Huge Happy News!

So, I have not posted in what seems like forever. I just cannot believe that it is already the end of August! Life in our family has been crazily hectic lately. I have so much that I want to share with you all, but today I just want to do a quick update and work on some longer travel posts for later. So our big news is:

Yes, we are expecting!!! :) My husband and I are beyond thrilled to start this amazing journey into becoming parents. This is our first child, so we don't quite know what to expect, but we are very excited and working on learning as much as possible. I am about 8 weeks now and am feeling pretty good considering haha. The biggest thing I am adjusting to is the exhaustion I am experiencing, which is what I am going to blame the lack of posting on ;) It is still very unreal to me and amazing to think that I am growing a baby inside of me. The more I learn, the more evident it is that this baby inside of me is truly one of God's miracles!
Do you have any advice for first time parents? :)

Oath of the Brotherhood - A Book Review

Pleasantly surprised by the first book in this fantasy series...

Oath of the Brotherhood by C.E. Laureano
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Christian, Young Adult Fantasy
Published by: TH1NK (NavPress) on April 18, 2014
eARC from: NetGalley

First the book description from Amazon: 

 

In a kingdom where the Old Ways hold fast and a man’s worth lies entirely in his skill with the sword, Conor Mac Nir is a scholar, a musician, and a follower of the forbidden Balian faith: problematic for any man, but disastrous for the son of the king. When Conor is sent as a hostage to a neighboring kingdom, he never expects to fall in love with the rival king’s sister, Aine. Nor does he suspect his gift with the harp (and Aine’s ability to heal) touches on the realm of magic. Then his clan begins a campaign to eliminate all Balians from the isle of Seare, putting his newfound home in peril and entangling him in a plot for control of the island that has been unfolding since long before his birth. Only by committing himself to an ancient warrior brotherhood can Conor discover the part he’s meant to play in Seare’s future. But is he willing to sacrifice everything—even the woman he loves—to follow the path his God has laid before him?

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this book. The more and more that I read it the more it pulled me into the story. At first I had a hard time getting into it, but as I got used to the fantasy world and learned more about the characters I began to love the book and devoured it. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars out of 5 was because it was a slow start and took a while to really understand and care about the characters. But, by the end of the book I could literally not put it down until I finished and will now be pining for the next book in the series! I am a huge fantasy fan and cannot wait to read more of these books.

The narrative was told through the two main characters, Conor and Aine. This worked out amazingly because you got to hear about what was happening in two different parts of this story's world. It was such a wonderful story of faith and coming of age in this familiar but foreign world. Laureano filled it with beautiful descriptions that made me feel apart of the fantastical scene. The end of each chapter left me hungry for more. I recommend anyone who likes Fantasy, it is a wonderful read! And for those readers who don't like fantasy, I challenge you to give this one a try, I think you might just like it ;)

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. for my honest and fair review through NetGalley.

In the Field of Grace - A Book Review

Moved. If I had to choose one word to express my opinion on this book, that would be it.
First, a little about the book with a summary from Amazon:

 

Destitute, grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to recommend her but Naomi's, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation.
But God has other plans for her life. While everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah showing her favor.  Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi's chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.

My Review: An engrossing new take on the Book of Ruth
"In the Field of Grace" drew me in with the very first sentence. This is a beautiful retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz. I truly love reading historical fiction because it gives the reader a refreshing perspective of a story heard many times. This was no exception.

This book was fantastic from cover to cover! I was already pretty excited about it after reading the summary and boy, it did not disappoint! I love that it was told from both Ruth's and Boaz's perspectives. Afshar did a great job in lining up with scripture throughout the entire story; as much as one can when writing Biblical Historical Fiction. I felt love, anger, desperation, and so much more as I went through this story with each character. I could not put this book down and would have finished it much quicker than the three days it took me if I had had the time. Ruth is such an amazing example to us in how to release everything in our lives to God, and this novel does excellently in making you truly understand this point. I also loved that each chapter started with a Bible verse that framed your mind perfectly for what you were about to read.

I definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who would like to read a refreshing take on the story of Ruth. I re-read the book of Ruth after I finished reading and it was so wonderful because I had a renewed excitement for reading a story that I had read at least a dozen times! I have a renewed fascination and love of the Book of Ruth. It is a story of love and trusting God with absolutely everything in our lives.

*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Critical Pursuit - A Book Review

"Officer Brinna Caruso has built a reputation at the precinct as the cop to call when a child goes missing. For Brinna, it’s personal because she was once one of them. Brinna and her K-9 search and rescue dog, Hero, will stop at nothing to find a missing child, no matter the stakes. Detective Jack O’Reilly isn’t ready to return to his homicide duties, after losing his wife to a drunk driver. He’s on the downside of his career, and bent on revenge, when he’s assigned as Brinna’s partner. While on patrol, Jack struggles between his quest for personal justice and his responsibility to those around him, especially his partner. Skeptical of Jack’s motives, Brinna isn’t sure she can rely on her new partner, whose reckless abandon endangers the safety of those around him. But when a man surfaces with an MO similar to the criminal who abducted Brinna twenty years earlier, Brinna and Jack must cast aside previous judgments and combine efforts to catch the kidnapper, and finally allow Brinna the peace stolen from her as a child." (Amazon Book Description)

This book literally drew me in from the first page on. I finished it in three days! I just could not seem to put it down. I was a little skeptical about it from the description; it sounded good, but did not get me very excited about reading it. I am so glad that I opened it and started reading. She talks about extremely difficult topics with extreme grace. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime or mystery. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It is full of drama, action, and suspense from page one to the end.

Janice Cantore does a wonderful job of developing her characters and really connecting them to the reader. I felt like I was Brinna and it was so hard! I tend to immerse myself into my reading. This could be why I finished this one so fast, it was very hard to be immersed in their world. They had to deal with so much pain both in their own lives and through the lives of their victims. It really makes a person think about the incredibly difficult work that our police officers do everyday to keep our society safe.

I want to say so much more in this review, but I do not want to give anything away. I will just say that it is an excellent and engrossing read that addresses some very hard topics, but it leaves you with a happy feeling. It does a great job in trying to answer the age old question of why bad things happen in this world.

Where does time fly to?

I honestly cannot believe that March is almost over! This year is just flying by and I can't seem to slow it down no matter how hard I try. I had been doing pretty good in the first two months with sticking to my 2014 goals, but March decided that it did not want to cooperate. Thus, I haven't had a post in a month :( So, I thought I would at least do a small update to show I am still here! I am working on a few posts, but am waiting to post until I am done editing my pictures. I just think that pictures really add a lot to anything that I am reading, especially on blogs. The fact that I have a passion for taking photographs may have something to do with that.

For a quick update, my husband and I recently went to New Orleans for a long weekend. We had enough points through our airline to get a free flight and it was one of those destinations that we wanted to visit before we started a family, which we are planning to do very very soon :) And it was an amazing trip. We had so much fun sightseeing and eating a lot of good food. One of my next posts will be about what to see and eat while in New Orleans, Louisiana. Traveling is one of the things that I most enjoy doing and my husband and I definitely make it one of our top priorities in life. There is just so many amazing things to see in this beautiful world that God gave us and I hope to see as much as possible in my lifetime. I will have to highlight some of my favorite so far on the blog at some point with some travel tips. What is your favorite place that you have traveled?

WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA

My husband and I t the WWII Museum in New Orleans

So, now that I am done planning that trip, going on it, and recuperating from it, back to writing! I'll see you all soon :)

With Love, 

Ashley

Reading is Amazing - A review and my 2014 Book Challenges

I absolutely love to read! I have loved reading from the time I could pick up a book, as evidenced here:

My early love of reading ;)

There is just something truly magical about sitting down, opening those wonderful smelling pages, and getting immersed in its world!  There is nothing quite like it.  I love all types of stories and read pretty much every kind of book out there.  I used to get lost for hours on end once I started a good one.  Unfortunately, I had to grow up, and it really seems harder and harder to find the time to read these days.  I am trying to set up a routine so that I make sure that I get an ample amount of reading time each day, but that only seems to happen on occasion.  I will eventually get there, I am definitely determined! So, back to what made me begin this post.  I was on Facebook today and came across an article in TIME about reading speed and how browsing the internet could hurt how fast we are able to read.  So, I took this little test they had, try it out here:

Source: Staples eReader Department

My reading speed was 416 words per minute.  Slower than I used to be and slower than what I was expecting, so I definitely have a new motivation for reading more.  Because practice has to help right?!? :) What speed did you get? Was it what you were expecting?

Book Review - Elsie: Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916

This is an excellent book on life as a teacher in the new state of Arizona. It was compiled by her granddaughter, who used her diary, letters, and research surrounding the time Elsie Hayes spent in Arizona. She was a school teacher from California who ventured in the "wilds" of a state newly brought into the union. She first taught at Cornville, where they did not have any of the modern conveniences of the time. From there, she taught at Williams for two years. It was quite a fascinating read! I enjoyed learning about how different it was then. I also grew up near that area, so it was fun reading about some landmarks that I am familiar with.

One thing that I did not like was the choppiness of the writing. It was taken directly from her diaries and letters that she wrote and received, but there are a lot of gaps. She had burned a lot of letters that would have been great to fill in a lot of the questions you develop as you go along. With the limitations though, it was quite well put together. I really enjoyed the extra research her granddaughter, Barbara Anne Waite, did to help fill in the gaps that Elsie left.

I would definitely recommend reading this book to get a look at the early times of Arizona statehood!

2014 Book Challenges

And now, I'll get to the book challenges I am going to join in 2014! I have actually never participated in book challenges before.  I am so excited to try some out this year.  The toughest part is going to try to limit myself on how many I do ;) I am coming a little late to the game, but it's not too late to start!

 2014 Ebook Reading Challenge

This one is to challenge you to increase books read on your eReader.  This will be fun, I just got a Kindle for Christmas :)

My goal is to reach DVD Level - 25 eBooks

Book to Movie Challenge

Reading books that have been turned into movies and then watching the movie.

Goal: Movie Devotee - read 6 books and watch their movies

Back to the Classics 2014

I am looking forward to this one.  You have to read 6 books in the 6 categories given.

Banned Books Challenge

Reading banned books.

Goal:  Trouble-Maker: 3-5 Challenged Books

Luck No. 14 Reading Challenge

This one will be fun.  There are 14 categories you have to complete.

2014 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Challenge to read historical fiction. This is one of my favorite genres!

Goal: Victorian reader - 5 books

Okay, so that is six book challenges! There are so many more that I want to join in, but I should really try to keep these goals achievable haha! Have you ever tried a book challenge?  What book challenges have you joined in this year? Leave the links in the comments, I'd love to check them out!

Linked up at: Modest Mom

Called to Love

It is only Tuesday, but this has already been an extremely long week for me.  I have just been inundated with hateful comments from a situation at work, to watching television shows, to watching the news.  I just cannot seem to escape from it, but it is reminding me how vital that love is to the world and it is our responsibility as citizens of the world, and especially as Christians, to fill it with as much love as possible! I just cannot honestly understand why there is so much hate in the world. I had a couple days of just feeling like I was being buried by it and it had an awful effect on my mood and attitude about everything.

