Reflections...

So last night, I reluctantly finished the last 50 pages in the tenth and last book in The Princess Diaries series.

And after getting strangely emotional (what was that all about?!), I opened the book and started reading it again.

Honestly.

I have never done this before, but I also had never read an entire series back-to-back in about a month. Maybe that's why, even though I'm 26 now (umm, how did that happen?!) and this book is considered age appropriate for 12 year olds, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it even more now than I did the first time around.

Of course, that shouldn't be surprising, seeing as the male lead character (Michael Moscovitz - also *swoon*) spends nearly 2 years apart from the female lead character (Mia Thermopolis), so that he can prove to himself and everybody else that he is worthy of dating a princess.

He leaves for her.

Of course, it's just a romantic notion (but not that intense break up during books 8-9), but let's face it.

I live that everyday.

Our running record for time together vs. time apart during our relationship is pretty pitiful.

Yes, I have actually done the math.

It's depressing.

(More on that later.)

Anyways, it's very emotional, all of this. And I forgot how good books were at reminding you where your priorities should be, and how important it is to take time out for yourself, instead of getting bogged down by the everyday tasks and the negative aspects in your life that you feel are holding you back from. Ya know. Living life. Truly living it.

Like a deployment.

Because it's very easy to whine and groan and be bored because I'm stuck without my husband for 6 months, but it's really, really hard to get myself out of that and actually do something with that extra time.

(Besides rereading a book series written for high schoolers, and that I should've been way over the lessons that book could give me. But whatever. It worked.)

And it's definitely hard to be married to someone who's life obviously overshadows mine and trying to build my own life & career around his schedule. (Not that I'm complaining - I am very proud of him and his accomplishes and totally understood what I was getting into, even if I didn't quite understand how hard that life would be.)

It's called dreams.

Everyone needs them.

And so, now there will be a slew of posts as I figure out some things I want need to be working towards again. I mean, when you think about it. My whole life I had things to work towards: high school graduation, college graduation, planning a wedding, moving overseas. (And of course all the crap in the middle.)A

And now?

Now it's time to get ME back on track.

Awkward. & The Princess Diaries

So, it became very obvious very quickly that a new solution to Evelyn's somewhat temporary sleeping arrangements was necessary.  She was screaming & fussing 2-3 hours every time I put her down for a nap or bed time. She was obviously tired, so I didn't understand why she was fighting it... And then it dawned on me.

She sleeping in a pack & play.

Which is basically cardboard on top of metal rods.

We were scared to transition to a toddler bed in my mother's not-so-toddler proof house, so thankfully, amazon came to my rescue! I researched solutions to my problem and came across a mattress sized to fit a pack & play.

But that pesky shipping takes so long... So I upgraded to the trial of amazon prime (amazing, by the way, if you have an extra $79/year to blow)

And voila! 2 days later, a mattress - and a sleeping, un-cranky child.

Praise God!

But with that amazing trial of amazon prime - besides the free 2 day shipping - came the streaming of movies and tv shows.

I found myself drawn towards MTV's Awkward. Because. You know. I'm awkward.

Instantly I was drawn in, experiencing a slight crush on one of the male characters, and that same giddy feeling when you read The Princess Diaries, especially book three.

I watched all of Awkward. in a matter of days. My mom, catching snip its from the show, was starting to worry about my mental health. Me? I was loving it!

So much so, I had my mom, who works at a library, check out The Princess Diaries for me to read. Again. Because... why not?  I am currently on number 8 of 10.  And just as I remembered, everything is so giddy, so dramatic, and such a big deal.

And it makes me smile.