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Life

I finally had a full week at home, with no travel or family obligations, but it was a super busy catch-up week! I had two medical appointments and a haircut (and it was only a 4-day week), so that kept me out of the house more than usual. But the haircut was overdue, and I finally got my new sets of Invisiline (at my last check-up, the orthodontist said they weren't fitting right, so they rescanned me and ordered new ones). The good news is that these definitely fit better and don't affect my speech as much (it was getting pretty bad!), but the bad news is that now I have another 13 weeks to go, instead of just four more. So, I was upset about the extended time, but I'm glad they fit better. Making videos with a bad lisp was getting challenging!

I fit in a stock-up trip to Trader Joe's after the orthodontist (I rarely go food shopping anymore, so this was a treat!).

After before my massage therapy appointment, I squeezed in a quick walk in a beautiful area tucked into the middle of the suburbs--even just 15 minutes spent surrounded by birdsong and lush greenery is rejuvenating!

Saturday morning at 4 am (!), my husband left for his annual golf week in his hometown with his two best friends from high school. He already arrived last night (record time for driving from Delaware to Oklahoma!), and they're heading out for their first round this morning. He looks forward to this all year. And so do I! We spend a lot of time together, so I appreciate a week of quiet solitude to myself. As usual, I planned WAY too much for myself, thinking I could get SO much done home alone--I never learn! I had a good, productive weekend, but I definitely pushed myself a bit too hard and was wiped out by last night. On the plus side, I learned to use my new Go Pro and tested it out on a hiking trail yesterday, so I'll share the video next week. And today, I am meeting a good friend that I haven't seen in over a year for a walk at a local park.

Just a reminder that we are now a week into the 2025 Big Book Summer Challenge! We've already got over 50 participants in our Goodreads group, about 40 in the Storygraph group, about 30 Booktubers, and a half dozen bloggers. If you're not on any of those platforms, no worries; you can post updates on any social media using #BigBookSummer. Everyone is welcome to participate, and you only need to read one book (though you can read more) of 400 or more pages by September 1 to join the fun! Details on the Big Book Summer page

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On Video

The Booktuber Bio Tag - in this fun tag, I answer questions not just about my Booktube channel and some of my favorite books but also personal background about myself.

Friday Reads 5-30-25: Starting My Big Book Summer Reading - in this brief recap of my reading week, I talk about 4 excellent novels: two that I just finished (and loved!) and the two books (in print and on audio) that are kicking off my own Big Book Summer.

2-Minute Review of The Road to Roswell - in this mini review, I talk about this wonderful novel by Connie Willis.

Immersed in Nature in the Middle of the Suburbs - Turn up the volume and enjoy this 1-minute nature respite, with birdsong and a babbling creek.

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What We're Reading

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