I had to do an attitude check on myself and decide  that I am not going to focus on the hateful things going on, but will focus on the good and combat the bad with love.  I am not going to let all of the negatives in life get me down.  I know that there is plenty of bad things that happen in this world, which I will not ignore, but I cannot let it turn into hate and bitterness.  Instead I am going to focus on love and peace.  I came across this verse today and I thought it fit so well in thinking how we should treat each other:

"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" - Hebrews 12:14

Life really is short, we have a limited time on this earth.  What kind of impact do you want to have?  Do you want to love with abandon or let all of the negative sides of life control you? I find that love can be the more difficult road, but in the end it is way more enjoyable!  I have also had a hard time understanding people that take the hateful road.  How do you deal with them? I have tried many ways and you do have to cater it to each situation.  Sometimes it is appropriate to approach or confront the person and sometimes it is better to be silent and pray.  There will be some people you come across that will be mean and hateful and there will be no changing their mind, so pray for them! If anyone can soften a heart, it is Jesus :) To be honest, I do have a hard time doing this sometimes.  I like to put my two cents into a conversation, but I am slowly learning when that is appropriate and when it is better to bite my tongue and just talk to God about it. What is it that you do when confronted with hate?

How can we show Christ's love everyday?

This year I made several goals for myself.  I am now going to add this one: love more.  I want to consciously make a decision every single day to love everyone, even those that I don't understand, and show the love of God in everything that I do.  It really is vital to remember this:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." - Matthew 5:43-44

and

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" - Galatians 5:14

I cannot imagine the impact that this decision will have on my life, and hopefully the lives around me.  What kind of impact do you think this could have on the world if everyone loved more?  What are some ways that you show love during your day? I often look to my role models who did it so amazingly well.  My husband's grandparents were excellent examples of how to love fiercely.  Here is a picture of them at the beginning of their journey together:

My husband's grandparents showed amazing love their entire lives

Thanks for stopping by, I would love any comments! :)

Linked up at: and

8 Goals for 2014

©Ever After Photography

So, I have gotta say that I do not like making new year’s resolutions, they are just so resolute…   Instead I like to set myself goals of what I would like to accomplish.  I know that I will not do every single one of them every single day of the year, and I am not going to beat myself up over that when it happens.  Instead, I am going to start each day fresh knowing what it is I would like to accomplish and knowing at the end of the day that I did my best.   There will be things that may pop up that weren’t a part of the plan, and I have had to teach myself that that is okay.  I am definitely a person that likes to have a plan and a general layout of my day, and I am not always too happy when those plans get shifted, but I am definitely making progress going with the flow when I need to.  It is great when my day goes as planned, but I need to realize that it is okay to be flexible, and I never know,I may end up having a better day than I thought I would.  This is definitely something that I will have to continue to work on throughout my life.

So, on that note, here are some of my goals for 2014:

1) Be more flexible.

It is okay to have my plan, in fact it can be quite beneficial in being able to get everything done, but I need to realize that things will interrupt the plan and it really is not the end of the world.  Just go with how the day flows and enjoy it.  Life is too short, enjoy every minute of it!

2) Do devotionals and read my Bible every day.

This one is absolutely essential to my life.  It is just so very easy to let distractions in life get in the way.  I have had times of being very committed to this and it improves my life and faith immensely.  I am still determining whether it is better to do this first thing in the morning or around bedtime.  I would love to start my day       with God, but I am not a morning person at all, so it makes it difficult for me to get the most out of it. We will just have to see how this year pans out.

3) Exercise at least three times a week.

I really need to get myself in the habit of working out and keeping fit and healthy.  My husband and I are really hoping to start a family this year, and I really need to get my body ready for that! I am determined to give our baby the best possible start :)

4) Edit my pictures daily.

This is going to be huge! I absolutely love taking pictures and I am so far behind in editing them and printing them; I won’t even get started on how behind I am in scrapbooking! So I am going to commit 30 minutes a day to sitting down and editing.  I will not allow myself to do anything else until the timer goes off!

©Ever After Photography

5) Complete a Project 365.

I am going to take at least one picture per day for 365 days. Now I was hoping to start this in January, but it has just been way too crazy of a month so far, so I will start this on February 1st.  I am constantly working on improving my photography skills and this will help immensely! I am so very excited at all I might learn this year.  Plus I will have an entire year of our life documented!

6) Read at least one book a month.

