Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: March 2014

A photo of me:


1) Candle scents* this month:
Peppermint Swirls. Christmas Cookie. North Pole. ... It's just impossible to burn candles when the entire world smells like orange blossoms!

2) What I am reading this month (you can find me on Goodreads!):
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) - Another book on my "was forced to read it in school and, therefore, hated it, attempting to re-read it as an adult of my own free will, to see if my feelings change" list. Let me just say, it would never have taken me this long to finish, if Mr Dickens weren't so unnecessarily blather-y. On and on and on, with far too much description--not to mention the time he spends repeating himself, often word for word, in consecutive sentences--that did nothing to move the story along. Which is a shame, because the story, itself, is actually quite good. When I wasn't reading four solid pages of landscape description, the plot and the characters kept me very engaged. If I could rate just that, on its own, it would be a definite "4 stars" but the rest weighed it down to a three.
The Kommandant's Girl (Pam Jenoff) - I can't speak for the historical accuracy of this book, but I really enjoyed this story. It was engaging and moved right along the entire time. I found most of the characters likable or sympathetic, even some that surprised me. The was a part toward the end that even made me tear, which almost never happens to me! I also liked that it made me think a lot about what I would do if faced with such difficult choices.
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag (Alan Bradley) - Just getting started with this one. "A Tale of Two Cities" really ate up a bunch of my reading time this month.

3) Movies I saw:
The Monuments Men - I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed this one. Good drama, some intense moments, plenty of humor. I'm glad we went to see this one.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - I almost didn't watch this (it was the in-flight film from my flight back to Florida), but about five minutes or so in, something caught my eye and I plugged my earbuds into the jack. And I was hooked. Excellent message and lots of laughs.

4) Calendar image for the month:


5) New recipes tried this month:
Meatball Tortellini Soup. Creamy Honey Mustard. Lasagna Pinwheels.

6) Restaurants where I ate:
Olive Garden. Miller's Ale House. The Rooftop Lounge (Laguna Beach, CA). Uva Bar (Downtown Disney at Disneyland). Haven Gastropub (Orange, CA, for brunch).

7) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Epcot Flower and Garden Fest Outdoor Kitchens. I am so thrilled they brought this back for a second year. I hope it becomes a permanent fixture.
2. Orange blossoms. I live for this time every year!
3. Relishing the last few opportunities to wear a sweater because it's cool outside, not because the office air conditioning is set to "meat locker."
4. While I was on vacation, I attended a Lutheran church service that was *actually* traditional. As someone who was raised very traditionally, this fed my soul in a way I cannot properly express.
5. Big, soft, extra thirsty new towels. It's the little luxuries in life that make it rich. So glad I splurged on the better quality towels!

8) Three goals I had this month and three goals for next month:
1. Next bathroom decision: I need some sort of fabric to cover the cornice over the small window. (Found, applied, and put up!)

2. Fifteen magazines out last month? How about sixteen in March! (Nine. I'm a little disappointed in myself. But I *was* gone for six days to end the month...)
3. I need to weed some clothes out of my closet. There are some I haven't worn since we moved into the house and others that simply need to be retired and replaced. My wardrobe may require a little updating soon. (Not only did I cull the closet contents, but I also found some new tops on crazy good sale, *two* new dresses--what?!--and two pairs of flats, all for just over $100 total. I'm such an overachiever.)

1. Find a slab of granite for the bathroom vanity counter.
2. I'd like to find a little new-to-me music for my iPod. It's been far too long since I've added anything new to the shuffle rotation.
3. I'm going to be modest on magazines this month and shoot for twelve, because I will be traveling again in April, and clearly that poses an issue. Heh, Issue. I am so punny.

9) The best part of this month and the worst part of this month:
The best: A much needed vacation. Finally getting to meet G. Our awesome new shower was finally ready to use.
The worst: Missing my connection on my return flight by three minutes after sprinting through the airport. (Although they put me on another flight and I only had to wait about two hours.)

10) A photo I took this month:

Some photos just begged to be played with a little more when you edit them. Like this one of Tower of Terror at California Adventure. I cannot even tell you how much fun I had making this one!

*All scents are Yankee Candle, unless otherwise noted.