The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones

Recently I finished reading the first Mortal Instruments book: City of Bones!!!  I thought the book was soooo good and made mention that I hoped the books would be made into movies.  A good friend of mine told me that it was rumored that they were being made into movies. Well I guess the rumors were true and I can't wait until this first movie comes out!!!  Yeah!!!!

Lakers Game

Last night I went to my first ever live NBA game!!!  

It was the Dallas Mavericks vs. L.A. Lakers!!  Of course I was routing for the Lakers since my fiance was routing for the Lakers and I don't want any animosity between us.  Since I don't follow sports, I feel it's only best to route for the teams of my significant others.  

Anyway, so the game was totally awesome and I'm glad that I went.  I didn't want to go at first but after awhile I decided to go and support the L.A. boys.  It was an awesome experience and luckily there are several Lakers fans living in Dallas!!  It was awesome being in the same room as this amazing man....

 Kobe Bryant!!  

Unfortunately I don't know any of the other players on the team but Gasol, but that will all change in time I'm sure.  

The Lakers totally killed it last night and made the Mavericks look ridiculous.  

The final score was 115 to 89!!

Overall it was fun to experience an event that my man loves and he promised me that we'll go to The Nutcracker Ballet next time!!

A Day Of Female Pampering

I felt like it was time for some much needed female pampering today.  So I started off my day by getting my hair done, and I decided to get a new look while I was at it.

Bangs!!!  I've done the bangs before, but I decided to do them again because I really wanted something different.  

After I got my hair done I went to get my nails done too.  I love getting my nails done, but I usually save that extravagance for the holidays since it can get expensive.  

 I chose gold tips because I thought it looked festive for the upcoming Holidays!!  

I had a great day because I got pampered and I felt beautiful all day!  I got compliments everywhere I went and what woman doesn't want that?

Samba Trio

This dance was awesome!!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Little Bookworm

I've become quite the little bookworm lately.  I never read as much as I've been doing so far this year.  Thanks to my iBooks app on my iPhone, I download books all the time and read them for free.  I'd also like to thank goodreads for helping me keep track on what I want to read and what I've already read.  I also get some great reading ideas from my friends.  Since the last time I wrote about my reads I've read 4 more books.  

Fire

 This wasn't my favorite book but I really wanted to read the whole collection.  I enjoyed Graceling much more than I enjoyed this book.  I felt like this story dragged on and on and I couldn't wait for the story to end.  I got really annoyed with the talk about Fire's monthly bleeding and I just couldn't get in to any of the characters really.  Archer really annoyed me when he got two different women pregnant around the same time....may he rest in peace.  

Bitterblue

 A much more enjoyable read than Fire.  I found it difficult to put this book down because I wanted to keep reading.  I really felt bad for Bitterblue and I found myself just as frustrated as her with her situation.  I only wish that Graceling had been as detailed as this book was.  

The Help

OMG I loved this book!!!!  I don't really know what to say other than.....I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!  I loved all the characters and I have a new appreciation for what African Americans had to go through even after slavery was abolished. It makes me sad to see how they were treated.  I absolutely love the whole poopy pie part!!!  Great book!

Tiger's Destiny

Much better than the previous 2 books in this series.  Kelsey still annoyed the crap out of me but all ended well with this book.  There was a lot of sadness in this book but much happiness as well.  I'm just glad that Kelsey FINALLY listened to her heart and chose the man of her dreams.  I'm eager to read the next and final book in the series when it comes out.  I have no idea what could possibly be in store for the next story.  

As you know I'm already reading The Hobbit and I think I should be done with that book before too long!  

An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit

 I'm getting super excited about this movie coming out this December and so I thought it would be really cool to read the story again.  I haven't read the book in probably close to 11 or 12 years.  I haven't gotten that far into the book yet but I'm having a great time reading it again and I'm getting even more excited.  Is it December 14th yet?

Sorry About My Absence

 

I wanted to apologize for my long absence from the blogging world.  I guess I've just been really busy with work and my personal life that I haven't had the time or the desire to blog.  I hope to be back real soon and in full swing hopefully!

An Attractive Old Man

Meet Howard Keel!!!  

Isn't he just one of the cutest older men you have ever seen?  Howard did pass away back in 2004, but regardless, he is super sexy!!!  

