I’ve been busy, people! Busy doing important things. (Lie.)

Like this.

And this.

And shopping.

And telling Grace horror stories about her new baby brother who will be joining the Sullivans in 23 short days. More information, of course, to come.

I’ve been a waste of space on my week off. It’s been fantastic. I read this book, which I highly recommend, because if nothing else it will make you think and argue with yourself and challenge your own morality:

And truthfully, that’s all I got.

As it turns out, Where She Went is a sequel to another young adult book, If I Stay. I immediately rolled my eyes, forgetting that some of my favorite books are in fact, technically “young adult.” And I don’t just mean my favorite Sweet Valley Highs or Judy Blumes. I also include The Book Thief in there, Hatchet, Gossip Girl, Harry Potter, and of course, The Hunger Games.

So I ignored the large type-setting and began to read.

Having not read the first book probably made this even more enjoyable for me, not knowing the characters’ back stories wasn’t a hinderance at all. In fact, it was more exciting to not know exactly what had transpired between Adam and Mia in the first book.

At the heart of this novel, we have the young love torn apart by tragic circumstances, and how the two journey back together after years and miles apart. I can say this is a total beach read, engrossing and sweet, and not too complicated or unnecessarily trendy. (I think some young adult books through way too many fads and trends in there; this was just a simple story.) It overall seems very real. The emotions are real, the dialogue is real, and the story just feels very real.

Where She Went is good, and now that I’ve finished it, I want to go back and read the first story. (The first one, by the way, is going to be a movie.) It is at times dark but overall uplifting.

If you’re interested in the book, check out the BlogHer Book Club page and discussions.

*Disclaimer: Although I was compensated for this review, it in no way affected my judgment or review of the story.

Hip hip, hooray!

That’s mostly me forgetting that the number one reason I blog is for me, as a creative outlet, a repository of photos and thoughts, and as an incredible trove of recipes and memories.

But still, life ’round these parts is fairly quiet.

Let’s see what I can fill you in on:

Last weekend we had a fun family dinner in Arlington. We ate a lot of Greek food.

Yesterday, I took my very last 1-hour drive to campus to take my anatomy and physiology final. I’m going to miss the horses and mini horses:

I have a glorious week off ahead of me with nothing to do but watch for new birds on the feeder, exercise, cook, and organize all my stuff that got thrown in the shed when I moved home. (That’s an early Father’s Day present for you, Dad!) I’ve already cleaned out a closet and somehow produced four bags of clothes to donate. (Where do the clothes come from?!)

There are three goldfinches on that feeder. The other day, there were five total. THIS IS HUGE IN SUBURBIA. Aren’t they magnificent?

In another week I’ll be taking three classes again, in a condensed 6-week period. I would like to take a moment of silence for my future of 2.5 hours of philosophy a day, three days in a row per week, for six weeks. [Silence.]

Thank you. Between that, world religions, and nutrition, I think I’ll be a busy lady.

But first, we’re headed to the shore to celebrate my glorious mother and her special day. It’ll be grand!

Hope you’ve got great big weekend plans and that you call your mommies if you can’t be with them on Sunday.

]]> http://lifeneedsedits.com/?feed=rss2&p=7271 0 http://lifeneedsedits.com/?p=7268 http://lifeneedsedits.com/?p=7268#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 01:54:30 +0000 Laura http://lifeneedsedits.com/?p=7268 I loved it. Go see it. It thoroughly entertained and amused me for 2.5 hours and I laughed and I jumped and I laughed and I clapped (mainly whenever The Hulk [more specifically Mark Ruffalo] did anything at all).

Great film. Totally worth the money for 3D.

Anyone else have a monumental crush on RDJ? Besides me and Pepper Potts?

And though I think Adam is a big cocky jerkface, as I said to my mom today, I wouldn’t kick him out of bed.

And his new song “Payphone” is killing me.

DAMN YOU, LEVINE, AND YOUR CATCHY TUNES.

Oh, OK. Cool. They say that might result in serious injury.

YEAH I’LL SAY.

It’s the iSI Twist n’ Sparkle, and it’s fantastic. I was feeling guilty about all the plastic bottles I was wasting with my seltzer habit. Even if I recycled them, I felt like it was a big fat waste, and that I could be doing something more. The twist and sparkle is perfect — I can carbonate the water I want, and the CO2 cartridges themselves are recyclable, too! (Plus, no more lugging heavy seltzer bottles back from the grocery store.)

You can literally carbonate anything, and water tastes best with fresh lime and lemon. The only problem with getting the lemons and limes in there? If you put it in the bottle, it’s stuck.

ENTER THIS BRILLIANT PRODUCT FROM UMBRA, for only $5!

Need. Want. Purchasing now.

Sometimes things are so smart I really wish I had thought of them myself.

I am still not over it. He should have won it all.

Ellen agreed. The good news is that she had him on the show for an adorable interview and a performance. He is so inspiring and so touching and so genuinely thrilled to be alive. He’s like a little cartoon character of what happiness really is.

Watch and enjoy and then go download his stuff on iTunes!