Today I'm officially old

So today is my birthday and I'm the big 3 0! Eek. I got home from work last night and got ready for bed and decided that I would take a picture during the last moment in my 20s...

And the first moment in my 30s...

I more mature now that I'm 30 in case you couldn't tell. Well I decided that being on my phone reading the news was a pretty lame way to spend the last moments of my 20s so as soon as I took the pic I jumped out of bed and did the running man. 

Going ice skating and then spending some time with my family. Woke up to find my kitchen covered in balloons. My awesome husband woke up in the middle of the night and blew them up. I'm pretty lucky! 

The Princess and the Opal Mask - Jenny Lundquist

The Princess in the Opal Mask
by Jenny Lundquist

So you take one part The Man in the Iron Mask, one part Cinderella, shake, serve over ice with a sugar rim and you have The Princess in the Opal Mask.  Sign me up!

I started to read this and then put it down and then picked it up and then put it down.  I wasn't in the mood and something in my gut was telling me to save it until I could really appreciate it. I'm so glad I did.  I loved the story and the fierce girls it follows. Elara is stubborn and independent and just wants to be free. Wilha is uncertain of the power she holds and caring and also just wants to be free.  I enjoyed watching as they navigated their way through the turns their lives took, slowly learning more about themselves as well as each other. Okay I wish they learned more about each other in this book but I guess I'll just have to wait for the sequel for that.

The suspense as the story shifted between each of their perspectives was well done. There were a couple moments that cringed because a character did something that I found not entirely realistic but just as a began to grow frustrated that it was all for a dramatic scene that I thought was coming a curve-ball was thrown and my frustration was forgotten. I didn't want to stop living in the world that was created even with all the bad guys and assassination attempts and life decisions.  I found the strength of the girls empowering and also appreciated when they accepted the help of others.

I can't wait to read the sequel.  Bummer it's not out until Fall 2014 but the author lives near my old stomping grounds. Maybe I'll go visit the in-laws and friends and see if I can casually bump into her at the grocery store.  Is that stalking?  Shucks.  Guess I'll just have to bank on meeting her at a future book signing.

**Source: from publisher 

Let's Catch Up

It feels like forever since I actually posted one of those things that I actually posted one of those things I started this blog for...what's it called...oh yeah a book review.  I was in a slump...a bad one.  One in which I either picked up a book to read and didn't get into it or got so into it that I decided it would be better for me to put it off until I could really enjoy it.  Lame right?  And the thought of actually writing about one of the books I managed to finish did not sound appealing. I mean procrastinating on the review part was one of the reasons I would put down a book I knew I would want to share with you. 

Well I'm coming back tomorrow with a review. I'm excited to tell you about The Princess in the Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist and hopefully there will be more to come after that because I have just felt so chatty about the books I have been reading.  It feels so nice again.

In my time of the Review Funk I read some new books and also enjoyed a few rereads.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor played a big part in turning my mood around (my original review here).  I found I have unknowingly set myself on a 13 month schedule of reading it.  Funny.

I may do a few mini reviews, reviewlettes if you will, for the other books I have read...or not, we'll see how it goes. I am also in the middle of How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, catching 15 min here and there, and I can already tell I am going to be chatty about this one. 

Until tomorrow...

My favorite Christmas card

One of my boys from work made me this awesome Christmas card. 

Things I love about it:

He used the "creative" spelling of my name. 

While my husband's name is Mike, this is actually my coworker Mike but it works for when I hang it at home. 

The photoshopped faces are actually a fairly close match to us. 

Cold weather moments

I can't tell you how much I wish I had a photo to post with this story but since it is my mom's story and she isn't as camera phone obsessed as me (though she is getting there) you will have to use your imagination. This is an email she sent out to the family on Friday. We've been having lows in the 20s which may not be absurd for some parts if the country but we Northern California folk are struggling. Observe...

For those of you who are not here in Sonoma County it's 26 degrees this morning and supposed to snow tonight at our house.

So today I have to go to a customers house so I figured I better have a shiny clean car.  So I always go to the touch free car wash where you drive in and it gets washed and blower dried so you don't even have to get out of the car and can drive away clean and dry.

So at the point where my car was completely covered with soap to the point where I couldn't see out the of the windows I heard two loud clunks and the car wash thing broke and stopped spraying water.  So my car was covered with soap.  I said a couple of choice words and drove to the do it yourself washing option which they also have at the same car wash.  Put in more money and attempted to spray the soap off of my car but the water and soap just froze on my car.  It was a lovely drive to work.  Leaving shortly to go to another car wash and head to Oakland.  That's my morning story to share.  

Oh I love my mom.

Marvel comics movies

I went to see the new Thor with the boys I work with (hereafter referred to as "my boys") and I found it enjoyable enough. It put me in the mood to watch more of the Marvel Comics movies, especially Iron Man 3 which I had heard great things about.  

So...I finally just watched Iron Man 3 and it started off a bit rocky for me because out of the Marvel comics I have only seen Iron Man and Thor so about 20 min in I switched to Netflix and started watching Avegers to try to fill in some of the gaps. Then I decided what I really wanted to watch was Iron Man so I switched back. When it was over, I switched back but started to fall asleep so I gave up for the time being. 

Here's the thing...I think I just have to accept that I'm not a full marvel comics fan. I mean Iron Man I can get behind. It's funny and he's got his money and gadgets and Pepper. I get it and I enjoy it.  Thor....well he's hot. Enough said. But he's also got Jane and her hilarious friend Darcy. Plus, not that I would ever admit this to anyone but my closest friends (and the World Wide Web apparently) I'm kinda into Loki.  

So Iron Man and Thor I accept. But then you have The Hulk. He's big and green and likes smashing stuff. While green is my favorite color, I just don't care. And Captain America. Oh Captain America, you are such a bore I almost feel sorry for you.  Seriously. I have given you chances. I have watched the beginning and middle (oddly, not in that order) with my boys and I just find him a big fat snoozer. 

So for the time being I'll be keeping up with Thor but that's it. Well and Loki, obviously, but they go hand in hand. 

It's that time already?

Well I'm sad to say that I have been in a Christmas decorating slump. Maybe it's because I can't believe it's already that time. Maybe I'm bummed because this is the first time in the history of my life that I have to work on Christmas. Maybe I'm secretly (not so secretly) freaking out because 5 days before christmas I turn...30! Egats! 

Whatever the case may be I am seriously lacking inspiration on house decorations. It's my first time decorating for Christmas here and I don't even know where to begin. 

But that's not to say that I'm not excited about the whole process. What can I say...I'm complicated. I'll be checking out the holiday section at Target tomorrow and I took a stroll with the husband into town today to check out the Charlie Brown Chrsitmas Tree Grove and found some adorable trees. Everything from trees decorated by kindergarten classes:

That's right folks, those are super hero snowmen. 

To....

Yeah. That's a zombie crossing zone tree. Love! Sponsored by an outdoor store  I'll be making then my first stop on my zombie apocalypse plan route. 

I also loved this Dr. Seuss tree, complete with hat. 

And one of us. The hat above my head is actually on the tree behind me.