Ali Edwards's Blog, page 160
July 21, 2017
AE Creative Team | July Digital Kit
Happy Friday!
Today we are sharing projects our Creative Team made using the July Digital Kit. You can read more about how we've changed up how we are releasing digital products this year here.
Be sure to check out our
Creative Team Gallery where you can go to see how the team is crafting their stories using my products - including additional images from the projects we are sharing below.
July 20, 2017
Project Life® 2017 | Week Twenty-One
Those of you who are part of my Story Subscription saw a couple projects from me in this month's classroom (Lost + Found theme) where I used a black background with white text - I'm loving that look right now so I did it again in my Week 21 Project Life® spread.
My "formula" this week was to grab products from my stash that include gold foil. For me that ended up being some gold foil hearts and word/phrase strips from past Story Kits™. I've been talking more about the idea of using formulas - simply something that's bringing your whole spread together - it might be journaling treatment, it might be a color, or a texture, or something else. Basically it gives you some direction in how you are going to go about embellishing your project.
Here's a look at my Week 21:
To create these text boxes I'm make a black box in Photoshop and then using white text on top. You can't print white text onto black paper so you do need to make the box black + white text.
The hashtag on the photo of Anna reading is from my Chipboard Shape Bundle.
The "this week" stamp is from the Real Life 4x6 Stamp Set - I did the same thing on the back side for Week 20 (stamping and embossing with gold embossing powder).
My gold foil title card was part of my One Little Word® release for 2017 - those sold out but we do have the set available digitally: OLW Digital Inspiration Cards.
It also includes an arrow that's used on the second page of my spread.
Font I used for these journaling cards is Remington Noiseless.
"Gotta Love This" is a die cut from the new Summer Die Cut Variety Pack.
Project Life Design A Page Protectors Project 52 Fresh Core Kit (anything with rounded corners - often title cards) Past Story Kits™ Rolling Date Stamp 12x12 Project Life® / Heidi Swapp / Black & White Album Week By Week Word Art Gratitude 3x4 Notepad AED Precision Pen
You can see all my past Project Life® blog posts here. For more information about my overall process make sure to check out my self-paced Storytelling With Project Life® workshop.
July 19, 2017
Wellness Journey | What I'm Wearing
As I've shared more about my wellness journey via the Instastories over on Instagram (@ae_fit) I've gotten some questions about what I'm wearing.
I'm in week four of what I'm calling my "new" life. I was really ready for a change and I'm loving making time for daily exercise and significantly more healthy-eating. As you might imagine, I'm just at the beginning of this journey. I lived a lot of my growing up years as an athlete (competitive swimming into college) and then have not had a consistent exercise routine since then. I've had fits and starts and done a couple of sprint triathlons a few years ago (2010, 2011, 2012), but I've never simply made it a consistent part of my life. That's my goal right now - for it to just be what I do.
You can read more about my initial wellness journey thoughts from a previous blog post here.
Right now what I'm loving to wear while walking, doing yoga or going to a Barre3 class includes yoga pants/shorts + a bra top + a tank top + a jacket (lighter in the summer and heavier in the winter). Most of the things I have now have been picked up at Target, Athleta (one of my favorites), GapFit, and TitleNine.
Here are some of the things I've recently picked up and am loving right now:
(1) Stronger Hoodie from Athleta // I love this jacket. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It's long and thick (will be great for both fall and winter here).
(2) Salutation Short from Athleta // These have been great for summer especially in the hot studios. I was worried that they might be too short but they are just right and I have fairly long legs.
(3) Fully Focused Bra from Athleta // This is my recent favorite - love the back and it's just enough support for me for yoga and Barre3. I ordered another one in a different color because it fit well.
(4) gFast Performance Cotton ColorblockLeggings from GapFit // These mid-weight yoga pants have been great. Love the color blocking.
(5) Essence Tie Back Tank from Athleta // This one is on it's way to me. I like these kinds of tanks that can be tied if needed or can be a little more flowing.
(6) Will Power Jacket from Title Nine // We have a Title Nine store in town here and I went in there on a whim the other day and came out with this jacket which I love. This is a great lighter weight jacket - it feels like a vest with sleeves. And I love vests.
The only other thing I'm totally into right now are flip flops - these ones from Sanuk are the ones I wear everyday. I had a previous pair that I totally wore out and picked up new ones at the beginning of this summer and my feet love them. I'm also totally wondering why I have any other shoes for the summer. Actually I love my running/walking shoes from Brooks (Adrenaline GTS).
