10/12/2021 0 Comments Spooky Season Kicks Off With A Bang It's officially spooky season and already over one week in, the 2021 season is one for the books. Shockingly, it's not because of a ravenous global pandemic that seems to have wiped rationality and common sense from the brains of many. Instead, the planetary alignment at the present time is to blame. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the final Mercury retrograde of 2021 and everything is screwed up.
If you're not into horoscopes or zodiac signs or anything like that, you're probably saying, "What is Mercury retrograde and why do I care?" Allow me a minute of your time to explain. Mercury retrograde occurs three times a year and during each period, there are more likely to be events like the following:
Each Mercury retrograde is in a different sign and this time around, the lucky winner is the air sign Libra. What does this mean? The planet Venus rules Libra. Venus is the planet of art, money, and creation. As a result, you could experience a lower cashflow especially if your work is dependent on technology. Venus is also the planet of love if any of you are familiar with roman mythology. While the above can and most likely will happen, the main focus of this retrograde season is relationships and even the smallest interaction isn't safe from evaluation. Communication between these relationships will be at the forefront. You may find yourself thinking more about how you communicate with everyone in your life from family to friends to co-workers and how to make that communication better if need be. Not only will you be thinking about how you can potentially communicate better but your active communication will get interesting. You may end up speaking before thinking more times than not and your words may be viewed more as a weapon while mercury is in retrograde. So how do you get through it? Take your time and double-check everything. Do. Not. Rush. Also, and please don't take offense to this, consider just shutting up for a little bit. After all, staying silent is a whole lot better than putting words out there you can't take back. Take this time and reflect so you can be ready for whatever the universe wants to throw out next. You have all of my best wishes that you survive this trying time with your sanity intact. Happy haunting!
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9/23/2021 0 Comments Caroline's Book ClubHappy book club day! This seems to be a reader favorite which is great because it's also my favorite thing to write every month. Over the summer I read a lot of cool books and this list is full of most of those. I felt like the only good way to usher in a new season was to recap my favorite stories from the previous one! This month's top five follows no theme. There's some romance, mystery, self-discovery, comedy, a little bit of everything, really. Hopefully you'll find one that peaks your interests! Let's dig into September's picks!
#5: The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell Personally, I love stories that take place internationally. There's just something so cool about imagining a place you've never been to or hope to visit eventually. Plus, it adds to the drama. I think most can agree that Europe is a much more interesting place then, I don't know? Ohio? The Lost Carousel of Provence takes place in Paris and follows a photographer from California as she sets out to rebuild her life following tragedy. Throughout the story, the narrative changes from present day to the early 1900s as a chateau's past shed's light on a mystery that's spanned a century: the lost carousel and what exactly led to its removal from history and memory. #4: The Dating Plan by Sara Desai Ok, I'm not going to lie. I've been getting into romance novels. Now don't go getting any ideas. Thrillers are still my ultimate favorite. I mean, just wait until you see some of the titles I've been considering for October. However, I've noticed that after the last year, while I still love the goriness, mystery, and suspense, sometimes you need an infusion of joy to balance out the doom and gloom. This book accomplishes just that. The storyline is as follows. Girl has prying family. Girl needs fiancée to get said family to leave her alone. Enter very attractive, rich guy. Who is also her brother's best friend. Who she also crushed on as a teenager. Who stood her up at prom. Who then disappeared from her life forever. Cue the fake romance plan. Cue the feelings. Cue the drama. You get the point. The gist of all these short sentences? You NEED to read this book. You'll thank me later. #3: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid This book is, I think, the best summer-set book I read. It's got the drama, the romance, the lovable characters, all set against the backdrop of sunny Malibu. Taking place over one day, the novel follows four siblings long-ago abandoned by their father. Unbeknownst to them, the decisions they make one fateful August night will set the path for the rest of their lives and quite literally cause everything to go up in smoke. #2: A Million Junes by Emily Henry If I could sum this novel up in one sentence, it would be: the modern day Romeo and Juliet without all the death...in the traditional sense. Super cryptic, I know but that's the fun of this post at least for me. I don't have to tell you everything. Just enough to drive you crazy and get you hooked until the only remedy is to go out and buy the book yourself. I'm terrible and you're welcome! #1: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner This book actually shocked me but in a totally amazing way. I was expecting a suspenseful mystery and yes, that happened but there was also so much more. It's especially interesting that the setting is modern day London but then the perspective switches and you're transported back to London as it was in the late 1790s. The story seems to be a mystery at the surface but once you peel back the layers, it displays friendship, loss, broken marriages, betrayal, acceptance, joy, heartache, learning, and growth. I came to appreciate the story for the way that it showed that time connects us all and no one is ever truly lost to history. That's a wrap on this month's book club! I love each and every one of these books for different reasons and I hope I passed some of that appreciation onto you. I'll see you in October for some positively spook-tacular reads that are sure to keep you up at night. Have a great start to your fall season and have a fabulous day! 9/20/2021 0 Comments FabFitFun Fall UnboxingChanging seasons bring lots of fun things! New wardrobes, a new menu at Starbucks, the joy of changing all your decor to match the upcoming holidays, and so much more! I love all those things but my most anticipated activity each season is getting my FabFitFun box. If you've been around for awhile, my obsession with this is nothing new. If you're new here, I'm about to change your life. This box is quite honestly my favorite thing in the world. It comes jam-packed with products that would normally cost a fortune and you get to pick every single item in the box. There's tons of different things to pick from so no one box ever looks the same. Let's dive into mine!
