December 2015 Update

I know I haven't posted recently since I have been taking some needed time off from pretty much everything, but my job. So, I thought Christmas is the best time to update you on my crazy but mostly fun life. A lot has happened since I have wrote about life last month. Some good, some bad, and some in between.

First of all, Merry Christmas! It's usually my favorite time of year although I haven't been in the Christmas spirit, but many in Pennsylvania are not. I hope that you all have been good boys and girls and that Santa brought you all that you wanted for Christmas (even though I never believed in him). One of my favorite things to do in the mall is actually not shopping (I actually hate shopping), but to yell "Santa!" from my favorite Christmas movie, Elf.

So this winter is more of my ideal winter. It isn't very cold but fairly warm for the most part. I was fortunately awake on the only day that it truly snowed, which was at 3 in the morning and I was working the overnight shift on a Friday into Saturday. I feel that the snow is one of the reasons there is such a thing as Christmas spirit to many in this area, but I've just had a rough month in the beginning. I've been depressed a little bit because I lost my great grandmother a few weeks before Christmas, but I know she isn't in pain anymore. I just miss her and the letters that I often wrote to her.

Finals week was really odd and somewhat tough for me, but I made my way through it. The work wasn't hard. I just didn't have the motivation. On the Sunday before finals, I was dreading a family trip to Allentown to go to church (I actually love church so I was fine with that), but it was with my ex's family since our fathers are best friends and we haven't seen them in a while. I had finally gotten over him after he left for his freshman year of college, which allowed me to realize that I only love him as a friend and sister. It was painful at first just seeing him acting awkwardly toward me and making small talk (which I hate small talk). It wasn't until we went to the mall where I confronted him (which really surprised him) to tell him that I wasn't interested in him and that I was seeing someone who I was starting to fall for. After that, things completely changed and it was almost as if I got my best friend back. I finally got the closure that we both needed in the situation. Soon after returning home, I got the news about my great grandmother which was almost too much to handle with the previous events of the day. I just wanted coffee and be left alone for the rest of the night,

But after all that happened, things started to look up. I finished out the semester to the most that I was able emotionally. It was an extremely hard semester and managed to get a 3.445 GPA, which I think is pretty good considering I've worked full time and sometimes overtime with 5 English courses and a religion course. Shakespeare is what killed me.

I managed to get every class I signed up for for next semester, which makes me really happy. It was a little frustrating trying to find time to meet with the English chair to see if I can be taken off the waitlist for the Young Adult Literature class that I really needed in order to graduate next fall semester, but I did get the class. I also officially declared my writing minor. It makes me really happy that I managed to pull that off. It means less debt! 

My course load for next semester is very similar to this past semester so it will be just as hard and exhausting. I am taking my last general education class, Ethics (philosophy), and 4 English classes where one is my senior thesis paper. That means I have to write an 18-25 paper on something that connects literature with the world and then present it at the end of the spring semester. I am looking forward to writing the paper (and I promise to give you updates on my progress for it) although I hate presenting since I get really nervous in front of people.

So now onto McDonald's. A lot has happened in such a short period of time. All the annoying jocks got themselves fired, which makes working in peace a lot easier. The scholarship I applied for was accepted and I was given $700, which paid a decent portion of the fall semester. Now saving money is so much easier since my next 2 semesters cost half as much as this past semester. I am so close to management now that I can see myself wearing new button downs. Over my Christmas break, I have been working overtime, which only managers are really only allowed to have but that's a sign that I am pretty much there.

So now to the most interesting and newest parts of my life. I mentioned that I was seeing someone, but it's more than just seeing someone now. He swept me off my feet after admiring me from afar for a year (and I actually was doing the same) when we met in my first college class at Marywood in the fall semester of 2014. I should thank our professor because he stuck us together for a creative writing assignment that we had to work together by alternating paragraphs. He is the sweetest man I have ever met and makes me feel like a queen. He drives a Jeep named Jenna and likes the same music I enjoy listening to. He has been in the navy, has a couple really cool tats, enjoys watching football, and isn't afraid to be a little nerdy. He knows how to make me smile and gets me to laugh often. He is my Prince Charming but much better.

So I'm also getting my 4th tattoo, which surprises everyone. It'll be more in the memory of my great grandmother but it has meaning like my other 3 tats. It's going on my rib cage next month. I am really excited to get it done. I enjoy the feel of the entire process.

Along with getting another tattoo, I am trying to save up the rest of my money for school so that I can get my own place with my best friend from high school. We made a pact to live together before either of us get married, which both she and I have a feeling that she's going to get engaged in July to her boyfriend of almost 3 or 4 years (I don't remember). I want to be more independent and have more of my own space so I think I need to leave the "nest."

Review Wednesday: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Title: Lock and Key

Author: Sarah Dessen
1st Date of Publication: April 22, 2008

ISBN: 9780142414729
# of Pages: 432

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Age Rating: 15+ (Mild Alcohol and Drugs)

Buy it on Amazon

Book Description:
Ruby, where is your mother?

Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.
That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again. 

