I’ve been spending a bit too much time on Bookstagram recently.
Oh? You’ve never heard of Bookstagram? Me neither, until a few weeks ago. Allow me to enlighten you.
Bookstagram is an area of Instagram where voracious readers create an account solely to post bookish content – their TBR lists, book categories, bookshelf tours, etc. It’s done two things for me.
First of all – it’s expanded my TBR SIGNIFICANTLY. I have so many more books I want to read now.
Secondly – it’s also made me want to turn my blog into a little more of a Bookstagram . . . er, book blog.
Oh wait. There’s a third one.
I have bookshelf envy.
Anyway. I’ve taken inventory of my bookshelf (pitiful as it may be) and sorted fifteen of my favorite books into five categories, with three books in each. I’ve categorized them, and hopefully at least one of the them will spark your interest. 🙂
Three books that will make you believe in love.
Letters to the Lostby Iona Grey. Ah. There is nothing better than boy-meets-girl and their instant chemistry leads them to uncover a deep, dark secret and, oh, they just might happen to fall in love in the process.
The Flight Girlsby Noelle Salazar. Feminist literature? Kick-butt women who fly planes in World War II? Girl pilot meets soldier? YES PLEASE.
Lovely Warby Julie Berry. *sighs happily* A nurse falls for one of her soldiers. There’s even Greek mythology in this one too, guys. And the cover. OMG. I couldn’t ask for any more.
Coincidentally, all three of these books are historical romances as well, and all of them involve WWII. So, if you love adorable WWII historical romances, you will undoubtedly love all of these.
Three books that will make you want to put on your dancing slippers.
2020 has been anything BUT ordinary – and these snacks are anything BUT ordinary, also! I discovered all of these in the last few months and let me tell you, they have made my grocery pickup orders a little extra flavorful. 😉
Except for the wontons, I believe all of the other snacks are vegetarian, so that’s a nice bonus for all of you non-meat eaters!
(I’m writing this whilst on hold with College Board, suffering through their 80’s elevator music, and I need something to do with myself.)
*none of these images are my own*
First up:Late July Jalapeño Chips
Y’all. I cannot even begin to describe the perfection of these crunchy, crispy, flavorful chips. They taste like Cool Ranch Doritos except they’re HEALTHY and ORGANIC. But seriously, I have never tasted anything more similar to those Doritos. They’re just a little spicy and bursting will flavor all around. Please note that Late July also offers a Jalapeño Lime TORTILLA chip – but these are not tortilla chips. They are corn chips, yes, but not tortilla chips.
Health rating: 7/10 Flavor rating: 10/10 Overall rating: 10/10
Next we’ve got: Late July Korean Barbecue Chips
Are you starting to notice a trend?
Like the jalapeño chips, these ones are Late July as well. They are also extremely delicious, though I would have to rank them just behind the “green chips” (I call them green and purple chips because of the bag color – they’re actually both a nice golden yellow color). These ones are a little less spicy than the lime ones and that may be better for some of you more picky eaters. Still bursing with flavor, though!
Health rating: 7/10 Flavor rating: 9/10 Overall rating: 8/10
Let’s change it up a bit: Simply Cheetos Puffs White Cheddar
Cheetos have never been the most healthy snack, but the brand recently released a more natural snack line – Simply Cheetos. Be warned, though – this snack is highly addicting! Cheetos did not cheat with the amount of cheese on these puffs. And if you’re looking for a more spicy snack, you can try their White Cheddar Jalapeño Puffs.
Health rating: 5/10 Flavor rating: 10/10 Overall rating: 8/10
And now for a whole meal: Bibigo Mini Wontons Chicken & Cilantro
These are included in my list of foods I discovered in 2020, and they’re super popular around my house! We actually wind up eating these as a whole meal, but if you cook only a few it could definitely be considered a snack. (They stick to the pan super easily, so while you’re cooking them make sure you have plenty of non-stick spray or oil around.) These can be found at Costco and probably other places, but I get them from Costco. They’re really savory and great to dip in soy sauce!