#1: Amika:™ The Kure Bond Repair Shampoo & Conditioner Bundle I am so glad I ended up picking this! Haircare is something I've always had an issue with. My hair has a lot going on and I've never been able to find the one product that deals with it all without having to sacrifice something. Not only does this Amika duo smell glorious but my hair is stronger, retains volume, and is growing back in places that I've lost ( thanks stress :) ). #2: COACH Open Circle Necklace And Tea Rose Stud Set Ok, I have to admit, I don't have much to say on this. I just haven't gone anywhere to warrant the wearing of jewelry. However, just by looking at it, I'm obsessed. It's neutral but just enough to add an element of fun/chicness to any outfit. Stay tuned over the weekend. Maybe you'll get some Homecoming photos. #3: PATTERN Beauty Curl Gel This fall, haircare was a major necessity item. After the heat and humidity of the summer, then going into the cooler months, my hair needs a little extra love and attention. I've used this gel a few times this month and am pleasantly surprised at the outcome. You put it in after you shower while your hair is still wet, then pretty much go about your day. I have naturally curly hair but I've never done anything to enhance them or support them between washes or anything like that. Lately, however, I've been using this after every shower and my curls have maintained their shape, texture, volume, all the things! I feel like I can actually enjoy them now because not only are they staying longer but the frizziness has been reduced, which is one of my biggest hair annoyances. #4: Cocus Pocus Buffalo Check Baseball Cap I'm not normally a hat person but I decided to switch things up in this box. It's a grey plaid pattern which I thought would look nice with a multitude of outfits as a contrast to bright, bold colors that come with fall fashion! Plus, it's also kind of cute and actually fits my head nicely. #5: Voesh Pedicure In A Box Duo - Pumpkin Spice Again, this is another one I can't say much on because I have yet to use it. Basically, it's a four step pedicure that's supposedly the easiest at-home pedicure you'll ever try. I'm hopeful for this one but am crossing my fingers that there are no negative skin reactions. I'll post updates in the next couple of days. Be on the look out! #6 & 7: BEAUTY PAPIER & MakeupDrop™ Bundle Another set of winners in the final box choices! I love both of these for a variety of reasons. The MakeupDrop is actually a beauty blender (helps apply makeup, like foundation or powders) and my last one ended up in a toxic waste pile, it was so gross. The BEAUTY PAPIER is a shower gel and smells absolutely heavenly. Although, if you're sensitive to smells, I would steer away because it's very strong. But if you love something that comes together to smell like cupcakes, go for it! That's all for this season's box! See you here again to take a look at the winter box! -Caroline 6/1/2021 0 Comments Happy (Almost) SummerToday and tomorrow we're taking finals and then we're officially done! I'm very excited if you can't tell because it's been a very long year. First, all the COVID restrictions and then we moved mid-semester so to say I'm ready for a break is a bit of an understatement. But I've got some minor bumps in the road this summer because I'm having surgery in two weeks. It's nothing major but not how I'd want to spend the majority of my month. They're replacing my pump which I've already had done once and then they're also going to be doing a muscle release on my left arm at the same time. There are two major muscles in your arms and one of mine happens to be very tight, so they're going to detach it from its original spot on my radius and then move it to relieve the tension and give my arm the ability to turn. So there's that to look forward to.