We can do this together! Keep making one healthy choice at a time.
July 18, 2017
Summer Product Release
I'm super happy to let you know that we have a brand new shop release of products now available!
This release includes a chipboard bundle, a sticker bundle, a die cut bundle, an embellishment bundle, four new stamp sets, two new journal card sets, and a set of Day In The Life™ cards. I'm hopeful you will find something here to help you get your stories told.
Digital versions of these products will be released over the next couple of months (at the beginning of the month along with our other monthly digital releases unless otherwise noted in the description).
Let's take a closer look at the products (video below):
First up is a chipboard bundle that includes five different 4x6 sheets of chipboard stickers.Themes include everyday life, love and travel.
A digital version of the last chipboard set in the pile shown here was included in the Hybrid Workshop digital package. Love releasing it as an actual physical product now.
Next up is this super-cool die cut bundle that includes three different die cut sets. Some of these are fairly big and would be awesome on traditional layouts. I love how they turned out.
This release includes four new stamp sets (sold separately):
Weekly 4x6 // By popular demand this hand-drawn set will work awesome for your Weekly Project Life® title cards or any other number/date titles.
Outdoor 4x6 // Document your outdoor adventures with this versatile stamp set.
Monthly 4x6 // Monthly abbreviations for each month of the year. These would also work awesome along side the Weekly set.
Embrace The Mess 4x6 // Everyday life is often messy - tell your stories using the real life phrases and sentiments.
Next up is a sticker bundle that includes five designs - two sheets per design. Designs include everyday life sentiments on banners, large circles, our favorite label sticker design, tabs, and a mixed circle/speech bubble design. I'm totally looking forward to incorporating these into my Project Life® album.
This release includes two new journal sets. Each set includes two of each card design with designs on the front and back:
Travel
Brave New Day
Some of the 3x4 cards in the Travel set are included in the digital More Go 3x4 Journal Cards. The 3x4 cards in the Brave New Day set were part of the digital Encouragement Journal Card set. We will offer the 4x6 cards for each set separately within the next couple of months.
Next up is an embellishment bundle that includes transparent circles, cork shapes, and plastic hearts and stars.
Last up for this summer release are a set of Day In The Life™ cards and a die cut pack. This was originally going to be a mini kit but the third product we had intended to include were damaged so we decided to just include these products with this release. I'll announce a date soon for the next documentation day - I'll be using these cards to tell my story.
Day In The Life™ Summer Journal Cards
Day In The Life™ Die Cut PackVIDEO OVERVIEW | SUMMER PRODUCT RELEASE
As always, thank you so much for helping to support my mission to help people tell the stories of their lives.
July 17, 2017
Project Life® 2017 | Week Twenty
Continuing to love using my stash to tell my stories in Project Life®.
Finding time to print some photos, write some words, add a few embellishments and fill those pockets.
And in case you are wondering, Week 19 was used in the classroom for the Fun Story Kit™. I include one spread per month for each story theme. You can read more about my Story Subscription program here. Subscriptions are available!
Here's a look at Week 20:
Here's the truth my friends: there is nothing remarkable about this spread.
It's not a work of creative genius, it's not rocket science, it's not going to help the process of world peace, and it might not totally inspire you to tell your own story (even though I hope it does in some little way or another).
Here's what it is: my story.
My story doesn't have to be told with tons of product. My story doesn't have to be told in a way that makes my life look prettier than it is. My story doesn't have to be perfect or complete or include every detail. My story might seem really put together one week and a random mish-mash the next week depending on time, motivation, schedules, inspiration, etc.
I'm still doing this because I love it. After all these years, I still love it. And sure - obviously - it's part of my job and part of my company and how I support my family, but it's also part of my heart. I want to make products that I want to use to tell my own stories because I want to get my stories told.
I'm showing up to my wonderfully imperfect story.
I'm getting it told in bits and pieces - one pocket at a time, one week at a time, one project at a time.
Let's stop making this about anything other than a wonderful opportunity to capture the stories of our lives.
It's totally worth it.
As always, my process begins by printing my photos for the week. I always start with those pockets filled first then I move on to the date card and then on to picking journal cards and then usually adding a few embellishments at the end. It's a rhythm and routine that's been working for me for awhile (even if I'm not totally up to date which I don't really care about at all).
Words + photos. Words + photos.
