I’m going to be honest here. January started off in the worst way possible. We had to put down Rosie, my 14-year-old dog. It was the humane thing to do, as you could tell she wasn’t really herself, but it was still really hard. It took me at least three weeks to stop crying every single day when I would think about something that reminded me of her.
If you’re not a dog person you probably won’t understand. That’s ok.
But Rosie was one of my best friends and such a key part of our family for 14 years and it’s so hard being without her. I miss her all the time. I’m glad my family still has Riley though – having her around makes it a little easier.
Life update:
I’m ending January home again in Kansas City for a friend’s wedding (which conveniently falls on Superbowl weekend), and I’m glad I’m able to spend some more time with my family before I go back to Salt Lake City for a longer stretch of time.
I went skiing for the first time ever on January 12th with Misty, one of my friends here (and soon-to-be roommate). We took a lesson at Solitude and unfortunately, I was definitely the worst of the group. I expected that though! I went again on MLK Day (the 20th) and I’m looking forward to getting back out there a few more times before ski season ends. I enjoy it, but I’m still getting the hang of learning how to turn and managing my speed. I’m very open to any and all tips you have!
Loving Lately
Watching:
I saw Little Women when I was in Kansas City, with my friends Jordan and Abigail. I seriously cannot say enough good things about the movie! I read it back in high school at one point and now I’m on the list at my library to re-read it again. The visuals, the storyline, the costuming, the casting, EVERYTHING was perfect. It’s the sort of movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen, so go see it in the theaters while you still can.
I also watched the movie The Farewell on my flight back to Salt Lake City from home. It was so sweet and I expected to cry at the end but was pleasantly surprised with the ending.
Reading:
In January I read three books: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, The Royal We by Heather Cocks and The Prized Girl by Amy Green.
Small Great Things was my favorite, about an African American delivery nurse that hesitates when helping a child of white supremacists. A trial ensues. It was interesting to read it from the perspective of the nurse, the lawyers, the white supremacist father and others.
The Prized Girl was your classic thriller about a former pageant girl that gets murdered. Typically I can figure out who the killer is about partway through the book, but in this one, I literally couldn’t figure it out until the very last pages when it was revealed. I was shocked! That made up for any shortcomings that the book may have had throughout.
The Royal We is your typical fanfiction-style book. It’s literally the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton, from college to marriage, just with fictional characters. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but if you’re not a fan of the Royal family then you probably won’t like it.
Hope you enjoyed!
xo, Hannah