Luckily, I'm right handed so I'll still be able to type and do things like that which is good since I will have an infinite amount of time on my hands and lots of things to update you on. My schedule's been erratic these last couple months, I know but soon that won't be an issue and you will get sick of how much I pop in here, I promise. Honestly, it'll probably be at odd times too because whenever I'm recovering from surgery, I become an insomniac. It's terrible. Before I leave you, there was a purpose to this post besides me rambling. I believe it's been a while since my last book club post and I've got a list where some titles I finished last summer so with that, here's some of my recent favorites! #1: Verity by Colleen Hoover This book brings twisted to new levels. Verity is one of those novels that switches perspectives every few chapters. One perspective is the main character, a writer named Lowen. The other perspective is through Verity (or more accurately, Verity's autobiography) manuscript), an author who was in a bad accident that left her in a catatonic state. Verity's husband Jeremy hires Lowen to finish the book series she had been writing. Lowen finds the manuscript while she was going through Verity's notes and believes it to be something Verity was doing for fun until she starts reading it. Throughout the novel, creepy things happen around the house and Lowen becomes determined to find the truth out about what's really going on with Verity. All the pieces start to come together at the end but even at that point, you won't be sure what the actual truth is. #2: The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan This novel follows the events of The Royal We, a book I reviewed last October. All the characters from the original novel return and you get to see what happens after the wedding. I will say the first chapter or so is slightly boring but by chapter three, things pick up and get interesting. I've read it multiple times and have never gotten bored through any repeat page turning. It's fun, light-hearted, gossipy, but still maintains realistic problems that people face in life and marriage. Also, the Queen becomes a Cubs fan and that in itself is a reason to pick this one up. #3: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave This book is one I dub a "gore-less thriller". It follows the disappearence of a man named Owen following the FBI raid on his company. Owen leaves a note for his wife that relates to his daughter and the two of them follow their own leads to find Owen. However, digging into the past proves difficult when they find out that Owen has only existed for a few years. This story is fast and anything that involves the mafia and witness protection promises to be anything but boring. #4: A Promised Land by Barack Obama I don't care what anyone's political opinions are, I found this book very enjoyable. It follows President Obama's campaign and his first term in office. He talks about major events like the 2008 housing crisis and other issues that went on behind the scenes as well as what goes into passing legislation in Congress. The book is over 700 pages so it's not a task to take lightly but if you dive in, you won't regret it. #5: Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer I hope you're all familiar with Twilight and if by some insane reason you're not, go google. If you answered "yes" to the aforementioned question, you'll know this book even if you haven't picked it up. In a nutshell, it's all the events from Twilight but from Edward's perspective instead of Bella's which I found a little more enjoyable in some places and less enjoyable in others. Again, another long one but I really put effort into it starting last Friday night and I finished yesterday. A very productive Memorial Day in my opinion. At some times, I wondered when it was going to end but at other times I found it action packed and fast paced. Whether you get this or not is really just a matter of your likes. 2/19/2021 0 Comments It's Been A Minute Hello to all who've stumbled upon my latest ramblings. I hope you're having a great Wednesday (*or insert whatever day it actually is since I can never follow a schedule) and are all still alive. Hopefully no one's caught hypothermia because the last two weeks have been absolutely, outrageously cold! Let's be real, though. There probably are some people who've caught hypothermia because they didn't believe when the weatherman told them it was going to be below zero on a daily basis. Someone who studied weather and has a degree can't possibly know what's going to happen and should definitely not be trusted. That seems to be the trend these days.
Earlier today, I took a look into the archives and saw that there has not been a new blog since January 25th and it was another one of my political centered blogs so it may not even technically count to some of you. Here I am to rectify the situation in the form of this very post. There's been a lot going on since I last hopped on here and some of it might totally shock you. First and foremost, we moved! I don't mean down the block, I mean zip codes. Iowa Falls to Waukee was a bit of a transition at first but now I guess you could say it's totally normal. Where we live is right in the middle of literally everywhere. Seriously, you go down the road a little ways and you can get to Clive. A little further and you're in West Des Moines. Gone are the days when it took an hour or more to go pretty much anywhere. Waukee High School is huge and you can get lost so easily. Luckily, I did not suffer that fate. Also, for those artsy minds who love visuals, it takes 15 minutes just to get out of the parking lot. That's not even taking into account the actual drive home. Right now I'm in Art, Health, Speech, and Child Development. It's a pretty chill schedule since it's seriously only all electives. My schedule for fourth term is less appealing. It's Biology, Geometry, U.S. History, and English II. I already want to die but I try not to focus on it too much. That's the biggest update I have at present so I hope you enjoy all I had to say. As I'm typing I remembered something that might bring you some laughs. Like I said, Waukee is huge. I probably don't even know 5% of my class and obviously masks make that harder. Anyway, for the last week I've been here, people keep saying hi to me. And not just a random "hi" in the hallway. They know my name. Take today for example. I'm going from Health to Speech which is about a five minute trek across the school. There's one part that is just filled with people and you have to really watch. So I'm going along, really trying to pay attention and then all of a sudden, this girl walks next to me. She says hi, she knows my name, we have a full-on two-minute conversation about the huge amount of people in this part of the hallway, and the whole time I have no clue who she is. I'm 85% sure she's in my Child Development class. I'll figure it out later today. Happy Friday! (It only took three days to write this! That's a major achievement. Good job, me.) 1/25/2021 0 Comments A very Interesting Weekend Indeed Happy Monday! This weekend threw out a lot of punches and honestly some of it is unbelievable and some of it is deliciously normal. Grab your coffee and stay safe from the snow as we delve into all the top headlines of the last weekend.
On Friday, most notably was that Lloyd Austin was confirmed as secretary of defense. He is the second confirmed cabinet member to be confirmed by the senate with an overwhelming 93-2 vote. It was also announced through the White House press office that President Biden will be having phone calls with both the Canadian Prime Minister and the President of Mexico. Those calls took place on Saturday. The president also had a phone call with the head of the National Guard to thank him and offer both federal assistance and his personal assistance if it is needed. The president and vice president also had a weekly lunch which was an old tradition from when President Obama was in office. They both have stated publicly that they look forward to bringing it back to the White House. Friday’s daily press briefing revealed that it will be awhile before the president undertakes a foreign trip given the current health emergency. Another topic that came up Friday was the president’s plan for church. The press secretary revealed he had not yet picked a new parish in Washington D.C. yet. I personally love that this was the burning questions on reporters mind’s. It’s a nice change. Later in the day, another executive order was signed regarding the economic issues facing the country. It included suspending student loan payments until September and allowing people to receive unemployment money if they’ve declined a job due to their health safety. In other news, the First Lady visited National Guard troops to thank them and to give them cookies as a small way to show appreciation for them. This came after a visit to the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington which focuses on treating and caring for cancer patients. She was hoping to highlight the additional strain that patients and caregivers have been placed under due to the ongoing pandemic. Finally, the New York Times released an article Friday evening all about the Rolex watch the president was photographed wearing. If this what qualifies as scandalous in this new administration, I’ll take it. Many other people couldn’t help but laugh at the stark change in news cycles so far and they’re also enjoying the refreshing change as well. Saturday brought more news on the vaccine front. Currently there are two approved COVID vaccines in the U.S.- Pfizer and Moderna. There are more expected to be approved by the end of March. Of the eleven currently in late-stage trials around the world, there are three front runners for the U.S. They are Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Novavax. A potential $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill has yet to be approved by Congress. Many conservatives are on the fence because of the bill that was passed last month which gave Americans $600 in stimulus money. Another roadblock? The democrats have a tight majority and leaders Schumer and McConnell have yet to come to an agreement on how the chamber will run. The issues within Congress have not deterred the president from forging ahead on getting his agenda taken care of. In the first three days of his administration, President Biden signed thirty executive orders rescinding many of the Trump administration’s