Breaking a Fever Sometimes Brings Revelations

Do you ever go through periods of self-loathing? I know I do….in fact I know that I just got through one. I wonder if this is a normal phenomenon of human life. I know that every person I’ve ever had a close relationship with has gone through it, so I suppose there is some validity to this hypothesis.

It’s amazing to look back on the last few months that I’ve been silent on here, and recognize that the reason for my silence was in fact because I didn’t much like myself. Now, trust me reader there have been several excuses I could use with you. Some being that since this summer I moved back to Texas, went a month searching for employment, started a new job in a totally new profession, and moved again. But honestly, those weren’t the reasons for my silence. I found that the reason was because I didn’t much like myself, so why would I talk about me? 

Today I stayed home from work because I woke up with a migraine and that telling tickle in the back of my throat. I knew that if I tried to push too hard I would end up getting seriously sick. So I stayed in bed till noon, and lounged all day. Around 8pm I got hit with chills and Andrew was kind enough to pack me in blankets and let me sleep on the couch because I didn't want to move. He silently watched Youtube videos on his phone with headphones while I slept. (I’m pretty lucky; he’s quite the keeper, huh?) Finally about 30 minutes ago my fever broke and I woke up so incredibly clear headed and hot! It’s a sort of revelation coming out of a fever. Your life gets incredibly bad, body aches and chills, until suddenly it’s as if you are on fire and you can take it no more. I had forgotten what a revelation a fever breaking can be.

Ok, well I hope I haven’t lost you with my flowery language. My degree is in literature after all. This revelation came to me after my fever broke and I was looking at my Instagram account. I don’t know about you, but I use my social media in different ways. I have far less followers on Instagram than I do on Facebook, and I use it primarily for selfies and pet pictures. I try not to annoy people of Facebook with shots of myself and several hundred of my pets. It’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words, and on Instragram I reveal a lot more of myself. These are the pictures that I have deemed good enough to share of myself. Or the pictures of the pets that I love so much. And while I was looking back through my Album I realized there have been no selfies for months. Sure a few of me posing with my dog or cat….but not too many just of me. And that is because I have been incredibly down on myself about my weight, and appearance.

Wow. How hard is that to share? (It’s incredibly hard, especially in this world where social media is only to portray how wonderful life is. Where people “friend” people just to stalk and in some ways make fun of you.) It sounds stupid, but I have hated my weight and my haircut for a while now. My beautiful sister, who is far skinnier and much more beautiful than me pointed this out to me a while ago. (See, even in my description of her I have torn myself down. Why do we do this women?!?!) She told me that I was beautiful, and my response was a scornful face and sarcastic comment. She got this sad look on her face and said, “Lacey I don’t understand why you don’t believe me. You are tearing yourself down and I wish you wouldn't do that.” This has stuck with me for a while, and tonight I think it finally made sense. I have been doing that.

There is an old adage that comparison is the thief of joy. I know that to be 100% true for myself. Not a day has gone by that I don’t compare myself with others my age and feel discouraged that I am not where they are. I have tried to cope with this by just avoiding people, but I have found that it doesn't really work. It may help for a while but then when I run into someone that old monster jealousy rears it’s ugly head. And the age of social media doesn't help. I feel as though I have spent my entire life trying to come off nonchalant and cool. Sad, huh?

It’s not quite resolution season yet, but I think I found what I need to work on. I need to love myself and not compare. There is a wonderful sermon series for those of you who are Christians that has also been working on my heart. It’s a series by Matt Chandler at the Village Church called “A Beautiful Design.” There are three sermons on Women, and it’s one of the most encouraging sermons I have ever heard on what God has designed us to be. I greatly encourage you check out the sermon here.

Well on that note, I think I’ll go enjoy the rest of this night and make the most of my revelation. Starting with a no makeup, post fever selfie. This is me. This is who God created me to be, and if he loves me….what have I to complain about?

Lacey

Spousal Approval Demanded?

Recently I chopped all of my hair off. I'm sure you've noticed the new pixie trend buzzing around in Hollywood....well I hopped on that band wagon. I wanted to try something daring! And I've never done anything like this.

Of course I had some nerves so it was a 3 stage process. Slowly I worked my way up to the pixie...but what was interesting was that every time I went into the Salon I got the same question, "Is your husband ok with this?" I kind of laughed and explained that Andrew could care less how I do my hair, makeup, or clothes. Believe me I've tried to get an opinion out of him! He's one of the rare awesome guys that just says "You're beautiful in anything." Am I lucky or what?

