Book Review: Wither

Wither is a great book. I thought it was going to be a little weird after reading about it, but then I read the first chapter and got hooked. (See below for the Synopsis.) Wither is the first book in a trilogy. The second book was just announced to come out in February 2012 with the titled, Fever. I am very excited for this to come out, since the first book finished on a major cliff hanger.

Synopsis:
What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb - males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape - to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

For All Your Travel Needs...

My mom has recently started her own travel company. She was with CruiseOne, but decided to branch out on her own. I'm not only saying this because I am her daughter, but she is an amazing travel agent. She has travelled to many different places and has a great knowledge of all the best places to see. For all of your travel needs, whether they be cruises, trips to Hawaii, or a train ride through Europe, she does it all. I have attached a link to her website on the right side of my blog.

Staycation

For Jared's Spring Break we wanted to do a mini vacation. Since I am working full time and don't get a Spring Break from work we decided to spend the day at the beach. We booked a room at the Laguna Cliff's Resort and Spa in Dana Point. It was so beautiful! We drove down there on Thursday and left on Friday. On Friday we had breakfast in bed and then went to Laguna Beach. Jared spent the afternoon skimboarding and I spent it laying on the beach reading my book and sleeping. Before we left, we had lunch at BJ's Pizza. So yummy! Even though our little vacation was short, I am grateful that we have the opportunity to take these little vacations and that we live in this beautiful state with beautiful beaches and hotels.

Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa Our Room

Jared on the balcony of our hotel room.

Such a lovely view from the room.

Time Fly's

On March 30, my baby sister turned 11. I can't believe it. I was 14 when she was born, and so I was almost like a second mother to her. Now she looks like a mini-teenager (also a mini-me). For her birthday we went to my grandparents house for dinner and had the best lasagna I have ever eaten. Since Chloe helps me on some of the blankets that I make, I decided to make her one. I found these amazing bright pink, yellow, orange, blue, and green fabrics at M&L Fabric. By the time I got the fabrics it was only a few days until her birthday so I worked hard at trying to get it done in time. Needless to say I got it all done just as we were walking out the door to go to her little birthday celebration. Along with the blanket we also got her the Tangled DVD. Which she loved too!

Chloe's birthday cake was baked Alaska.

So excited to open her presents.

The blanket I made her.

Defying Gravity

For Christmas, Jared's parents got us tickets to see Wicked. We went on a double date with them to the show. I loved it! This is one of my favorite shows and I am so grateful that we were able to get tickets. Our seats were really good. Definately better than my seats the last time I saw the play. If you haven't seen it and have the opportunity, it is definately worth it!

Hot Pink, Yellow and Blue Blanket

Beautiful baby girl blanket for our friends Shira and Devin. At first after I purchased the fabric I wasn't sure they were all going to mix well. After I layed out the pattern the way I wanted I fell in love with this. I love how bright the colors look, and I hope Baby Dickson loves it too.

Valentines Day and 3 Year Anniversary

VALENTINES DAY:
For Valentines Day, we decided to eat dinner at one of our favorite places, Naples, in Downtown Disney. After dinner we went on a few rides at Disneyland and decided to go to California Adventures to see if we could still get tickets to The World of Color show. We both had never seen it and really wanted to. Thankfully they were still giving out tickets, but it was to the 9:15 showing. We got the tickets and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, we were taken to our area, where we had to stand to watch the show. We had been fortunate enough to get spots right in the front, so we could see everything. The show was amazing! I really want to see it again. I am grateful for my wonderful husband, who knows that a Valentines Day at Disneyland is something I will enjoy.

Jared and I in front of the castle.

The World of Color!

3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY (Feb. 16):

I can't believe that it has already been 3 years since our wonderful wedding. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband that loves me and takes care of me. I honestly don't know what I would do without him. The past 3 years have been the best of my life and I know that is all thanks to the wonderful man that I married.

To celebrate our Anniversary, Jared sent me my favorite flowers to work. Anyone that either came to our wedding or saw pictures knows that I love pink and that I love pink lilly's. So, that is what he sent me. My office smelled amazing for the next few days. :)

On our Anniversary, we had dinner at another favorite restaurant (but one we don't go to often), Hibatchi Steak House. Those that have never been there, this restaurant is great! It's one of those restaurants that cooks the food right at your table. We were seated with a family celebrating a birthday. After we all sang 'Happy Birthday', they learned that we were celebrating our Anniversary. So, they insisted on singing us an Anniversary song.

My beautiful flowers.

Jared and I at Hibatchi.

I am so gratful for my amazing husband. I am grateful for all the things that he does for our family. Honey, I love you so much and I can't wait to spend eternity with you by my side.