The Start of Something New?...
Hey Everyone!
Notice anything new? After over eight years of the same design, The Romance Bookie has gotten a makeover!
I figured it was time for a change.
2010 to Summer 2018
I started The Romance Bookie in December 2010, and she quickly became my baby. I put A LOT of work into her.
Over THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY REVIEWS have gone up on her! 380!!! That numbers just seems so crazy to me!!!
When I started The Romance Bookie I was a shy freshmen in community college who was really trying to find her way in the world. I started her before I met my husband! In June we will be celebrating six years together; which means that my "baby" was already over three years old when we met. He is the majority of the reason why I started neglecting her a bit, because meeting the love of your life can do that for you :).
We have been married now two and a half years, have an adorable twenty pound King Charles Spaniel mix we rescued the day before we got married, and live in our little corner of our quiet little town.
I was 19 years old in December of 2010, when I started designing The Romance Bookie.
In July I am going to be 28.
The person I was at 19 and the person I am now, is quite different. 19 year old me thought she had gone through some shit...but man she had no idea what was coming her way.
Not only had I not met my husband yet, but I had so little to worry about at that time. I was working part time, didn't even have my drivers license yet! Taking prerequisite classes, while still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, after realizing I was not cut out for the professional culinary world.
I also still had my dad. He was always there for me, every time I needed him, needed someone to talk to.
So much has changed. Not just in the last two and a half years, since he passed, if I am being honest. But losing my dad probably had the biggest impact, and just hit me so hard, that it has been really hard to recover and move on.
I am so unbelievably lucky to have the most supportive man by my side. Without him, I don't think I would have made it through this time. He was there every step of the way, and still continues to be everyday, every minute, and every second. He saved me.
Along the way, I realized recently though, that I lost myself. I used to be my own person. I loved to do things on my own. I loved to watch romantic comedies. I loved listening to 80s music in my room and dancing around lip-synching and pretending I was a rock star. Going shopping, out, and eating at restaurants with friends.
And of course reading.
I lost even that. The one thing that was always my escape from difficult time. I lost it.
I don't even know why I lost reading. It wasn't something I shared with my dad. At least 80s music I was introduced to by him and my mom. He loved Cyndi Lauper (I named my first car after her!)! He introduced me to Lady Gaga! He bought the album, and got me to really listen to it. In fact, when we first lost him, I couldn't listen to any music at all, without breaking down in tears. So I switched audiobooks for my commuting to and from university. But even the audiobooks I ran out of what interested me. And it was only an escape for when I was driving. I was never able to shut down enough at home to just sit down and escape in an audiobook. I needed to do something with my hands!
End of 2018 -Now
Last fall was the beginning of some changes for me. My husband and I hit a turning point in our lives. We started realizing it was time to think about ourselves for a change. Now the last thing we have ever wanted to be was selfish, but when our health started suffering, and we found our selves getting literally sick from stress and anxiety. My husband has been in a out of doctors trying to determine why he cannot sleep and is in constant pain. For me the stress and a recent diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome caused me to gain almost a hundred pounds in less than a year and a half.
Things need to change.
And I really want to start making those changes. Not only for ourselves, but also to get ready to hopefully soon have a baby of our own, to grow our little family. We want to be healthy for us and our future children.
It is still the beginning of our journey to healthier beings, but I think changes are in the air. And hopefully; please God, they will be for the better and positive changes.
We have changed our diet at home. We decided to not look at it as a diet though, but instead of as a life style change.
Little to none processed foods. Cooking with a lot of veggies, not eating as much grains. When fat is used for cooking it is real natural fats, such as real cream butter, olive, coconut oil. No canola, vegetable, or margarine.
I spent a lot of time doing research to find what would work best for us, without cutting out our favorite things. We have been on this since December, and so far I feel it has made a difference. I have lost almost ten pound which I know doesn't sound like a lot, but when your hormones are out of wack that can have issues on its own when trying to lose weight. I also feel like I have gained some energy back, which has really been lacking in the last year.
We also did something huge last week. My husband made one of my biggest dreams come true.
We went to New York City!