The "giving thanks for this day" journal card is part of my Gratitude Journal Card Set.
A digital version of this set is available here.
The title card started with one of the cards from the Project Life® Fresh 52 Core Kit. On top of that I used one of the Mega Date Stamp from Studio Calico to add the date.
This fun product is currently on pre-order with an expected shipping date of late July/early August.
The "together" card is from my Here's To Us Journal Card Set (really awesome for telling stories about friends). Here's a look at what's included in that physical journal card set:
There is also a digital version that includes some of the 3x4 cards here.
To create that embossed "weekend" I used my Real Life Stamp Set and some gold embossing powder. I did the same thing for the other side which I'll share in another week (using the "this week" stamp from that same stamp set).
I stamped "this too shall pass" from my Encouragement Stamp Set using StazOn ink.
SUPPLIES USED REGULARLY IN PROJECT LIFE® 2017Project Life Design A Page Protectors
Project 52 Fresh Core Kit (anything with rounded corners - often title cards)
Past Story Kits™
Rolling Date Stamp
12x12 Project Life® / Heidi Swapp / Black & White Album
Week By Week Word Art
Gratitude 3x4 Notepad
AED Precision Pen
You can see all my past Project Life® blog posts here. For more information about my overall process make sure to check out my self-paced Storytelling With Project Life® workshop.
July 13, 2017
Story Kit™ & Story Stamp™ | Lost + Found
Hey friends!
In the Story Classroom this month we are focusing on stories related to the theme of
Lost + Found.
A few months ago we changed up our kit pages and each subscription now has it's own shop page that you can check out here:
Story Kit™, Story Stamp™, and Digital Story Kit™ (there are links to each one at the bottom of each page). As a subscriber you also have kit pages for each of your subscriptions located under your User Name in the top right corner of the page (this is where you go to select any Add-On purchases to be shipped with your box between now and June 14th at 11:59PM Eastern).
Here are a few thoughts about this particular theme:
Life is a series of adventures that include losing and finding. Sometimes we are literally lost and need help to find the way home again. Sometimes we feel lost and have to work hard at finding ourselves (or letting other people help us) again. Sometimes we lose things (people, stuff, etc) and hopefully we are able to find those things again in one way or another. And sometimes things are just lost and we find magic, love, etc in new people and places and things. This month we are investigating stories related to being lost and found and the ways in which those experiences have impacted our lives.
Initial story ideas for the Lost + Found theme include:
What is something you have lost and what is something you have found? Are they the same thing?
Throughout our lives we all feel lost (figuratively rather than literally) at certain points. How did you find yourself again?
When was the last time you “got lost” in terms of getting out of your normal routine? Love it? Hate it? ADD-ON OPTION FOR SUBSCRIBERS
A couple months ago we introduced a new option for subscribers to purchase from a limited selection of Add-On products and have those shipped with your monthly subscription. Between the 13th at 12:00am Eastern and the 14th at 12:59pm Eastern, subscribers can add these products to their boxes at no additional shipping cost - based on availability. Check out our
2017 Subscription Update page here for more details. Depending on product availability subscribers may be able to purchase the Add-On's after the Add-On period has ended and regular shop shipping rates will apply because they will ship separately from the kit.
If you are a current Subscriber you can select + purchase Add-On's via your new drop-down menu access under your user name in the top right corner of the site. If you subscribe to more than one you will have a Box for each subscription and the ability to purchase Add-On's for each one.
If you are new to the Story Subscription program, check out all the details
here.
If you are already a subscriber the content in the classroom will be available to you on the 15th just as in the past.
Here's a look at
the
Story Kit™ contents for Lost + Found:
Here are the optional
Add-Ons for subscribers of the Lost + Found Story Kit™ theme. Two of these products are exclusive to subscribers at this time (but may be added to the shop in the future) and the other is from the shop. Some months we will have only new theme-based products as part of the Add-On selection and other months we might include a staple item from the shop.
Here's a video overview of the
Story Kit™ and Add-On options this month:
STORY STAMP™
The
Lost + Found Story Stamp™:
The
Story Stamp™ also hss Add-On options available to subscribers:
Here's a video overview of the
Story Stamp™ and Add-On options this month:
DIGITAL STORY KIT™
There is also have a
Digital Story Kit™ subscription available that includes access to the classroom content.
