It’s the first confessions post of 2015 and I just know you have some secrets to spill!!!
–My Christmas vacation had a rocky start. We were dismissed from work early on the 23rd due to bad weather. Tornadoes. So I was already on edge. I was sitting at the red light less than 10 miles from my house and BAM! Someone rear ended me. I am not going to lie, I was feeling quite discouraged about the holidays starting out like that. So glad it took a turn for the better after Christmas! #makinglemonadefromlemons
–Speaking of the accident, I was in a pretty bad accident my senior year of high school. I had nightmares for the longest time about car accidents and that sound that they make. I have been in three accidents since then. One of which someone else was driving and was rear ended so hard we got shoved in to the car in front of us and her car looked like an accordion when we got out. This is the second time I have been rear ended in my current car. When I hear that sound, I start to shake and all the memories come rushing back. #thefearisreal
–Basically I think my car is cursed and I want a new one! I hit a deer in it the year I got it and now two accidents? #cursed
–I am actually really excited about Whole 30. I didn’t link up yesterday because I wanted to finish my vacation recap but I plan to discuss my reasons for doing it along with some of my food choices next week! #operationme
–Our Christmas stuff is still up and I just want it put away!!! I cant believe it has come and gone but when it is over, it is over for me. Time to focus on the new year and getting the house back in order! I should finally have some time this weekend to do just that. I feel a huge purge coming on. #ocd
–I really want a diet coke. Breaking a bad habit is hard. I didn’t even drink them that often but now that I know I cant have one, every time I hear a can pop in my office I want to punch someone in the face. #beingreal #damnwhole30
–I really want to want a planner. Let me rephrase that, of course I want one. I just really want to use one for an entire year if I get one. #consistencyiskey
Confessions in ecard
Link up with Kathy and I and confess all of the things!
[inlinkz_linkup id=596587 mode=1]
Chris’s family has been going up to Gatlinburg after Christmas for years. I am so happy to be a part of their traditions! We always have a ton of fun, and this trip was no exception! The first half of the week was hot as shit. It was 85 degrees on Sunday when we got up there and I was sweating my ass off. By Thursday it cooled down a lot and we were wearing our heavy winter jackets. We didn’t see any snow, but besides that…I can’t complain.
To counter all of the food and beverages that were consumed, my sister in law and I made a pact that we had to hit at least 10,000 steps on our Fitbits each day. To make this happen, we did some running around the pool table in the loft and around the drive way in the evenings. Our family thinks we are officially nuts, but we did it! We got in at least 10,000 steps each day!
EATS
We ate at the Alamo three times while we were up there. The first time was for lunch right when we got there and I had the baked potato soup and wedge salad. I don’t have pictures from the other two visits but the second time I had the filet and baked potato and the third time I ordered the Black and Blue Blackened Filet Salad and crab dip. Each time was delicious and this is one of our must stops when we are there.
We also have to hit up No Way Jose’s downtown! The restaurant sits on the river and we usually sit in the 21 and up section so we have the views and less noise. We always get queso and I ordered the Javier Favorite which was beef enchiladas.
Our TGIFridays closed here in Birmingham several years ago, and we just love their Jack Daniels chicken appetizer and a few other things so we were sure to stop there! My SIL ordered the Ahi Tuna Crisps on the app menu and those were amazing too!
The best hot chocolate in the world can be found at The Donut Friar.
There is a retro video game store called Control Freak that is located in Pigeon Forge. They moved locations since the last time we were up there and we stumbled across an amazing boutique and the Blue Moose while we were there! We grabbed some Blue Cheese Chips and the nachos and snacked while watching the Auburn game. Chris ordered an 8 Bit Pale Ale to stick with the gaming theme.
The Apple Barn is one of my top choices to eat and I didn’t get any pictures of the food or store….but it is tradition to take a picture in the gazebo there each year! I usually order the soup and a veggie plate which includes their chicken and dumplings. After, we walked around the store and picked up a jar of their apple butter and I introduced my brother in law to the Apple Freeze drink. Not to be missed!!! Trust me on this!
Get Your Drink On
Of course, what is vacation if you don’t partake in some adult beverages?! We visited the Smokey Mountain Brewery, which was probably the worst beer I have ever tasted. Other than that, everywhere else was wonderful!
We hit up the Mellow Mushroom both at The Island in Pigeon Forge and the one in downtown Gatlinburg for some great draught beer!
And of course, when in Tennessee…you must drink Moonshine! The Ole Smokey Distillery offers free moonshine tastings and each year we are up there, I prove to be the cheapest drunk around. That’s right, this free tasting consists of about 12 different shines and by the time we are done trying each of them…I am usually pretty damn buzzed. For free! They have really cool flavors like apple pie, blackberry, maple, hunch punch, etc. Plus they give you a cherry that was soaked in shine.
WALK AROUND DOWNTOWN
One of my favorite things to do is to walk around downtown Gatlinburg and check out all the shops! We always stop at the Space Needle arcade and Fannie Farkles too!
The Island
Another favorite area of mine to visit is The Island in Pigeon Forge. There are so many cool shops to walk around in, a super cool magic store, an awesome arcade, and a beautiful Ferris Wheel and water show!
Mini Golf and the Mirror Maze
There are mini golf and mirror mazes around every corner in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. The best put put is at the Magic Quest though because it is inside black light golf!!! I got a hole-in-one on the last hole!!!
The Alpine Coaster
I hate heights. I hate roller coasters. I am basically chicken shit. So when I was talked in to the Alpine Coaster, it was a pretty big deal. No matter that my five year old nephew was excited and not scared at all to ride this thing but I was shaking with an elevated heart rate while we were standing in line to board. I figured YOLO and went along with it. But look at this thing!!!
I made Chris take a selfie with me while we were waiting. You know…in case it was my last picture ever because I might die. I willed Gracie to my sister and my MK purses to my SIL.
Each night we come back to the house and hang out with each other. Of course, there are always Mario Kart competitions each year. I am sure you aren’t surprised that we tote the game system and projector up there to play! I also got to spend some time with my 3DS, something I rarely do anymore.
I had such an amazing time, as I always do. It is so special to get to spend so much uninterrupted time with our family. We always create so many memories and look forward to the trip next year.
As for me, it is back to reality today. I took yesterday off to pick up the dogs from boarding, grocery shop, meet up with my sister to get our mail she had been collecting and sit around waiting on the Charter guys to hook us up with some faster internet. Hurrah! I started Whole 30 yesterday and still alive to talk about it this morning. So far, so good. Though I have a feeling I will be a cranky bitch by lunch.
Well hello there!!! Happy New Year!!! I took a bit of a blogging break the last two weeks and enjoyed the holidays and our vacation in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Gatlinburg.
Oh, and also the Alabama shut out over Michigan State! ROLL TIDE!!!
So I am going to do a quick recap of Christmas, Chattanooga and Knoxville today and come back tomorrow to see a lot of pictures in Gatlinburg. I will let the pictures do most of the talking!
Can we start with how sucky mother nature was to the south the week of Christmas?? Go home mother nature, you’re drunk. Tornado warnings during Christmas dinner was not my jam. Neither was 80 degree weather. Either way, Santa was extra nice to me this year!
The day after Christmas, we headed up to spend the weekend in Chattanooga and Knoxville. We had to hit up Taco Mac in Chattanooga. Taco Mac was one of my favorite places to hang out when I lived in Atlanta and Chris loved it too. When we were heading over there, we realized there was a World of Beer across the street, so you better believe we popped in to say hello there too. Beer flights for all!
We then headed up to Knoxville and checked in to our hotel and walked around town. We were just two blocks over from the coolest area of town that had a ton of shops and restaurants. There was even an ice skating rink set up! It was weird because it was 75 degrees and they had to keep clearing the rink to scrape out the water!
After walking around, we decided on Stock and Barrel for dinner. Burgers and Bourbon…what more can a girl ask for?!?!?!
If you are ever in Knoxville, I HIGHLY recommend Stock and Barrel. Our burgers and crab dip were amazing and the bourbon menu is huge! Plus, the prices aren’t ridiculous for what you get. We certainly needed that walk back to the hotel when we were done!
We had so much fun in Chattanooga and Knoxville and will certainly be visiting both cities again. Tomorrow I will be back with our Gatlinburg Shenanigans!
Stephanie and Jana are giving us a bonus book link up today!
