Have you ever gone through a time...

...when you question everything about your life? Then you'll recognize where I am, right about now. I don't really know why yet, and I don't have a whole lot of words on the subject, but I'm doing a lot of questioning right now. If I ever find the answers, I will explain in more detail. Promise.

In other news...

I got an A in my first graduate class!! Granted, it was an intro class, and I believe that about 90% of the class received A's, but still. I have a 4.0 for the first time in my college career, and I'm reveling, baby. AND I passed my high school math certification test on the FIRST TRY. Just about unheard of with this bad boy. I seriously know people that took the test five times before they passed. Five times of taking a 90-question, 5 hour mother of a test. Oh, and paying $85 each time to take said monster. I am so happy I passed the first time around.

I traveled with the lovely Amy last weekend to visit my pseudo-nephew, Ian Caleb Hartl. I call him my pseudo because I'm really not related to either of his parents, but I might as well be. So he's my nephew. He is 15 days old and 7 lbs. of complete preciousness. He hardly ever cried and was always in the greatest mood. And Oh. My. Gosh. The kid can EAT. All the time he would eat. It was hilarious. But we were all glad of the eating, and the pooping that inevitably followed, since he had some issues with that when he first came home. So eat away, Ian!! Just give your mom a little down time now and again.

Here he is, sleeping in his daddy's arms.

Here's my baby, just chillin' on the ottoman.

Have a great week!!!

I have a confession.

Seriously. I think I have a weight I need to get off my chest. HUGE confession. I'm only going to share it with you. Ready?

I think I have an addiction problem.

It's weird...I don't really think I have an issue when I'm in the middle of a binge. I always think, "Linds, you can handle this. No problem." But it always ends the same: waking up in the morning, can't remember what I did the night before, can't really even remember my own name. Spending all of my paycheck to score the good stuff, just to be back on the street in less than a week, trying to make the deal. Scary stuff. This happened again last night, which would be the third night in a row. This has lead me to believe that I need to take that shaky first step and admit I have a problem.

I, Linds, am addicted to books.

ADDICTED.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Why is it scary to be addicted to books?? Isn't reading a *good* thing?? For normal people without the addiction, yes, reading is considered a pleasant pasttime, even a hobby. For me? Scary obsession is the only phrase that comes to mind.

I don't just read books. I devour them. I spend sleepless nights with my books, quickly turning page after page, so anxious to figure out what happens. The last three Harry Potter books? Stayed up all night long to finish. I'm talking 5 am, 6 am, people. And for two of those books, I had to work the next day. Did that give me pause? No, sir. I'm hardcore.

I cannot use the library. I must OWN my books. Hardback, paperback, it doesn't matter. They have to belong to me. I tried to use the library when I was younger. I ended up with major fines, simply because I Would. Not. Turn. Them. In. I currently own over 200 books, stuffed into three bookcases. I try to organize them alphabetically, and by genre (yes, I am slightly OCD), but I have run out of room on my bookshelves, so now I stuff. And I just bought four more tonight. Four. I also keep a running calendar of when books by my favorite authors are coming out. For instance, there is one coming out next Tuesday, and then of course, Breaking Dawn on Aug. 2. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I feel so sorry for you.

Tuesday are my favorite day of the week - it's when new books come out. EVERY week.

At any given moment, I can be reading up to three books at a time, depending on how captivated I am by the story. If I'm into a book, like can't-put-it-down, reading-it-on-the-toilet-cause-it's-just-that-good into it, then I'll stop all of my other books I'm currently reading and focus all of my attention on just that one. If there is a book, however, that is not *that* great, just ok, I'll read it along with a couple others, just to keep my options open. I'm also a re-reader. My mother can't stand it. If I don't have a new book waiting when I finish the last one (which is rare), I'll pull out one of my old ones. Yes, I know what happens in those books. Some of them I can quote. They are just SO good. I can't help myself. Many of my books I have re-read up to 4 or 5 times, a couple more than that.

I blame my parents. They are the ones that just *had* to read to me when I was a child. And, if I recall correctly, they are the ones who insisted I have nap time, which did not necessarily consist of a nap. If I wasn't tired, I could read - I just had to stay on my bed and have a quiet hour. Oh, if they only knew then what that hour a day would turn me into as an adult - an addicted, quivering mess with no self-control whatsoever as soon as she steps foot in a bookstore. You should have known, Mom and Dad.

Thanks for listening and getting this off my chest. You have no idea how much this helped.

:)