Currently ... linking-up vol.4

Reading.....  Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes - just started this morning.  I was one of the few that didn't love You, but I liked it enough to want to read this.

Watching......  The Voice Australia.  It's the blind auditions time.  We have different coaches, and this season, we've lost my favorite coach, Ricky Martin...and I'm not gonna lie...I'm sadder about this than I should be over a silly singing competition show.

Listening..... to The Armchair Librarians podcast; right now; as I type this; I'm listening to Steph and Jana talk books.  They are on iTunes now, and I was overjoyed the were on Australia iTunes too.

Noticing..... that the "unfollow" option on facebook sure does come in handy during an election year.

Juggling.....  book challenges; I've repeatedly admitted my love of the book challenge; I've quietly snuck in another one to the mix, and you can read about it under the page tab: USA Reading Roadtrip

Feeling.....  slightly terrified; I wrote a "letter to the editor" (first time for that) divulging some personal details with it to my area newspaper back home; they want to ask me a few questions before "going public" with it, and I'm supposed to speak to the editor in the next day or two.  Honestly, I'm worried about getting trolls and being slut-shamed.  I'm mentally preparing for it.

Appreciating...... that my young cousin can be sitting in a piano bar in Vegas, hears the beginning of "Livin' on a Prayer", and sends it to me in snapchat telling me she loves and misses me.  I'm not going to lie.  I like that there is a song and band that causes people that I love to think of me.

Sharing.....  this story: Mourning Minnesota's Prince; Kati Rose gives us a personal view from a blogger, a music fan, and a Minnesota native what it has been like celebrating and honoring their purple son.

Losing my mind.....  over this news story.  A mentally-challenged teenage girl had reported to her school that her step-father impregnated her.  That is terrible enough.  The most vile aspect is yet to come.  Days later, she was found dead in her partially burned home with her throat slit and uterus removed.  I can't stop thinking about this girl.  There is a special place in hell for those people that did this to her.  (I can't even call them parents.)  Her mother and step-father are both in custody.  My mind has been racing with many cruel and unusual punishments that I hope they face.  Humans are capable of inhumane things.  This is one of the worst stories I've ever heard, and my heart is crushed for the teenager that I never knew (and her sister that allegedly was subject to repeated sexual abuse as well.)

Planning..... on my Monday (USA Sunday) to have a virtual viewing party with an old friend of mine from junior high and high school.  We've never done this before, but we're going to try to watch Grease 2 simultaneously and chat (and sing) our way through it.  She lost her mother only a couple of months ago, and Mother's Day is sad for me when I'm living so far away from my mom.  So, this friend and I planned to cheer ourselves up with this silly (and fantastic) idea.  In case you are wondering why we choose Grease 2 over the original, just read this.

Reflecting..... I don't even know how to write this without it being too incredibly depressing, but cancer sucks, and childhood cancer sucks more, and it is depressing.  I have a friend from college...we lived together for a year and were on our college dance team together.  She is a beautiful person inside and out.  She and her husband have a young son and daughter.  Her son, after being cancer-free for several months, has two brain tumors that have recently been detected.  They were advised to contact hospice and devise a plan with them.  Instead, they are traveling to another state this week to enroll in a treatment trial.
I can't imagine.  Their story has served as another reminder to me that we all have battles and struggles, and some are much, much tougher than others.  I am reminded to share my love and appreciation with those that matter to me most.  Life is a gift.  I should never forget that.  I've had this family in my constant thoughts and prayers for the last week.  If you are a praying kind, say a silent one for "Sawyer".

Leaving..... you with a few memes that I've enjoyed lately, since I've hit you with some heavy stuff in this post:

For my Def Leppard blogger buddies:

Linking..... with Kristen and Gretchen: