Dearlyintrovert: life

Walking Trails and a Three-Day Weekend

Hello, Internet!

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend, and thankfully for me I got to have three days to relax. Going into this weekend, I wasn't sure what my plans were. I wasn't like everyone else, who all seemed to be going away somewhere or doing something really exciting. Still, this weekend took me completely by surprise and it ended up being the best one I'd had in a long time. So let me take you along and show you what all I did!

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, by dearlyintrovert

life

Life Update & Mother's Day!

Hello, Internet!

It... has definitely been a while since I've posted on this blog. I feel so badly about that, and there are a number of reasons that kept me from blogging, many of them under the umbrella of "life getting in the way." I may do a more in-depth life update post, telling you everything I've been up to and what's new since my last post on here. But that's for another time! I know I've said this before, but I really want to mean it this time: I do want to get full-force back into this blog. I'm working on making that happen, so stay tuned and cross your fingers that I can actually pull through on my promise and commit to this blog again! It really is near and dear to my heart and I would love to make it a part of my life again.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I wanted to do an update post, because this weekend was pretty eventful. So let's go through what I've been up to, on this very sunshiny Mother's Day weekend!

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, by dearlyintrovert

2017

2017: A Year in Review

2017 was... quite a year, to say the least. A lot happened, and it seemed to come and go right before our eyes. But it's around the new year that I think it's good to reflect back on the past 365 days and really think about everything that made up that year, the moments that especially stood out for each of us. They don't even necessarily need to be these grand milestones, either! Whatever you accomplished or that will stand out in your mind when you look back on 2017, I think it's important to document it...

... as I will be doing now.

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, by dearlyintrovert

Blog Diary

Getting Back To Personal Blogging

Hi Internet,

Wow. It really has been such a long time since I've made a post on this blog. I know I haven't had the time to blog on here nearly as often as I used to in my old days (pretty much since graduating college). My days have been busy with a lot of things, from being preoccupied with book blogging and being part of the book blog community on Tumblr, to getting stressed out about job-hunting and where next my future will take me.

But I've really been aching to get back into being more active on this blog, especially so that I can blog more about my days. I was sitting down thinking about it one day, how I missed blogging just for the fun of it: how I would snap pictures of my days and then write a blog post about what all I did. In a lot of ways, this blog has sort of been my own version of a diary, a place for me to document my life. I also just loved the online persona of it, like how I could be this shy person in real life but still have a place online to share more of myself.

I really want to get back into all of that again...which leads to my return to this blog. I'm definitely going to make a conscious effort to get back into personal blogging, even if it's just to write a small fraction of something I did that day. So to get back into the swing of things, I've decided to make this post a quick overview of what all I've been up to since my last post! Of course I won't be able to cover everything that's happened, but I hope this post is enough to give a good snapshot.

So without further ado, here's a recap of my summer!

Among other things, a lot of my summer has been spent getting out in the nice weather...
...like taking Jessie for walks. Recently we've started taking her on a different route than usual, to this newer neighborhood that has a lot of great trails and open parks, which has been great for her to explore and get some off-leash time.

I love this park, because it's just so big and perfect for dogs to run around. It's also completely surrounded by trees, which sort of makes you feel like you're off on your own in this other place... even though you're technically just in a neighborhood. But still, it's really nice to come here and clear your head, get some solitude, or just to enjoy getting out. (Disclaimer: the grass is not always this bone-dry and dead-looking. It was a really killer summer...)

I've also been doing some pupsitting this summer for my siblings, taking care of their little beagles.

Here's my sister's dog, Ruby, who is so cute but also such a ball of energy and quite the handful. (Don't let that innocent face fool you...)

She's even more of an angel when she naps...

And let's not forget Beagle # 2!

(My brother's dog, Beasley)

Helping me write a book review :)

He's much more relaxed than Ruby. I like to call him my "introvert puppy" because he'll just relax in a chair all day (see below) or snuggle right by your side on the couch. He's definitely a lazy dog, which makes him much easier to take care of, but also makes it hard to get anything done because you just want to relax and take a nap with him all day...