Ten days, of dreams coming true every day. We saw it all! Started with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Went up to the observation decks in the Rockefeller Center and Empire State Buildings. Did the NBC tour at Rockefeller where we saw the set of Jimmy Fallon, saw SNL rehearsing. Went shopping in the biggest Macy's in the world! Ate next to the table that Meg Ryan had the most epic orgasm in "When Harry Met Sally" in Katz Delicatessen. Went to the MET, MOMA, and Natural History Museum. Central Park. And then...tea at the PLAZA!! The place where Mia Thermopolis found out she was the Princess of Genovia.
We just got back on Saturday, but I just can't stop thinking about it. Going to New York City has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl still living in Germany. It was my #1 dream trip! And I did it!! It 100% wouldn't have been possible without my amazing husband! I can't imagine sharing that experience with anyone else. <3
On the plane ride home on Saturday I ended up reading my first book since last Summer. It just so happened to be a genre that I really wouldn't have considered as something that I would have enjoyed even a couple of years ago.
But it made me come to a realization...
What if my taste in books has changed, and that is why I haven't been able to get my head into reading anymore?
For the last two to even four years, I have continuously tried to find the Young Adult book to read. But during that time, I may have missed the fact that I am not so much of a young adult anymore. I have full blown adult responsibilities now, and just can't take teenage problems as serious as I used to. I'm not saying teenagers don't have feelings that matter. Everyone needs to go through those informative years. They definitely shape who we can become as grownups. But along the way I think you definitely grow. And that is where I might have headed along the way.
I am going to see where the next few months take me. I may be getting way ahead of myself, but I really have missed blogging. I have missed reading. And I have missed having that time to myself where I can escape away from my own thoughts and feelings, and get into the life of someone else's thoughts and feelings.
With those changes I felt The Romance Bookie deserved a bit of a change too. I will always love my romance novels, I believe. But I think I have spread my wings a little, and I'm hoping that can be reflected in future posts, and that The Romance Bookie can become a part of my life again. I want my hobby back!
So wish me luck!
Thank you to anyone who stuck around and read through this, I know it was insanely long, and probably rambleish, but I wanted to get it out!
Notice anything new? After over eight years of the same design, The Romance Bookie has gotten a makeover!
I figured it was time for a change.
2010 to Summer 2018
I started The Romance Bookie in December 2010, and she quickly became my baby. I put A LOT of work into her.
Over THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY REVIEWS have gone up on her! 380!!! That numbers just seems so crazy to me!!!
When I started The Romance Bookie I was a shy freshmen in community college who was really trying to find her way in the world. I started her before I met my husband! In June we will be celebrating six years together; which means that my "baby" was already over three years old when we met. He is the majority of the reason why I started neglecting her a bit, because meeting the love of your life can do that for you :).
We have been married now two and a half years, have an adorable twenty pound King Charles Spaniel mix we rescued the day before we got married, and live in our little corner of our quiet little town.
I was 19 years old in December of 2010, when I started designing The Romance Bookie.
In July I am going to be 28.
The person I was at 19 and the person I am now, is quite different. 19 year old me thought she had gone through some shit...but man she had no idea what was coming her way.
Not only had I not met my husband yet, but I had so little to worry about at that time. I was working part time, didn't even have my drivers license yet! Taking prerequisite classes, while still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, after realizing I was not cut out for the professional culinary world.
I also still had my dad. He was always there for me, every time I needed him, needed someone to talk to.
So much has changed. Not just in the last two and a half years, since he passed, if I am being honest. But losing my dad probably had the biggest impact, and just hit me so hard, that it has been really hard to recover and move on.
I am so unbelievably lucky to have the most supportive man by my side. Without him, I don't think I would have made it through this time. He was there every step of the way, and still continues to be everyday, every minute, and every second. He saved me.
Along the way, I realized recently though, that I lost myself. I used to be my own person. I loved to do things on my own. I loved to watch romantic comedies. I loved listening to 80s music in my room and dancing around lip-synching and pretending I was a rock star. Going shopping, out, and eating at restaurants with friends.
And of course reading.
I lost even that. The one thing that was always my escape from difficult time. I lost it.
I don't even know why I lost reading. It wasn't something I shared with my dad. At least 80s music I was introduced to by him and my mom. He loved Cyndi Lauper (I named my first car after her!)! He introduced me to Lady Gaga! He bought the album, and got me to really listen to it. In fact, when we first lost him, I couldn't listen to any music at all, without breaking down in tears. So I switched audiobooks for my commuting to and from university. But even the audiobooks I ran out of what interested me. And it was only an escape for when I was driving. I was never able to shut down enough at home to just sit down and escape in an audiobook. I needed to do something with my hands!
