Exciting News!

EEPPP!   I got the call and I can officially announce my amazing news!!

I have been struggling recently to figure out what I want to do this year after not receiving much financial aid from UBalt.  So, I applied for other schools for the fall and applied for so many jobs it made my head spin!

Well on December 18th, one of those jobs called me and I had an interview the next day followed by a background check, physical, and drug test.   At the interview I had been offered the job if all of those things checked out.  Well, they did and I got the call Monday night to start training on the 20th!!

This is a security job with a company that contracts out all over the world!!  They have also worked security for the Olympics!  I was hired at the highest level for the location that I'll be at but there are so many opportunities to move up and move to different locations!

I will be working at the port of Baltimore and the funny thing is, Josh's company is the place that I'll be working security for!  I want to get through training before I mention the name of the company but I am sooooo beyond excited for this opportunity!

When I say this company is all over the world, I mean allllll over the world!  I am hoping within the next 5 years for Josh and I to save a bunch and move to Either the UK/Ireland or Australia/New Zealand because they are great countries but I wouldn't have to deal with a huge language barrier.  And Josh has been wanting to go back to school so that would be a great time to do it!

So much excitement going on over here!!  Soon, I hope to have some exciting wedding news for you!  I mean there are exciting things happening I just need to get around to blogging about them now that the wedding is only 135 days away!!!  annnnd I am going to get my dress on Sunday!

So much excitement!!! I almost don't have time to complain about how freakin cold it's been here! ;) 

Also, I am currently working a season job as a Loss Prevention Specialist at JC Penney and I think this would be perfect for our store:

I know that would be a serious punishment for me!

Book Review: Safe Haven

Safe Haven

By: Nicholas Sparks

Read: 1/15/12

Pages: 340

"Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again.

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven."

{GoodReads}

I enjoyed Safe Haven.  Yes, it was a typical Nicholas Sparks mushy gushy novel but I really liked the message.  I also liked how the story was told from two perspectives, Katie's and her Husbands.  I also really loved what he did with the character, Jo!  I was not expecting it - I mean, I kind of figured it out but it took a long time!   I loved the development of characters and I don't think I've hated a character as much as I hated Katie's Husband!  This is a great story and I definitely recommend it!  This is definitely one of Nicholas Sparks' better books!

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

Travel Tuesday: Exploring the US

I've decided to take a break from the Europe trip and share some travels within the States (and Canada).   I left off with my Europe trip at the point where I stopped writing in my journal (I could kick myself!).  So, I will be looking through my itinerary and some photos and trying to piece everything together. 

Until then, you can expect to read about:

Niagara Falls, Canada

Gettysburg, PA

Skyline Drive, VA

Boulder Creek, CA

Estes Park, CO

Long Beach Island, NJ

New York State

Bradford, PA

Acadia National Park, Maine

Bar Harbor, Maine

Surprise, AZ

Camden, NJ

Falling Waters, West VA

 Ocean City, MD

Washington DC

Savannah, GA
Wilmington, NC

Bethany Beach, DE

Rehoboth Beach, DE
and possibly The Bahamas

and as I mentioned in this post, I will be sharing a bit more about why I love traveling.  I have some posts in the works right now but I want them to be just right before I publish them :)

Book Review: The Enemy

The Enemy

By: Lee Child

Read:  11/4/11

Pages: 496

"Jack Reacher. Hero. Loner. Soldier. Soldier’s son. An elite military cop, he was one of the army’s brightest stars. But in every cop’s life there is a turning point. One case. One messy, tangled case that can shatter a career. Turn a lawman into a renegade. And make him question words like honor, valor, and duty. For Jack Reacher, this is that case.

New Year’s Day, 1990. The Berlin Wall is coming down. The world is changing. And in a North Carolina “hot-sheets” motel, a two-star general is found dead. His briefcase is missing. Nobody knows what was in it. Within minutes Jack Reacher has his orders: Control the situation. But this situation can’t be controlled. Within hours the general’s wife is murdered hundreds of miles away. Then the dominoes really start to fall.

Two Special Forces soldiers—the toughest of the tough—are taken down, one at a time. Top military commanders are moved from place to place in a bizarre game of chess. And somewhere inside the vast worldwide fortress that is the U.S. Army, Jack Reacher—an ordinarily untouchable investigator for the 110th Special Unit—is being set up as a fall guy with the worst enemies a man can have.

But Reacher won’t quit. He’s fighting a new kind of war. And he’s taking a young female lieutenant with him on a deadly hunt that leads them from the ragged edges of a rural army post to the winding streets of Paris to a confrontation with an enemy he didn’t know he had. With his French-born mother dying—and divulging to her son one last, stunning secret—Reacher is forced to question everything he once believed…about his family, his career, his loyalties—and himself. Because this soldier’s son is on his way into the darkness, where he finds a tangled drama of desperate desires and violent death—and a conspiracy more chilling, ingenious, and treacherous than anyone could have guessed."
 {GoodReads}

I absolutely loved this book!  I love the main character, Jack Reacher because he reminds me a lot of Agent Gibbs on NCIS.   This book is the 8th in the Jack Reacher series but is actually a prequel to all of the other books and takes place when Reacher is still a Military Cop.  The book actually started a little slow and I almost put it down because of that but Josh insisted that I keep reading and I am glad I did!  This is a very face paced book that will keep you interested up until the very last page!  The characters are well developed and relationships are explained and built throughout the book.  I can not say enough good things about this book!  If you like action and adventure or crime books this book is for you!


