Light Heart Book club April 2020

Hello, my bucket list friends and welcome to the first official light Heart book club discussion !  ( You can learn more about the book club HERE )  This month’s book is an American Girl book titled Lanie by Jane Kurtz . I really enjoyed reading this book and I came up with a few questions to help us discuss this book. Feel free to answer the questions in the comments! One more thing before we get into our discussion, The following contains major plot points ( Spoilers ) in the book . If you want to read the book and haven’t yet, I suggest you wait to read this post until you have finished the book.  Now, let’s dive into our discussion.

 

Who in the book did I relate to the most ? This book is full of some great characters but the main charter Lanie is who I related to the most. Lanie has a passion for nature and all things outdoors. Her best friend Dakota also shares this passion with her but during the book Dakota is off on her own adventure on the other side of the world. Lanie’s family  has what she refers to as inside genes meaning they do not love the great outdoors the way she does. I could relate to Lanie’s frustration as she struggled to share her passion with others.  I think at one time or another most people have been disappointed when their excitement about a topic they are passionate isn’t shared by the others around them. I loved how Lanie did her own camp out in her yard. Sometimes you have to explore your passions on your own. This part of the book was a good reminder of that.

 

What was my favorite moment in the book ? I loved the part of the book when Lanie took her pet rabbit Lu Lu out for a walk. It was funny to hear about her neighbors reactions to seeing her walk her rabbit down the street.

 

what was my least favorite moment in the book ? – My least favorite moment in the book was when Lannie’s aunt left unexpectedly overnight due to a last minute job offer. Lanie was very excited when she found out that her nature loving aunt was coming to stay with them. Lanie and her aunt both have what Lanie calls outside genes. Lanie loved having her aunt around they even started planting a garden together. I could feel Lanie’s disappointment when she woke up and discovered that her aunt had left.

 

What did I think for the book overall – I really enjoyed reading this fun and light hearted book! Another one of my favorite parts was at the end of the book when Lanie and her younger sister Emily went bird watching. Throughout the book Emily had shown some interest in the outdoors but she struggled with a fear of bugs. I loved reading about their outdoor adventure together.

Actives to go with the book

The art activity I chose to go with this book was painting a garden rock. It’s a very simple art project . All you need is some paint and a rock. I used an art kit that I got from the Dollar Tree . The rock that came in the kit had the shape of a carrot outlined onto it.I had fun painting the rock and adding some glitter that came with the kit onto the carrot. I think Lanie would love to have a rock like this in her garden.

Another fun activity that you can do with this book is an outdoor scavenger hunt. You can find plenty of scavenger hunt lists online or you can come up with your own.

Recommended reading – There is another book about Lanie called Lanie’s real adventures I’ve already started reading it. If you enjoyed Lanie’s first book I recommend taking a look at her second book.

There you have it the first discussion in the light heart book club ! I’m so excited to chose the next book and discuss it with all of you ! Rock On – Christina Epperly

 

 

 

Thrift shopping is awesome !

Hello, my bucket list friends ! As a lot of you probably know I love thrift shopping and I’ve been doing a good amount of it lately. I thought that it would be a good idea to write about why I love it so much . Here we go !

 

Thrift shopping is awesome !

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about thrift shopping is the excitement. When you walk into a thrift store you never know what you are going to find. Yes, it’s true that there have been sometimes when I have not found anything that I was really excited about on a thrift trip. On the other hand There have been times when I have walked away with lots of treasures ! Lately I’ve have some really good finds such as American Girl books , craft kits, Disney items , and more ! There is something truly special about the feeling you get when you find a really awesome item! The next thing I think about when I think of thrift shopping is the nostalgia of finding items that remind me of my childhood and even finding things that I had years ago. It is also a really awesome feeling when I find one of those nostalgic items. A well know benefit of thrift shopping is saving money! I have found some amazing deals ,I have also found things that I thought were priced on the high side. Overall I have been happy with the prices. If your looking to save money you should consider giving thrift shopping a try. When I go thrift shopping it feels like i’m going on a adventure. I love going thrift shopping with other people. I get excited for them when they find something that they are really excited about.  I can’t wait for my next thrift shopping trip !What are your favorite things about thrift shopping? Rock On – Christina Epperly

 

30 before 30 update

Hello, my bucket list friends ! In addition to my official bucket list I also have 30 before 30 list . I realized that it was time to update it since I’ve crossed some things off it ! Here we go !

