Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Summer Reading List

{via}
This Summer I hope to get a lot of reading done. Frankly I don't have much time over the school year what with school work and my job. I have a reading challenge of sorts on my book tumblr (here) but of the fifty that I hope to read this year, I've read a measly twelve. I hope I can catch up. Here are some big ones on the list:

Re-reads:
The Book Thief: This book is among my favorites. I read it about a year and a half ago - a library copy - and then bought it for myself (Well, okay. What actually happened was that I told my brother to buy it for me for Christmas). I've never read my personal copy. Sad, isn't it?

The Little House books: These were my absolute favorites when I was little. I loved reading about Laura and her adventures. I think it's high time I revisited them.

The Anne of Green Gables series: Again, these were some of my favorites. As I've mentioned before, Anne is one of my favorite literary heroines. I especially want to re-read some of the later books in the series, such as Anne of Windy Poplars and Anne's House of Dreams.

New Reads:
And the Mountains Echoed: This is a new book by Kahled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I enjoyed his other books and I hope that I enjoy this one as well. I'm certainly looking forward to it.

Reached: The third book in the Matched trilogy. I just never got around to it but I'm determined to this summer.

The Austin Family books: These are written by Madeleine L'Engle, author of my beloved A Wrinkle in Time. I'm not sure why I haven't read them yet.

I'm sure I'll find even more books to read, and I'm sure this list will not be completed, but this is what's on my plate right now. What do you plan to read this summer?
♥♥Kristin

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Awkward | Awesome

Awkward:
- Fighting with the girl who's supposed to be one of your best friends
- Going right from cold weather to hot weather (spring, where are you?)
- Not having cash at a little diner where they don't accept credit cards
- Waking up completely sore from a 6 mile hike

Awesome:
- Going on a 6 mile hike with friends
- Going shopping with a (different) best friend
- Cute little diners that have been in your town for your whole life that you just never got a chance to visit
- Getting new books at Goodwill (50 cents each? sounds good to me)

That's a little of my life right now. What's up with you guys lately?
♥♥Kristin


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

My Guest Post

Just a quick post letting you know that I'm guest posting today at The Book Chewers! You can see my post here. I absolutely love their blog. After all, it is completely dedicated to books! If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend checking it out.
♥♥Kristin

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Sometimes.

Sometimes things don't work out the way you want.
Sometimes life punches you right in the gut.
Sometimes all you want to do is curl up in a ball and shut out the world for a little bit, because it's the one problem you can't solve.
"It's always darkest before the dawn" they say, but in the darkness, you often wonder whether the dawn will ever come. 
But sometimes, life gives you hope.
Sometimes, when it starts to feel like you can't go on anymore, a small spark gives you a reason.
Sometimes a smile from a friend, a sunny morning or a piece of Grandma's chocolate cake can be just what you needed.
Sometimes hope comes when you least expect it.

I wrote the first part of this post a few weeks ago, back when it seemed nothing in my little world was going right. Now, looking back, I know that was a hard time for me. But I also see the little things that gave me hope. My friends. My family. The boy. Sunny days. Comfort food. Books. And I know it's so hard to remember, but the bad times don't last forever.
♥♥Kristin

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Snippet {11}

Because lately I've had the strongest urge to write...

It was one of those sleepy days when you don't have much to do and you don't expect much to happen. She lay on her stomach on her favorite yellow blanket, toes woven into the grass and a book balanced delicately on the ground in front of her. She had been reading it, but a bird song had distracted her and she now stared absently into the branches of a nearby tree, daydreaming again. Tendrils of hair brushed her cheek in the breeze. The pleasant warmth of the sun lay on her arms and legs, the early sting of a developing sunburn going unnoticed. She'd feel it that evening. Every now and again, a small smile danced across her lips and she would release a small sigh. It made you wonder just what was on her mind. It was clear that she was lost in a world of her own making. The real world would just have to wait.

♥♥Kristin

Monday, May 13, 2013

TIme Flies When You're Having Fun.

As of Thursday, I finished my first year of college. It's a strange feeling, being finished with a whole year already. Didn't I just graduate from high school a month or two ago? It's funny how the days seem to go so slowly, but the months fly by so fast. Last year at this time, I was a senior, finishing up my last year of high school. Anticipating graduation. Slacking off on my schoolwork because it's what seniors do.

And now here I am. One year older, with a quarter of my college career under my belt. New friends. A boy who somehow became my boyfriend and best friend. Looking forward to a Summer full of backyard picnics, spontaneous day-trips, friendship, laughter and sunsets. And I can't wait.

♥♥Kristin

Thursday, May 9, 2013

On Worry

 It's something that I struggle with a lot. Like, a lot a lot. If it can be worried about, I'm worrying. I worry about tests, I worry when my family members are driving long distances, I worry about first days and presentations and big life events. It's a near constant in my life, something I struggle with almost daily. It makes my stomach upset and I can't concentrate on anything.
I'm sure many of you also struggle occasionally with worry. I think it comes when we forget to leave things in God's hands and try to wrangle everything on our own, even though we can't. We weren't meant to. It can be a difficult thing to overcome, but its not impossible. Some verses I remember when I'm feeling stressed and worried:
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Luke 12:26

Do not worry about anything. Instead in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6-7
Worry is so difficult to overcome, especially for me, but with God it is possible. As hard as it is, we need to remember to surrender our worries to him.
♥♥Kristin

Friday, May 3, 2013

Oh, Hey May!

I know, I know. It's already the 3rd. Time just flies by so quickly! Anyway, here's a small sampling of what I'm looking forward to this month:

- Warmer weather at last ♥
- Finals (next week... gulp) and after that, freshman year take two is officially over! And I'll never have to be a freshman again.
- A trip to an amusement park with some of the greatest people I know
- The Boy's birthday! Now if only I knew what to get him...
- Spending lots of glorious time doing absolutely nothing

What does May hold for you?
♥♥Kristin