Friday Day Dreams - March 22

March 22, 2019

Happy Friday! This was a good week for me — it was Louie's adoptiversary, we had a fun book club, a ton of snow melted...what more could a girl ask for?


This week's high: It was a really good week at work. Nothing major happened but a lot of things that I was nervous or having some anxiety about went really well or better than expected. 

This week's low: I'm in a workout rut. I've been doing BBG since last January and even though there are multiple programs within the Sweat app I'm still feeling bored and finding myself dreading every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning when I get up early to workout. I'm worried that if I keep dreading it this much I'll stop altogether, which I don't want. If you have any favorite at home workouts, let a girl know. 

What I'm reading: Balthazar. I'm continuing my nostalgic book kick and am reading the fifth Evernight book which was a series I started in middle school and never finished. It's very similar to Twilight and I'm having a great time re-living this fantasy universe. 

What I'm watching: We're watching Sharp Objects and OMG you guys it's so intense and dark. I read the book several years ago and I only half remember what happens but it's so much darker to see this storyline than to read about it. It's very good though!

Best thing from the internet: I'm not usually a home/design TV show person but I saw this clip of an amazing NYC apartment where all of the kids got to design their own room. So they have a zip line and rock climbing wall and some other really fun adventure features that I would love even as an adult. 

Currently obsessed with: My Quay Australia sunglasses. I bought these about a year ago and wear them all the time but have been trying to give my other sunglasses some love (you know how that goes) but I always find myself coming back to these! I wasn't sure if I liked them on me at first but I am all in now. 

Weekend plans: One of my best friends is coming to stay with us this weekend! I am so excited because I haven't seen her since my wedding and she'll be our first house guest. We don't have any firm plans but will definitely be going out to some favorite restaurants and enjoying the gorgeous spring weather. 

Have a great weekend!
xo Catherine 

Recent Reads Vol. 20

March 19, 2019

Every year I hope to read more books and I'm off to a good start with 11 under my belt already! Here's what's been on my Kindle lately:

The Girls. It’s summertime in the ‘60’s and Evie Boyd has had a falling out with her best friend, parental supervision is basically non-existent and then she meets some girls in a park that she becomes very taken with. Turns out they all live together on a compound with a man named Russell that they can’t stop raving about. Evie starts hanging out with all of them on the compound and gets drawn into their cult until things take a turn towards violence. This is loosely based on the Charles Manson cult, which I didn’t really know much about so that was interesting. Would I recommend: no. I know this was the *it* book a couple of years ago but I cannot figure out why it was so popular. I didn’t like any of the characters and it was written in a way that was just really, for lack of better word, gross. 

Dead Mountain. I stumbled across this book when I was browsing online one day and am so glad that I did. It tells the story of the Dyatlov hiking group who were very experienced Russian hikers that all went missing in Siberia in the 1950’s. When their bodies were recovered it was under very odd and unexplainable circumstances. They had all fled their tent without the proper clothes for the cold, some of them had violent injuries and increased radiation on their clothes. What could have caused them to abandon their tent when it was -40 degrees and the middle of the night? The author went to Russia a few times for interviews and even did the same hike as the Dyatlov group. He ultimately makes a case for what he thinks happened that February night. Would I recommend: yes! I was so pleasantly surprised by this book and got sucked into the mystery of it. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and was basically talking everyone’s ear off about it for weeks. That’s when you know it’s a good one!

Good Riddance. When Daphne’s mother, who was a high school teacher, dies and leaves her an old high school yearbook that’s annotated with notes about where all of her pupils ended up she’s not quite sure what to do with it. She ends up Marie Kondo-ing it and then a nosy neighbor picks it up out of the trash which leads to all sorts of secrets coming out about her mother and her students. Would I recommend: yes if you’re in the mood for a light, easy read. It wasn’t my favorite book ever but it was cute. 

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. So so happy that my friend (hi Mary!) picked this for our February book club. It had been on my list for years and I’m happy I finally got around to reading it. Eleanor leads a very regimented and anti-social life because of some childhood traumas she hasn’t dealt with. A few random events force her to meet new people, get out of her comfort zone and face those traumas. Her inner dialogue is hilarious and was the best part of the whole book. Would I recommend: definitely. I loved this book and would say she’s one of my favorite characters ever. 

Ghosted. Sarah and Eddie meet when she’s home in England and spend a magical week together. They fall in love and plan to talk and see each other again soon. But then Eddie vanishes and won’t respond to any of Sarah’s messages. As she tries to figure out what went wrong and get to the bottom of what happened to him all sorts of old secrets come out. Would I recommend: yes. I really enjoyed the story and there were a few twists I didn’t see coming. 

An Anonymous Girl. Jessica is looking to earn some extra money so she enters a psychological experiment about morality. Dr. Shields, who’s running the experiment, seems to be able to see right through Jessica and knows how to manipulate her. Jessica becomes more and more involved with the study until things take a dark turn. Would I recommend: yes. This was entertaining and kept me wanting more but there weren’t any big reveals which I was a little bummed about. 