End of 2018 -Now
Last fall was the beginning of some changes for me. My husband and I hit a turning point in our lives. We started realizing it was time to think about ourselves for a change. Now the last thing we have ever wanted to be was selfish, but when our health started suffering, and we found our selves getting literally sick from stress and anxiety. My husband has been in a out of doctors trying to determine why he cannot sleep and is in constant pain. For me the stress and a recent diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome caused me to gain almost a hundred pounds in less than a year and a half.
Things need to change.
And I really want to start making those changes. Not only for ourselves, but also to get ready to hopefully soon have a baby of our own, to grow our little family. We want to be healthy for us and our future children.
It is still the beginning of our journey to healthier beings, but I think changes are in the air. And hopefully; please God, they will be for the better and positive changes.
We have changed our diet at home. We decided to not look at it as a diet though, but instead of as a life style change.
Little to none processed foods. Cooking with a lot of veggies, not eating as much grains. When fat is used for cooking it is real natural fats, such as real cream butter, olive, coconut oil. No canola, vegetable, or margarine.
I spent a lot of time doing research to find what would work best for us, without cutting out our favorite things. We have been on this since December, and so far I feel it has made a difference. I have lost almost ten pound which I know doesn't sound like a lot, but when your hormones are out of wack that can have issues on its own when trying to lose weight. I also feel like I have gained some energy back, which has really been lacking in the last year.
We also did something huge last week. My husband made one of my biggest dreams come true.
We went to New York City!
Ten days, of dreams coming true every day. We saw it all! Started with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Went up to the observation decks in the Rockefeller Center and Empire State Buildings. Did the NBC tour at Rockefeller where we saw the set of Jimmy Fallon, saw SNL rehearsing. Went shopping in the biggest Macy's in the world! Ate next to the table that Meg Ryan had the most epic orgasm in "When Harry Met Sally" in Katz Delicatessen. Went to the MET, MOMA, and Natural History Museum. Central Park. And then...tea at the PLAZA!! The place where Mia Thermopolis found out she was the Princess of Genovia.
We just got back on Saturday, but I just can't stop thinking about it. Going to New York City has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl still living in Germany. It was my #1 dream trip! And I did it!! It 100% wouldn't have been possible without my amazing husband! I can't imagine sharing that experience with anyone else. <3
On the plane ride home on Saturday I ended up reading my first book since last Summer. It just so happened to be a genre that I really wouldn't have considered as something that I would have enjoyed even a couple of years ago.
But it made me come to a realization...
What if my taste in books has changed, and that is why I haven't been able to get my head into reading anymore?
For the last two to even four years, I have continuously tried to find the Young Adult book to read. But during that time, I may have missed the fact that I am not so much of a young adult anymore. I have full blown adult responsibilities now, and just can't take teenage problems as serious as I used to. I'm not saying teenagers don't have feelings that matter. Everyone needs to go through those informative years. They definitely shape who we can become as grownups. But along the way I think you definitely grow. And that is where I might have headed along the way.
I am going to see where the next few months take me. I may be getting way ahead of myself, but I really have missed blogging. I have missed reading. And I have missed having that time to myself where I can escape away from my own thoughts and feelings, and get into the life of someone else's thoughts and feelings.
With those changes I felt The Romance Bookie deserved a bit of a change too. I will always love my romance novels, I believe. But I think I have spread my wings a little, and I'm hoping that can be reflected in future posts, and that The Romance Bookie can become a part of my life again. I want my hobby back!
So wish me luck!
Thank you to anyone who stuck around and read through this, I know it was insanely long, and probably rambleish, but I wanted to get it out!
The Romance Bookie :)
Your NYC trip looked awesome! I went in January, but only was there for 4 days, so we mostly just ate and saw shows, lol.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the new look!
Thank you!!
DeleteAnd I told Vincent that now that we did ten days, and saw everything, that next time we go (which I really hope to go back one day), I think four to five days will be plenty! A lot of things we did, I don't think need to be done again, so we can see new things, and a new show! :) But since it's all the way across the country, I can't imagine flying that far for less than five days lol