I basically copied my initial reviews of these books from throughout the year. All of these stuck out over the other books, but overall I have had a great year of reading!! I found a new favorite author, hello Liane Moriarty!!! I made it through a science book and it made the top of my list and didn’t make me want to shoot my brains out! I read a fictional history book and thoroughly enjoyed it (The Boy Who Dared). I read more this year than I ever have before. To say I was reacquainted with an old love is an understatement.
Words cannot describe my love for this book. And trust me, I was super skeptical when I read about what this book was about. I even saw others write about how the math and science talk was a little hard to get through but they still loved it and I thought…no….there is no way this is for me. But Kristen recommended the audio book to me and I trust her tastes dearly. I became obsessed with the story. So much so that I madeLaura start listening to it, and I even told two of my co-workers that they had to listen to it too. This is hands down the best book I have read this year.
I read and loved The Husband’s Secret and Big Little Lie’s last month, so I wanted to keep binging on my love for Liane Moriarty. What Alice Forgot was such an amazing read! I think it is my new favorite from Moriarty. I liked that you learn about Alice’s life through some of her memories, but more so through Elizabeth’s letters to her psychiatrist and Frannie’s letters to her fiance. This book really made me think about what would happen if I lost 10 years of my life. I share snippets here on this blog, but it has me wondering if I should start keeping a journal as well.
This book also has me thinking about relationships. Not just my relationship with my husband…but my family and friends as well. Every relationship we have has it’s ups and downs, and as long as your good memories out weigh the bad, then shouldn’t it be considered a success? It made me think about the little things that we can get caught up on that in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t matter. It also made me think about myself as a teenager and twenty something. What would my younger self think of my current self? Would she be proud?
Bottom Line: This was a great book! I did this via audiobook like I did the other two by Liane Moriarty. I highly recommend this author!
To be honest, I had no clue what this book was going to be about. I remember seeing a few bloggers reviewing it and they always rated it really high, so I figured why not?! Basically, this book is just as the title says, it is snippets of AJ Fikry’s life. Fikry owns a bookstore and he is a bit of an eccentric guy who is living a depressing life after loosing his wife. One day his life changes when something is left behind for him. Now he has the will to want to be happy.
Favorite quotes and take aways from this book would be:
You learn everything about a person with the question – what is your favorite book?
Most people’s problems would be solved if they would only give more things a chance.
Things we respond to at twenty are not necessarily the things we respond to at forty and vice versa.
Bottom Line – Absolutely read this book! I loved it!
This is another book I consumed via Audible. Again, loved the accents and voices for each character! There are several characters to keep up with in this book, but once I got a few minutes in to it…I had no issues keeping them straight. I love the way that this author writes, and I think that is what draws me into her novels.
Since I don’t have kids, I never really thought about the politics that can occur with parents at a school. Especially with kindergartners! But my goodness, is there some politics, gossip, and drama!!! I really loved how each of the character’s stories were really built up. I felt like I knew the main characters on a personal level. Not to mention the secondary characters as well. This is my second Moriarty book and I feel like she always raises the question….how far are you willing to go for your family and friends. I like a book that leaves you questioning scenarios in your own life. They all seem completely plausible after you are wrapped up in to it!
Bottom Line: This was quite an enjoyable read, I highly recommend this book and the author! I loved the school politics, the small town drama and the twists on how everyone is connected.
This book. This book gave me all the feels!!!! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started. I knew the book was written from a dogs perspective and I guess I thought it was going to be happy go lucky. But no. It was so deep, thoughtful and honestly…I straight up cried a few different times.
Not to give too much away, but the book basically tells the story of Enzo’s life through his own eyes. Enzo is the dog, obviously. His master, Denny, is a race car driver and the book uses a lot of race analogies and vocabulary to understand how to drive through life. There are several twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting when I picked this book up. I sort of saw them coming once I got in to it, but that wasn’t an issue for me.
Some of my favorite quotes were:
“That which you manifest is before you.”
“No race has ever been won in the first corner; many races have been lost there”.
Bottom Line – Absolutely read this book!!! Especially if you are a dog lover, but even if you aren’t. Literally all of the feels.
Sometimes I wonder if there is any humanity left in this world, and then I read a book like Rescue Road. I love dogs and want to save them all. Talk about pulling at my heart strings. This book follows a man who drives a rescue trailer from Ohio, down south to gather dogs from shelters and rescues and brings them back up north to be adopted. You get to hear about his story, along with three rescue groups who are doing amazing things. You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who touch the life of a dog before they find their forever home. All the nameless angels. It really is amazing.
