Monthly Archives: March 2017

03.14.17
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Tag #19: Dreamy Book Covers Tag

Tiana is an awesome blogger! Most of you know that I love books, so I was immediately drawn to her blog. Please check out The Book Raven!

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Here’s the original link to the tag:

The Rules:

1. Thank the lovely person who tagged you, spread the love!

2. Mention Tiana @ The Book Raven as the (insert adjective here) creator of this book tag!

3. Use the original tag image in your post. (However, feel free to add whatever other graphics your heart desires!)

4. At least tag one fellow blogger for this tag. Even if you’re like me sometimes and feel a bit lazy 😉

5. List the rules.

The Tag:

“No Ideas But in Things” A book cover that perfectly expresses the novel inside it

I realize a lot of people have a love/hate relationship with this series, but I was drawn to the cover of Divergent almost immediately! To me, the cover captures mystery, intrigue, fire, and adventure – All key components of this first book!

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“Dark and Lovely” A book cover that is so creepalicious you just want to eat it up

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Image Credit: Amazon

I remember the first time I saw several of Anderson’s books lined up on the local library shelf. This one gave me instant shivers. It took me a while to actually read it, but it’s an impressive fictional account of the late 1700s and the fight against disease.

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“Sugary Sweet” A cute cover that is so fluffy you want to give it a hug

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Image Credit: Crawford Writing Blog

This one was hard for me. There was a book cover that I could picture in my head, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the title, or even the author! Yeesh. Fangirl is one of those books that I haven’t read yet, but I’ve heard many good things. This will be on my next TBR!

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“The Simple Aesthetic” A book cover that stuns with the most minimalistic of design

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Image Credit: Metropolitan Musings

I can’t really write a post about a book tag without mentioning The Great Gatsby. This cover blew me away.

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“Cover Envy” A book cover you wish you had on your shelves, but don’t yet

Caraval

Image Credit: Super Space Chick

The first time I saw this cover on a book blog (I can’t remember which one) – I fell in love. It pulled me in from the start. I didn’t even know what the book was about – I just knew that I wanted it. This cover is spellbinding. Now that I’ve heard amazing reviews about Caraval from several book bloggers, I definitely want to get my own copy!

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“Traveling Abroad” A beautiful book cover featuring a country outside of your own

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Image Credit: Paste Magazine

I’ve loved Paris and France for a long time. This cover showcases a classic novel, and a country that’s seen its fair share of triumph and turmoil.

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“The Color Wheel” A cover that showcases one of your favorite colors

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Image Credit: Adazing

 Purple has been one of my favorite colors, since elementary school. I love Sarah Dessen’s books, too.

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“Switching Gears” A cover change you absolutely adore

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Image Credit: The Booklist Reader

While always attracted to Judy Blume’s books, I’m happy they’ve updated the cover for Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. It’s more modern and fresh-looking. It’s a good way to grab the attention of readers today, since Blume’s books are still highly relevant and entertaining, years after being published.

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“Oldie but Goodie” A favorite cover of your favorite classic

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Image Credit: Victorian Paris

I was assigned to read Madame Bovary in high school. It was a challenging read, but it’s stuck with me all these years. I love this cover – The woman just has this intrigue about her in this pose.

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“And the Winner is…” Which book cover mentioned above is your favorite?

Caraval

Image Credit: Super Space Chick

Caraval wins, hands down. I’m going to look for this on Amazon this week!

I Tag: 

I loved this tag!

As I get older, I find that I’m judging books more and more by their covers, but it’s hard to pick just one cover sometimes!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.10.17
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Hot Topic #19: The Water Crisis in Flint, and Others

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Image Credit: Michigan Radio

This particular issue has been running through my veins for a good while now – No pun intended.

The purpose of this post is to review the events of what’s happened with the water in Flint, Michigan. In addition, I want to highlight other cities that have or have had their own water crises.

In my humble opinion, this is simply unacceptable. Everyone needs water to survive!

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a person can live about a month without food. However, one can only survive about a week without water.

Lack of clean, safe water leads to further illness and disease, and ultimately, death.

Flint, Michigan

One of the most recently updated articles about the crisis in Flint comes from CNN:

In a nutshell, the city officially switched water sources in 2014. At that time, Flint’s water supply fund was $9 million in the hole. Flint has gotten its water from Lake Huron since 1967. But, nearly three years ago, the source was switched to the Flint River while a new pipeline was under construction.

The Flint River was not being treated with an anti-corrosive agent, which violates federal law. Because this agent was not added, when the supply was switched over, lead from old pipes started to contaminate the water.

Lead exposure is known to cause adverse health effects, particularly in children and pregnant women. There are medicines that reduce the amount of lead in the blood, but further treatments have not been developed.

Since then, it’s been disaster after disaster. Finger-pointing back and forth, multiple lawsuits, and tons of bureaucratic red tape. All the while, the residents have been holding the bag – All they want is to be able to use their tap water again.

Among other things, tests have come back positive for horrifying things over the last few years, such as Legionnaire’s disease, total coliform bacteria, disinfectant byproducts, and bacteria buildup. Even Flint’s General Motors plant stopped using the city water because high levels of chlorine were corroding engine parts.

Flint has been in the spotlight for another reason – About 40 percent of its residents are African-American. There have been multiple claims / allegations that race has been a factor in the crisis, as well.

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Here’s some more information. The timelines were immensely eye-opening.

Other Cities in the U.S.

After the Flint crisis broke loose, other cities in the U.S. started reporting elevated levels of lead in their water supplies.

A simple Google search of “water crisis in America” immediately hits upon an article, dated March 2016, from CNBC, titled, “America’s water crisis goes beyond Flint, Michigan.”

Another startling article, titled, “America Is Suffering From A Very Real Water Crisis That Few Are Acknowledging,” is more recent. This was published just a few months ago, in January. It cites several sources, but most striking is one report from Reuters that states shocking statistics. There are 3,000 localities in the U.S. alone that have lead levels at least double the amount in Flint.

That’s just insane.

Like Flint, many of these communities have what’s referred to as “legacy lead,” meaning that most are former industrial hubs that have crumbling paint, old plumbing, and industrial waste.

However, many of these localities have not been in the national spotlight. Most of these areas have had to fight the poison on their own.

With that said, there are multiple problems here. There is data showing contamination, but funding has not been increased or allocated to fix the plumbing, pipes, or water supplies. While recent focus has been on lead, there are water supplies all over this country that are tainted with numerous hazardous metals and elements (mercury, arsenic, chlorine, etc.), bacteria, and other things that are far from safe.

Around the World

It’s no secret that other cities and countries on our planet don’t have regular access to clean, safe drinking water.

A quick Google search lists numbers of at least 1.1 billion people on our planet that have scarce water.

Here’s several links that illustrate the worldwide water shortage:

What Can We Do?

At this point, you may be feeling helpless, or confused, or sad. So, what can we do?

  • There are multiple charities that are dedicated to providing safe, clean water to water-scarce areas.
  • Educating others about these issues.
  • Spreading awareness.
  • Harvesting rainwater.
  • Researching and advocating new technologies.
  • Decreasing the effects of climate change.
  • Pursuing cleaner means of energy.
  • Consuming products that use less water.

Source: Conserve Energy Future

We may not be able to change the world right now, but educating others goes a long way!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.08.17
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Writing Prompt #48: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 10)

Week #10: List Five Things You Like About You

  1. I love my physical features. I love that I have a good mix of my mom and my dad. Most of you know that my mom and I have the same face shape, and look very much alike, with the exception of our hairstyles. On several occasions, people have recognized me as my mom, both in person, and especially over the phone. I have my dad’s hair, skin, and eyes. I feel unique!
  2. I love that I love to read and write. These two are two of my biggest passions!
  3. I love that I’m no longer embarrassed about my American Girl dolls. I felt sheepish for several years; I felt un-cool talking about it. No more!
  4. I love that my interest in mass media has continued after college, especially since I didn’t go into that field for my career. The state of our country is troublesome right now, but I’ve tried really hard to keep up with the current events.
  5. I love that I’m left-handed! I’m a proud southpaw.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.07.17
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Blog Awards #12: Sunshine Blogger Award – Number 2!