policies and dealing with issues such as the economy and the pandemic. More details have been released regarding the impeachment trial of former President Trump. It has been decided that the former President will receive two weeks to prep for the trial. This means that the trial would begin around February 9th but the length is unknown. Many are hoping that the proceedings would take only a couple of days but nothing has been set in stone. In order to convict, at least seventeen republicans will need to join the fifty democrats in voting yes to convict him. It is still unknown if it’ll go the way they want but dozens of influential republicans have been quietly lobbying their colleagues to vote with the democrats. As if we couldn’t learn anymore about Trump’s disgraceful behavior while in office, more stories have made their way to the surface. We all know that he had a difficult time accepting the results of the election so much so that he made calls to election officials in individual states, pressured Congress members to object to the counting of the electoral college vote, pressured his own Vice President to go against the constitution, and the cherry on top, incited a violent mob to storm the capitol. Turns out he also came up with a plan to oust the acting Georgia Attorney General, Jeffery Rosen as a way to pressure Georgia into changing the election results. This never came to fruition because Trump backed off after Rosen and Jeffery Clark (Trump’s co-conspirator in this plan) presented their cases during a bizarre meeting at the White House where they made their cases like they were on an episode of The Apprentice. Albeit, an episode where a constitutional crisis took place but apparently it was the only way to make Trump understand the potentially detrimental and insanely stupid decision he was going to make. A busy weekend indeed! It’s been another shock-filled three days but I am going to keep holding out hope that once the impeachment issue has been taken care of a lot of those you-can’t-make-this-up stories will cease to be the first thing we want to talk about in the morning. I’m just happy to be able to fall asleep without worrying what I’m going to wake up to when I look at Twitter. No more 3 am rage threads! 1/22/2021 0 Comments A New Administration Begins Guess what? You'll get at least two if not three blogs today! I didn't write anything yesterday so this will make up for that and then later this afternoon or evening I'll do a recap of today's events. I also am going to put up a typical post because I know some of you don't like hearing about politics all day everyday and would like a break from it here. With that in mind, yesterday was the first official day of the new Biden-Harris Administration. Here's your play-by-play guide to how the day unfolded!
Early in the morning, the White House released the schedules of President Biden, Vice President Harris, the First Lady, and the Second Gentleman. This was a complete change from the previous administration who very rarely released the President's schedule for the day and when they did all it said was that the President would work from early in the morning to late into the night and he will have many meetings and take many calls. This schedule included a virtual prayer service, the delivering of the President's Daily Briefing, and different meetings including a press conference with Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Dr. Anthony Fauci. It seems daily health briefings have returned and they only contain truthful facts. Who knew that was a thing! Telling the public the truth and not covering it up with insane half truths or just entirely false information. No one was happier about this change than Dr. Fauci who looked like a kid in a candy store since he was finally able to do his job without any interference. The first story that broke Thursday morning was that the previous administration had virtually no vaccine rollout and the new administration was essentially working from scratch. Obviously there was some guidance because vaccines had been getting out but in terms of an overall plan, that was not evident to staffers in the West Wing. Throughout the day, President Biden signed multiple executive orders reversing many Trump policies. These included halting the construction of the boarder wall by retracting the national emergency declaration as well as others pertaining to immigration and economic policy. He also signed ten executive orders specifically involving the COVID-19 pandemic and announced his full COVID plan which is available to the public on the official White House website. The next big news is that Dr. Fauci officially announced that the United States will be rejoining the World Health Organization. Former President Trump had previously started the process of removing the U.S. from WHO last year. By rejoining, this will greatly help us in fighting the pandemic as we can work with other health officials around the world and share data with each other more easily. There were also more committee meetings for cabinet members. Yesterday, Avril Hanes was confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence. It was also announced that the current FBI director Christopher Wray will stay in his post. He had previously been appointed by former President Trump in 2017 after he fired the previous director. President Biden had said he would keep him on if he wasn't fired before he got in office. Over the last few months, there's been lots of hostility between the GOP and the new administration. Today it was revealed that seventeen freshman GOP senators have sent letters of congratulations to President Biden and have promised to work with him on his agenda. This is a definite step up in some aspects but there's still a long way to go to get back to calmer waters. Last week, former President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives. It