Howard Keel played one of my favorite characters in the Dallas TV series from the 80's, Clayton Farlow.  When his character was first introduced to the show I had a little crush.  I thought he was a super good looking older man.  A few episodes later my mom happened to mention that  Howard Keel played Adam Pontipee in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

 OMG!!! I totally see it now!!!  He was even cute when he was young.  Anyway, I just think that Howard Keel aged well unlike most actors these days.  

Peter Bradley Adams-Song for Viola

I think this song is absolutely beautiful!

Good Books And My Reviews

I've finished reading two books recently and I wanted to share my reviews on the stories.

Tiger's Voyage

 First of all, Kelsey is such a stupid girl sometimes and she drives me crazy this entire book! Love triangles are never fun, but man I think she is dumb, selfish, and way too stubborn in her choosing!! Yes, I'm team Ren and I probably always will be! However, Ren did annoy me a little bit at the beginning, but he had a reason to be annoying. Once he got his memory back, he was just as charming as ever. I did get really annoyed with all the myth story telling, and do we really need a whole long chapter dedicated to diving lessons? Personally, I feel as though this book was too descriptive about the nonsense stuff (boring myths, stupid beach parties...etc) and not descriptive enough about some of the trials! I was most annoyed with the trial/hunt with the green dragon! The whole chapter was like, "Ren killed a snake and won some bread. Kishan killed a boar and won the gold fruit...." I actually would have preferred more details on the hunt and probably from each of the boys' point of views instead of Kelsey's!! Did she even sleep that whole hunt? Didn't seem like it to me!! Overall, I enjoyed the book and I do love the characters. I just hope Kelsey stops being so annoying in her choosing and stops being selfish!! I wish I could talk some sense into her. Tiger's Curse is still my fave in the series!! 

Graceling

 I really enjoyed this book!! I think my favorite parts of the story were at the beginning while Katsa and Po are fighting together and their friendship is blossoming! For me personally, the story lost its flavor after Katsa and Po left Randa's city. I have a hard time relating with women and female characters that are so independent and feisty like Katsa. Men have a natural born desire to be providers and protectors and so I have no problem allowing the men in my life to provide for me and protect. I was somewhat annoyed with Katsa and Po's "lover" arrangement. Plus, I thought their first sexual encounter was cheesy, but I'm more of a tender romantic!! I had hoped for a lot more romance between the two. I also would have liked to see more of an adventure in Monsea with Leck. That part of the story felt soooo rushed for me. Also, the fact that Po lost his sight is so tragic in my opinion. I like how he grew with his grace, but was it necessary for him to go blind? :( Despite what I said earlier, I'm glad that Katsa took control of her life! I'm just disappointed with some of her logic and decisions. Overall, I loved the book and I couldn't put it down.
PS: I do love strong female characters, but they can be a little more submissive and less stubborn sometimes! ;-p

A Very Thoughtful Gift

So I had a pretty rough night on Monday when I left FHE.  My mom is usually the parent I seek when I need to talk to someone, but she was unavailable since she is currently visiting her family in Pennsylvania.  I hadn't planned on talking to my dad about my emotions and feelings when I got home, but something strange happened when I arrived at the house.  I felt like being by myself and just crying, but for some strange reason I ended up in the family room with my dad.  I don't know what came over me exactly, but I actually opened up to my dad when he asked me if I needed to talk. He actually turned off the TV so that he could listen to me.  In all 28 years of my life, I have never, NEVER EVER talked with my dad like this before.  I actually enjoyed the bonding experience we had.  He provided words of comfort and told me that he understood exactly how I was feeling because he has been there before.  When we were done talking, we had a real heart felt hug where we both shed tears.  Now I'm not a very huggie, touchy, feely kind of person with most people, especially with my dad, but I'm telling you, this was a REAL hug!  It was actually very special and I'll treasure that feeling forever.  In that moment I knew that my father loved me, and that he was hurting with me. Yesterday when my dad came home from work, he called up the stairs to tell me that he had a present for me.  I asked him if it was a travel toothbrush?  It's a family joke that only my immediate family would understand and laugh about.  Anyway, he did bring me a baseball ball cap that he got from his job that has his company logo on it.  As you can imagine, I wasn't super thrilled because a baseball cap is just as bad as getting a travel toothbrush as a gift.  But then he handed me a little package and told me that I would probably enjoy this present more.  I opened the little package and inside was a cupcake that was all packaged pretty.  Receiving this little cupcake from my dad meant the world to me.  It may not seem like much, but I knew that this package of sweets was a very thoughtful gift.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to be able to bond with my dad.  And yes, the cupcake was very delicious!

