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Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
Pittsburgh: Summer 2015 Bucket List
This summer, I have an internship in Pittsburgh. I have until mid-August to do some cool things here and I figured I'd let you know what my list consists of. Some of these things have already been done which is why they are crossed out. For the things we've already done, I've added some pictures and a blurb about our time at the place/event. If you live in Pittsburgh or know of some other cool things to do while I'm here, tell me! I'm very open to expanding this list.
The Bucket List
1. Visit the Andy Warhol Museum... Fridays from 5-10pm is half price admission!
2. Visit the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium
Ryan and I stopped here on June 21 (the first day of summer!) after eating at Burgatory. It cost $10 for both of us to go up and come back down after checking out the sights. We were up there just as the sun was slowly beginning to set over the city so I got a cool picture with some really great light on the city. I want to go back again when it's dark and see the skyline at night!
4. Check out Station Square
We stopped here on Sunday, June 7th. It was a really nice day so there were tons of people outside at the park. I signed up for a Carnegie Library card and we browsed through the library for about an hour. Ryan and I both ended up getting books and we ended our adventure by laying on the grass at Schenley Park and reading. It was a great day!
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| Reading with Cathy |
Ryan surprised me with tickets to see Imagine Dragons when they came to Pittsburgh on June 19th. The concert was absolutely incredible. I would go see them again in a heartbeat! The concert was at the CONSOL Energy Center which was a really nice venue, all things considered (I'm a Flyers fan).
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| View from our seats! |
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| Imagine Dragons! |
This was one of the first things Ryan and I did when we were here. We went to see the Pirates play the Mets on May 24th. It was a really hot day and we both got pretty sunburnt but it was a fun way to spend our Sunday afternoon! Afterwards, we got dinner at NOLA on the Square which was within walking distance of the stadium.
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| We had to stop and take a picture on our walk over to the stadium |
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| Beautiful day at PNC Park |
8. Travel up to Lake Erie
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Kayla Plans: How to Find Your Perfect Planner
Since summer is going way too quickly (it's almost July.. what?!) I decided to write up a post about how to find the best planner to suit your needs. I finally found the best planner for me at the end of last year and I couldn't be more excited about ordering a new one in a few days!
The easiest way to figure out what planner works best for you is to first sit down and think about what you'll use it for. I use my planner mostly for school-related things such as writing down assignments, marking exam dates, and keeping track of readings. I also use it to track meeting dates and events for my frat and my work schedule. When life gets busy for me, it gets REALLY busy and I needed a planner that I could either section off or one that already had sections for me. I knew the sections would keep me organized when things got really crazy.
I don't have much use for an hourly schedule in my planner because I use Google Calendar for that. However, if you schedule a lot of appointments or have a lot of meetings, an hourly layout might be best for you.
So, take a minute to think about what sorts of things you want to keep track of to help yourself stay organized and take a look at my planner suggestions below! This has been one of my favorite posts to write and I hope you find this guide helpful!
1. Plum Paper Planners -- Plum Paper Planners are my planner of choice. There are many different layouts and styles you can choose from. My first Plum Paper Planner was a 6 month student planner.
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| My first Plum Paper Planner! |
These planners are more expensive than any other planner I've ever bought (still less expensive than many of their competitors, though!) and I wanted to make sure I liked it before I purchased the 12 month edition. Needless to say, I loved it! The way the student planner was laid out worked perfectly to keep track of my many classes and activities. I am nearing the end of my 6 month planner and I will just ordered myself a 12 month Family Planner in the "Elaine" pattern, shown below. I chose the Family Planner this time because I still want separate sections for each of my classes/activities but I want a full length Saturday and Sunday as well. If you don't schedule many things on weekends, then the Student Planner would work well for you because the Saturday and Sunday boxes are about half the size of the weekday boxes!
In addition to the student and family planners, there are also the traditional planners. You can choose from 3 different layouts. Morning/Afternoon/Evening, blank lines, or an hourly layout. The morning/afternoon/evening layout mimics that of the Erin Condren planners and the hourly is similar to the way the Day Designer works. So many options to choose from!
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| Some cover options for the Plum Paper Planners! |
As you can see from the pictures above, the Plum Paper Planners come in some gorgeous cover designs that are able to be customized! As you can see, I got the "Corey" design for my first planner, but I decided I just wanted a monogram and not the name at the bottom too. I simply added that in the notes section when I was ordering and they were able to omit that for me! So easy! You are also able to change the colors on most of the cover designs. Just indicate that in the "notes to seller" section as well!
2. Day Designer by Whitney English-- I wish I had a busy enough schedule for the Day Designer. I hope once I am an SLP I can get myself a Day Designer to use to keep track of sessions! I love the different designs the planners come in and I really like the way they're set up. Each day has its own page with an hourly layout on one side of the page and to-do list bullets on the other.
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| Some of the cover options for the Day Designer by Whitney English! |
There are also spaces for your "top three" of the day and a "daily gratitude". I love the idea of having a single page per day and being able to start fresh daily. Day Designers are hard to come by, they usually sell out very quickly. So, if this is the planner you think will work best for you, be sure to keep an eye out on Day Designer social media to see when the next group of planners will become available! There is also the option to use the free download of the Day Designer single-page layout. I've used this on days where I am really busy and it has helped me tremendously. Sometimes it's nice to lay your whole day out on a piece of paper to prepare yourself!
3. Erin Condren Life Planner -- Erin Condren planners are all the rage. They are arguably the most popular planners for working women and moms everywhere. They come in all sorts of cover styles that are easy to remove and change whenever you decide. This year, Erin Condren released a rose gold edition (the first and eighth planners in this grid) which I think is absolutely stunning. I LOVE rose gold, this was a great idea. The layout of the Erin Condren planner can be either vertical or horizontal with specific colors schemes for each month. In the vertical layout, each day is divided into three sections that you can label to fit your needs. Home/school/work, morning/day/evening... the possibilities are endless!
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| Cover options for the Erin Condren Life Planner! |
4. Emily Ley Simplified Planners -- Emily Ley Daily Simplified Planners are similar to the Day Designer. Each day has its own page: one hourly schedule column on the left, one checklist for to-dos on the right. The Simplified Planners also include a box for Dinner and a box for Notes. There are also quotes at the top of each day to inspire you!
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| Emily Ley Simplified Planners! |
There is also a Weekly Simplified Planner which is a horizontal layout with lines and a checklist for each day as well as a box for home related things or anything you want, really! There is also a section for "weekly prep" which I think is really nice.
5. Ban.do Agendas -- Ban.do agendas are so flippin' cute. They come in 2 different sizes: classic and large. Each week is laid out in a horizontal blank box layout with fun compliments, quotes, and weekly "to-dos" that are sure to brighten your day! It looks like the large planner has plenty of space for each day so if you have big handwriting or you don't like to be tied down by lined pages, this might be the planner for you! These planners also come with some sticker pages that are ADORABLE. I'm considering ordering a sticker book just because I love them so much.
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| Ban.do Agendas |
There is also a really great bundle going on right now, you can buy a large floral planner and a sticker book for $34!
6. Lilly Pulitzer Agendas -- Lilly Pulitzer just released their new line of agendas and boy, are they gorgeous! I am in love with Lilly patterns and the ones they picked out for their agendas are so cute. The inside is a lined horizontal weekly layout with Lilly patterns galore! These planners also come with super cute sticker pages as well. There are 4 different sizes to choose from: small, medium, large, and jumbo. This is great because if you love the patterns but aren't a fan of lugging around a heavy planner all the time, the small or medium agendas could be perfect for you! Style + function, who doesn't love that?!
