August 21, 2015 by Stephanie

Book Review: Through Waters Deep

I was really excited about this book. Historical fiction with romance and mystery! Yes please.

I will give this book 3.5/5. I liked it, but I didn’t love it like I wanted to.

This story follows Mary and Jim during 1941 right before the US joined WWII. Jim is in the Navy and Mary works at the Boston Navy Yard. There are some suspicious events that occur that point to sabotage, and the story follows the mystery and a love story that unfolds between the two. Amidst the mystery and romance, you read about the anxiety that was abound before we joined the war efforts.

I will be honest that the first fourth of the book, I thought was really slow. I had a hard time investing in it. But about half way through I was hooked and read the last half in just a couple bedtimes. The chapters are pretty short, so it was a pretty quick read anyway.

Sundin changes perspectives every chapter, so you get to see Mary and Jim’s thoughts throughout the story. I like this style a lot because I think you get to see the full picture. I found myself screaming (in my head) at each of the characters when they obviously weren’t seeing signs of love that the other was holding back.

There was a Nancy Drew feel to the mystery aspect. Mary used intuition to find clues and keep tabs on the happenings of the Navy Yard. As she discussed what she found with Jim, they developed a connection before he went off to the sea. It’s a pretty light-hearted story with some dramatic flair thrown in.

The other part I enjoyed is the focus on scriptures and prayer. You don’t see a lot of books that do this, so it was refreshing to read fiction that really focused on following God’s plan and remembering to pray for strength.

Also I think if I was to be born in the correct era, it would have been the 40s. The style is just impeccable, so generally I love most fiction about this era.

This was a fun quick read, that I enjoyed. It is the first in a series, and I may pick up the next to see how it fairs for me. You know I love them series!

There is a giveaway going on for this book promotion right now. You could win the book and some other cool things.

I did receive this book complimentary from Litfuse Publicity Group for my review. These thoughts are my own.

August 20, 2015 by Stephanie

10 Dream (US) Destinations

Today my summer is officially over as new students start orientation today. Let’s take a second and say where did the summer go. Cliche, but true. Also how am I already starting my second year here?

So it seems appropriate to dream about vacations right when summer is dying down right?

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about different places I wanted to go around the world.

Here are some places I would love to visit right here in the United States. These are all places that I have never been to, because the place I want to go back to visit is Charleston, South Carolina. Every Day, All Day.

So where would I be going?

Montana Glacier National Park

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I have read a lot about this place. One just look at it. Amazing. Two, this is probably a vacation I could get my husband on board with because of wilderness.

Maine

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I think this would be a great early fall destination. I have never been to the Northeast really, and everything about Maine seems lovely. Also let’s talk about the food options.

Hawaii

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So if I am going to be honest, there was a small portion of me that hoped Tom would have been stationed in Hawaii. I mean look at it. I would be so relaxed on that beach! I love the ocean and sun so much. I think I was born in the wrong part of the country sometimes.

Grand Canyon

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I think most people want to go here, so I will jump on that American bandwagon. There is just something about this place that just leaves me in awe.

Yellowstone National Park

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This is another place I could convince Tom to go with me. The untouched nature would just be interesting to experience.

San Francisco, California

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This place just looks like a good time. There is just so much to see and do. It just seem like a happening place that also has some interesting flair to it that you won’t see elsewhere. This would be a great girlfriend trip someday.

Asheville, North Carolina

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I am still kicking myself for not getting to Asheville while I lived in Clemson. Oh well. I would love to see the Biltmore, but Asheville has a really eclectic culture that I would like to experience. And I have heard some of the restaurants in the area are wonderful. You also can’t beat the scenery of this area!

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

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This place just doesn’t seem real from the pictures. I would LOVE to see these in real life. So beautiful.

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

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Doesn’t this place just look cool? There are just so many interesting things about this place. It is very unique. And beaches always get me going.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

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I want to go here simply to see the hot air balloon festival. And maybe I could ride in one.

So there you have it. These are just some of the places I want to go stateside.

Have you been to any of these? Where would you go?

August 19, 2015 by Stephanie

Fit for Me 33/52

What I did last week:

Thursday-50 minute run. I honestly wasn’t feeling this run when I set out, and I was already thinking of cutting down my interval times. I told myself though to do at least the first interval complete and see how I do. That one felt good, so I just kept going with it. I met each of the interval times! This run ended up being one of the best runs I have had in a long time. I felt strong and confident with the run, and the heaviness that I felt at the beginning just went away.

Saturday-We went down to the lake with my family for the weekend, and I finally after like 10 years was able to get on a boat. So there was a lot of swimming and water skiing involved. I only skied a half a dozen times, but I am still feeling it days later. Such a different workout for my body!

Sunday-Since we were traveling back, I didn’t get my run in like I wanted. I did use my SWORKIT app to do a 30 minute cardio workout. This is always interesting because you have no idea what your workout is going to be. And I could do it while I was catching up on some Bachelor in Paradise.

Tuesday-52 minute run. This wasn’t exactly the run it should have been. I was pushing George in a stroller on gravel, so I adjusted my intervals a little. I still managed to get a good run in despite pushing 25 lbs.

Impressed by:

Despite being much older than the last time I skied, I was really proud of myself for being able to get up on the skis as much and for as long as I did. It was so much fun to be drug around the lake!

Struggled with:

I didn’t do so hot meeting all my run times (and workouts).

Did I meet my goal from last week?

I did! The swimming and skiing were great. Unfortunately, I am still feeling the skiing aftermath in my shoulders a little. But it was totally worth it!

What is my goal for next week?

My goal is to do all three runs. School starts next week, so there is a lot going on, but I want to make sure I still make that time to hit the pavement.

Fitness Thoughts:

It’s amazing to me what muscle memory will do. We went to the lake every summer for at least 15 years, where I perfected my skiing form. Then after a 10 year hiatus, it just took me a couple tries to get back into the swing of things. Pretty cool what our bodies will do!

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Do you water ski? Do you ever feel surprised at yourself after a workout?

August 14, 2015 by Stephanie

Book Review-Leaving Time

Stop what you are doing and get this book.

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I LOVED this book. I am a huge Jodi Picoult fan, and if you weren’t aware I am obsessed with elephants. So this was meant to be a good book for me.

Picoult told this story from four different points of view: Jenna, Serenity, Virgil, and Alice. Alice is Jenna’s mother. She went missing when Jenna was three, so Jenna has been searching for clues for the past 10 years to find her. Now thirteen, she enlists the help of Serenity, a psychic, and Virgil, a PI. When you are reading Alice’s perspective you actually go back in time before the disappearance to give you some context.

I thought the way she laid out the book was brilliant. I was never confused on who was talking since each chapter was a different character. I also felt having the four different perspectives showed you different sides of the same story which brought depth to the plot line.

I am not going to tell you more to the story because I don’t want to give anything away. I want you to experience all the emotions I did with every twist and surprise.

This is honestly one of the best books I have read in a long time. Seriously it is possibly now in my top five all time favorite books is how much I loved it.

Not only is it a story about human emotions and how intertwined and messy but beautiful they can be, it also talks A LOT about elephants. I would call myself a novice expert (if that is a thing) on elephants. Every research paper in elementary school up to high school I did on elephants. I had all kinds of elephant encyclopedias/magazines growing up, and give me all the elephant figurines at the dollar store please. One of my dreams growing up was to work with elephants at a zoo or sanctuary. How I found this book was because I was setting up my yearly donation to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. (Click here if you want more information on that or to read about the lady elephants there.) Anyway, so I know when a writer is speaking the truth on elephants.

She wrote so beautifully on the emotional capacity of these wonderful animals, and the way it fit into the story was just great. I thought the flashbacks from Alice were a nice touch, and I honestly didn’t see the story unfolding as it did. And I am usually pretty good at predicting things. Total surprise with each chapter.

So I am sure that was the vaguest book review ever, but honestly you need to read this without me giving away any spoilers.
As a caveat though, from the reviews on Goodreads, it seems that this book is either hit or miss with people. Either you love it like I do, or people thought it was too much to keep up with and didn’t carry well between characters. I will let you decide. I think though if you are a fan of Jodi or of elephants, you will like the book.

Have you read Leaving Time? What is your favorite Jodi Picoult book?

August 13, 2015 by Stephanie

Ready or Not

This time last year I was put on bedrest in preparation for George’s arrival.

Now in two weeks, George will no longer be a baby.

What the heck? How is he a year old?

While I am trying not to get emotional about the fact that this year just flew by, there are moments where I am just overcome with tears of sadness, joy, fear…all of it.

But the joy is getting to celebrate this cutie: the life he has lived so far and what is yet to come for him.

And I think that is what birthdays are all about.

I am one of those people that started planning his party once he was born. (And yes I already have his 2nd birthday planned in my head.) It’s just the creative planner in me that I just gets so excited about ideas! Judge me if you will. I will be over here enjoying the hotdogs at my kid’s birthday.

Luckily my sister-in-law is a party planner, and we jumped on the party planning bus together. She is helping bring life to some of the ideas. We have had a lot of fun coming up with things for his…(ready for it)

Baseball Themed Party!

I am sure there are no surprises there.

Birthdays are a big deal for me, and I want my kids to feel special and surrounded by the people they love on their day.

So we are starting this first one off with a bang.

Really, it is going to seem a little ridiculous to everyone but us what we have in store for this birthday. What can I say, his Auntie Em loves him very much, and it is a bonus that she is pretty much a walking Pinterest board. Also, I just want to do all the ideas.

We are making a lot of the things for the party, or I found things on super sale throughout the year so honestly the cost has been pretty low considering all that we have planned. The nice thing about having a party theme picked early is that I can watch for good deals and not have to spend so much the last minute. We are keeping in mind that there are a lot of other littles coming to the party that need things to do besides watching George Hulk Smash that cake. Our family LOVES to get together, so we want this to be a fun afternoon for everyone. And many of the decorations will be used in his room later on as well. Double usage-I am in.

Plus I need things to take pictures of, and a big birthday seems to fit that bill.

I can’t wait to share everything with you all. It should be a good time.

The first thing I will share with you are the invitations I made. I searched for months for the perfect layout for his invitation. I knew what I wanted, but I could not find anything that was cheap. It was ridiculous what people would pay for invitations.

So I just gave up and made them myself in Publisher. ALL the invitations and envelopes cost me a whopping $5 at Walmart. Deal.

I am pretty happy with the way that it turned out for having no design skills whatsoever.

I am so excited to watch George become his own little self, and I cannot believe that he is almost one. I am going to be that mom that makes birthdays an extravaganza. It can be that one day of the year that he is truly spoiled beyond what he could ever imagine. We only live through this life once, why not have lots of cake?

Fun fact, Tom’s family has this field named in their honor in his hometown. So we took all these pictures there. I thought it was a cute personal touch for our family. The only problem was that it was awkwardly high, and George just wanted to eat the ball instead of look at me. He also had so much fun playing in the dirt and would not stay still for most of the shots I wanted on the diamond, but we made it work. And I saw that my future will be full of baths to clean up a mud-caked George.

Do you go all out for birthdays? Do you like themed parties? Would you like to make a bet on how George will react to cake?