Your digital kit and the classroom and any Add-Ons purchased will be available to you on the 15th once your card has been charged for the month. Here's a look at what's included for Lost + Found (which also shows all the designs for the journal cards included in the printed version of the kit):
Digital Story Kit™ subscribers also have four Add-On options available (if you subscribe to both the Story Kit™ and the Story Stamp™ these should also be available to you for purchase):
And a couple peeks at the layouts I created with the kits this month in addition to the one featured at the top of this post (
full details, including process videos and how-to handout, are included with subscription):
Again, thanks so much for subscribing and/or considering my
Story Subscription program! If you have any questions about this program please let me know below in the comments.
July 11, 2017
AE Creative Team | Fun Digital Story Kit™
Happy Tuesday!
Today we're sharing the projects created by our awesome Creative Team using the Fun Digital Story Kit™.
Tomorrow is the last day left to start a subscription to receive this current theme. The Story Kit™ is currently on a waiting list but the Story Stamp™ and Digital Story Kit™ are available and both include the classroom content. Be sure to check out our Creative Team Gallery where you can go to see how the team crafted their stories using AE products - including additional images from the projects we are sharing below.
July 5, 2017
Passion Project | Wellness Journey
At the beginning of last week I decided to open up a private Instagram account I had started sometime last year to document health and fitness related stuff: https://www.instagram.com/ae_fit/. I had used it for awhile after my blood clotting issues and then it stalled - well, I stalled - my focus being pulled in different directions as usual.
But I'm ready to do something not "as usual" for me.
You might remember how in the post about our first Story Camp event Katie remarked that it was a game-changer of a weekend. Even though this is not directly related I feel like that was truly a springboard for opening up a new chapter for me. I honestly have no idea how the actual story will unfold but a spark was ignited and this focus on health + wellness feels directly in alignment to living my best story.
This adventure into wellness is so much about owning my own story. About taking care of myself. About getting to know myself better along the way.
My hope in making this Instagram account public is to make myself a little more accountable and give myself the opportunity to share this journey alongside any of you out there who might want to work on this in your own life right along with me.
I'm calling this a wellness journey because I want it to be more than just fitness and food - I also want to include the spirit (mind & heart) portion as well.
I'm including a bunch of instastories (click on the circle icon with my picture on my profile to view any stories that might be available - this is via the mobile app) on that account where I'm sharing more of my overall story. I'm trying to include a morning story as I start my walk or other morning exercise each morning, and then including other topics like barriers, doing the things we don't want to do to be able to do the things we want to do (inspired by Courtney Carver's @bemorewithless upcoming book Soulful Simplicity), meals, etc.
THINGS THAT ARE WORKING FOR ME RIGHT NOW1. Getting up early and walking or following the Couch To 5K program.
I've had good intentions to start this habit for awhile. I've been setting my alarm and waking up but not actually getting up - translation - I've been picking up my phone and scrolling and then either resetting my alarm for a different time or going back to sleep. I seem to have turned a corner this week on this front and have been getting up and out by 6am. I'm a morning person so this isn't the biggest hurdle I face and I know that I feel good when I begin my day with some activity. What I'm doing right now is the Couch To 5K program alternating with walking. I have a 3 mile loop that is my regular path. I listen to podcasts while I'm walking or walk/running via the Couch To 5K app.
I think getting up early all last week and moving my body first thing was such an awesome way to start the day - it's definitely something I want to continue long term.
2. Varying my activity but making sure I'm doing at least one active thing each day. Making one healthy choice and then making another and another. It's amazing when I think about how sedentary I've been recently. I'm combining walking, swimming, yoga, Barre3, and biking right now.
3. Being open to trying new stuff. I signed up and tried a Barre3 class last week and loved it. I was totally nervous to go but super motivated to make it happen. I love that it's harder than I work by myself and I love that it's with other people in a class environment (they also have an online option as well). I've been two more times since that first visit (including a 6AM class) and I can tell it's something that is going to make a difference for me.
4. Gluten + dairy free and an overall emphasis on whole foods. Following food and menu suggestions from Real Food Whole Life, Danielle Walker (Against All Grain) and The Body Book (definitely interested in the topic of balancing hunger hormones with Kelly Leveque).
5. Listening to the Feel Good Effect Podcast. So good. From Robin at Real Food Whole Life. It was on that podcast that I learned about the concept of balancing hunger hormones (episode 003). Do you have other health and wellness podcasts that you enjoy? I'd love to add some more to my list.
