ARC

Hi everyone, hope you've had some good reading days. I have.

The Pact and My Sister's Keeper both by Jodi Picoult. The Pact opens with a young lady shot to death and her boyfriend injured, telling everyone that it was a suicide pact gone wrong.
I give it 3 stars, cause although I think it was well written it tied up a little tidily. Yet also it did not address, any further, things I felt should have been addressed.
My Sister's Keeper, was a really interesting story about a family who has another baby so that she can be a donor for her sister with luekemia. I give it 3 stars. I saw the movie and enjoyed it much more. I thought they simplified it a bit and made it much-more believable. Whereas in the book she did fantastical things and tied them up neatly by books end. But really interesting story.

Jane Austen Ruined my Life by I don't know at the moment! Girl obsessed with JA and her books comes to England to try and find some mysterious letters written by Jane Austen. Old Friend who is a boy is there. She's freshly divorced and fired, poor.
I give it 1 star. The positive? Atleast it didn't fall into the now-common girl suddenly enters JA world, or story or whatever. Overall it was uninteresting and ended very lamely.

Another in the Simply Series, Simply Love by Mary Balough. About a wounded, deformed man and a unwed mother in regency times. It was fine, had some good story lines she could have followed but never really dove into her charachters' lives. I give it 3 Stars.

And since I am, that close, to finishing it.
Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer. Love it, Jane Austen style regency.
Abigail is a 28 year old spinster trying to breakup the romance of her young niece and the gentleman who should know better. Enter in his long-lost uncle Miles Calverleigh, who doesn't care what his nephew does, but does care for Abigail. Love it. I will give it 4 stars for now, maybe up them after making sure that it ends well. Okay it's 5 Stars, and I went and bought another to read. False Colours.

So what have you read?

Happy Birthday Roan!

My baby turned 6 years old yesterday. We celebrated his birthday.

We started the day with Pizza and Swimming at grandma Lyndie's Pool. Julie and kids, Jen and Kids, Emily and Kids, and Craig and kids were all there.

After Mike got home from work we went to Walmart to let Roan pick out a bike, but as it turns out what he really wanted was Night-Vision goggles. Whatever. His sisters got him a new Bionicle.

We went to the mall and let everyone pickout their meal from the food court. glamorous huh?

Michael and Avie got Charly's Grilled Subs

Paige and I got Chick-fil-A nuggets, the best. and a Peach shake.

Liv went to Flaming Wok.

And Roan got a Cheeseburger and Fries.

Then we went to our favorite theater and ate Kettle Korn Popcorn while watching UP!

Followed up with singing and the blowing out of a candle at my mom's house. Doesn't he look so thrilled? And disclaimer, he is suffering from swimming-hair.

He also got a Camelbak from his aunts filled with supplies that he has barely removed to sleep. Milo and Otis, the best talking animal movie ever made, from Grandma Lyndie and Grandpa Vic. And a stunt remote-car from Grandma Ging.

Lucky little boy.

All I can think about is that I will cry and never leave my bed when he no longer wants to snuggle, hug, kiss and love me. Wah...

Oops I Did It Again or Camping: Hurts so Good or A Series of Unfortunate Events

No you are not seeing in duplicate. Yes, that is Michael's finger. Yes, he is in the ER. Yes, he did it to himself....Brother.

So, last weekend we went camping with Mark and Kim, just over one night and it was great. So we did it again. But this time we went to the non-paying camp grounds and about 25 more people came too. I will give you a bullet point rundown.

• Mark and 4 kids (ages 12-2) first to arrive at camp Thursday, return from a hike to ecounter a big Bear who is busy eating a roast and a block of cheese from their cooler. He has to scare it off twice with rocks and then his shotgun. A big fire and loud music are started.


• We arrive with our dog Bear, after dark, who will alert us to the Bear should it return. We hope.


• We were in Ginger's camper, otherwise I would have turned and gone home.


• Unfortunately our arrival also included getting the trailer hung up on a tree and my peach-ole and corn nuts dumping on me.


• Survive the first night, but are glad when more campers arrive the next day.


• Bryan and Whitney are lost then stuck in a broken down car. Mike and Mark to the rescue.


• Two visits from the Rangers. Once for a report of what happened with the Bear. Next to warn us that there was a bear in the area. DUH.


• Our VW which we left parked down on the pavement is broken into, via smashed passenger window, and Avie's purse, the only item in the car, is stolen.


• Minor cuts for Avie and Me. Avie+camping table=scraped arm. Janan + michael's knife= cut finger tip (barely.) Bandages are applied.


• While whittling the strawberry Liv has requested, Michael cuts off the tip of his index finger. see above photo.


• I take the chunk of skin off his knife blade and put it inbetween moist gauze. We head to our favorite ER. Sad, that we have been able to develop a favorite


• He's sewn up, with 5 or 6 stitches, and will return Tuesday to find out if it took or not.


• if it does not reattach he will have his finger sewn to his stomach. long story.


• He drops me off at my Mom's for a 4th Party, but really cause Jen is in town. I am a nasty camper. smelly and dirty.


• Back at camp Mark sprains his ACL while playing steal the flag. Make-shift crutch and ace-bandage applied.


• Michael, Ging, and Cleve leave to come get me and are told by Police they can't return until after midnight because they have too many people going up the mountain to watch Fireworks.


• 11:00 pm finds us struggling to get gas and navigate the Stadium of Fire traffic.


• Driving the twisting and turning road of Squaw Peak our 5 gallon bucket of water dumps over and soaks our feet and the carpet.


• the LP(gas) detector only went off twice.


• Sunday we rested. No injuries, breakdowns, or breakins (animal or human) and they were even shooting guns.


• Home never looked so good.