Good afternoon my friends!! How was your weekend!?! Ours was just lovely. Full of nothing but snuggling, date nights, and lounging around the house. It was heaven.

I even got to finish a book I have been working on Friday evening.

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It seems like I have read a review of this book on every single blog I read....so I'm not going to waste your time. I will just say, if you haven't read this, do it. You won't regret it. And a big thanks to those bloggers who recommended it. What an incredible story of Christ's love for us! It took me a little while to really get into the book, but once I did...I couldn't put it down. Seriously check it out people!

So my question....has anyone read any of Francine Rivers's other books?? Good/not good?? Let me hear it!

Saturday we went out for Mexican food and watched Julie & Julia. Super fun date night if I do say so myself! Sunday we went back to "our" church and it just felt right, you know? I'm pretty sure a decision has been made to just suck it up and drive the 45 minutes because we just love it so much! It's our perfect fit.

Sunday was also my sister's 1st wedding anniversary!! Happy Anniversary Jessi and Dave! I cannot believe it has already been a year since you became husband and wife! Congratulations to you both!


Oh...and go horse.

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Book Review...and More!

Last night I finished yet another book! I know, me! I am on a roll people! Good thing since I bought a total of 9 books last week. Oops.

Here's what I just finished:


I heard such rave reviews from so many people about this book. It is told from the perspective of a dog which definitely give the book a different spin.

From Publishers Weekly:

If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Stein's third novel offers an answer. Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm outside Seattle to ride shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift as he pursues success on the track and off. Denny meets and marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins koanlike aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man. When Denny hits an extended rough patch, Enzo remains his most steadfast if silent supporter.

Truthfully, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. There was a LOT of racing lingo and references which went completely over my head and I had no desire to understand. And although the ending of the book was quite good, the rest of it made me mad and uncomfortable. It was kind of like one of those movies you're watching...and when something happens you say, "Okay, that's it. I'm not watching this anymore." But I couldn't just shut it off. I had to finish it. And the ending was fantastic. But, did it make up for the rest of the book? Not really.

Has anyone else read this book?? What did you think? I'm pretty sure I am in the minority with this review so please don't base anything on my review alone :)


Onto other things....

I received this award from Paris Pink at The Pink Polka Dot the other day. What a sweetheart!!



The only rule is to pass it along to 10 Glamorous bloggers. With so many to choose from, this is definitely a difficult task...but here are some of my faves:

Sweet Tea Diaries
Post Smith
Pocket full of pink
Naturally Caffeinated Family
Lucy's Life
Living in the Moment
Live.Love.Laugh.
Jeans Friday
for the love
A Suburban Housewife-In-Training

Hope y'all have a great day!!

The Help

As you probably deciphered from my earlier post, I had some time on my hands during the holiday season this year. I filled up three of my days with this:

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I'm not a very fast reader so for me to finish a 450 page book in three days...well that is a feat ladies! This book was beyond amazing. I couldn't put it down.

Here is a review and a brief summary of the book I found from The Washington Post. Don't worry...I made sure it didn't give away anything important!

Newly graduated from Ole Miss with a degree in English but neither an engagement ring nor a steady boyfriend, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan returns to her parents' cotton farm in Jackson. Although it's 1962, during the early years of the civil rights movement, she is largely unaware of the tensions gathering around her town.

Skeeter is in some ways an outsider. Her friends, bridge partners and fellow members of the Junior League are married. Most subscribe to the racist attitudes of the era, mistreating and despising the black maids whom they count on to raise their children. Skeeter is not racist, but she is naive and unwittingly patronizing. When her best friend makes a political issue of not allowing the "help" to use the toilets in their employers' houses, she decides to write a book in which the community's maids -- their names disguised -- talk about their experiences.

Do you ever read a book and then just cannot stop thinking about it?? That is what this book did to me. I definitely recommend it and I just know you will not regret picking it up.

So have any of you read it?? What did you think?!?

