REVIEW: Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt

(Disclaimer:  I received this e-book free from Story Cartel in exchange for an unbiased review.  My opinions are my own.)

At my 5-year high school reunion, a fair number of the students were married and had at least one child.  But what happens when you life does not follow that 'usual' path?  Where does the life you are living intersect with the life you want to live, and the life you were meant to live?

Allison and her friend Sharaya set out on a 6-month trip around the United States.  ALL of them.  They will visit each of the 50 states, earn money by Sharaya performing with her guitar and Allison selling merchandise (cd's, etc.), blogging and writing a book.  They will depend (more than once) on the kindness of strangers.

Nothing is held back.  We hear the successes, the joys, the sorrows, the fights, the sorrows, the pettiness, the sacrifices made by each participant.  I think these two ladies did what a lot of performers and artists dream of doing ... trading the "have to in order to survive" life for "this is my life in which to THRIVE"!

A lot is said in the book of the beauty of Sharaya's voice.  While I have not heard her music, I figure it must be good or this journey would not have happened.  I want to give a shout out to Ally as well.  Her voice comes through, clear like a bell in her book.  It is itself sweet, sweet music.

I am oh, so grateful to both Ally and Sharaya, as well as their supporters, friends and family for sharing this experience with us.  They took a HUGE leap of faith and are the better for it.  Indeed, the times when I  have stepped out of my comfort zone and taken a chance, I have been blessed with both tangible and intangible rewards.

So, if you are satisfied with your life the way it is, read this book and pass it along to someone else when you are done.  (They invite you to do just that in the "afterward" of the book, so I figure it's ok for me to do it here.)  Or buy them a copy! (*wink*)  If you are feeling that your life has gotten a bit 'samey', get this book, read it ... then come find me so we can help each other get from where we are to where we want to be!

This book helps me fulfill the following reading challenges for 2014:
Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
2014 ARC Reading Challenge
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Linking up with:

  

Peer Pressure

  
TELL US ABOUT A TIME YOU BENT TO PEER PRESSURE. I had to do a little brain-wracking on this one.   I suppose I could use the occasion of my first 'party' in  high school.  My friend's parents were out of town and she was going to have a party.  So I went.  So there was whiskey sour punch.  I had some ... to fit in.  It tasted awful.  (Of course, this was the first time I had had anything more than beer - but I never liked the taste of that either.) There weren't many people there, so another friend and I went up a nearby canyon to a keg party to find some more people.  I got separated from this friend - there was a band playing there, and a fair amount of chaos - but we met up again and went back to the house.  More folks were there when we got back, including some mutual friends. I remember going into the downstairs bathroom and locking the door.  In hindsight that was a very good thing, because I think I passed out on the floor.  I woke to someone knocking on the door and stumbled out, and some of the friends being in the room and sniggering a bit.  Later I fell asleep on a couch in the living room. The next morning, I woke up from a telephone call from my parents telling me to come home so we could go to church.  Yikes! I had a choir practice later that day, where I was the accompanist.  A few friends who had been there the night before came walking in and just laughed when they saw me. Dumb, dumb, dumb!  (But at least that was the only time it happened.)

10 Happy Mama Makers

TONI ASKS, "DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.  WHAT ARE THOSE ACTIVITIES?"

1.  Acting in a stage play.

2.  Writing.

3.  Hugs (especially from family).

4.  Naps under one of Mamaw's quilts.

5.  Being a day or two ahead on blog posts.

6.  Emails or snail mails from friends and family.

7.  Phone calls from friends and family.

8.  Notebooks (blank or filled), pens, pencils, markers, pens, glitter glue)

9.  Baklava cheesecake.

10.  Prayer.

How about listing 1 or more things in the comments that make you happy?  I'd love to hear what they are!

Bout of Books 9.0 Goals

Time Devoted to Reading 

I plan on reading at least four hours per day, each day of the challenge.  This is about 4 hours more per day than I have read for years (before I discovered reading challenges last year). My Goals I'd love to do a book a day, but to keep up that pace, the majority of the books had better be fiction.  Non-fiction for me, especially inspirational or "how-to" books seem to take me longer; I want to 'follow the program, as well as read the words.

Books to Read

This is the book I am reading now.  I want to finish it.  It is part of the following reading challenges I am in this year:  Alphabet Soup, ARC, 52 Books in 52 Weeks.  

This is the first 'new one' I'd like to tackle.  My family's eating has gotten terribly 'samey' of late.  This book is part of the following reading challenges I am in this year:  Foodies Read 2014, Mount TBR (this one has been on my shelf since January 17th of last year, and 50/50.

This is part of the following 2014 reading challenges for me:  "Just for Fun", "2014 TBR Pile", and "Nonfiction Reading Challenge".

(Don't know why the title did not show through.)  This is "Seven Gifts from Seven Dogs" by Karen Snow.  I am using it for the following reading challenges:  "What an Anmal VII", "NetGalley", and "Mad Reviewer".

This one has been on my shelf for a while (February 13th of last year), so it is going on my "Mount TBR" reading challenge, as well as these others:  "The Romance Reading Challenge" and "E-book Reading Challenge".

