Month: August 2016

Until Then by Krista Noorman

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Until Then by Krista Noorman this is the second book in the series, and I did enjoy the book. I did read the first book as well so if you want to check out that review you can click here to see it. Like I said, I enjoyed this book but if I had to pick between the two I would pick Goodbye, Magnolia because I felt like I connect better with those characters than I did with Michelle in this book. Even with that being said I did enjoy this book, and I still love the authors writing. I love this author writing, and I hope that she will come out with other books in this series because I can’t wait to read other books by her.

Until Then by Krista Noorman

About The Book

Growing up with a distant mother and absentee father, Michelle’s childhood has been far from idyllic. Her only attention comes from her partying friends and the guys who are more than happy to give her the affection she longs for. But when one party goes wrong, Michelle’s family hatches a plan to get her out of Chicago and away from her so-called friends.

College plans are low on Michelle’s priority list, especially with no money to pay for it, until her grandparents offer to foot the bill for her entire tuition. There’s just one catch. Michelle must choose between three schools – all hours away from Chicago and all Christian colleges.

Michelle’s reluctant choice leads her to an unfamiliar place, where she’s faced with new relationships and unexpected decisions that could change her life and her heart forever.

PG-13 for sensuality

Krista Noorman

About The Author

Krista Noorman is the author of the young adult novel, The Truth About Drew , and theCornerstone contemporary Christian romance series. Most of her life has been spent scribbling away in journals, while documenting her every day life, but it wasn’t until she took part in National Novel Writing Month that she found her true calling and turned her pen to fiction.

Krista studied music education at Cornerstone University. After college, she turned to her love of photography and spent nearly a decade running her own wedding photography business. She is constantly inspired by books and movies, enjoys beautiful instagram feeds, and loves a great cup of coffee. Krista makes her home in a small town in western Michigan with her husband and their two children. She writes about life, family, faith and whatever else comes to mind at bykrista.com .

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Oh Ship! Tales Of A Cruising Chick & Other Travel Adventures by Lori A. Moore

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Oh Ship! Tales of A Cruising Chick & Other Travel Adventures by Lori A. Moore was a fun book to read. This is a super short book, so I don’t have tons to say about it, but I did enjoy the book. I have never been on a cruise, but my grandparents are going on one in a few weeks so I am going to send this book with them so they can pass it on to someone who would enjoy it. I loved that the author included travel tips after each of the stories because some of them were super ingenious and things that if I ever travel I will use myself. I was left smiling after the stories, and I did enjoy the book. I think this would be a great gift for someone who likes to read and travel.

Oh Ship! Tales Of A Cruising Chick & Other Travel Adventures by Lori A. Moore

About The Book

Ship happens. Cruises can be quite the adventure within an adventure if you keep your eyes open and watch the little dramas that are going on among the several thousand passengers and crew members aboard the ship. Reading author Lori A. Moore’s true tales of things that happen on the high seas will have you saying, “Oh Ship!” From stories of passengers pepper-spraying other passengers to grown men fighting over glass figurines of penguins, you’ll laugh until your ribs hurt.

Lori A. Moore

About The Author

Lori A. Moore is an award-winning author and professor who doesn’t take herself too seriously and believes her greatest gift to be silliness. A public speaker and consultant, Lori has four graduate degrees in business. Lori, her husband, and their cat, Grady, live in Louisville, KY. An avid traveler, she has explored much of the globe, finding and bringing silliness to all places.

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John F. Kennedy – Quote Of The Week

Quote Of The Week

This week’s quote is from John F. Kennedy.

John F Kennedy

I have always loved reading books about the Kennedy’s.  When I read this quote, I knew I had to post it. This quote made me stop and realize that I need to look to the future.  I have found that at times I get so caught up in things that happened in my past that missing thing that is going on now.  I always try and remind myself not to get trapped in the past and to focus on the new things that are happening.

What do you think of this week’s quote of John F. Kennedy?

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

Adoption Thoughts- 11 Years

Adoption Thoughts

I am just writing this as a way to remember how I was feeling this year as it has been hard for me than I thought it would be.

I can’t believe it has been 11 years since I gave birth and placed my daughter for adoption. It has been on my mind more this year than in years past. I am sure that is because I had to put Alley down at the end of January. Alley was my replacement baby, so when I put her to, sleep I felt like I was reliving all the emotions that I had back when I placed my daughter for adoption.

I knew this year might be hard, but I didn’t expect that it would be as hard as it was. I found that this year everything lined up like it was the year I had her, so I almost felt like I was reliving it all again. There were times where all I was doing was going from minute to minute trying to get through the day.

I know that at moments like this will happen, and all I can do is deal with it one day at a time. I am also glad that I know that it will all pass, and life will get back to normal after a while. I wish I would have known that the first year because even though people tell you it will get better, it was hard for me to believe that it would get better.

I have always said that the first year was the hardest but this year would have to be the second hardest. Like I said I was grateful that I knew in time that things would get better in time which isn’t something that I knew during the first year. All I want to say is that it always gets easier to deal with as time goes on.

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

A Chilling Absence by Shelly Maynard

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Promotional Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

A Chilling Absence by Shelly Maynard was a book that I didn’t want to put down once I started reading it.  I love when books are like that because it makes it so much easier for me to read and finish.  I can’t even imagine how hard things had to be from Lily.  I mean who do accept that you missed 11 years of your life.  I can’t even imagine waking up and finding out that you miss that many years.  I also love books that have strong female characters as the main character because it shows girls that you can do anything you put your mind too.  If you love mystery books like I do then I know you will love this book.  It is also really well written and I can’t wait to check out more books by this author in the future.

A Chilling Absence by Shelly Maynard

 

About The Book

Lily Grimes had it all. She was head cheerleader, the girlfriend of the All-American High School Quarterback, had been accepted to a prestige college near her hometown and the best family and friends a young woman could ask for. Just before Christmas 2004, Dr. Jethro “Jet” Manning, the doctor-in-training for the quaint little town, nearly runs over Lily, who is found unresponsive and icy cold in the middle of a backroad.

Fast forward to 2015 – Lily Grimes finally wakes up and has to face the reality of being in a coma for the past 11 years. Her life has changed but just as she feels like she is getting into the groove of things, Lily discovers secrets have been kept, lies have been told and everyone whom she considered a ‘friend,’ may not be out for her best interest.
Lily feels like something is missing – a piece of herself. Is it simply because she was in a coma for so long or is there a piece missing? As she sets out on a mission to find the answer, Lily discovers that she’s being stalked, and someone is trying to kill her.

Who can she trust and will she ever find the secret to those eleven missing years?

Shelly Maynard

About The Author

July 15, 1984. Shelly Oakley (now Maynard) was born and lived in tiny Ashmore, Illinois until 1998 when her parents relocated to Manchester, Tennessee. Starting a new high school and making new friends was hard enough but it was that point in her life where it came time to make life-changing decisions in regards to college, careers, etc. Shelly had spent so much time following in others’ footsteps that she never had a plan for her career. The only dream she’d ever had was to become an author, but that was laughed off by family and friends. By 2002, Shelly was in college and switched her major from nursing to teaching and finally business. One year in and she discovered that she was pregnant with her first son. He joined the world in 2004 and was followed by a brother in 2006. During the second pregnancy, Shelly fought demons of a bad marriage and started trying to rebuild her life. She met her (now) husband in the Fall of 2006, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Her three guys are her entire heart, soul, mind and spirit! After searching for several years, Shelly decided that it was time to find a place to settle in her career. She started working for a local, family-owned steel fabrication company in 2014 and was surprised when she found more than a job – she gained an extended family and friends who provided a tremendous amount of support. Between the support of her husband, children, family, and friends, Shelly started writing again. In 2015, Shelly stumbled upon the opportunity to read Eternal Dawn by Kathi Haacke Morehead. The book reached down into her soul and opened her eyes to view the world as she never had before. The writing bug flourished, and Shelly knew it was time to pursue her dreams. Past demons haunted her, but she wanted to set an example for her children and follow her dream through to the end to prove that hard work, persistence, and dedication pays off! Living in Lynchburg, Tennessee, Shelly Maynard is your typical mom – she enjoys spending time with her family, friends and for nine of the twelve months per year, you’ll find her at a ball field watching her children. She enjoys front-porch-sitting’ with a glass of sweet tea and the occasional margarita. She loves her morning coffee, a good book and writing for her blog. It’s the simple, “little” things in life that make life grand!

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A Small Multiple Sclerosis Update

MS Update-August 2016

I saw my neurologist on August first so I figured I would just write down how I have felt so that I have a record of it. Nothing changed when I saw her, but I haven’t felt good for months. I can’t remember the last time I felt this bad for as long as I have lately. I am sure it was like this before I started Tysabri, but I have been on it now for about seven years, so I don’t remember how I used to feel. I know part of it is the heat and another part I am sure is because of stress. I started a new job in January, so it has been an adjustment in that sense, and I just moved to a different part of the company, so I know have to learn all new stuff which can be stressful at times.

I have been having severe headaches lately, and my sleep has been the worst it has ever been. I only sleep for an hour or two a night which I know is also contributing to my headaches. I know that there is nothing that can be done to make me sleep better because I have yet to find a medication that will help me sleep, so I just have to make due. I am so glad that I have a job and insurance, so I can’t complain about the stress of everything. I know I will learn whatever I need to know soon enough, and the people that I am working with are so friendly and helpful.

I also feel like my eye site is getting worse, and I find that I am starting to read more digital books because I can make the font bigger, so I don’t have to strain my eyes as much. I have to schedule an MRI for October, so I have to wonder if the disease is still stable. Those the few things that I wanted to share so I will have another small update after I get my next MRI and once I have those results.

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