MISCELLANEOUS MARVELOUS MEMORIES & MOMENTS

It has been a busy and fun and exciting few months for us....  And lots of fun, silly, moments that I'd love to share....
Scott and Kotten Kandy got a HUGE box from Amazon that they couldn't resist playing with.

He "fits!"

And he's proud of himself!

She took the box over for her "school room" and kept it for over a week...

I finally couldn't take it anymore and got rid of the eye-sore in our front room.

Then... I introduced Raisin (aka. Baby Girl) to blue icees and "blue tongue" disease!  Unfortunately (or fortunately) she's hooked!  And I'm definitely one of her favorite people!  Yeah, for blue icees and cute baby girls!

Loving it!

Pure joy!

BLUE TONGUE DISEASE is real!

When Kiara and Cody were here, this happened:

Kotten Kandy somehow ended up between these two.

Poor girl!

And we also got to go for a walk at Beckley Park.  Raisin and Jelly Bean LOVE the newly weds!

Raising and Jelly Bean

Kiara and Cody

Officially part of the family....

Guess what?  I got to go to lunch with my two best friends over at one time!  I LOVE these ladies!

Amy and GJ

Because of the Derby celebrations we got to see LOTS of hot-air balloons ... and they even "parked" behind Scott's work....  I saw over 24 balloons in the air at one time.

Scott and Cody are definitely silly:

And then... Kiara and Cody got their new apartment.  It's so cute and tiny!  And they couldn't be happier!  They are awesome!  I already miss them!  (Come visit, you two!)

Oh!  And my niece was born a few months ago.  She's GORGEOUS!  (I'm sure she takes after me!)

Isn't she beautiful?!

Kiara and Cody apparently love pajama pants:

Yes, we've seen Avengers: Infinity War.  We've seen it twice.  I LOVED it!  And I HATED it!  It's the best worst movie I've ever seen.  And it's the worst best movie I've ever seen.  At least I got to see it with people I love:

The DeThortenhausens

This is obviously taken before the movie.

Afterwards my makeup was gone...

and we weren't so silly.

Guess what?!  I've also read two GREAT books to recommend.

I have a new favorite fantasy novel.  And I love fantasy novels.  Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw is truly amazing!  Every so often in life, you have the fortune to come across a book so artfully, skillfully and carefully crafted that you feel honored to just read it.  This book is one of those books.

Renshaw explores some of the most difficult subjects I've ever seen an author attempt to address in the fantasy genre.  He deals with childhood trauma and how it affects the survivors, a broken home, domestic violence, loss of innocence, and loss of loved ones are just some of the adversities faced by the protagonist in this novel.  Even with all the trials, Aedan is someone I admire.  And I am definitely invested in his story.  I couldn't go on forever about this book, but I don't want to spoil anything.  This story is exciting, satisfying, poignant, fun, touching, whimsical, mystical and tearful.  I laughed and cried at various points throughout this book.

Long story short, this book belongs on my favorites list.  I can't wait to read it again.  In fact, I found it hard to start another book after reading this one because it was so good and I didn't want to be done with the characters and story.  (Thank goodness, there will be another one - someday?!)  I cannot recommend this book enough.  Read it.  You won't be disappointed.

Sooooo after reading Dawn of Wonder, I decided to read another fantasy novel.  This time by one of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson.  So I delved into Warbreaker.  It was good also.  

To be honest, I had to get used to Brandon Sanderson's writing style.  But now that I LOVE it, I find it completely engaging.  And this book is no different.  I loved how this story was told through 4 different characters' viewpoints.  It's full of twists and surprises.  The characters you think you'll love or hate aren't often those you would expect.  And I enjoyed reading this great story.  Brandon Sanderson is truly a master storyteller.  His tales are engaging and complex and great!  I really do recommend this book too!