So the other night I casually mentioned this to him, and how odd it was to hear the stylists share their stories of boyfriends who declared their opinions and in some cases how it ruined relationships. He agreed that was weird, but mentioned he has had his own share of questioning about his appearance. You see, Andrew has been growing out his beard. He decided to grow his beard out for a year without cutting it. He wants to see how much it will grow, and how it will look. I have been encouraging him to do it now because he's at this cool place in his life where he doesn't have to dress business casual. Why not try it out? Plus, I kind of like the beard. Any way, apparently the question he gets asked when people who know him see the beard for the first time, is "How does your wife feel about that?"

 

Is this some weird new adage that spouses/significant others get some say in how you dress/groom/appear? I like to ask Andrew his opinion because I love him, but it's hard to say how it would make me feel if he were to start making ultimatums about my appearance. The only thing he really cares about is my modesty level. (Which I actually really appreciate! I never want to look immodest in how I dress...out of respect for myself mostly, and for him.) He will offer if he thinks something is too low cut, or see through....but again, never has he demanded that I change. He only offers his insight.

More than this being something new, I'm suspecting this is rather something old. I'll be honest, I was raised in a family where my mom thought feminist was a bad word. And for a while I agreed. I attended a women's college and I suppose it was there where I learned more about what it means to be a true feminist, and some of those ideals have rubbed off on me. (As I see it, a true feminist accepts that women have the right to cling to the traditional gender roles as their own choice, the point is that they should have that choice.) I guess when I first was asked about my hair cut decision this inner feminist came out, and I was starting to feel outraged. But as Andrew reminded me, men can also get the same scrutiny.

I guess my only answer to all of this is that I love Andrew no matter how he looks. I didn't fall in love with him because of his appearance (though that was certainly one of the first attractions). I know that looks are temporary, beauty fades....and I trust that Andrew doesn't just love me for my appearance either. After all, isn't that what love truly is?

Vegan Challenge

About 10 months ago, Andrew decided to challenge himself to doing a month as a Vegetarian. Well, he's still doing it. He says he just doesn't miss meat, and I get it. I generally don't eat that much meat either, before he started doing this 5 out of 7 meals were vegetarian already. (We do all of our grocery shopping at Walmart, but don't like their meat selection. So when it requires an extra trip it usually gets ditched from our menu.)

Lately he's been thinking about taking it one step further and doing Vegan. So we sat down and watched Vegucated on Netflix, it's a pretty interesting documentary along the same lines as Food, INC. It's about 3 New Yorkers who decided to stick to a Vegan diet for six weeks in an effort to get healthier. While they are doing this, they learn about the meat/dairy industry and get tips on good dairy substitutes.

Picture via imbd.com

After watching the film he was more inspired to give it a try. After all, you can pretty much do anything as long as you give yourself a timeline. For this one, he decided to start with one week. He planned out the Vegan dinners, and once I realized all I would have to do to join in is figure out some Vegan lunches, I decided to give it a try.

Here is what our week of Vegan Meals looked like:

I ate mostly hummus wraps for lunch. It took me a while to figure out that you can't stuff them full, like in the first picture. (They don't exactly roll up very pretty.) I lathered my whole wheat tortillas in hummus and added cucumber, tomatoes, shredded carrots, sprouts, and avocado. I also had the Amy's Teriyaki bowl, not my favorite, but not horrible. And I picked my way around Golden Corral one day for a business lunch. 

 

Andrew did an awesome job on our dinners. He made pan seared tofu with veggies, cauliflower steaks, my all time favorite Indian flat breads (they have chickpeas and tomatoes on the inside), baked potatoes with buffalo chickpeas, and ended the week with our favorite Chinese meal of Schezwan tofu. 

The Good:

These meals were all pretty good (with the exception of a potato and leek soup that I just didn't care for.) I love vegetables and fruit so it was nice to incorporate them into my diet more. Also, you can pretty much eat as much as you want without consequences to your waistline. One day I ate an entire bag of baby carrots...no harm done. It's a great excuse to say no to the things that kill your diet like chocolate, desserts, and carbs (most have eggs in them). It's clean eating at it's finest. 

The Bad:

I decided to buy all organic produce, specialty Vegan versions of normal foods, and a few of the Amy's brand frozen meals. These are not cheap. And then when we failed to realize we would want snacks, we ended up running to the grocery store multiple times during the week. This week hit our budget hard, but it's not something that couldn't easily be fixed with some planning. 

The Ugly:

Well, I'll just say that when your body is not used to a high fiber diet of veggies, hummus, and beans...there will be consequences. 

