Book Club

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Thoughts on the Bachelor This Week

 Are you ready for another installation of my thoughts while I watch the Bachelor? I know you all have been just hanging on the edge of your seats waiting for this.

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  • Lauren Bs date was adorable. Seeing men with kids is adorable. I may have teared up a bit when he consoled that little boy who was crying on the sidelines.
  • Also Lauren and Ben looked like a real couple. So sweet in their little leather jackets.
  • I would have LOVED that baseball date. How much fun? I would fall hard and fast if I was on that date. No reservations. Put me in Coach.
  • When he sent Becca and Caila back to the house during the group date was so awkward. “Amanda and I have a date to continue.” You could just tell the other two were just fuming.
  • Tom was skeptical about the size of Warsaw and its small townness. So we had to look it up. It’s close to big cities, but not close enough that I would consider it a suburb. (And yes Tom watches this show with me!)
  • Oh Emily. She just couldn’t stop talking with Ben’s parents. You could tell they were trying to be nice but were a little annoyed by her. Ben’s mom trying to describe her nicely was priceless. I would agree with Ben’s mom that she is not quite mature enough for this process. She still has so many things she wants to accomplish for herself, as she should! She seems like a really nice gal and she is funny. I do think her and her sister may make an appearance in the future in other Bachelor Franchise things. I mean how could they not try to drum up more stuff with the twins possibly on Bachelor in Paradise?
  • Ok so I love that the women are all consoling each other when Emily was sent home, but they have to be excited at the same time.
  • “Thanks for coming back to my hometown. I will always remember this courtyard as the place I broke one of your hearts.” is what Ben should have said at the beginning of the rose ceremony.
  • I am thinking Lauren and JoJo for the final two. I think that Caila is going to get in her own way, and I think that Ben will be overwhelmed by the thought of being a dad to two small children for Amanda.
  • I wrote this note before Becca got jilted. “I have some suspicions if Becca doesn’t get the final final rose, she may be up for being the next Bachelorette.” #beccaforbachelorette Tom hates her and thinks she is an attention seeker, but I like her and think she is sweet. And has a killer fashion sense!

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Did you watch the 20th celebration?

  • Chris Soules was so awkward. You can definitely tell that he is trying to get as much screen time as possible. Enough already. I feel like he is overstaying his welcome.
  • So many babies that are coming! Pomegranate Ashley is getting married and almost ready to pop! She seems a lot more down to earth when the show isn’t in play.
  • I love Tanner and Jade, even more so because they live in KC!
  • It was really interesting to see some Bachelor favorites and not so favorites for this event.
  • I didn’t realize so many people wrote books over their experience. I need them all!
  • I started watching during Trista’s season, so I love anytime Trista and Ryan come on the show. Obviously this can work for some folks (Team Sean + Catherine over here!), but the track record still isn’t that hot guys.

Who are you hoping are the final two?

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Bachelor Thoughts of the Week

Here is what I thought about this week’s episode.

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  • I am torn on the Olivia issue. On one hand I do get her perspective that she isn’t there to make friends. She is there for Ben. But on the other hand, it does make you wonder how she is with people in real social settings.
  • Leah’s meltdown.Really? No words.
  • This week makes me want to go back to the Caribbean so bad.
  • I am so confused by Caila’s one on one. There has to be a lot they didn’t show.
  • Tom thought we should have them fight sharks to see if they are really committed.
  • SWIMMING PIGS!!! This is the best date ever.
  • Becca is my favorite this week. She is just real and honest.
  • Leah back talking Lauren B. is just sad and pathetic. Where did that come from? Why is she surprised she is going home? She is lying to everyone. Karma sister friend.
  • So Olivia is the first to say “I love you” if we don’t count the Spanish lesson. And then she was crushed….Watching her face go from elated to heartbroken is what this show is made of. I really feel for her though. She just looks devastated, and then to make her watch Emily get the rose. I mean they just left her to just stand there staring at the ocean….

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  • I liked Lauren H, but I think there were obvious other people for him. Maybe she will be on Paradise.
  • Hopefully Lauren B. can clear the air here soon. I really enjoy her.
  • Ok did anyone else catch that Emily said she just met Ben’s parents. So does that mean she is one of the final two? Isn’t that usually how meeting the Bachelor’s parents goes? She was not who I thought would be in the final two.

My picks after this week are Becca and JoJo in the final two, with Caila and Lauren next.

Do you watch the show? What are your thoughts?

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This Week on the Bachelor…

Here was what I was thinking on this week’s episode:

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  • Hot AIR BALLOONS! So Jealous! Could they just film Tom and I going on extravagant dates? Would people watch that? Tom is pretty entertaining. I, however…
  • The insecurities is why this show keeps on renewing-Olivia and Jubilee have got to lock it down.
  • Not sure why people are complaining about competing for Ben. Did you not know what you signed up for? This is a romance competition…
  • Did anyone else find it awkward that they were learning to speak Spanish and they were saying ‘I love you’ to each other? Even pretending, I don’t know if that was the best move.
  • The interactions when they were picking partners at the cooking event…Yikes!
  • Emily got a little scary and threatening with the knife during the cooking interviews.
  • I don’t think that this is the right environment for Jubilee. I think she is an interesting woman, but I think the dramatics of the show just make her uncomfortable. It must be in her nature to put that guard up when she is scared, and she is just trying to defend her heart. And unfortunately for her, she is being filmed while she is wading through those emotions. I hope she finds what she needs!
  • Olivia lives in her own reality. They said her dish looked like dog poo, but she was sure they won.
  • Teen mom comment…painful to watch. My mouth dropped to the floor and I had even seen it in previews. Then Ben was trying to dig around the topic when he was talking with Olivia to see what she had done with the other women. I do really think she is a product of editing to some degree. Some she has brought on herself, but as I said last week, I feel the production team is highlighting her more awkwardly than any other ‘villan.’ All that aside, whether she was trying to connect with the women on some level or not, the teen mom comment was in bad taste.
  • NOOOOOOO to the cliff hangers. ABC you can’t do this to me. I just spent two hours waiting for the roses to be handed out, and now I have to wait a week to see who Ben chooses? Ridiculous. But also genius on your part because I will be back to watch. Who am I kidding I would be back regardless
  • If you watched Bachelor Live, you saw that Ben falls in love with the two final women and made a comment of making a mistake of letting one go. Are we going to have a repeat Jason Mesnick?

I think it will be Becca and JoJo at the end. Or maybe Lauren B. Those are my top three still. I do like Caila as well.

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Book Review: Daddy Flies

One of my most cherished part of the day is George’s bedtime story.

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It’s a special time where I get to watch George learn, and it’s just the two of us.

Generally we read two or three books a night depending on length and the squirminess of Gdubs.

There are definitely books that we don’t read as often because I don’t like them; I know-selfish. Let’s be real, some kid’s books are weird and are just painful for me as the parent to endure.

So when we find books that are pleasant for George and myself, they become constants in our rotation.

We were given “Daddy Flies” recently. And I must say this book is a hit so far.

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Brye Butler Steeves is another military spouse, and I am happy to be touting about her book!

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The book is about a little girl who tries to figure out all the ways that her dad could possibly fly. Her dad is a pilot in the military.

It is a really sweet read. I like kids books that have a rhythm to them. This book rhymed, and it flowed in a sing-songy way which I like to read. I thought it was all very clever. That style is great for George right now and how he is learning vocabulary.

The illustrations were also really cute. They are a little more mellow than most books that are geared towards George’s age. I think because of that this book can span over a few years and still catch a 4 or 5 year old’s attention. It’s also not overtly long, so it could be a good beginning reader for those kindergartners and first graders.

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I highly recommend this book for any one that has a young person in their life. It’s a sweet little story that is perfect for military families and civilians alike.

If you are interested in getting a copy for yourself, you can get it from Amazon here. You won’t be sorry!

George approved!

Who doesn’t love reading when you get precious moments like this? And for that I thank you Brye!

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I did receive this book complimentary from the author for my review. These thoughts are my own.

Do you like rhyming books for kids? Have you seen a good kid’s book we need to check out?

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Book Review: I Shall Be Near To You

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I really enjoyed this book. (Obviously-historical fiction is my jam.) I will give this book a 4/5.

Here is a synopsis from Goodreads:

Rosetta doesn’t want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he joins up, hoping to make enough money that they’ll be able to afford their own farm someday. Though she’s always worked by her father’s side as the son he never had, now that Rosetta is a wife she’s told her place is inside with the other women. But Rosetta decides her true place is with Jeremiah, no matter what that means, and to be with him she cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier.
Rosetta drills with the men, prepares herself for battle, and faces the tension as her husband comes to grips with having a fighting wife. Fearing discovery of her secret, Rosetta’s strong will clashes with Jeremiah’s as their marriage is tested by war. Inspired by over two hundred and fifty documented accounts of the women who fought in the Civil War while disguised as men, I Shall Be Near To You is the intimate story, in Rosetta’s powerful and gorgeous voice, of the drama of marriage, one woman’s amazing exploits, and the tender love story that can unfold when two partners face life’s challenges side by side.

I have read a lot of historical fiction books, and this book was fairly accurate from what I know. Obviously there are some liberties taken, but I thought she did a great job honoring the integrity of the time. She does write in the dialect that you would hear at that time, which can sometimes be hard to wade through because there are some things that have changed in the English Language, but I find that kind of stuff interesting. She also based this on actual people. There is some added historical facts at the end of the book that I found really interesting. I was not aware of how many women actually chose this life to be with their husbands. What is even more mind-boggling is that they were rarely caught even when they were pregnant! I could not imaging trying to hide my female identity let alone trying to hide a pregnancy on the FRONT LINES. That is remarkable.

As a former military wife, fighting alongside my husband was something that never crossed my mind. Granted the circumstances are much different now, but it does make you think about what they would experience together. That could either make them even closer or push them apart because of the danger. Either way I think I would be highly distracted if I fought with Tom. I would be more concerned about his well-being than anyone else’s including my own that I don’t think my judgement would be clear in all cases. Watching their marriage on the front lines definitely made me think a lot about our own sacrifices we made as a military family. It also made me sooo thankful of the modern amenities and technologies our military has now.

There were parts that were predictable, but she did a good job of writing a story that you wanted to keep reading through despite some obvious plot twists. I also appreciated that she didn’t gloss over the horrendous way the Civil War was fought and the gravity of it all. It may be hard to read, but I think it this was a moving tribute.

Anyway this is a good love story set in historical fiction that I really enjoyed reading.

I did receive this book complimentary from Blogging for Books for my review. These thoughts are my own.