Happy Thanksgiving!

Its November 24, 2011 and its Thanksgiving Day! The weather is nice outside and the news said it was suppose to rain, but its clear skies and the sun is up and shining- hooray!
This morning our family went to the graveyards to visit all of our relatives and loved ones who have passed on throuthout the years; my father being one of them. It was good to visit them and be greatful for all they have taught us and the good times we shared together! I sure do miss all of them and what a great impace they have played in my life.
We ended the day visiting my dad and singing a church song for him along side my uncle, his brother who passed away a year ago. It seems like this year 2011 so many people are passing away and returning to their maker. When its time, its time so we gotta make each day count. Be greatful for everything we have, greatful for family, health, church, necessities in life because there is always someone who is in a worse situation. Glad to be alive and up and running each day, glad for employment and everyday we're blessed with.
Gonna end the evening to watch a movie with my nephews "Arthur Christmas" and then get ready for the sales for "Black Friday" oh yea!
I can't explain how good our thanksgiving dinner was: so tastey and delsih. Its the one time we get to all gather, eat, be greatful and eat again and again lol! I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving with family and friends. I'm not gonna take a nap because I might not wake up after that meal lol!
Thankful for all that I have and am blessed with..On that note, good day all:)

Whoa its been too long!

It is now November 17, 2011- well actually November 18, 2011 and its Friday. It has been way too long since I've last posted a BLOG on my page, bad girl. But, here's hoping that I'll get my MOJO back and get back in the game. Looks like I haven't been on here since July what the heck, who does that a total of 4 months since I've posted anything ugh!
Well happy to say that I got that Gall Bladder out finally that was causing me so much pain and since then I've been feeling great! I haven't eaten my favorite food because its full or grease and everything that will remind me of the pain I endured and that food is FRIED ZUCCHINI..that is a NO-NO in my book but so good lol! All is well and glad the doctors found the problem and the solution..
Alot has gone on in my life in 4 months but unfortunately I cant remember everything ugh! But I just wanted to tap into Blogger mode and get started somewhere. I'm still drinking my 2nd favorite drink which is Honey Green Milk Tea from Cha for Tea in Long Beach, CA that is the spot. My number 1 Tea is Black Almond Tea with Soy Milk Less Sweet, but its too sweet while I'm trying to lose weight which is not working too well haha! My 3rd drink is Chai Tea Latte with Soy MIlk from Starbucks good stuff! I"m gonna try to cut down on my tea intake per week but its good stuuf and hard to resist! I"ll update my blog with the most recent books I've read but for right now I'm on a break to read more spiritual books for the moment. Gotta have a balance with secular and spiritual and we all know spiritual supercedes the rest..
Alritey its pretty late now, so I'm gonna call it a night! To all the bloggers out there I commend you for your efforts of keeping the daily blog going whoa..I gotta do that soon..
Till we meet again which I hope is sooner than later, nitey nite bloggers:)

Review: Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell.

When you meet the man of your dreams on girls night out, it's hardly…Perfect TimingIn this fresh and funny contemporary romance by bestselling author Jill Mansell, Poppy Dunbar's whole life gets turned upside down after a chance encounter with a handsome stranger...Never a troublemaker, Poppy had always been content with the way things were supposed to be done—which included marrying predictable Rob McBride. But that was before she met Tom Kennedy the night before her wedding. Could she really be falling in love with a stranger?Unable to forget Tom, or go through with the wedding, Poppy runs off to London. Her new life and colorful friends are anything but predictable. Misunderstandings, family secrets, and jealous quarrels ensue, but can Poppy stop running long enough to figure out what—or, rather, who—is in her heart?PRAISE FOR JILL MANSELL:"Pick this up at your peril: you won't get a thing done till it's finished." Heat magazine"Classy chick-lit that appeals to women of all ages. She [Jill Mansell] has a fantastic ability to keep a number of storylines running at the same time without losing the reader in a labyrinth." Daily Express"Slick, sexy, funny stories." Daily Telegraph"A romantic romp full of larger-than-life characters." Express "Fast, furious and fabulous fun. To read it is to devour it." Company"...

Poppy Dunbar, red head, slim and full of life is at her bachelorette party when she bumps into Tom Kennedy. She instantly feels like she has known him all her life. She gets mixed feelings about how her life will be when she marries Ron McBride. Her life would be so plain and simple and she loved Rob, but realizes she is not IN LOVE with him. Tom Kennedy helps Poppy with her foot when she fell outside the club. When her friend comes outside to look for her, she finds Poppy outside with a handsome stranger.

Poppy tells Tom she is to be married tomorrow to her fiancé and he tells her he wishes she wouldn’t get married. He told her to meet him at a little pub in an hour. Poppy is really tempted to meet Tom that night. She gets in the cab and makes her way to the pub. When she arrives, she can’t get out of the cab; she just can’t do it and tells the cab driver to take her home. Since that day, she has never stopped thinking about Tom Kennedy.

Poppy breaks the news to Rob and tells him, she can’t marry him. He’s infuriated with her, but she knows in the end, she’s doing the right thing. He’s such a nice person, but deserves someone better, who loves him for him. Poppy’s father wasn’t a very affectionate man. Her mother died in a bad car accident leaving Poppy with just her dad.

We find out that Poppy’s father is not her real dad which explains his nonchalant attitude towards her all these years. Poppy is a product of her mother’s affair.

She moves to London to get away from all the bad rumors, to get away from the McBrides and to find her real father. She also goes to London in hopes that she will find Tom Kennedy. Poppy ends up renting a flat with room mates: Claudia (very high maintenance, blonde, beautiful and Caspar- artist, handsome, brunette and also owns the house).

I love how Mansell has so many characters in her books. Poppy’s room mates were a delight to get to know. Each one of them had their own situations and in the end all of them came out with a great turnout. Claudia ends up with the love of her life who is clearly the total opposite of what she expects, but she loves him regardless and their love story was so cute. Poppy, on the other hand, has her own dilemma and she does find Tom Kennedy. She loves him, he loves her, they move in with each other and things are just as happy as they can be. But, being Poppy Dunbar, things don’t always end up the way you think. I can say that Poppy does find her father, but she doesn’t tell him that she is his daughter, but he already knew this.

In the end, everyone is together with whom I wanted them to be with. Poppy ends up with the person she is suppose to be with and she finally gets married once and for all. She is no longer known as the girl who leaves the groom at the altar. An enjoyable read and full of fun loving characters to follow. Thanks Ms. Mansell for another good read!

Review: Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn.

Honoria Smythe-Smith is:

A) a really bad violinist B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child C) not in love with her older brother's best friend D) all of the above

Marcus Holroyd is:

A) the Earl of Chatteris B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles C) not in love with his best friend's younger sister D) all of the above

Together they:

A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake B) survive a deadly fever and the world's worst musical performance C) fall quite desperately in love

It's Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is . . .

D) all of the above

Honoria Smythe-Smith the youngest of her siblings wanted desperately to be accepted and above all always wanted to be with her brother Daniel. She was six years old when her brother Daniel brought home a friend from school, Marcus Holroyd. She always followed them around the house, bothered them when they went outdoors and was always trying to be a part of their activities. They gave her the name BUG, since she was known as a bugger to them.

Marcus was raised by his sitter and his father rarely came to see him, but made sure his son had all the finest amenities and education London had to offer. He went to Daniels house for every holiday and they became the best of friends. Little Miss Honoria was always there bugging them to no end.

As time went on, Daniel got into some trouble and was forced to flee to Italy in hiding. Daniel made Marcus promise to watch over his little sister Honoria and be sure she did not marry an idiot. Marcus, being a faithful friend did so and found himself chasing quite a few gentlemen callers away from Honoria.

Marcus loved Honoria as a sister since she was young and as time progresses he finds himself looking at her from another stand point, not as little miss Bugger, but as a beautiful young woman. They both loved sweets, especially chocolate! He later has an infection on his foot and was very ill with a deadly fever. Honoria found out from Marcus’ sitter and she quickly rushes to his bedside to care for him until he gets better.

I loved her dedication and patience with Marcus as he was on his death bed. I could already notice that these two were going to be mixed up together in more than just chocolate haha! Honoria loved Marcus as a dear friend to their family, but later recognizes her feelings and admits that she loves Marcus.

Their love story was so cute. Marcus truly had to love Honoria to endure listening to her and her cousin’s play in their Musicale that was the most dreadful thing known to mankind’s ears so to speak ha! I enjoyed reading how shy Marcus was falling for Honoria and vice versa. They are truly a cute couple. Theirs was a love they couldn’t deny!

Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore.

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her. Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don't need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven't, you'll be dying to read it next.

This edition includes an article by and an interview with Kristin Cashore, as well as a sneak peek at her next book, Bitterblue!

A young half human, half monster child named, “FIRE”. She was beautiful with hair of red, orange and pink highlights. Her beauty defied all other humans and monsters of her type. Her mother was human and her father a monster. In the Dells is where she was born of parents who loved her. Her father (Cansrel) was a cruel monster, who enjoyed doing evil and cruel things to humans. He had the gift of controlling people’s minds and making them do and see things his way. He was an evil creature, but the monsters had a power over all humans; they were beautiful and the humans couldn’t control themselves and instantly fell in love with monsters if they did not get control over their own minds.

Cansrel taught his daughter Fire how to use her powers to over take others and to do evil things, but Fire was not like him. She was kind and didn’t like the thought of harming others. She was a loving monster and used her powers for good and not deceit.

This book was an interesting read, but I must say that I enjoyed Kristin Cashore’s book “Graceling” more than this read. It was hard to follow in the beginning, the monsters and the different colors of the monster bugs and the powers that the monsters had were a bit beyond my imagination. I really did have to do some thinking and self creativity while reading this book. I enjoyed the love portion of the book, but it was kind of obvious who was going to fall in love with whom.

I did enjoy the part of the book where her best friend, Archer, was her first love and he loved her to no end, but still yet visited other women’s beds because he knew that Fire would not love him the way he loved her. She accepted him and in the end only loved him as a dear and true friend. Everyone hated her father, Cansrel, for they knew he was always up to no good. Fire loved her father, for he was very kind and loving towards her.
One of the big events in the book was when we find out that Fire, despite her love for her father, ended up controlling his mind and had him killed by his own ferocious monster pet. She made it look like he committed suicide; but in fact, she set up the whole incident.

She loved her father, but she knew she had to kill him in order for Brigan to live, for her father was trying to overthrow the kingdom and kill Brigan and his Brother Nash –the reigning king. She knew if her father lived, he would bring misery and pain to everyone in the land. A terrible thing for Fire to do, but she did it for the good of the people. I admire her for doing such a thing. She lived with that pain and memory all her life, but in the end she knew it was for the best.

I personally wouldn’t read the book again, but I’m glad I did read it because there was a Graceling in the story who was able to control people with his voice and what he said to them. I’m pretty sure there will be another book to elaborate on Immiker- the graceling.

Really quick, he tried to join forces with Fire, and his desire was to overthrow the King and take over doing evil and gaining power for himself. Fire was not impressed and sought to kill him, but he got away, and thus I can tell that he will come back in one of Cashore’s books.

Review: Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson.

What happens in Vegas . . . doesn't always stay there.

Autumn Haven's Las Vegas "to-do" list said to catch a show and play the slots—not wake up married to a sexy jerk like Sam LeClaire. The first moment she saw him eyeing her like a luscious piece of the dessert buffet, her usually responsible self told her to run. And she did—right into the wildest fantasy weekend of her life. But Monday morning jolted her back to reality, and before she could say "pass the coffee," Sam was gone.

Now a successful wedding planner, Autumn hasn't clapped eyes on the heartbreaking hockey superstar for over two years . . . until she organizes his teammate's "Special Day," where Sam makes a big play to pick up where he left off! But she has vowed any man of hers plays for keeps. Is Sam the man for her or does she banish him to the sin bin forever?

Another hit from Rachel Gibson. Autumn Haven, red head, green eyed and young and out for fun finds herself a week in Vegas having the time of her life. She stumbles upon hot and gorgeous Sam LeClaire. He instantly finds her attractive at the night club and Autumn can’t believe he’s actually looking at her.

Her time in Vegas was all that she hadn’t imagined or had on her TO-DO LIST. Everything was off her list once she met Sam, a hot hockey player out in Vegas for a wild ride with his buddies. They both had the time of their lives which ended in marriage at the Traditional Wedding Chapel. It was the happiest day of Autumn’s life, but ended quickly when she realized Le Claire was gone the next morning and she was left alone!

I enjoyed this book because to me, it was realistic. Autumn was your ordinary girl who went to Vegas by herself to get away and take a vacation. What she didn’t know was that she was going to fall head over heels for Sam LeClaire. Their love struggle was very real to me. She hated Sam for all the right reasons and then at the same time she couldn’t control herself when he was near her. I can sympathize with women who were dumped by hot hunks, athletes that just left them out high and dry. The heart is a terrible thing to mess around with. If we’re not careful, the heart can take over and cause so much mischief, heart ache and an emptiness that sometimes cannot be filled.

This book helped me understand that there are second chances and getting over the past is crucial to move on to the present and the future. Autumn Haven knew her heart and tried desperately to guard it with every force in her body, but when it came to Sam LeClaire she was like putty in his hands. But, she held her own for years and was a great independent woman on her own, and that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. I know love wins all in the end, but knowing that Autumn did her part and in the end subjected herself to love again and released that “Havens don’t forgive and forget easily theory.” I’m glad she did because it made the story a happily ever after.

Thanks for a great read and I look forward to reading other books by Rachel Gibson!

"Karl Strauss Brewery"

Karl Strauss Brewery in Irvine, CA was a pleasant place where Mike and I found to have dinner last night

(Friday, 7-1-11). Their main attraction is their 10 different types of beers brewed at their restaurant. The lighting was dim, the booth was clean and our waitress was absolutely warm and down to earth. She was very knowledgeable about the foods they served and the different types of beer they served.

We started off with Hummus and Flat Bread for appetizers and that was an absolute delight! The flatbread was freshly baked and the hummus tasted fresh with red onion, crushed olives and tomatos on the side of the dish. Mike and I couldn't stop eating the flat bread one after the other and our waitress told us its baked fresh and the wood they use really adds a great taste to the bread- nice!

I ordered the Chicken Mango salad with a citrus vinegerette and Mike ordered their famous Fish and Chips with Cole Slaw. My salad was plentiful and the vinegerette was just right, not too tangy and not too strong. Mikes had 4 pieces of nice sized fish and his cole slaw was very tastey. We enjoyed our meals and did not feel over stuffed but just content and satisfied with our meal. Our waitress brought us 2 shots of beer for our pallots and being that I'm not a drinker Mike had 2 shots. He said the shots were sweet and bitter and enhanced his meal. We didn't order dessert but the shots of beer were good enough for Mike.

I give Karl Strauss and A for good food and good service with a SMILE! We will definitely be visiting their restaurant again when we find ourselves in Irvine or maybe just to entertain friends. Definitely recommend Karl Strauss!

Hasta la Pasta!!

"BNICE AND MIKE'S RESTAURANT VISITS"

My cousin Mike and I have gone to many restaurants around the South Bay Area just trying out new spots that we haven't tried out before. I think we started last year (2010) and have since continued the journey. I believe Mike has been trying out new restaurants long before last year and thus we have created our nights of adventrues to trying out new restaurants and new sites in the surrounding area.

I have the picture of Georges Greek Cafe (Long Beach) posted up because it is my favorite Greek place for some great halumi. (Pita bread, fried cheese and a slice tomato with oils.) What a treat! I was introduced to this appetizer from Mike, of course.

With each new restaurant we try, I'll be posting up what we think about the restaurant and let you peeps know what the great deal or great meal of the day is. So right now, I'm going to just quickly dot down some of the restaurants, cafes or hole in the wall spots that we've ventured to, none in any order of course.

Restaurant from 2010 to the Present are:

The Salt Creek - El Segundo (Salmon is great!)

The Melt - El Segundo (Crepes with chocolate:0)

Canter's Restaurant - Los Angeles (Coffee Cake yum!) - 24 hrs

The Shorehouse - Belmont Shores (Nachos- delicioso!) - 24 hrs

La Strada - Belmont Shores (Fettucine Alfredo)

La Creperia - Belmont Shores (Crepes with Cream)

The Tofu House - Los Angeles (Kim Chee and Rice good stuff- tofu ok) - 24 hrs

Georges Greek Cafe - Long Beach (HALUMI- LOVE IT

Rockbottom Brewery - Long Beach (Shrimp Tacos- yum)

Alberto's - Long Beach (The best Nachos Ever!)

Picarelli - Long Beach (The Best pasta and fried eggplant!)

NY Upper Crust Pizza - Belmont Shores (Pizza and Tiramasu)

CHA FOR TEA - Long Beach (The Ultimate Tea Joint and chinese food)

Yogurtland - Long Beach, Manhattan Beach (Great Yogurt and cheap too)

Cheesecake Factoy - Pasadena (Great location, great food)

OK, so these are just a few hot spots that I can remember that we've tried. I'll eventually add to the list when I remember the other places we've tried. I enjoy trying out new restaurants and Mike doesn't mind driving, so we're a perfect duo to go and sample and the rich, good food the area has to offer. I guess when we run out of places to try, we will need to expand our ventures and start going to different countriels to try out new places; that would be GREAT!

I didn't get a chance to elaborate on each restaurant we visited, but I'll be more faithful in writing down the places we try out and writing up what good deals, good entrees and so forth to try out. Until then Bon Apetit!

I'M IN PAIN

Last month I'm eating cheese pizza with spinach with my cousin Mike in Westwood and everything is going well. At like 4:00am, I feel this sharp pain in my stomach and I'm thinking oh no here comes the pizza and sure enough the pizza came, for 3 hours straight; not a good feeling.
So I'm thinking maybe I'm Lactose, but then is being lactose that severe in pain. I went to Urgent Care and was told I had food poisoning and thats what I thought as well, but my cousin Mike didn't have any problems with the pizza.

Hmm so a few weeks later I'm eating fried zucchini from my favorite local hamburger joint "FABULOUS" and the same thing happens at 4:00am, sharp pains and that queasy unnerving feeling all day. So its now Fathers Day and we go to eat at "Lucille's BBQ" and it was great, but yet I'm still feeling queasy.

I said enough is enough and set up an appointment on Thursday with the doctor and the whole time I'm not feeling good at all, just trying to make it to Thursday. I get to the doctor take some tests and BAM, she sends me to the Emergency where they took some tests and found out that I had Gall Bladder Stones; so not kool! I'm just glad they found out what was wrong with me.

Pain from the gall bladder is NO JOKE! When i first felt the pain in May, I was bent over with my hands on my stomach just swaying back and forth in hopes that the pain would subdue but no luck. The doctor gave me some pills to ease the nausea and pain but eventually the pain came back because of the greasy foods I was eating..

I went to the Emergency on Thursday and was admitted, I"m like what the heck is going on. So more tests were done and one stone was removed that was not in my gall bladder, it was like moving around doing its own thing and dancing around causing me pain ugh! So I left the hospital on Sunday and was glad to be home.

I will have my gall bladder removed at the end of the month; thank goodness! I have to watch what I eat, no greasy, fatty foods at all, and by golly geez I'm gonna be obedient because the pain I felt was not the business and I don't ever want to feel that pain again! I'll be on a strict diet until the doctor removes my gall bladder and even after the surgery I'm still gonna watch and be careful of what I eat..So all the good foods that I generally love, here's saying Bye Bye!

So gotta be conscious of what we put in our bodies, and try to eat better and healthier. I mean a little endulging is OK, but gotta pump the brakes when its too much! Self control and portion control and no fatty, greasy foods for me!

Review: Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery.

Welcome to Fool’s Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There’s lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there’s just one tiny problem in Fool’s Gold: the men don’t seem to stick around. Maybe it’s the lure of big-city life, or maybe it’s plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, fast. And Charity Jones may be just the city planner to do it.

Charity’s nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down, and she immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer — everything, that is, except its sexiest and most famous resident, former world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she’s not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he’s perfect just the way he is. But maybe that’s just what he needs — someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he’s just chasing perfect.

Fools Gold, a small town, where everyone takes care of their peeps. This town kind of reminds me of Walnut Grove in Little House on the Prairie. Josh Golden, a hot, professional bike rider, who won the Tour de France is the most desirable man in the small town that is over populated with women.

He came to town with his mother years ago and was in an accident. His mother abandoned him as a child and seeing that no one was there to care for him, the town quickly took action and took him into their care. One specific woman, Marsha, made sure he was taken care of and eventually he was taken in by the Hendrix family with 6 kids. He rode a bicycle to strengthen his legs from his accident and later became a great bike rider. The whole town was proud of his accomplishments as he represented Fools Gold in competitions.

Charity Jones, the new City Planner comes into town and is hired by Marsha. She is a hard working young lady, not much luck with falling in love, but is intelligent and has a beauty of her own. Her new boss Marsha is very nice to her and Charity finds herself opening up to this boss lady. She bumps into Josh Golden at a meeting and is immediately swooning over his looks, body, his every fiber in his being haha! She thinks to herself what am I doing thinking he would be attracted to someone like me.

As the story unfolds, we find that Charity’s life was one big move after another from city to city with her mother. All her life, she just wanted stability, a place to call home and maybe a family of her own. She really liked Fools Gold and was planning to make it her home. Her mother never told her about family and avoided the subject at all costs. So Charity grew up thinking she had no family.

I enjoyed this book because of all the ups and downs and family connections revealed in this book. Charity’s body reacts like crazy when she’s around Josh and I’m sure he sees it and he feels a little something for her as well. They feel a connection and share a passionate kiss in the hallway of their hotel,(and started it all) which Josh owns as well as other businesses and homes in the town. She helps Josh get over his fears of riding again due to an accident that happened during the Tour de France and he helps her to re-connect and have confidence in the person that she is.

I loved the ladies in the town and how they had a ladies night out every month to unwind, drink and have heaps of fun together. Sounds like something I would like to do with my little circle of friends; definitely something to think about.

Marsha ends up being Charity’s grandmother and Charity doesn’t know how to react. She’s overjoyed she has family, but mad at Marsha for not telling her who she was, but Marsha had her reasons. A heartfelt relationship develops and Charity finds family!

I would definitely recommend this book for the romance between Charity and Josh, the women in the town and their relationships with each other, the tight knit feeling you get with the towns people and how they take care of each other, and many other events that took place in this book. Too many to write about, but definitely a good read.

Review: Shelter from the Storm by Anita Stansfield.

Book #4 of the Jayson Wolf story. I would say it was a good read. Jayson Wolf has fame, fortune, a family, the woman he’s loved since he was 16 years old, the gospel and musical talents from above; what more can a guy want in life?

Jayson and Elizabeth Wolf are happily married, but it was not an easy task getting there. Jayson divorced his wife, after she cheated on him. Elizabeth lost her husband and oldest son on a Boy Scouts Camping trip and through it all they have been friends for the eternities.

After 20 years, Jayson and Elizabeth held tight to their friendship. Jayson lost his loving mother to cancer and Elizabeth and her father Will were right by his side to help him with his loss. He was ready to take his life after his mother died, his daughter ran away at age 16 and his wife cheated on him with a young rock star. He told himself, Lord if you can hear me, show me a sign why I should not take my life right now and I won’t; then Elizabeth called right away and his life was saved. (That was a compilation of the other 3 books.)

Since then, they have had 2 of their own children Derrek and Harmony Wolf. They are now sealed to each other for all time and eternity. Jayson has 1 daughter from his previous marriage and Elizabeth has 2 sons and 1 daughter.
So now they have 5 children and they all live in Utah.

Book #4 was about Elizabeth’s mother, Meredith, who was never a part of her life growing up. She was an attorney and spent all of her time at the office and also cheated on Will (Liz’s father). Liz was the first one to become a member of the church and her father and Jayson later were baptized. Liz always wanted a relationship with her mother growing up, but it never happened. Liz vowed to not be like her mother and be a stay home, caring and kind mother to her children, which she was.

Out of the blue, Liz gets a call from her mother asking if she can visit them and Liz was shocked didn’t know what to say since their phone conversations were always short. She said yes, sure and her mother came over in days. It was weird to see her mother so old and caring about everyone in the family. Liz later found out, her mother had only 2 weeks to live. There was so much cancer in her body the doctors couldn’t do anything for her. Liz cried wanting to start over with her mom.

So with the remaining days, she spent everyday with her mother, sharing stories, and hearing her mother apologizing for not being there for her. Those were tender moments and memorable moments for Liz and her mother. She did not want to lose her mother because she felt like she just found her true mother. Meredith was able to see all her grandkids, get to know them and share time with all of them. She was so grateful to Liz and Jayson for being kind to her after all those years. Liz taught her mother about the church and life after death. Her mother was grateful and died a peaceful death in Liz’s arms at home.

The other part of the book, Jayson was having a relapse from his days in the Rehab Center. After trying to take his life, Liz and her father noticed he was addicted to his prescription drugs and checked him in to a nearby rehab center.
He completed and came out a new man then later married Liz.

