Reading Goal: An Update

It's the start of a new month, so I thought it would be a good time to revisit my reading goal for the year. At the start of 2011, I decided that I wanted to read at least 60 books this year. After reaching 53 last year, I though this would be a bit more of a challenge, but still attainable.

As you can see from my list of books read in 2011 at the top of the page, I have read 16 books so far. For two months, that's really great! I'm very excited about the possibility of surpassing my goal. However, to be realistic, I must also realize that these past two months have been rather lacking in the obligations department, so I probably won't keep this pace up for the whole year. It's a fantastic start though, I'm so encouraged that I am well on my way to meeting my goal.

Tell me, what are your reading goals for this year? How are you doing? It's not too late! Make a reading goal for March, or the remainder of the year. Have a number to reach in your head is a great motivator when you're deciding between the remote and the bestseller you just picked up at the bookstore.

Happy Reading!

2010 Round Up

Again, I've been neglectful, but I plan to start fresh for 2011. I wanted to take a few moments here on New Year's Eve to comment on a few things about 2010 and the upcoming year.

My most exciting book-related news for 2010 is that I met and exceeded my reading goal. I started out with a goal of reading 48 books, and I ended up reading 53! I'm thrilled with my success and know that it has something to do with making a concrete goal and making it public.

To give myself a bit more of a challenge, I'm going to set a goal of 60 books in 2011. I've seen a few people actually write out a list of books that that want to read for the year, so I'm going to do that next week. However, I won't put the full 60 books on the list because I know that I'll be inspired to read new books throughout the year. Any suggestions for titles I should add to my list.

Please visit my "books read in 2010" tab for a full list of all the books I read this year. I will be writing about many of them in the coming weeks.

I hope everyone has had a blessed 2010 and I send you all best wishes for 2011.

New Blog!

I've done it again. Another blog! But this time I'm joining forces with my best friend, Katie, for a year-long photo blog project. We started yesterday on the first day of Spring!

So come by for a visit to see how we stay in touch even though there are 1000 Miles Between us.

Book Wallpaper

I found this wallpaper via the blog A Cup of Jo, who found it in the latest issue of Lonny Magazine.

It's kind of amazing. Just saying. I have no idea where I would put it though...

Where would YOU put it?

Image: anthropologie.com

Blogiversary (did I spell that right?) Reflections

One year ago today, I began this little blog. And in a post or two, I'll be at one hundred posts.

I have mixed feelings about this blog. I read so many other fabulous blogs, and I feel like my little place here in the blogosphere is inadequate. I post so erratically, I wonder if there is even really a point. At yet, at the same time, I think of my blog so often, even when I haven't posted in months. So why the silence?

So here I am at the one year anniversary of my entry into the blogging world. And I am recommitting myself to blogging. And to writing in general.

A big reason for my silence for the last 2 months is change. The new year brought immense, frightening, exhilarating, and exhausting change. It all started when I got a job. It's a job that I never really thought I'd be doing at this point in my life, and one that I still have mixed feelings about. Nevertheless, I enjoy the work, and know that this is a temporary side-step toward my ultimate career goals.

The job forced me to reexamine and ultimately change my thoughts on what I want to do. And after a lot of reading, writing, reflecting, and discussing, I've become even more convinced that I want to be a writer. I still might want to do other things with my life professionally, but I know now that I want to write. I have a dozen ideas floating around in my head (and periodically landing in my writer's notebook). These are everything from children's picture books, adult novels, children's novels, non-fiction, and essays or articles. And yes, blog posts as well. I don't know what kind of writer I am (or will be) yet, but I know that if I want to be a writer--I have to write!

This job, however, has brought other changes as well. It brought me to a new city, (I LOVE Austin, Texas!), to a new apartment (which is still in dire need of some purging and reorganization), to a new church, to new friends, and to a new way of being independent. The job has given me a very new schedule, which forces me to prioritize my time in a new way, and made decisions about what is most important and how to fit those things into my life.

The move also brought me closer to my boyfriend. For the first time in my regular, daily, every day life (as opposed to summer vacation, spring break, etc), I am spending more than a few days at a time in the same city with someone I am in a relationship with. And it's brought more change that I anticipated. But all of this change is good, and it's forming and molding me in wonderful ways.

Because of all this changes, I feel like I am just now ready to make "new year's" resolutions and goals. I will write about those later today or tomorrow.

So happy birthday dear blog! My birthday present to you is a commitment. A commitment to nurture and put time into you as I would any other priority in my life. It's going to be great!