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Please Vote

I have entered the Love Is.... photo contest at Island Life for the month of February. Please vote for our photo here. 

You can see our contest entry photo in this post.  

Wordless Wednesday...... High Five !

 

Love is ..... Contest Entry

You can vote for our photo by following this link .  

 

I'm a new follower of the Island Life blog and have been participating in their Aloha Fridays. They are hosting a Photo contest. The theme for the month of February is Love is.....

This is my contest entry....

Love is ....... just being there with her and realizing nothing else matters in that moment.  

Photo taken at DisneyWorld overlooking The Grand Floridian Hotel and Spa
 


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2010 Blog Improvement Project

The 2010 Blog Improvement Project is a year-long blogging challenge co-hosted by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness and Jackie at Farm Lane Books Blog. The BIP will consist of twice-monthly activities to improve your blog. Every first and third Monday of the month there will be an activity posted on this blog that will related in some way to making your blog better. Each participant should spend the next two weeks focusing on that aspect of their blog. Possible topics include goals setting, writing better content, building community with readers, getting more readers, and blog layout and design.

If you choose to participate in this project, there is no obligation to participate in every challenge, and you can customize each challenge so it makes sense for your particular blog and goals. Participate when it makes sense for you. This is a group effort, because getting better is always easier when you have a support system, but the ultimate commitment remains with you — how do you want your blog to be better by the time we get to December 31, 2010?

I didn't participate in this project for 2009 but have decided to jump on board in 2010. There has been many changes I've already made, but many more I would like to add for 2010. 

Here are some of my first goals

• Continue to work on the graphics and new buttons to match the new blog layout and theme
• Incorporate ways for my followers to follow with an easier RSS button and email sign up
• Start using more tags and keywords when creating my posts
• Using more eye catching graphics when blog posting
• Recreate my About Me Section
• Edit Existing Posts to make categories more defined 

What are you reading Monday ?

 
If you haven't already head over to Sheila's blog. She's the new host for What are you Reading Monday. She hosts What are you reading Mondays and has a wonderful blog I enjoy reading on a daily basis.

These last 2 weeks I haven't gotten nearly the amount of reading done that I've wanted. I did finally finish Young Bess by Margaret Irwin. My review will be coming in the next few weeks. 

I've continued reading The Other Boleyn Girl but really haven't gotten too far. So far I have enjoyed it though. 

  

I have also started reading Recollections of Rosings written by Rebecca Ann Collins. It's book 8 in The Pemberley Chronicles series. I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy it or would feel behind since I haven't read any of the other books in this series. So far I am really enjoying this book and have probably added books 1-7 to my "to read" list ! Can't wait to continue reading this one. 

 

I'm still listening to Visions in White by Nora Roberts as well. This one os taking me a bit longer than I expected. I listen to these in the car and I frequently have my children with me. This might be considered PG-13 so I have only been able to listen to it by myself. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful reading week. Enjoy !!  
 

Following my Blogging Path

  

It has been over 2 years since I've started this blog. It's gone through some pretty dramatic changes since I first started it off as more of a "mobile blog" 2 years ago. I started blogging back then to share experiences and memories with friends and family. 

Many of my friends and family ( and older followers) have noticed that this year you've seen very little of my personal life posted on the blog.  I've even gotten a couple of snide comments here and there about trying to make this more of a "professional" blog and I've given my family the backseat.  This has been a purposeful decision on my part.  I'm not as comfortable as I once was detailing our daily personal lives and I'm making decisions that feel right for me. Does that mean you won't ever see pictures of my beautiful children ? No ! You'll get to see plenty of them !  You just won't see what we have for breakfast, lunch and dinner !! I'm still feeling out what feels most comfortable to me. 

I've realized blogging has become more of an outlet for myself and insomnia is more interesting in front of the keyboard. I'm not a focused blogger. There are blogs dedicated to politics, technology, music, and entertainment. I guess I enjoy too many things to concentrate on just one. 