Years later, he has a relapse. One of the ladies in church accuses him of being a bad example to her son. She claims all rock stars lead terrible lives of drugs and immoral acts. So long as Jayson Wolf was in the Young Men Presidency her son would not attend activities or classes. Jayson was released from the Young Men Presidency, and had a hard time dealing with it, and had a relapse. He just was angry all the time and didn’t know how to cope. Liz called the counselor from rehab and had a few sessions with Jayson to help him cope with the pressures of others. He managed to get a better understanding and thanked his wife for going behind his back to call the counselor…wives always know what to do haha!.

In the end, everyone is happy and crying because they discovered that their older son Trevin has developed a great musical talent for the Bass guitar which reminds all of them of Jayson’s best friend Derrek, Liz’s brother and Wills’ son. They lost Derrek to a car accident in his senior year and he was the bass player for their band “Gray Wolf.” No one ever replaced Derrek, but with the talent and potential of Trevin, they think they’ve found a new bass player to help with Jayson’s albums.

The series was a good read and definitely a lot of ups and downs and twists in the stories to be enjoyed. I enjoyed the life of Jayson and Liz and how despite the fact that they loved each other as teen agers; they weren’t able to reconnect or become man and wife until after they lead separate lives 20 years down the line. Talk about relationships that endure to the end.

Chicago: A Hawthorne High School Production.

The musical “Chicago” was performed by the students at Hawthorne High School this past weekend, June 17-19, 2011. They performed at Lawndale High Schools New State of the Art Theater, which is really a beautiful building.

So I went on Saturday night, June 18, 2011, to watch my cousin Shannen perform. Her role was Momma which was played by Queen Latifah in the original movie. She did a great job singing and acting. She really gets into her character as Momma and even has the accent.

So we’re sting there, my family watching, the lights are dark, then bam, the spotlights turn on and we hear her singing in the aisle. I was like holy goodness, she was just singing her song and waving her boa around like nobodys business. Then she walked to the other side of the aisles and sang her song, it was very nice! We were surprised to see her get into character and not pay attention to anyone but her and her part in the play. I enjoyed it. For a high school production, I think the students did very well. Good job Shannen!

Review: Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery.

Back in high school, Liz Sutton was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Then she’d stolen the heart of the most popular boy in town, and their secret romance helped her through the worst of times. Until Ethan Hendrix betrayed her and everything they’d ever meant to each other. Devastated and pregnant, Liz left Fool’s Gold, California-forever, she thought…

Now Liz must return to town and face the man who doesn’t know of their son’s existence. And this time she won’t have the option of making a quick getaway. Ethan and Liz can’t deny their passionate attraction, even after all these years. But will their desire be enough to spark a second chance at love?

This book was a delight to read. Fools Gold, a small town, with people who know everything and anything about you and your past, but is still yet a charming place. A town that takes care of their own people. Well for Liz Sutton, the town’s people back in the day, did not really take care of their own. She grew up in a home where her mother was the town’s slut and she was being smacked around and forced to raise herself. She had a brother, Roy Sutton, who moved away when she was 12 years old. When he left, she felt so alone.

She falls in love with the most popular boy in school, Ethan Hendrix. He knew there were rumors being spread around the school about Liz being a slut just like her mother, but he got to know her and fell in love with her for her and didn’t pay any attention to the rumors. Liz was known as the girl from the other side of the tracks, but she was smart and beautiful. Although Ethan loved Liz, he couldn’t reveal to any of his friends that they were together and told Liz to keep it a secret. She was young and thought it was romantic. Until one day at work she over heard Ethan’s friends ask if he was with Liz and he told his friends, no I wouldn’t be interested in someone like her. She was so hurt, grabbed a milkshake poured it on his head and left work and never went back.

Eleven years later, Liz Sutton, is a reputable author of murder books and has made a good life for herself in San Francisco with her son, Tyler who is 11 years old. Yea I know, you can imagine who the father is. Unfortunately, Ethan has no idea he has a son. She is forced to go back to Fools Gold, a town she has hated in her youth. Her brother (Roy) has 2 daughters and are left alone in their old house. Their father is in prison and his wife left the girls with $100 to raise themselves. It’s been 2 months and the oldest daughter, Melissa Sutton (14 yrs old) emails her aunt whom she’s never met and asks for help. Without hesitation, Liz packs up her and her son’s things and they take a road trip to Fools Gold. A trip that was planned for a few weeks soon turns into a long stay.

Does Liz tell Ethan he has an 11 year old son? Does the town accept Liz’s return? Do the rumors stop circulating about Liz being a slut? Does the town embrace her fame with books or shut her out as an outcast due to her past? Lots of questions can be answered if you read the book.

I really enjoyed this book because so much was going on. Besides the main characters Liz and Ethan, other things were going on in the book which just kept me reading more and more. I love it when a book has that effect on me. I love Fools Gold and the people who now are trying to protect their own and be there for their town’s people. A good read and I plan to read Susan Mallery’s other books and I’m sure I’ll enjoy them all.

"The Night She Got Lucky"

This book was an okay read. I liked that it was about a woman-40 years of age with a set of teen age boy twins. In the beginning, I must admit that I was kind of turned off by a few things that I was reading but in the end it was an okay read.

Geneveve, auburn hair, tall, slender and 40 yrs old was married to her college sweetheart Larry who is now a Urologist. Their marriage did not last due to his love for younger females and fast cars. So they split up. He did a doozie on Ginger as she is referred to in the book due to her stunning resemblance of Ginger on Gilligans Island. He really made her feel like she needed a face lift and a new body and a younger look. Her self esteem went shooting out the door.

Then as fate would have it she meets young, and attractive Lucio better known as Lucky in the book. Well he's not that young, he's 38 which is great ha! He bumps into her at her friends wedding and it was an odd way to meet someone. Her dress was size 4 but she was actually a size 6, but she squeezed into the dress regardless. As she came out of Mrs. Needlemans room, she fainted from her dress squeezing the living bajezzies out of her and Lucky caught her before the fall and took her to her room, laid her on the bed and gave her a peck on her cheek. She wakes up and screams as if he did something terrible to her, when indeed he didn't. The story was a good read because things unfold in the end. Lucky was known as a famous photographer traveling the world to capture beautiful pictures and at the same time seeing and leaving beautiful women. A heart breaker in other words.

Ginger and Lucky get together but the ending has a nice twist which made this book an okay read for me. Find out what twists happen to Ginger and Lucky.

"BEAUTY AND THE BEAST"

The musical Beauty and the Beast was great! I went with my cousin Mike to the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. We sat in the back but the seats were still considered Orchestra Seats. The music was great and before the curtains opened there was a big image of the rose on the curtains. There were lots of kids there with their Beauty and the Beast costumes ready to watch the musical like the rest of us. The seats are normal size and because I'm not really normal sized I had to move around a bit haha. I thought the characters did a great job of portraying the actual Disney characters. Lafu was short and funny, Gaston was tall and muscular and Belle was petite and beautiful. The Beast was big and hairy and in the end was a handsome prince. It was a great a production and the music was absolutely wonderful. The music and singers sounded exactly like the Disney movie.

If you haven't seen the musical, it is great to take the children to watch. I would definitely recommend the musical to anyone. A good time with family and friends.

"WICKED"

WICKED-What a great musical! I had a blast watching this. I went to see WICKED in March 2011 with my cousin Mike at the Orange County Performing Arts Center and we had Orchestra Seats smack in the middle Row G. Talk about best seats in the house, total terrific view! It was my first time in that theater and I was just ecstatic to be sitting there actually waiting to watch WICKED! An unbelievable night.

My cousin Mike kind of spoils me and takes me on all his little adventures and they are so worth the money he spent on those seats. The main characters were amazing, the singing was incredible and the music will absolutely unforgettable. I really enjoyed the musical and the whole plot of WICKED. I totally have a different view towards the Wicked Witch of the West. She was the good witch in WICKED and it was nice to know that the good witch and the witch of wicked were friends at one point in time. One of my favorites songs was, "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good." The musical was funny, serious but most of all the Music was absolutely mind blowing. Very talented individuals dancing on stage, singing while dancing can be a challenge but definitel professionals during this perfomance. A definite must see for those of you undecided, you gotta see it because you will not be disappointed!

Review: The Sound of Rain by Anita Stansfield.