Health rating: 7/10 Flavor rating: 7/10 Overall rating: 7/10
Lastly: Quaker Rice Crisps!
Compared to the last few snacks I’ve listed, Quaker Rice Crisps are super healthy. They come in a variety of flavors, but my favorites are cheddar and buttermilk ranch. (I’ve never actually tried the sweet & spicy chily or the sour cream & onion, to be totally honest.) I get these in a box at Costco but I know you can get them from Walmart or basically any other supermarket as well. To me, biting into these can feel like nails on a chalkboard, but in a really yummy way. Which kind of makes it worth it. 😂
Health rating: 9/10 Flavor rating: 9/10 Overall rating: 8/10
I might come out with a part two of this next year, this was a fun post to do!
Have you tried any of these snacks? Do you think you will after reading this post? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions! I’m excited for y’all to get to learn more about my beautiful state. (All pictures are my own.) 🙂
Do you prefer summer or winter? Winter is my favorite, because I love cross-country skiing, ice skating, and snow! But our summers are absolutely gorgeous here as well.
How hot does it get in Alaska? It really depends on the year, but we had a crazy summer this year and our temps were 20-30 degrees above average. I think the hottest it got was 95 degrees fahreneheit.
If you had to move to a different state, which one would you chose? So I have actually lived in southern California and I absolutely love it there. However, as soon as I finish a year of college in Alaska, I’m planning on moving to Minnesota or Colorado.
Ceremonial start of the Iditarod, Anchorage, Alaska, 2017
What are some foods Alaska is famous for? Alaska is famous for everything related to seafood – that’s Alaskan King Crab and salmon, plus moose and caribou meat. We also love Native Alaskan food as well!
Lost Lake Trail, Seward, Alaska
What’s the weather like in the spring and summer? The spring is “Breakup Season,” which all states with snow have. It gets very slushy and rainy. Summers are also rainy and never get super warm. They are absolutely beautiful, however. Contrary to popular opinion, it is NOT always winter here!
Fireweed in Homer, Alaska, early August
What’s the coldest temp you’ve experienced? Around -20 Fahreneheit or so. Pretty chilly!
Victory Bible Camp, Sutton, Alaska in October 2019
What’s it like to have it dark/light most of the time, depending on the season? Very different experiences – when it’s dark in the winter, a lot of Alaskans have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It’s weird that it gets dark around 3:30 PM. In the summer, I love the light! Being outside in the warm at midnight is so amazing.
Rabbit Lake, Anchorage, Alaska
Biggest fear living in Alaska? I don’t have any really bad fears living here, fortunately. We don’t have poisonous spiders, which are my worst fear. Sometimes, when I read about bear maulings in the news, I get freaked out, but I just have to travel in a group, make a lot of noise, and carry bear spray. Also, I hate sliding around on the ice in the winter, but I just got my snow tires on my car today so hopefully I won’t get into any accidents this winter!
Nikiski, Alaska
Favorite thing about living in Alaska? I have the great outdoors so, so CLOSE to my house! Seriously, just a five minute drive and I can have miles and miles of skiing, biking, and hiking trails right there! Out of all 50 states, we have the lowest population density AND the greatest acreage of wilderness area, which is pretty amazing if you ask me.
Port of Homer, Alaska
Does it snow all the time in Alaska? Haha, no it does not. (It’s snowing right now, though!) It snows from late October at the earliest to mid-March at the latest (where I live, though AK is very spread out) although I remember one year we had a massive snowstorm in April. That’s super rare, though.
