Happy Birthday to me!

Well. Kinda. It was yesterday.

The weather has been nice here. Not too cold for being winter in New England, but not warm enough for my liking.

We had big plans to stay the night at the aquarium the night of my birthday....then it snowed and it got called off. Not only was my kid heartbroken, but I was to. We hadn't planned anything else since it was going to take most of the day and all night. It was the first time my hubby had been home for my b-day and I felt like it was going to suck(yes. I had a girl moment when I whined like a little baby)

Boy was I wrong. It ended up being one of the best!

Of course I got the most amazing flowers from my husband and an IOU to get a cover for my new kindle when Vera releases them later this month! Then he suggested we all go sledding on our big hill by the house. I was a little ehhh about it. To tell you the truth, I've never really been sledding before and didn't really have a desire to do it. But we got ready. I was uber cranky. Not as bad as I could have been but I was bummed. We headed down our street and for the next hour and a half had the time of our lives!

This was the beautiful view going to the "little" hill. We were walking in almost a foot of snow at some points!

My boys.

Landon getting ready to go down on the sled for his first time ever!

He loved it!

Snow always takes my breath away. I always stop and stare at the wonders it exposes. Everything looks so magical.

Landon getting ready to go down the "big" hill.

Me and my little on my birthday.

Landon wanted to take pictures of J and I. He's so cute and I think they turned out alright...even if I wasn't wearing any make-up. Haha.

After the fun in the snow we headed back to the house for hot drinks(Cider & Cocoa). Then we went and got snacks, a movie and pasta from my favorite place, Pauls!

After we ate and Little went to bed, J and I had a movie night on the couch. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. The Best birthday by far.

Flowers from my love. He had them put all of my favorites together! and they were in the cutest vase I've ever seen!

My friend Bri even sent me flowers! So cute and had the sweetest car with them. I have such great friends. I don't know what I would do without them.

My flowers!

I'm a lucky lady. I really am.

Birthday....part 1

This is just the videos Landon sledding today. I have a post that I will write up tonight or tomorrow about it all with pictures.

Where we live in housing used to have a ton more houses(like a few hundred more) that are now torn down. Whats left is a lot of land(that in the summer is all nice grass). It has tons of perfect hills for sledding. We had a few nice ones to pick from and where we ended up was perfect since it had a huge one and a smaller one for Landon to go down when he was sick of the big one.

We were out there for almost 2 hours sledding and it was so much fun.

Yes, I'm aware that my son screams like a little girl. He's 5. Give him a break.

We had a great time. I'm so glad we got the chance to go outside and sled for a while. It was the perfect thing to do on a birthday!

Exciting news(for BBC readers!)

Before the exciting news, we are going to talk a little. Ready? I want to know where we want to go from here. Hunger games book 2? Or move on to a new book? Do we want to keep it at 100 pages a week or up it to a little more(to be clear...I mean read FASTER! lol)? I know a few of us are ready for more, but I don't know about everyone else. ALSO- We could change it to 2 books at a time. 1 at a slower pace and 1 at a faster pace to keep everyone Happy and reading....??

Please let me know!

Now on to the exciting news! If you are friends with me on FB then you've already seen a snippet of this, but I didn't elaborate much.

I was asked to review a book. A great new military book. I mentioned that I had a book club online(since it's an online/blog campaign) and was asked how many copies we would need!!! So, who's interested in not only reading but reviewing this book? We already review books in a sense anyway so it wouldn't be much of a difference. We would be given the books to read then review . Even if you haven't read with the BBC before but would like to be apart of this amazing opportunity, let me know!

I don't know how many books we will be given so it will be on a first come first served basis!

I'm soooo excited!

Here is what I was given about the book.

Semper Cool is the wrenching, sometimes hilarious and always thought-provoking true story of well-off Long Island teenager who enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps seeking adventure and his father’s approval and finds both, plus more danger than he ever could have imagined. Barry Fixler gets molded into a Marine at Paris Island and sent to Vietnam, where he is assigned to a company that would soon etch it’s place in Marine Corps lore. Fixler’s Echo Company defends a hill at Khe Sanh against overwhelming enemy numbers in a 77-day battle that is considered one of the greatest military victories in the history of modern warfare. With its vivid imagery, Semper Cool thrusts the reader into a “grunt’s-eye view” of the blood, guts, tears and laughter of war, as told by a Marine who returned home a man and a patriot. Be prepared to laugh and cry for the men and women willing to risk their lives for the freedoms that so many Americans enjoy.

