Harry Potter Halloween Costumes

We don't always dress up for Halloween, but I thought I'd share our costumes this year because they were book-themed. A friend of ours had a Harry Potter birthday party, so my husband and I dressed up as Tonks and Lupin (because Tonks was the only pregnant character I could think of in the book).

The party was awesome -- we had pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs (they made them with a candy mold), cockroach clusters (almonds in chocolate), butterbeer and Firewhisky (vanilla cream soda and ginger beer soda - both nonalcoholic so perfect for families and preggos), as well as other treats brought by those of us going to the party. We played Harry Potter pictionary and had a Spell-ing bee, in which we had to spell actual spells from the book, which was difficult, especially since I listened to the books most recently and had no idea how to spell them. When we left, we were given golden eggs filled with cockroach clusters and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. Basically, if you want to plan a Harry Potter party, take a leaf from this couple's book, because it was well done and a lot of fun. :)

Unrelated news that I am going to post about in this hodge-podge post -- for the last year or more I have had a YA Friday feature. I generally only posted about YA on Fridays, and tried to have a YA post for every Friday. While I am going to continue to read and post about YA literature, I am no longer going to follow my YA Friday schedule as rigidly. I originally implemented that feature because I felt like I needed to cater to both YA bloggers and those who did not like YA. I felt like the feature showed that I did pay regular attention to YA while also making it clear that it wasn't all I read. I don't really feel the need to delineate that anymore -- I think it is pretty clear that I read quite a few genres. Also, sometimes I've read several YA books and sometimes I'm not in the mood. I have gotten tired of structuring my reading so rigidly and now that I am close to having my baby, I know that reading time is going to get more precious. Thus, I want to spend it reading what I'm in the mood for, not what is next on my blog schedule. I'll keep the link up and will of course continue to label posts for their genre so you can click the label and find more, similar books. Honestly, no one else will probably even notice this, but I wanted to lay it all out for my own processing purposes if nothing else. :)

So in a nutshell, I'm still posting YA, but not just on Fridays, and not every Friday. That's all! Hope you are all having a lovely autumn Sunday evening.

Bookshelves!

Because I've recently moved into a new place and my book storage situation is significantly better than it used to be, I thought I'd share with you some pictures of my new bookshelves!

My husband and I have always wanted to have a library, but living in campus housing for the entirety of our marriage, we thought this was probably not going to be an option for several years. However, we were excited upon reaching our new apartment to see the perfect spot for a library. It is tiny, but beautiful (to us, at least!). :)

So there it is, the library in all its itty-bitty glory. 

I also have a TBR shelf:

In our last place, this was the bookshelf, and the TBR pile was a series of highly stacked books next to my nightstand, so this is a huge improvement. 

Finally, the baby has a bookshelf. It is kind of sparse at the moment, but I'm hoping to fill it soon. :) 

So there you have it, my new book situation! The only thing I didn't grab a picture of was the towering pile of books on my nightstand (comprised of parenting books, scriptures, and the "immediate" TBR of library books).

The Magnificent Post of UPDATES!

I was thinking I should update you all on my life, because I know you are just dying to know all about it (ha). And I was also thinking I should do a handy mid-year update on the challenges in which I am (attempting) to participate. Then I thought, perhaps I shall combine all these lovely things together. Et voila. This post.

Personal updates: This has been a crazy summer for The Husband and me. I have been working hard to   finish my nursing degree, doing crazy things like working night shifts and working three twelve-hour shifts in a row and other madnesses (I know many of you do the same thing. I admire and respect you). Fortunately I am on a floor that I love (children's oncology) and I hope to work in a similar field once I graduate and get my first real job. The Husband left me for Officer Basic Training Camp and has been gone for the last month. He has just over two weeks left before he returns. Unfortunately, while we have been able to talk on the phone every day up to this point, he may not have good cell phone service for the next couple of weeks. Le sigh. At least we are past the halfway point.

Also, we have been preparing to move to Los Angeles. We were lucky enough to get the apartment in their student housing that we most coveted, and we are getting really excited to leave this desert and live by the sea. I have lived in suburbs and small cities my entire life, excepting the 5 week adventure I had in Paris, so I am very intrigued to see what this new lifestyle is like. I think I'll be ready to leave by the end of our 4-year time there, but for now I am very excited. 

And finally... there will be three of us living together in LA. We are expecting a baby boy in mid-November, and so far everything has been great, minus a month of morning sickness and the mass amounts of exhaustion I have been experiencing (whoever said you are less tired in the second trimester apparently didn't have the same pregnancy I am having). I'm excited to meet the little creature that is currently doing acrobatics inside of me.

So those are the life updates. On to the challenge updates...

Challenge Updates:

In the Chunkster Challenge I have read 3/8 books. I need to read two more books that are over 750 pages and three more that are over 450 pages. I am feeling confident about this challenge because I am currently in the middle of three chunksters. Now if I can only prod myself to finish I will be almost done with the challenge.

I have read 0/2 books for the Victorian Celebration, and as the end of the challenge is drawing near, I probably won't finish. I would have loved to participate, but with the way that school has been this semester I suppose some things had to fall by the wayside.

As of yet, 0/50 books in the Classics Club challenge. Fortunately, I have 4.5 years to finish this one. :)

Finally, a challenge in which I am doing well! I have completed my goal for the European Reading Challenge, reading 3 books that take place in 3 different European countries. I've honestly probably surpassed this goal, but I stopped keeping track after I completed the challenge.

In the South Asian Challenge I have completed 1/5 books. I am planning on reading more later in the year, so hopefully I will have time to get to those and complete this challenge.

I've read 1/7 in the Award Winning Reads Challenge. I am hoping to get to more this year, but this one might end up falling by the wayside for me. I want to complete all these challenges but it is looking as though that probably isn't a reality. We will see.

I've read 3/7 books in the Harry Potter Reading Challenge and almost finished with the fourth book. I know I am going to finish this one because I have all the audiobooks lined up, just waiting for me. 

I've read 5/9 books in the Mixing It Up challenge. I am pretty sure I will be able to finish this one by the end of the year -- one of the joys of being an eclectic reader.

I've read 1/3 books in the New Adult Challenge. While of course I will be thrilled to finish the challenge, this is another one that might fall by the wayside this year.

Only 2/10 in the Alex Awards Challenge, which is shameful because it is my challenge. I am in the middle of an Alex Award book and have big plans to read others by the end of the summer, so hopefully I will pull through. 

Only 1/9. *Buries head in shame*

1/7 here. I am sad because I've forgotten about the monthly prompts the last couple of months. I will have to do one this month!

Honestly, I had completely forgotten about this challenge and haven't been keeping track. Perhaps that will have to change soon. 

Whew, that is all. I always get a little too enthusiastic when I sign up for challenges. However, I think it is a good thing because I add books to my TBR that I never would have thought to read otherwise. We'll see how it all went come December. 

Sunday Salon: Life Updates!

It has been quite a while since I've updated you all on the goings on of my life, so I thought I'd take a couple of minutes and fill you all in. It has been a great couple of months for my husband and I with a lot of exciting news.

First of all, my husband graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology on Friday. After four years of hard work, he is free... for a summer. This fall we will be moving to Los Angeles where my husband will be attending UCLA for dental school. Any bloggers from southern California out there? One thing I am really going to miss is the great community of Utah book bloggers and authors, but I am hopeful that California has a strong community as well.

I also turned 24 yesterday. To celebrate, my husband took me to the Ingrid Michaelson concert on Thursday. Before the concert, he took me to Settebello, an amazing Neapolitan pizzeria. We also went to a Belgian fry and waffle shop called Bruges to get a Liege waffle for dessert (topped with Belgian chocolate and creme fraiche... deliciousness). My husband used to live in Italy and I spent a little time in Bruges, so we are both pretty nostalgic about those restaurants. The concert was fantastic, of course -- I have seen Ingrid Michaelson once before and she is without a doubt my favorite musician. It was fun to see my husband get into her music -- he has been listening to it ever since! I was good and spoiled for my birthday -- I got some clothes, nail polish, cute jewelry, a purse (in Giants colors -- I shall be bringing that to every game and putting myself in danger of Dodgers fans' wrath) and DISHES! I am obsessed with dinnerware and now have more than I can really fit in my tiny apartment, but I love getting new dishes. I got six cute latte bowls from Anthropologie, which I have been coveting for months, as well as some Fiestaware baking dishes and a little Fiestaware platter. I'm sure you all care about my serveware, but it makes me pretty excited. No books, but I did get some birthday money from my sister-in-law that I intend to use for some books. :)

We've also had family in town for my husband's graduation. I have a new little niece that was born a few weeks ago, and another older niece also came and stayed with us for several days. We don't get to see most of my husband's side of the family very often (although that will all change when we move to California, hopefully) so it is always a treat to hang out with them.

