The red headed man with a witch for a wife

As we've been watching the Outlander series on Starz, Jeremy has found himself connected with the character of Murtagh. He is no nonsense, extremely loyal, has a robust disdain for all things froofy, and he likes to settle minor disagreements with a good punch in the face. Jeremy says, 'If only all disagreements can be settled that way. One punch and done.'

So, I updated my Facebook status with "Jeremy's spirit animal" and shared this photo:

And shortly after I received this text from him:

{insert a bunch of heart-eye emojis here} *swoon*

 Someone has been memorizing the '10 tips for husbands if your wife is obsessed with Outlander'. 

All the beautiful words!

Let's talk about the Outlander series, shall we?

Many, many years ago...I was introduced to the Outlander series by a coworker who was listening to them on tape (yes, tape!). At work, this series started a conga line of woman impatiently waiting for one coworker to hurry up and finish listening so it could be passed down to the next person on the list.

It starts off as a story about a woman, Claire, who travels back in time through magical stones in Scotland and ends up married to a very dashing Scotsman named Jamie. I know it sounds a little out there and really like your typical romance story. But it is just way more than that.

When I found out that they were doing a TV series on the books, I was beside myself with excitement. I know fans had been asking for a movie for a really long time. I am so glad that they decided to take it to TV instead of a movie. There is just NO WAY that they could have done this series justice in a movie (or even a handful of movies). And I have to say that so far, the show is doing an amazing job of bringing the story to life. Jeremy has been watching it with me and even he is held captive by the twists and turns of the story.

So, I decided to re-read the books...or I guess read the books for the first time since I listened to them the first time. We are up to eight books in the series...with the possibility of more. I know...it sounds kind of crazy, right? Who on earth could keep a story going for more than eight books? We'll see if George R.R. Martin strings us along that long.

I managed to wrangle one of my aunts into reading the books (she has read them all twice now). I have another aunt who I just loaned the DVD's for Season One of the show. AND a third aunt has now ordered the books as well. Plus a cousin who is also watching the show after I introduced her to it. I'm starting my own mini-fan club.

My mom keeps saying its because of the sex. And while there is sex...and I do read many, many, many romance novels that do revolve a lot around the sex...these books are so much more than the typical romance novel. I don't think I could have kept myself interested for eight books if it was just about the sex.

No, this series really has everything. It is an epic story which spans over a lifetime for the main characters and many of the secondary characters as well. This story has you in several different countries, during several different wars, during a couple of different time periods.

But through out the different plot lines and side stories, it always comes back to Jamie and Claire and their love for one another. It is a love story, to its very core.

I'm getting ready to start reading the books again. Jeremy was like "Again?! But you just finished!" Yeah, and?! They are just that good.

Y is for...You're kidding, right?

Day 25. Favorite book

There is no such thing as A favorite book. I couldn't even being to try and narrow it down. I am an avid romance reader and have been known to devour books in a matter of hours.  But I do have a few favorite authors.

1. Lara Adrian

2. Pamela Clare

3. Kresley Cole

4. Tara Janzen

5. Jill Shalvis

6. J.R. Ward

Once Upon A Time - #2014BloggerChallenge

This week's topic is suppose to be book...as in singular..but that's not really how I roll. Anyone that knows me or that has followed this blog long enough knows that I am a romance reading junkie. I couldn't pick one single book to be my favorite if my life depending on it. So, instead I'm going to talk about a few of my favorite romance authors and their books.

[ONE] Kresley Cole

Her 'Immortals After Dark' series is 15 books in. I know, sounds like a lot! But when you create a fantasy world full of funny, sexy, strong, stubborn, ancient, magical beings..it's only fair to try and give each of them their own story. I'll admit I'm behind in this series. I get so emotionally involved that I get a little sad when I think about a series ending, so I stop reading..just so it never has to really be over. Not really rational, but that's how my brain works.

[TWO] Tara Janzen

Hot guys. Hot cars. Enough said. The first book I ever picked up by Tara Janzen was 'Crazy Sweet', which..at the time..was the latest in her 'Steele Street' series. I always manage to do that, pick up the LAST/latest book of any given series. After reading it, I immediately devoured the books before and every book after. The gang from Steele Street have a very, very dear place in my heart. These are the only books I actually kept when I went digital with my first Kindle. They hold a place of honor on my bookcase.

