Thursday, April 28, 2016

Exploring Texas: Palo Duro Canyon!

My husband and I decided that, since we're in Texas, we're going to take advantage of it. There's so much here that we've never seen or ever had the chance to see so we're going to use his weekends off to their fullest extent. We already have a few outings planned (Cadillac Ranch, botanical gardens, weekend trip to Colorado, etc.) so we're excited to adventure out and see what Texas has to offer!

This past weekend got derailed a little because I ended up coming down with a cold on Friday afternoon. Instead of venturing out on Saturday morning like planned, we ended up hanging around the hotel room all day, only leaving to grab a couple groceries we forgot to get and getting our mega load of laundry done. Thankfully, as soon as I started feeling under the weather, my husband ran out and got some cold medicine and I spent all of Saturday morning in bed. That night we had a fend-for-yourself dinner and after the little one was asleep, my husband and I ate ice cream and binge watched Gilmore Girls.

By Sunday morning I was feeling a little more like myself. I wasn't 100% but definitely better. Instead of feeling like death, I only felt a little stuffed up and sneezy. No way was I going to let this random cold ruin our entire weekend, so I suggested we take a short trip to Cadillac Ranch. While Googling it up, I happened to see a link for Palo Duro Canyon, something that we would definitely be interested in seeing. So we decided to save Cadillac Ranch for a different day and head out to Palo Duro State Park instead.  Best decision ever. We naively thought that, at some point during our time here, we could take a weekend trip to see the Grand Canyon. But... it's almost ten hours away. So, yeah. That's not gonna happen.  lol. Palo Duro Canyon was super awesome though, so it'll do for now. :) 

Video of our adventure at the end of the post!
 Enjoy!

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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Roadtrip: Virginia to Texas!

My husband travels a lot for work and, because of this, we don't get to see him as much as we'd like. He can be gone for a week or months, depending on how long each of those places need him and his expertise. We've spent all of 2015 in Virginia but, since he has to move a lot and our daughter needs a stable home as she will need to start speech therapy and headstart soon, we've decided to set up a home-base in Kentucky so that she and I can be around familiar faces when he's away.

He's been working away from us since the beginning of the year and we had only seen him for about three weekends out of that total time, so we decided to go stay with him for a while... and then he got some surprising news! He had to leave for Texas for a month or so! None of us have ever been to Texas and we were super excited to see a new place so we decided to tag along. :)  Here are some of the photos from along the way and at the end of this post, you'll find a video of our roadtrip and a link to my new YouTube channel! Please like and subscribe! It would mean the world to me! <3

We decided to stop in Mississippi for the night. My best friend lives in Mississippi so we decided to pay her a visit and borrow her pull out couch. :)  We hadn't seen each other since her daughter's first birthday (she just turned 3) so we were way past due for a visit.  We got some friend time in, Bella got to play with her girls and I got to see her beautiful pregnant belly. <3  Bella calls every cat she sees "Mow Mow" so Ashlee's cat was her obsession for the short time that we were there.  This girl loves here kitties, apparently. She wouldn't let it out of her sight. But we had good company, a comfy pull out, and some good coffee (seriously how big is this coffee cup!?).
And then we entered Louisiana. Oh, my beautiful Louisiana.  It holds #1 in my heart for favorite states and I can't get enough. The food, the weather, the beautiful scenery, the culture, the... everything. I've always had a strange obsession with Louisiana and we had the pleasure of being able to live there briefly in 2013. My daughter was born in Baton Rouge and we moved when she was four months old. I hadn't been back since so it was a very much needed visit, even if we were only there for a short period of time. 

It was getting late at that point in the day so we decided to stop and grab some food and get a hotel room. We didn't get to stop at our favorite seafood place but we did stop at Fezzo's and it was pretty good. The best parts of the entire meal were the fried catfish and alligator bites. Seriously, it was the best catfish and alligator that I've ever had. The fried crawfish was okay but I wasn't insanely impressed by it. I didn't try Brad's etouffee but he devoured it, so I'm going to assume it was delicious.  :)  If you get a chance to go, definitely try their Seafood Platter as an appetizer and the Seafood Combo (definitely get the catfish!) as an entree. So good!

We got a nearby hotel for that night and the next morning I looked out our window and laughed. It was the perfect view. I seriously loved it. Brad said that only someone that loves Louisiana as much as I do could appreciate that view. 
Seriously, how pretty is that color? Ignore my horrible nails, please.
I was super sad to say goodbye to Louisiana for a second time, but it had to be done. I didn't get many photos from our arrival in Texas because it was getting dark at that point, but I did get a few. It stormed really bad on us most of the time but it was still nice to see Dallas. I'll do some more posts and videos sharing our adventures while in Amarillo soon. :)

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Monday, April 25, 2016

Bout of Books 16!

Bout of Books
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
I'm so insanely excited to be participating, once again, in Bout of Books! I believe this will be my third time participating and I cannot wait to see how many books I can throw down! I don't have a definite list of specific books that I will be reading, but I will post my official list on the first day of the read-a-thon. :)  I'm so excited!