Time Of My Life

Over our anniversary trip, I finished Time of My Life, a book I have been working through for quite a long time.  I picked it up on a whim at the bookstore with a gift card.  It is the first book I have bought that I received no recommendation about.  But look at the pretty cover??  How could I not pick it up??  I literally just read the back cover and thought, "That sounds interesting!  I'll take it!"  Wouldn't you think the same thing??

Jillian has what seems to be a perfect life—a beautiful house in the suburbs, a loving husband, and an adorable baby girl. But she also has a nagging feeling that something isn't quite right. Could it have something to do with Jackson, her past boyfriend, who couldn't be more different than her solid, stable, and perfectly predictable husband, Henry? One morning, Jillian wakes up seven years in the past, in bed with Jackson, and she has the chance to live her life again—a do over, complete with the knowledge of what her future will become. Will she still quit her job right on the cusp of making it big? Will she run for the hills when she meets Henry or be drawn to him again? Or will Jackson's easygoing, wild lifestyle pull her back from her future baby, the adorable Katie? So many life choices come at Jillian, and she can go forward as she pleases, knowing the outcome of one direction. If you've ever wanted your own do over, this cute, light read by a debut novelist will keep you guessing 'til the end.

Well, this book did not keep me guessing until the end.

I picked it as my next read out of the 20 or so books I have laying around because it was the shortest.  I wanted something I could get through quickly and then move onto a longer, more difficult read.  Wrong!  This book took me forever.  I really never got into it like I thought I would. 

And it was far from a cute, light read.  I never found anything funny about it, which is fine, but it just wasn't what I expected.  Jillian had some serious issues to tackle with herself in both of her lives and it was obvious from the beginning that she was the problem and not the men in her life.  Duh. 

I did relate to her though.  She had the life I want:  husband, baby girl, house in the suburbs, being a stay at home super mom. Yet she wasn't happy with it.  She assumed she would be, but she wasn't.  It made me think, will I be happy and fulfilled with those things?  Thankfully, I don't see myself reacting to situations the way she did.  She had a lot of baggage from her past that I don't which definitely fed into her attitude. 

But, I will say that once I actually sat down and forced myself to read it for more than 10 minutes, it moved quickly.  I wouldn't recommend running out and buying it right away....but if you see it at the library or at the bookstore for $1...and you have nothing else to read...go for it :)

I'm hoping my next read is more satisfying!

A Book/Movie Extravaganza!

This weekend was jam packed with fun...but we did a lot of relaxing too! Aren't those just the best weekends!?!

Friday evening, I talked Matt into checking out a local church carnival in search of elephant ears. They are my weakness. I know, I know, I'm dieting. But I NEVER get to have these...and it's the only time I screwed up all week! And one can't hurt, right? And I split it...so it's really like I hardly even ate one, right? And they totally skimped on the cinnamon and sugar...so that's practically 0 points, right? Thought so!

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By the way...I was totally shocked to find out these delicious treats now cost $5! What!?! I was outraged! And it ALMOST stopped me from getting one. Almost.


Friday evening I busted my way through the last half of My Sister's Keeper. I don't know what got into me. I just couldn't seem to stop reading. I must admit, though, it was more about getting done than loving the book so much I couldn't put it down. Don't get me wrong, I think the book is worth reading...and the story was quite the thinker...but for some reason...I completely had the ending figured out before it happened so the shock factor was lost on me. I have heard the ending in the movie is different, so I think it will be a Netflix rental in my future.

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Saturday we hit up the grocery and then I dragged my dear, dear husband to see The Time Traveler's Wife. I was completely excited for weeks to see this...as I just finished the book not long ago. Truthfully, I was just disappointed. The movie was SO different than the book and there was a significant amount of material left out...integral story lines I thought were important and made the book so great. It was extremely hard for me to separate the movie from the book...and poor Matt had to listen to me throughout the entire movie saying, "That's not what happened in the book..." I was even annoying myself! And it's all I could talk about afterward. I owe that boy something really great after that.

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But what did I expect? Of course they were going to leave things out...I knew that. I also know that books are traditionally better than their movie counterparts...but I was still let down.