[THREE] Jill Shalvis

Funny. Quirky. Heart twisting. Listen to me, people, you must..MUST..pick up a Jill Shalvis book. I don't even care which one or from which series. They are all good. Lighter reads then my normal fair, but they are so funny and sweet that I can't stop myself. A good place to start is her 'Lucky Harbor' series. Lucky Harbor is full of quirky characters that will make you laugh and WISH that they really did have a Facebook page. But, for real, I'm not kidding, any of her books..ANY OF THEM..are good. Oh, and speaking of Facebook pages..you really need to like Jill's page.

[FOUR] Lara Adrian

Did someone say sexy vampires? 'The Midnight Breed' series follows the stories of "Breed" warriors, super sexy alpha vampires. Lara has put one of the most interesting spins on the whole vampire story line, savage alien beings that crash landed on earth centuries ago. It's really a very clever way of re-telling vampire folk lore. Anyway, don't expect any sparkling skin or teenage angst. These guys would kick Edward Cullen's ass all the way back to Washington.

[FIVE] Pamela Clare

I started with Pamela's 'I-Team' series. Romantic suspense, based around a team of investigative reporters in Denver, Colorado. Her stories get your blood pumping, action packed and smoking hot. But don't stop with the 'I-Team' books because she writes historical romance as well. The 'MacKinnon's Rangers' series is about three brothers...sexy, loyal, smart, strong. Hold on, I have to fan myself just thinking about them. I dare you to read the books and try and pick a favorite MacKinnon brother. Double dog dare you. Pamela's fans are also very vocal and active on both the 'I-Team' group and 'Camp Followers' group on facebook. She hosts book discussions and polls..and there may or may not be eye candy shared.

So, there you go. Five of my favorite romance authors. Please check them out and pick up a book or two or a fifty. Just read. Honestly, just pick up a book...any book..and read. Authors pour a little bit of their souls into every book. There is no better way to pass an afternoon than by reading their books.

Weekend Doings

I've been living for the weekends lately, just so I can hit that door at quitting time on Friday and not have to think about work again until Monday morning. This weekend was the Color Up 5k. Since we live out in the middle of no where, we don't often get the chance to have large organizations bring in things like Color runs or mud runs or obstacle runs. But I'm seeing a turn in the tide, San Angelo is being put on the map since we are currently in a very fast paced growth spurt.

Anyway, it was so amazing to see SO MANY PEOPLE come together for the Color Up run! Just more proof that events like this are really good for the community and city. It was FREEZING Saturday morning...not as bad as the Hot Chocolate run last year, but still. As we waited for the race to get started the sun came up and more and more people gathered. The music was pumping and the array of colorful wigs, socks, and tutus kept us entertained.

The race was just what it was suppose to be..fun!

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite authors, Pamela Clare, has a prequel novella out today (e-format only), First Strike. This is short story set up for her next full length novel, Striking Distance, that will be out on November 5th. You all know I'm an avid romance reader, but I don't usually plug or review books here on this blog. And I'm not really trying to do that here either, I just thought I'd put it out there. Her books are really good, so if you haven't read any of them and were looking for something new to get into..put Pamela Clare on your list.

 

In the same vein, there is a little rumor going around (started by the author herself) that Tara Janzen might be writing a Steele Street novella. She is another author that should be on your list. So good.

 



Happiness is..

1. Our Love Cottage. We've been in this little house, our "starter home", for nearly ten years now. It's not where I expected to live for so long and I do sometimes yearn for more. But, over all of these years I have fallen in love with this house over and over again. It is ours and it is home.

 

2. Freshly painted toenails. Seeing my toes with a pretty shiny new coat of color makes me very happy.

 

3. Coffee. Period.

 

4. Cute shoes. This sort of goes hand and hand with my cute toes. Cute sandals showing off my cute painted toes makes me happy. It's the simple things, people.

 

5. SLEEPING IN.

 

6. Jeremy. He is the starfish to my sponge. The thunder to my lightening. The buzz to my bomb.

 

7. A good romance novel. There is just nothing like a good story that makes me sad...and mad..and makes my heart ache and my gut drop..and makes me laugh and smile and have hope. I <3 4-ever.="" endings="" happy="" p="">

 

8. My faith. For someone that doesn't go to church, I have a whole lot of it..faith, that is. I'm always learning and growing in my faith. It brings me a lot of comfort and renews me all the time.

