I always say I'm going to be better about tracking my workouts and the books that I read, and I've made feeble attempts in the past but never really stuck with it. Amber does these fun recaps every month that I love reading, and I'm hoping maybe I'll love writing them just as much as I love reading hers.

We'll try, and see how it goes.

SPORTS

The winter is definitely the off-season for me in terms of my rec league sports, but I am playing in a volleyball league this winter. Sadly I missed the first week with the stomach flu, so more on that to come later.

Also, the Terps opened Big Ten play this month.



We started out really strong, but lately we've been in a bit of a slump. Earlier this month we were as high as 9 in the coaches' poll. This week though we've dropped to 16 in the coaches' poll and 17 in the AP. Ick. We're still 18-4 and second place in the Big Ten, but I really hope we can put the brakes on this backslide.


Some of the game day crew

MILES

I was sick for a lot of January, so there wasn't a whole lot going on on the workout front.



I think I ran four times total all month and maybe did one spin class. Even though there weren't many of them, all my runs were with my running group, which was fun. I really like all the people in my running group, and it's an extra bit of motivation for the cold, dark, snowy winter nights.



BOOKS

I absolutely crushed it on the books front this month. I pretty much did nothing but read the first few weeks of the month before my classes started for the semester. I definitely slowed down by the end of the month, but still got through six books. Here's what I read and my brief reviews from Goodreads.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling
Loved this book. Love Mindy. Better than Bossypants and Yes Please. Such a good, fun read.

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
Fast read, and a good, though slightly predictable, storyline. Well-written and captivating characters. Also it will make you cry.

IF I Stay - Gayle Forman
I mainly picked this book up because I thought the movie trailer looked interesting. The book itself was OK. It was a quick and easy read, but not anything super fantastic.

The Unimaginable - Dina Silver
I've read one other book by Dina Silver and I really enjoyed it, and this book was no different. I thought the characters were likeable and relatable. Overall, another quick read that I couldn't really put down.

The Matchmaker - Elin Hilderbrand
I first discovered Elin Hilderbrand last summer on vacation at the beach and sort of fell in love with the stories she tells. The ending of this one was little bit predictable but I love these books because of the setting. Life in a small town sometimes seems kind of fun.

Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell
So many people have recommended Rainbow Rowell books to me, and this was the first one I read. Couldn't put this book down. Fell in love with the characters and as a result was really bummed by the way the book ended.

LOOKS

So since sickness was obviously the theme of January, I spent a lot of the month curled up in sweatpants. But when I wasn't sick, I wore a bunch of dresses.



I originally bought this dress for a friend's wedding, but I've worn it a bunch since (and apparently twice in January). Once on NYE and again at my uncle's wedding on Saturday.



Sweater dress, tights and boots. Pretty much my go-to work outfit during the winter months.



Another sweater dress, tights, boots outfit. Wore this for a friend's baby shower a few weeks ago.

ADDED BONUS

I realized I had a ton of pictures of the baby cousins on my phone, so I thought I'd share.


They're scary good with an iPhone


Heather just being cute


Me and Cameron at Heather's baptism


Our little Terps fans