7. May Designs -- My seventh and final planner recommendation are May Designs agendas. On their website, you can choose from a plethora of patterns and designs and create an agenda, address book, notebook, fitness journal... there are tons of options. After you pick your pattern and what type of book you'd like it to be, you are able to customize with a year, quote, or monogram for a small extra cost. How cute are some of these designs?? The May Designs agendas are also great if you're not looking for anything fancy and want to be able to carry it around with you all the time easily. The pages are sewn together so no bending spiral, either! I originally bought this planner for myself last year but found that the boxes inside became too small for my crazy schedule. I still used this planner to quickly jot down assignments and then I transferred them to my Plum Paper Planner either at the end of the day, or when I got home from class. I highly recommend these planners because they are really cheap, easy to carry around, and great quality!
Well, there you have it! A list of some of my favorite and most heard about planners. Hopefully this guide helps you choose the perfect planner for you. Let me know down in the comments which planner piqued your interest and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Mid-June Book Reviews
So it's about halfway through June and I'd like to get some of my book reviews out of the way. So far this month I've read 3 books which is pretty good considering I'm working full time at my internship! I bought a few more books this month that I've been dying to read and I'll be sure to post a book haul sometime soon so you can see the new beauties! If you can't wait and need a sneak peak you can check out my bookstagram: @kaylaturnspages!
Author: Jesse Andrews
Rating: 2/5 stars
First of all, I had really high hopes for this book considering there's a movie being made and I've seen so many great reviews of it.
It's about this really shallow and rude high school boy named Greg Gaines who is forced by his mother to go hang out with a girl who has cancer. He knew her when he was young but he didn't like her that much because she had big teeth which made her unattractive to him (he seriously says this in the book). Anyway, his mom forces him to hang out with her because she is dying. He doesn't care about her at all and is pretty much only doing this because his mom told him to. Greg is the worst person. His sense of humor is childish and while reading this book I only ever laughed at things Earl said. Which brings me to Earl.
Earl was my favorite character in this book. He was actually funny and had a heart which is interesting because he was living in the crappiest of circumstances he didn't have any parental guidance and his brothers would beat up on him all the time. Greg doesn't call Earl his friend though. Earl is his "coworker" because Greg doesn't want friends. He just wants everyone to like him and tries really hard not to piss anyone off. He seriously goes so far as to not eat lunch in the lunchroom because he doesn't want people to know that he is, essentially, friends with everybody. THIS IS THE DUMBEST THING EVER. Greg says he and Earl are "coworkers" because they make movies together. Really crappy movies that they refuse to show to anybody because they're so crappy.
Honestly, I'm just so disappointed in this book. There was barely a plot and nothing interesting happened the whole time. I kept waiting for it to get better and it just didn't. I'm surprised I finished the book.
Title: Ghost Boy
Author: Martin Pistorius
Rating: 4/5 stars
I read Ghost Boy for a speech-language pathology book club I'm in called SLP Reads. Because I am studying to be an SLP and I'm currently working at a company that makes AAC devices, this book was really interesting for me. This book is a memoir which makes it so much better.
Martin was your average child until one day he came down with a mysterious illness that left him wheelchair bound and unable to speak. He was, essentially, a human vegetable. He was not in his own mind for 6 years and then one day he comes back. He can understand everything everyone is saying but nobody knows. This leads to an interesting journey of him trying to get everyone to realize he's back.
This story is absolutely amazing and I loved Martin's writing style. It was very easy for him to transport me into his mind and catch a glimpse of what it might be like to be trapped inside your own thoughts. I highly recommend this book for SLPs and anyone who takes care of others. There are some horrifying stories about some of Martin's past caregivers but there are uplifting ones as well. Go read it!
Title: Yes Please
Author: Amy Poehler
Rating: 4/5 stars
Amy Poehler needs to be my life coach. This book wasn't funny as much as it was insightful but I did laugh a few times while reading it. She didn't sugar coat her experiences. She let her readers know that sometimes life SUCKS and being a comedian SUCKS and real life just SUCKS and that made me feel better about my own life in a twisted sort of way.
