As a lifelong perfectionist, the thought of writing this first post has long terrified me. (Yes – even before I set up this blog.) How could I even begin to
think of beginning such an undertaking if I didn’t have everything planned out?
And then, my life entered a state of flux. Exciting and amazing and intimidating upheaval even. This summer (a treasured time of year for teachers like myself and my husband) has been taken over by three things: 1. starting to run again after a self-imposed two month break, 2. reading all of the books I possibly can before school starts again, and 3. selling/packing/shipping all of our things in anticipation of moving to California with the knowledge that I do not currently have teaching job lined up. While the second one of those items is a constant every summer, the other two have certainly added unexpected challenges already and will no doubt continue to do so. And so, this post – and this blog in general – could most easily be categorized as:
RUNNING. READING. LIFE.
1. Running has been a part of my life since I was twelve years old and started running 
the 800m as a member of my middle school’s track team. I ran middle distance with a couple of years of cross country thrown in until I graduated high school, at which point – primarily as the result of negative experiences with a coach – I decided that I hated running. While at Appalachian State University for college, I might have run a handful of times for “fun,” but it was anything but. Luckily, finding my way into teaching led me into coaching track and cross country and back to that long-lost love. At this point, I have coached one or both of those sports for the last twelve years and have spent the majority of my summer mornings during that time waking up before the sun to meet my teams for practice.
Fast foward to this summer. I have resigned at the school where I have taught and coached for the last decade and have mornings to myself. As much as I hated hearing that alarm go off while coaching, I loved getting my runs done early and watching the girls improve with every day as I did the same alongside them. It’s just a tad more difficult to get up and run without knowing that there are twenty or so teenagers waiting for me at one of the local parks, and as of this morning’s three mile run, I have only been back to running for ten days. Since I had been training consistently with a great coach for about fifteen months prior to my recent break, to say this is a humbling experience would be an understatement.
If you’d like to keep up with my runs specifically, please follow me on Strava!
2. I am a loud and proud book nerd. I don’t care if it sounds like an exaggeration to say so – books have provided me more enjoyment over the course of my life than I can explain here. (So I won’t even try.) Suffice to say, I have 
loved books since I learned what they are and will never cease to be grateful for the authors who have transported me over the years and those who continue to do so.
Between my undying devotion to the written word and the fact that I have been a high school English teacher for the last thirteen years, people are constantly asking me to declare my favorite book, and… there is never going to be an answer to this question for me. Too many books have spoken to me, forced my eyes open, made me laugh out loud, caught me off guard, changed my way of thinking – and continue to do so – for me to choose just one (or even ten). That being said, I love sharing books with students, recommending them to friends, and trying those pieces loved by others, and my summers are prime reading time for me. I can promise no spoilers on this blog whenever I discuss something I’ve read (because really, isn’t that the worst when someone ruins the end of a book or movie!?), but you can always feel free to reach out to me personally if you have additional questions on any book I review here. I just finished my third novel (Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi) of the summer thus far, so I will already have plenty to discuss in my very next post!
3. Did I mention that my husband and I are in the midst of preparing to move across the country? And that we are systematically (more or less) selling or shipping all of our 
things so that we can road trip our way from Georgia to California with our two white
German Shepherds – a pair of twelve and a half year old brothers named Roman and Zeus? And that while my husband has secured a teaching job there and we are lucky enough to have amazing family willing to house us at first (Kyle and Dan – we love you!), I am still searching for an English teaching job?
Well, that is exactly what is happening. Don’t misunderstand – we are thrilled to be making this move, as it fits right in with the vow we made at the end of last year to treat 2017 as the #yearofadventure (Yes, I used a hashtag there. Ask my cross country runners, I just can’t help myself sometimes…). We are moving south of San Francisco to a town that is gorgeous and feels like the perfect place to enjoy the outdoors and to be less preoccupied with the hectic lifestyle
to which we have grown accustomed over the last several years. But as the time to actually hit the road looms close and a job hasn’t materialized for me, the “planner” side of my personality has gotten understandably anxious about things. Needless to say, our journey to the West Coast and subsequent escapades will also make appearances here as everything unfolds and we start to settle in to our new home.
So there you have it: a little bit of me as well as a taste of what’s to come here on The Running Bibliophile. Let’s see where the adventures and ramblings take us….
The Running Bibliophile 