I also found out this week where I will be for my last semester of nursing school. (One more... I can't wait to be finished!) For the last semester of nursing school, everyone is assigned to a location and a preceptor and they basically work as a nurse with a lot of supervision. It can be competitive to get the spots you want, especially if you want to specialize, but I was lucky and was placed on the cancer and transplant unit at the children's hospital nearby. That is my dream job, so having the experience in my last semester will hopefully be helpful in future interviews. I still can't believe that after six years of college I might actually be done and get a real job. (If you're curious, six years of college is what happens when you a) change your major seven times and b) get two bachelor's degrees because you still couldn't make up your mind. I learned a lot, but I still would recommend figuring it out a little sooner than I did).

Well, that was longer than I was expecting it to be. What have all of you been up to lately? Are you reading anything excited? I am midway through Pandemonium -- not the best choice for finals week, although my finals are fortunately pretty bearable this semester. It is intense, and I'm excited to write the review (although you won't be seeing it for at least a month because I am so behind in my reviews right now)! I hope you are all having a great Sunday!

Sunday Salon: Life (or the lack thereof)

This week was not the best blogging week. I know I occasionally update on my personal life in snippets, but because I have a little downtime today (and because my personal blog is very neglected) I thought I would just update on this blog a few things about why I've been MIA lately.

I think I've mentioned before that this semester has been a lot crazier than the last two semesters of nursing school, and I've been having a really hard time keeping my head above water, so to speak. Instead of having three five credit classes, I have five three-credit classes -- but the workload in each three-credit class is heavier than it was in the five-credit classes of last semester. I've also had my first taste of a twelve-hour shift this semester. My clinicals have been at a children's hospital on the cancer floor. It has been exhausting, but also absolutely rewarding. Because (contrary to what the media portrays) nursing jobs are very difficult to get right now, I may have to settle for something different at first, but I really, really want to work with kids who have cancer. I loved that floor and hope I have the opportunity to work someplace like it in the future. This week I am going to switch to an adult cancer hospital for the rest of the semester, and I am hoping that works out pretty well also. From what I've heard, it is a really great place to learn (although of course, if you are a patient, you don't want to be sick enough to have to stay there).

Things have also been pretty busy with church lately. In the church I am a part of everyone has responsibilities called "callings" that rotate around. Depending on the congregation and the area you live in, you may have a calling for a few months to a few years. Right now, I am the secretary for the women's organization (Relief Society) which is busier than other callings I have had (often I end up playing the piano). It is rewarding but my Sundays have been busier doing church responsibilities.

Personal life has been busy too, with lots of big decisions being made in the last few months. My husband decided to join the Army to pay for his dental school. He is now sworn in and is officially a second lieutenant, although he doesn't have any responsibilities right now except to finish dental school and do a good job so they can make use of him afterward. :) We also decided where to go for dental school -- UCLA. It wasn't a dental school that we were really considering at first, but once my husband interviewed there he was really impressed with the program and we were very excited to be accepted. We move this summer (he graduates with his first degree in April and I graduate in August) and then it will be head first into a completely different life! It is exciting but very intimidating, especially as I peruse the job ads for nurses in LA. I have found one that I particularly would love to get and a few back-up plans as well, so hopefully at least one of those works out.

This weekend has been busy as well, so I am glad it is a holiday. My little sister got engaged a few weeks ago, and our mom and her future mother-in-law came to visit this weekend and to help her figure out some details of her wedding. I tagged along. :) This will be the first and probably only chance I have to be a bridesmaid, and I am excited. Fortunately my sister has great taste and the dress I'll be wearing is pretty rather than some of the bridesmaid monstrosities out there.

Aww... they're cute. 

Other than that, I have been trying to steal some time to read (I haven't in two days, which is ridiculous for me) and sleep. Hopefully this blog will be a little more active this week, because I miss reading and blogging as my relaxation time. Now it's time for me to go frost some homemade oreos... nothing like treats to induce relaxation.

Odds and Ends

A couple of little tidbits for your Sunday evening pleasure -

First of all, I am participating in the Day Zero 101 Goals in 1001 Days project, brought to my attention by Jillian of A Room of One's Own. I won't be posting updates on this blog, but if you are interested in what my goals are, they are posted on my personal blog.

Secondly, I am hoping to participate for at least a few hours in Enna Isilee's read-a-thon from June 17-18. The read-a-thon goes for 36 hours, but I am just hoping to participate for 6-8 hours. I know it's small, but it is all I can do right now, and I think it will be fun! I'll probably just work on finishing my library books, which will be posted tomorrow in my In My Mailbox for the month of June. Even though my participation sounds minimal, I think it will really make a dent in reading list and force me to plan my week well so I can have a bit of time for some reading. That's all for tonight... hope you are all ready for the week ahead (I'm not)!