6. Taking it one day at a time, one choice at a time. I want this to become my lifestyle not something I burn out from. I can do this.
If you'd like to follow along with my journey and participate in the larger community who are working to make wellness/health a priority you can join me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ae_fit/
Let's do this together.
PS | I'm also planning to post updates here from time to time about things I'm learning, things that are working + not working, etc.
July 3, 2017
July 2017 Digital Release
Happy July!
In January we announced that we are switching things up a bit with our digital products and will be releasing
one main themed digital kit at the beginning of each month. These are similar to the
Digital Story Kits™ in terms of the products included in the package. They will have journal cards, digital chipboard shapes, a stamp set, quote card, and sometimes other elements that will change from month to month.
We are absolutely still continuing to offer our Story Kit™ subscription that includes options for a physical kit, a physical stamp set, and a digital kit. This digital kit has nothing to do with the subscription program and is simply a change to the way we are adding projects to our digital shop.
This month's digital kit theme is all about travel and adventure. This digital kit package includes 12 journal cards, a quote card (in both horizontal + vertical orientations), a "stamp" set, and a set of digital chipboard pieces/shapes. Like this style of kit? Make sure to check out our past monthly digital kits which are still available for purchase here.
Hope you all have a great week and Fourth Of July holiday for those of you in the US!
July 1, 2017
For The Love Of Books | June 2017
Happy July!
In the month of June I read three books and started a bunch of others (see what I completed at the bottom of this post). I'm finding myself in one of those seasons where I am just hungry for information and content and right now I'm getting pulled in a bunch of different directions for my books - which is exciting and a little overwhelming but also awesome. The stack next to my bed is growing again. In this season I'm making time for reading in the morning after going on my walk, at the pool with the kids in the late afternoon/early evening, and then before bed.
I also started an online workshop with Gabrielle Bernstein that is inspiring me in a bunch of ways right now so I ordered a bunch of her books (Spirit Junkie, The Universe Has Your Back, and May Cause Miracles) as well as A Return To Love by Marianne Williamson. Trying to make time for this kind of reading in the morning and then fiction later in the day.
This post is part of my monthly series "For The Love Of Books" where I track and share what I've been reading in 2017. I'm also trying to do that on Goodreads as well if you are already into that platform. My hope is to post on or near the first of each month to share what I ended up reading last month and then share what books I'm selecting from Book Of The Month (BOTM) for the next month.
Please Note // This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Today is July 1 and that means it's time for current
BOTM subscribers to choose books from this month's selections.
For July's
Book Of The Month I chose just one book because I've got so many others in progress right now:
The Windfall by Diksha BasuI also went in and added another book to my order after reading more about the selections so Final Girls will be coming to me soon.
Sometimes people ask how I have my books already when most people are just choosing? I initially received a gift subscription from Katie for Christmas and started posting about it on Instagram because I was so in love with the idea of getting a book in the mail each month. After that I was contacted by their media team and invited to be part of their Ambassador program where they give me the chance to see the books in advance and they send them to me in exchange for a post when the new books become available each month.
JULY BOTM PROMOTION // Try Book Of The Month for 3 months for just $10 per month.
Currently Reading:
All The Ugly And Wonderful Things // Started this one on my Kindle and then got distracted because I think I started too many at once. The Power Of Meaning: Crafting A Life That Matters // Savoring this one slowly. Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road To Self-Love And Miracles // Reading this as part of an online workshop I'm currently taking.
Started But Haven't Finished // Sometimes I start a book and get part way through and set it down for one reason or another - lately it's been that I've been more excited to read something else:
Secret Garden // I think I have about 1/4 left of this one.
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind The Frantic For A Simpler, More Soulful Way Of Living // Reading this one slowly when I feel like I want/need to read the words.
Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood (Kindle) // Loving this one and picking it up here and there between other books.
At Home In The World: Reflections On Belonging While Wandering The Globe // A new book from Tsh Oxenreider who runs the site The Art of Simple. This one is a memoir about her family's nine-month traveling adventures. READ IN 2017
NOTE:
(BOTM) means the book came from the Book Of the Month Club.
JANUARY
You Will Know Me (BOTM) // First book from BOTM. Read it in a day and a half (suspense). Enjoyed.
Lucky You (BOTM) // I remember liking this one as I was reading it but to be honest I can barely remember it now. This is why I'm trying to remember to post some short thoughts on Instagram when I finish each one.