I have had a love of reading since I picked up my first book! The sad thing is that I am letting everything else in life take precedence over it.  I really do love anytime I sit down and open up a book.  I love immersing myself in that world for a little while.  So, in order to make myself devote more time to this, I have decided that I must finish at least one book per month this year. This should be a fairly easy goal to achieve.  Then maybe next year I’ll increase it a little, and before I know it I will be back in the habit of reading everyday and remembering how worth it it is to take the time to do so! The First Book of the year that I am reading: Elsie - Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916

7) Blog on a weekly basis.

I am very new in my blogging journey and it took me a while to post my first post.  I think having a goal of posting once a week is achievable and will keep me on track.

8) Stay on top of household chores.

This is a not so fun goal this year, but it really is a necessary one.  I have a full time job right now and I find it is so hard to spend the little amount of time I have at home to clean it.  I get home and cook dinner and just want to relax a bit in the evening.  I just cannot get motivated to do chores.  I will go a few weeks between basic chores that really need to be done at least once a week! So this year I am determined to stay on top of it and keep a clean and organized home.

So there are my top 8 goals for 2014.  Some of them will be easier to achieve than others, but I believe that each one is very important in my life and I really need to keep at it and make each of these a habit that I just always do! I will get there someday ;)

What are some of your goals or resolutions for this year?

Linking up at: The Road to 31

The Beginning

I have been thinking about starting a blog for quite a while now and have finally pulled the trigger!  I love to write and just never seem to take the time to do it. So hopefully this will keep me at it. I am just in wonder of everything around me, so this blog will vary a lot in topics. A few things to look forward to here are photography, scrapbooking, literature, music, movies, adventures in sewing, and more!  This will be a great place to talk about anything and everything in life. 

One of the things I am in wonder of - God's amazing creation!!

Now, anytime that I write, I never know how to begin. I guess the best place to start for a blog about life is to tell you a little bit about myself.  My name is Ashley and I am in my twenties, but probably going on thirty something at least. I graduated from college two years ago with a degree in Criminal Justice and one in International Relations with a minor in Russian studies, although I am using neither in my current job. I work at a coalition to end homelessness in my state, which just goes to show that you never know what God has in store for your life, so just go with it and enjoy every minute of it!  I honestly have no idea what I want to do when I grow up haha. Right now I am just trying to trust God in this, knowing that He has a plan for my life and it is so much better than one I could come up with myself.

In 2009 I met my soulmate, Travis. He is more than I can ever have imagined in a man and I thank God everyday for bringing him into my life.  So how did we meet? We actually were set up on a blind date by my mother and her coworker who was a friend of Travis' from high school.  We both did it as a favor and planned to just meet at a coffee shop, which would have given either of us an easy and quick way out if needed. Our "quick" first date turned into an eight hour date that I never wanted to end. It was one of the best evenings of my life so far. 

©Fresh Look Images

Okay, so now I have to spill the details, I just love remembering our first date!  We met up at a mall and grabbed some coffee. We walked the endless space as we talked and got to know each other. I was truly blown away with how well our conversation went. We were so alike and he was so easy to talk to, there were none of those awkward silences that usually creep up when meeting someone new.  After we finished our coffee neither of us were ready for the date to end. Travis came up with the idea to go to a local city's downtown Christmas display and fair and then go to this amazing German restaurant. We walked around and enjoyed dinner for hours just getting to know one another. Another thing that I found was that he is a perfect gentleman, which is so hard to find these days!  He opened every door for me, got my chair when sitting down, and offered his arm while we walked. It was just perfect. I already knew that I was falling in love with him. After dinner, we decided to go to a movie. A perfect end to a perfect night. I remember thinking after he dropped me off and I was telling my mom about this amazing date, that this was the man I was going to marry. We have now been married for a bit over two years! They have been the best two years of my life.

I could go on and on about my husband and how wonderful he is, so I better stop myself now.  Hopefully this is good for a first post and I keep you coming back.  I look forward to meeting anyone who comes upon my blog.  Please leave your thoughts, advice, introduction, anything! I am brand new to this and look forward to growing in this endeavor.  It’s nice to meet you all!

And I am trying my first link up as well at: