Friday = VLOG Day!

I've finally done it! 

a

VLOG.

Before you press play, please forgive me for my "just got home from work" look. Also, make sure to turn your sound up now - you don't want to miss a snippet of some awesome Vampire Weekend!

 

"Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks

Maybe I've missed the boat somehow, but I just found out that Nicholas Sparks' newest book will be released in bookstores nationwide on September 14th!  "Safe Haven" sounds like a great love story, as is usual with Sparks' novels. 

I first got into Nicholas Sparks' books last summer. In fact, it was around this time last year that I decided to jump on the NS bandwagon.  All of my closest girl friends and female family members were completely smitten with Sparks' writing, and I didn't understand all of the fuss. I hate feeling out of the loop, so I spent my July 4th holiday weekend reading, then later watching, the super popular Nights in Rodanthe. I was hopelessly hooked!  Hopelessly hooked led to feverishly hooked, and by the end of the summer, I had read every single Nicholas Sparks novel, cried buckets of tears, and  diagnosed myself temporarily with every form of terminal illness that NS's characters suffered from - because there's almost always at least one important character that's sick and dying. I watched all of the movies, too - which, i.m.o., are nowhere as near as good as the books (I think most Nicholas Sparks fans will agree - just too much detail in the books to be covered in a screenplay!)  The movies were fun too, though - my favorite was the Notebook, followed by A Walk to Remember (which was a completely disgusting snotty nosed sobfest of an experience! Ugh... how heartbreaking!) 
I'll never forget my summer with Nicholas Sparks. There's just something cozy, calming, and heart warming about his writing - it's easy to understand, it flows well, and the books never take more than a few days to read.  I also love that his novels are set in N.C. - always so summery and romantic!  In celebration of finding out the news that his newest novel will be coming out in just two short months, along with the anniversary of my discovering the world of Nicholas Sparks, I present:

Steph's Nicholas Sparks Top 10

10. The Last Song (movie)

9. A Walk to Remember

8. Nights in Rodanthe

7. The Last Song

6. The Guardian

5. The Lucky One

4. Dear John

3. The Choice

2. The Wedding

1. The Notebook

So...any other Nicholas Sparks junkies out there?

P.S. Today, I'm linking up at Buzz on by Thursday, hosted by The Two Savvy Sisters and Fashionably Organized - Check their blogs out to get the rules, then play along and meet lots of new bloggers!

A Special Message for my Readers

I would like to say "thanks" to all of my readers: my blog followers, and those who stop by to read but aren’t bloggers themselves. I really super duper appreciate your interest!

If you’re stopping in today, please take some time to leave a comment with this post. I always love to know who’s reading, and what they’re thinking (the good, the bad, I’ll take it all!) I know I have tons of readers who aren’t bloggers themselves, and that’s perfectly fine – those of you who are visiting from Facebook can comment on my posts, too! I love your company just as much.

I love love LOVE new followers – I enjoy getting to know each of you, and your blogs are always entertaining. Go ahead… click “FOLLOW”! I promise I’ll provide you with some type of post at least a few days per week. If nothing else, my posts will always be “pretty”. Maybe not entertaining or up your alley, but pretty. But Pretty IS important, right?

Finally, to those who are thinking about starting your own blog, but are a little apprehensive about taking the leap: JUST DO IT.

I put myself out there for the world to get to know every single day – I have no shame (though I probably should at times) and I love to share. I have a huge creative outlet that could be detrimental to my health if I don’t utilize it – and that’s where my blog comes in. I feel there’s no sense in hiding – be who you are, and blog about something you love! Set aside a special time to prep each day – and enjoy. You don’t have to be the best writer, super tech savvy, or crazy creative – just go with it. It’s been great fun for me, and I’ve only been at it for three months!

Again, thanks for stopping by – and don’t forget to leave a comment! I know where you’re visiting from, thanks to my Feedjit Widget, and sometimes I can make a guess as to who you are, but make it easy for me, will ya? Leave me some LOVE! (I'm begging you!)