I love how he sometimes stretches his leg out while he lounges!

Besides pet-sitting, this summer I've also been taking advantage of the nice weather and finding many spots to read outdoors.

Here's one of my favorite outdoor reading spots, in front of my local library. I love how shaded this area is and being surrounded by lovely green trees.

There's something about reading beneath a tree that makes you feel safe... I love how long these branches are and seeing the sun shining through. I also just love how this picture sort of looks like I'm reading in some far-off forest :)

Just call me book fairy of the forest...

One of my favorite summer evenings was laying on a blanket in my backyard, reading a book. The warm, humid air from the afternoon had grown cooler but it was still nice enough to stay outside, and the sky was beginning to get these pretty altocumulus clouds. The day was winding to an end, but it still felt so comfortable and peaceful, and it was one of those moments where you just try to soak it all in.

Here are some other outdoor-reading moments...

And of course, with this, I've been making plenty of trips to the library...

When you tell yourself you're only going to buy ONE book at the library...

I even won a few book giveaways recently! Here's one of my prizes, Two Boys Kissing by David Leviathan, a book that I absolutely love and have been dying to have in my possession for so long.

Untitled

And here's the other book, which just arrived today! Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It's the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series, which I've recently fallen in love with. It's such a wonderful series and I highly recommend it. But really, look how gorgeous the cover is!

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So what's happening now?
I won't sugarcoat things, things haven't been perfect. In ten days I'll be turning 25, and I absolutely do not feel ready for it. I don't feel that I've earned the right to turn 25. I don't know where my life is taking me, what I'm meant to do, what my next step is... In a lot of ways, I still feel completely and utterly lost in life. It's been hard. My editorial internship I've been doing is over, and so I'm back in that awful place of job-hunting and trying desperately to search for my next opportunity, feeling defeated 99% of the time. Some days I feel okay with my situation, and other days I feel years behind everyone else and end up breaking down crying. My mother is the most patient woman in the entire world and remains my best friend in life.

Fall is approaching, the season of change, and with this I just have to hold on hope that things will come eventually. I just have to be patient and hold onto my mantra, "One day at a time." Speaking non-metaphorically, I absolutely love fall. It's one of my favorite seasons, and I can't wait for it to slowly arrive. The leaves are already starting to fall (eee!), but the weather still feels like summer in a lot of ways, so it's sort of an in between of summer/fall. As I'm typing this now, I'm laying on the floor of my sister's old room, which has now become my own little "office" to get away. To end this post, here are some photos of the view out her window.

I swear, it really is super light and sunny in her room right now, but the lighting while taking this not great for some reason... figures!

Until next time!

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, by dearlyintrovert

Blog Diary

What I've Been Up To: A Very Bookish Post

Hi, everyone!

So, it's been a very long while since I've posted on here. The last time I did, I believe I was ringing in the new year: I had just changed the entire look (and even the name!) of this blog, and was delving into my new niche that I had discovered within the blogosphere: book blogging. Funny I mention that, because this new blogging passion is exactly what's been keeping me busy nowadays.

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, by dearlyintrovert

a day in the life

An Afternoon Tea.

A few days ago, I went out with my mom, aunt, and sister to this lovely tea place that we've been to a couple of times before and have been making a tradition of going to every year during the holidays. So, I thought I'd give you a little look into our afternoon!

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, by dearlyintrovert

adulthood

Book Review: The Art Of Pretending to Be a Grownup

Hello Internet!

I'm sorry I've been MIA lately. I've been a bit busy in my post-college summer and there simply aren't enough hours in the day. But this book review has been a long time coming and I'm so excited. A couple weeks ago I read a book by one of my favorite Youtubers, Grace Helbig, titled, The Art Of Pretending To Be a Grownup. In this helpful guide for millennials, Grace gives her readers tips, advice, and how-to's on a number of topics ranging from dating to work/career stuff and more. Some favorites include How To Heal From a Breakup, How To Prepare For a Job Interview, and How To Make Friends as an Adult.

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, by dearlyintrovert