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Image Credit: The Green Onion Blog

Many thanks to the incredibly nerdy The Green Onion Blog for nominating me for another award!

Here’s the link to the post where I was nominated:

The Rules:

  1. Thank the person(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
  2. Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you
  3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions
  4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post and/or on your blog.

The Questions:

1. Can you describe your ideal man-cave/woman-cave/library, and what kind of things we would find in there?

My ideal woman-cave / library would be a replica of the Beast’s library in Beauty and the Beast. However, I’m excited to be building a smaller version in my own house – The Lady Lounge! Eventually, it will contain my desk, my laptop, my humongous bookcase, my American Girl dolls, and a reading nook!

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2. What was one of your most prized toys/possessions when you were a child?

My first 18-inch American Girl doll, Stephanie. I still have her, nearly 20 years later. It’s funny – She’s one of the look-alike dolls (Originally called “American Girl of Today,” now called “Truly Me.”). However, when my parents bought her for me for Christmas in 1997, the company didn’t make a doll with brown hair and green/hazel eyes, so the next best thing was blonde hair with bangs, and bright green eyes. To me, however, as a 9-year-old, she was perfect. I took her everywhere!

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3. What book/comic book movie adaptation do you wish they would make that has not been done yet?

Oh, goodness. This was the hardest question for me! I’d love to see Stargirl’s story to be continued. She’s had a few live-action and animation roles, but nothing in a movie, yet!

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4. You won a $500 gift card to the bookstore, what do you buy first?

Score! I’d immediately buy all of Jane Austen’s works.

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5. If you had to cosplay any character, and had access to whatever you needed, who are you going as?

Wonder Woman!

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6. You can have any robot-pet, what kind of robo-pet do you get?

A hedgehog!

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7. What was the worst mark you ever got in school?

High school Spanish was the worst! I flat out failed a couple tests, and got a zero on one assignment because my teacher could tell that I had rushed and used Google Translate.

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8. What would be the absolute worst villain/monster after you?

One that takes books away!

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9. If you were going colour blind, and get to choose which colour you lose, what colour will you never see again?

Orange.

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10. If you could own any fictional vehicle, what are you driving?

The Invisible Jet.

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11. You get one protein, one fruit/vegetable, and one dairy product, for the rest of your life, what are your choices?

Seafood, mushrooms, and cheese.

Nominations:

  1. Aliexpress Fashion Review
  2. The Watts
  3. TrevnJess
  4. Not-so-modern girl
  5. MovieBabble
  6. Reads & Reels
  7. Flexi Reads
  8. Elazar Abrahams – TV and City
  9. midnightmusings
  10. goldenquotesrb
  11. Julius – Logical Quotes

Questions for the Bloggers:

  1. If you could have one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
  2. What was your favorite subject in school?
  3. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  4. What’s your favorite superhero movie / TV show?
  5. Name three books that you read as a child that left a lasting impression on you.
  6. What’s one of your favorite childhood memories?
  7. When did you get your first cell phone?
  8. Which TV cast would you love to meet?
  9. If you had the opportunity to buy a one-way plane ticket tomorrow, what destination would you pick?
  10. Do you have a favorite game show?
  11. If you could have any pet (real or fictional), what would you get, and why?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.05.17
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Tag #18: The Makeup Book Tag

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Image Credit: YouTube

I found this tag on Thrice Read – They found it on Pirate Lady Pages!

Primer – Pick a book that left a lasting impression on you.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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Concealer – Pick a character you wish didn’t exist.

I don’t have a good answer for this one – I think most characters, if written well, should exist!

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Foundation – A favourite first book in a series.

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

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Powder – Pick your favourite last book in a series.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

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Eyebrows – Pick a book you think everyone should read.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

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Eye Shadow – Pick a book with your favourite colours on the front.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth – I love the combination of greens, blues, and a bit of yellow.

