Last month, we took our first European vacation as a family of three. Before we had kids, we knew we wanted to figure out how to keep going on adventures together, but I'll be honest, long flights and jetlag with a toddler made me more than a little nervous.

But when a travel deal hit my inbox for direct flights to Madrid for $350, I knew we had to snatch them up. We have a friend living there, and it seemed crazy not to leap at the chance to go visit. 

So we bought tickets and travel insurance (because LOL toddler illness), and found an amazing 1-bedroom apartment in the heart of Madrid that provided a crib and had a kitchen and a washer and dryer (because toddler messes), and off we went. 

We had an overnight flight on the way there, and while I can never sleep on planes, I was really hoping the overnight flight, white noise from the plane and the fact that our kid could lay across the seats, would combine to create a decent environment for sleep. But alas, the excitement of being on a flight and all the new things were too much! We only got two hours of child sleep on the way there and one hour on the way back. The flights were 7.5ish hours on the way over and 9ish on the way back. So that was a lot of switching activities for entertainment.

Luckily, between the books and toys we packed and watching the plane's path on the seat back screen we had all the entertainment he needed. I had been so worried about the long time needing to be still, but it really wasn't an issue. 

When we landed in Madrid, it took us a long time to get from the plane, through customs, to our luggage to finally, finally the Metro to take us to our hotel. It was definitely trying all of our patience, and I'm sure the exhaustion didn't help. 

But we made it eventually, dropped off our luggage, and set out to walk around the city and find some food before we could officially check-in. 

For me, this is the hardest part of any European trip -- needing to power through with no sleep until you can collapse into bed later. 

We had planned a very mellow day, not knowing how any of us would respond to the travel. 

Luckily the weather in Madrid was beautiful. Sunny and in the low 50s. We took a long meandering walk around the city, stopping to view the Christmas trees in Puerto del Sur and Plaza Mayor. 

We grabbed a snack in a food hall that was just opening its doors for the day. 

And we popped into some churches and bought cookies from cloistered nuns. 

We made our way over toward the Royal Palace and the massive cathedral right next door. 

During all this walking and pushing the stroller around, we thought for sure our kiddo would fall asleep. But no luck, so we made a stop at a playground to let him run around a bit. 

While we were on the west side of the city, I had hoped to check out the artwork in the church where Goya is buried, but it was under construction. So we strolled over to the Temple de Debod, and somewhere around there we had a sleeping toddler in the stroller. 

It was 1 p.m. Spain time. Ben and I stopped to get paella for lunch before checking into the hotel. 

After getting settled, we made a quick grocery run for some basics, took much needed showers and we all passed out -- until about midnight, when the jetlag hit us all. We were up for about three hours with a toddler running around the apartment. After letting him burn some energy, we redid bedtime and got him back to sleep, and Ben and I quickly passed out again ourselves. 

That was the only night our kid had jetlag issues. I had been really nervous that we'd struggle with this throughout the whole trip, but we never did. We let ourselves sleep in a bit the following morning, and after that, we adapted to a pretty solid schedule that worked for us and for Spain's traditionally late dinner times.

Most days, we slept in until 8 or 8:30, nap time was in the stroller or back at the apartment depending on our day between 2 and 3 p.m. Woke up from nap time around 4:30 or 5 and that set us up for an afternoon that better aligned with Spanish dinner time. Kiddo bedtime was sometime between 8:30 and 9. It all worked surprisingly well. 

We had a great week doing a mix of tourism, visiting our friend and a mix of many playgrounds. More to come on our daily adventures, but overall this trip went better than I could have ever hoped, and it boosted my confidence we can go on more adventures like this in the future. 

For nearly two decades, I ran in a moderate stability shoe. Through multiple fittings and foot analyses over the years, I was always directed to the same type of shoe, and in fact, I became a brand loyalist swearing by my Mizuno Wave Inspires (this post is from 2012 lol). 

I ran four marathons and countless half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks and all the training miles that go into those races wearing the same shoe style. 

And then I got pregnant, and my feet changed. 

First I thought it was just a sizing thing. So I bumped up a half size, and then another half size. And that seemed to help in my running shoes. 

