Yes! Well, I used to as a kid, and I am also intrigued by all the FUN sets out there now, very adult friendly. I love a great craft and audio book duo, this may be on my list for 2025!
What topic do you struggle to read about?
Death, cancer, losing a mother/father
Thoughts on drinking culture?
Torn. I hate drinking, i always feel awful the next day, I hate not feeling 100% like myself (1/2 glass of wine or 3 seem to have the same effect anymore). Yet I struggle so hard as I find it a great social tool for my introverted self. Contemplating alcohol free in 2025. I used to be for many years!
Got a book rec for me??? Please do share!
Check out my latest blog post with my top picks from 2024!
Definitely check out some of the smaller sets, Diana! I balk at the idea of spending more than the $12ish dollars that these cost, but they're a fun diversion that won't take up a ton of space in your house :-) I wish you peace as you contemplate alcohol's place in your life - it's definitely a very very personal decision.
I enjoyed A Walk in the Park too. It’s about everything you say and also about doing something big the wrong way… and living to tell about it.
Something to tell you: when I was a teenager I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a youth leadership group. It was so amazing. I have always wanted to do it again but have not made the time or found the right group. Time to get on that!
Love your story about the Lego set. It always feels particularly great to get an observant gift from my own kid— and yours did such a good job!
That's a very cool trip to get to do as a teen! I have never been to the Grand Canyon and definitely need to remedy that in the nearish future. No through hikes for me though - ha! I also appreciate that aspect of A Walk in the Park - these weren't experts, and don't understate the stupidity of how they did things, but it was refreshing to hear from someone who did something so huge without it being a lifelong endeavor.
5 years is HUGE! My sister-in-law will be 5 years in February and we were just discussing how amazing and life changing that is. Proud of (both of) you.
I love when someone notices and gives a thoughtful gift. Warm fuzzies.
I did a 3 day camping/rafting trip into the Canyon when I was 22. OMG. Then hiked out the Bright Angel Trail. It was (overall) an amazing experience.
Yay for your SIL!! If you haven't read A Walk in the Park yet, definitely do - you'll be able to relate to it based on your experience there! I have never even set eyes on the Grand Canyon and was in awe of the book.
The bird lego set was so thoughtful. Legos were a HUGE gift around our house this year too. Santa brought our kids a Lego table and a Lego set each and then they got a few more from family members. Congrats on your sobriety! Worth celebrating for certain.
I struggle to read any book that has an illness theme because then I start diagnosing myself with things. Fun times.
As for drinking, it never made me feel good, so I rarely do it. I used to order club soda with lime so it looked like I was participating with others but didn't have to actually drink. But now there's this new trend of mocktails that I'm thoroughly enjoying. A lot of restaurants that never had mocktail options before are now adding them, and they're often really delicious. Congrats on 5 years!
I have a strange fascination with medical books, Roni - I feel very in the minority on this topic! For me it feels like knowledge is power, but I also diagnose myself with … a lot. As for mocktails, I’m so grateful for this trend and hope it continues!
I love books on optimizing health. I just can't do the illness-focused ones--fiction or non-fiction. But I do love how we as readers all develop our own little niche reading topics that we can't get enough of.
Congratulations on five years sober! My grandfather was an alcoholic who had been in recovery for years when I was born but he was a sponsor to many many people and very active in his AA community. As a result I was always very aware of how dangerous alcohol can be and have never been much of a drinker. That being said, the whole “wine mom” culture has been fascinating and sad to me. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the mention, and congrats of 5 years alcohol free!
I took a geology class in college (my English major scheme to never take a lab science), and the professor connected geological change to climate change in such a fascinating way. Like you, I can't remember the names of rock features to save my life, but I do remember the professor's passion!
Do you love Lego sets?
Yes! Well, I used to as a kid, and I am also intrigued by all the FUN sets out there now, very adult friendly. I love a great craft and audio book duo, this may be on my list for 2025!
What topic do you struggle to read about?
Death, cancer, losing a mother/father
Thoughts on drinking culture?