Jayson felt almost as if he'd been catapulted into some eerie time warp as he stood and looked out over the ocean. It had been Drew's idea . . . to stop first at the place they'd come with their mother fewer than two years earlier. And Jayson couldn't deny that for all the grief and heartache he was taking with him . . . his musical abilities had grown through the experiences he'd found in Oregon, and his heart had been touched in ways that had changed him forever. Friendships and relationships formed and forged through the fiery furnace of experience have left Jayson Wolfe wiser, sadder, and anxious to embrace new hopes and dreams. In the life he is reconstructing, his music is as essential as oxygen, and failure is unimaginable. But does life ever go as planned? In this first volume of her new series, acclaimed LDS storyteller Anita Stansfield once again reaches out to her readers' hearts, minds, and spirits as she explores both the joy and grief that accompany complicated and intricate relationships. And her readers will find part one of this trilogy compelling and intense, heartwarming and heartbreaking— a deeply rooted love story with heart-stopping consequences.

Jayson and Drew Wolfe, two brothers raised in Montana by their loving mother, Leslie Wolfe, and their alcoholic father, Jay Wolfe. Jayson and Drew don’t have a good relationship with their father, who is a mormon and abusive husband. Leslie Wolfe had to endure many years of abuse from her husband. The brothers are now older and in high school. Their father has been in jail for domestics and the family has not seen him for awhile.

Jayson and Drew love their kind mother and wanted to surprise her with a great birthday gift. They are a struggling family just trying to make ends meet. Jayson comes up with the great idea to do their own rendition of one of their mother’s favorite songs for her birthday. They decided to re-do “Funeral for a Friend” by Elton John. Jayson plays the piano, the guitar and Drew plays the drums. These brothers are gifted with musical talents especially Jayson. His passion for music was evident when he was young and his mother loved the way her sons loved to play music in their home when possible. Jayson and Drew practiced everyday to perfect their mother’s birthday gift. Her birthday came and they were so excited to finally play it for her. Jayson called his mom at work and told her something had happened and she had to rush home. She came home and the boys shouted “Happy Birthday Mom”. The neighbors and some friends came over to celebrate her day. Then the boys told their mom that they had a gift for her to have a seat. She sat and watched her sons prepare their instruments. As they played, tears came rushing down her face with gratitude and being blessed with sons who didn’t give her any trouble as a single parent. She loved her boys and they were her life!

After the party, Leslie was cleaning up and the boys went to sleep. Jayson woke up to hear raucous in the kitchen. He quickly got up and saw his father in the kitchen beating his mother. Without thinking , he ran in the kitchen, pushed his father off his mother and cranked a good one right in his fathers jaw. His father was surprised to see how grown Jayson was now, since the last time he saw them was when they were in elementary. His father hit Jayson back in the jaw and they started to fight. Drew came running in and called the police while his mother tried to stop the fight. Jayson was now a Junior in high school and was grown enough to protect his mother. The police came in and took their father to jail for domestic abuse. Jayson was very close with his mother and told her everything in his life. Leslie cried and cried for her sons. She could handle her husband beating and hurting her, but not one of her boys. Enough is enough she said!

A few days later, she decided it was time for her and her boys to move away. She had a friend who guaranteed her a waitress job and a little apartment she could rent. Leslie and her boys packed up their things, rented a Uhaul and off to Oregon they journeyed. Jayson was very sad to leave behind his piano, a gift from his grandmother on his moms side. They were able to take Drew’s drum set and Jayson’s guitar.

Settling into Oregon and starting a new school in the middle of the year was not an easy task for the boys, but their mom told them everything would be alright with the Lords help, just have a prayer in your heart and He will guide the way for all of them. Jayson is tall, long hair in a ponytail with an earring looking like an obvious rebel and Drew is the older brother tall and slender. Jayson barely got by with decent grades but Drew was fascinated with Science Fiction and did a little better in school. Leslie encouraged her sons to do good in school and was content with her sons in school and out of trouble.

Jayson loved music and saw that the high school was performing “West Side Story”. He bought a ticket and went to the school play. He instantly fell in love with the main actress MARIA. He loved her voice, she was beautiful and even after the play, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He went to see the play 3 more times and everyday at school he would look for her. To no avail, he never found her. He felt something for this girl that he never felt before in his life. He just knew they were supposed to be together, but how could that happen when he was new to the school and she probably didn’t know he existed!

In English class, he took his seat and the young lady behind him had to do her oral report in front of the class. As she was speaking, he recognized her voice and he knew that she was the girl from the play. He was looking for a girl with dark hair, but he realized that she was wearing a wig in the play and that she was a blonde. He felt so nervous and shocked and the whole time she was sitting behind him in class. He felt something in his stomach turn and knew that he was destined to be with this girl. He said hi and bye to her but that was it.

Jayson later found a job to help out with bills at home. He worked with another young man named Derek. They soon became friends and realized that they both loved music. Derek invited Jayson to his house to see his guitar and maybe mess around with music. Jayson was thrilled he found a new friend and one that held the same interests as he did. When they got to Derek’s house Jayson was amazed to see such a beautiful home and inside his house his eyes widened when he saw a grand piano in the living room. Jayson was thrilled and wanted to touch the keys and marvel over the sound of it if he had the chance to play it. They went downstairs in the basement and Jayson gasped for air as he saw the soundproof room with a guitar and bass. He was so excited that he found a friend and a place to play music. They hit it off quickly and soon became best friends!. They played in the basement everyday and Derek’s father Will was so happy to see his son Derek playing music and obviously as happy as he’s ever seen him before! His father was thrilled that his son was playing music, found a nice new friend and Will invited Jayson over for dinner every night. Derek’s mother Meredith was an attorney, who was never home and always at work. Derek’s sister was never home until the evenings due to a busy school schedule and activities.

So here’s my take on the whole book. I loved this story because there were so many new heartfelt relationships that were made, some losses in the families that definitely affected everyone and love beyond compare between characters.

Jayson Wolfe and his new best friend Derek were inseparable. They went to the same school, they worked together, they played music together and loved the same girl. By this, I mean that Derek’s sister is Elizabeth Greer whom he loves and she is also the girl that Jayson has been secretly crushing on since he arrived to Oregon. Jayson had no idea that his best friends’ sister was the girl of his dreams. There was something about Jayson Wolfe that Elizabeth couldn’t’ get out of her head. She told herself numerous times that he was not her type, but she couldn’t get him out of her thoughts. They were introduced at her house when Jayson was playing the piano. She was ecstatic to find out that he played music because she played the violin, flute and a little bit on the piano. Jayson and Derek had a great time together everyday and Jayson would secretly wish that Elizabeth would come home early just so he could see her before going home.

Jayson and Elizabeth finally end up together, and Derek is okay with that. They started a band called “A Pack of Wolves”. The band included Derek- bass, Drew- Drums, Jasyon- guitar and keyboard, Elizabeth- back up vocals and violin. They instantly hit it off and were happy with their little gigs they did in town. Things were just too good to be true for Jayson. He’d never been so happy in his life.

Well like they say, all good things come to an end. Elizabeth and Will(her dad) heard a knock at the door and 2 police officers stood there asking for Derek Greers family, The unthinkable happened, Derek was in a terrible car accident and passed away on site! They were devastated and in tears when they heard the police say Derek was dead! They did not know how they were gonna tell Jayson who loved Derek as his own brother.

Jayson did not take the news well and they were all getting ready to graduate at this time.He couldn’t breathe and refused to look at any instrument after Derek’s death. Will and Elizabeth helped Jayson to continue to play music in memory of Derek They told Jayson, Derek would have wanted you to continue to use your musical gift and play.

At Derek’s funeral, ironically, Jayson was asked to play “Funeral for a Friend” which he did beautifully as tears came down his face. He was teased by his brother and Derek of having a high water problem, meaning tears came easy to Jayson. He was so distraught and didn’t know how he would ever be able to play again without Derek at his side. It was a sad time indeed for Jayson!

Graduation day came and Jayson nor Elizabeth were very happy that day.As a tribute to Derek Greer the student body president asked Jayson to play “Funeral for a Friend” at the graduation to remember Derek. Jayson didn’t want to do it, but thinking of his friend Derek he couldn’t say NO. The school also announced Derek Greers name in the ceremony, what a difficult time for the Greer family and Jayson his best friend. Jayson played and couldn’t hold back tears again as he played the song and asked that everyone give a moment of silence after the song. Memorable indeed!

Will (Dereks father) was happy to see his daughter graduate and was ever so thankful that Jayson became a part of their family through his friendship with Derek. He thanked Jayson for bringing music and happiness back into his sons life. He never saw his son Derek so happy in his life until he became friends with Derek and shared music together.

