Wedding Wednesday: The Girls (Individuals)

For our wedding photos, I wanted to make sure to take a photo with each Bridesmaid individually.  We have a mix of good pictures and silly pictures.

P.S.  I am in LOVE with my mothers dress!

Amy: Maid of Honor and my Sister 

Alex: Bridesmaid - we always used to do peace signs in pictures when we were younger!

Kristin: Bridesmaid

Heather: Bridesmaid

Vicky: Preggo Bridesmaid - Her little boy is here and doing well :)

Laurie: Bridesmaid

This is Kristine.  She is a good friend to me and Josh so we wanted her involved.  She mostly hung out with the girls but she also ran things to the guys when we couldn't and was overall a life saver that day :)  There is a story behind the picture on the right that I'll tell one day!

Book Reveiw: Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor 

By: Marcus Luttrell

Pages: 416

Read: 7/9/14

"Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July, 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to be very close to Bin Laden with a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive.

This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors.

A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war."

 {GoodReads} 

I don't even know how to review this book.  It's such an emotional and horrible story, I had to keep reminding myself that this actually happened.  A lot of people criticize this book because he slams the liberal media and partially blames them for what happened ... but seriously how could he not.  I also learned so much about the conflict in the middle east and about Navy SEAL training.  Also, people criticize him for the "attitude" he has but seriously, those people must not know any SEALs because they're all like that because they're trained to be.  And what they go through is worth being proud of!  (I have a family member who went through SEAL training).  Everyone should read this.

I gave this book a 5/5 on my GoodReads.

Book Review: Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy

By: Richelle Mead

Pages: 322

Read: 7/1/14

"St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever."

 {GoodReads} 

 This was another book I never intended to read.  One of my coworkers had it on his external hard drive which we use to watch movies at work and another coworker said it was actually pretty good.   So, I watched it and actually enjoyed it.  This book is definitely different than most of the teen vampire books out there, thank goodness. It's definitely not the best book ever but I found it pretty entertaining and I really like Rose's character (most of the time).  It is a pretty typical teen book with all of the typical teen drama, but it's not to the point where it annoyed me and definitely played a role in plot development for the book.   Overall, I enjoyed this book, definitely more than other vampire books I've read (I usually don't like them).

I gave this book a 4/5 on my GoodReads.

Book Review: Two for the Dough

Two for the Dough

By: Janet Evanovich

Pages: 325

Read: 6/27/14

"Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is still learning the ropes at her cousin Vinnie's bail bond office, so when she sets out on the trail of Kenny Mancuso--a suspiciously wealthy, working class Trenton boy who has just shot his best friend--the stakes are higher than ever. That Mancuso is distantly related to vice cop Joe Morelli--who is trying to beat Stephanie to the punch--only makes the hunt more thrilling….

Taking pointers from her bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and using her pistol-packing Granda Mazur as a decoy, Stephanie is soon closing in on her mark. But Morelli and his libido are worthy foes. And a more sinister kind of enemy has made his first move…and his next move might be Stephanie's last."

{GoodReads}

Though I didn't like this one as much as the first, this was still a funny and entertaining book.  Grandma Mazur totally stole the show in this one!  I felt like I was laughing at something she did every 5 minutes.  Joe and Stephanie's relationship is also hilarious and definitely keeps the stories interesting.  Though I didn't care much for the story in this book, the characters totally saved it.

I gave this book a 3/5 on my GoodReads.

Book Review: One for the Money

One for the Money

By: Janet Evanovich

Pages: 320

Read: 6/22/14
 

"Pestered by her close New Jersey family, Stephanie Plum offers to catch high-school crush Joe Morelli, cop turned bail jumper, for her cousin Vinnie's company. She questions "working girls" to find the missing girlfriend of vicious prizefighter Benito Ramirez while Joe secretly watches her back. Ranger mentors her and supplies vehicles when hers explode."

{GoodReads}

I found this book hilarious!  I actually had no intention of reading this book but then I saw the movie.  Yes, the book is better and a bit different but I liked both.  The book moves at a pretty good pace and the characters are hilarious.  Grandma Mazur had me cracking up at times. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous but then there are events that make it realistic, too.  It was definitely entertaining and I really enjoyed reading this book.

I gave this book a 4/5 on my GoodReads.

Wedding Wednesday: The Girls (Group)

I think this is pretty self explanatory.  These are the group photos with my and the girls.  There were so many that I liked that they need to be divided in to group photos and individual photos.  So, next week I'll share the individual ones :)

Book Review: The Longest Ride

The Longest Ride

By: Nicholas Sparks

Pages: 398
Read: 6/15/14

"Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart."

{GoodReads}

Nicholas Sparks is totally my guilty pleasure.  I pretty much read this book in one night, so I definitely enjoyed it.  There were three different point of views in this story, which I both liked and disliked.  I know that all the stories intertwined at the end and all, but I feel like this could have been two different books.  Both stories on their own were great.  It's definitely a sappy love story and I totally called the ending, but we all get our guilty pleasures and Nicholas Sparks is mine.

I gave this book a 4/5 on my GoodReads.

101 Quotes: Part 6

One of my goals for the year was to make a list of 101 quotes that inspire me.  I'll be sharing these quotes randomly throughout the year. 

Posts 1-5

Book Review: The Lost Wife

The Lost Wife

By: Alyson Richman

Pages: 352

Read: 5/19/14

"In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers...

Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit- and the strength of memory."

{GoodReads} 

This book was nothing like what I though it would be and I am 100% OK with that!  The Lost Wife is extremely well written and the story and characters are both so compelling - it's so hard not to be drawn to the characters.   The setting is also different than most WW2 Nazi settings; I have not yet read a book about WW2 set in a ghetto rather than a concentration camp and it was definitely and interesting perspective.    The story is emotional and beautiful and definitely much more than I though it would be.  I'm mad for putting off reading it for so long.  I definitely recommend this book to anyone but definitely those who love historical fiction set in WW2 (my favorite historical fiction time-period).

I gave this book a 4/5 on my GoodReads.

Six Flags Great Adventure: New Jersey

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that last Tuesday Josh and I took a day trip to Six Flags in New Jersey. 

I have been to the Six Flags in MD/DC but neither of us have even been to Great Adventure.  Great Adventure is definitely better!  We pretty much only rode roller-coasters because that's what we like.

Unfortunately Kingda Ka (green on in the above picture) was closed because they're doing work on a new ride that will be inside of it (the three orange things you see).  Kingda Ka is the worlds tallest and second fastest roller-coaster, so we were pretty disappointed, but that's OK, we just have to go back!

Our favorite rides were Nitro, Superman, and Batman.  Nitro was definitely my favorite of the day!

 
Nitro is rated in the top 25 best roller-coasters and I totally see why!  The drop was insane, it was a smooth ride and an all around awesome ride!

We ate lunch at Granny's Country Kitchen which was good and very overpriced (as it is with most amusement park food).  It was basically southern food.  Me and Josh got the bowl which had fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes with gravy.

After lunch I needed to do something slow before getting back on roller-coasters, so we decided to check out the Safari Off Road Adventure.  I'm 5 years old so this was totally the highlight of my day. After the Safari we did two more roller-coasters and called it a day around 6pm.  We would have stayed longer but I had to be up a 5am for work the next day.

*all photos were taken on my Iphone so they're not the best quality.