But I also wore a pair of custom running inserts in my non-running shoes because it makes them so much more comfortable to walk around in. Because my arch had flattened some and my feet had lengthened, my custom inserts no longer fit. 

It had been on my to-do list forever to get a new pair if insoles made, and finally during my time off in between jobs, I had the chance to do it.

I went over to Road Runner Sports for a new foot analysis to get properly sized insoles. My plan was to just get the insoles. I didn't need new running shoes. My current pair were in fine shape. 

But then the analysis came back showing something unexpected. Not only had my foot gotten longer, my pronation wasn't really a thing anymore. I was shocked. Nearly 20 years needing the same style shoe, I just assumed it's what I would always need. 

I think my mouth was literally hanging open in the running store because I was so surprised. The tech I was working with told me this actually wasn't uncommon. While we waited for the insoles to finish setting, I tried on several pairs of neutral running shoes. He pulled a ton of different models and styles. 

I tried on my very first pair of Hokas. I know so many people who love them, but they weren't for me. I really liked a pair of Brooks and a pair of Ascics that I tried. Running around the store in them felt so good. 

I ended up walking out of the store with my new insoles and a pair of Asics Novablasts. 

I've been running in the new shoes for about two months now, and I cannot believe how quickly I've adapted to neutral running shoes. My feet feel weirdly free to move in a more comfortable way. The only thing I noticed the day after my first run is that my ankle tendons and muscles were a little tired -- probably from working a bit harder to stabilize me without the aid of the stability shoes. 

But that was a one time thing, and now if I slide into a pair of my old shoes just to go for a quick walk I really notice the difference. It's almost uncomfortable and feels like something is pushing my heel in a funny direction. 

I will be curious how things go longer term with neutral shoes, especially given my injury history because of my loose joints (and spending months and months in PT leading up to and during the early parts of my pregnancy to help build stability in my legs).  

This has been a year so far, and honestly with everything going on reading, running and blogging clearly all took a back seat. 

I've really struggled to focus on reading this year.  There were some months in the late winter and early spring, where I think I may have only read a book or two the entire month. I'd pick things up and just not be able to get into them, even if it was a genre I normally liked. I had so many DNFs, so many holds lapse at the library. My concentration and focus just wasn't there. 

There was one series that really grabbed my attention though and held it, and that was the Inheritance Games. I tore through those books (and highly recommend if you read them you have them all at once because each book stops in the middle of the story, and I know from experience waiting on the hold list at the library for the next one is super annoying). 

Of the books I did finish, I had a lot of three stars. And some if it I can't tell if it was me and the mood I was in or if it was actually the book itself. So take the three star ratings here with a grain of salt. 

Ok, enough preamble, here are the actual books I've read through June. 

Five stars

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've spent the last few months in the world of the Inheritance Games, and they were the most fun books I've read in a long time. Compelling characters, fun puzzles and lots of good twists and turns. Can't recommend these books enough, but be forewarned, they end in cliff-hangers, so have the next book in the series ready to go if you're impatient to know what happens next like me.

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've spent the last few months in the world of the Inheritance Games, and they were the most fun books I've read in a long time. Compelling characters, fun puzzles and lots of good twists and turns. Can't recommend these books enough, but be forewarned, they end in cliff-hangers, so have the next book in the series ready to go if you're impatient to know what happens next like me.

The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've spent the last few months in the world of the Inheritance Games, and they were the most fun books I've read in a long time. Compelling characters, fun puzzles and lots of good twists and turns. Can't recommend these books enough, but be forewarned, they end in cliff-hangers, so have the next book in the series ready to go if you're impatient to know what happens next like me.

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A whodunit where the house is a main character and each chapter makes you think the victim or the killer could be them. The Briar House is a woman's boarding house in DC and the grouchy landlady has strict rules all her guests must follow. But a new and mysterious arrival rocks the boat a little bit, introducing weekly dinners in her tiny room and building relationships with each person.

I loved this book. Each chapter introduces you to one of the women, and the other people in there lives. And each time you meet and understand someone new, you learn a bit more about who could be the victim and the killer. So good, a true Kate Quinn classic.

