Living and Active Challenge

While reading Money Saving Mom today I was intrigued by her post on the Living and Active Challenge.  Usually, I "participate" in challenges by not actually signing up because I know eventually I'll drop out.  So, for the accountability and the real commitment to this challenge I'm adding the button to my sidebar and actually signing up!  :)

Review of Chasing Hope

I had never read anything by Kathryn Cushman and I'm not a runner but I was drawn in by the description of the book Chasing Hope.  Chasing Hope is a story of facing the bad unplanned circumstances in your life while still giving to others and finding where God wants you to be in this world.  It was a beautiful story, changing character viewpoints and linking family generations (grandmother and granddaughter) together.

**Spoiler alert: I loved the mentor-mentee relationship between Sabrina and Brandy.**

Thanks to Bethany House for giving me this book to review.  Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House a division of Baker Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review of Stranded, book three in the Alaskan Courage series

My reviews of book 1 Submerged and book 2 Shattered can be found here and here respectively.

As with book 2, I'd recommend reading the previous books in the series before starting Stranded.  Though there is a small introduction of the characters, I think you'll be pretty lost without reading the previous books.  I don't like series that are like that, but these books are so good that it's worth it! 

Stranded by Dani Pettrey reunites almost everyone aboard a cruise ship.  Darcy has been asked by her friend Abby to help research a big story that Abby has stumbled onto.  But as soon as Darcy comes aboard, Abby disappears.  The suspense begins and like me, you may spend all day reading this book!  Teaser - this book gives Jake's background so you won't have to wait any longer.  While this book wasn't my favorite of the Alaskan Courage series, it is still really good and I'm hoping for a fourth book.

Thanks to Bethany House for giving me this book to review.  Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Normal life, thoughts from my head

I'm not sure where the package of paper plates came from.  But it was sitting on the chair in our kitchen and I'm thankful for it.  One more item to mark off the grocery list this week.  Bizarre how the paper plates might have gotten there but I'm not going to dwell on it (any more than it took to put in this post at least).  :)

We went on vacation last week, so wonderful to finally visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.  I got to ride so many roller coasters, it was so fun!  Thank you to my husband for spending hours with our 4 children in the kids' section while I rode those roller coasters.  But I didn't want to tell you about our vacation or Cedar Point, what I really wanted to tell you was the epiphany I had while I was in the bathroom.

I was in our hotel room bathroom and I was thinking how wonderful it is to be on vacation.  But then I thought about diabetes and how complicated it can be and how even on vacation you have to change the toilet paper rolls.  And that's what diabetes is like.  Even when you're on vacation, you still have to go to the bathroom.  And even when you're on vacation, you have to treat your diabetes.  If I was in the hospital I might have a catheter so I wouldn't have to get up and go to the bathroom.  So if I was in the hospital, they might take care of my diabetes for me.  But right now I'm not in the hospital, so I have to go to the bathroom and I have to care for my own diabetes!  I have to change the toilet paper roll because I'm not sure anyone in my family is going to do it.

So there was my grand epiphany, taking care of diabetes is kind of like taking care
 of bathroom business.  It's constant, sometimes it's pretty easy.  But it has to be done.  :)