BBC: Hunger Games: Week 3!

Love it? I know you all do. Hahaha I've gotten a ton of comments on how you all want to finish reading it NOW!

I had a harder time coming up with questions because they were more statements then anything....

SO.

Week 3 prompts:

Ask a question for everyone to answer(in a comment) on your blog.

Then I want you to play casting director for the parts of Katniss and Peeta. Find an actress/actor(or just a picture) of who you think fits the part in your head.

...

These would be my picks(for Katniss and Peeta...maybe even Gale)

Katniss Everdeen – Kaya Scodelario

Peeta Mellark – Alex Pettyfer

Crappy people & you

I've had this on my mind for a little over a week now and I've talked myself out of posting it. I'm just so ticked about it that I have to get it off my chest.

*Warning: Major whining and complaining ahead. Turn back now!*

I volunteer at the Aquarium here. VOLUNTEER. I do not work there. I do not get paid. I spend one day a week(9 hours) busting my butt for them. I've been doing this for a few months now and I've really enjoyed it. Except for last week.

I understand people have bad days. I understand that some days you're just not in it. But I do not understand a paid staff treating a volunteer like crap for no good reason. This was the second time I've worked with this trainer, the first time being my first day when she "trained" me. She was nice the first time. Not warm and fuzzy, but nice. Last week? Not so much. The day started with her making a snide comment to me about standing there when she walked in.....HELLO I always wait until the TRAINER gets there, moves the birds so I can go in and clean(since I can't go in when the birds are in there. it's against the rules)......apparently me waiting for 2 min wasn't ok, I needed to FIND something to do. Whatever, I get it. So I went on to do the other things that needed to be done. At one point she made a comment about how I should just know what to do(and what she wants done. like she expected me to do something I have NEVER done before and got mad when I said I'd never done it. HELLO lady, i'm not a mind reader!)

The day went on and a few more comments were made. Not big nasty ones but enough to get under my skin a little bit. The big one came right before lunch. Everything was done. All she was doing was writing in the log book. It was 10 min until we went to lunch so I was waiting to see what the game plan would be after we got back since I hadn't really worked with her before and I wasn't used to how she liked things done. She decided that she didn't like that and sent me out to scrub the beach. Now, normally I would be fine with this....BUT the birds hadn't been outside in two days due to the weather being too bad, so there was NOTHING to scrub! I knew it was time for lunch so I went back inside(from the 15 degree cold) and washed the brush so I could go. She looked at me, rolled her eyes and told me to go back out! I just looked at her! Whatever. I went back out for the nest 30 min until she came out to get me. She then asked me if I saw what she told me I needed to scrub, when I said no, she looked around and said "Oh. Well I guess there is none today. You need to make sure you stay on top of it. You can go to lunch now. Make sure you're back by 1 to prep for the feed. I'll be a little late".  By the time I got my food I had 20 min to eat when I should have had 60....then she showed up almost 40 min later then me! So she got a full lunch break but I didn't AND I had to do all of the prep work by myself.

The rest of the day went on fine. For the most part, I was up there alone so I didn't have to deal with her. I'm mad though. I did 95% of the work. Besides feeding the penguins and writing in the log books she did nothing. At one point she said she had a feed so I had to wash the bucket(She walked the bucket down(decent walk) so she could go to a feed at 2.) I walked down at 230 to wash it and she was sitting with her friends BS'ing. Then I had to make the hike back to the room to finish what needed to be done. She later told me the feed got pushed to 245. She didn't wash the bucket, she talked with her friends instead...she could have come back to help me!

Now if I was paid staff I would suck it up. BUT I'M NOT! I don't volunteer to do her job for her! AND I SURE AS HECK don't volunteer to get treated like crap.

I would have walked out if it weren't for two things 1) I had things in the back room I needed. 2) we are staying at the aquarium for my birthday this weekend and I don't want to see people if I just walked out. lol.