 

9. Pictures of animals. Mine or otherwise. My fur babies bring me so much joy. They are the soul in this house. But I really enjoy animals, in general. Being around them makes me happy.

 

10. My family. They are the foundation of everything I am.

What I'm Loving..

Link up with Jaime

 

1. I'm loving that I mustered up the nerve to walk across the street to meet my new across the street neighbors. And that they seem very, very nice.

 

2. I'm loving The Story. I'm only two chapters in and I can't say I understand all of it (the Old Testament is hard to relate to), but I find its easier for me to want to keep reading in this format. My sweet cubie gave it to me as a belated birthday present.

 

3. I'm loving being able to help out at our local humane society. I spent two and a half hours today folding and taping mail-out flyers and enjoyed myself. I helped out at the adoption event this last weekend and had a blast promoting the great dogs available for adoption.

 

 

4. I'm loving that there is rain in the forecast. Please Lord let it rain!

 

5. I'm loving that it's ok to let the chores go for one day.

 

6. And I'm loving that I can go to bed as early (or late as I want). Tonight will be an early, early evening because I didn't sleep well last night and I'm worn out. Good night!!

Random thoughts on a sleep deprived Monday

1. I stayed up too late last night reading {Defiant by Pamela Clare}. Even after I put the book aside I had a really hard time finding sleep. It was an on again/off again thing until the alarm went off at 5:30.

2. Because I was tired and grouchy my coworkers were annoying me..by just sitting there. I managed not to get into an argument with anyone..but I'm not sure how.

3. Did y'all hear about the Octomom signing up for gofundme.com so people, regular ol' people like you and me, can give her money? For nothing in return! Does that really work? I'm totally doing it.

4. I removed the word verification thingy from my blog comments {you're welcome}, but I'm getting pissed at the stupid spam comments. I get excited when I see an email that tells me I have a comment waiting for approval just to have my mood soured to find its a spammer. Boo.

5. But I have been loving the upswing in comments lately from y'all..the real human people out there. I love hearing from y'all.

6. I have become a little discouraged with my weigh loss/fitness. I still have a little too much jiggle to my wiggle. But I'm having a hard time committing to a solid work out schedule or curbing my food intake. I haven't gained any weight, no worries, but I'm still considered overweight and I'm just..jiggly. Too jiggly.

Let's talk about underwear

I might have mentioned a time or two or a hundred that I enjoy reading romance novels. There are many things I love about romance novels, which is why I keep reading them. But there are some things that annoy me or confuse me or that I can't really relate to.

One of those things is women's underwear.

Many, many, MANY (but not all) of the female leads in my romance novels are written to be women that haven't been getting any action...for a good long while. I'm ok with that. What DOES confuse me is that when things DO get hot and heavy with our male lead and clothes start coming off the lady is always wearing some scrawny lacy underthings...kind of like this.

Now, I love me some sexy lacy underwear. But there is just no way I can believe that a woman who hasn't been getting any for a really long time...and doesn't seem to have any prospects (or so she thinks) of getting some any time soon would choose to wear skimpy, lacy underwear around all the time. Is it sexy, yes, but it is not comfortable. It's made to be put on and then taken right back off. Not to be worn for daily use as a lot of our leading ladies do.

And I'm not buying it. Because I know that if I wasn't sexing someone up...if there hadn't been anyone seeing me in my underwear for a long time...I'm not going for the lacy. I don't care HOW pretty it makes me feel. Besides, no flimsy unlined lacy bra is going to hold my girls in place long enough for anything other than foreplay.

That doesn't mean I think she should be wearing granny panties. I happen to think my underwear are super sexy and they aren't even lacy..not entirely anyways. I might wear something more like this with a cute pair of matching hiphugger panties. Simple, cotton, supportive, breathable....and still very sexy. And I AM getting action on a regular basis.

So please, please...no more lacy bra that hooks in the front that is so thin he can canoodle her nipple right through it. Not unless she was expecting to get jumped...which most of them aren't...until later...and then some sexy underthings might make more sense.