I was pleasantly surprised about the fact that this book wasn't all jokes. I read Mindy Kaling and Tina Fey's books this year as well (really liked them) but something about Amy Poehler's book took the cake for me. I think Amy just let herself be vulnerable while writing this book and it made me feel like I really got to know her.
The book was a little hard for me to get through because it was so long, but each chapter told its own story. It wasn't difficult for me to read this book in conjunction with other books (which I did) or have it on my currently reading shelf for 3 months (which it was). I think my favorite chapters were the ones about Parks & Rec (if you haven't seen this show get on Netflix RIGHT NOW) and the chapter where she writes about her two sons. The amount of love she has for them radiated throughout the chapter and I enjoyed reading about their little quirks and what they're like. Also, their names are adorable... Archie & Abel... are you kidding me?!
So that's all the reviews I have for now. I'm currently reading Mosquitoland by David Arnold and an advanced reader copy of Song of Summer by Laura Lee Anderson. Hopefully I will finish those two books by the end of June along with some others I'm hoping to get through so check back for more reviews soon!
Friday, May 29, 2015
I Made A Bookstagram/May Book Haul
So some of you might be wondering... what's a bookstagram? Basically, it's an Instagram account made especially to talk about books. I just recently started following a few bookstagram accounts (my top 2 favorites are +BlueEyedBiblio and +alluringtales so go follow them!). I'm planning to post at least once a day and ask my followers questions pertaining to books and reading. I just made the account today and if you are interested in following me my username is @kaylaturnspages.
I'm currently reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews.
I heard it was going to be a movie so I had to pick it up and read it first! I usually try to make it my goal to read the book before the movie, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way. It's okay so far. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The main character is a little annoying and shallow and the humor seems a little immature for me, but I'm going to keep reading and see how it ends!
I bought a total of 6 books over the past two weeks (4 "real" books, and 2 e-books) and I'm eager to power through them all! The books pictured below were purchased during the Half Price Books Memorial Day sale! Everything in the store was 20% off so I had to go check it out. I bought Me and Earl and the Dying Girl at Target on a whim because I knew the movie was coming out soon. I haven't bought myself books in a while because I'm ~broke~ but it was my first full week at my new job and figured a little treat for myself would be okay. I plan on borrowing books from the local library for most of the summer because I can't afford to buy every book on my to-read list, unfortunately.
The Hard Copies
1. Confess by Colleen Hoover -- I started reading Colleen Hoover's books by "accident" after getting a Kindle for Christmas in 2012. I bought Hopeless because it was cheap and it looked interesting. It was the first book I ever read on my new Kindle. I was hooked on CoHo's writing. She's amazing and I highly recommend all of her books. I'm excited to read Confess and to own my first hard copy of a book by one of my favorite authors!
2. Landline by Rainbow Rowell -- I read Eleanor & Park last month just as classes were winding down and I LOVED it. I cried at the ending, and that's a good indicator of how emotionally invested I was in Eleanor & Park's story. I have read rave reviews for this book so I'm also eager to get started with this!
3. Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid -- I haven't read anything by this author yet, but I think the plot looks really interesting and I've read a lot of good reviews. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!
The E-Books
1. Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius -- I'm a member of a speech-language pathology book club on Goodreads called "Speech Reads". This is the book for the month of June. I bought it for my Kindle for $2.99 and I'm excited to discuss this book with speech-language pathologists and SLP students. It's about a boy who basically becomes a living vegetable and no one knows why. That boy is the author, Martin Pistorius. I'm really curious about this book and plan on reading it as soon as I'm finished with my current read.
2. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger -- I saw this movie a little while back and thought it was hilarious. I'm also a huge fan of Mae Whitman so that could have been why I liked the movie so much (Parenthood, anyone?) but I knew I wanted to read the book at some point, regardless. I also got this book for my Kindle for only $2.99!
That concludes my first-ever book related blog post. Hope it was enjoyable! Feel free to send me some of your book recommendations for summer and let me know who your favorite author is, I always love adding new books to my to-read list!
Feel free to add me on Goodreads: kaylaturnspages
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