Sutton, Alaska
What are some unique cultural aspects of Alaska? Great question! Alaska’s culture is very unique from other states. We have a lot of Native Alaskan culture here, which includes traditional Native clothing and Native subsistence methods (fishing, hunting, etc), just to name a couple. Alaskans are very used to being “different” from the rest of the US, and we pride ourselves on our determination and “traditional Alaskan grit.” We like to be tough and work together to get throught the long, frigid winters. Alaskans are also known for being very friendly and cooperative. We really do love our neighbors. In Alaska, you can find a lot of dog mushing, gold panning, traditional basket weaving and animal bone carving, and Alaskan spirit!
Flightseeing over Anchorage, Alaska
What kinds of clothes do you wear in Alaska? I love this question! I’ll be very honest – Alaskans are known for not being super fashionable people. I mean, here in AK we truly prefer function over fashion. Shippingis crazy expensive, so we like wearing clothes we bought at Costco. A couple very Alaskan kinds of clothes are XTRATUF boots and parkas, but we also love wearing name brands, such as Arc’teryx, Patagonia, North Face, Eddie Bauer, etc. Alaska also has SO MANY unique Alaskan brands, such as AK Starfish Co., Alaska Chicks Co., and Happy AK. What we lack in fashion, we make up in durable, warm, and ridiculously expensive nice winter gear, haha!
Denali (AKA Mt. McKinley), Fairbanks, Alaska
You truly have to come to Alaska to get the full experience. And as always, if you’re planning on coming up, please visit me! I’m pretty far from most of y’all. 😉
As you all know, where I live is a big part of my blog. Alaska is unique, it’s unknown to many people, and that’s what sparks curiosity in many people. When I travel out of state – or even out of country – seeing people’s reaction when they find out I’m from Alaska is always one of my favorite things.
So, do you have questions? (They can be literally anything, guys.) Drop them below, and I’ll answer them next weekend!
Hey guys, and welcome back to Swingsets & Snapshots!
Let’s be honest, many of us are not thrilled at the prospect of returning to school this year – and that’s not only the normal back-to-school dread, but the thought of returning to school online. Those of you who are able to attend school in-person are very fortunate!
I’ve finally decided to reveal a bit more of my personal life on my blog so I have a place to talk about it. So if you didn’t guess by the title of this post, I’m a senior this year.
Ooh, I just got goosebumps.
To me, and everyone who graduated this spring/is graduating next spring, our senior years look absolutely NOTHING like we imagined them to be. Sports are functioning outside-only, so no real swim practice for me. There’s no homecoming dance or football game. We didn’t have our junior prom, and it’s almost guaranteed we won’t have our senior prom, either.
I realize that doing school online is difficult for everyone, no matter what grade they’re in. But having to do senior year online adds an extra little touch of difficulty and loss. There’s a lot the Class of 2021 is missing out on.
I’m sure I’ll be talking about this more as the school year goes on but I wanted to start the post off like this so it’ll make more sense when I talk about what classes I’m in. And without further ado, here’s my school supplies setup for the 2020-21 school year!
Our district set up our schedules very differently this year. No one is taking for than three classes in a quarter. We will be taking the same classes first and third quarter and second and fourth quarter. We also have to do a semester’s worth of work in a quarter so we can do the whole year’s material in a total of one semester. Confusing, right?
My schedule for first and third quarter (the schedule I’ll be starting the year with) is as follows:
1st period – Algebra 2 (I already took this class as an underclassman but I’m retaking it just because I want to solidify my basic math skills before college)
2nd period – AP Literature & Composition (the only class I think will be remotely challenging)
3rd period – Forensics (I absolutely LOVE the teacher I have for this class and I’m so excited!)
I also have my ASL 4 class which is not through the school district, as well as another work-at-my-own-pace required class called Alaska Studies.
Second and fourth quarter, the only scheduled class I am in is AP French. (Second quarter I’ll still have AK Studies and I’ll have ASL 4 the entire year through).
I don’t really think you guys honestly care about my schedule that much but I’m putting here just in case you’re curious. 🙂
Here’s the little setup I have on the left side of my desk – a basket for books I don’t yet have, my binder, my planner, and my school supplies.
This year, I’m decorating my binder with stickers!