Doing Vegan for only a week I didn't see any measurable difference in my weight. But I did see myself saying no to candy bars, donuts, and birthday cake during my little trial period, so I consider it a win. I also realized that there isn't a single meal that we were eating that didn't have cheese or butter in it. So while I don't truly see Vegan being a sustainable lifestyle for myself, I think it's a great thing to incorporate into my weekly routine. You've heard of Meatless Mondays, what about Vegan Vendsdays? 

Would you try Vegan for a Week?

My Travel Mistakes

Before I get all nostalgic about my most recent European travel experience, I had better take a moment to reflect on what I did wrong on this trip. None of these mistakes ruined my experience, but they definitely didn't make it the best it could have been.

So for your sake dear reader, I'm going to list out my mistakes, so that you can learn from them and avoid the headaches I went through.

1. Too Many Connecting Flights

For this trip I used an amazing website called European Destinations.com. They are amazing at finding the cheapest flights, and great deals on hotels. I honestly can't recommend them enough. The mistake I made, was to not compare prices on other flight options. I took their steal of a deal, and it broke me.

The flights there were fine. But on our trek from Rome to SLC, it was just too much.

First we hopped on a flight from Rome to Amsterdam. Did I mention that this was the first flight out of the day departing at 6:15? No joke, we had to get a cab at 3am to get us there in keeping with the whole "2 hours early for international flights" principle. Then when we got there, they hadn't even opened the airport yet. Talk about an early morning.

Then we landed in Amsterdam, and for notes on that one see #9.

Then bring on a 10 hour flight to Seattle. By far the longest flight I have ever been on...and not something I'd like to do again. Give me a 6-8 hour flight and I'll be happy, but 10 was too much! And of course our last hop and skip from Seattle to SLC for 1.5 hours.

Grand Total Flight Time: 14.5 hours
Total Travel Time with Layovers: 21.5 hours

We departed Rome at 6:15 am on Sunday, and landed at 7:30pm in SLC.

Lesson Learned: No more than 2 flights! 

2. Not Researching the Hotels

The hotel we stayed at in Barcelona (Hotel Aranea) was perfect. They let us check in early, they were friendly, laughed at my jokes. It had a great location near the Sangrada Familia, it was a perfect hotel. Small like all European hotels, but comfortable.

In Rome....it didn't quite work out so well. The hotel itself was fine. Rooms were actually quite large, and they were clean and comfortable. The breakfast was nothing to write home about, but totally adequate. The minor problem was that the staff was detached. Not friendly, but not rude. They didn't care for our joking, couldn't really offer recommendations, and seemed annoyed that we couldn't really offer recommendations, and seemed annoyed that we couldn't fill out their paperwork properly (FYI in Spain they just asked to see our passports and filled out the paperwork themselves. MUCH EASIER.) The major problem was that the hotel was located at the end of a one way street, where a homeless man lived, and one side of the street strongly smelled of urine. I thought being close to Termini station would be a good thing, turns out it was probably the worst. I should have done more research.

Trust the Trip Advisor

Lesson Learned: Do your research on the hotel, and the area! On multiple sites if possible.

3. Be Prepared for Anything

Remember on this trip we were able to meet up with my parent's in Rome. Well my darling Father brought with him a lovely cold, which passed on to me my last day in Rome. What that turned into was me hoarding toilet paper and Kleenex like a squirrel hoards nuts. No joke, I was a mess. I was THAT person on the plane, and my poor little nose got rubbed raw. I thought I was prepared with tiny bottles of aspirin and tums...but I never dreamed I would get a cold! My small pack of Kleenex was gone before I knew it, and I would have given anything for a bottle of Vicks. Turns out I did have to buy some nasal spray in the airport and I paid dearly. 

Lesson Learned: Next time around a bottle of Vicks is going in as an essential item...and I'll have to see what kind of options are out there for Kleenex. It would have been worth it to me if I had had an entire box. 

4. It's All About the Shoes

Last time I was in Europe I totally trashed an older pair of shoes I had. I work an office job, tennis shoes are not exactly an everyday thing for me. So I thought I would outsmart myself. A new pair of tennis shoes and a new pair of boots, just for my trip! Then at the last minute I bought some insoles. Problem was...I didn't cut the insoles before my trip. I hastily did that in the hotel lobby with some borrowed scissors on my first day. Well guess what? I did NOT cut them correctly. They were too long and shoved my little toes so that my nails were cutting into my toes. (Did I mention I was planning on getting a pedi - hence the long toenails - and didn't end up having time?) So the next day I wore my new boots to give my toes a break. The boots gave me callouses on my heels. Then back to my tennis shoes minus the insole, which now started reopening the bloody sores on my heels. I completely jacked up my feet. And the rest of the trip I paid for it. Literally, I had to buy band aids

Lesson Learned: If you buy new shoes, do it at least a month in advance and wear those puppies like they are the new fad. Also throw band aids in your essential kit, and cut your toenails before you go!!! 