Jayson and Elizabeth spent their summer together. Jayson planned to move to LA to pursue his career in Music and Elizabeth always planned to go to Boston for school. Their goals in life were different and Jayson did not want to part with Elizabeth, he loved her with all his heart! Elizabeth was torn and afraid that she couldn’t see herself in LA with him and that she only wanted a good education, a happy and steady life with a husband and kids to comfort her. She wanted to do everything her mother couldn’t give her. She longed for her mothers’ acceptance and attention, to love her for who she was. But, Elizabeth knew her mother was always busy and never came to any of her school productions at all. Elizabeth wanted a simple and stable home which she did not get as a teen. As time progressed, the day came where Jayson was waiting to see if Elizabeth felt the same for Jayson meaning that they would marry and be together whether it was to LA or to Boston. They could do anything if they were together and be happy is what Jayson told her. Elizabeth felt in her heart that things would not work out between the two of them and it was best for them to break up and go their separate ways. When she told Jayson, he was heart broken, he couldn’t breathe! He told her she was mistaken that their love for each other was right and he knew it with everything in him that they are suppose to be together, grow old together and have kids. She kept insisting that their goals in life were too different and he needed to go and do his music career while she did her education. He couldn’t believe it and fell to his knees asking her to think about it again, but she told him she thought about it every night. He finally asked her if she still loved him and she said the words that tore him apart, “I don’t love you enough”, I don’t love you the way you love me!

Oh I was so PISSED OFF, I didn’t know whether to throw the book down or hate Elizabeth for the remainder of the book. I hate things that happen like that ugh! My heart went out to Jayson and to think he poured his heart out to Elizabeth and swore his love to her what the heck! I say dump her and move on to bigger and better things! Of course I’m speaking out of anger, some girls just really get me on FIRE!

This here blog has over exceeded and I’m officially calling it quits on this blog. I basically told the whole story except for a few details, but that’s where you choose whether you want to read the book or NOT. A definite good read! Do they end up together? Does Jayson Wolfe really go to LA or does he change his mind to win Elizabeth’s heart? Does Elizabeth get her education and happy, stable family? Find out and read the series.

My Book Log: 2011.

January:

1. Tangled Up in You by Rachel Gibson.
2. 10 Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn.
3. Misguided Angel by Melissa De La Cruz.
4. Beastly by Alex Flinn.
5. Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast.

February:

1. My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent.
2. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent.

March:

1. My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent.
2. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent.
3. The Sound of Rain by Anita Stansfield.

April:

1. A Distant Thunder by Anita Stansfield.
2. Winds of Hope by Anita Stansfield.

SOUL SCREAMERS SERIES

The Soul Screamers Series by Rachel Vincent is a must read. I read her first book "My Soul to Take" and it was absolutely wonderful! I enjoyed every minute of it. I mean this book had me going in circles, through loops and in the end I never would have suspected that type of ending which made the book even more than what I wanted just too good. The second book, "My Soul to Keep" was okay but after reading the first book it was pretty hard to try and top that off. The third book, "My Soul to Save" was better than book 2 in my opinion. I love how each book connects to the previous book thus a series duh hello haha! The fourth book, "My Soul to Steal" was even better. I think I literally took like too many breaks to read this book and it was well worth the read. Of course, I will elaborate on each book as soon as i make time to blog about what I read, but for right now just wanted to point out that the obvious is so NOT the obvious in this book. Also wanted to comment on the main characters Kaylee Cavanaugh and Nash forgot his last name. I totally hope that in the series they will get back together and be a couple. So many things have happened to them in less than a year and through it all they have managed to save each other and others in their lives! A strong couple that deserves and needs to be together in my opinion. Although, Tod (Nash's brother) I love him in the series. For a dead, Grim Reaper, he is the MAN! He has saved Kaylee a few times from losing her sould the Hellions in the Netherworld and I think that he is developing feelings for her. But, who knows how it will go until we get our hands on the next book. I'm routing for Nash and Kaylee and hoping that Tod ends up with Emma (Kaylee's BFF) or with someone because he so needs someone! Lets see what happens when the next book comes around.. Loved the series and absolutely can't wait till the next book comes out.. Great read and thanks again Rachel Vincent:) Mad props to ya!!

"The Biggest Loser"

Well what can I say but that its time to get in shape girl! I've signed up for 2 Biggest Loser Competitions and hopefully all goes well. One is with my company at CUSD and the other is Dr. Ma'os weight loss challenge in Carson, CA.

Last year my team TBAM, was always in last place, but boy were we motivated. I guess you can say that we were donating to the cause. We would lose weight, then gain weight or just stood at a stand still. So of course everyone would laugh at our team, but it helped my team get motivated and get a jump start at trying to eat healthier and add exercise into our busy schedules. Did it work? Of couse it worked! I ended up losing more inches than I did pounds and that is good for me. Out team worked out together, we did ZUMBA together and we had a good time trying to shed those unwanted pounds away as a team..You know what they say for women, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" so not fair, but it's reality!

So this time around I decided I was going to do the Biggest Loser with my co-workers and after the first week our team "No Excuses" is number #1. Well one of my co-workers lost 17.5 pounds that is awesome. I lost 4.4 pounds and my other co-worker lost 8 pounds so we all work together, although I lost the least amount of pounds, I say something is better than nothing!
Tonite is the weigh in for the Biggest Loser in Carson, so we shall see how it oges. I'll be happy if all of our team mates lose something that is better than nothing and the goal is to be consistent with our weight loss. Losing 3-5 pounds per week is my goal but if I lose more then more power to me ha! Our team name is PBAm, the T in my last team didn't participate this time around.

So tonight we will see how everyone did and then we can see how much my team has lost. I guess I won't be eating much until I weigh in so I'm gonna weigh in at 5pm so I can eat a good healthy meal and not starve myself all day which is not what I plan to do. A snack here and there will be good. Alrite good luck to all teams and may the Biggest Loser win in the end!

Goals for this year :BE POSITIVE, STAY HEALTHY AND LOSE WEIGHT!

Review: My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent.

She doesn't see dead people, but.

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Kaylee Cavanaugh – Main character
Aiden (Kaylee’s Father)
Uncle Brendon- (Aiden’s brother)
Aunt Val (Brendon’s wife)
Cousin Sophie
Emma (Friend)
Nash Hudson (Kaylee’s boyfriend)
Tod (Reaper, a good one ha!)
Marg- Reaper of Death

The beginning of this book starts off with some good reading. Kaylee returned to her uncle and aunts house after being admitted to the looney house after having intense Panic Attacks. Her attacks are really premonitions of people’s death. She can see right in front of her face who will be dying. She sees a dark cloud hovering over people, she feels her throat begin to lump up, her fingers start to ball up into fists and she’s ready to SCREAM from the top of her lungs Bloody Mary! She always tries to not scream and not make a scene but once released, its the loudest thing you’ve ever heard to the human ear that is, but to Bean Sidhes, it’s a totally different world and melodious song..Bean Sidhes-from the Irish ancestry, not human, with abilities to see death coming, bring a soul back to life and so on and so on...

Kaylee went out with her bff Emma and in the club they’re dancing having a good time when she gets the premonition that someone is going to die. She looks over and sees a beautiful young girl with a black cloud over her body and she knows instantly that the girl will die. She doesn’t really know the exact time, but she knows for sure she is a victim of DEATH! Indeed, the next day on the news the girl died. The second girl dies in a movie theater, just drops dead and collapses on the floor. Kaylee didn’t see that one coming but she did see the next one. A cheerleader from school. Kaylee knows something is up. She’s already confided in her boyfriend Nash, who is a Bean Sidhe like Kaylee. We find out what she is after Nash explains to her about her gift of knowing who will die and tells her what she is able to do with her gift and what the both of them can do if they unite and work together. (They can bring souls back)

Kaylees bff Emma was on the death list and she did die but they brought her back to life again. But bringing someone back comes with a high price, the life of someone else was taken. A life for a life, a tic for a tac..thats how the world turns ugh! Always a deal to make with death!

She can’t keep quiet and not wonder why all these young, beautiful girls are just dropping dead out of nowhere! She and Nash start to investigate to find out who is taking all of these innocent young women’s souls and having them die before their time.

When a persons soul is being taken away by the reapers of Death, the female Bean Sidhes scream at the top of their lungs alerting others of their kind that someone is leaving the world, but to other Bean Sidhes the scream of Death is a beautiful, melodious tune that is a sweet and peaceful sound! Its music to their ears, while to humans, it’s a hideous loud whaling that needs to be stopped.