My planner is blue and pink tie-dye. The image is cropped because my name is on it and I honestly can’t figure out how to blur it out. Does anyone have recommendations for websites where I can blur names?
The inside of my binder – I have stickers for inside the planner tucked into a pocket. You can see my tabs and pencil pouch as well.
This is what my desk currently looks like. 🙂
School-related update coming soon, probably at the end of next week.
When do you start school? How are you feeling about it? Let’s chat in the comments below!
Straight up though, I really do feel like all of my Life posts are blending together. I’m trying my best to make sure I post about something other than my increasingly-boring corona summer life. (IDK guys, is it boring? Should I stop doing these posts?)
– Friends
I spent a lot of time this July going on big mountain bike trips with my dad and brother and also with my guy friend D. We did a 50 kilometer (that’s 32 miles) bike trip in early July:
in black and white so you can’t see our faces 🙂
And here’s another one where I went with my dad and brother:
Alaska: the most gorgeous place you could ever live
Hammocking is kinda like a sport here, and we did a lot of that too.
look at my tie-dye hammock ahhhhh it’s so aesthetically pleasing :))
Oh wait, here’s a picture from yet another bike trip:
hehehe D is a good photographer
Anyway, I’m going biking with D again tonight.
While we’re on the subject of friends, I had a few rough experiences with a specific friend this summer and I realized it was too unhealthy for us to continue to have a relationship and I’m no longer talking to her. If you’ve had to let go of friends recently to protect your mental health, just remember that you’re not alone! A lot of people have had to do that, unfortunately. The pandemic has caused huge divides that extend beyond our communities and states . . . they reach other states and countries. Sometimes you have to let go of people, but remember to extend grace and ask what YOU could be doing for others.
– Family
For Independence Day I cooked a huge dinner for everybody. We didn’t go to any barbecues but unfortunately a lot of other people did and we wound up with a HUGE Covid spike in Alaska. Our restrictions got a lot worse because people are *cough cough* having a veryyyyyy difficult time following rules. Oh yeah, my brother also had to get tested for Covid because he has some medical issues and was having a hard time breathing one day (and had low oxygen levels as well) so my mom took him to the doctor and he was tested. It took about ten days to get results back and it was negative, fortunately, but we had to quarantine better that week just in case.
– School
Ahaha, we’re back to having school be a part of my Life posts . . . school is starting in just a few weeks. Our district is going back online-only after an original plan of going three days a week. That’s kinda a bummer but I totally respect and understand why they made that decision. This school year is going to be a lot of work and I’m going to have to make a lot of big decisions and really stay on top of stuff. Even though I’m not happy about the prospect of online school, I cheered myself up by getting a cute new binder and decorated it with stickers. I also ordered my planner for the year, which I always do to stay on top of things. 🙂
– Skiing
I’ve sort of neglected ski training a little bit and switched to mountain biking more frequently. Skiing was kind of stressing me out and I lacked a lot of motivation, so my decision to cut back on training was a good thing for me. I still rollerski all the time and do strength training, but biking brings me a lot of joy and I’m really glad I’m making more time for that as well.
– The good stuff
I made these really cool Spotify-inspired decorations for my room (tutorial coming soon, guys!)
My mom and I FINALLY painted my trim and y’all it literally looks soooooo good, I’m so happy with it
I got a drinkbelt for rollerskiing (it’s like a fanny pack for skiing) so now I can stay hydrated on long skis – I know this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s hard to keep up the pace when you’re dying of thirst
Our library opened for curbside pickup so I’ve been doing a lot of really good reading!
Our yard has looked so nice and we’ve had a lot of really great sunny days, like this one:
At least, I hope you wear scrunchies. If you don’t, no judgement, but if you would like to know where to get some, look no further!