30 before 30 update

 

I’m excited to say that I have made progress on my 30 before 30 list ! I just haven’t been updating it.  I’ve pasted the updated list below but you can see it anytime by clicking on the tab at the top of this blog’s home page.

Rock On- Christina Epperly

The 30 before 30 list

  1. Cross 100 or more things of my bucket list
  2. visit another country
  3. live in LA for at least 30 days
  4. get paid to act or model
  5. get paid to write
  6. get my starfish and Disney tattoos
  7. pay off at least one of my credit cards
  8. have 100 + followers on my blog
  9. read all the gospels
  10. work as a massage therapist
  11. put new products in my ETSY store and make 5 or more sales
  12. take more acting classes even if they are online
  13. go on a cruise even if it’s not Disney
  14. Finish writing a book and work on getting it published
  15. Get head shots taken
  16. get a passport
  17. go to a paint night
  18. go to build a bear on my birthday
  19. make photo books of bucket list items I’ve crossed off
  20. achieve my credit score goal
  21. get more help for my OCD
  22. go vegan for at least 30 days
  23. invest in the stock market
  24. complete a 5k,10k, and half marathon
  25. make washer necklaces
  26. take an art or crafts class
  27. learn to make a paper airplane
  28. learn how to braid hair
  29. enter a writing contest
  30. own some G1 my little pony toys

E-bay finds part 2

Hello, my bucket list friends the E bay fun continues! ( You can read part 1 HERE)

 

E-bay finds part 2

2 American girl books – I won a lot of two American Girl books I mainly wanted the quiz book but I wasn’t upset to get two books from one of my favorite companies. I’ve already taken a few of the quizzes and I can’t wait to take more !

 

Saige paints the sky ( American Girl book)

I’m an art lover myself so I was excited to get my hands on an American Girl book about a young artist !

 

My little pony G1 shoreline

My 3rd G1 pony has arrived ! She is covered in little suns with sunglasses on ! She is so pretty and very summer like ! A perfect pony for my collection.

Rock on – Christina Epperly

Things I love August 2019

Hello, my bucket list friends it’s time for another better late then never things I love post. Enjoy!

 

Things I love August 2019

My day trip to San Francisco – Its great to live just an hour away from this major city ( you can read about it HERE )

Build a Bear workshop – I’ve loved this place for a long time and it was the perfect place to go for my birthday ! ( you can read about it HERE)

My new phone case – Whenever I get a new phone I get these awesome phone cases from amazon that are an work of art . Take a look at the picture below it’s pretty awesome !

my new hair cut – I love having short hair but my hair grows so fast that it often gets longer then I like pretty quickly but in August I finally got it cut! I love it .

crossing get acupuncture off my bucket list – Another item is off the list ! ( read about it HERE)

Rock on- Christina Epperly

Bucket list # 218 get acupuncture

Hello, my bucket list friends ! I crossed another item off my bucket list and I can’t wait to tell you about it so here we go !

Bucket list # 218 get acupuncture

Sometimes I talk to other people about the items on my list and when I mentioned this item it turned out I was not the only one who wanted to give acupuncture a try. For this bucket list adventure I was joined by my sister and my cousin. We started off the day with an awesome breakfast at Black Bear diner. After that we went to a mall for a bit then it was time for our acupuncture appointments.  Since there was only one doctor working at the health center that day ,our appointments were all a half hour apart.  When it was my turn I walked from the waiting room to an area that was just behind the wall that separated the waiting room from the treatment rooms. I sat down at a table across from the doctor and I told her about my shoulder pain ,after asking me some questions about my medical history and taking my vital signs it was time to go to one of the treatment rooms and begin my acupuncture experience. The health center we were at also does massage so it was no surprise that that treatment room looked just like a room at a massage clinic. When it came time to put the needles in I was nervous .I knew the doctor could tell I was nervous because she told me to relax. I did my best to relax my muscles and before I knew it the needles started going into my shoulders and the surrounding area some of the needles I barley felt as they went in some of them pinched a little bit when they went in. After just a little while all the needles were in. The doctor left the room and told me she would be back in 30 mins. As I laid there in the room I felt very relaxed I was close to falling a sleep at certain points. It was more relaxing then I thought it would be. Before I knew it the doctor was back to remove the needles. After the treatment my shoulder felt better. I enjoyed this experience and I hope to do acupuncture on my knee sometime.