My favorite quote from this book is “As the miles melt away so do a lifetime of bad memories” – Greg Mahle
Bottom Line – I cried, I smiled, and then I cried some more. If you are an animal lover in the least bit, this book is for you.
This is the first book in Skye Jordan’s Renegade series, and this book was awesome!!! We meet Lexi, a couture wedding dress designer who has some pretty powerful and famous clients. Lexi’s best friend is a tech nerd who develops an app that she wants Lexi to try out while waiting for a flight to NYC. The same flight that the hot Jax whom she caught eye contact with in the drop off lane in front of the airport is on. Lexi starts to anonymously text Jax through this app and they hit it off. Unfortunately, both of them have been hurt in the past for being used. The love story that builds throughout this book is incredible. Sometimes being reckless reaps big rewards, sometimes it leaves you broken. I also loved that Lexi was a fashion designer. It was fun to read about her passion.
Bottom Line – I loved this book and highly recommend it. You get a risk, a love story, some hot passion, haute couture fashion and a bad boy. Probably one of my favorite reads this month!
This book started off at a drag race and Jordan looking for a guy to replace the interior of her 370Z that she bought at a police auction. I was sold. I used to love going to car shows and stuff like this when I was younger. It was so thrilling! Anyways, back to the book. Next thing you know, Jordan is being kidnapped by the man who is stealing her car. But there is a deeper story behind why the car is being stolen. Never has a kidnapping been so painful to read about as you feel sorry for the girl AND her kidnapper!
Nic Medina was in prison for seven years because a dirty cop put him there. And now the dirty cop had blackmailed him in to stealing Jordan’s car. He didn’t mean to kidnap her too and now he is just trying to make it right. Nic carries a lot of guilt about what happened to his sister and brother while he was in prison. He would do anything protect his family and friends. Soon Jordan falls under his protection as well.
This book leaves off on a huge cliffhanger. I heard the next book doesn’t come out for another year. OMG!!!! I am like…
Bottom Line: Read this book!!! It was so good and I had the hardest time putting it down. I basically devoured it in about two days. Action, romance, hot cars, what is not to love?
I consumed this book via Audible, and I have to say that I enjoyed the reader’s accent! This book starts out going from character to character in each chapter, back and forth inter-winding the story. Cecelia discovers a letter that her husband wrote to her to be opened in the event of his death. How can you not read that if you found it sooner? This book basically follows how that one letter effects the lives of others around them. I enjoyed all three characters stories and plot lines and how they came together at the end. What I really appreciated was the epilogue to update where they were and what would have happened had that one major event not occurred. It really made you think.
Bottom Line: Once I got a few chapters in and got to know the characters, I became very interested and had to know what was going to happen next! I would say that this is a must read. I laughed, I felt touched by the struggles these characters went through, and I was drawn in from the beginning needing to hear more and more.
I listened to this one via audiobook. This book is based on a true story/experience. It changes perspectives from present day Helmut in jail to memories of his past that lead up to him being in jail. I immediately related to the character. While I obviously am not German nor did I live in the WWII era, I can appreciate how people felt back then. I loved how Helmut had his own thoughts. He was told that all the books he reads must be German, but he thinks that is ridiculous and loves his American Western novels. He sees Jewish people being treated badly and it upsets him. He tunes in to the BBC radio in the evenings to get the true story about what is going on around the world, not what is fed to him by the German government. Standing up for what you believe in at such a young age is a very brave thing to do.
When Helmut goes to jail for simply speaking the truth, it is rather eye opening to realize how many people this really happened to then. I insist that if you do read or listen to this book, you stick around for the author notes.
What I find the most interesting is that this stuff still goes on today. I am not so naive to think that our own government doesn’t hide certain truths from us, but even worse in other countries. Look at North and South Korea!! The people of North Korea were told recently that their astronauts landed on Saturn. Saturn!!! Last checked, Saturn is a gas giant planet. Only about 1,000 people (mostly North Korean government) have internet in that whole country. Just crazy, right?!?! They have no way of knowing what is really going on.
Bottom Line: I highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction, or just want to understand more about Germany and the Hitler Youth. While all the events are not real, they are based on a real person and the author did extensive research to make the most plausible story.