I haven't put anything on my "Where are You Reading" challenge for this year yet, so I figured I better get going.  I'm guessing I can use this for the "Texas" entry.  Ditto the "2014 Book Bingo Reading Challenge".  It will also fit nicely into the "Southern Literature Reading Challenge".

I actually read the first book in this series, "The Long Quiche Goodbye" last year.  I had won a copy of the paperback from a blog giveaway and have always wanted to get the other books in the series.  It will be part of my "Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge", as well as part of  my "Finish the Series Reading Challenge" (along with the other 3 books of the series).  I'll put it in my "Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge".

Updates

Monday 1/6

Number of books read today: 2

Total # books read: 2

Books:  "Packing Light" by Allison Vesterfelt,  "Circle of Friends Breakfast and Brunch Recipes"

Challenges:  Book Buying Spree Mini-Challenge at Bookish Comforts blog; Mad Libs Mini-Challenge at Cheap Thrills blog

Tuesday 1/7

Number of books read today:  3

Total # books read:  5

Books:  "The Bad Girls of the Bible: Seven Most Infamous" by Boomy Tokan, "Seven Gifts from Seven Dogs" by Karen Snow, Bedding the Wrong Brother by Virna dePaul

Challenges:  Reading Tactics List Mini-Challenge at Sarah Says Read; Audio Book Cast Mini-Challenge by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

Wednesday 1/8

Number of books read today: (in process)

Total # books read:  5

Books:

Thursday 1/9

Number of books read today:  1

Total # books read:  6

Books:  Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot

Friday 1/10

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Saturday 1/11

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Sunday 1/12

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Monday

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Procrastination: The Death of Progress

  

DO YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO PROCRASTINATE, OR DO YOU LIKE CHECKING THINGS OFF YOUR TO-DO LIST?
Good morning.  My name is LuAnn.  ("Hi, LuAnn.")  I am a procrastinator.  
When I think of where I could be in my life if I did not procrastinate (or did less of it), it makes me want to scream.  But letting that weigh me down, on top of everything else in life that vies for my time and attention, would be fruitless.  The good news is, though, that I do not have to say that way.  That's one reason I like this time of year.  Although you don't need to wait until the New Year to start goals or habits, there seems to be this quantum sense of hope and renewal.
To compound the problem, I love making lists of things to check off.  It is one of my strengths; I made some dang good plans!  But sometimes it is also a source of procrastination, in that I will make so many or such long lists that I forestall actually beginning the project.
But the past has passed.  It can't be changed.  There is hope, however.  Time does not appear to be ending anytime soon, so if you are not satisfied with the way things are going in your life, you can change.  Let me repeat that.  You.  Can.  Change.
For instance, my desk has needed attention for some time now.  Today, I can change that.  Check back tomorrow to hold me accountable?
And what about you?  What is one small thing you could do today that would move you toward one of your goals?  Let me know in the comments?  
*+*+*+*+* Notice the 2nd button at the top of the post?  Jeff Goins is running a "500 Words a Day" writing challenge during the month of January.  Click that l'il ole button for all the info and to sign up!

Our Strengths

  

TONI ASKS, "WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS?  WHAT THINGS ARE YOU GOOD AT?"

As I wrote in my other post today, making plans and checklists is one of my strengths.  If you need something planned, I'm your gal.  The goals for 2014 I wrote about yesterday?  I'm working on whittling those down into 90-day, weekly and daily steps.  2014 is going to be a GREAT year!  WOOHOO! :O)

Another strength I have is empathy.  I listen well and help people see alternate strategies when they are stuck.  We all need a second set of eyes, or ears, or ??? every once in a while.  Maybe we're too close to a situation.  Maybe we're too far away.  Need a second opinion on a goal or plan?  I'd LOVE to help!

A third strength I have is endurance.  Once my course is set, there's not a lot that can turn me aside.  This is not to say I may not change my mind.  I like to think I give fair hearing to the opinions of friends, family, co-workers, etc., even when they differ from mine.  That is a valuable attribute when the road before you is not clear.  

I have a favor to ask.  Could you list one or more of your strengths in the comments?  Let's see if we can gather us a village to help raise our goals!

Life's Little Pressure Cooker

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY FEELING PRESSURE TO DO THAT YOU DON'T PARTICULARLY ENJOY? Use the button above to connect with NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) on BlogHer!
This one is easy...so to speak.  
We are experiencing a end-of-the-old-year cash crunch and it looks like I will have to ask my brother for some money from our mother's estate, something I desperately do NOT want to do.  But it is the lesser of two evils.
Even though I've signed up for UMPTEEN reading challenges for 2014 and two month-long blogging link-ups, I don't feel pressure from those, despite my, oh, less-than-stellar record in that respect.  But then, I took more time beforehand to plan my 'attack' and I'm sure that helped.
I had been feeling pressure to do all the cooking around here.  Wierd, I know.  A wife and mother who, oh, is kitchen-differently-abled?  But hubster has cooked supper for the last two days.  Should I be worried?  *lol*
Enough about me.
Leave a comment (or a vent) about something you feel pressured to do that is not enjoyable.  Or a way you have dealt with pressure in the past that has worked for you.  
Thanks for reading!