Famous in Love. I’d been hearing about these books for a while thanks to Grace and Becca and am so happy I finally checked them out from the library. Paige is a high schooler living in Seattle when she auditions for Locked, which is basically like a Twilight or Hunger Games-type franchise. She gets the part and flies to Hawaii to shoot the movie with her two costars Jordan and Rainer. A bit of a love triangle forms as Paige tries to navigate Hollywood and figure out how to be famous. Would I recommend: duh! I love a good YA series and this one does not disappoint. I was put off for a while because I knew that Bella Thorne was in the TV adaption and I do not like her. I’m so glad I got over that and read them anyway because I got sucked in! I read the sequel too and loved it. I tried watching the show but it’s so bad and so different from the books so don’t let that deter you!

I'm almost caught up on sharing recent reads! I'm only three behind now so hopefully my next post will get us up to speed. Would love to know if you have any recommendations or if you've read any of these books!

xo Catherine 

Friday Day Dreams - March 15

March 15, 2019

lowdermilk-beach-naples-florida
Hi Friends - it’s been a minute. Today’s Friday Day Dreams will be a great way to catch up! Since we last talked Mark and I had a little getaway to Florida. Originally I was going to go for a whole week with Mark there the first half and then my mom there for the second half. Unfortunately, like I mentioned in the last FDD my mom fell and broke her wrist so she wasn’t able to join me. I considered staying by myself but ultimately four days felt too long to be alone in another state so I came back early with Mark. It was a bummer but I was excited to see Louie and I was able to get some things done that I wouldn’t otherwise make time for. The trip may have been shorter than anticipated but we were lucky to even have a few days of warm sunshine. 

This week's high: The snow is melting! The streets and our yard are a nightmare but I’m just excited about the consistent above-freezing temps. Spring is near!

This week's low: My anxiety has been worse than normal the last couple of weeks. I've always had anxiety, and like most people it ebbs and flows, but with all of the travel plan changes last week I've been feeling extra on edge. I don't talk about my anxiety on here much but it's something I've dealt with for as long as I can remember and sometimes it's just more prevalent and harder to deal with.  I've been meaning to find a permanent therapist I like here in MN but it's hard to find someone you like and I've been lazy. In the meantime I've been trying to meditate more because that helps!

What I'm reading: Remembrance. This is such a fun read for me because it’s a new (well, from 2016) installment in the Mediator series which I LOVED in elementary/middle school. I was so excited when I found out she wrote a new book that followed the characters into adulthood. I’m having all of the nostalgic feels. 

What I'm watching: We just finished True Detective season 3. I thought it was pretty good but I wasn’t blown away like everyone else seems to be.

Best thing from the internet: This hilarious video of a dog gone rogue during his dog show performance. 

Currently obsessed with: You guys know I love my Revlon ColorStay lipstick and I am loving the "Ingénue" color I just bought. It's a true red, which I didn't think they made, so I am pumped. 

Weekend plans: As of right now we don’t have any plans. It’s St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday so I feel like we need to find something to do! Otherwise I really need to organize our pantry and have been putting it off for months. Maybe this will finally be the weekend…

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
xo Catherine 

Friday Day Dreams - March 1

March 1, 2019

This week's high: Definitely that we leave for Florida tomorrow! It hasn’t happened yet but knowing it’s coming has gotten me through multiple snowfalls this week. 

This week's low: Aforementioned snowfalls. Just kidding, I’ll be more original than that. My low this week was that my mom broke her wrist :( She's okay but still not good.

What I'm reading: Oh my gosh I feel like I’ve been tearing through books lately. I read both of the Famous in Love books this week and am on to our next book club pick: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

What I'm watching: This really wasn’t a big TV/movie week for us but I watched a few episodes of Suits, which I am verrrry slowly working my way through. 

Best thing from the internet: Elizabeth Holmes' So Many Thoughts Instagram stories. If you're not already following @eholmes what are you even doing with your life?! She is a journalist who loves the royals and has an extensive knowledge of the fashion world so her commentary on the media/fashion aspects of the royals is very well-informed. Whenever Meghan or Kate have an official engagement she writes a whole screen full of commentary and Thoughts that are fascinating and also hilarious. Every time there's a new royal engagement I can't wait for her to SMT it and there has been a lot of royal activity this week so I'm loving it!

Currently obsessed with: Essie’s Mrs. Always Right. My friend (hi Kara!) gave me this at my bachelorette party and I just rediscovered it. I typically only use Essie’s Gel Couture colors but wanted something different and reached for this one. It’s so pretty and would be the perfect color year-round. 

Weekend plans: Going to Naples! We leave tomorrow and I am beyond excited for sunshine, dresses and lots of reading.

Have a great weekend!
xo Catherine 

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