April's reads

April was a good book month. I don't know if I even have a favorite from the books I read this month. 

30. The prophecy of bane- Suzanne Collins

31. The curse of the warmbloods- Suzanne Collins 

32. The marks of secret- Suzanne Collins 

33. The code of claw- Suzanne Collins 

*34. The house at riverton- Kate Morton

35. Between shades of gray- Ruta Sepetys 

*36. Prisoner B-3087- Alari Gratz

37. Nineteen minutes- Jodi Picoult 

Okay, so the series by Suzanne Collins was a fun, quick read. I really enjoyed it. It was just fun. Predictable, and they were all similar, but an enjoyable read. 

I had mixed feelings about this book by Kate Morton. Typically, her books are told by different characters and in different time periods. Each has a mystery and a death- usually the mystery is the death. I LOVE them! This one, however, was only told by one character. I really enjoy this author and this was one of my favorites by her. 

Prisoner b-3087 was also a good read! It is a ww2 historical fiction book based on actual events. It was a quick read, but very interesting. 

My disappointment (if I can call it that) was nineteen minutes. Jodi Picoult usually researches the topics of her books thoroughly prior to writing. I've liked the few books I've read by her and have never known where exactly they would go. I had guessed the twist/ending by the end of the first few pages and was really disappointed that it wasn't a little bit more interesting. Maybe I've been reading so much that I can see where it's going or maybe it was just obvious. It definitely made me think though. I hope my children are never bullied. 

I'm counting on reading a lot of books in May. So hit me, what should I read???

13.1

Getting ready for this half marathon was not an easy task. 

Just over a month before the thanksgiving point tulip festival half, I decided I wanted to enter. I was running solid and felt like I would be able to do it no problem. So I payed the $75 and signed up. 

There have been so many bumps in the road during the last month, I don't know if I even remember them all. I got a cold from training in the rain, my car battery died and I was so busy that week, I had to walk the two miles to and from work which gave me insane shin splints. My shoes reached their limits and gave me severe foot, leg/knee, and hip pain so I spent $130 and replaced them. I loved my new shoes on my first long run! They were amazing! And then they gave me blisters. So many blisters. I couldn't wear them anymore. So I went back to two year old shoes (if you run, you know that's desperation!) I had to buy new running clothes to accommodate early spring morning running, and then a new shirt when I saw the forecast for rain. My inhaler ran out so I spent weeks running up hills without one. Luckily, I was able to use my mom's for race day so I wouldn't have to get a new one quite yet. 

I went out of my way to run up hills to be ready for what has been called one of the hardest, if not hardest, half marathons in Utah. 

Then came race day. And with it, rain and the worst pain on the side of my knee. Each mile I counted down and told myself "I got this!" The course itself was not too bad because I had prepared so much for it. It was wearing old shoes which caused pain shooting from my knee to my hip that did it for me. (The rain and cold were not so fun either)

This sounds like I'm complaining. Poor me, it was so hard. 

I'm not complaining. (well maybe a little...) but I have never been more proud of myself for making and fulfilling a goal. I worked my butt off and kept going even when it got hard. I ran those 13 miles today and never gave up. When I crossed the finish line and was handed my medal, I knew I had earned it. I ran hundreds of miles getting ready for this, at least 20 a week, and I can honestly say hard work pays off! 

I can't wait for my next half-this time hopefully it will be out of the rain!! 

My time was 2 hours 25 minutes. Slower than I would have liked, but I was proud just to finish! 

Runners high and beyond freezing. 

I was so determined to go back into the gardens to get a picture with my medal where I ran. I huddled in a blanket the whole way. 

A big thank you to my dad who would drive me home after running to their house, my brother for going running with me, my sweet husband for all of his support even when I kept spending money just to run, my mom for constantly taking care of my blisters, and my whole family for listening to me complain, be excited about my progress or anything else about running. 

reading: month 3

I made my goal of reading 8 books this month! I'm currently reading book 30 and I'm right on (a little ahead of) schedule!

22. A girl named Zippy- Haven Kimmel

23. The secret keeper- Kate Morton

24. Girl in translation- Jean Kwok

*25. Dancing on broken glass- Ka Hancock

26. The Duggars: 20 and counting- Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar

27. The light between oceans- M.L. Stedman

28. The distant hours- Kate Morton

29. Gregor the overlander- Suzanne Collins

*This month had SO many good books! Multiple that I would highly recommend. However, my ultimate favorite was, Dancing on broken glass by Utah's own, Ka Hancock

Here's the book's bio.....

Lucy Houston and Mickey Chandler probably shouldn’t have fallen in love, let alone gotten married. They’re both plagued with faulty genes—he has bipolar disorder, and she has a ravaging family history of breast cancer. But when their paths cross on the night of Lucy’s twenty-first birthday, sparks fly, and there’s no denying their chemistry. 

Cautious every step of the way, they are determined to make their relationship work—and they put it all in writing.  Mickey promises to take his medication. Lucy promises not to blame him for what is beyond his control. He promises honesty. She promises patience. Like any marriage, they have good days and bad days—and some very bad days. In dealing with their unique challenges, they make the heartbreaking decision not to have children. But when Lucy shows up for a routine physical just shy of their eleventh anniversary, she gets an impossible surprise that changes everything. Everything. Suddenly, all their rules are thrown out the window, and the two of them must redefine what love really is.

{This book quite literally made me cry like a baby}

Happy reading! As always, I love to hear what you've been reading lately!