is officially confirmed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will deliver the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate on Monday, January 25th. A trial would likely take place in mid-February and some top players are saying that it could possibly be a three-day trial making it the shortest impeachment trial to date. In happier, more positive news, new polls show that the number of Americans wanting to get vaccinated has risen since last fall. This is wonderful news considering that up to 85% of the public needs to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity and get back to normal. I hope you enjoyed and learned something new after reading the first breakdown of the new Biden Administration. Remember to come back later today for the breakdown of day two and another old school blog! 1/20/2021 0 Comments Inauguration Day Recap Today was the day. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States (and the world took a collective exhale). The day started bright and early with the Trumps departing the White House for the short ride on Marine One to Joint Base Andrews with one final exaggerated show at the expense of the American taxpayers. The president was hoping for a large crowd at his send off so much so that he allowed guests to bring up to five people. That goal fell short when only a measly 200 people showed up. Even his Vice President didn’t show. Instead, Mike Pence attended the inauguration with his wife. Staying on brand, Trump promised that he would be back in one way or another before taking off on Air Force One to the beautiful melody of his campaign playlist which of course included the iconic tune that is YMCA.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, their families, and members of Congress participated in a church service before the days festivities began. While they were in service guests began arriving at the capitol building where just two weeks before a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to stop the electoral count and potentially harm lawmakers. The guest list included all the living presidents, Bush, Obama, Clinton, and their wives with the exception of the Carters. Due to COVID-19, Jimmy Carter and his wife decided not to travel to Washington. He spoke to the president-elect the night before Inauguration Day. This was the first inauguration the Carters have missed in forty-four years. While this was a presidential inauguration, many called it D.C. fashion week for the outfits worn by all attendees were showstoppers. Particularly by the First Ladies, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga. Even Bernie Sanders was trending for awhile. The actual inauguration began at about 11:00. Amy Klobachar gave the opening speech along with the chair of the inaugural committee. Lady Gaga sang the National Anthem, J Lo sang America the Beautiful, Garth Brooks sang Amazing Grace (there was some controversy surrounding this performance), and a poem was read by Amanda Gorman. Shortly before the official changeover of power at noon, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took the oath of office. The Trump administration finally comes to a close to the relief of pretty much everyone. Here’s your fun fact of the day. Because Trump left for Florida before noon, a nuclear football had to travel with him to Mar-a-Lago. At noon, that football was deactivated and another in Washington was activated for Joe Biden, meaning there was two nuclear footballs in action yesterday. After taking the oath, President Biden delivered his inaugural address. The speech highlighted the divisions within the country and didn’t sugarcoat the work that must be done to rebuild. The speech was well-received and a stark contrast to the one we heard four years ago. Following the inauguration. The President , Vice President, First Lady, Second Gentleman, and the three former Presidents traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After that, the White House was their next destination. A little while after they arrived the new Vice President presided over the reconvened senate and swore in three new democratic senators. This gave democrats the majority. President Biden signed 17 executive orders including a mask mandate on federal property and some methods of public transportation. He also officially put the U.S. back in the Paris Climate Accord. He also revealed that former President Trump left him a “generous” letters. Letters were also left for Vice President Harris, the First Lady, and the White House press team. Speaking of press, daily White House press briefing have returned. Press Secretary Jen Psaki gave the first briefing in the press room last night at 7:00 pm EST. I think she did a great job and many other people also agreed. They couldn’t help but compare her to former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and it was a welcome change. During the briefing, the first cabinet secretary was confirmed by the senate. Avril Hanes was confirmed as Director of National Intelligence shortly after 7:00 pm EST last night. The night was capped off with an epic prime time concert called Celebrating America. It was probably the funnest thing I’ve ever watched and you need to find clips online if you missed it. This day was so much fun and I think really just hit the reset button for the whole country. I’m looking forward to covering what happens over these next couple months and I hope you’ll stick around for the ride. 1/19/2021 0 Comments Happy Inauguration Eve Happy inauguration eve! I'm very excited to be here with all of you writing the last political recap of Donald Trump's presidency. There's a little under 20 hours left until the Biden administration officially takes office but that doesn't mean Washington is slowing down. Here's what you need to know as we head into inauguration day tomorrow.
Most pressing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will formally deliver the articles of impeachment to the senate this week. The senate reconvenes today and tomorrow three new senators will be sworn in. The two democratic senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, who won the Georgia runoff races as well as Alex Padilla, the senator taking Vice President Kamala Harris's seat as she prepares to be president of the senate in her role as VP. To convict, a two-thirds majority is needed. It will also need to be a bipartisan effort. Seventeen republicans are needed to vote for conviction. Otherwise it will fall through like before. The president's legal team is still unknown but it has been clarified by Rudy Guliani himself that he will not be a part of the team. This is because he spoke at the rally before the capitol insurrection which makes him a witness. However, I don't think either is missing out on much because Rudy is anything but a competent lawyer (remember that press conference in the parking lot of a landscaping company) and Trump refuses to pay his legal fees. I guess you could call this Donald's last stand. President Trump hasn't been seen in person in seven days. His latest outing being his trip to Alamo, TX to visit the boarder wall. But not to worry. Per the White House, the president will, "work early in the morning until late in the evening. He will take many calls and have many meetings." Over the last two days, Trump has been preparing at least 100 pardons but on the advice of aides he will not pardon himself, his children, or other allies. It was also reported that the president filmed a farewell address last night. The exact time is not yet known but it's expected at some point this afternoon or evening. This is yet another break with tradition as an outgoing president typically addresses the nation live. However, I don't think any of us expected anything different. In fact, I couldn't even tell you the last time Trump delivered a live address. We will get one final look at the president before he leaves for Florida. He will leave early tomorrow to a departure complete with a military band, color guard, red carpet, and possibly even a 21 gun salute. He's been sending out many invites to this grand departure as he loves a big crowd. Apparently he's really desperate because they've been inviting former aides including Anthony Scaramucci. There are reports making the rounds that the crowd won't be very big because many on the invite list are choosing not to attend. This includes Vice President Pence who will be attending the inauguration instead. Today, Joe Biden left Delaware for Washington with his family. He delivered a very emotional speech before departing and it was refreshing to see someone with feelings and compassion in comparison to what we've had the last four years. The Biden's will be staying the night at Blair House as is customary. What is not customary? The invitation was extended to the Biden's from the State Department not the White House. The family is flying in on a private plane instead of a government plane that is typically offered by the outgoing administration. In the hours left until inauguration, officials are doubling down on security. As of this afternoon, twelve national guard have been removed from their posts within the inauguration security assignment. They were found to have ties to extremist groups but the extent is unknown. Confirmation hearings for Biden's cabinet nominees began today and he is the only president going into inauguration day with no confirmed cabinet members in a long time. This step is normally quick and easy before official confirmation. I bet you know what I'm going to write next since the words, "normally", "quick", and "easy" were all included in the same sentence. Senators are allowed to object to nominees and it only takes one to stall the process. That one person would be no other than Sen. Josh Hawley. Our favorite fist-pumping Trump die-hard. The objection came upon the nominee for Head of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. Sen. Hawley raised an objection because he did not feel that Mayorkes did a thorough job explaining how he will enforce federal law and maintain security at the southern boarder given president-elect Biden's plan to roll back security and other enforcement measures put in place by the Trump administration. Because of that, Hawley said that he could not consent to fast-track the confirmation process when there are so many questions left to be answered. Does anyone else remember that supreme court justice who got sworn in faster than light travels after barely answering any questions? Because I do. One more sleep until a new president! Who else is happy we've arrived at the end of what twitter so eloquently calls, the Trump Series Finale? I know I am! With that, I'll see you all tomorrow for inauguration day! 1/18/2021 0 Comments My Favorite Books this January One of my favorite standing blog posts is Caroline’s Book Club. Each month, I pick five of my favorite books and share them with all of you. This will be coming in the next couple days but since it’s the new year and recent posts have been geared more towards the real world, namely politics, I thought I would give you every single book I read in 2020 along with my personal recommendation to shake things up a little bit. Enjoy!
In Five Years ***** The Night Olivia Fell **** A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder *** Truly Devious ***** The Vanishing Stair ***** The Hand on the Wall ***** Collared **** The Nightingale ***** The Shadow Land ***** Orphan Train ***** Two Can Keep a Secret *** One of Us is Next *** Big Summer **** What Happened That Night **** The Other Side of Everything **** Long Road to Mercy ***** The Thief of All Light ** The Secret Language of Sisters ***** The Cellar *** Butter *** The Killer Book of Cold Cases **** The Romanov Ransom ***** Need to Know *** Caraval ***** The Royal We ***** The Heir Affair ***** A Minute to Midnight *** The Tower of Nero ***** Becoming ***** No Second Chance *** Let Me Lie **** Legendary ***** Finale **** Social Creature * Invisible Girl **** |
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The Blog in a NutshellHi! Welcome to Fashion Fun and Extra, a blog run by Caroline Hill. A wheelchair user, podcaster, little sister, writer, and more, Caroline's unique view on life allows readers to take a glance into something they don't experience everyday. Told with humor, realness, remarkable wit, and a special kind bluntness, no blog will fail to entertain!
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