Natalie of Taking the Cake started an Etsy shop, TwoFiftyScrunchies, where she sells high-quality, functional, and stylish scrunchies. I absolutely love Natalie’s scrunchies. The colors are super vibrant and they compliment all of my clothes super well. She sent me some in exchange for a little review, and I decided to do my first lookbook featuring her scrunchies! Thanks, girl!
The point I would like to make is that these scrunchies can go with anything. My friends and I wear scrunchies year-round at school. Here’s one of Natalie’s scrunchies (from her Grape Juice scrunchie pack) paired with a tee-shirt and shorts.
Here’s one of her key lime scrunchies with my favorite black flowered romper!
And finally, another Grape Juice scrunchie paired with a fall outfit (that familiar chill is approaching, guys . . .)
If any of you are looking for some lovely scrunchies, go check out Natalie’s shop!
Last summer I did my first album review on SS&SS (one of my first posts, actually). This album was “GIRL” by Maren Morris and you can check out the review here. I haven’t done another album review since then because, in all honesty, I haven’t discovered an album where I actually liked the majority of the songs since then. I’ll admit, I’m picky about my music – but then, who isn’t?
not my image
Gabby’s music reminds me a lot of Maren’s. It’s country-meets-pop and is created by a wonderful female artist. Gabby is quickly becoming one of my favorite singers and her latest album, “Goldmine,” did not disappoint.
While I had to include a disclaimer in my review of “GIRL,” “Goldmine” is a very clean album. I’ve never encountered profanity in any of Gabby’s songs (don’t quote me on that, I may have missed one), so I honestly think her music is appropriate for any age.
Let’s start with the song “I Hope.” This song has been playing on both country and pop stations since it was released in July 2019. Gabby included a remake of “I Hope” that she dueted with none other than Charlie Puth. Personally, I like the duet even more than the original. This is by far Gabby’s most famous song – it’s about a scorned ex-girlfriend who discovers her ex got together with another girl.
I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive I hope you know she’s the one by the end of the night I hope you never ever felt more free Tell your friends that you’re so happy I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand I hope she’s wilder than your wildest dreams She’s everything you’re ever gonna need And then I hope she cheats Like you did on me
10/10 very catchy.
“Write It on My Heart” is probably my favorite song from this album. Gabby sings about leaning on the person you’re in love with and letting them see all of the parts of your life, good and bad.
Give me all your secrets Give me your hometown Give me meet your mama Don’t leave nothin’ out Everything that came before me Even all the broken parts Every chapter of your story Write it on my heart
It’s a super sweet song with a beautiful message. With the exception of “I Hope,” which is written with a slightly more vengeful tone, all of Gabby’s songs have good messages. “Footprints On The Moon” is about how anything is possible, considering people have literally walked on the moon. “Jesus & My Mama” is about how Gabby refuses to change herself for any boys – after all, Jesus and her mama love her, and that’s what’s important. “You’re the Only Reason” and “Hall of Fame” are, sticking with a classic theme in country music, about true love.
My one complaint about “Goldmine” is the very co-dependent message that one of the songs sends. Check out the lyrics to “Rose Needs a Jack.”
We all should have somebody Makes us feel like we’re somebody Every me needs you, every pair needs two Every June needs a little Johnny Cash Every Rose needs a Jack Makes you dance, makes you smile, makes you laugh Every Rose needs a Jack That’ll love you if it all goes bad Every Rose needs a Jack
Personally, I dislike how Gabby says that all girls need a boy in their lives. It’s not true at all, and let’s be honest, some girls don’t even want a boy by their side. If you do, great. If you don’t, also great.
I do appreciate how Gabby mixes this message up a bit with “Strong.”
Lovin’ somebody more than my own breath
Knowin’ that I’m right where he belongs, oh
Bein’ home in the arms of my best friend
Where the light always stays on
That’s where I feel strong, oh
That’s where I feel strong, oh
See the difference? In “Strong,” the man Gabby loves is complimenting who she really is. She can do anything she wants without him, but when she’s with him, she feels even more powerful.
