Summer Tunes

I love listening to music all year long but even more in the summer with the sunshine, warm breeze and perhaps a cold drink in hand. I love to have the music blasting in the car with all of the windows down. To me, it's another sign that summer is here!

The first summer that I lived at Lakeside, Annie and I made CD mixes for each week we would be at the lake. Each one had at least 10 songs that were fun, upbeat and perfect for summer. The trailer has this great speaker system so we could listen to it on the deck or while we played ladder ball in the street. We always "debuted" each one on a Friday normally while we were preparing for a night out at the JT or the islands. I have so many wonderful memories of those summers at the lake and one of them is definitely the music we listened to.

This year, I wanted to do something similar but considering I haven't made a CD mix in awhile I thought I would make special Pandora stations for summer from my favorite songs or artists or ones recommended for top summer songs. Here are my new stations and the first one is fabulous because I started listening to it this weekend.

1. Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)

2. Gin & Juice (Snoop Dogg)

3. Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel)

4. Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston)

5. I Love It (Icona Pop)

6. All Summer Long (Kid Rock)

7. Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams)

8. Party in the USA (Miley Cyrus)

9. Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke)

10. Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepson)

11. Dancing Queen (ABBA)

12. The Beach Boys

13. Bruce Springsteen

What are your favorite summer tunes?

Book Review: Nantucket Red

I picked Nantucket Red up as an ARC (advanced reader copy) at the Public Library Conference last spring in Indianapolis. Looking back, I was so excited to finally have the sequel for Nantucket Blue but once I got home it was lost on my bookshelves until now. This titled kicked off my 2015 summer reading list and it definitely did not disappoint. In fact, I liked the sequel better than the first but then again it has been two years and I had forgot some of the plot of Nantucket Blue.

Not going to lie. I still read teen books even though it is no longer my job. We all know I'm sucker too for summer books and anything that takes place on Nantucket - hence why I love Elin Hildebrand's books so much. This is basically a Hildebrand book for a younger audience.

When Nantucket Blue ended Cricket had hooked up with her best friend's brother leaving an awkward void between the once unbreakable bond of friendship. Nantucket Red opens with Cricket preparing for her senior year at her private girls academy in Providence, Rhode Island. Her plans for the year include getting involved with every extracurricular activity, excelling as a player and co-captain of the lacrosse team and preparing college applications, specifically for Brown University. The only problem is that Jules, Cricket's best friend, is still not speaking to her after the events of the summer on Nantucket and together, Cricket and Zach (Jules' brother) have decided to take a pause in their relationship.

As the year progresses, the relationship between former best friends is on the mend. Cricket is accepted at Brown and prepares for a summer working in a local restaurant and training for the Brown lacrosse team. When she finds out that her scholarship will only cover tuition not dorms, meal plan or student fees, she realizes she will have to continue to live at home in order to fulfill her dream of attending an Ivy League university. An unlikely source offers to match Cricket's summer earnings to provide her with the opportunity to have the full college experience and Cricket is up for the challenge even if it means returning to Nantucket as a waitress at the famous beachfront club where Jules and Zach are now members.

Then one night everything changes. Cricket makes a mistake. Something that is unknown territory to her and she does not know how to handle the aftermath but Jules and Liz, Cricket's former coworker on Nantucket and now roommate come to the rescue.

Head to the library this week and check out this teen series. Find out if Cricket and Jules stay best friends, if Cricket and Zach end up ending the pause and if Cricket learns from her mistakes and attends Brown. Fans of Jenny Han's Summer I Turned Pretty will enjoy this series. It's a quick read but a perfect book to throw in the beach bag and read poolside. The review I wrote for my teens of the first in the series is below.

Nantucket Blue is the perfect summer romance book. At the beginning of the book, Cricket is finishing up her junior year of high school. She and her friend Jules have grand plans for a summer on Nantucket at Jules' family summer house. In Cricket's mind, the summer will be even better because Cricket's crush, Jay, will also be spending the summer on the island. After a terrible thing happens to Jules' family, Cricket is faced with reality. She will not be spending the summer on Nantucket with her best friend and crush. However, she is still determined to be there for her friend and find some summer love herself. Cricket finds a job and goes anyway to Nantucket but the summer does not begin or end like any of them intended. Read Nantucket Blue to find out if Cricket and Jules have a fabulous summer together, if Cricket finally ends up going out with Jay and to experience the other adventures of a summer spent on a beautiful island. Fans of the Jenny Han series will love Nantucket Blue.

Hello Summer 2015!

For an active person, spending nearly two months cooped up in the apartment recovering was terrible. All I wanted to do was enjoy spring in Highland Park, ride my bike on the North Shore Trail and of course train for the half marathon. The first two will happen and I'm still learning to come to terms with the absence of the last. With that being said, now that I am almost healed and preparing for my pending graduation from physical therapy, I'm planning an epic summer of adventures to make up for my failed spring.

Besides trips to Lakeside, shooting fireworks and attending weddings, I'm looking forward to a summer spending time outside with friends and family. Here are my plans for summer 2015! Who wants to join me?

** Host parties in the backyard. **

Thanks to all of my time spent in the recliner, I had plenty of time to look at party ideas for the backyard. I want to make lifesize Scrabble and show a movie on the garage wall. I'm sure the neighbors will love both! Of course there will be lots of fires, s'mores and dinners on the grill.

** Spend time with family and friends. **

In June, my dear friend from college, Amanda is coming to visit from Florida. I'm excited to see her. It's hard since my closest college friends are literally all over the world. Tennis used to fill our time - not sure if that will happen with my knee but there will definitely be some trips to our old stomping grounds - good old La Roche and Tennis Village. 

