I’m not gonna lie, I knew it had been a while since I updated this blog, but I was horrified to see it was back in MAY of last year! I feel like so, so much has happened since then, and also… just time gently passing. I’m endeavoring, however, to catch up on all my waiting book reviews, and to share what I’ve been reading lately too! As for the balance of 2018, it was a whirlwind….

Lots of weekend trips to places like St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Chicago…

Our garden growing in the summer sunshine…

A work conference in NOLA and a Pumpkin Spectacular in Louisville…

A trip to New Jersey’s shore and my first new car in 15 years…

And perhaps most special… getting engaged, and then a couple of months later running off to Las Vegas to get hitched. 2018 had some definite lows, but I’m glad we ended on a happy note.

Here’s to 2019!

–Marissa

 I’m not going to lie, it’s been a rough couple of months, and I haven’t been reading, walking, snapping photos, or crafting as much as I’d like, but we’ve still tried to eke out some good times where and when we can, such as…

Emceeing a statewide Relay For Life conference… helping spruce up our local High School library… WINNING a bingo at a recent “Pink Out” fundraiser… insisting on snuggles with those two faces… and a weekend trip to Chicago to visit my bestie and take in the city sights.

I’m ready for some spring flowers, warmer temperatures, and peace…

–Marissa

Where does the time GO, y’all?! It feels like autumn and the end of 2017 came and went in a flash! Johnna and I have both been busy with commitments (work, school, volunteering, etc.) but hope to have our lives – or semblance of them! – back soon. We DID manage to go on a epic girls-only vacation (more about that in a future post!), and took our guys to a fun light show for Christmas (more on that in the future too!). What else have I been up to? Well… I’ve…

…finished a new stained glass quilt for my office… we celebrated New Year’s in style… gotten some beautiful Christmas flowers from my boo…  went to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular in Louisville… spent a concert weekend in Chicago… ate LOTS of bento boxes at our favorite hole-in-the-wall Japanese place… tried my hand at (guided) painting… and hung out with my boy and my dog… the days just fly by! Happy New Year!

–Marissa

….and I don’t know where it went! This spring has gone SO quickly, friends… how about for you? How have you been been spending your days?

As for me, I’ve been…

Enjoying the spring sights and flowers around Sunnymeade… mourning the end of Black Sails…visiting museums and good eats (and tiara try-ons!) in Chicago…going to see Ina Garten live in St. Louis with Johnna and her hubby…visiting the Garden of the Gods for a hike ’round… introducing Zoe to the boy (who clearly HATE each other *grin*)…rockin’ a Relay For Life bake sale… visiting our town’s brand new dog park… and basically enjoying each day as it comes.

Happy Summer, friends!

As we begged off previously, the last couple of months have just flown by: the holidays, travels, work, school, and everything in between. Here’s what I’ve been up to…

Seeing James Patterson speak at a library conference… walking in our city’s holiday parade (The antlers LIT UP. It was everything.)… speechifying at a local fundraiser… running a wine pull to make money to give away for grant projects… watching Gilmore Girls with Johnna… rockin’ some new glasses… celebrating the holidays (and Rogue One!)… training the most amazing Relay rockstars in the state… misty mornings… and of course, ringing in 2017 with Johnna! I miss my bestie – we need to stop being so busy, darn it!

How’s your winter been, friends?

–Marissa

You guys.

You guuuuuuuys….

We’ve been really bad bloggers.

We know. We suck. A lot.

(Look. Even a reproachful look there from Zoe…)

Trips (Vegas! France!), holidays, workworkwork, schoolschoolschool, volunteering… it’s all added up to not enough hours in the day, and not NEARLY enough time for the Stubborn Sunshine girls to even hang out with each other (I mean, other than Gilmore Girls and Sherlock marathons…)! But, it’s a new year, time to start fresh, resolutions and all that, right?

So, to get started… I (Marissa) have a RIDICULOUS amount of book reviews to post, as well as my annual reading roundup. So, how about, for the next couple of days, we just blaze through all those reviews and start the year fresh, yeah?

Plus, we have travel pictures to share, recipes to toss around… there’s more to come!

We promise.

Happy 2017… we’re glad you’re here with us. 🙂

–Marissa