Setting: Fictional Place in 21st century

Point of View: 3rd person- Ruby Cooper

Goodreads Rating: 4.02

My Rating: 3.75

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: I liked this cover because the key is shown and it sort of looks like the girl is contemplating life.
View on Title: The title was what interested me. A lock and key seems to be a simple concept, but I like how the

Pros:

• Dessen does an excellent job of showing an issue with society. In this case, she writes about the issue of abandonment.
• I really enjoyed Ruby's maturity as the novel progresses. I feel that it shows how teens who react when they are forced out of a situation and into a new one.
• Nate is another character that I really enjoyed. He seems to be the person to do everything, but that's all he's ever known. His character shows how he is damaged on the inside but hides it well on the outside.
• I liked the development of the friendship between Ruby and Nate. Nate's persistence rubs off on Ruby toward the middle and end of the novel as she becomes persistent. When he needs someone like Ruby did, she returns the favor.
• I also really liked Cora, too. That's because I identify well with her since I have a sister who is 11 years younger than me and if I was in this same situation I would do the same.

Cons:

• I felt that some of the characters were unnecessary, such as Gervais and Olivia. Sure, they provided friendship toward Ruby, but I felt they lacked character development.
• I wish I got to see a little more of Jaime's family involved in welcoming Ruby into the family. I felt that that also lacked a bit since Ruby always seemed to run away whenever they were around.

Critics' Reviews:
"Ruby, 17, is taken in by her older sister and brother-in-law when her mother abandons her. Ruby and her sister haven't spoken since Cora left for college a decade earlier. She moves from a semi-heated, semi-lighted farmhouse to a McMansion in a gated community. The theme of abandonment permeates the narrative-Ruby's mother's disappearance, Cora's perceived abandonment, and all of the small abandonments around every corner throughout Ruby's life. The plot hinges luxuriously on character arc. Ruby's drama of pathological self-reliance to eventual trust plays out through thoughtful, though occasionally heavy-handed, inner monologue and metaphor. As always, Dessen's characters live and breathe. Ruby's sweet hipster brother-in-law and Nate, the freakishly affable hottie next door, are especially vivid, and Cora's change from bitter control freak to sympathetic co-protagonist is subtle and seamless. Though Ruby and Nate don't have quite the cinematic chemistry of many of Dessen's couples, their cautious friendship into romance seems that much more realistic. The author's feel for setting is as uncanny as ever, and Ruby's descriptions of the homogenous nouveau riche Anytown are sharp, clever, and honest. The dialogue, especially between Ruby and Cora, is crisp, layered, and natural. The slow unfolding adds to an anticipatory mood. What's more, secrets and situations revealed in the second half of the novel are resolved more believably by already deeply developed characters. Recommend this one to patient, sophisticated readers."—Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library

Sarah Dessen's Website:

http://sarahdessen.com/

Other Recommendations:

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen

Review Wednesday: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Title: Saint Anything

Author: Sarah Dessen
1st Date of Publication: May 5, 2015

ISBN: 9780451474704

# of Pages: 417

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Age Rating: 15+ (Mild Alcohol and Violence)

Buy it on Amazon

Book Description: Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Setting: Fictional Place in 21st century

Point of View: 1st Person- Sydney Stanford

Goodreads Rating: 4.05

My Rating: 4.5

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Cover

View on the Cover: I love riding carousels and it made me wonder why it was an image of a carousel rather than Dessen's typical covers of flowers and girls.
View on Title: The idea of the name Saint Anything is a little intriguing because I have never heard of a saint named Saint Anything.

Pros:

• This has become one of my new favorites written by Sarah Dessen, which she has written several. It is somewhat similar to her other novels, but it felt a lot different than the others.
• I love the main characters because they balance each other. Both Mac and Layla balance Sydney well but in different ways.
• Mac is easy on the eyes but his backstory shows his sensitivity as he gets to know Sydney better.
• Layla is the spunky friend you would always want, but you worry about some of the decisions she might make.
• Sydney's character is extremely relatable, which makes the novel become more of a coming-of-age work of literature. Sydney grows as she does what she wants rather than being told what others think is best for her.
• The book really talks about real life issues, such as:
• Feeling the weight of someone else's mistakes as your own fault. Sydney blames herself for Peyton's mistakes and why he is in jail
• Pleasing your parents and doing what they want is a real struggle as you grow older. And you have to make decisions on whether you know that your parent's commands are not the best choice in a certain situation.
• It's hard to be invisible when you have your own past or someone else's past to be your shadow.
• Peyton's growth is interesting and most of that is the result of Sydney's investment in trying to be a friend rather than trying to fix him.

Cons:

• I didn't understand Ames's role in the novel until the end, which I felt could have been expanded upon throughout the novel. It would have added a lot more depth to the tension between Sydney and Ames. His role felt continuously passive even though his role seems more active.
• Sydney's parents aggravated me a lot. They couldn't focus any of their love or attention to their daughter, the child who is doing as they ask. Her parents are determined to be with her brother, Peyton, who continues to push them all away.

Critics' Reviews:
"Taut, tightly structured with well-rounded characters, this novel is sure to please Dessen’s many fans and attract new ones." —School Library Journal
"A rich emotional landscape . . . A many-layered story told with a light touch." —Kirkus
"Another incisive and sensitive character-driven story sure to please her many, many fans." —Booklist
"Sarah Dessen is the patron saint of realistic romance. . . we think Saint Anything might be one of her best ever." —Justine Magazine
"In Saint Anything, Dessen gives readers a sensitive and touching look at how loss can affect a family and the importance of finding those who support you, no matter what." —Bookish
"Saint Anything may seem like a quiet read at first, but remember what is said about still waters. What begins as a somber story, carefully narrated by a polite young woman, builds to a gripping and unexpected climax and a satisfying conclusion." —NY Journal of Books

Sarah Dessen's Website:

http://sarahdessen.com/

Other Recommendations:

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Easy by Tamara Webber