2014 Goals Update: July

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A selfie with my dad on our bike ride tonight. 

July is over!! That is CRAZY. The month is definitely ending on a high note. I'm not sure I'll ever fully believe that I was accepted to my dream school (twice), but it's getting more and more real each day.

The weather today was perfect. Like 70F. In Texas. In JULY. When I went to check the mail today I knew I had to take a bike ride after dinner. I planned on going alone, but my mom hinted to my dad that she would prefer if he went with me, so he did! We went somewhere between 1-1.5 miles, stopping halfway to relax, which is when I took both the photos above. Is my dad's goatee wicked or what? It's even out of the frame!

Anyway, onto how I'm doing with my goals for this year!

1: one self portrait (per week)
Success! 
week twenty-seven | week twenty-eight | week twenty-nine | week thirty

2: compose photos (every day)
Success, I think. I've gotten a little lazy with tracking it the way I did the rest of the year, but I'm determined to get it back to normal before Chicago. 
184 | 186 | 189 | 191 | 196 | 197 | 198 | 199 | 200 | 202 | 205 | 206 | 207 | 212 - which is at the top of this post

3: read the Bible (every day)
Nope. I did a little bit for a few days at the beginning of the month, but then stopped.

4: journal (daily)
Fail. I did for a little while, then got behind (as usual) and haven't gotten caught up, which is so annoying to me. 

5: blog (daily)
Success! I'm happy there's at least one thing I'm able to keep up with!

6: walk
I did take a walk the other night with the dog! Yay! I expect the walking to increase exponentially over the next few months...yay city living!!

7: bike
Success! Tonight! Like I talked about above! It was so much fun. I've seen some talk in our Moody Facebook group about bringing bikes to school, but I did some Googling and I think there are some public bikes in Chicago so I won't be bringing my own for a while unless I end up seeing the need.

8: 52 projects
Fail! Can you believe it? I have completed one project this month, but it was this project in different colors, so it didn't get it's own blog post.

9: 52 books
Success! A few less than last month, but still nine books completed! I'm definitely back into a reading slump, however. 
what I read this month

10: experiment with photography
A little bit of success. With over a year of shooting manual under my belt (I've always shot in manual...no automatic for me!) I feel better acquainted with my camera these days, I think. I've had trouble with video the whole time I've had my T3i, but I think I may have found a solution. I haven't tried it out yet, but I will soon. I finally did SOMETHING with magic hour here. Then here and up above I did some bokeh. Much hipster. Very bokeh. 

11: make six new meals for the family
Fail. Good theory, lazy girl.

12: learn to play the keyboard
Fail.

13: at least one photo book
Fail.

14: travel
Fail. 

- rl

Previous 2014 Goals Posts:
Original List
January Update
February Update
March Update
April Update
May Update
June Update

WIP Wednesday

I'm not moving along on this project as quickly as I would like, but still! progress! I really have no idea what I will be able to store in the completed bag, but it will be great to be able to say that I crocheted my own backpack!

- rl

What I Read This Month

I've (finally) hit a bit of a reading slump in July. I have also been feeling convicted about reading so many secular novels. #christiangirlproblems

I did, however, get some books in. Here are the books I completed this month:

30. Princess Mia (The Princess Diaries #9) by Meg Cabot

31. Forever Princess (The Princess Diaries #10) by Meg Cabot

A fabulous end to this series! I already want to reread it. This series definitely motivated me to start journaling again...but I've already fallen off it again. One day it will catch on and never let up...

32. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Love! I read this at the beginning of the month so I can't remember why exactly I liked it so much, but I know I did. Comedy is awesome. End of story. 

33. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 

This one took me until about halfway to get into, but then I finished it quickly after that! It always nice to read a book where the main character isn't some great hero.

34. Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1) by Moira Young

An excellent book! It's written in a somewhat poetic style, which actually made it slow going for me for a while. 

35. A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman

This book was written by a blog I've followed for years now, so I've wanted to read it since it came out last year. I never could motivate myself to buy it, however, so I was really excited when I found it at the library. I disagree with some of the reviews on goodreads - it is not a book about selfies. Elsie and Emma gave solid advice on taking self-portraits, which I appreciate considering my weekly self portrait challenge.

36. If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman

Blah! Everyone seems to love this book, but I could only give it three stars. I don't like when you slowly learn about the past throughout the novel, which is exactly what this was. A lot of people liked it, but it just wasn't my style.

37. Rebel Heart (Dust Lands #2) by Moira Young

A disappointing second book in this trilogy. 

38. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

I loved this book. Not every bit of it, but I gave it five stars because I would gladly reread it. It definitely made me want to go travel. 

39. Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman

I loved the sequel to If I Stay! It still wasn't the Best Thing Ever or whatever, but it was much more interesting than the first one. It's always fun to read a book from the male perspective. 

And the books I'm reading going into August: 

- Raging Star (Dust Lands #3) by Moira Young

I started this book over two weeks ago and I still haven't finished it. I want to know how it ends, but the books just annoys me for some reason.

- Just One Day (Just One Day #1) by Gayle Forman

I'm not sure why I decided to read another book by Forman when I didn't really like the If I Stay duology, and so far it's also annoying.

- One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I'm never going to finish this book, am I? I started it at the end of October of last year! Oi!

I'm not exactly sure which books I'll be reading next. I've got about eight other books from the library that I want to read, but I don't think I'll get to them all. I've got lots of cleaning, organizing, and TV shows to be completed, so we'll see. Just think...my next book update will be in a different city!!! 

- rl

Previous What I Read This Month posts:
January 2014
February 2014
March 2014
April 2014
May 2014

June 2014

Here, Have a Flower

My laptop is being rude and only connecting to our internet for a few minutes at a time tonight, so here's a flower I took a picture of on my walk with my dog tonight.

- rl

Self Portrait (30/52) + YEAR ONE!!

That's right, today marks one year since I started this blog! You can view the first post here and my previous blog here. Wow. A lot has happened in one year, hasn't it? Expect a post with my feelings about the last year soon.

In this week's self portrait (30!! The year is flying by!!) I'm working on putting away some of the shirts that made the cut. I went through all my shirts this afternoon, putting them into different piles. Some will go with me to school, some will be set aside for a quilt one day, and some I don't know what to do with yet. There are a decent amount I'm putting straight into another pile to get rid of, but you better believe I took a picture of each one before I did that. I'm all about the nostalgia, obviously.

I'm getting excited, y'all. It has become a thing for each of us in the Facebook group to share a bit about ourselves, and I'm really enjoying reading through them all. Such a diverse group, Moody Bible Institute! The infographic on this page is fascinating to me. Three weeks from now we'll be somewhere between Dallas and Chicago and I am so.stoked.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

A Few Thoughts on the Oddity of Time

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"The day is ending; it's not coming back." - Just One Day by Gayle Forman

I'm really in love with that quote from the book I'm currently reading. I can't think of any right now, but there are tons of quotes about time, etc. and it's a thing I think about a decent amount. Today was the only July 26, 2014 that there ever will be...that's crazy!! Or maybe I'm crazy. I'm not sure anymore. I keep staying up way too late, completely on accident.

On the other hand, look at that crochet! Is that awesome looking or what?! I keep going back and forth on whether or not I'll be able to finish this thing before I move in!

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

With 26 Days Left...

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Tonight has been kept simple: crocheting my backpack in a way that may not be technically right, but is getting the job done, and watching the two Princess Diaries movies, which aren't nearly as entertaining as the book series.

Tomorrow I will have to take a break from my marathon crocheting to get some blog-related things done, cleaning my room a little bit more because it's really looking crazy, and writing lots of lists.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

The World's Longest Sentence...Kinda

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After getting home from dinner at a dear family friends, my dad did a weird thing with his goatee + iPhone flash(light), then I walked into my room and thought the shadow from the sun (aka lamp I need to see my crochet) was cool, then kept the camera on and captured the first bit of the colorwork on the backpack I'm crocheting, which also happens to be the row I had to tear out because the numbers weren't adding up.

That was a really long sentence. Yay. That's how I talk, so that's how I write.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

WIP Wednesday

This is my most terrifying and most exciting project I have tried so far. It's my first crochet project, and a mighty one at that. I mentioned here that I'm making a backpack, and shown above is the (almost complete) bottom of it. Since taking the picture, I completed the bottom - all 175 stitches! I'm ready to try my hand at this colorwork!

- rl

Free Books: Round 1

Crazy packaging, right?!

Once upon a time, I discovered booktube. For those that don't know, booktube = book lovers whose YouTube channels are dedicated to books. It's incredible. Before I subscribe to a booktuber, I look through their videos to get a feel for what they post, and I think it was through one of those overviews that I saw this video and hopped onto goodreads.com real quick. I've been an active goodreads user for three and a half years now and never knew they have giveaways.

Oh, do they! There are so many. I keep it pretty simple by only entering giveaways that end the next day. So far, I have won six books! Which, let's be honest, is a fairly small percentage when compared to how many giveaways I've entered, but still! Free books!

"But, Rachel, there are only two books shown??"

Yes, well, the expected arrival date is 4-6 weeks after you win, so these two actually arrived early. When I got home today and saw a little package waiting for me on my bed, I was ecstatic. THEN, I checked the mail and another (the shiny one!) was waiting for me. So, naturally, I had a little photo shoot.

Now, these are not books I ever would have bought. Here's why:
- Portrait of a Girl by Dörthe Binkert (translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo)
a) It's German literature. It's a translation. What?!
b) It's Historical Fiction, and I'm having a hard time thinking of the last time (if ever?!) I read historical fiction.
- The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill
a) It has the word "witch" in the title. I was hesitant to enter this giveaway for that reason, and I'm not sure why I did, but it's really soft...so I really want to read it for that reason now.
b) It's a little low of a reading level...like grades 4+. There are very few books targeted for that age group that I'm interested in reading...but if it's free then why not? Right?

I plan on reading these books this fall. The Witch's Boy will be first, because I actually received an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy), and I want to review it before it's September release date. Mainly because, apparently, leaving reviews for the books you receive in giveaways increases your chances for winning more books. So there is that. Even while I'm at school I will enter giveaways as often as I remember, then I will hopefully have lots of fun packages waiting for me to bust open when I get home. Yay! I don't think I'll dedicate a full blog post to each book I win, but I will at least link to my review on goodreads in my monthly book update.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch more booktube...and sleep...maybe.

- rl

A Peek Into My Mind

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Tonight I made a decent amount of progress on the project I mentioned last week. I've been switching gears a lot this week. For example:

- I have about 15 books total between the library/borrowing from friends that I need to complete before I leave. Which means I have to finish a book every other day. Which means I'm kinda freaking out.
- I'm planning to settle down this weekend and do a blog redesign because SUNDAY IS MY BLOGIVERSARY! So there's that.
- I'm also helping my mom get our family blog organized. We were editing a post tonight, then because it was open in two places it somehow lost all our progress. So, that was annoying.
- UM, PACKING?? I'm actually not freaked out about this, but I feel like I should be. It doesn't help that I like to have everything ready to go, but my mom really wants to wait until we get there to buy most things in order to save space on the drive up. So I will compensate by making lots of lists.
- This crochet project. Guys! I'm trying to crochet a backpack! Yes, really. It's not that I don't think I have the skills for this project, I just don't know if I can get it done before I move-in. Obviously I want it done before classes start, but I need it done before then because I don't want to be thinking about any fiber projects for the first few weeks of classes.
- Watching as much Downton Abbey (I've only watched up to halfway through season four, but I decided to start over because I love it so much) and booktube videos as possible.

So there you have it: my mind. It's all over the place and there are, of course, a million other little things, but those are the major streams of thoughts.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Self Portrait (29/52)

Hollaaaaaaa! My whole face! And the haircut I kinda sorta love! And good light that I finally (after over a year of life with Margo, my DSLR) took pictures in! Golden hour is, like, an hour before sunset or something, but this (and about twenty others...) were taken after 8:30p, so I'm not sure if that's part of the golden hour or night. Regardless, though, I like this picture, it's my 29th self portrait this year, and one month until I move a bit of my junk to Chicago to start college! *distant freaking out*

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

200 Day Update!

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My 200th picture for the year! I'm not going to lie: my pictures are insanely boring. They're just not as exciting as I had hoped. BUT. They are a form of documentation, so that's cool.

I'm also staying up a tad too late thanks to booktube + reading + freaking out about the real world. Which ties in with this quote a little bit, I think. Because while I'm not terrified of moving to Chicago, I'm terrified of how I'll do in my classes, etc. I'll figure it out, though, right?

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Selfies with the Cat

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Yes, I took some selfies with my cat today. It turns out he's a little camera hog. Thanks for the cute pictures, Pooh.

Oh, and you can see some better pictures of my haircut!

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

A Gift of a Day

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I love the cold. I love the coolness of the fall, which is why today felt like a farewell present from the state of Texas to me. Not that I spent the time outside much or anything, but it was lovely on my walk to the mailbox, where I was hoping to find one of the books I've won through giveaways over on goodreads, but not quite yet. They say it takes 4-6 weeks, so obviously 2 weeks isn't long enough.

I spent a while this afternoon on YouTube learning the basics of crochet, then trying to interpret the pattern for a my first crochet project, which is huge (like, 1,700 yards...) and starts using black yarn. Seriously, Rachel, what are you thinking?? I've already decided that I will have to try this again while sitting outside tomorrow.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

OCD Tendencies + WIP Wednesday??

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There is a slight possibility that I am slightly OCD. I will never say I'm totally OCD, because that's just not true, but I've got a certain way I like things done, like the following:
- receipts go into the cute folder thing I bought at Target a few months ago (shown above)
- certain things (iPhone, iPad, my really beat up work shoes, etc) have to go in the same place each night, because how else would I find these things in the morning?
- the format of the heading in my journal has to be consistent each day, obviously
- everything has to be in its right spot on the counters when I open at work each day

Are these OCD tendencies, or just common sense things? I'd like to believe the latter, but the way other people do things makes me believe they're the former.

Oh, and a little fun fact: this is my 250th blog post! Woohoo!

-----

Ok, so I hit publish on this post, then realized it's Wednesday? "Who cares, Rachel?" I DO. Wednesday is when I post my current work in progress!! It's midnight!! I can't take those pictures at this hour!! Welp. I'm not going to attempt them now, because this post is already done. So. What did I work on this week? If you take a peek at last week's post, just imagine that cross stitch with no progress, and the hat completed like this one, minus the tassels. I feel better now. Except for the fact that I posted the wrong thing on one of my most consistent blog features. *face palm*

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Pushing Through

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I am currently reading
reading
reading
but making slow progress.

Blah.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

I Got My Hairs Cut!

Yup! Finally! Shout out to Stacy for coming over & ridding me of all that hair! I love it! Maybe I'll actually start "doing" my hair a little bit. (:

- rl

Self Portrait (28/52)

Today I'm working on finishing up a book. Except I can't. It's just so slow. I mean, where's the fun in a book where the love interest isn't present?????? The fangirl part of me is incredibly bored.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Late Night Jam Session

In the form of concert videos, of course. To see pictures from this concert (The Rocket Summer, December 20, 2013, Prophet Bar in Dallas, TX) you can view this blog post. Bryce has been tweeting about working on his latest album, which I'm hoping will result in a tour/my first concert in Chicago! I like to dream, alright? (:

- rl

Getting Organized

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Today I finally - FINALLY!! - worked on organizing my books a little bit. I knew I really did need to get a move on organizing/decluttering my room, but it was affirmed when my mom was in my room this morning and said the same thing. So I started with my books. There are so many I want to get rid of, but not before I read them for one last time. I've been searching (a little bit) for a bookcase, but haven't found one in my price range yet (which is $0-15). Instead I just stacked a lot of books.

Can you believe it's only, like, 39.5 days until I move into my dorm? Oh, man, I am so stoked. There is still a ton to do, but I'm slowly but surely checking things off the list they provide. I definitely plan on doing a post soon answering questions/concerns I hear a lot, so you've got that to look forward to. Other than that, I haven't been doing much besides reading. It's going to be a totally different pace once I get to Moody, so that will be fun to adjust to. However, I would like to think that I'm pretty good at dealing with new situations.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Why Do I Have So Many Book Towers

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I've got this giant pile tower of books stacked next to my bed, which is a slight concern to me. Let's just hope they don't decide to fall on me while I'm sleeping.

The place where my books are kept (it's not a bookshelf...or bookcase...it's just weird) does not accommodate the amount of books in my room...so I have book towers. #1 has books I'm not sure I'll even keep, #2 has books I got from a big book sale, and #3 is shown above, and it has books that belong to the library/friends. These are books I'm currently working on reading. Only one at a time, of course!

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

WIP Wednesday

Sooooo, I've made a little bit of progress on my projects this week, but not as much as I could have. I have finished, like, four books since last Wednesday, though...so there's that.

Rachel, do you get anything ACTUALLY PRODUCTIVE done? Well, I did get one thing checked off the new student checklist today for school...which is in 41.5 days!

Ok. Now I'm off to watch more booktube while updating my Ravelry.

- rl

Matchy Matchy

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While these books are totally different topics - one is dystopian, the other has photo idea - they have matching bookmarks, which are the ones Half Price Books puts in the cover of your book when you buy from them. I made really great progress on both these books today, and will probably finish them tomorrow. I'm still in a major reading mood. I love the library. I LOVE BOOKS!

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Date with Daddy

I work six days a week, so I don't ever get the chance to go on lunch dates with my dad. I mentioned this to him, so we decided to have breakfast together. We left the house before 7am so we could be among the first to arrive at Original Pancake House. I had to be at work by 8, but we still had a leisurely breakfast.

My poor father. No dad ever wants their daughter to move, and especially not to Chicago. This afternoon he called me into the living room to hear the Nightly News talk about how there were 12 murders, 85 injuries in Chicago this weekend. He's an urban missionary, though, so I think he understands. We confirmed that there is an OPH in Chicago (like, four, actually) so we have that to look forward to.

So, dad, when are we going to have breakfast next?

