2021 Reading Challenge

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” — Mason Cooley

GOAL: 30 BOOKS | BOOKS READ: 35 • 10,696 pages — 385 more pages than last year, despite reading five few books

• Books Borrowed from the Library: 19

• Books Borrowed from Friends: 2

• Books I Received as Gifts: 3

• Books on Scandinavian style and living: 5

• Books Set in Paris/France: 11 (+4 with some scenes in Paris)

• Books Set in NYC: 4

• Books for Children (of all ages): 2 with lovely illustrations

• Biographies/True Stories: 12

• Books By or About Hemingway: 4

• Books By or About F. Scott Fitzgerald: 4

• Books for Professional Development: 4 focusing on design thinking, innovation, assessment, feedback, and leadership

• Books I re-read this year: 3 — The Great Gatsby, The Book of Joy, Launch

• Books by Female Authors: 17

• Favorite Book this Year: North: How to Live Scandinavian

• Most Disappointing Book: World of Wonders

For more information about these books, follow me on Goodreads.

Snowy Saturday in Door County

“Snow was falling, so much like stars filling the dark trees, that one could easily imagine its reason for being nothing more than prettiness.” — Mary Oliver.

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We went in search of snow. We were not disappointed.

Holiday Bucket List 2021

“[She]’s making a list…” - Auntie Claus is Coming to Town. Last year, I didn’t make any bucket lists because it was nearly impossible to plan for anything. Although this year, I still don’t have big plans, there are holiday traditions that should be honored as well as new things to try.

• Deck the halls with 3 trees: our traditional white, silver, and glass tree in the living room, a new Parisian-inspired mini tree in the loft, and a woodland/Scandi tree on the deck. ✓

• Drive downtown to see the Christmas lights. ✓

• Dine with friends outdoors in a snow globe/igloo, ✓

• Shop for gifts and send Christmas cards to friends and family. ✓

• Lovingly wrap packages just like Mom and Grandma Dodo. ✓

• Drink egg nog, hot cocoa, and Champagne. ✓

• Host the Larsons for a Christmas sleepover. Light the candles on Jesus' birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday . ✓

• Enjoy my personal Christmas Playlist from Band-Aid to Bing ✓

• Burn candles that smell like Christmas trees and peppermint ✓

• Watch White Christmas, Love Actually, and It's a Wonderful Life (Cry when General Waverly inspects the troops at the Inn and when Harry Bailey toasts, "To my big brother, George, the richest man in town!")  ✓

• Share Linus' rendition of the Gospel of St. Luke ("That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.") ✓

• Snuggle by the fire with Piper. ✓ (Repeat as often as possible. ✓)

November 2021 in Pictures

“Spring's wakening bugle long is hushed; long dimm'd is Summer's splendour; October yields her easel bright to black and white November!” — James Rigg, "November," Wild Flower Lyrics and Other Poems, 1897

Links I Love • November 2021

This month’s focus in on beagles and the most iconic of them all, Snoopy. Of course, what month would be complete without a little food, fashion, and Paris thrown in for good measure?

• How “Peanuts” Created a Space for Thinking

• AKA’s Meet the Beagles

• 10 Howling Good Facts About Beagles

• 10 Black-and-White Facts About Snoopy

• In a Collection of ‘Peanuts’ Tributes, the Gang Is All Here

• Milwaukee Defeats New York City in Trending Twitter Poll on Best City in America

• The Science Behind Gratitude (How It Can Change Your Life)

• And Just Like That…Carrie’s Back! SJP Vogue Article

• A Guide to the Most Iconic Cafés in Paris

• Hygge, Like Love, Cannot Be Bought

• The Believer: With Tireless Faith in the Potential of Those He Coaches, Shaka Smart Draws on His Own Basketball Journey

1 MM

“The biggest commitment you must keep is your commitment to yourself.” — Neale Donald Walsch

I did it! I rowed 1,000,000 meters! Since March 12th, I rowed every day but two when we were out of town. As I approached 1MM, I committed to achieving this goal by Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks for so many blessings, not the least of which is the strength, determination, and commitment that it took to reach this goal. The 20-minute Gratitude Row was the perfect workout for this milestone and as a bonus, the soundtrack included the Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (IYKYK — “Melinda, Melinda!”). How does that 1MM compare to 500 miles? It’s actually 621.37 miles, about the distance from Delafield, WI to Toronto or the length of Lake Michigan from north to south and back north again!

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My Badges: Give Thanks, 1MM, 250 Days, Learn to Row, Race on the Charles, Fall 2021 Commit to Fit, 30 Weeks, 750K, Fitness Builder, A Stroke of Genius (Summer 2021 US Olympic Teams), Beginner Training Camp, 500K, Form Check, Spring 2021 Commit to Fit, 250K, Earth Day Team Workout, 100K, Variety Pack, World Water Day Race, Land and Sea, Team Player, and Wanderlust. Time to earn some more — Bring on 2MM!