To wrap this up on a good note, check out “Got Me,” featuring Shane & Shane. This is one of the few songs in the album that doesn’t discuss boys.
Nothing can separate me from amazing grace Jesus, you’re all that I need If everything falls apart and I don’t know where to start You bring me back to my knees ‘Cause you’re good And a God who’s got me Who’s got me
It’s more like a worship song, in all honesty.
To wrap this review up, go check out Gabby Barrett’s album, “Goldmine.” Of course, you should consult with your parents first, and just remember that all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
And if you need more country-meets-pop music by another talented female artist, here’s another link to my review of “GIRL.”
Have a great week, everybody!
What do you think of Gabby Barrett? Do you like country-meets-pop?
Better late than never, right? I got to mid-June and realized that I still needed to do my post for May and basically decided to combine them. May was pretty slow and basically nothing happened anyway, so if I add in June there are more stories to tell. 🙂
– Friends
So May was kinda cool, I celebrated my birthday and was able to have some friends over to hang out in the backyard with me. We played Heads Up! and ate cupcakes and it was overall very fun. I’ve gotten to see my friends a lot more and reconnect and do a ton of activities outside so that’s a big yay!
Recently my friends and I have been hammocking a ton with our lovely Eno hammocks. We bike on some of the trails in town and then go off the trail and into the woods and usually get eaten alive by mosquitoes, but it’s all in good fun. We just have to remember to take bug spray.
– Quarantine
Quarantine is pretty much coming to a close in Alaska. Our state reopened so we can go to restaurants, shops, and pretty soon, church. My family in general still isn’t eating out (unless it’s something like pizza) or doing shared food which is slightly awkward at barbecues but oh well. Unfortunately, a lot of cities have had to mandate masks because literally NO ONE wears them so that’s blown up and sparked a ton of debates in my state. At least we can be safe inside now.
My family decided to have me and my brother stop going to youth group though, because a lot of people at my church are way too comfortable getting way too close to other people. That’s really sad to me because now I can’t hang out with my friends at my youth group or help out with the younger kids at our middle school youth group. But I’d rather be safe than sorry, you know?
– Skiing
Ski training continues! I’m hiking, downhill biking, doing core exercises, and rollerskiing to prep for swim and ski season. (That reminds me, today is interval day 😉 I think all of my training is really paying off and I feel a lot stronger . . . plus when I flex in the mirror I actually look kind of muscular . . . don’t tell anyone. 😂 I went rollerskiing with a few guy friends the other day and one of them got their pole stuck in a storm drain and it snapped in half . . . so stuff like that happens. Oops.
– Storytime 😬
My brother and dad and I are very into downhill mountain biking and we go all the time. For a while, we were going around five nights a week. About four weeks ago, my dad sent it a little too hard on a jump and the back of his bike hit him from behind and he went down really hard. I was right behind him, so I braked really hard, almost running into him, and helped him pull his bike off the trail. Later that night, at around midnight, I heard this huge crash from upstairs and I got out of bed. Turns out, my dad had a HUGE bruise on his lower stomach and the blood had drained out of his head and to his stomach, causing him to pass out. What worse is he pulled my mom’s dresser on top of himself as he fell, and it was on half of his body. My mom called 911 and eight paramedics showed up at our house with an ambulance and two fire trucks. It was extremely scary, but my dad didn’t need surgery or anything. And now he’s back to biking, although he has to go kind of slow and be careful.
So that was our excitement for June!
– The good stuff
I went camping with one of my friends and her family and my family the other week and it was super nice to not have to social distance with them as much . . . their family is super careful like ours so we’re more comfortable around each other 🙂
The weather has been amazing, it hit 75 on the Fourth of July!
Speaking of the Fourth, I had a massive food coma . . .
We did do takeout for something other than pizza for Father’s Day – we got Thai food, and it was DELICIOUS after four months of not eating it (although the time before that I got food poisoning, so it was a nice little break, lol)
We sold our old minivan and now my Subaru has an actual parking spot in the driveway 😂
I redid the photo light string in my room, the one you can check out in this post, with updated pictures of this last school year!
