My little corner of the world: June 2012

It's time for my June round-up.

What I Read...

Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow: I have had this book on my "to-read" list for a while now because my mom named me after the main character (Kendra). I really enjoyed the book, even if it was a little strange to see my name on almost every page. Learning about the San Francisco of the gold rush days was fascinating.
Winning Balance: What I've Learned So Far About Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams by Shawn Johnson: I'm so excited the Olympics are less than a month away! I decided to read this book about one of my favorite athletes from the 2008 Olympics. It was sweet, just as you would expect, and reading it reminded me of the days when I devoured countless figure skating and gymnastics books.
The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark: A nice, easy summer read.

What I Watched...

Bernie: It's not often that you get to see a movie about East Texas. I enjoyed watching Bernie immensely and probably laughed more than anyone in the theater here in Austin (hey, I actually got the inside jokes). I loved the one man's description of the different areas of Texas.
Downton Abbey: I bought the DVD of the second season at Costco one weekend and enjoyed watching an episode each night for the next week or so. I just love that show!
Bunheads: This is a new show on ABC Family by the creator of Gilmore Girls. It hasn't quite reached the level of GG yet, but I'm enjoying it as a summer diversion.
Gymnastics: Both the National Championships and the Olympic Trials have been on TV this month. I'm eagerly awaiting the naming of the team on Sunday, July 1.
Olympic Trials: I've also watched swimming, diving, and track & field.

What I Want to Remember...

Painting my pink side table a lovely shade of blue. It matches the rest of my living room decor now.
Finally catching up on my Project Life album at the beginning of the month (and falling behind a few weeks later).
Slowly but surely making progress on the fiscal year starts for my 11 clients (and trying to forget that the normal load is 8 clients)
Going downtown one weekend to shop at Book People, anthropologie, and Paper Source.
Traveling to New York with Mom and Dad. Yesterday we took a bus tour of the city and visited the 9/11 Memorial. Today Mom and I went to the Met while Dad went to the American Museum of Natural History. We're all going to The Lion King tonight.

What I Want to Forget...

Having a horrible headache last Monday. I came home from work that afternoon and fell asleep for about an hour and still had a slight headache.
Spending three out of the five weekends in June trying to keep up with my workload at work.
Receiving the sad news that the husband of one of my co-workers had passed away earlier this week. I'm keeping her and her family in my prayers.

Pictures from June 2012...

Packing for New York

Leaving on a jet plane

Freedom Tower


9/11 Memorial

Central Park

A hot air balloon landed on the field outside my office this morning.

What a lovely way to start the day!

It's that time again...here's my May round-up.

What I Read...

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: This is one of my all-time favorite books. I decided to reread it earlier this month, and while it wasn't quite as magical as the first time I read it, it was still wonderful.
Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky: I picked up this short book several months ago because it was written by the author of Suite Francaise. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first book, but it was a quick, easy read.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain: My intellectual selection of the month. :) I kept hearing so much about this book that I had to check it out. It was intriguing to read about the different strengths introverts possess and how we can use them in school, on the job, and in life.

What I Watched...

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: This movie was such a sweet, charming way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Pride and Prejudice: I rewatched my DVDs of the 1995 BBC production over the last few days. Colin Firth really is Mr. Darcy.
TV: I watched the season finales of Dancing with the Stars, Castle, and Grey's Anatomy.

What I Want to Remember...

Spending the Memorial Day weekend at home with my family. I always enjoy going out to the farm to eat hamburgers and homemade ice cream and to work on a jigsaw puzzle.
Traveling to Dallas with my entire team to meet with one of our clients.
Completing my first Week in the Life project (well, the pictures and writing are done at least).
Working on a few creative projects with Mom while I was home for Memorial Day.
Performing bells with the Hallelujah Ringers and Bethany Bells at the spring concert (and having Mom and Dad come down to watch).
Putting my apartment together slowly but surely. I now have a beautiful new dresser in my bedroom (courtesy of Mom) and a new work desk from IKEA in my office.
Making final plans for our vacation to New York this summer.
Visiting 4 Hobby-Lobbies, 3 Walmarts, 1 Lowe's, and IKEA with Mom and Dad in search of items for my apartment.

Pictures from May 2012...