FEBRUARY
Behind Her Eyes (BOTM) // Suspense. Crazy twist. Enjoyed.
Perfect Little World (BOTM) // Vacation read. Liked the change of pace on this one (had been reading more suspense). This one was a sweet little story with topics of motherhood and family and tribes of people and how things change.
What Alice Forgot (Kindle) // Vacation read. Totally enjoyed this story and imagining what it would be like to experience memory loss in this way. Not suspense.
MARCH
The Twilight Wife // Aaron picked this one out at Target to read while we were on vacation and I read it when he was done. I thought this one was okay - probably had something to do with the fact that I read What Alice Forgot right before this one and they both deal with memory loss (this one is more suspense).
The Stranger In The Woods (BOTM) // Non-fiction. This true story about a man living in the woods of Maine for almost 30 years read like a long-form magazine article. I enjoyed the break from the fiction I've been reading.
Exit West (BOTM) // This one was a lot different from what I've been reading and I appreciated it for that. Different kind of narrator (omniscient) and subject matter (refugees). Glad I read it.
Marlena (BOTM) // Gave this one three stars on Goodreads. I'm going to go with "like" but not "love" on this one. I kinda think, after finishing it, that it might be one that will pop up in my mind as I go about my days (so maybe it should get a better review). I enjoyed the story and she used a few writing techniques that I really liked. Sometimes it felt slow and I just wanted her to get on with the story :).
Pachinko (BOTM) // Seriously loved this one and am super glad I picked it up again after putting it down before our Mexico trip. Epic generational tale of Koreans living in Japan (really loved learning more about that).
APRIL
Good As Gone (Kindle) // Definitely stayed interested and engaged with the story and wanted to know what was going to happen. As others have mentioned, the beginning felt stronger than the end. Felt like the author had a unique voice. Glad I read it. Three stars.
American War (BOTM) // This book took me longer to read than others recently and sometimes I would forget that it was a future US civil war vs. the past civil war and I wondered more than once where in the world the story was actually heading (and was it actually heading anywhere)? There were days where I felt like I was making myself read it - which I don't always don - but for some reason I wanted to keep reading. There was a certain point in this book, probably more than halfway through the story, where I realized that this was an exceptional book. I finished it today and I think it's one of the best books I've read in awhile. I found the author to be an extremely sophisticated writer/storyteller who was very purposeful and deliberate with his prose - I can't remember the last time I really felt that way about the words I was reading on the page.
Into The Water (BOTM) // A super fast, page-turning read for me. At first I felt like it was hard to keep up with all the different narrators but as I got more into it I was able to keep all the characters straight (it was one of those where I needed to keep flipping back and forth to remember who was who). Definitely enjoyed for a quick read!
MAY
Since We Fell (BOTM) // Totally enjoyed this one. Kept my interest with it's twists and definitely wanted to know what was going to happen in the end. As you might tell from most of my reviews, I'm not a super critical reader. If I like it, I like it and I liked this one.
Woman No. 17 (BOTM) // This one was a just-okay for me where I definitely felt like I was making myself finish it.
Small Great Things (Kindle) // So, so good. Hard and thought-provoking and worth it. Definitely my favorite of the month.
The Butterfly Hours: Transforming Memories Into Memoir //Picked this one up randomly at a bookstore. I'm always attracted to books about memoir writing (totally in alignment with my memory keeping endeavors) and this one really filled me up these last few weeks as I was working on some new classroom content. Patty Dann also loves to use one word jumping off points to pull stories from our memories/prompt us to tell more (similar to my 31 Things and 31 More Things workshops) so I loved checking out her writing style and reading her stories. I loved how her writing is fact based but conveys so much meaning and feeling just via the ways she chooses to construct her sentences. Quick and easy read.
JUNE
The Sisters Chase (BOTM) // Loved the story and the characters. Chemistry (BOTM) // I really enjoyed the totally different writing style - basically it's written in snippets of thoughts/memories/etc. Being introduced to different writing styles is definitely one of the things I'm loving from reading so many books right now. I really liked the micro-story approach (a lot like what we do with memory keeping) and I also really liked the weaving of science/chemistry in with the lessons of life and love and moving forward. Super quick read. This Is How It Always Is // Jessica Turner told me I had to read this one next so it jumped to the top of my list after I finished Chemistry. This book was amazing. Basically I feel a whole lot of love for this story. For the characters, for the message of acceptance and inclusion, for the nuances of the middle-path. Highly recommended.