I called in sick this week since I didn't feel great and I needed a break. I think I'm going to talk to the volunteer coordinator this week and tell her how I feel about it. I don't mind bad moods at all, but I do mind how I'm talked to and treated. It may sound petty, and I bet I will think so when I cool off.

But for now. I'm ticked.

My first(non-personal) reading challenge!

I love finding new blogs. I LOVE finding new blogs when they have to do with things I LOVE!

I was looking around today, reading a few blogs I follow and I saw this challenge! I knew I needed to do it. Not only do I love Nicolas Sparks books but I have quite a few on my shelf that I have yet to read. This is the perfect way to get me to read all of them(and to re-read a few I love). I own all the ones I put in blue but I have not read all the ones I have, the ones in red are the ones I've read already(I will come back and update as I read!)! I'm so bad like that! I think a trip to the book barn is in order to get the ones I don't have!

So here we go!

Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge
hosted by The Book Vixen

Details:

• Runs January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011(books read prior to 1/1/11 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime – Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
• The goal is to read or re-read as many Nicholas Sparks novels as you’d like. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are fine.
• You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them. It is not required that you review the books you read for this challenge but feel free to do so.
• Post this reading challenge on your blog so you can keep a list of the books you’ve read for this challenge. Please include a link back to this post so readers can join the challenge too.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate. You can keep tabs on books you’ve read for this challenge on Goodreads or LibraryThing if you’d like (maybe make a shelf for “Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge”). If you are not on either of those sites then you can list the books you read for this challenge in the comments on my wrap-up post, which will be up at the end of 2011.

Levels:

     First Date – Read 1–4 Nicholas Sparks novels
     Going Steady – Read 5–8 Nicholas Sparks novels
     Engaged – Read 9–12 Nicholas Sparks novels
     Married – Read 13–16 Nicholas Sparks novels

List of Nicholas Sparks novels:
     The Notebook
     Message in a Bottle
     A Walk to Remember     
     The Rescue
     A Bend in the Road
     Nights in Rodanthe
     The Wedding     
     The Guardian
     Three Weeks With My Brother     
     True Believer (read this first, before At First Sight)
     At First Sight (read this after True Believer)
     The Choice
     Dear John
     The Lucky One
     The Last Song     
     Safe Haven


I'm going to do my best and read all of them! I have faith that I can do it but I don't want to promise in case I fall short! Head on over and join up if you feel like reading some great books!

2011!!

2010
(my list of things I posted in Jan to do this year! I did them all!)


1. I want to read at least 50 books again. (I read 74!)
2. More family trips! (A few. Deployment makes it so you can't do a ton)
3. Take one more thing off my bucket list. (I took 2 off this year!)
4. Go to church more. (YEP!!)
5. Take up a new hobby. Sewing maybe? (Not sewing but I got really into making scrapbooks online)
6. Survive another deployment.....ick. (YEP!)
7. Send Landon off to Kindergarten...and not cry. (Did this to!)
8. Get more involved with Landon's school (Yep! I help out often)
9. Get more involved with church activities. (Yep. Now that J is home I get to go to the book club)
10. De clutter my house! (Ehhhh still working on this one but I did some)

A few more to add.

1. I got my license
2. Got my first job like commitment at the Aquarium
3. Learned how to do things I never thought I would(like putting air in my tires and re-registering my car. Haha)
4. Flew with Landon without help from another adult!
5. My bestie had ANOTHER baby! Yay!
6. Got baptised!

 
2011
(Things I want to do this year!)
 
1. Go on a big family vacation
2. pay off my car
3. Cook dinner more often and try new things
4. Get even more involved with Landon's school
5. Get even more involved with Church
6. Read 75 books....? (50 for sure!)
7. Strive to be the best mom/wife I can be
8. Do something that makes me happy (join a gym, cooking classes...ect)
9. Learn how to drive J's car!!
10. Learn something new and/or meet new people.

In 2010.....

We had a long year. It was amazing in some parts and gut-wrenchingly hard at others. I'm proud to say that I survived this year without a mental breakdown!  I'm ringing in the new year with my son and husband. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Here's to an amazing(deployment free) 2011!

