This was the summer of the World Cup in Soccer, and even though I am not a soccer fan, I did get sucked in. So this was literally the summer of goals. My first goal was to drop a few unwanted pounds. Goooooal! I did it, and I feel great. My second goal was to get a handle on this mess I call my house. Goooooal! I feel good enough about my home that I have volunteered to host the back to school party for my peers. My third goal was a purely selfish one, and that was to read 20 books this summer. Well guess what? Gooooal!
I have had the most diverse reading experience this summer. I started off the summer with a pile of young adult literature from the school library. Even though I will not be teaching a reading for pleasure class this year, I still wanted to read some of the more popular books that my students enjoy. Then I moved on to some modern fiction, and I sprinkled fiction through out the entire summer. While laying on the beach in Mexico, I devoured 7 books on my most beloved Kindle. Traveling is totally different with the Kindle. Of course, I had to load up my selections before we left the country, but that was fun trying map out my reading. One of the selections from the beach was Sh*t My Dad Says. This short, quick read was laugh-out-loud funny, and I can't wait to see the ABC TV series based on it (starring William Shatner!). My husband even read this book, and I believe it was the first book he read in its entirety in the 16 years of our marriage.
While in Mexico, some of the other ladies were passing around Kathy Griffin's new book. Well as soon as I got home I hit the Edmond library and read it in one day. She is my favorite, and her book sounded like she was sitting next to me telling me these funny, sweet, and sad stories. Griffin inspired me to read some other biographies/memoirs of comedians so I read about Lisa Lampinelli and the late George Carlin. If you hear me listening to a lot of Judy Garland songs, it is because I read her biography Get Happy, and it made me want to watch all her old movies and sing all her songs.
Because of goal #1 (weight loss), I read several books about superfoods. I have found them very helpful and confirmed my instincts about what is "good and whole" foods. So don't be surprised to see me carrying around my Greek yogurt and fresh fruit.
So I unofficially officially start back to work tomorrow, and my three goals have been met by my own set deadline. It feels good to accomplish goals. What goals did you accomplish this summer?
