What did I do in December- lots of holiday stuff!
It snowed on Christmas Eve! Jake and I kicked off the day with a cupcake breakfast! Mimosa’s and Irish Coffee were a must.
Books:
Read 4, listened to 5
Read:
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Wiener (this is the first book of hers I have actually red and not listened to) Not one of my favorites but still a good read. I like how all the characters lives intertwined but each character had their own story.
Down City: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Memory, and Murder This was a memoir a woman wrote about growing up in a family where her mother was murdered by drug dealers and her father was a troubled presence in her life. While it doesn’t sound super uplifting it was a good read. She wrote the book to give her mother a voice that she didn’t get. I enjoyed it and it made my appreciate my parents even more! Read mostly in my Santa pants!
So you have been publicly shamed I added this book to my want to read list because it was mentioned on a podcast. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get into it, it tells the stories of people who have, thank mainly to social media, been shamed. Either by a tweet or photo posted and then gone viral. I was worried this would be to many facts and science and research but it wasn’t that. The author, Jon Ronson, tells each shamed persons story and details his conversations with them about what the shaming meant to them and where they are currently in their lives. It was an interesting read and has made me think about my social media behavior.
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose This book is also an audiobook, read by Joe Biden. I didn’t think I could handle listening to him read this book. The book centers around his son’s battle with cancer and his decision about making a run for the presidency in 2016. I have always been a fan of Biden but after this book I am even bigger fan. He handled himself as both a family man and leader of our country. I read this mostly while sitting on the couch by our Christmas tree.
The Weekend Date: I won this as part of a GoodReads giveaway- so I got to read it before it’s January 30th release date. It was a good book about how a chance meeting in an elevator leads to so much more. I would recommend this for your next summer read.
Listened:
The Forever Summer – This would be a great summer beach read or listen. It has romance and mystery. I would recommend it if you are looking for a relaxing read. Listened to mostly while in my car on cold days.
The Windfall – Awful. I had flashbacks to listening to Crazy Rich Asians. This was set in India and focused on rich people and their problems. Listened to mostly at my desk at work.
The Glass Castle – I had heard a few things about this one and wanted to listen to it before watching the movie. The author read the audiobook, which is the true story of her life. This was a good book, makes you appreciate your childhood. It is amazing all she has done with her life after the childhood she endured.
Dorothy Must Die – This is a YA novel that takes you to the dark side of Oz – but darker than Wicked. It was fun to hear the story flipped upside down. This is a series and I can’t wait to listen to the next 2 in the series.
The Lying Game – The author of this book, Ruth Ware, also wrote In a Dark, Dark Wood which I loved. This book was also a mystery. I liked her first book better but this held my attention and kept me guessing until the end. She is an English author who sets her books in the UK and the reader of the audio book also has an English accent which is fun to listen to.
Miles: 16.7
I signed up for the Snowball Series, which is 6 races between Dec and Feb. A major plus is that I use the same race bib for each race – only one packet pickup and they have donuts after the race!
Race 1: Queeny Park 3 miles
Race 2: Tower Grove Park 3.1. There was actually snow for the race!
Not included in this total was the 3.1 miles from the hot chocolate race – because I didn’t run it. I woke up the morning of the race with a sore throat and achy body. I did pick up my race swag but was sad to miss the chocolate finish!
I squeezed in a few “just because runs” and got a chance to see a few deer!
I kicked off the holiday running season with an ugly Christmas sweater run with my friend Eileen. The route took us down Candy Cane Lane – a must do on any St. Louis Christmas list!
Other holiday fun included:
Walking through the Brewery Lights with the Gamma Phi’s
Attending the annual Lindsey holiday party
Celebrating Christmas with family and friends all through December
Risk Manor all decked out for Christmas – complete with a roaring Netflix fire.
Jake and I attended a fundraiser at Kendra Scott for the Ranken Jordan Young Professionals board we sit on. I got a pretty necklace and helped out sick kids.
I made one Pinterest recipe tomato and cheese tarts. These are pretty easy and make you like a rock star host!
We had the house deep cleaned and had our new backsplash installed and the kitchen painted.
We went ice skating at Winterfest on the last day it was open. They closed for the season that night due to predicted extreme cold in the St. Louis area.
We spent New Year’s Eve hanging out with Dan and Sharon and enjoying carryout from Biggies. We even made it to midnight!
December was busy but fun! Stay for January happenings! I hope your 2018 is off to a good start!
~E
Keeping Up With The Risk's 
Loved the book “The Glass Castle”!! My book club read it a while ago and I would even fill Dave in on the family’s wild adventures. He particularly disliked the Dad. Just watched the movie w Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson. Great movie.
I also read Jeannette Walls book “Half Broke Horses” which is a tribute to her grandmother, who raised her mother Rosemary. Another beautifully written book.