I thought it was a different way of looking at whaling or screaming when one dies. I like how the author turned the screaming into a Song, a beautiful tune! I thought it was nice how when a person dies the Bean Sidhes tell the female to Sing for their soul, sing out loud!

Kaylees father hasn’t explained anything to Kaylee and she is now 16 years old and has been living with her uncle Brendon and Aunt Val. Their daughter Sophie is beautiful just like her mother. Kaylee does not like her father much and really has no relationship with him at all. He sends her cards and visits once in awhile but most of her time was spent living with her uncle and aunt. She doesn’t know why her father doesn’t want to see her until he comes back to town to assist with whats going on with the young ladies in town dropping dead! We find that Uncle Brendon and Aiden (Kaylee’s father) are also Bean Sidhes, hence the reason Kaylee is one as well.
Kaylee’s story is a sad one. She wants answers from her father. He tells her the story as tears rush down his face. She reminds him of her mother so much. He begins to tell her that she was dead and her mother sang her back to life with his assistance. Her dad was willing to give up his life for his precious daughter to live again, but the Reaper did the exact opposite and took the life of his wife. She knew the price and like the unconditional love of mothers, she willingly gave up her time on earth so that her little baby girl could live..So touching!

Kaylee sings one more time before the end of the book and this time its one of her own. She is singing for her cousin Sophie. She is young and beautiful and a perfect description of what the reapers are looking for. I t was so sad, even though Kaylee and Sophie don’t really hang out or get along , she loves her, she is family. We find out that one of Kaylee’s family members has done the unthinkable and made a deal with a Reaper (Marg).Not thinking that the Reaper would take one of their own, her family member tries to make other offers and ultimately will sacrifice himself or herself to fulfill the bargain..

A lot of twists and turns in this book and I enjoyed every moment of it. I was reading last nite and had to be somewhere at 9:00pm, but I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what was going to happen next and I assure you readers that this book will definitely keep you on edge! Highly recommended by HAVEN..Thank you very much and happy reading!

Review: Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast.

The must-read eighth installment in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling young adult vampyre series. The House of Night is sure to keep fans hooked.

The “House of Night” series, I really have a good time reading about the teens and their transformation from a regular teen to a vampire teen with special gifts from their Goddess NYX. I think I continue to read the series because of all the other surrounding and supporting characters and not so much the main character Zoey Redbird.

“AWAKENED” really did awaken my reading inquiries regarding the series. My favorite character I must mention is HEATH, Zoey’s long time mortal friend, boyfriend and human familiar whom she has bonded with and drank from his blood. He loves Zoey to the dire end and she devotes her love to him as well, but there are other characters that have swayed her love and she has broken Heaths heart by giving her family jewels to another first. She was manipulated by one of her handsome teachers who was only seducing her for his real lover NEFERET. I can’t stand her! She is the root of all evil and her plot is to gain Power and Rule the House of Night School in Tulsa.(That was in another book, not Awakened)

*The five Elements Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Spirit
Earth – Stevie Rae Wind – Damine Fire – Shaunee Water – Erin Sprit – Zoey
(hmm the twins elements could be vice versa, can’t remember eh!)

When the circle of friends get together and summon their elements, watch out NOW, they are unstoppable! They use their gifts to fight evil and NEFERET- I hate her! And to think Neferet was Zoeys mentor in the first book UGH!

I don’t think I blogged about the other 7 books so I’ll be mentioning some events and names of characters from the previous books. Zoey Redbird is the favored vampire, Stark- Red Vampire, Zoey’s Guardian and lover, Stevie Rae Zoey’s BFF and is now a Red Vampire, Aphrodite(one of my fave characters)-beautiful once was a vampire and is now mortal with the gift of foreseeing things to happen in dreams, and she’s a smart mouth, but is always on key when it comes to stopping evil, Darius- Aphrodite’s guardian and lover, Kramisha- Red Fledgling- the poet, thru her poems she foretells what will happen to those in her entrusted circle, the twins Erin and Shaunee- fledglings, Damien- gay f ledling, Jack-Damiens partner, Gramma Redbird- a wise, old Cherokee woman and Zoey’s grandmother.

The book was quite interesting, but in the beginning I was having a hard time reading because a lot of the story was about Zoey and yea whatever ha! But as soon as the book started talking about the other characters like Stevie and Rephaim (Raven Mocker) I was all up in the goodness. Stevie Rae is a Red Vampire Leader and Rephaim is half bird, halfman and they are bonded meaning they drank from each others blood so they are connected. One of the House of Night professors soul mate was killed by Rephaim when they were fighting against the school in the other book. Stevie Rae knows this can’t happen; the two of them can’t be together, he’s not a human or a vampire and how on earth would that work..hmm..Rephaims father is Kalona, the evil Raven Mocker who is a follower of Neferet and was once the guardian for Nyx, until he turned to darkness. Rephaim knew nothing but hatred, evil and anger from his father and everything changed when he met Stevie Rae. They both helped each other and thus were connected through the love they felt for each other. Their story is very interesting and we see that LOVE binds these two together. Will love conquer all in the end;we shall see.

A lot of innocent people die in this book. Jack, Damien’s partner, dies innocently due to Neferet’s greed and lust for power! She needed an innocent sacrifice and poor Jack was the victim. His partner Damien did not take it well and mopes around and is heart broken.
Another innocent victim who dies is Zoeys mother. She was at Gramma Redbirds house waiting for her mother to return when Neferet and the White Bull (Evil) showed up at the door. Neferet was riding the bull bare (naked) what the hell, who does that ha! Ne-ways, she knocks on the door and Zoeys mom has no idea what’s going on. Neferet went to Zoeys grammas house to kill her as a sacrifice of an old but wise Cherokee woman for the White Bull, in exchange, he would create a follower for Neferet to control and rule the House of Night and have all the vampires under her power! What a witch! Seeing that the gramma is not there, she offers Zoeys mother as a sacrifice, the White Bull is not happy but accepts the sacrifice.

Kalona is still in the picture and because he breathed a sliver of immortalness into Stark to save him, to repay his debt, a little part of Kalona remains in Stark. Kalona is able to get into Starks thoughts and emotions which is evident when he was making out with Zoey and bit her shoulder and getting a bit rough, it frightened her. She was scared of him for a second, but Stark said he was sorry and didn’t know what had come over him. I do, Kalona is messing with his thoughts, actions and emotions which equals TROUBLE!

Neferet has managed to fool the council at the House of Night, but she doesn’t fool Zoey, Stevie Rae or the others in their circle of friends. The battle will be proving that Neferet is evil and having Zoey and all her friends unveil Neferets wickedness to everyone!

A lot of other events happened in the book, but these were the ones that stood out to me and that I wanted to share. So let’s read it people so we can analyze and converse!

"Uncle Robin going back home above"

Saturday,January 29, 2011

It was a sad day for us. My dear Uncle Robin passed away at the UCLA Hospital in Westwood, California. He was admitted last Saturday, January 22, 2011 due to the flu or most likely water in his lungs. He was taken to ICU as the doctors saw that he will need alot of medication to help him breathe with ease. They gave him the mask with oygen to breathe and hoping it would suffice. It did not, they needed to give him meds through his IV and use a Traech to get some air into his lungs. My aunt had to sign a paper saying they could do the procedure and sedate him heavily so the meds would kick in. It helped for a few days and we had hopes and thought all was well.

On Saturday 1-29-11, we get a call from his daughter saying that he passed away. The doctors could not resusitate him after attempting 7 times and my aunt finally told them, its OK; he's in a better place. They told her he was trying they could see it; he tried to hold on for as long as he could, but his body was tired and couldn't take it. The doctors took out the tubes and cleaned him up, then told our family that we could all go in and see him.

When i went in to see him, he looked at peace, calm and sleeping on the bed like a big old soft giant like he was. He loved my lil sister very much as she and his daughter are close cousins and friends. My mother,my sister and I sang our famous song that we sing everywhere "Lovest Thou Me." It was sweet and short and my lil sister was crying throughout the whole song, but when the chorus came, I nudged and said its chorus time. She straightened up and I could hear her struggling to sing the words and stay on tune. We sounded like angels bidding farewell to our loving uncle in preparation for him to be met by his maker and welcomed by his parents, brothers and sister above! My aunt said thank you so much and my cousin had her head on her fathers shoulder resting as a child while we sang our song. It was an emotional moment and one I'll never forget.

