Snapshot from Along the Broken Road: January 2015

1) A photo of me:


2) Candle scents* this month:
Mistletoe. Holiday Garland. Vanilla Snowflake (Bath and Body Works). Peppermint Bark. Welcome Christmas. Snow Is Glistening. Angel's Wings. Christmas Cookie. Magical Frosted Forest. Red Velvet. In a Winter Wonderland. Holiday Sage. Sleigh Bells Ring (for approximately ten minutes before I had to blow it out and toss it, because YUCK, and this is why I prefer to test out new scents in votive size because I was only out two dollars). Harvest. Balsam and Cedar. Season of Peace. Hazelnut Coffee. Candy Corn.

3) What I am reading this month (you can find me on Goodreads!):
At Wit's End (Erma Bombeck) - Lighthearted, humorous, and with some nuggets of wisdom. Exactly the sort of book I was needing to read.
Promises to Keep (Ann Tatlock) - An easy read, I definitely was drawn to keep turning the pages. It was mildly predictable, but I enjoyed the characters so much, that despite having a good idea where the story was heading, I telling myself "one more chapter." I don't think I could choose a favorite character, there were so many I just genuinely liked. I found the conclusion satisfying, and the epilogue ended up being my favorite part of all, the perfect closure.
These Things Hidden (Heather Gudenkauf) - An easy read, sucked me right in and kept me turning the pages, needing to know what happened next. The story was sad, but good, and came with a twist I should probably have seen coming but never did.
The Imagineering Field Guild to Disney's Hollywood Studios (Alex Wright and the Imagineers) - Considering this is my least favorite of the four Florida parks, I went into this one with a little less enthusiasm than I did the others. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. There was a lot of history about Walt included in this one, which I found interesting. I also learned about some park details that I've never noticed. I'm going to have to grab my camera one day soon and head over for some exploring. I'm so glad I got around to reading this one!
Firefly Summer (Maeve Binchy) - Slowly, slowly getting more invested in this one.

4) Calendar image for the month:
I actually skipped it this month. I'm cooking something up...

5) New recipes tried this month:
Ring of Meat - This was actually really yummy. It was like eating a warmed Italian sub with a fork and knife.

6) Restaurants where I ate:
Five Guys.

7) Five things I am loving this month:
1. Lots of highs in the 60s.
2. The Patriots in the NFL playoffs.

3. My new "vintage travel poster" calendar that I scored for work at 50% off.

4. My new "system" of giving T gift ideas when they occur to me, instead of waiting til he asks as a gift-giving event nears. I don't think well when I'm put on the spot.
5. The new camera lens T got me for Christmas.
 

8) Three goals I had this month and three goals for next month:
1. Finally get my music files sorted and iTunes loaded onto the laptop. (I did not accomplish this. This task intimidates me. I need to suck it up and do just one letter of the alphabet at a time, so it doesn't seem so daunting.)
2. Set up my 2015 planner. (Done! I take enormous dorky pleasure in getting my new planner set up for the year.)
3. Get to WDW at least twice, while the crowds are somewhat lower and the weather is somewhat cooler. (Half success. I went to Animal Kingdom once, but my plans for my second visit were thwarted. Oh well. There's always February!)

Look!! The lion actually had his head up! That is probably the third time, in almost thirteen years of being an Annual Passholder, that I've ever seen him as anything more than a tuft of mane blowing in the breeze, as he naps mostly obscured from the view of the safari trucks.

1. And again with a skip because I'm cooking something up.
2.
3.

9) The best part of this month and the worst part of this month:
The best: Settling back into a relaxed routine, now that the hustle and pressure of the holidays are behind us.
The worst: The solid month of illness we passed back and forth at our house. Good grief. Enough!

10) A photo I took this month:

This photo of the meerkats slays me. They are so comical! You almost never see them all out, either. Score one for being there at feeding time!

*All scents are Yankee Candle, unless otherwise noted.