With three weddings, Lakeside weekends, family visits and graduation parties, there will be plenty of time to enjoy family and friends.

** Go on vacation.**

Aside from almost a week at Lakeside in June and the boat show weekend in July, Dennis and I are going to Williamsburg in July. He's never been there, so I'm excited to introduce him to another one of my favorite places.

And lots of other adventures:

Try new restaurants (there must be outdoor seating). Make ice cream and Popsicles. Go to the farmer's market. Attend outdoor concerts and movies at the city parks. Play disc golf. Learn to golf and spend lots of time at the driving range. Go to the drive-in. Have a picnic in the park. 

Happy unofficial start to summer! Hope to see you this summer!

2015 Summer Reading List

Every year I make a summer reading list - this year is no different. The last few months I've been so busy and exhausted from my surgery/medicine that I haven't done much reading. This is my chance to catch up on my reading goal for the year! These are either books I own and need to read, recommended beach reads, old favorites and book club selections for the summer.

Here's my list for the summer...

Nantucket Red - Leila Howland

Landline - Rainbow Rowell

Siler Girl - Elin Hilderbrand

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

Things A Creative Bird Told Me: Confessions of the Creative Mind - Biz Stone

The Heiresses - Sara Shepherd

Since You've Been Gone - Morgan Matson

The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman

I Always Write Back - Caitlin Alfafranka

Prep - Curtis Sittefield

The Crazy Ladies of Pearl Street - Trevian

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

Longbourne - Jo Baker

The Secret Garden - Francess Hodgson Burnett

The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family -Mary S. Lovell

What I Know for Sure - Oprah Winfrey

A Star for Mrs. Blake - April Smith

If You Could See Me Now - Cecilia Ahern

The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty Year Friendship - Jeffrey Zaslow

So, what will you be reading pool side this summer? 

Happy Reading!

10 Things They Don't Tell You About Knee Surgery

Obviously I have neglected my blog in the last month. At this point, I'm lucky if I manage to get myself fed, clothed and out the door to whatever adventure awaits - mostly just work. I've made progress though and to date I am down to one crutch and the brace. Hopefully by tomorrow it will be no crutches and I have been cleared to go swimming! So next Monday I make my return to LA Fitness.

Today marks two months since my surgery. It's hard to believe that it has been that long, especially since I had so much more done during my procedure than expected. I have learned so much these last few weeks about surgery and recovery. The few pamphlets they give you at the hospital don't even begin to cover what a patient goes through. I could write a book!

Here's just 10 things they don't tell you or conveniently forget to tell you about having knee surgery (apparently from what I've heard, help is provided with most of these during knee replacement though):

1. If you are one of the last surgeries of the day, you can believe those hospital employees want to go home just as much as you do at the end of your shift. It doesn't matter how much pain you are in or how incredibly nauseous you are from the surgery, you are getting kicked out of the hospital. I was so sick to my stomach but the only solution was - "Here honey take this [ugly green barf bag]. You'll be fine." Yeah, especially when the hospital is on a circle that we have to spin around to get out!

Lesson: Suck it up and bring ginger ale!

2. It doesn't matter what they are operating on - you have to take all of your clothes off even if your knee is two feet away from your underwear.

Lesson: Suck it up again and try not to think about it!

3. Pot holes and knee surgery are not a match. You think you are pain free until you ride as a passenger in Pittsburgh during pot hole season. Not even just pot holes but riding in the car in general hurts.

Lesson: Go for car rides as infrequently as possible and be proactive and lift your leg up if the terrain looks bumpy ahead.

4. For approximately a month, you barely function due to the exhaustion. The brace makes sleeping incredibly uncomfortable. I had trouble sleeping laying down in a bed, so I spent two to three weeks in the love seat. I would literally fall asleep on the floor in the middle of the day working on my exercises.
Lesson: Perfect the art of napping because sleeping at night is not an option.

5. Showering is terrifying! You aren't allowed to shower until a few days after surgery and then you have to saran wrap the suture. Getting in the shower, standing in there and getting out those first few weeks was treacherous.
Lesson: Use the crutches or get an old pair. I figured this out too late.

6. Your life revolves around physical therapy. I have daily exercises and then I spend at least three hours a week with my physical therapist. The first few weeks I spent a few hours a day in a stretching machine.
Lesson: It really is the only way you will get better!

7. The first few days I couldn't be left alone and if I was I didn't like to move without someone in the house. I had to make sure I went the bathroom and had a drink, medicine and ice before visitors would leave.
Lesson: Make sure your crutches are close by when people leave as well. Dennis was notorious for moving my crutches and then forgetting to put them close when he went to work. Thank God for my long arms and flexibility!

8. Your arms will become incredibly strong! Not just from the crutches but from getting up and down off the floor for exercises and stretching. Sometimes my arms were more sore than my knee.
Lesson: Pad those crutches as much as possible! Do not wear sleeveless tops/dresses - you will chafe under your arms.

9. All I wanted was a glass of wine but with all of that medication I didn't get a glass until more than a month after my surgery. When I did, I could only have a glass if someone was here to pour and carry it for me. It was much easier with one crutch!
Lesson: Be creative. I used a water bottle and then my coworker got me a wine glass sippy cup.

10. Pants are not your friend during recovery. Shorts and dresses work better. Dennis had to dress me for the first week or so and we had to cut the leg off most of my yoga pants. Regular dress pants were out of the question and I only started wearing those a few weeks ago. Comfy cotton was the best!
Lesson: Show off all of those dresses you never wear!

And that is just my two cents of recovery! Believe me its hard work and a lot of figuring things out on your own.