Tuesday Randoms

~ Anyone have any meditation techniques? Because this girl has GOT to learn to relax. It may be PMS too. I have a serious ebb and flow of emotions from month to month. Tensing up and worrying about everything seems to come with the territory. So..meditation and midol.

~ I'm going to be reviewing romance novels at Seductive Musings. SSQQQEEEE!! I'm so excited and nervous and excited.

~ Speaking of romance novels, Defiant by Pamela Clare was released today. It has been much anticipated since its the third novel in the series about the MacKinnon brothers. I'm a bad fan and haven't picked it up yet, but I will...soon.

~ Forced myself to go to the gym today for the first time in weeks. I get antsy if I have too many evenings at home with nothing to do. Which doesn't sound like me at all..but I think that was the old me. I'm becoming a busy body in my old age. Must. Do. Something.

~ I have a canker sore on the very tip of my tongue and it is VERY annoying.

~ I'm learning all kinds of uses for baking soda through pinterest. Did you know that baking soda and salt can help with canker sores? Can't imagine it would taste good at all, but still. AND baking soda can be used to exfoliate your skin. It supposedly gives you that 'just got a facial' glow. I haven't tried it yet, so don't take my word for it.

~ Speaking of facials. I really need to find some type of foundation/primer/face spackle that will hide my flaky skin. I have dry flaky skin between my eyes and around my mouth. I use a gentle daily exfoliator in the shower but it doesn't seem to help with the flakiness..especially when I try to wear any makeup. *la sigh* I'm just destined to be a wrinkly, flaky skinned troll for the rest of my life.

Eight Days of 2012

1. Bought a Jessica Simpson dress at a killer price. There were no measurements listed so I'm crossing my fingers that the size I bought fits me. If not I'll be hitting the gym so that I WILL fit in it.



2. We lost water pressure...and I thought for sure there was something wrong with our pipes, or water heater, or something because our house hates us. Turns out it was a city pipe and not our house. Thank goodness.

3. Found out Friday that something was leaking water in our kitchen. It turned out to be a piece connecting the water supply line to our dishwasher. Easily fixed, thank goodness. I blame the water pressure issue.

4. I cloned myself.

5. Jeremy hung the second door in the guestroom. That means its time to move on to the next thing, probably the baseboards.

6. Applied for Jeremy's passport.

7. Read my first book of the year. 'Avenging Angel' by Tara Janzen writing under Glenna McReynolds. It was a good way to spend an evening. I really liked it.

8. Purchased tickets for our trip to Vancouver in July! Well..my sister purchased the tickets. But its official..we're going international, baby!

I'm thankful for a good book...

...that distracts me so thoroughly I forget to post a 'thankful' post.

Oops. I missed a day! LOL. This week has been crazy busy (and it ain't over yet).

Goals for 2011

1. A New Dishwasher

2. A New Stove

3. A Costume Birthday Party

4. A Kick Ass Concert

5. A girl's weekend with the crazy ladies of my family

6. Warrior Dash

7. A trip with my sister

8. Getting my toes in the sand

9. Cultivating my talent

10. Getting a laptop

11. Visit Lost Maples

12. Go to the Texas Ren Fest

13. Visit friends, family, relax, calm down, laugh until I cry, savor good food, remember my blessings every second.

RomCon

How did I not know about this? RomCon is being held in Denver, CO this July. Colorado in July..are you kidding me? Jeremy and I STILL talk about our vacation to CO from a few years back.

As an avid romance reader...see here, and here, and here...going to an event like this would be freakin' awesome.

And then there is the whole aspiring writer thing I sorta have going on. Couldn't hurt to surround myself with like minded people and absorb every little bit of information possible.

*la sigh*

Anyone have a couple hundred dollars laying around they could give me?