Bout of Books is super fun and I absolutely love it.  If you're interested in signing up or would just like a little more info, click here

Blitz & Giveaway: Mr. Perfect by JA Huss


Mr. Perfect
J.A. Huss
Publication date: April 27th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Wanting the perfect man doesn’t make me crazy. I just know what I like.
A powerful billionaire in a suit wasn’t even my first choice. Mcallister Stonewall was never on my radar, I didn’t even know he existed.
But I do now.
His hands are all over me at work. The heat of his chest pressing against my bare back as he bends me over the desk is the only thing on my mind.
He is my most forbidden desires unleashed. He is my new secret obsession. He is my Mr. Perfect.
Until the moment I realize… There’s no such thing as perfect.
teaser
EXCERPT:
“We own most of the land in the Tech Center. My father bought up the land thirty years ago before any of this was here. And we lease it out.”
Jesus. What kind of money is that? I can’t even begin to understand it.
“Anyway,” Mac says, standing. “I’m waiting in here for a reason.”
“Is that right?” I stand up too, but my heart beats a little faster when I take him in. He’s wearing a dark gray suit today, a blue shirt that is so light it’s barely a color, and another brilliant cerulean-blue tie that makes his matching eyes shine as they stare into mine.
I don’t know why, but I step backwards. His full attention on me suddenly feels more like a force than a look. He steps forward, hands reaching for me. I bump against the wall, no escape, and then he fists the front of my blouse and rips it open, revealing my silk cami.
My mouth opens in surprise.
He rips the cami apart too. And then, with one forceful whoosh, both garments are lying in a puddle of fabric on the floor.
“What are you doing?” I yell.
The intense stare turns to a boyish smile. “I’d like you topless for breakfast. And I get to call the shots for our dates.”
“Why do I even bother with you? Just why?” I refuse to cross my arms and cover my tits. Fuck him. Just fuck him. “Every time I start to think you’re not a pig, you go and do something like this.”
“It’s fun, right?” His smile never cracks.
“No,” I say. “It’s humiliating.”
“Your tits are nice, Ellie. You should not be ashamed of them.”
“I’m not ashamed of them—”
“Good. Because I’d like to stare at them while we have coffee and discuss our date tonight.”
A knock comes from Mac’s office and I might have a panic attack that someone will come in and find me bare like this.
“Hold that thought,” Mac says, leaning down to kiss my lips. “Breakfast is here. Sit,” he says, pushing on my shoulders until I slump into the window seat again. “I’ll be right back.”
And then he enters his office, pulling our connecting door closed.
I listen to the conversation in there as I look down at my clothes. What the hell was he thinking? The cami is dust. Ripped straight down the middle. At least the silk button-up shirt is only missing all the buttons. I can probably tie it around my waist to make it out to the parking lot, but—
There’s a jingle of a cart and plates. We have… room service? What kind of company has room service?
I guess I’m not all that surprised they have it up here. We have several restaurants on campus. The Atrium has a cafeteria. Maybe this came from the cafeteria?
Mac is laughing on the other side of the door, then I hear a polite thank you just before the sound of a closing door.
The connecting door swings open again and Mac is there, a wide grin on his face. “I hope you like pancakes.”
“This is not happening.”
“Oh, this is happening, Miss Hatcher. You are sitting here.” He points to the middle of the window seat as he pushes the cart towards me.
“I have no clothes, Mac. You ripped my cami. I’m going to have to tie that over-shirt on and go home to change. In fact,” I say, reaching down to get my blouse and pull myself together, “I’m not coming back. I’m done. Just when I think you’re a human, you act like an ape.”
“Would you just relax, Ellie?” He rips the shirt from my hands, balls it up, and then tosses it in the air, where it arcs perfectly and sails into the new trashcan that matches the desk. “Three points,” he says.
“It’s like you live in your own world or something. I think it’s funny that you accused me of living in some delusional fantasy, but you, Mr. Stonewall, you’re a raving lunatic who thinks the world is his asylum.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment. Now sit. I’ve got it all under control.”
EXTRA!!
COVER REVEAL – MR. AWESOME:

300ROMANTIC_ebook
Pre-order:
Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Kobo


Author Bio:
JA Huss is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).
If you're interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox.

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Saturday, April 23, 2016

My Reviews & Writing Found Elsewhere

Anytime that my reviews or writing appears in print or on another website or blog, I will share them here!  If you happen to see any of my writing being shared elsewhere, please let me know so I can add it to the page! All the ways you can find me can be found on the contact page.




Tease by Cambria Hebert - Amazon
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Her Wicked Sin by Sarah Ballance - Sarah Ballance's Blog
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#Junkie by Cambria Hebert - Amazon
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The Blood of The Hydra by Michelle Madow  - Amazon
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The Blood of The Hydra by Michelle Madow - Facebook
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