Four stars

Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Karen McManus and her YA thrillers! This one was about a mother-daughter jewelry heist. It had a lot of twists and turns, and though I guessed the ultimate ending I still found I couldn’t put this down, despite a few plot points I didn’t love.

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m not quite sure how I liked this book so much even though I despised most (all?) of the characters. I loved the way this book took a singular event and looked how it seriously and truly messed up every member of a single family.

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a lovely mix of nostalgia and getting to know the early parts of Kelly Bishop’s career. I loved the parts about Gilmore Girls and Bunheads, and I found the parts about her early dancing career fascinating. What a great book to spend a cold winter weekend curled up with.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book because it felt like everyone was talking about it. I've never really watched any of the Barefoot Contessa shows, but I found it really interesting to learn about Ina Garten's life and how she found her way into the food world.

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the bridge book in the Inheritance Games series. It's told from two of the brothers' perspectives and introduces a cast of new characters that will appear in the Grandest Game series. I enjoyed this book, but it definitely wasn't quite as compelling as the books in the original series. It took me a little bit longer to get going with it, but eventually it picked up, and I enjoyed it.

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked the premise of this book, and I liked new characters being a focus of the Hawthorne world, but I'd read it back to back to back with the original Inheritance Games books, and this one just didn't live up to those. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, and because it ended in a cliff-hanger I'm still planning to read the next book when it comes out this summer. But I had a bit of harder time with the many POVs in this book, and the number of POVs didn't match the number of players in the game so I felt like I kept getting people confused -- especially Lyra. I couldn't remember who she was or why exactly she was important. I think I needed a little more development of some of these characters in this book, but because I'm a sucker for mysteries, I'm going to stick with it until the next book.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R. Austin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was dark, but also at times really funny. The main character is an atheist and a lesbian and when she heads to a Catholic church that advertises therapy, she somehow ends up employed there as a receptionist. She learns a bit more about her predecessor and discovers she might have been murdered. She's curious and suspicious of several people at the church. A very different book, but I actually really liked it.

Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun and cute look behind some of the moments that are mentioned in many of the Inheritance Games books. These have been some of the only books landing for me lately, so it was nice to get a deeper look at some of the characters in these short stories.

Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'd fallen off the wagon with the Kate Burkholder books, and reading this one reminding me why I love them so much. The plot here is fast-moving and I never wanted to set this book down. I started it on a Sunday and finished it the next day. In this case, Kate is asked to go undercover to in a different Amish community to help investigate a series of strange events. While I picked up on a few of the plot points, I appreciated the change of location and cast of characters in this book. It was nice to mix it up. My only real complaint now that I've read 8 of these is that I think there's a bit of a tell toward the end of the books. Kate always puts herself in some dangerous situation because she's convinced herself there's no other way and then without fail comes incredibly close to death, but manages to just barely avoid it. Other than that trope becoming a bit repetitive, I still love these books.

Three stars

Main Character Energy by Jamie Varon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was cute, though slightly predictable, and I struggled with some of the plot points or gaps. When the main character's aunt dies, she inherits her sprawling mansion in France as well as the secretive writers retreat she runs there -- if she agrees to stay for a certain amount of time. The main character's self-loathing at times was a lot. I really wanted to like her, but sometimes she drove me nuts, and I just wanted to shake her and be like girl, get it together.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I kept waiting for the payout in this book. Why did the main character's attic suddenly become magical and start sending her husbands? If she was annoyed with one, she could send him up to the attic and a new one would come down. I kept reading and reading hoping to find out why, but the author never tells you. It's just this weird thing that happened and that the main character has to navigate now. I found it a bit repetitive at parts, and really felt like we were lacking plot.

The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three friends in college and thrown together by a tragedy, and they make a pact to never let each other down. So years later when one of them needs the others, they fly to her side. They plan a three city travel spree to help her recover. One of the characters was incredibly grating the entire book, but it was a nice escapist book for characters trying to find themselves.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another mystery that was slow to unfold. Set after World War I, Maisie is a private investigator. Her first case is to investigate a presumed affair, which leads her to a group of soldiers that came back from the war with serious injuries. Many who have gone to a retreat have died, and Maisie expects not from natural causes.

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