Having had our first child this year, I think I can safely say that 2018 will always be a memorable year! It also happens to have been the year that I started this blog, obviously deciding that now was THE time to blog. Ha. Really though, I was looking for a creative outlet and way to continue to connect over something I love and this blog has indeed been that (as well as a lot more work than I would have thought!). I’ll be writing some more thoughts about blogging soon, but basically it’s been a lot of fun and it makes me so thankful that so many of you actually take the time to come over to this site and read what I’ve written and be a part of this in whatever way you choose. I know time is precious, so thank you for spending some of it here with me. When my husband was recently telling me some of the blog’s numbers I was feeling very honored and grateful. It means a lot. Thank you, thank you!

I cannot believe it’s already halfway through 2018!!  Not to mention that my husband and I have our first baby coming in August! Eep! Time is only going to go faster and faster, I assume?

After admiring people’s monthly reading wrap-ups on Instagram for a while, I decided to try it myself this year. It’s been fascinating for me to see the books piled up at the end of the month and get a better idea of how I read. For instance, while I think I read a somewhat wide variety of books (kind of?), it’s all the more clear to me that my sweet spots are children’s classics and what I’ll call British comfort. I’ll sometimes click on the hashtag and look at all the pictures together in the hopes of developing some very deep insights about my personality from looking at the book stacks, but have yet to find any. Perhaps you can blow my mind?

When I think of summer, I think of activities. That might be because I live in New England, where it gets hot but not as unbearable, and also because I left school only to become a teacher, thus permenantly associating summer with sweet, sweeeet freedom. Because of that, when I was thinking about what might be a fun challenge related to summer reading, my mind kept drifting to the things that I like to try to do every summer. Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to get a peek into a bit of each other’s summer living? No? I’m the only nosy one? Fine.

Around my 29th birthday I began to think about what I might want to do to make my 30th year feel a little different, something a little special to mark a new decade.  (At the time I didn’t know our little girl would be coming along shortly after my birthday. I have a sneaking suspicion she’ll be providing plenty of change and excitement :D).
 
I wanted whatever I picked to be something I’d genuinely look forward to, something specific to my own interests and not just what other people might find fun or illuminating or worthwhile.  I wanted it to be simple enough, but I also thought it would be nice to figure out a way to spread the joy through the year.  So what did I come up with?