I went out of town again! This week, I flew to Louisiana to visit two of my best friends from Semester at Sea. One of them attends LSU, so she asked me and another friend to come in for the Alabama game. But REWIND – First, I won a matchup in fantasy football for the first time in weeks! Then, my sister realized she never requested an absentee ballot, so I drove us both home for Election Day so she could vote. I laid in bed with the puppy and went to Target with my mom. Now back to my trip, I flew out Thursday and I’ll get back this afternoon. LSU is so different than UK, and it was so fun to experience every second. We tailgated, got Raising Cane’s at the first ever location, and walked around campus to just see everything. Now into our weekly routine, the REPORT!

Reading – This week was a library filled reading week. I just kept getting books off hold, and I found myself a bit all over the map, making Kindle reads my go-to. I read the recently released sequel to House on the Cerulean Sea, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. I loved the first book and I was so excited to read the second one. Somewhere Beyond the Sea was so cute and just a great story about love, family, and belonging but in a magical setting. The second book was Wisteria, the final book in the Belladonna trilogy. Belladonna is a gothic fantasy series focused around a magic system we just keep learning more about. Definitely one of those you think you know what’s going to happen and you are wrong every time. My third book of the week was Emily Wilde’s Map of the Overlands, the follow up to Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. This book helped me reach my Goodreads Yearly Goal and was my 125th of the year. The first book in this soon-to-be trilogy was just such a great escape and such a unique idea.

Eating – SInce I got to go home on Tuesday, my dad pulled out all the stops and made us Chicken Florentine. He found the recipe here and we add pasta to the dish for the necessary carbs :). This meal is just so fresh and comforting to me, especially because my entire family was eating together.

Playing – Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department album is so special to me, not only because I love the music, but because I listened to it for the first time on my SAS voyage with all my SAS friends. Because of that, I listen to it right before going to visit them just because it brings me joy. Also, Riley Green and Ella Langley’s new song (found here) just really scratches an itch in my brain.

Obsessing – Something about matching pajama sets just makes me feel like I have my life together. I just found a new super soft set at TJ Maxx and I am loving it. I just feel put together and so much calmer during my night routine because I am not in my ratty pjs from 7th grade.

Recommending – My reading hobby gets expensive if I’m not careful, so today’s recs are some ways to beat the system and read for cheaper.

• Libby is the app my library utilizes for digital books and audiobooks. You can have 5 books at once and 8 books on hold. I utilize Libby for a lot of my “out of comfort zone reads” so there’s no pressure if I don’t end up liking it. I also use it for a lot of new releases, specifically the ones that I want to read but am in no rush to, because I don’t really like hardcovers and new release Kindle prices are CRAZY.
• @whatkelseysreading is one of my favorite Instagram accounts. She posts about the Kindle daily/monthly deals every single day. My rule for myself is I can buy anything on my TBR as long as they are $1.99 or less. You’d be shocked how good some of the sales are!

Treating – I think the travel I have been doing is such a treat. I love seeing new places with my favorite people and always having something to look forward to. I am already planning out 2025 and I definitely have way more plans than my budget can handle. Oh well! Goals for next year travel-wise are Italy, Denver, NYC, Disney World, and an all-inclusive resort in Mexico.