So now I'm torn. I can't even tell you if I would've liked the movie without reading the book first. Probably. But now what do I do? Do I read the books before the movies and risk ruining the movie...or see the movie first and know what's going to happen in the book before I read it?? What do you ladies recommend?

My Saturday was not all bad...as I spent the remainder of my evening scaring myself silly watching old episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark on YouTube. I can't remember what started this...but I ended up staying up to see midnight because I couldn't sleep. That freaking ghost that wrote HELP ME on the wall through the mirror was creepy!


Sunday was the laziest day of all time and it was lovely. We watched golf and I started reading Pretty in Plaid. I decided I needed a light-hearted read after my last book.

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We ended the evening with a little cookout for two. I love when Matt comes inside smelling like the grill. It's pretty much my favorite thing.


And now it's Monday again...and I'm back to thinking about work...working out...and dieting. Something needs to change!

Bookies!

Over my trip to Nashville, I finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife. As I've mentioned before, the beginning was really confusing to me. I mean, how can a guy be two ages at the same time?? I was stumped!

But once the book got going it started to come together and make more sense. I would recommend sticking it out if anyone is having trouble getting started. I did, however, find myself having to go back from time to time to check Henry or Clare's ages and thinking...hm...now when did this happen again?

But overall, I think the book was great! It was unlike any book I have ever read. I simply couldn't read fast enough. I just wanted to find out what happened. But I will say, when I did find out what happened at the end...I was kind of disappointed. It just seemed like a really depressing ending. But I do believe it is worth the read if anyone is contemplating giving it a try.

I'm very interested to see how this movie transfers to film. I have convinced my husband to accompany me when it comes out (in return for seeing Funny People with Adam Sandler this weekend) so we shall see.

Next up:

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I've read about 100 pages so far and it is not really about what I expected. Should be interesting!


We don't have a ton planned for the weekend...but I am meeting a group of girls after work for bowling! Yep...me...meeting girls! I know...weird! Actual friends! AND I have a Junior League event downtown on Saturday afternoon so I will be full of fun girl events for two whole days.

Hope your weekends are filled with tons of fun!!

My Strengths....

Thank y'all so much for all of the wonderful suggestions yesterday! I do hope our budget allows a trip this year for just the two of us so we can enjoy our time together as much as possible before we start our family. I just can't wait!


Anywho, I wanted to tell you about this book my aunt and lovely godmother (same person by the way) recently sent me called Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton.

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The book is revolutionary in its thinking and describes the importance of focusing on your strengths rather than eliminating your weaknesses. Dear Tami gave me this book because she noticed how unhappy I was at my job (hard to miss!) and wanted to help me figure out what to do with my life. Well, this sure gave me some insight!

The most revealing aspect of this book is a Web-based interactive questionnaire that I took after reading it. It instantly reveals your top-five inborn talents. Now that I know mine, I can go forward in my career and try to use these to my advantage.

Want to know what they are??

I thought so.


Achiever

• describes a constant need for achievement (very true...)
  
• must achieve something tangible by the end of the day in order to feel good about yourself
• possess an internal fire that pushes you to do more (I seriously can't sit still when there are things to get done!)
  
• able to work long hours without burning out (always has been true...late night/early morning studier right here!)
  

Analytical

• challenge other people's theories (always!)
  
• insist other people's ideas be sound
• like data and search for patterns and connections
• thinking is objective and logical (clearly)
  

Responsibility

• take psychological ownership for anything you commit to and are emotionally bound to follow through to completion (I definitely try to follow through on everything I say I will do)
  
• restitution must be made if unable to deliver on commitments
  
• near obsession for doing thing right; impeccable ethics (Thanks!)
  
• utterly dependable
  

Discipline

• world needs to be predictable, ordered, and planned-routine (duh, I could not live otherwise!)
  
• break long-term projects into a series of specific short-term plans
• not necessarily neat and clean, but you do need precision (so true...)
  