Breaking Loose..by Tara Janzen

BREAKING LOOSE ---- SIN AND DANGER COLLIDE WHEN THE HOTTEST SECRET AGENTS IN THE WORLD COMPETE FOR THE PRIZE EVERYONE IS LUSTING AFTER...
No one has ever seen it. Everybody wants it. That is why the government has just unleashed its secret weapon. Drop-dead-gorgeous art dealer Suzi Toussi has been tapped for the toughest mission of her career: to locate the Memphis Sphinx, an ancient artifact rumored to possess otherwordly powers. Tracking it to Paraguay means going up against Dax Killian, the sexy special ops agent who is planning to snatch the coveted relic right out of her hot little hands. If he can find it first... Dax first spotted her outside a seedy bar - in three inch heels and a too-tight dress. But what was Suzi doing in a hellhole like Ciudad del Este? Dax knows the answer: the Memphis Sphinx. Suddenly the game is on. With Creed and Dylan in Paraguay backing up Suzi while tracking down a rogue CIA agent named Conroy Farrel, they are all headed for a showdown that could reveal the truth about what happened to SDF operator J.T. Chronopolous...and the shadowy secrets behind the creation of Special Defense Force...

I love Tara Janzen. I picked up 'Crazy Sweet' on a typical sweep of the new releases at the book store. I wasn't familiar with Tara Janzen and any of the 'Crazy' books at the time, I didn't know that 'Crazy Sweet' was the 6th book of the series. To be honest, this genre of romance novel wasn't what I usually went for. I was a historical romance type of girl up to that point. I think I was a little burnt out and looking for a change. And boy was it a change, I was instantly sucked it to the story and very soon after had read all of the 'Crazy' books. I couldn't stop until I had read them all, they were that good. Of course, I have followed along with all the 'Loose' books as well. The latest in the series is Breaking Loose, the story of Suzi Toussi and Dax Killian. I have to be honest, I found it a little difficult to get into this book. I didn't fall into it as easily as the others. The emotional attachment to the characters wasn't there this time. It made me a little sad, I wanted to instantly love it like I have all the others. Maybe it's because I had a hard time believing that Suzi, the owner of the art gallery featured in previous books, would be taken into the Steele Street fold. She's an art dealer, not a highly trained undercover agent. Also, the sexual tension was lacking in this book. I think it was because Tara didn't spend a lot of time building their relationships in previous books. They didn't have a lot of history with each other before being thrown together in this book. I understand that not everyone has to fall madly, deeply in love but it was truly one of the things that had me hooked in Tara's previous books. I could feel the deep, earth shattering attraction between the two characters. But sadly, it wasn't there this time.

I have kept all of Tara Janzen's books. In fact, she is the only romance author that has caught my attention so thoroughly that I didn't recycle the books after reading. I'll keep 'Breaking Loose' but I'm not sure I'll re-read it again, like I have with her other books. Even though this book didn't catch and hold my attention like the others, I still look forward to the next book in the Loose series.

Random Soup

Sorry it's been so quiet around here this week. Last weekend we had a garage sale and after that I had no energy or desire to be on this computer. The garage sale sucked big time. It was just too freakin' hot (it's been in the 100's for two weeks straight) and no one wanted to be out in it. We had a dorm size fridge/freezer/microwave for sale..$95..which seems like a great deal to me. I fully expected someone to wheel and deal with me on it, but no. Instead I get some dofus that offered me a quarter instead of $.50 for something. Not the haggling I had in mind. I don't think I will ever have another garage sale again. Its just not worth it.

We found the place we are going to rent in Hawaii. We could have just stayed at a hotel or in a condo, I'm sure it would have been just as fun. But Jeremy and I were looking for something a little more private and relaxed. We used Vacation Rentals By Owner and found a one bedroom studio to rent. See..that hammock has my name all over it. We've been in contact with the owners and have sent in our deposit to hold our reservation. There isn't any turning back now!

I've been fairly focused on two things this week:

1) Get through work ASAP! We are spending the weekend on my aunt's boat and I am ready for the weekend to be here already! Good food, good company, good drinks..and maybe a tan (hopefully NOT a burn). What's not to be excited about?

2) My book. That's right, I'm writing a book. I've thought about this for a long time now but I've never put any real effort into it. Story ideas would come into my head but then I couldn't "see" how it would all work out so I would just disregard it. But, a fire has been lit under my butt. I'm not worried about the entire story right now..or spelling..or proper grammar..lol. I'm just writing, writing, and writing some more. I have a vague idea of how the story might play out but I am fully prepared for it to change as I get further into it. It's like learning about a bunch of new people. I THINK I know them, but I might learn something new as I write.

Anyway, that is what's been up with me this week. Hopefully I'll have some great stories and pictures to share after the weekend is over.