Water, Water Everywhere

The Ward by Jordana Frankel
I was so excited to read this, but yet I was a little apprehensive as well. After all, it was written by a good friend and while I wanted to love it, what if I didn't? What type of review would I be able to write as a friend, if I hated it and felt the need to be honest. Except I had no need to worry, since I loved it, and I can't believe I ever doubted Jordana!

I read review after review of this book in anticipation of its release, so I knew the pieces people complained about. Except, after finishing the book I find them to be a bit silly, and of course feel the need now to argue against them.

One big complaint about this book is the unrealistically of a lack of water source. Except this book takes place in a flooded NYC where the buildings are still able to be standing. A place where they race mobiles that can drive, swim, and fly off rooftops. And you're complaining about the lack of water being unrealistic? Especially since there is still fresh water, just not a lot. And they even mentioned how other areas have water, but refuse to trade it to the NYC area. Especially since you always here about water shortages now, which makes the idea of a water shortage at least understandable, if not 100% realistic.

Also, there's a pretty be turning point in the book, again something I've seen people complain about as being unrealistic. Except when I got there, all I could think was, "This is so Jordana!" I haven't confirmed this with her, at least not yet, but I'm pretty sure I know exactly where she got the idea for this plot point. And while you may not read this and have the same realization, I think anyone who reads this can enjoy this development. Yes, it might give the book a bit more of a fantasy feeling, but isn't half the fun of reading a book like this the fantasy feeling?

I know I may be a bit biased here, but I loved this book. I loved Ren, and could understand where she was coming from and the choices she made. I thought the race scenes were a lot of fun, and would love to see them in a movie someday. I really enjoyed Ren and Aven's relationship, and just thought there was something about Derek. It definitely does build a really interesting world one that I'm excited to go back to. And while it does end on a cliffhanger, it really does tie up the main story arc pretty perfectly. I don't know how else to describe this book except that it's a fun ride with characters you'll fall in love with, and highly recommend you go out and buy it now!

5/5

Disclosure: The author of this book is a good friend of mine, but I did rush out and buy this book on my own free will. All opinions expressed are my own.

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!

May Blog Love

As I've started to look into sponsorships I've been exploring some of the perks to offer that made sense to me. I know people offer guests pots, but in general I'm not a huge fan of them. Don't get me wrong I enjoy reading them, but I can't remember ever reading a guest post and thinking, "Wow, after reading that single post I'm going to start following everything they post!" I do like the idea of shout outs on twitter, except for the fact that I have a hard enough time remembering to shout out my own blog.

But I remembered a feature Amanda, now blogging at Next Page in Nashville used to do, where she'd highlighted some of her favorite recent posts by fellow bloggers. Think of it as a monthly spotlight post, except I'm telling you why I like reading their blogs. I'm excited to share what excites me, and hopefully you'll feel the same way! So without any further introductions, here are some of my favorite posts from my sponsors for the past month.

Munchkins and the Military
Worst. Anniversary. Ever.

"As much as Hubster and I love each other, we both agree that yesterday was our worst anniversary yet. It even beats out last anniversary, when he was in Afghanistan. In case you aren't following me on Twitter or Facebook, one of our vehicles was broken into last night when we stopped at a hotel on the way to Fort Leonard Wood."

We Found a Place

What a whirlwind of a week it's been!! Yesterday was no different. We house hunted, signed a lease, and moved our belongings into our new home in a matter of eight hours.

Vodka Soak Gummies

Beyond the Aisle
Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure Recap

"I've been writing about my health goals on this blog for a while, and recently I've added a new component to my exercise: walking... and I'm talking long-distance walking!"

Louisiana Bride
Goat Cheese, Cranberry and Dijon Chicken Sandwich
What are your favorite posts from around the blogosphere this past month?

From Miss to Mrs: Mazel Tov

After our loved ones sat down following the Sheva B'rachot, our Rabbi continue with our ceremony. (Again the majority of the text comes from Celebrating Interfaith Weddings or The New Jewish Wedding.)

Rabbi: Your friends and family, all of us here, rejoice in your happiness and we hope that this day marks only the first of many more blessings you will share in the days and years ahead. And now that you have spoken the words and performed the rites that unite your lives, I do hereby, in accordance with your beliefs and the laws of the state of Louisiana, declare your marriage to be valid and binding, and I now declare you, ____ and Shoshanah, husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.

May G-d bless you and keep you.
May G-d's presence shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May G-d look upon you with favor and grant you peace.
There are many explanations for why we perform the breaking of the glass at the end of a wedding. One explanation stems back to 70 BCE, to the destruction of the temple. The breaking of this glass, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, reminds us that we live in a broken world, and even though we celebrate in joy today, there are still people whose lives are yet to be whole.
Another explanation which is the cheerier one is that the traditional breaking of the glass is a joyous ceremony. The fragility of the glass suggests the faility of human relationships. The glass is broken to protect this marriage with the implied prayer that "As this glass shatters, so may your marriage never break."