So many memories of my father came to mind seeing my uncle in the hospital bed laying there at peace and seeing his daughter with tears in her eyes holding onto her father knowing this would be their last embrace till the next life. I know exactly what they will go through missing the presence of their father and learning how to adjust and move on with life. It is not an easy task, but it's a MUST. I pray they will find comfort in the LORD, with family, with each other and hold dear to their hearts the memory of their father. He will truly be missed..
Ia manuia lou malaga uncle!! Love and miss you dearly!!

" Beastly"

Beastly a lovely story or version of Beauty and the Beast. I loved how the author made this story contemporary thus setting in our modern day and time. At first, I was thinking this is probably a typical story of a young teen age boy who was probably given everything at birth; who treated everyone like crap and then he needs to get a girl to break the horrid spell. This was how the story went, but in the book Alex Flinn did a great job of describing how the main character was feeling and how he felt sorry for himself and how he longed for the warmth and company of anyone.

Kyle Kingsbury was born to parents who were more interested in themselves than in their only son. His mother left when he was young and his father was a newscast person who thought highly of his looks and everything on the news and people you saw had to have good looks. His upbringing was focused on having good looks and charm and with those characteristics you could talk your way out of anything.

Kyle was a freshman in high school and everyone and anyone knew who he was. The good looking, rich arrogant kid whose father bought him anything and spent little time with him. He was your typical spoiled brat to the fullest! His so called friends were not friends. They only hung around him because he was the rich kid in school that all the girls wanted to be with. Even the girls with no status took a fancy to Kyle..

As the story progresses he does the unthinkable and pisses off a witch and then he's turned into a Beast. His father takes him to specialist and tries to find a cure for his son turning into a beast, but to no avail noone could help him. His father hired a maid "Magda" and blind tutor "Will" to help him lead a life as an outcast only to come out of his customized house at night when noone could see him. He was a terrible, frightening looking monster. He couldn't believe the transformation. He had to find true love in 2 years and be kissed by a girl who truly loved him as a beast, then and only then would he be turned back into his lovely self.

Lindy comes into the story when her drug addicting father breaks into Kyle's house and is caught on surveillance tape breaking and entering and when he was caught by Kyle, he offered to bring his daughter as a bail in exchange for his freedom. Lindy is a smart girl in a rich school, Kyles school. She worked very hard studying and getting a scholarship to attend that rich school, but she too was an outcast and noone noticed her or even knew her by name. She was a nobody! She hated Kyle for making her stay at his house and leaving her life of reading and school. Lindy took care of her father when he got sick and she loved her father despite his selfish, drug addicted ways. Her father just offered his daughter to a total stranger so he wouldn't get turned into the police and go to jail, who does that, good gosh!

Kyle, later know as Adrian meaning darkness lived together with Lindy and they had a rough start, but they studied together, got to know each other and eventually enjoyed each others company. I think you know as well as I do that they take a fancy to each other. She finds out through his magic mirror that her dad was in trouble and sick again, so Adrian reluctantly tells her that she can leave. She can go and be with her father. Although she loves where she's at andhis happy being with Adrian, she knows she has to go back and help her father, so she leaves. Adrian is totally in love with her and realized that she is beautiful in her own way, smart, kind and most of all she liked him for who he was despite his beastly exterior. He actually loved her and wished with every fiber in his bones that she in return would love him back, but she never said it. He told her she could return to see him in the spring, but not as his prisoner, but as his friend. It was her choice! She referred to hims as friend and he wanted so much more than just to be her friend.

A fe of my parts in the book is wher Lindy left to care for her father and Adrian gave up on her coming back to see him and thus being a beast forever, he says," Without her, I have no hope, no life. I will live in misery and die alone. How loving were those words? Very loving if you ask me, what love he developed for Lindy a girl who if he were the old Kyle would have never even gave her the time of day.

I also loved the part where Lindy tells Adrian " I wanted to be with you. You told me to come back in the Spring. And I wanted to. My father was screwed up like always, and he promised to go into rehab, get a job. he idd for about a week. But then he quit. He said he didn't have to work just because I wanted him to. It was the same sort of thing he always said, but now it was different." "Why, Adian said"
Lindy replied, "Becuase I'd been with you. Before, I knew only what it was to be his daughter, to live day to day and wait for it to be over. But now I knew what it was to have someone talk to me, for me...be with me..and ..." "Love Me?"

Another fave part of mine was when it was midnite and Adrian knew it was over and too late but he says, "I love you, Lindy", "I love you too Adrian" He says. "Then kiss me. Let me have the memory of your kiss, even if I die." "It was too late. It was too late, but she leaned forward anyway, and kissed my eyes, my cheeks, and finally my lipless mouth. I was fading away, but I tasted her, felt her. This was all I wanted. Lindy. Now I could die happy."

What a wonderul love story! I love Adrian and how truly found love and became a changed individual. A most loving creature indeed!!

"Zions Voice Last Fireside..till further notice.."

Sunday, January 23, 2011
"The Living Christ"
Oxnard, California

Tonight is the last night for Zions Voice to perform our last fireside until April or June 2011. Our choir decided that we need to take a temporary break so that members can handle family business, piano players can take a break and so we can handle whatever business we need to handle and return from our break with new attitudes and a refreshed and rejuvenated committment to the group.

Last nights fireside was wonderful! I know we say that about every fireside but maybe because this was the last fireside for awhile it just seemed like everyone gave it their all. The soloists did a great job..Tino sang " Oh Lord My Redeemer, Janet sang "Rescue Me, Randy sang "Like a Dove, and Kristian and Davey sang "Greater Love." They all did a wonderful job, everyone sang so reverently with the Spirit and you could feel The Spirit very strong last night. The whole chapel was quiet and you could sense that the congregation was enjoying the music, the words and the Spirit that was felt. It was a great farewell fireside.

Of course. I'm going to miss seeing everyone every Tuesdays, but I think we needed a break and its good to know that we will continue after the break! I think on Tuesdays, I'm going to start doing some exercising, catching up on reading and hangin out with my family.

I look forward to returning when its time and rejoining with the choir! I hope everyone enjoys this time off and comes back in ifull force.

"Misguided Angel"

This book is the continuation of the Blue Bloods Series which I enjoyed thoroughly. The book is kind of thin but its contents is PHAT indeed ha! Before I forget, from the previous books Jack and Schuyler are in LOVE and run off together to try and fulfill her destiny to find the gates to protect everyone from Hell. Oliver, Schuylers Human Familiar, loves her dearly and is obviously connected to her for the eternities, but he sees that she loves Jack and they were meant to be together. So being the good friend that he is, he reluctantly lets her go with Jack. I love me some Oliver. He may not be as good looking or posess a hot bod like Jack, but I love oliver for his dedication and loyalty to his childhood friend Schuyler. She doesn't deserve the love from both guys Jack and Oliver..I was always attracted to the underdogs and the ones that get left out in the cold..Thas just me..Mimi and Jack Fore "the twins" are suppose to be bonded, but Jacks love for Schuyler is stronger than his bod with Mimi Force; therefore he leaves with Schuyler.


Misguided angel was kind of slow in the beginning but as I read the chapters were getting better and better and I found myself anxious to see what happens. Jack and Schuyler are together in Florence looking for the gate keeper, or the gates to fulfill her destiny and complete the Van Allen Legacy. There are different characters that come into play but you are atill able to follow the story.
Oliver and Mimi get together and work as a team trying to figure out who has killed 2 Blue Bloods. Oliver never really liked Mimi, but as the story progresses Mimi and Oliver kind of develop a nice working relationship. I have my own wishes for the book. I hope that Mimi and Oliver kind of end up together. You figure they were both dumped by the ones they loved, they are both left in limbo wondering where their lovd ones are and Mimi feels the worst since Jack left her and Kingsley has died or is in the underworld protecting everyone from Lucifer. So hopefully Oliver and Mimi join forces as a team and find love for each other, who knows it could happen (fingers crossed).

Another character comes into play in the book Deming Chen from China. She is a twin and was called upon by Mimi to help crack the case on who killed the 2 Blue Bloods. Deming is known for her record of tracking her suspects so Mimi wants her to help! Deming indeed does a good job of trying to find the killer but it's not an easy task as she goes through many suspects and interrogates them. Just when you think she found the killer some more information pops up and you're on the whirl again thinking of who could have killed the Blue Bloods..enjoyable indeed.

Anxiously awaiting for the next book, but like my friend Kia, she gets tired of waiting and waiting for the next book to follow. I hope the next one comes quickly! Misguided Angel is a good read and I was very happy to read other characters come into the story. If you've read the other books, you gotta read this one..