So September is already a bit of a blur to me. Really there are two main events of September. One is that the girls started school shortly after Labor Day--Anna is in 8th grade and Maria is a senior in high school. The second is that I rode in the NJ 2012 Gran Fondo [Woohoo! GO, ME!] on Sept. 9. This was my first organized bike event and won't be my last. I had so much fun--taking in the beautiful New Jersey scenery, riding with so many friendly, enthusiastic riders and most of all accomplishing something for which I've trained so hard. What a great feeling.
The girls had quite a few days off from school in September for Jewish holidays and teacher in-service days, so we took advantage of a freebie Monday off from school and went to the beach on a Sunday which is normally a big homework day, especially for my high school senior. We had a picnic lunch on the beach, read a book and just relaxed. It was nice to have some girl time like that.
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| Last beach day of the season. September 16, 2012 |
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| NYC Skyline from Sandy Hook Beach, NJ September 16, 2012 |
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| Surfer dudes at Sandy Hook Beach, NJ September 16, 2012 |
What? You didn't know you could surf in the Atlantic ocean? In New Jersey? We're full of surprises. ;)
In books:
In books:
September was a decent reading month for me. I read eight books! I've read 78 books so far in 2012, which includes the handful of books that I've re-read. I'm a few books behind schedule to meet my goal of reading 101 books this year, but I'm confident I'll catch up in the coming weeks when it gets too cold and dark to play [a.k.a. bike and garden] outside.
Total books read: 8
Romance................. 5
[4 paranormal, 1 contemporary]
Urban Fantasy......... 1
Fantasy................... 1
Graphic Novel......... 1
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| She caught a spider! Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep |
2. Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
3. Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox
4. Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole & Gena Showalter
5. The Rift Walker by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
6. Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole
7. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
8. Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
My favorite reads of this month are probably Kresley Cole's short story "Untouchable" in Deep Kiss of Winter and Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole. Yeah, I'm digging that series that much. I guess you can say I'm on a paranormal kick! October has a new flavor, though, thanks largely to the fact that I joined R.I.P. VII this year. A lot more spooky and mysterious reads!
Photography:
I'm hanging in there with the Project 365 I started on Instagram on Jan. 1--haven't missed a day in a long time now! Of course, I probably just jinxed myself saying that. The photos in this post are from my September instagram pics.
In the garden:
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| Cleome or "spider flower" in my garden |
I'm happy I finally got that patch of garden going this year, but I vow not to wait until the 4th of July to put plants in the ground. There just wasn't enough time for the plants to really do their thing in the warmer months and grow lots of tomatoes in the peak of summer. And plant more basil! Nothing beats bunches and bunches of fresh basil growing right outside your door. I swear I'd put it in everything I ate in the summer if I had enough of it!
Those are my September adventures in a nutshell. Thanks for reading and I hope you're having an outstanding October!
What kind of adventures did YOU have in September?
Huge Congrats on the Gran Fondo, Christine!!! And I love the beach pics (wow, impressive with the NYC skyline). We get surfers up in our area of the Atlantic, too - the water must be freezing!
ReplyDeleteSeptember was my trip to Scotland - excellent time and great memories. But October is back to the daily grind...and using up all the cherry tomatoes, we, too, had a bevy of the little fruit :)
Love the picture of the surfer! My hubby is from LA and the first time he saw surfing on NJ beaches he was shocked! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI love your "Adventure" posts. I always read them and love to catch up on your latest doings. You're such a busy bee. :)
I'm also enjoying reading lots of suspense, thrillers, mysteries and PNR at the moment. I've been on that kick for over a month. Now I'm sorry I didn't join Carl's R.I.P VII. That would have been fun. :)
Janet Thank you so much! Oh it's been too long since I've popped over to your blog. I can't wait to hear about Scotland. I'm sure you loved it as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteI bet the Atlantic is REALLY cold up by you! Even in a wet suit! Brrr!
I had so many cherry tomatoes at one point, we couldn't eat them fast enough. I made a fresh tomato sauce with them and it was SO delicious!
Hilcia It is a bit of a surprise to see surfers in NJ, isn't it? I guess it's mini surfing compared to other oceans in the world, but that's ok. It's enough to get out there and enjoy the sport. :)
You can still join Carl's R.I.P.! Just add your name to the sign up post linky and then you can link your reviews of books and such over on the review site. It's pretty easy. You don't even have to do a post about it. Are you going to read this month's book club pick? It fits the thriller theme and it's a short one. I hope you do. :)
I'm glad you like my adventure posts. Thanks for saying so. xo
It's better if I write them at the end of that month or the first day or two of the next. Otherwise it's a struggle to remember what I did. lol!!
I had a really unadventurous month, so I'm living vicariously though your recap!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the beaches in New Jersey were like that, it looks pretty. I'm really more used to beaches in the Pacific. YAY for days off school ;) those are aways fun :D
My Sept wrap up is still sitting in the edit of my blog :) The beach looks beautiful, I love the beach, and look at my homes skyline :) funny how people don't think there are surfers on the east coast. One of,the best things is being at the beach here and seeing the surfers and dolphins!
ReplyDeleteWhat's really crazy is that Oct os halfway gone!!!
Paula
I knew you could surf in N.J.! *g* You had a great September. I am so proud of you for participating in the Gran Fondo. You've definitely been on a paranormal kick. I keep meaning to try the Assasin series by Jennifer Estep. Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
ReplyDeleteMy tomato plants did so well this year that I was inspired to try something new for next year. I'm notoriously bad when it comes to keeping anything green alive so I was pretty proud of myself. And I haven't been doing my monthly recaps lately either. I'm not sure if I'll do them next year or not but I've let it fall by the wayside recently. It sounds like you had an amazing month in September! And the beach pictures look amazing.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up with cats and claiming books? ;) Beach days seem so far away... I can't really remember what I did in September, except working on deadlines.
ReplyDeleteYay for your pretty garden :)
Alex, So glad I could give you a glimpse of New Jersey beaches. This particular beach is the furthest north along the shoreline. . just south of Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteluv46kdz, You know, we get dolphins at the Jersey shore, too! They're so social and curious.. swimming alongside boats the way they do. We also had shark sightings in New Jersey this summer! Yikes!
Brandy, Thanks so much for your support and enthusiasm for my athletic [and other!] adventures. It means so much to me. :)
I have to read the next assassin book soon! And I'm reading Anna Karenina now, too. Over. My. Head.
samantha.1020, Hooray for a successful garden for you, too! Nothing beats homegrown tomatoes, right?
Chinoiseries, I think the cats are really trying to hide our books from us when they lay on them like they do. "Pay attention to ME! Not this book that you can't see underneath me." LOL! ;)
Pretty awesome month, Christine! :) Love the pics of the girls! And wow, your youngest is as tall as your oldest now!! Woohoo on Spider's Bite! And I'm also very glad you enjoyed Ride With Me :P
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