As the Boy smashes this glass with his foot, I encourage you all to all say "Congratulations" or "Mazel Tov."

What you can't quite see from these pictures is how thoroughly the boy smashes our glass. He didn't just settle for the single stomp to shatter it. Inside he continued to step on it making sure it was completely taken care of, and definitely got got us to all break out the laughter.

I knew what I wanted our processional music to be since even before the boy and I were engaged, but yet the only one who knew was the boy. For you to understand why I made this choice you have to know my mom was a huge Star Wars fan. She actually used to lie about how many times she paid to see the original in theaters because it was so high. She made sure to convert my brother and I, and we were the one who waned to dress up to go see Episode I when it was released (along with my MOH and her brothers). Basically it was no question for me that we'd end our ceremony with the throne room march. I thought it was be a fun way to end the ceremony, and for most people it was. But given that my mom physically wasn't there, it in a way, brought her spirit even more a part of that day.
Unfortunately, there was a mild snafu where the DJ was waiting for a cue from our rabbi. After an awkward pause our rabbi said, "Now the boy and Shoshanah are going to share a few moments together," as the music kicked in. Which then meant our DJ stopped the song and had to get it to play again, hence the reason we all look a little confused in the photo above.
But as we started walking the music finally chimed it, and realization from the Star Wars fans hit. If you actually look in the photo below, I love how my MOH and bridesmaid seem to giggling together about our choice.
As we made our way indoors for our yichud, our rabbi invited all our guests indoors as well to join the reception.
What song did you, or would you, choose as your recessional? Does it hold any special meaning?

All photos in this post courtesy of Sabree Hill Photography.
Miss a Recap Post?
From Miss to Mrs: The Calm Before the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: There's a Hurricane Coming?
From Miss to Mrs: Here Comes Isaac
From Miss to Mrs: Weathering the Cane
From Miss to Mrs: After the Storm
From Miss to Mrs: Trials and Tribulations
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Errands
From Miss to Mrs: A Night on the Town
From Miss to Mrs: The Hangover
From Miss to Mrs: Rehearsing in the Heat
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Single Supper
From Miss to Mrs: Gifting the Girls
From Miss to Mrs: The Last Single Night
From Miss to Mrs: Oh What a Beautiful Morning
From Miss to Mrs: Getting Prettified
From Miss to Mrs: Prepping the Plantation
From Miss to Mrs: Turtle Time
From Miss to Mrs: The Photographer Has Arrived
From Miss to Mrs: Becoming the Bride
From Miss to Mrs: Dress Details
From Miss to Mrs: Ou Est le Groom?
From Miss to Mrs: A Bridge-y First Look
From Miss to Mrs: Couple Time
From Miss to Mrs: Just the Two of Us
From Miss to Mrs: Grouping the Girls
From Miss to Mrs: Ain't No Party Like a Bridal Party
From Miss to Mrs: Fun with Family
From Miss to Mrs: Making it Official
From Miss to Mrs: The Bedeken
From Miss to Mrs: The Final Minutes
From Miss to Mrs: Programming Break
From Miss to Mrs: The Processional
From Miss to Mrs: Walking the Walk
From Miss to Mrs: Circle to Ceremony
From Miss to Mrs: Remembrance to Kiddush
From Miss to Mrs: The Exchanges
From Miss to Mrs: Lucky Number Seven

Lights, Camera, Action

You may have noticed that the pictures I've been posting lately have been less than stellar. Most often they're too blurry or too dark or who knows what else. I've posted about it before but sometimes the flash decides to stop working, and most times it starts again after a few days. But I'm approaching a week or so without it. And of course that's assuming I can even turn the flash on, since half the time the button to turn it on doesn't want to work either.

This isn't to say I haven't had my fair share of use out of my little Sony Cybershot. I've had it since May 2005, and I know most people don't use cameras for that long, so I've definitely made the most out of it. But for a while now, it's been time for me to upgrade too a new camera. I just haven't been quite ready to take the plunge yet. (Even though owning and learning to use a DSLR is on my 101 to 1001.)

Except I guess the boy got tired of me complaining. And I might have had a mild breakdown a few days ago after frustratingly taken blurry photo after blurry photo. But in hope of calming me down, and from his point of view making his life easier, the boy gifted my with a new Canon Rebel T3i.

My new camera photographed by my old camera.
See how dark and blurry it looks?I'm still figuring out how to use it, and haven't even attempted to shoot on manual yet, but I'm already loving it. No more worrying about whether the flash will go off or not. No more blurry photos. And there's the fact I can actually delete photos off the camera, some my cybershot was failing at lately. While these in no way really show what the camera is capable of, they do at least prove I'm finally using a camera that's not half broken!