Here is our yearly recap:

January

• I celebrated my birthday alone again due to an underway. But the hubs more than made up for it!

February

• Landon turned 5!

March

• Underways got back in full swing before deployment.

April

• Many family activities before deployment. (picnics, drive-in movies, circus and a fair!)

 May

• Family pictures that would have to get me through deployment.

• Deployment started.

• Landon lost his first tooth!

 June

• On my anniversary I found my dream picnic basket at an antique store here in New England!

• My sister-in-law came to visit us for a few weeks!

July

• Went home to Washington
• Took Landon to the sprint car races

• My nice Peyton was born!

• Took Landon for the first time to the campground I'd been going to every year in WA since I was born.

 August

• Girls trip to Forks, Wa & LaPush(met the cast of the Hillywood show)

• Got the last 3 on my Quad list (Washington is the only state that has all 4. Ocean, Desert, Rainforest and Mountains(Volcanoes))

• Landon learned how to fish with his Papa

September

• Landon started Kindergarten!

• And started Soccer! He also got his first belt in Karate(I have pictures but I can't find them at the moment)

 October

• Trick-or-treating at our favorite place here in CT!

 November

• Decorated the tree to get ready for Daddy to be home!!
• Justin made 1st class!

December

• He came home!!

• Polar Express train ride in RI with great friends!

• I got baptised!

I hope everyone has a great new year! I'm blogging while the boys play games! It's the life!



BBC: The Hunger Games: Week 2!

So since I haven't gone to bed yet, it's still technically Thursday...right? This is the most fun I've had reading a book with the BBC. I hope you all like the prompts! Let me know if you have some next time and I will add them in. OR feel free to add yours onto your weekly post!

Lol. I hope everyone is loving the book! I have to say this book reminds me so much of a cross of two movies. The running games(it's older...I might be the only one who has seen it) and City of Ember. Anyone seen them? Am I nuts for thinking this?

Week 2 Prompts:

1. What do you think about Katniss getting an 11? Did they give her an 11 for her talent or simply to make her a target and teach her a lesson?

2. What do you think about Peeta confessing his love for Katniss during his interview!?! Is it real, or just for show?

3. At one point Katniss is trying to think of where the games are going to be. She thinks of a desert, swamp and a frigid wasteland. Where did you imagine it would be before you read it in the books? Do you think they picked the "right" place?

4. First thoughts when you found out Peeta was with the career kids?

5. I have a love for Rue from the start, What do you think about her "helping"(read: not killing when she could) Katniss? Should Katniss trust her?

6. "Favorite" part of the book so far?



My Answers

1. What do you think about Katniss getting an 11? Did they give her an 11 for her talent or simply to make her a target and teach her a lesson? I think a little of both. What she did was ballsy and they know it. BUT she has major talent.

2. What do you think about Peeta confessing his love for Katniss during his interview!?! Is it real, or just for show? Once again, both. I think he's always had a little thing for her but was pushed to confess it to the world.

3. At one point Katniss is trying to think of where the games are going to be. She thinks of a desert, swamp and a frigid wasteland. Where did you imagine it would be before you read it in the books? Do you think they picked the "right" place? I pictured a forest. Mostly because I compare this book to the running games. I think any of the other places would have been harder. A desert doesn't have places to hide and somewhere cold would pick them off too quickly.

4. First thoughts when you found out Peeta was with the career kids? I was crushed! It really made me think the in-love thing was really just an act.

5. I have a love for Rue from the start, What do you think about her "helping"(read: not killing when she could) Katniss? Should Katniss trust her? It's hard for me to answer when my answer is the question. Haha. I have loved Rue from the start. She looks up to Katniss and wants to be around her.

6. "Favorite" part of the book this 100 pages? By far when Haymitch sent Katniss the medicine.

Wreck This Journal

I've seen a few people on here(and in real life) talking/posting about "Wreck This Journal".  I think it's an amazing idea! When I was younger I kept a sketch journal and a real one. I've lost it after I grew and got married. I've lost the want to do it. I have a hard time doing anything everyday....