I'm Not Fitting In

So I've been going to the Singles Ward here in Colleyville  since April and I still haven't made any friends!!!  I had such high hopes of making new friends, good friends, and maybe even start dating.  I hate to announce, but I'm just really not fitting in with these people.  NO ONE EVER comes to talk to me and I ALWAYS end up sitting on an entire pew by myself most of the time.  I'm beginning to think that something is seriously wrong with me or that maybe I have leprosy and I don't even know it.  I leave every Sunday and Monday feeling absolutely WORTHLESS!!!  You wouldn't think that this type of ostracism would happen among the LDS, but I'm afraid it does.  Please keep me in your prayers because I don't think I can endure this anymore......

Dallas TNT (2012) Opening Credits

The new season of Dallas started last night on TNT and I loved it.  For the past several months I've been buying the old seasons of Dallas and watching them.  I've been really excited about this new season and I've been anticipating it for months.  The new season has a different feel to it, but I can tell that I'm really going to enjoy it. 

Tiger's Quest

Last week I finished reading the second book in the Tiger series, Tiger's Quest, and I really enjoyed it.  I personally liked the first book a little better because I like Ren more than I like his brother Kishan.  It's not that I dislike Kishan, but he just isn't Ren, and Ren is the first brother that the reader meets and falls in love with first. You can't help but fall in love with Ren while reading the books.  

The book started a little slow for my taste and I started to get a little annoyed with the main character, Kelsey. I started the story already angry with Kelsey for leaving Ren and India behind to return to Oregon.  She feels the need to move on with her life without Ren, and so she goes to college and dates 3 guys that become interested in her.  As a reader, I could careless about the dates she went on with these 3 dudes and I was just so ready for the adventures in India to begin again.  The book really picked up when Ren came to Oregon to win her heart again!!!  Awwww....the romance was DIVINE.......

However, without spilling any beans to those of you that may want to read the story, Kelsey's adventure in India continues with Kishan, Ren's younger brother, instead of Ren.  Kishan falls in love with Kelsey which creates a love triangle between the brothers and Kelsey.  

For any of you that have read the Twilight series, this book was similar to New Moon in emotional feelings.  Just like New Moon wasn't the same without Edward Cullen, Tiger's Quest wasn't the same without Ren.  I became discouraged while reading the quest because I wanted Ren back.  I still enjoyed the book and I've already started reading the final book in the series.  However, I'm definitely team Ren!!  

The Hunt Is On

Now that I'm obsessed with Ren from the Tiger's Curse, I've decided to find the perfect actor to play the part if the book was ever made into a movie!  

Honestly, Ben Barnes is who I personally envision as Ren when I'm reading the book.

Just imagine he has cobalt blue eyes and...you've got Ren!!!  

However, Mr. Barnes IS NOT INDIAN!!!  :'(

Sooooo the hunt is on to find the perfect Bollywood actor for the part.  I've found a few possibilities!!  Let's check them out, shall we?  You can cast your vote in the comments section.

 I already know which one is going to be my Ren!  Who do you like?

Happenings Of Late Part II: Utah Vacation

My niece, Kaelynn, got baptized 2 weeks ago yesterday!!  She asked me personally if I would come to Utah for her baptism.  After that, I couldn't refuse and I made sure that I would be there for her.  I was able to get 5 days off work and so I headed to Utah for a mini vacation.  My sister kept us busy from the moment I landed, but I enjoyed every minute of my time with family.  My older brother that lives in Dallas got the same days off that I did, and so we were able to travel together.  It was really nice being able to be together as a family with all four of us kids and our parents.  I'm going to try and take more time off work so I can spend more time with family in the future.  My first day there we went directly to Tooele to visit my grandparents for a few hours.  After our visit we headed to Park City to spend the night in my sister's in-laws' cabin up in the mountains.  We spent the majority of the next day in Park City just chillin and talking.  We went for a walk to Olympic Park to see the bobsled run and the ski jump. 

 I enjoyed our little tour immensely because my whole family really gets into the Olympics when they are going on.  I also enjoyed some beautiful scenery and even some wildlife!

The very next morning, Saturday May 5, 2012, Kaelynn was baptized!  We went out to eat at Kneaders after the baptism and relaxed most of the afternoon before all us adults went to Thanksgiving Point to see the Avengers.  My sister has a membership at Thanksgiving Point and she had 2 free tickets to see the Thanksgiving Point Gardens.  She let my little brother and me use her free passes and the three of us went to see the beautiful gardens.  The Tulip Festival is over but there were plenty of tulips still and it was beautiful.  I'm surprised that I never went to the Tulip Festival when I lived there.  Here are some pics from the gardens.  

