The Sunday Post [23] & Talk Thirty to Me Giveaway!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News:

Today is my birthday! I'm officially 30! I know a lot of people struggle with this birthday, but I'm honestly okay with it. I love where I am in life right now, and my family is amazing. I'm so thankful to be spending today with my children. This weekend has been full of birthday celebrations, but today is about me and my monsters. We're going to play board games, do puzzles, paint with our feet, and just enjoy the day. At some point we need to grocery shopping, but I've already promised them water balloons. It's going to be great!

On Friday, my childhood best friend and I went to Six Flags. We reconnected recently (our fathers have kept in touch), and decided to celebrate our birthdays together (hers was on the 28th). I learned something while riding on roller coasters for the first time in years... I'm too old to ride roller coasters, haha. They made me dizzy, and were way more terrifying than I remembered. Six Flags has changed a lot over the years, too. There are new rides (ohmygodstheywereinsane), and old favorites were broken or no longer active. The lines were short (rode Batman back-to-back without getting off), and I don't know if that was a good thing or not. I needed more of a break between rides! Despite my body and mind screaming that it was a horrible idea, we had a lot of fun. 

Brooke made our shirts! Talk Thirty to Me!

After spending a few hours at Six Flags, we went to Green Door Public House and ordered food (veggie burger with fries) and drinks (margarita and a jolly rancher shot) while we waited for our Haunted Pub Tour to start. The guide shared ghost stories and historical facts about some of the buildings in Downtown Dallas. Apparently, there is a fan that moves on its own, even though there's no power connected to it any more. She also showed us where Lee Harvey Oswald was killed (it's being turned into a law office or law school), talked about Bonnie and Clyde, and various other things! It was a blast. Karaoke will not be discussed, haha. 

My mom was nice enough to stay the night with the kids, but my son still woke up when I got home and told me how much he'd missed me. I love my kids! It's not often that I leave them for more than an hour or two, and my son starting school is already making me cry.

The next day, my mom and I went to a spa and spent about two hours there getting massages and facials. We also steamed for about half an hour, but I didn't think to bring a book. What are you supposed to do while you sit there?? The actual massage was fantastic, although my mom fell asleep about halfway through hers (according to the masseuse). They had to come and get me after my massage, because they were having trouble waking her up after hers, haha. She was in a deep sleep, and it took me a full minute to wake her up. I videoed all of this of course, and sent it to my father so he could have a good laugh over it.

When I got home after my morning at the spa, my kiddos and my second set of parents (they've been like family forever) had this waiting for me: 

They excitedly told me they were the ones responsible for putting candles into the cookies. Naturally, I let my monsters blow them out, too. Everyone was happy, and the cookies were delicious! 

Moving on to my husband... his gifts arrived on Friday, and I absolutely love them! 

This plant is called a Pink Quill and it's lovely. The chocolate covered Oreos are mmmsogood! The tricky part is keeping the kids from eating all of them, haha (and me from devouring them all at once). The elephant currently resides in the bathroom, until I can convince Arcee (my son's cat) not to eat the leaves. 

That's it for my birthday news! Like I said earlier, I'm spending today with my kids, and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate my birthday. My son jumped on me as soon as he woke up this morning and screamed, "Happy Birthday, Mama!" I don't think I've stopped smiling. 

Previous week on the blog:

Sunday: The Sunday Post [22]

Monday: Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox, #2) by Julie Kagawa ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

Tuesday: Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer ⋆⋆⋆⋆

Wednesday: My Weekly Pull [76] & Can't Wait Wednesday [46]

Thursday: Chilly da Vinci by Jarrett Rutland ⋆⋆

Friday: Q [10] Do you want people to point out the flaws in your reviews?

Saturday: Nothing!

What I'm currently reading:

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha, #1) by Tomi Adeyemi

The Looking Glass Wars (The Looking Glass Wars, #1) by Frank Beddor 

Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer, #1) by Maxym M. Martineau 

I'm halfway through the audiobook for Children of Blood and Bone and loving it! I think it's going to expire before I can finish it (again), so you'll probably see this book pop back up in 14-18 weeks, haha. I might actually buy it before then, so I can finish it sooner.

I've read The Looking Glass Wars before, but never finished this series. I thought I would read it to my kids at night, but it's way too violent. I forgot that Alyss is in her twenties when she returns to Wonderland, so the content isn't for children. I've been reading it on my own though, and I'm nearly finished with it!

Kingdom of Exiles is fantastic so far. I've only met Inky, but I'm curious what other beasts we're going to see throughout the story. Noc is an enigma, and I'm really curious about his past. Who was he before Cruor?

What I plan on reading next:

 Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury, #2) by Tracy Banghart

Please Send Help (I Hate Everyone But You, #2) by Gaby Dunn, Allison Raskin

I'm really excited about starting all three of these! Are any of them on your TBR?

What I'm watching:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the only show I'm watching at the moment, although not very often. I haven't had time this week! 

Challenge updates:

Audiobook Challenge: 27 / 30+

Beat the Backlist Challenge: 41 / 100
Discussion Challenge: 5 / 11-20

Goodreads Challenge: 201 / 500

Talk Thirty to Me Giveaway:

One winner will receive a book of their choice (up to $25) from Amazon or The Book Depository, depending on where you live. For a list of some of my favorites, click here.

Giveaway Rules:

This giveaway officially starts on June 30, 2019 and ends on July 14, 2019 (two weeks!). The winner will be announced on July 15, 2019 on this post within the Rafflecopter form, and also notified by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose another winner (read my full giveaway policy here).

International entries are okay as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Click here to check!

To enter – simply fill out the Rafflecopter form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway