Tag Archives: atozchallenge

Blogging From A to Z April Challenge Wrap-Up

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I really enjoyed doing this challenge, and it really was a challenge.  The most challenging thing about this was figuring out what to write for each letter.  Some letters were easier, while others required some more thought. Another challenge was commenting on other posts.  I tried to comment on posts that I could easily relate to.  I decided not to do a theme for this challenge, I thought it would be more fun to just do posts on somewhat random things.

My favorite part of the challenge was finding new blogs to follow.  It’s always fun finding new blogs where you love the content and can relate to most of it.  I found a lot of blogs using the pinned Facebook posts where bloggers commented the links to blogs for the corresponding letter.  I felt that this was a really good way to find other blogs.  My other favorite thing about the challenge was creating mini conversations when commenting on other blogs.

My only wish, is that more people commented on my posts along with liking them.  I really appreciated getting likes on my posts, however it would have been more helpful if people commented what they liked about my posts.  I’m definitely considering doing this challenge again next year, it was something fun and different.

Zodiac

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The Zodiac series has to be my new favorite book series. The books are written by Romina Russell. I have read and reviewed the first two, and I am impatiently waiting for the third book which will be published later in the year in December. The thing that I love about the books, is the world that Russell created. The books are set in outer space, and the world that Russell built is a world that I was able to put myself in. Romina Russell is definitely my new favorite author, and I can’t wait to read the third book.

Yellow

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Yellow is one of my favorite colors. It’s both bright and mellow. Sometimes just seeing the color yellow can make my mood a little better, if I’m in a bad mood. It’s one of those colors that has a calming effect. My favorite shades of yellow are lemon yellow, which is bright, and pale yellow, which is more mellow.  I don’t know what it is about yellow, but I just love it.

Xenophilius Lovegood

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Xenophilius Lovegood is the eccentric father of the equally eccentric Luna Lovegood. He and Luna were very supportive of Harry when no one else was. It was at the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur DeLacour, where Harry recognized the symbol of The Deathly Hallows. Xenophilius was wearing the symbol as a necklace.  While Xenophilius may be eccentric and out there, he played an important role in Harry’s realization that he did in fact posses two of the Hallows.

Whomping Willow

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The Whomping Willow is a tree from Harry Potter, and its name doesn’t lie either. The tree actually whomps people or objects that go anywhere near it. The tree has a secret, and it’s a really good one too. There is an opening at the bottom of the tree that is revealed when the knot at the base of the trunk is poked. The tree’s opening leads to the Shrieking Shack in the village of Hogsmeade. Readers of the books and those who have seen the movies, will remember that Harry and Ron flew Mr. Weasley’s Ford Anglia into it in The Chamber of Secrets. The Whomping Willow is one of my favorite magical things in the world of Harry Potter.

Villains

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Almost all great stories have villains. With Cinderella, it was the step mother and step sisters. The Little Mermaid had Ursula, The Lion King had Scar and the hyenas, and Sleeping Beauty had Maleficent. I could go on with Disney Villains, however there are many.  The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter had more than one villain. While villains aren’t good, they definitely add more to the movies and stories in many different ways. Movies and stories would be boring without the villains.

Professor Dolores Jane (Umbridge)

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Professor Dolores Umbridge,  the Hogwarts teacher that most everyone hates, yet understands that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would not be the same without her. She’s extremely harsh with her punishments, and pretty much taught the students nothing about the Defense Against the Dark Arts. She has an obnoxious obsession with cats and the color pink. She also has a lack of respect for other Hogwarts professors and for Dumbledore.  The lack of respect for Dumbledore was evident at the start of the term feast when she so rudely interrupted his speech.  I couldn’t stand her when I read the books, and then when I saw the fifth movie, I couldn’t stand her even more. She’s the one teacher that many have a love/hate relationship with when reading the books and watching the movies.

Tea

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Something that I drink everyday is tea, and usually it’s always iced. I even drink iced tea in the winter, it’s kind of a New England thing. If you’re ever in Boston, or anywhere in New England during the winter months, chances are you’ll come across someone drinking Dunkin iced. Dunkin iced, for those on the west coast, refers to both coffee and tea. I mostly make my own tea, however, I do love a double brewed iced green tea from Dunkins once in a while.

My favorite types of teas are green, white and herbal. I love a nice chai in the fall and winter, but when it comes to the spring and summer I love the fruity teas. There is one black tea I have found that I absolutely love. I don’t do too much to my tea to sweeten it either, every once in a while I’ll put a little bit of local honey or a tiny bit of raw organic turbinado sugar in my tea. The tiniest bit of sugar or honey adds just the right amount of sweetness.

There are types of teas that I don’t drink. I don’t drink those detox teas that celebrities are posing with all over Instagram and the Internet, and I don’t drink teas with high amounts of caffeine either. Those detox teas are so bad for you and I don’t believe any of the claims they make either. I only buy my tea from Teavana, David’s Tea and locally. I know I can trust those retailers when it comes to quality and quality of ingredients.

Spring

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I have a love/hate relationship with spring. I love that the weather starts getting warmer, and that it stays lighter later. However, there is one thing that I hate about spring, and that’s all the pollen. Due to the mild winter, I feel like pollen counts were high a lot earlier this year. I’m pretty sure I have another post about allergies and what I do for them, but if not I’ll draft one up and post it sometime next month.  Next month is asthma and allergy awareness month.

Reading

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Something that I love is reading. I try to find time everyday to read, because I find it relaxing. It’s something that I have always enjoyed. Recently, I have been reading a lot more historical fiction. With reading historical fiction, I have found that I’m thinking about and putting things in perspective in a different way. I also love how historical fiction looks at history differently and put things into context that may be easier to understand. I love reading books that make me think differently, no matter what the genre is.