Book 25

I finished book 25 this morning:

 This is the last published book in the Court of Thorn and Roses series, but I'm so glad the next book is coming this fall. I'm not at all ready to say goodbye to these characters. This book focused on Nesta and Cassian, and they may be one of my favorite couples in literature ever. I actually texted a friend early in the book to be sure they ended up together because I just needed it to be true. I so appreciate an author that can make me this invested in complicated, realistic characters.

It's the little things...

I spent the first half of this week at a SACS conference. I learned a lot, but it was a lot of prep going into it, and I spent every evening in the hotel trying to just keep my head above water with my actual day job. It's pouring rain today, and I am facing a long day of meetings and problems. I love my job, but somedays are a lot, and I will never be caught up. I was trying to prioritize my day and figure out my life on the way in to work, and then I got to my door:

Boy. It's a little thing, but it sure did give me the nudge I needed this morning.
 

She's A Renter!

Our girl has a new permanent address! Last Wednesday, she picked up the key to her very own first apartment:

 

We are helping with rent while she finishes school, but she chose a place she could easily afford on her own when she gets her first teaching job. 

One huge criteria for her was that she had her own washer and dryer:

When she got the key Wednesday, Evan and I helped her move all of her bathroom and kitchen stuff in:

We knew that would be the most boxes, and her place is tiny. Getting them unloaded before we moved everything else in was a game changer. She and I also made her first big grocery trip on Friday and made sure the fridge was stocked with cold beverages and moving snacks.

Saturday, we made the big move! Evan's friend, Mikey, was a huge help:

We started at nine, and we had everything in by 12:30. Brad got her TV mounted:

And she got some more practice adulting when she had to call to get her internet fixed, but she did:

By about 2, we had made it this far. The furniture was all in place (we passed on a couch, coffee table, and desk; she assembled her new bed), the boxes were sorted, and she decided she just needed time alone to figure out where everything goes. 

So...we left she and Inks to settle in:

I miss having them at home, but I am so glad they are off on this new adventure together...

Beach Week 2026

On this gloomy Monday morning I am flashing back to our very, very sunny beach week. Brad had to work after our Scotland trip and with a huge project launching next week, but the kids and I joined Mom and Shannon at our usual Kure Beach house:

A kind stranger snapped this picture of us on our last evening beach walk, but I think our groupies might have been better:

Shannon did capture some of my favorite recent pictures of the kids, though:

Our big adventure this year was a trip to the Karen Beasley Turtle Hospital. Injured sea turtles are flown here from all over the East Coast for healing and rehabilitation. We learned so much about the turtles, and our guide was truly passionate about the work:

It's amazing how much they can do for these big guys:

The kids even got matching sweatshirts:

The other new feature was family presentation night. I shared tidbits previously unshared from Scotland, but Issa stole the show. She presented her thesis:

She also presented on Mummia and 21 Pilots Lore:

It was such a fun night!

The rest of the week was a fun combination of lots of lounging:

And ocean bobbing:

And great food:

Issa spent a lot of time coloring by number:

And Evan built his biggest Lego set yet:

These are not even all of the bags:

It is a super cool Pokemon build:

Although I had to work more than I would like, I also finished book 23 there and finished book 24 this morning. Book 23 was the next in the ACOTR series:

This series just gets better and better. The next read is in the same series. She had actually written the next big book, and she realized that we needed to know more about the characters' histories and values to understand that book, so she wrote and released this book:

It moves the overall plot forward, but it also really does shine a light into each other characters in ways that I really appreciate! I will be starting the next book in the series tonight!

I love the beach, and I especially love all of the space to just be and talk with family.