5. You will be Dealing With a lot of Coins

In Europe you will be dealing with a lot of coins. You would think after several trips I would remember this. But I always seem to try to use my normal wallets and it just gets too difficult with the number of coins. I of course took this opportunity to visit my favorite store (Accessorize) and buy this darling blue coin purse for about 7 euros...but I should have been more prepared. 

Lesson Learned: Buy a Coin Purse

6. Check the Weather

We bought Andrew and brand new jacket for this trip. Then after obsessing over the weather for weeks, decided he wouldn't need it and left it behind. What I failed to do, was check the weather the week before we were leaving. I only did it 2 weeks, and months in advance. Dumb. Poor Andrew had nothing more than a hoodie no warmer than a t-shirt and nearly froze. So we spent a lot of time in Barcelona shopping. And the clothing isn't cheap over there. 

Don't ONLY rely on these! 

Lesson Learned: Check the weather the day before you leave to make sure nothing has changed! And pack accordingly. 

7. Language Blunders

We liked the idea of doing 2 very different cities in 2 very different countries. Well it turns out that all that does is make for a confusing time. Yes they were both amazing, but going from Spanish to Italian really threw us off. Also it was just so much newness that it was a tad overwhelming. I love that we did 2 cities, but next time I think we want to try to stick to only one language.

Lesson Learned: Try to stick to the same Country if possible.

8. Registered Taxis

My parents arrived in Rome a day before we did. They had a hell of a time trying to find the hotel and sent us a message urging us to just take a taxi from the airport. We thought we could probably find it ourselves, but finally agreed to just do the taxi thing. I had some time to look in our guidebook on taxis and read where it urged travelers to only use the city taxis. Cars with meters and with the specific colors and lights on the cars. Here I'm thinking, well duh Rick Steves! 

As we gathered our luggage and headed to where all of the taxis were parked, a very friendly Italian man with a taxi badge asked us where we were headed. We told him and he explained that it would actually be much cheaper if we took a bus...here, he'll show us! With wary and confused glances we followed the man to the buses, and waited as he said he was going to check the schedule. He came back quickly and said that the bus had just left and the next wouldn't be for 4 hours, did we want to take his taxi? We said yes, that was kind of the plan all along. So he starts leading us further away from where all of the taxis were parked. Over to where cars are parked. He then starts to unlock an unmarked ford focus, and explains his company has set prices so it will be much cheaper. We had an easy enough time telling him no...but how scary could that have been?!

Lesson Learned: Just say No Thank you to any one who approaches, and only ask people in Uniforms for Help.

9. Never Fly Into/Out of Amsterdam

All I have to say, is that this has to be the worst airport I have ever gone through! It was horrible. Honestly, it made me throw Amsterdam down a few notches on my European travel list. You hop of the plane, and then have to go through Passport control. This was backed up down the hallways. You see the mass of people blocking the hall, and had no idea why until you hear people shouting get out your passports. Eventually you will turn a corner and see the sign for passport control. Then they have to call out departure times, because there is no way you could possibly make it to your flight through the regular line. So you wait for them to call out your departure time so that you can go to the slightly shorter line to get your stamp. (Ok, yes it's way cool that I now have a stamp for Amsterdam...but you didn't even have to do this in the Rome airport. When we flew in from Barcelona you just hopped off the plane.)

Ok you're all clear and good right?! NO. Now you have to go through security. (Even though you literally just go off a plane.) How many poor people where forced to throw away the liquor they had just bought in the duty free shops. It was a sad day for many. And no one was exempt from the pat down. We all got close to the security personnel. *shudder*

Lesson Learned: Avoid Amsterdam Airport at all costs.

10. Print out your information before you leave

Generally I am super organized. If you've been reading this blog, you have probably already picked up on that. Whenever I send someone out for travel at work I provide them with a folder that includes printed confirmations, vouchers, maps, contact information....just whatever they could possibly need if their internet or computers were to go down.


If only I had been so proactive for myself. I generally travel with a netbook. It's great for uploading pictures each night, and every other time I've used it to skype with Andrew. Since he was along for the ride this time, I thought I could get away with only taking my kindle fire. It has internet as long as you have wifi...and that should work, right? Well it would have, if it hadn't been a perfect storm.

You see, I forgot to print out the instructions for how to get from the airport to the hotel in Rome. I also failed to see where the hotel in Rome charged for internet service. Thankfully my parents were there to greet us as soon as we hopped off the train from the airport. They guided us safely to the hotel. Also my dad went ahead and bought the week pass for wifi...so I was able to just use his verification codes to check in on emails and check into our return flights.