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

Book Club Friday: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

By: Jonathan Foer

Read: 5/1/12

Pages: 326

"In a vase in a closet, a couple of years after his father died in 9/11, nine-year-old Oskar discovers a key...The key belonged to his father, he's sure of that. But which of New York's 162 million locks does it open? So begins a quest that takes Oskar - inventor, letter-writer and amateur detective - across New York's five boroughs and into the jumbled lives of friends, relatives and complete strangers. He gets heavy boots, he gives himself little bruises and he inches ever nearer to the heart of a family mystery that stretches back fifty years. But will it take him any closer to, or even further from, his lost father?"
{GoodReads}

In general, I liked it but it was a bit hard to follow as it jumped around ... a lot.   The writing style was definitely different but once you get used to it, it's not bad.   This is a hard book for me to review because there is so much going on.  Lets just say that this is one of those books that people are going to love or hate.  The writing style is a bit awkward - if you can't get past that, you're going to hate it.  I like books with different writing styles, so I happened to love it.   Honestly, I'd hop on over to goodreads and read both the good and bad reviews and make a decision off of that.  It's definitely one of those love it or hate it books and I don't think I can review it well.

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



P.S. I redid my Books tab at the top of the page :) 

Book Review: Sunday's at Tiffany's

Sunday's at Tiffany's 

By: James Patterson

Read: 2/23/12

Pages: 305

"Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, a powerful Broadway producer, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Michael can't stay forever, though. On Jane's ninth birthday he leaves, promising her that she'll soon forget him.
Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing mother. Then she meets someone-a handsome, comforting, funny man. He's perfect. His name is Michael . . .
This is a heartrending story that surpasses all expectations of why these people have been brought together. With the breathtaking momentum and gripping emotional twists that have made James Patterson a bestselling author all over the world, Sundays at Tiffany's takes an altogether fresh look at the timeless and transforming power of love."

{GoodReads} 

I had mixed feelings about this book.  I can't decide if I think it's cute or creepy.   The girl see's her imaginary friend years later and they fall in love and he becomes real ... what?  The plot is kind of cute but I can't get past the creepy part where her best friend is a grown man who comes back later in her life.   This was an easy read and I can't say it was hard to get through; aside from the creepiness, it was a cute and enjoyable story.   If you're looking for a light and fluffy beach read, then this might be for you, but if you're looking for something with substance I'd just pass it by. 

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

52 in 52

It's the new year and lots of people are talking about their new years resolutions.  Well, I gave up on those years ago.  I never follow through.  However, what I will do is make a list of goals to accomplish this year.  I know a lot can happen in a year so some of these may become impossible and that's Ok, but I at least want to give it a try!

My Goals for 2014

1.  Visit 4 new countries
Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Grand Cayman
2. Visit 5 new states
Tennessee
3. Get married (5/24/14)
4. Ask 20 friends to suggest a book, read them all
 5.   Don't go on Facebook for a week
11/9-11/16
6.  Make a playlist of 26 songs (each starting with a different letter of the alphabet) and listen to them in alphabetic order on a road trip. 
Did this on my way to Tennessee
7.  Learn to identify 10 constellations
8.  Make a list of 101 quotes that inspire me
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7,
9.  Make a list of 50 places I would like to visit in my lifetime
10.  Take a picture for each letter of the alphabet
11.  Read my height in books
I'm not 100% sure about this but with the amount of books I've read this year, I'm sure I've surpassed my height (5'6)
12.   Learn a new word every day for a month
13.  Choose 10 countries and read a book by an author from each
14.   Visit Fallingwater Pennsylvania
15.  Quit using "Like" as a verbal filler
16.  Learn to count to 10 in 10 languages
Spanish, German,
17.  Take a free online class
18.  Learn to identify all the countries on a map
19.  Open a cookbook to a random page and make whatever comes up
20.  Make at least 10 recipes that I've pinned on Pinterest
1. Crock-pot Chicken (6/17)

21.  Cook 5 meals from 5 different countries
22.  Save $500 in an emergency fund
23.  Take a photo of the same place every month for a year
24.  Swim with sea turtles
25.  Watch 10 movies that came out before I was born
Say Anything (1/2), Pretty in Pink (1/2), Sixteen Candles (1/3) Funny Face (12/4)
26.  Donate my hair to locks of love (unfortunately wont happen)
27.  Go on one weekend getaway
Tennesee
28. Visit Antietam National Battlefield
29. Visit Princeton University
30.  Visit Belize City
31.  Get 1/2 of my digital photos printed
32.  Leave a 100% tip
33.  Donate at least $10 per month to a good cause
Beagle Freedom Project, 
34.  Begin a 401K savings (1/30/14)
35.  Complete a 90 day challenge - any challenge
36.  Attend a sporting event
University of TN Football (8/31/14)
37.  Go to 2 concerts
1. Jason Aldean in DC on 7/25

38.  Finally get tattoo #4
39.  Reach 250 followers on my blog
40.  Swim with Dolphins
11/11/14
41. Visit Heather in Knoxville for a weekend
8/30-9/2 (Knoxville and Nashville
42.  Get a massage (4/30/14)

43.  Take a photo every day for a month
44.  Build something at Build-a-Bear
45.  Watch all of the Harry Potter movies in a row
46.  Spend a day watching Disney movies
47.  Spend a day watching Chick-Flicks
48.  Go for a walk three times per week
49.  Live as a minimalist
50.  Visit Annapolis for the day
51.   Take Amy to the aquarium
52.  Take 5 day trips 
Longwood Gardens