Competition

• must always outperform your peers or your achievement feels hollow
• other competitors invigorate you
• you like contests because they produce a winner; particularly those you know you can win
  
• you compete to win; you avoid contests where winning seems unlikely (100% true..and always has been. I never play games where I think I will look like an idiot.)

It was amazing how EXACTLY on this thing was. I would totally recommend reading this book. So worth it!

Hope you have a great Wednesday!! The weekend is inching closer :)

Bookies!

Last night I finished The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. I want to thank all of you lovely bloggy readers who recommended this book to me. It definitely delivered. It tells the story of a mother, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, who is not only fighting for her life, but the life of her father, who has been diagnosed with cancer himself.




The day I sat down with the book, I flew through the first 100 pages. I can recall having tears in my eyes three different times, desperately trying to hide this fact from my husband who was sitting inches away from me. Kelly was someone to whom I was quickly able to relate. I don't have children of my own, yet I am in that middle place...the place where when something fantastic or horrifying happens, you question whether to first call your husband or your parents. You are somebody's wife but you are also still somebody's daughter.

And Kelly's relationship with her father, George. is just so amazing. They have a fantastic way of looking at the world and the people in it. That is definitely something I will take from this book and try to apply it to my own life.

Cancer. Sure is scary thing.




On a more upbeat note (!), I have now started Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I have heard wonderful reviews about this book from all of you ladies, so I am really excited to get into it! So far, 30 pages in, so good!




Ah, it's Thursday! I'm so glad that this week is almost over! Does anyone else LIVE for the weekends?? :)

Matt and I will be out of town for various reasons the next three weekends...so this is our last one in a while to just lounge around and really enjoy each other. I cannot tell you how ready I am for that!

Hope everyone has a fabulous day!! XOXO

I'm a Reader

Last night, I finished The Reader. Has anyone else read this book? Hm.

I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie...it's a new thing I'm trying out. I've never been a huge reader, but the Twilight Series turned me around, so now I'm on the lookout for good books! I've gotta tell you though, this one, I was not a huge fan. I'm not going to give anything away (e-mail me if you want to chat!) but I just couldn't get over the huge age difference and the abrupt ending. I'm still intrigued enough to Netflix the movie...but I'm in no rush.

So, my fellow book worms, what are you currently reading?? What are your very favorite books and what is on your must read list?? I'm dying to know!

At the present time, I am searching for:











What do you think about these books?? Any others I should pick up??

I have to give a shout out to Shaina from Post Smith for posting about a lot of these a little while ago! Although I am not the speed reader she is (um, she finished Gone With the Wind in a weekend people!) I think they will be fabulous reads and I can't wait to get started! Thanks friend!

The Saga's Conclusion...

Last night I finished the final book in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn. Has anyone been reading this?? I guess I should mention that I am definitely not a reader, at least I thought I wasn't until I was given this series. A woman at my work, a very demanding woman I might add, forced the first book on me which I reluctantly accepted. I had heard very little about it, but was aware that the target audience was teens...which I am not! It was very long for my standards as well (400+ pages!)...but I happened to be flying to Chicago that weekend to visit my sister so I took it anyway. I couldn't put the book down! I finished it in about a week and then went out and bought the other three immediately.

The reviews I was given....book 1...awesome....books 2 and 3....okay....book 4...outstanding! I totally agree with the reviews of Twilight. It was my favorite book by far in the series. I didn't find New Moon or Eclipse to be as hard to get through as I had thought...but I was not a big fan of Jacob (and that's putting it lightly) so you can imagine why these two were not my faves. Breaking Dawn WAS a really great read, but had a little trouble holding my attention in parts. There were tons of new characters added and it was a little hard to keep up.

During the last 150 pages or so though, it was like I couldn't read fast enough! I was at the gym and my time ran out on my machine and I didn't want to leave! I didn't want to put the book down for the amount of time it took me to drive home! I finally did and finished it up while my husband napped on the couch. The ending left a little bit to be desired in my opinion, but still, the whole series is fantastic and I definitely would recommend it if you have not read it yet.

Any ideas on what I should read next?? I don't know what I am going to do with myself now :)