I also love reading others blogs, no matter what I write or enjoy; others can always write or do it better ! It inspires me !

 I love the freedom to sit down and just write. When you start a blog post sometimes you have no idea where you might be headed with it. This blog has become part of my walk through life. Like the saying in my header, there is no predetermined path here. 

This month you are reading about books and movies. Next month you may be reading about gardening. I'm just enjoying blogging and what makes me happy at this moment. 

So, sit back, read and continue to wonder "what in the world is wrong with her" ? 

I will continue to blog about who knows what and enjoy the path I'm on at the moment. 

 

 

 

 

  
 
 

Quotable Sunday ... Fate

I'm participating in Quotable Sunday again over at A Daily Dose of Toni . I love reading the quotes everyone chooses as their favorites for the week. Make sure to check out everyone else participating ! 

Tonight Tia and I had a "text chat" and the topic of fate came up. I decided to make that this weeks topic for Quotable Sunday since it was on my mind. 

Life is like a game of cards.  The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.  ~Jawaharlal Nehru

There's much to be said for challenging fate instead of ducking behind it.  ~Diana Trilling

A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.  ~Jean de La Fontaine

The last I heard from my destiny, it wanted me to make a legal U-Turn at my next opportunity.  ~Robert Brault

There is no fate but your own fate.  ~Leslie Grimutter

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.  ~Albert Einstein

Hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend ! 

Ellen Tests "The Hawaiian Chair" from Infomercial

Ellen makes me laugh so hard ! This is hysterical !! 

"If You Can Sit, You Can Get Fit, The Hawaii Chair"

The Welcome Weekend Post !

 

Aloha Friday #4

 

I've really enjoyed participating in  Aloha Friday over at Islandlife808 . All the participants as an easy question for their blog readers.  Hop on over and join in the fun. 

My question for this week is 

If I gave you $1,000 but told you it HAD to be spent today - what would you use it for ? ( No bills or saving allowed!)

That's a hard question. But if I had to SPEND it and couldn't just put it in the savings account or pay bills than I would probably go clothes and purse shopping ! All the fun stuff !! 

Persuasion by Jane Austen 1818

This novel was important for me to read and get to know. My great friend Tia gifted me with an antique copy of this book last year.  This has to be one of the best gifts I'd ever received. Most people either don't know about my fascination with Jane Austen or just plain don't care. She found this wonderful book and thought of me ! It holds a dear place in my heart and I knew instantly I wanted to read the novel. 

 

 

 

Anne Elliot, daughter of the snobbish Sir Walter Elliot, is woman of quiet charm and deep feelings. When she was nineteen she fell in love with—and was engaged to—a naval officer, the fearless and headstrong Captain Wentworth. But the young man had no fortune, and Anne allowed herself to be persuaded to give him up. Now, eight years later, Wentworth has returned to the neighborhood, a rich man and still unwed. Anne’s never-diminished love is muffled by her pride, and he seems cold and unforgiving. What happens as the two are thrown together in the social world of Bath—and as an eager new suitor appears for Anne—is touchingly and wittily told in a masterpiece that is also one of the most entrancing novels in the English language.

I finally decide to read it - ok listen to it.  Since I'm participating in the Jane Austen Challenge this year what better time is there to read it ? 

 

I chose the audiobook read by Juliet Stevenson.  This is the first time I've heard an audiobook by her and she's AMAZING ! She bring the characters and the book to life. 

With that being said I still think I'm going to have to read the book for myself. I listened to this in the car and it was just too hard to concentrate with the amount of characters required to keep track of in this book. I found myself pushing the back button many times so I could rehear a section. I listen to audiobooks in the car quite a bit but I think Austen novels require a little more attention. I might have been very lost if I hadn't recently watched the DVD version of this book. 

 

This really is a moving love story and a classic you shouldn't miss !!