Book Review & Quicky 2015 Goals

Oh, hello! Feels foreign to even be blogging again after a seriously long hiatus. I constantly go back and fourth between wanting to blog and then being like "what is the point?" Honestly, I want to have updates and force myself to share all the fun and in-between things happening in my life but then I think too much about it and another week, month goes by.

For now, the updates are that I recently moved in with my boyfriend, I started a new job in November, and plan to join a gym next month. 

Goals for 2015 include reading a book every month, trying out a new restaurant weekly, losing the 25 pounds that I have packed on since moving back to Portland in 2013, and getting my teeth fixed up (terrifying isn't even a good enough word for this one).

I found this AWESOME opportunity for getting my book reading on: Blogging for Books. It combines my want to blog and my want to read more books all into one great package. I love reading but it takes some serious plot/premise to get me interested enough to start so while I may have tons of books (still in boxes, mind you), this gives me a great opportunity to try newer books that I see people talking about.

My first review is for Andie Mitchell's "It Was Me All Along," which you just may have heard of by now.  Her blog is also pretty great. Below is my review:
"I had seen this book around the internets and was intrigued as to why it was so anticipated. I checked out a few blurbs here and there and figured it was just another blogger writing about their healthy living experiences. Upon being given the option to read the book for review, I immediately picked this one because I wanted to be "in" on what everyone was talking about. That's how I roll--I get annoyed that everyone is talking about something that I know nothing about and then I become one of those people. Simple.

Andie discusses in great detail her childhood and growing up with a unhealthy dependence and addiction to food. It isn't just an "I eat crap" kind of thing; it is something much larger than that. Being a chunky kid myself, and also struggling with my weight as an adult, I understood her emotional reaction to reach out for food in times of great stress or great joy. It became a safe zone for her, when things such as family, friends, or life were uncertain. It became something that represented a way to control the chaos and also celebrate the successes. Her study abroad to Italy was where things shifted and her time after that represented what I think a lot of people struggle with: the constant worry of calories, minutes of exercise, and reading through and comparing every nutritional label. It is so exhausting and I think Andie really captures that internal struggle and dialogue that happens when you start to get on the right path but are terrified of back sliding.

I appreciated her honesty in sharing her thoughts and the reality that everything is not perfect just because you lose the weight. I wish she would have included more on her relationships--more insight into how her weight affected her friendships and romantic relationships--but i understand that this was much more about her perception of the world and how she was dealing with everything. I would recommend this reading for anyone who is struggling to create a healthier lifestyle and needs to hear that it isn't going to be easy but that little steps make a big difference."

Please note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.