first stop to volunteer at the orphanage Little Princes for three months. He fell in love with the children at the house and discovered that the children weren't orphans but have been victims of human trafficking. Grennan continues to travel around the world and returns back to Little Prince for another volunteering stint. This time everything changes. After his second stint he decides to travel and find the parents of the "orphans" and let them know what has happened to their children as well as open up his own safe house.  This is a heart warming, loving story that makes you want to go out and do good in this world.  I HIGHLY recommend it!!!!!

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Warrior of the Light: A Manual: Paulo Coelho: Who doesn't love Paulo Coelho? He is just pure amazing, he always fills my heart while also challenging it. This is a manual filled with inspiring notes on following your destiny, loving life, and learning from all situations. This is definitely going to be one that is read and re-read throughout my life. 

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Currently Reading:

Check me out on goodreads!

2012 Goal update:  

14/50 books

.30 before 30: Juicy Lucy.

Last night I finished one of my 30 before 30 items (#30 to be exact)! My pals and I went out to a small restaurant, Buffalo Tap, and indulged in some cheese curds and Juicy Lucys.  What is a Juicy Lucy? It's a burger that has cheese inside the burger, and then you choose the toppings you want on top! Yep, the cheese is placed INSIDE the burger and then when it cooks it melts  and turns to yummy cheese goodness!

There is even a special way to eat the burger so you don't harm yourself or others! You have to take little bites at first so to let the pressure out from inside the burger. If you don't do this...then BAM hot melted cheese has just hit you in the eye or across the table into your friends eye! 

Look at that melted cheese oooozzing out of the burger!! YUUUUUMMMM!!

The burger was HUGE, sadly I did almost eat all of it! EEEPPPP! Man, if that waitress would just have picked up our dishes when I had half left, I would have felt much better after! Where we ate the burgers isn't the birth place of these famous burgers in MN, just known for them.  My goal is now eat a Juicy Lucy at the birth place, which was featured on an episode of Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel!

Any foods you are wanting to try?

WIW: Stripes on Stripes

I threw this sweater on over my dress, crossing my fingers that it would work out!

Once I looked in the mirror, I was in love!

I love the colors and the different size stripes. 

This is now my go to outfit when it's a little chilly outside

 but my legs wanna say hello to the world!

.the details.

dress & sweater:  Old Navy

shoes & purse: Target

.Tuesday Tunes: She's Gone Country.

Happy 1st Day of my birthday month!!!

We could also call it May Day...but that just isn't as fun.

Since it's my birthday month, I thought it would be fun to take you on a little trip down memory via Tuesday Tunes. Each Tuesday I will have a playlist of the main genres that I grew up loving! It will be kind of like the history of me through music! I hope you enjoy it as much I will enjoy making the playlists...fyi..I'm super duper excited to do this. 

I loved sledding down our little snow hills on the farm!

For the first edition of the Tuesday Tunes I am taking you back to what I grew up on, good ole country music. Nothing but country played in our house and it was all that I listened to until about 7th grade when I found Hanson & Backstreet Boys! Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of current country music...it's to poppy for me. BUT country music back in the day with Garth Brooks, George Strait, Alan Jackson...now that is GOOOOOD country music. Even further back with Dolly Parton, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn..now that was GREAT music! 

This playlist takes me back to growing up on the farm, my first cd, and my first concerts. 

YEEEE HAAAWWW!!!!

.5k recap.

Another weekend and another race for the YMCA! This weekend it was a 5k in Mankato, MN for the Girls on the Run Program. Girls on the Run is through the YMCA and is for preteen girls to learn healthy lifestyle choices, self-condfidence, and self respect through running. 

Before the race!

The weather on Saturday is kind of crappy. It was cold and rainy, but that didn't keep our spirits down. Plus as soon as it came near running time, the rain stopped, just like it was destiny. 

This was my first time running a road race without Dave by my side. 

Honestly, I now know that I LOVE having a running partner!

Due to running alone and having a million people pass me, I felt like I was the slowest person on earth. 

I just kept my head down and kept putting one foot in front of another. 

My time:

26min 44sec (8.37/mi)

a personal record (PR) for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of the family members that participated in the 5k!

The best thing about running the race in Mankato is that some of my family members came out and walked the 5k! I was sooooooo excited and happy that they came out to support a great cause and that they pushed themselves to do the walk! 

I honestly hope that we can do this again next year and

 maybe get more strong Hammond girls out there on that route!!!

I even got to run the Kids K with my little niece before the 5k!

Let me tell you..that little girl can RUN!

At one point, she turned around and said...

"Hurry Up, Slowpoke!" 

oh...she slays me! Here is us crossing the finish line together:

Maybe we have a future runner in the family!

.Snapshot Sunday.

Continuing with flashbacks this weekend...here is a picture from October 2007!

I'm super duper excited to see this lady today!

After living miles and miles and MILES apart..I finally live close enough to visit!

It's been far to long since we have been able to hang out

and just be our stupid selves! 

(oh my glasses...thank goodness I finally got some style)

.running flashback.

This is me after my first 5k, the AidsWalk in DC, in 2009. 

Thinking back on that run, I laugh at how silly I was and how far I have come. 

Right after crosses the finish line, I grabbed Dave feeling like I was going to collapse. 

When we got home, we ate HUGE burritos 

(thinking we HAD to refuel our bodies after SUCH a long run)

and then slept the rest of the day....

cause you know we RAN three miles! 

Our time that race was: 38min. 

Now 3 miles is a short run for us, 

no naps are needed after, 

and I don't feel like I have collapse. 

This 5k my goal is to run it in 30min!!