Yes Please!

Love and Lavender

Let me tell you a little secret.....

.....my family and I live in the middle of the woods in a rural area. We have two horses, one dog, and 7 cats (we just had 5 kittens last week). I truly can't imagine living in the cities, or even in a small town. Nope, I love the country life. Especially since the lake is just a walk through our woods away!

However....ever since High Definition TV made it's way into our life, we have right around 6 TV channels with two of them being music video channels. Now, we never used to watch much TV at all, and even less now, but it is nice to relax with the occasional show every now and then, which is why I find Verizon FiOS pretty interesting.....

.....I'll be frank, I only just discovered Verizon FiOS around a month ago. I am an all around Verizon girl, so I was interested to hear about it.

The feature that caught my eye the most? Verizon FiOS has advanced fiber optic technology (did ya get that? I didn't.) so it makes for better pixelation, less interruptions and wallllaaaah and not as much weather interruptions! HDTv is starting to look up....

And it's not to shab when you look at the fact that it's been rated #1 for overall quality and customer care, and value in the 2010 "American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Survey for the largest subscription TV service providers."

It's not just for the TV though. It's for your cell phone. You can finish last nights TV show on your cell phone....nifty!

And on top of that? You can Tweet and Facebook AND Youtube from your TV using your remote! Crazy indeed!

FiOS isn't just for your cell phone and TV. Nope, it's your internet as well. Tonight I've actually been having problems staying connected to the internet on my laptop, while it's better now, earlier I was resetting the router a sad amount (at least I got my exercise running up and down the steps!) however with FiOS, that issue is close to resolved because it's on of the top rated high speed internet service with very fast speed and very clear video.

While I am happy right now with our 6 TV channels and our internet and cell phone service (through Verizon), I can't help but eye Verizon FiOS and think of what can be done with it.....definitely time efficient and more multi tasking opportunity's that us ladies are so good at ;)

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Verizon FiOS blogging program for a gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” (make sure you link to http://VerizonFiOS.socialmoms.com/about)

Nothin Like the Summer

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A large portion of my life has been spent on the road, traveling with my family. We have spent four winters in the camper traveling through Texas, Florida, and California, months at a time. Traveling is second nature to us, and we have stumbled across some amazing sights because of it. Sights that I think that every kid should see and would make wonderful Summer escapes.

Yosemite National Forest:
Yosemite is aaaaabbbbsoooolutely breathtaking. The moment you enter the park it is just stunning and magnificent. We went in the Winter with our camper, but had to leave only a day later because of a snowstorm that was coming in ( on top of the already 5 foot in some areas snow!) - and we would not be able to get out with our camper! It is definitely a place to go in the Spring, Summer, or even Fall. Treck your way past Vernal Falls on the Mist trail and with the sun behind your back, and if the falls are so full that you are getting splashed, you just might capture a full rainbow right in front of you! (tip from "The Photographers Guide to Yosemite") Gorgeous indeed and what a photo opp!

San Francisco:
San Francisco must be my one of my favorite city's that I've visited. It is so full of life and history, surprising and exciting things to be found in every corner. The countryside of San Francisco is equally gorgeous, be sure to visit the beach (no swimming - sharks!) and the lighthouse. It's quite a trek down stairs that are equivalent to 30 stories, but hey, it's good exercise right?!

Image taken by myself - San Francisco Light House

Tarpon Springs Florida:
Tarpon Springs tops my list for another favorite town. It is Grecian goodness all around, sporting a small town vibe, it is just a lovely atmosphere to spend the day meandering around exploring the little shops, checking out the aquarium, having some delicious ice cream, and ending the day with some dancing found right around the corner.

North Padre Island Texas:
While South Padre is the go to town tourist town, I have a special place in my heart for North Padre Island. Secluded and not busy at all, with dunes that you might here Coyotes howling in at night, horseback riding on the beach, and a less teenagery touristy vibe than other beaches, it is a great place to visit.

Calico Ghost Town (California):
This was one of my favorite campgrounds to stay at. It is a revamped old Silver miners town and has a old grave site, a mine to walk through, lots of shops to meander through, and is a great place to explore. A wonderful place to bring the family!

What are you favorite destinations? Any funny traveling stories? I know that I have a few...but we'll save those for another post!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Purple Heart Book Review

Amazon Product Description:

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.

There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.

Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad—Justin, Wolf, and Charlene—the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.

National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick has written a visceral and compelling portrait of life in a war zone, where loyalty is valued above all, and death is terrifyingly commonplace.

My thoughts:

I was only able to get to page 62 before I finished. I wasn't able to "get" into it. The plot felt very slow and like there was never any changes, and as if the story line wasn't moving. Even so, a few of the things that I read, really stuck with me and I am always remembering them. Though I wasn't especially able to get into "Purple Heart," I do think that this would be a great book for a young adult boy with an interest in the military.

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

When I first picked up a young adult book many years ago at the library, "14 Little Blue Envelopes" was one of the first ones. And I've loved it since! Maureen Johnson helped me get into the world of young adult books because of her book, and look what was the result!

I was excited when I found out that she was writing "The Last Little Blue Envelope." And was thrilled with I was sent a copy to review (100% of opinions in this review are off my own.). In the last installment of this series, Ginny retrieves her lost envelope and finds her way back in Paris and is un - happily surprised by a few new changes. However, she begins to find love in unique places as she unravels the crazy mystery that her aunt left behind for her.

Maureen Johnson's books are must reads, and perfect to past down again and again.