Lesson Learned: Have a hard copy of EVERYTHING you could possibly need!

Well these were my 10 mistakes. Like I said, they didn't ruin my trip...but I tend to lose all of my negative memories over time. The nostalgia sets in and I'm ready to go again! But I wanted to remember these mistakes so I can learn from them for next time. And of course to help you too reader! Happy Travels.

Travels - Barcelona and Rome

Did you miss me reader? I've been gone doing one of my all time favorite things. Traveling to Europe of course! This trip gained me 2 new passport stamps, and was my first trip abroad with my husband Andrew. It was a quick one this time! 3 Days in Barcelona, and 4 in Rome.

Two things made this trip special, well more special than usual. 

First as I mentioned before Andrew came with me! This was his first trip abroad, and I was so nervous that he wouldn't love it as much as I do. For me the last month has been all pressure to make sure that everything went smoothly for our trip. Andrew was busy with tests immediately leading up to the trip, and so he told me to just plan it all. Normally this would send my hyper-organization fetish into overload....but like I said, I was just nervous about how the experience would be for Andrew.

And second, we spent the latter part of the trip with my parents! If you read about my Germany adventures you will know that my parents are my favorite travel buddies. They are the reason I love to travel, and nothing is more fun to me than exploring a new city with them.

So there it is, I've been away traveling and I can't wait to go through my pictures and share all of my adventure with you. This time I made sure to keep a travel journal to help me with it all. (Though admittedly it got ditched when we hit Rome. It's so hard to take the time to write while you are enjoying yourself!) So be looking for many posts about Spain, Italy, and travel prep!

My favorite picture from Barcelona, Spain taken at Park Guell.

German Sheps and Kids

Growing up I had a neighbor that had a big white German Shepherd named Beowulf. I never got to close to him because he was just too big for me to handle. I loved my neighbor and their kids, but just steered clear of the big white beast. Sadly, a few years later my rural little neighborhood just on the outside of the city limits had a rude awakening. Beowulf chased a woman on her bike and nipped at her heels. From that point on we all were under strict leash laws.

Now let's be honest...I still see a lot of violators around my parents neighborhood who ignore the leash laws. I remember as a kid trying to ride my bike around, some of the dogs would chase you...and it could be kind of scary. In the back of my head I remembered what happened with Beowulf. I remember my neighbor being angry and sad over the situation. The dog didn't hurt the biker, but they made a huge deal over it. Beowulf was certainly NOT the only dog in the neighborhood to chase bikers or be loose...but he was the only one who got the police called on him.

This is many people's image of a German Shep, and mine too when I was a kid.

So fast forward many years later and Andrew tells me the best dog he ever had was a German Shepherd. That the only dog he wants would be another German Shep because they are such great dogs. Here I'm thinking NO WAY! They are scary, and could be dangerous. They would scare our children and probably knock them over. My mind was made up, the Corbins would not have a German Shepherd.

Well we all know how that ended up. Archer is my baby, and I couldn't imagine our lives without him. But, I still wasn't sure how he would be with kids. My parent's dog, a cocker spaniel, can be quite aggressive toward my nieces and nephews. Something about them being on her level and getting near her bed or food. I didn't really think that would be much of a problem considering how much Archer loves people, but you never know...

This weekend I had some coworkers and their families over to our house for dinner. My good friend Kerissa brought her not quite 2 year old daughter with her. I made sure on the invite that I let people know about Archer. I wanted to make sure that people understood a big dog would be there.

As the day approached I was more nervous about Archer and his behavior than the food or cleaning. This was our first real get together at our house, and Archer wasn't used to company coming over. The few times I've had my cousin or friends stay with us...he's usually so hyper the first few days, and often in his excitement he jumps on people. (Yeah, I know that's our bad...we're working on it!) I kept imagining Archer jumping on our guests and hurting them with his long nails. (Yes, another problem, but I swore the first time I hit blood would be my last...)

My game plan was simple, Andrew would get home early and run Archer outside so that he would be tired by the time our guests arrived. Great plan, right? Not so much. Andrew got home late, and Archer was still in his crate when I got home 30 min before our guests were arriving. Talk about stress...but whenever I'm working with Archer I know that I can't let my feelings project or Archer will pick up on it, and it will be that much worse.

It turns out all of my fears were for nothing. Archer was excited yes, but he was a perfect gentleman with all of our guests. He even made a new BFF. So it turns out Archer is wonderful with kids! Kind of makes me excited to have some of our own....kind of. :)

Archer has a new BFF

Why I love YA Books

I've been thinking about this a lot. You may remember that my BA is in Literature. Ever since I finished my first big book as a kid (Ann of Green Gables) I've gotten a thrill out of reading. I enjoy it in the same way that I like music. I don't just want to hear a story, I want to search for symbolism and deeper meaning. With music I don't just like to listen to the melody. I like to piece out the words and understand the point of the song.