Rock on – Chrsitna Epperly

San Francisco day trip Aug. 2019

Hello, my bucket list friends ! Earlier this month my mom and I went on a fun day trip to San Francisco. I can’t wait to tell you all about it so hold on tight and here we go !

San Francisco day trip Aug. 2019

I’m so blessed that I live only about an hour drive from a major tourist city! I’ve been to San Francisco quite a few times but this city has so much to offer it wasn’t hard to find things there that I haven’t done before. When we got to SF we signed up for a boat tour that passed under the golden gate bridge . ( I’ve walked across the bridge before you can read about it HERE) Before the boat tour we took a walk over to pier 39 and I did one of my favorite things souvenir shopping! I all ready have some souvenirs from my previous trips to San Francisco including some snow globes but I had some things in mind that I was looking for. I found this amazing snow globe that has the whole state of California on one side and San Francisco on the other side . I was so happy when I saw this snow globe I knew I just had to get it ! I also knew I wanted to get a stuffed animal wearing a San Francisco shirt I have quite a few stuff animals wearing shirts from other destinations but I didn’t have one from SF. I got a very cute seal that was wearing a San Francisco sweat shirt I picked out a few other things then it was time for the boat tour ! We were one of the last people to get on the boat but we found some good seats by a window on the upper deck. The boat ride included an audio tour. I enjoyed listening to the audio tour it provided all kinds of interesting facts about the places we were passing. It was so cool to pass under the Golden Gate bridge! The boat was packed full of people so it was hard to get good pictures but I managed to get some good shots of some of the things we passed. After the boat it was time for lunch. Went we went Boudin bakery I loved looking at all bread in fun shapes.  For lunch I had an amazing veggie sandwich . After lunch we went somewhere I’ve been wanting to go for a while the Aquarium of the Bay. This Aquarium was pretty small but it was still fun. I enjoyed looking at the fish and the otters. After enjoying the aquarium we decided to go on a bus tour. We went on the big bus tour. On the big bus tour you can hop on and off the bus at different locations but we decided to stay on the bus for the most of the loop and listen to the tour guide as he gave some interesting information about every stop. We ended up getting off the bus a stop or two before the end of the full loop. When we got of the bus we ended up walking  around pier 39 some more and we went and looked at the the famous seals. After that we walked to a Starbucks for some food and drinks before heading back home after a fun filled day.

Rock On – Christina Epperly

 

 

 

 

 

Portland OR. vacation part 5

Hello,my bucket list friends it’s time for part 5 of my Portland adventure. In this part of my vacation I crossed off a list item that I can’t wait to tell all of you about. Here we go!

 

 

Portland OR. vacation part 5

Before I get into this  part of my adventure I’m gonna rewind a little bit and tell you a funny story. The day we left for vacation I booked a helicopter tour of Portland for my mom and I . Not only did a helicopter tour sound like a lot of fun I was excited to cross another item of my list ,at least that’s what I thought. A few days before the tour I was looking at my bucket list to see what number I would soon be crossing off. I was shocked when I realized that ridding in a helicopter was not on my list after all! There really was no need to panic though because since I wanted ridding in a helicopter to be on my bucket list I just added it. One of the great thing about a bucket list is that you can keep on adding to it as you find new things you want to do. Anyways now that we are all caught up, let’s get back to my adventure in Portland. The day of the helicopter ride I was very excited  to experience something new. The ride was scheduled for noon, we got there a little early but we were the first ones of the day so we started filling out the paper work right away.  Our helicopter pilot was very friendly and talkative. I had a fun time taking pictures by the helicopter then it was time to ride. It felt really awesome to use a head set to talk to each other during the ride. I had only seen thins kind of thing on TV before. Now let’s talk about the views . Portland was built in a forest and getting to see that huge forest from the air was simply amazing! I also really enjoyed seeing the rose garden from the air it looked just as beautiful as it did on land! After our ride we headed on to our next activity  The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. I was excited to visit this museum because they had a Pixar exhibit there!  After we got our tickets for the museum. we went to the Imax theater located in the museum. We saw a moved called superpower dogs. The movie focused on dogs who have very important jobs everything from search and rescue to therapy dogs. My mom and I both really enjoyed it. If you ever get a chance to see this movie I highly recommend it. When it was time to go to the Pixar exhibit I was very excited! I love the movies that Disney and Pixar make together and I was looking forward exploring the exhibit. After watching a video about the exhibit it was finally time to go see it ! I really enjoyed looking at big statues of some of Pixar’s most famous charters including Dory and Buzz Lightyear . I also had a fun time doing the interactive stations at the exhibit. These stations let you experience parts of the animation process for yourself.  After the Pixar exhibit We checked out some of the museum’s regular exhibits before going to our last exhibit of the day, a submarine!  Now, I’m not talking about a model submarine , I’m talking about a real submarine that is kept in the river right next to the museum. When you are on the submarine you are actually under the water!  It was very interesting walking around a real submarine.  There was a lot to see and we had a great tour guide who gave us all kinds of information about the submarine. Needless to say this day was jammed packed with a lot of fun. It was a great was to spend the last full day of our vacation. Rock On – Christina Epperly

 

Portland OR. Vacation part 3

Hello,my bucket list friends! Here is part 3 of my summer vacation to Oregon!

Portland OR. Vacation part 3

Sunday started with me finishing my coloring page that I got from the world forestry center and a visit to Stump Town Coffee Roasters. I really enjoyed the coffee at Stump Town. The original plan for the day was to take an Uber to Beverly Clearly sculpture garden but the Uber turned out to be too expensive so we ended up going to the Lan Su Chinese Gardens which was walking distance from our hotel. The garden was absolutely beautiful I loved watching the huge koi fish swimming in the pond. The garden was a very peaceful place. It was very relaxing to just walk around and take in all the beauty of the garden. After exploring the garden we had an amazing lunch at a Mexican restaurant. After lunch we ended up walking around the city and we went back to the mall where we were the day before. I went back to the Made in Oregon store and I got a Portland t-shirt. This was also the day we got to check out an ice cream place that was near out hotel. The ice cream was really good and the ice cream shop was very cute. This day wasn’t as busy as most of the other days on this trip but it was still very enjoyable.

Rock on – Christina Epperly

Tie – Dye Frappuccino !!

Hello, my bucket list friends ! A lot of you know that I’m a big fan of Starbucks. when I saw that they had come out with a fun fruit flavored drink, I just had to try it ! I’m excited to tell you all about it so let’s go !

Tie – Dye Frappuccino !!

This story starts last week , when I was just scrolling through Instagram. I came across a post from Starbucks announcing their new limited time drink called the Tie – Dye Frappuccino. I got excited and I knew I just had to try it before it ran out. I had work later that afternoon, I figured that I would just leave early for work and go to the Starbucks near by. My friend wanted to join me on this Tie – Dye Frappuccino quest so she came and picked me up. Then we headed off to Starbucks! I was a little worried that they may have sold out already because this new colorful drink was being written about on news websites! It turned out that there was no need to worry because there was no line and plenty of Tie – Dye Frappuccinos left to go around. When our drinks were ready I was not disappointed ! They looked very beautiful. The only down side is that they turned to all yellow pretty quickly but hey yellow is a happy color!Now, on to the taste . The Tie – Dye Frappuccino  had a bold fruity flavor. It tasted like a shake plus it was topped with whipped cream! I really enjoyed it but if your more of a coffee or chocolate fan I would skip this one.

Rock on – Christina Epperly