 I thoroughly enjoyed the Avengers but I wish they had spent more time fighting the bad guys than fighting each other at the beginning.  
Go Captain America!!!
I'm sad that my trip was cut short but I can't afford to take off too much time from work.  I hope that next time I can take off at least a week.  
Last but not least.....my sister bought a dog around Easter time and I REALLY want one!!!

 Meet Bella, a Havanese!!!  I loved this sweet dog so much that I'm determined to get one of my own as soon as I'm in a living situation where I can have one!!  I miss Bella so much!!
Overall I had a wonderful trip and I realized how much I really miss the Beautiful State of Utah!!!

Tiger's Curse

  Tiger's Curse By: Colleen Houck

 OMG!!!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!  

This book definitely goes into my group of one of my favorite books ever!  This book is another romance story....go figure, right?  The story combines romance and adventure and maybe some other stuff which makes it a wonderful and enjoyable read.  I was starting to get annoyed with all the love stories out there about vampires and werewolves and so this was a PLEASANT change.  I loved how the majority of the story took place in India.  I took a History of Interiors course in school last fall and we learned a little about the architecture and furniture styles in India.  I actually ended up doing my final project for the class on India.  Anyways, I was able to visualize the different types of Hindu Temples found throughout India while I was reading her descriptions.  

I think that my studies of India during the fall really helped me to appreciate the characters' surroundings in this book.  I'm even more fascinated with India after reading this book.  I loved almost every part of the entire story.  The main character was starting to get on my nerves in the last few chapters just because she was acting like a stupid girl and I wanted to smack her around a bit.  However the main guy, Ren, is now officially up there with Mr. Darcy and Mr. Rochester on my list of men that I love!!!  Ren is AWESOME and I wish he was mine!!!  

A Job Promotion

This morning when I got to work, my boss told me that she had something she needed to talk to me about.  I was a little nervous as usual when management wants to talk.  She told me in a few weeks she would have a supervisor position available that she really wanted to give to me.  She asked me if I would take the position and without even thinking about it I accepted.  I'll be working more hours and making a little more money which is always good.  Plus I'll probably get some benefits now!

Happenings Of Late Part I: Recent Reads

I've been REALLY busy since the last time I posted anything  in my blog, and so I'm going to have to post in segments till I can get to the current news.  Part I is dedicated to the two books I've recently finished reading.  

Forever

This was the final book in the Shiver series by Maggie Stiefvater.  Did I love the series?  Not overly!  Did I hate the series?  Not exactly!  It wasn't my favorite love story ever but I didn't think it was horrible.  I wasn't exactly fond of how the story ended and I didn't feel a sense of closure with the story and the characters.   For me, I felt the the story was left open and I'm not exactly sure if there will be another book to the series or not.  If there is another book coming, great!  If not....not the best ending for the series, I think.  I still like how the author switches between each characters' point of view though.  I think that there was a bit too much swearing in the book and the all the characters were severely dysfunctional.  Did I feel the series was a waste of my time?  No.  It was still an enjoyable series but it didn't end the way I would have liked it to.  

The Healer's Apprentice

One of my dearest friends, Kami, read this book earlier this year and did a review of it in her book blog.  I enjoyed reading her review and it sounded like my kind of story!!  Lucky for me I was able to find a free download of the book for my iBooks app!!  

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!  

I never wanted to put it down because I loved the love story.  I'm crazy for mushy love stories and so this was definitely my cup of tea.  Was the story written a little juvenile? Maybe a little!  Did I get a little annoyed with all the religious stuff?  Yes...I think the author went a little overboard with all the religious prayers and stuff.  After I read the book, I read a little about the author and discovered that she writes Christian stories.  I'm a religious person but it was a little overkill.  Did it stop me from enjoying the book?  Not one single bit.  To be honest, I kinda had the plot figured out early on in the story but it definitely had a happy ending.  Would I recommend this book?  

HECK YES!!!  

I'm about half way through the next book I started reading but I won't reveal anything until I'm finished reading!

Orange

My favorite color has been a deep shade of red for the last year or so, but lately I've become very fond of orange.  Orange has NEVER been a color that I've liked so I'm surprised that I like it as much as I do.  It's a very popular color this season and I'm seeing it everywhere.  I love it, especially the darker shade of orange seen in these flower petals.  Love it....reminds me of the sunset!