What's the longest you've used a camera? And any tips for me on learning to use my new DSLR?

Mailbox Monday (31)

I always love looking at everyone's mailbox posts. It's so fun to discover what books are out there, and what everyone else will be reading. And while most the time you're just looking at the covers, that and a brief description tend to be all I need to get excited about a book. To see what everybody else is linking up check out this month's host For the Love of Books. As for me...
For Review from TLC Book Tours.
The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas
When I heard this books description it reminded me of The Red Violin, a movie a loved years ago. Plus parts of it take place from the Holocaust, a period I never get tired reading about. I'm actually a few chapters into it, and so far, I'm really enjoying myself.

For Review from Virtual Author Book Tours
Gaijun Cowboy by Jame DiBiasio
I wasn't sure about this one, till I heard that it was classified as New Adult, and that drew me in. I'm still a little apprehensive about this, but it definitely looks like it'll be a little crazy (in a good way!).

What did you find in your mailbox this week?

Project 365: Days 117 Through 126

I'm sure you all were scared when I didn't have a Project 365 post last week that I had fallen off the bandwagon. Except that's not the case. I have still been taken photos, just didn't have a chance to upload them all. So a week late, here's a week and a half of daily photos. (The second half of the week will be up next week, that way I don't overload you with two weeks at once.)
April 27, 2013 - 117/365: I had this vanilla blueberry fiber Luna Bar when I laid out. It was actually really good, and tasted more like a Nutrigrain bar, than what I'd normally expect from a Luna.
April 28, 2013 - 118/365: I made the artichoke I blogged about earlier this year again. I think it good have used an extra few minutes in the oven to get the skin more crispy, but was still really good.
April 29, 2013 - 119/365: Yes, I went back to Whole Foods for lunch. I just might be a little obsessed.
April 30, 2013 - 120/365: I bought my good friend's new book on release day! Still so weird to see her book on an actual shelf. I've actually read the book already and loved it. (My review will be up this Friday.)
May 1, 2013 - 121/365: Reading Jennifer Gilbert's Memoir over a mug of hot chocolate and pecan egg.
May 2, 2013 - 122/365: Day lilies in the back yard.
May 3, 2013 - 123/365: We had our book club meeting at this new pub-y type place, The Pelican House. I had a glass of pear cider and this delicious basil chicken sandwich. The food was really good, and it was a really fun atmosphere. Definitely a place I'd like to visit again.
May 4, 2013 - 124/365: Celebrating May the Fourth with a Butterfinger Sonic Blast.
May 5, 2013 - 125/365: After the artichoke chicken the boy and I were on a little artichoke kick and decided to add two cans to a pot roast. Unfortunately, it turned turn out nearly as well as we had hoped.
May 6, 2013 - 126/365: Soon to be flowers poking through the grass.

Since they were a theme this week (even showing up in my Whole Foods salad), what are your feelings on artichokes?

I'm linking this post up with Random-osity & Kleinworth & Co. for Project 52!

A Memoir of Life Through Events

I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag by Jennifer Gilbert
When I first knew I would be reading this I was really excited. After all it was from an almost RHONYC, who was a fabulous event planner. I figured I was in for an amusing read, with stories of brides throwing fits and elaborate parties. And yes, the book did actually deliver on that.

Except what I had no idea about going into it, was that at 19, Jennifer Gilbert was brutally attacked and almost died. Most of the book deals with how that impacted her and dealing with the aftermath. Her life definitely didn't go as planned, but one has to wonder, if she never had that life changing moment would she have made a point to be as successful as she became?

One subplot I really identified with was the amour Jennifer tried to shield herself with. She wants so badly for others not to realize that inside she may be feeling insecure, that friends and coworkers have no idea how she's actually feeling inside. There's one point where she realizes she actually needs to say hi and make more of an attempt to be friendly to those working for it. It's not that she doesn't have friendly feelings towards them, but that she was so worried about being perceived as weak, that she had no idea how she actually came across. I think this made sense because so much of this is how I feel. I'm always so worried about how people perceive me, especially at work, that I make a point to sound confident. Except more often than not, I come off as unfriendly, even though that's never intentional.

I wound up really enjoying my time with this book. Which I wouldn't necessarily have believed if I had been told that what happens to Jennifer within the first few chapters. Instead the book wound up being the perfect mix of events, personal growth, relationship drama, family life, and entrepreneurship that really resonated with me. My only complaint at the end is that I wish Jennifer Gilbert was given more of an opportunity to have her scenes aired on RHONYC (although I'm guessing with all the Bethany and Jill drama that season, they had crazier things to air).

4.5/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through TLC Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.