Anyway, my undergraduate career had me picking a part classic literature. (British is my favorite.) And I like to think that I utilize those skills now whenever I read anything. I always thought that reason I love YA is because for school I had to read heavy classic literature, and while that may be partially true...I think there are some other reasons that have me coming back to it time and time again.

1. YA isn't just teenage romance.

Ok, I will admit I do love the teenage romance. There's something endearing about first love, and considering I married my high school sweetheart I probably give it more credibility than most adult readers. But the point is...that no matter if the book centers around fantasy, mystery, or action....there is always a love interest. Alight, I'm sure you can prove me wrong on this...but in all of the books I love there is always a love story. But it doesn't have to be the center plot!! I love a cute love story....but I don't always enjoy the Romance genre. YA allows me to indulge without committing to that being the only story line.

Some of my favorite Love Quotes come from YA Books.

2. They are generally shorter.

Yes Harry Potter was long...but fantasy series aside, generally YA books are shorter. I am the type of reader who gets lost in books. When I read books, I see them like movies. I want to get the whole picture in one setting. So YA is a great option for me. Usually I can read an entire book (sometimes a couple of books) in one weekend. I have closure. I don't enjoy stretching books out over weeks....and in my new adult work schedule this is valuable to me.

3. Growth is usually key.

You learn so much growing up, and this is a key element to most YA books. You witness experiences that you have probably been through on your own path to adulthood. This generally makes for more dynamic characters...and allows the author to impart life lessons to the reader. When reading "adult books" you don't always get to witness that kind of growth. Usually the characters are already jaded by their experiences and so you dig into their background. Sure there's development there, but I love walking through experiences with the characters.

So much growth happens in your teen years

I love reading YA. I get to jump around to various genres, but I can rely on there being some kind of romance, it will be a short and interesting read, and I will witness some kind of growth in the characters. It's not just that it's modern, or that other critics haven't really ripped it apart yet...it's getting to experience that time when everything was simple and hopeful. It's enjoying the journey.

What's On My Kindle - February

It's that time again! Time to see what I've been reading, and this winter weather has definitely been encouraging for cuddling up with a good book. This month I continued to indulge in YA fiction by reading a trilogy that is claimed to be for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games, and one that I bought because I like the author. Here are my reviews:

1. The Siren by Kiera Cass

I chose this book because I am a big fan of Kiera Cass' series The Selected. This book however, is very different. From Greek mythology I was aware of what a siren is, a woman of the sea whose singing can bring men to their deaths, but its never been something I've explored or been intrigued by in literature.

This book is from the point of view of Kahlen, a siren in the modern world, and her relationship with the Ocean (a god-like being) and her desire for a romantic relationship with a man (which is of course, strictly forbidden...never mind that her voice would cause him to commit suicide in seconds.)

The book took a long time to dive into the action, and even then it wasn't necessarily suspense filled or exciting. I give this book three stars, but I don't think I can recommend it. It was an OK read. I think if they had jumped into her relationship with the man sooner and spent more time developing that relationship it would have been better.

2. Legend by Marie Lu

Book 1 in the series follows Day, the number one rebel against the Utopian society called The Republic. He has a history of non-violence, but loves to create trouble. When his pattern is broken and he kills an officer, the officer's sister June, a prodigy in the Republic graduates from school early to track him down and avenge her brother's death.

June is successful in finding and delivering Day to the Republic...but something doesn't quite add up about the Republic's autopsy and Day's version of the story.

I have to say I was hooked from the beginning. I was a bit weary of reading another distopian novel after the disappointing conclusion of Divergent. But I decided to give it a chance, and I'm so glad I did! What I love about the books in this series is that they include mystery, action, romance, and political intrigue.

3. Prodigy by Marie Lu

So if you haven't figured it out by now, Day is the Legend Book 1 refers to. Book 2 is all about the Republic's prodigy June. ******SPOILER FOR BOOK 1*****

After June helps Day escape his execution, she struggles to trust the Colonies. She still feels loyalty to the Republic and must work to view both sides objectively. However the Republic has big plans for her and in exchange they will give Day the surgery he needs and help him find his brother. June gets swept up in a plot to kill the new Republic leader in order to save Day...but something's not quite right. June must decide how to proceed while separated from Day.

This book continues to develop the characters of Day and June and their complicated relationship. I love that Marie Lu really looks at the dynamic between the two characters and how their history has a detrimental impact on their future.