I also have this strange obsession with not "hurting" books. I like them looking nice and untouched for the most part no matter how many times I read them. I even have rules when I lend them out to people. Sad, but true.

So in 2011 my goal is to wreck this journal. I ordered it on amazon(which by chance it's half off right now!).  I'm excited to do this. By reading about it(on amazon and other people) you do things you never would have thought to do to a book. You jump on it, wipe your feet and someone said at one point they took a shower with it! I'm excited to do this! I'm going to do it at least once a week and document it on here for everyone to see!

If anyone wants to do it with me please do! I would love to have others doing it with me! I will post on here once a week regardless of how many times during the week I did the project. I will start the first of the year!

Wish me luck with the wreckage!

What I'm Lovin' in December!

Music! Playlist for the month!

F**kin' Perfect by P!nk

Shark In the Water by V.V. Brown

Grace Kelly byMika

Gypsy by Shakira

Alice by Avril Lavigne

Hold My Hand (Duet with Akon) by Michael Jackson

Coming Home by Diddy

Cheers (Drink to That) by Rihanna

Fading by Rihanna

Complicated by Rihanna

Awake My Soul by Mumford & Sons

Books! What I read and LOVED!

The Hunger Games

Fallen

Vampire Academy

Up next

Wizard of Oz

I am Number Four

 

T.V! Shows I Love this month!

GLEE!!!!!!

Vampire Diaries

Top Chef

Movies! That we are lovin'

Easy A(soooo funny!)

Grown Ups

Chronicles on Narnia

Places we loved to go this month!

Polar Express

The PIER!!!!

Family date nights

Places to eat!

Cracker Barrel!

Truly wonderful

I would be lying if I said it all went perfect. We have been busy since he got home and have had things to do everyday, which lead to us being so busy we didn't stop to really think about the coming holiday. On Christmas Eve we were running errands instead of getting things ready.  I wish we would have taken the time to slow down and enjoy everything.

In the end it was perfect. I got my sailor home in time to spend Christmas with us and I don't think I could have asked for anything more. We spent the night wrapping the last of Landon's gifts and watching movies together. We went to bed at a decent time knowing we would all be up early.

The next morning J and I woke up to finish getting everything set for Landon to come down.(J was up before me to wrap my gifts since he never wants me to see them the night before.....I like to shake things....)

Hundley was ready to go! He's such a funny little dog. He gets so excited when we are getting things ready. He runs around and bounces off of everything. I love it.

This was the tree on Christmas morning before the madness started. We had presents packed all the way around this thing! It was nuts!

We always do the same thing. Landon has to wait upstairs until we tell him it's time to come down. I love watching his face light up when he first sees the tree and his gift from Santa.

Checking out his new house he got.(which took me FOREVER to put together...and about 10 min for him to take apart)

So stinkin' cute!

Landon and all of his Christmas loot!

I got a lot of really amazing things this year. I got a Kindle from my love with a few things to go with it, movies, LUSH bath stuff, Vera Bradley(of course) and a few other random things. I love everything so much but I can do without it all.

 I got my husband home. That's what mattered this year.

The only thing that holds and candle to him being home is....

This

Justin bought this for me in Jerusalem. He blessed it there for me. He was torn between giving it to me on Christmas or waiting until the day I got baptised. A week ago he made the decision on when to give it to me.(But I made it easy on him).

Yesterday, on Christmas day I was baptised into the church. It was the most amazing gift I have ever been given and it will be a day I remember forever. On the day Christ was born(or the day we celebrate it) I was born again.

BBC: The Hunger Games: Week 1

Hello! I hope you are all enjoying the book! I've had a few people tell me that they are having a hard time stopping at the 100 pages! Great book isn't it?!

Week 1 prompt(s)-

1. What do you think of the relationship Katniss has with Gale?

2. A piece of me wanted Gale to volunteer also, to protect Katniss. How did you feel about the situation?

3. Why do you think the capitol treats the tributes so well before they go to the games?

4. Why are they having Peeta & Katniss show they are untied before the games start? Is it a good idea or a bad one?

5. What was the point of Katniss shooting the arrow into the Gamesmakers table?

Link up and let me know what you think! (if you want to host a week or have any suggestions on prompts, please let me know!)