Torn. I hate drinking, i always feel awful the next day, I hate not feeling 100% like myself (1/2 glass of wine or 3 seem to have the same effect anymore). Yet I struggle so hard as I find it a great social tool for my introverted self. Contemplating alcohol free in 2025. I used to be for many years!
Got a book rec for me??? Please do share!
Check out my latest blog post with my top picks from 2024!
https://coffeechalk.wordpress.com/
Happy holidays and happy new year to you and your family!! Love your blog!!
Diana
Definitely check out some of the smaller sets, Diana! I balk at the idea of spending more than the $12ish dollars that these cost, but they're a fun diversion that won't take up a ton of space in your house :-) I wish you peace as you contemplate alcohol's place in your life - it's definitely a very very personal decision.
I enjoyed A Walk in the Park too. It’s about everything you say and also about doing something big the wrong way… and living to tell about it.
Something to tell you: when I was a teenager I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a youth leadership group. It was so amazing. I have always wanted to do it again but have not made the time or found the right group. Time to get on that!
Love your story about the Lego set. It always feels particularly great to get an observant gift from my own kid— and yours did such a good job!
That's a very cool trip to get to do as a teen! I have never been to the Grand Canyon and definitely need to remedy that in the nearish future. No through hikes for me though - ha! I also appreciate that aspect of A Walk in the Park - these weren't experts, and don't understate the stupidity of how they did things, but it was refreshing to hear from someone who did something so huge without it being a lifelong endeavor.
5 years is HUGE! My sister-in-law will be 5 years in February and we were just discussing how amazing and life changing that is. Proud of (both of) you.
I love when someone notices and gives a thoughtful gift. Warm fuzzies.
I did a 3 day camping/rafting trip into the Canyon when I was 22. OMG. Then hiked out the Bright Angel Trail. It was (overall) an amazing experience.
Yay for your SIL!! If you haven't read A Walk in the Park yet, definitely do - you'll be able to relate to it based on your experience there! I have never even set eyes on the Grand Canyon and was in awe of the book.
The bird lego set was so thoughtful. Legos were a HUGE gift around our house this year too. Santa brought our kids a Lego table and a Lego set each and then they got a few more from family members. Congrats on your sobriety! Worth celebrating for certain.
Ooooh, a Lego table is such an amazing gift! They covered our dining room table for years and years :-) And thank you for the congrats!
Thanks for the mention! :)
I struggle to read any book that has an illness theme because then I start diagnosing myself with things. Fun times.
As for drinking, it never made me feel good, so I rarely do it. I used to order club soda with lime so it looked like I was participating with others but didn't have to actually drink. But now there's this new trend of mocktails that I'm thoroughly enjoying. A lot of restaurants that never had mocktail options before are now adding them, and they're often really delicious. Congrats on 5 years!
I have a strange fascination with medical books, Roni - I feel very in the minority on this topic! For me it feels like knowledge is power, but I also diagnose myself with … a lot. As for mocktails, I’m so grateful for this trend and hope it continues!
I love books on optimizing health. I just can't do the illness-focused ones--fiction or non-fiction. But I do love how we as readers all develop our own little niche reading topics that we can't get enough of.
Congratulations on five years sober! My grandfather was an alcoholic who had been in recovery for years when I was born but he was a sponsor to many many people and very active in his AA community. As a result I was always very aware of how dangerous alcohol can be and have never been much of a drinker. That being said, the whole “wine mom” culture has been fascinating and sad to me. Thank you for sharing!
I don’t drink alcohol anymore. Not for any specific reason. It’s just not an enjoyable experience.
Congrats! I’m 5 years sober this year as well. And thanks for the rec on sober mom life. ❤️
Congrats on your own 5 years! And I do hope you enjoy Suzanne’s podcast and community - so much inspiration!
Thanks for the mention, and congrats of 5 years alcohol free!
I took a geology class in college (my English major scheme to never take a lab science), and the professor connected geological change to climate change in such a fascinating way. Like you, I can't remember the names of rock features to save my life, but I do remember the professor's passion!
Oooh I wish he wrote a book about it - maybe I’d find it interesting at this point in life! I wouldn’t remember it, but would enjoy the experience 😆
Love you! So damn proud of you and love that we get to share our sobriety with each other. ❤️