4. Champion by Marie Lu

The conclusion to this series leaves The Republic's people looking for a champion. And who better to pull them all together than the man of the people Day. June is working closely with the new Republic leader while Day cares for his brother. Day must decide how to lead the people whether it is in favor of the rebels and the Colonies, or of sticking with the Republic and their new leader who promises change. It all may be for nothing as the the Republic and Colonies head toward war.

Ok, enough recap. Let me tell you why I liked this book. It does a great job of resolving the series in a way that is agreeable to the reader. Well, I guess I should say agreeable to this reader. It's not a happily ever after and it's not a disappointing mess like the Divergent series. I give Marie Lu major props for her ending. The conclusion to the last book in a series can make or break the whole thing...and she does a good job. Honestly it was a brilliant move on her part, she found a way to bring closure to the characters while still leaving it hopeful.

Ok so go read the Legend Series! 

If you want to know more about what I'm reading, friend me on Goodreads! 

President's Day Weekend

Reader, I hope you enjoyed the long weekend! President's day weekend Andrew and I usually try to take advantage of the extra day off and discover more of Utah. Last year we hit Bear Lake and enjoyed a wonderland of snow. This year we were hoping to do the same, and spend some more time snowshoeing, but alas Utah has been having some unseasonably warm weather lately. That, and I insisted that Archer just had to come along! This greatly limited our options because a lot of the colder places were shut down for the winter, and most of the other options wouldn't take dogs.

You may remember, that I'm not exactly an experienced camper. A nice compromise that Andrew and I have found are the KOA Kabins. Ok, ok I know it's not really camping....but like I said it's a nice compromise. I don't have to sleep on the ground, and Andrew can get out in nature. Best of all, most of them take dogs...even those super aggressive German Sheps! (haha - how anyone could think of my Archie as being aggressive is beyond me. Thank you KOA for not having breed restrictions!!)

Archer on the porch of our Kabin

So with limited options we decided to spend our long weekend in Cedar City, UT. It's in Southern Utah which is home to more of that gorgeous red rock, but is close enough to Bryan Head ski resort so we could enjoy some snow as well. Unfortunately this trip sort of snuck up on us, and we failed to plan for it. We arrived late Saturday night, and on Sunday no snowshoe rental places were open. We did have a nice scenic drive into the mountains...but had to settle for a nice hike in the red rock.

As always here are my highlights:

1. The Road Trip

Cedar City is about 4 hours from where we live, and Southern Utah is a really beautiful place to do a road trip. The speed limit is often 80 mph and the view is breath taking. You'll see red rock, and snow capped mountains all in the space of an hour. I of course really enjoyed just having a chance to chat with Andrew, snack, and read!

2. Spending time with the pup

Hiking with Archer

A typical day in the life of Archer is to wake up, eat, use the restroom, then go back to his crate until Andrew comes home around 5pm. Then he gets to play outside until the sun goes down, then lounge around the house with us...until it's time to go back to his crate. I hate that. I hate that he doesn't get to run and play more. Of course he doesn't seem to mind...he's a lazy thing. But oh to see that German Shepherd run! Any way, I really loved being able to include him in our adventures last weekend. And hiking with him was by far the most enjoyable for all of us!

Resting after a hike!

The problem is...that Archer is not really a good traveler. I can't tell you how many different methods we have tried. This dog just doesn't understand that standing up does not help you on turns, or when stopping, and he can't come sit in the driver's lap...even if that is the best view in the car. So I tried something new. A plastic barrier to keep him in the back end of the SUV. And guess what?! It worked. Never have I enjoyed a 4 hour car ride with my dog more.

Doggie Barrier

That was of course, until he realized that his head could push through on the sides. Then if he uses his paws he can shift the plastic. Are you seeing my mistake here? PLASTIC. I went for the cheap option, and he figured it out. The ride home wasn't nearly so pleasant. It involved a lot of frustration, and frantic yells trying to get him to stop tearing apart the barrier. Oh, and then he decided that moving cars must be enemies and began barking at them nonstop. Yup, there went my pleasant car ride.

Despite the frustration of the drive home, I do love having my pup along. He's my BFF and it's just not a family vacation without him. 

4. The Scenery

Cactus

The red rock is always stunning, and I always tell people that I moved here for the mountains. I have a lot of trouble enjoying the scenery while I'm hiking....something about all the exertion I'm using just to keep up. But truly, the scenery was breath taking. I'm not a fan of the Texas desert, but I do love the Utah desert. 

At the time I hated what the sun was doing to my photos...now I kind of like it.

5. Family Time

Best of all, was the family time. This trip was for Andrew. He has been working so hard this semester! Between Grad school applications, Organic Chemistry II, and work he's a pretty busy dude. I don't get as much time with him as I would like...but with the 8 hours in the car, and no tv or phone service, I got to spend some wonderful quality time with him. That was the best part. 

He's a pretty fun guy.

Family photo

The De-Vamping of Fang

When we got Fang, one of the first things we did was take her to vet. We wanted to make sure that we understood what was involved with having an older cat. That was when we learned first that she was much older than what the adoption place told us. And second that her cute Fangs would probably have to come out.

We made sure to take lots of pictures the night before her surgery.

It turns out that the reason Fang's teeth hang so low are because they are abscessed. Her mouth was full of black teeth, and the vet was surprised to find out that she could even eat hard food. He warned us that those teeth might be affecting her sinuses, and were probably giving her a lot of pain. Oh yeah, and that the price to get all of this done would be around $400.

Well at the time, that just wasn't an option. We had just gone through a month of living in a new state without having any jobs. And while I had just landed a pretty great gig, we were trying to pay down all of the credit card debt that had accompanied our move. I knew that Fang certainly didn't seem in pain. She was happy as could be, and had no problems eating hard food. I resolved that we would wait until we had a little more money to spare, and would just keep an eye on her eating.

Well three years later, we figured it was about time to get it done. February is pet dental health month, in case you didn't know...and our vet had a 10% off dental work promotion. Not to mention the tax return had just come in. So this Tuesday, Fang went in to get her teeth cleaned/pulled.

I was pretty nervous about it all day. She got dropped off early in the morning, and of course they make you sign paperwork that warns you it is possible for death to occur. (gulp!) But our vet is wonderful and he kept assuring me that this was necessary and should greatly improve her quality of life.

All in all the old girl had four teeth removed. 2 of course, were her signature fangs. I suppose now her name is more of an ironic name. Like when people name Great Danes Tiny. But she truly does seem to be happy. The vet gave us pain killers, but said she might not need them at all. Just having the teeth removed should be making her feel better. He also said that clearly her teeth and mouth disorders were genetic and somewhere along the line may be linked to being a carrier of feline herpes. To be honest I wasn't really paying attention, I was just so happy to have my kitty safe and sound.

Her eyes are still pretty dilated in this picture, and she kept poking that tongue out.

So that was the De-Vamping of Fang. I feel pretty guilty for waiting so long to get it done. There were definitely some selfish elements to my waiting....I never did get that picture of her in a vampire cape. But I have to say, even without the fangs...she's just as cute. 

Pet Profile - Juliet

Well I hope you enjoyed Fang's Story, but long before she joined the Corbin clan there was my long haired calico Juliet.

I should probably back up a bit, Andrew and I were married in 2008. I'm sure many of you can relate, but one of the first things we wanted to do was get a pet. So...we did! 2 sugar gliders. And guess what, they lasted about 8 months and it was a HUGE mistake! Gross creepy crawly rodents were not such a great idea. So I consulted my favorite life guru, my mom, about what I should do. I knew Andrew really wanted a pet -- and he has a strong fondness for cats. Well life guru surprised me and told me that she knew someone who had free kittens in our hometown...and she thought that calico one might be a good candidate. 

Mom was sold on Juliet, but I honestly was leaning toward the gray one in the back.

Andrew was of course thrilled by the proposition, and it just so happened that we would be back in our hometown for my best friend's wedding the coming weekend. I will always remember that we got Juliet on my friend's wedding day. Andrew's parents pulled out all the stops for our new addition haha.

My in laws found the sign from when Andrew's sister was born.

Juliet was our first real pet, and she is very special to us. That being said she is very different from Fang and Archer. Where those two only ever want to be with us or be given attention, Julie loves her independence. She will not be cuddled if she doesn't want to be. And don't even think about picking her up. She is afraid of everything, doesn't adapt well to change (poor girl has been through 3 moves and 2 new additions to the family), she can't purr, doesn't know how to cover her litter (she just scrapes at the plastic on the box) and she is quick to retaliate.  She's my ornery old girl, but that only makes it all the more special when she jumps up into your lap and seeks out your attention.

I know a lot of people are not fans of cats. Juliet is that stereotypical grumpy and independent cat, but I couldn't imagine our family without her.

Enjoy some of the quirks that make our Juliet who she is. 

If you want to slow Juliet down, just add water. She start moving in slow motion.

You will frequently find Juliet in this position to block the light when trying to sleep. 

She hates getting her nails trimmed, but tolerates it pretty well.

When she gets excited she does this cute prairie dog move.

If you are a fan of Jaxon Galaxy you will understand that she is tree dweller.