- rl

Self Portrait (27/52)

I spent the last five or so days house/catsitting, so naturally I had to take a self portrait on their couch before leaving this morning. It was insanely fun to be independent for a few days. Not that I did anything crazy, which is actually quite a comical thought. I watched HGTV, discovered the fun of Youtubing, and read. BUT THOSE WERE EXTREMELY EXCITING TO ME. I'm a simple gal, I guess.

Oh, and I just realized I wore the same shirt this Sunday as I did last Sunday. Awko taco!

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Birthday Dramatization

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This is the face little sister made when she found out a dolphin keychain (from one of her BFFs, for her birthday) lights up. She's dramatic and crazy, which is exactly why we love her. Happy Birthday, Bri!

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

Our Day

I'm really bad at writing those really thoughtful posts saying "thank you" to people. But please know that I am. To everyone who has done anything towards this freedom of ours, thank you.

- rl

Back At It

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That's right, I'm finally back into journaling! Reading the Princess Diaries series seriously inspired me to get back at it, because Mia wrote in her journal ALL THE TIME. I seemed to think I could only journal before bed. Uh, no. Now I'm journaling multiple times a day. I love it!

And of course I'm counting down the days until move in! 48! Although the day is almost over, so more like 47. (:

And, yes, I've got my cookie monster pajama pants on in this picture. YOLO, right?

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

WIP Wednesday

I don't even remember that hat I had casted on last Wednesday, because I've torn out two in the last few days. I casted on another Capucine hat, in Moody colors this time!, but haven't made much progress because, um, books!

And, yet again, no progress on my cross stitch. I finally finished the Princess Diaries books, however, so I think tomorrow night calls for a movie or two so I can make some progress on BOTH of these work-in-progress pieces.

- rl

What I Read Last Month

This actually is not one of the books I finished in June...because those are all returned to the library/their rightful owner/being borrowed by a friend, but this is a Princess Diaries book, and it corrects represents how many of those I read in June.

June involved a lot of reading, and in adding 80 books to my list of books I want to read. Oi. BUT, I'm convinced more than ever that the best way to go is to just read whichever book I feel like reading next. If I don't feel motivated to read a book (and the same goes for knitting projects, tv shows, etc.) it's not going to get done as fast as it would if I was feeling motivated. For example, when I was about halfway through the final Harry Potter book last month, I was so unmotivated to finish it (not uninterested) that I decided to just start the Princess Diaries books, and I got through four or five of those before finishing up Harry Potter. I still won't have five books going at one time, but I'm definitely ok with stopping one book and finding another that will keep me motivated to read, because once I get out of a reading mood, it can take me months to get back into it, which isn't something I can afford to deal with, what with school starting soon!

ANYWAY, here are the books I completed this month:
15. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6) by J.K. Rowling
16. Forever With You by Robin Jones Gunn
I love this book. A lot. I am so glad I preordered it, so you better believe I'll be preordering the second one when it comes out later this year!
17. The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries #1) by Meg Cabot
18. Princess in the Spotlight (The Princess Diaries #2) by Meg Cabot
19. Princess in Love (The Princess Diaries #3) by Meg Cabot
20. Princess in Waiting (The Princess Diaries #4) by Meg Cabot
21. Valentine Princess (The Princess Diaries #7.75) by Meg Cabot
This book is chronologically #4.25, but was published as 7.75. Don't ask me why, just make sure you reference Wikipedia before reading this series (like I have...multiple times).
22. Project Princess (The Princess Diaries #4.5) by Meg Cabot
23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7) by J.K. Rowling
You see how many books I had to read before having the motivation to finish HP?! But, hey, I did finish it! Mission accomplished!
24. Princess in Pink (The Princess Diaries #5) by Meg Cabot
25. Princess in Training (The Princess Diaries #6) by Meg Cabot
26. The Princess Present (The Princess Diaries #6.5) by Meg Cabot
27. Party Princess (The Princess Diaries #7) by Meg Cabot
28. Sweet Sixteen Princess (The Princess Diaries #7.5) by Meg Cabot
29. Princess on the Brink (The Princess Diaries #8) by Meg Cabot
Probably my least favorite Princess Diaries book so far. I mean, seriously Mia?!

WOW I READ A LOT THIS MONTH. Given, at least three of those books were, like, under 100 pages, and none of the other Princess Diaries books are over 300 pages. But, most importantly, I am three ahead on my goal of reading 52 books this year! Which is really good! Because I doubt I'll get anything read once school starts! Ya know, besides school books, but those do not count!

- rl

Previous What I Read This Month posts:
January 2014
February 2014
March 2014
April 2014
May 2014