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Eyeliner – Pick a dark and mysterious book.

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews.

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Mascara – Pick a long book.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.

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Blush – Pick a book with a cringe-worthy romance.

Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel.

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Highlighter – Pick a book that brightens your day.

I can’t pick just one. For this, I’ll pick anything with the American Girl historical characters. They give me such nostalgia!

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Lipstick – Your favourite book kiss.

The first kiss between Allie and Noah in The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. It makes me melt – Every. Single. Time.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.03.17
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Commentary #49: Rec’d and Wreck’d – Music Albums!

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Image Credit: Shealea at That Bookshelf Bitch.

Here’s the links to my previous Rec’d and Wreck’d posts:

Ready?

Here we go!

The Rules:

  1. Download the Rec’d & Wreck’d header and include it in your post.
  2. Specify what you’re going to Rec’d & Wreck’d. If you were tagged to do a Rec’d & Wreck’d post, let us know and mention the person who tagged you.
  3. List three things you would recommend (rec’d). Rave until your heart’s content.
  4. List three things you would like to wreck (wreck’d). Rant until your heart’s content.
  5. State your challenge for the next Rec’d & Wreck’d post. Here’s an example:
    Rec’d & Wreck’d challenge:
    – Type: Books
    – Genre: YA Contemporary
    – Prompt: I’m looking for a book that can make me ugly cry
  6. You can open the challenge to all your blog readers, but you should nominate at least seven (7) people to do your challenge.
  7. Do not forget to link back to the original post on That Bookshelf Bitch. That way, more people can learn about the feature and join in on the fun!

Rec’d

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(1) Glee: The Music, Volume 1 – Many of you know that I am a huge “gleek.” I’ve loved the show from Day One. The same goes for most of the music. I own most of the CDs. This CD will always be my favorite. It has a great mix of songs from the first season. “Don’t Stop Believin'” is my favorite, but they also feature “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Sweet Caroline,” and “Defying Gravity,” to name a few. If you haven’t listened to their music, I highly recommend it!

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(2) …Baby One More Time, Britney Spears – I begged and begged my parents for this CD! I had a huge poster of Britney on the back of my bedroom door. I finally got it for one of my birthdays, and I think I wore it out with my CD player!

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(3) Millennium, Backstreet Boys – This was another CD that I begged for and pleaded. My parents gave it to me for one of my birthdays. My favorite song is “I Want It That Way” – And yes, I did dance in front of my mirrored closet doors, singing into my hairbrush!

Wreck’d

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(1) A Thousand Different Ways, Clay Aiken – I tried SO HARD to love this album. But, it just didn’t sit well with me. I absolutely loved Measure of a Man (2003) and Merry Christmas with Love (2004), but this one was disappointing. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it’s not my favorite.

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Image Credit: Wikipedia

(2) Play On, Carrie Underwood – As much as I love Carrie and her voice and her music, I regretted buying this album. This one has the least amount of play time for me. Similar to Clay Aiken, I loved her albums Some Hearts, Carnival Ride, and Blown Away, but not this one. Her singing felt different, and a little strange.

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(3) I can’t actually come up with a third one – I can’t! I love most all music. I tend to have love/hate relationships with individual artists, or a certain song, rather than a particular album.

That’s all!

Do you have any Rec’d and Wreck’d recommendations? I’d love to hear them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.01.17
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Getting Personal #63: March Goals

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Image Credit: Entrepreneur Delights

It’s already March 1st! Is it just me, or does the year seem to be flying by?

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Here are my goals for March:

  1. Complete my Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam Prep class.
  2. Take, and pass, my CPC exam (a.k.a., boards).
  3. Be a volunteer for the 2017 District Orchestra Assessment at my alma mater.
  4. Write at least 1,000 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
  5. See Kong: Skull Island.
  6. Positively geek out over Beauty and the Beast.
  7. See Power Rangers.
  8. Finally implement my receipt organization system.
  9. Visit TCC to review my transcripts, make sure everything is straight, and apply for graduation!
  10. Celebrate birthdays!
  11. Move at least my American Girl dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.
  12. Make progress with emptying / organizing the garage.