I GOT CHACOS FOR MY BIRTHDAY (those are shoes, by the way, lol)
– May / June favorites
What I’ve been listening to:
“Summer Feelings” by Lennon Stella ft. Charlie Puth
“Miracles” by Colton Dixon
“Worth It” by Fifth Harmony ft. Kid Ink
“Savage Love” by Jason Derulo
all of Gabby Barrett’s album, “Goldmine”
Shows I’ve been binging:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Outer Banks
Dead to Me
Books I’ve been reading:
the Scythe series by Neal Shustermann
re-reading the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber
Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson
not a ton of reading this month, unfortunately . . .
That’s about it for May and June! I hope everyone in the US had an amazing Fourth of July!
How’s everyone’s summer going? Are your quarantine restrictions lifting? How was your Fourth of July?
Long time no see! Well, not that long I suppose. I’ve been outside, enjoying our beautiful summer (I hope y’all are doing the same).
Faye nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award – my first award on SS&SS! Thank you so much Faye. Go check out her blog, everyone!
The rules are as follows:
Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
Answer the 11 questions given to you.
Nominate 11 other bloggers and write them 11 new questions.
List the rules and display the sunshine blogger award logo in your blog post.
The questions for me:
What is your favorite song and why?
My favorite song changes on a regular basis, but the one I keep coming back to is “Beautiful People” by Ed Sheeran ft. Khalid. I love Ed Sheeran’s voice and for some reason the lyrics in this song really resonate with me. The beat is also great!
Favorite book series and why?
My all-time favorite is The Mother-Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick. The series is middle-grade fiction and I discovered it years and years ago, but the characters are all so different (it’s told from five different POVs) and the plot lines of each book are creative and fun. Plus, the author’s sense of humor is absolutely hysterical. They’re a great read for any age in my opinion.
Favorite movie and why?
I love The Parent Trap – the original and the remake. I can’t really choose which one is better. The twins are so mischevious and the movie is super entertaining.
Favorite flower and why?
My favorite flowers are hydrangeas because they’re super puffy (in a sense) and come in all different colors – depending on the pH level of the soil, in fact!
Favorite memory and why?
There are so many to choose from! I used to live in California (after being born in Alaska and relocated back and forth) and I have a lot of great memories from living there. My favorite one is actually from the day after I moved there. I got to meet our neighbor’s Chihuahua, Chloe. I was only eight at the time and Chloe and her owner were the first people I met there. Chloe passed away last year, but my own Chihuahua, Callie, reminds me of her.
What is a small thing you are incredibly proud of?
Hmm. (Anyone else have the problem where they have problems answering questions they would normally have an immediate answer to?) I guess I’m pretty proud of my bookshelf, actually. The one that’s rainbow color-coordinated, remember?
Do you have a bunch of friends or a few or really close friends?
I’m going to have to say I’m smack dab in the middle, honestly. I have two friend groups – my school/ski friends and my church friends. And then I have super close friends who aren’t in either of those groups who I love to death.
Are you a straight A’s kinda student, a few B’s and C’s, or failing kind of student?
Straight A’s, lol.
Do you play an instrument and if so, for how long?
I played piano for about nine years. I occasionally will go sit down and play, but I don’t do it consistently anymore. I would like to pick it back up, but I’m not sure I have the time.
What is a fact about yourself that is immediately apparent to new people that you meet?
Probably the fact that I’m pretty athletic. Besides the fact that I wear workout clothes a lot, I look like I’m in good shape. (Year-round ski training kind of shows.) 😂
Alternatively, what is a fact about yourself that only your closest friends (and now the internet) knows?
This is already on my blog, but the fact that I love swingsets! It’s easy to share that kind of information to my fifty followers, but I only have a couple of friends in real life who know that.
Swingsets & Snapshots 