Here’s the breakdown:

Complete my Certified Professional Coder (CPC) Exam Prep class.

  • This opportunity presented itself in the beginning of February. One of our friends, Shana, took this class last fall, and passed her exam (boards) on the first try!
  • I was lucky to get a slot – I paid about a third of the cost of a typical CPC exam prep course, and my work department graciously bought my books.
  • So far, so good: I’ve been in class since February 20th, twice a week, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on campus.

Take, and pass, my CPC exam (a.k.a., boards).

  • I’m scheduled to take the test on Saturday, March 25th. I have five hours to answer 150 questions. Fortunately, it’s paper-pencil, and multiple-choice. That, I can handle!
  • I should know my results about a week to 10 days after the test, since it has to be fed through a Scantron machine at another location.

Be a volunteer for the 2017 District Orchestra Assessment at my alma mater.

  • I wasn’t able to do this last year, so I’m excited to help!
  • This weekend (Friday and Saturday) is when all the middle school and high school orchestras in the city of Chesapeake descend upon my alma mater, Oscar Smith High School, to perform several pieces and be assessed by a panel of judges.
  • I’ll be working the registration table for a few hours on Saturday. I’ll be rocking my Rehearse-A-Thon T-shirt from my orchestra days!

Write at least 1,000 new words for my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I think I set this goal too high for the last two months, so I decided to scale it back a bit. I think I can handle 1,000 words!

See Kong: Skull Island.

  • This is one of those movies that we’ve been excited to see for a long, long time.
  • We first saw glimpses of this when we were on our honeymoon in Orlando in November 2015 – There’s a new ride based on the movie opening soon in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Positively geek out over Beauty and the Beast.

  • I can barely wait until the 17th, you guys. This movie looks so good!
  • I’m currently searching for a shirt online that will be worn to the movie.
  • I always dreamed of having the Beast’s library!
  • Personally, I think Emma Watson, as Belle, is a perfect fit. As well as Luke Evans (Gaston), Kevin Kline (Maurice), and Josh Gad (Le Fou).

See Power Rangers.

  • Originally, I was a little skeptical about this one. I didn’t watch a lot of Power Rangers as a kid, but I’m actually excited for this movie. It looks really sleek and modern. Bring it on!

Finally implement my receipt organization system.

  • It may be just a series of envelopes, but hopefully it will eliminate a lot of the stress I’ve had! Stacking the receipts for the month, by date, has not been helpful! Fingers crossed.

Visit TCC to review my transcripts, make sure everything is straight, and apply for graduation!

  • Oh, boy. Here we go!
  • I’m really excited, and a little nervous. I think I only have one class left (Legal Writing), but I want to be absolutely sure!
  • If that’s the case, I plan to fill out my application for graduation and make sure everything is in order, all in one fell swoop.
  • It’s so close, I can almost taste it.

Celebrate birthdays!

  • My parents are having a big shindig for a family friend this weekend. I’m excited! We’re bringing angel food cake and Cool Whip!
  • We want to call Al’s mom this weekend to wish her a Happy Birthday!

Move at least my American Girl dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.

  • I’m tired of not having all my dolls (I have five total) in one place! It’s definitely happening this month – Hopefully this weekend!

Make progress with emptying / organizing the garage.

  • The warmer weather we’ve had recently is giving me the itch to finally empty out and organize our garage.
  • I want to put one of our cars in there by the end of the month, hopefully! That’s the ultimate goal.

Do you have any goals for the month of March?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.01.17
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Writing Prompt #47: “52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge” (Week 9)

Week #9: How Did You Do & Feel?

I feel really good about this challenge right now. I’m really glad I picked Wednesdays for these posts – They’re in the middle of the week, and it gives me a chance to compose my thoughts over the weekend, if need be. I’m happy with my progress so far!

Come back next week for more!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