Aloha friends!

Are we really in mid-January?! Come on 2024…you are going by so fast already. 😫

This past week was busy! My son had a birthday event to go to so I had a chance to meet up with a friend in town and give her birthday and Xmas gift that I had in my house since April lol. Bad, I know but we could never find a chance to meet up. I also had a breast MRI and yay, it’s clear! No new activity going on in there. My mammo a few weeks ago was clear too so I’m just happy the mammo and MRI are over (for now-I’m sure I get another in 6 months). MRI’s are so exhausting. It was only a 20 minute procedure, but the IV in my arm, then laying face down on this metal between my chest is so uncomfortable (especially if you have a tight back like ME), and you can’t move. Every time they ask me for a music selection I say Taylor Swift. So Taylor Swift has been getting me through my MRI’s! Ten minutes into the MRI my left arm was numb and I so wanted to move to shake it. I survived though and my results are good so I’m glad.

Then my kids had a dental appointment on Friday and after school my daughter seemed way too low energy. She even took a nap before tap dance. That is not usual! She didn’t even want any snacks…should’ve known something was up. After tap dance she felt warm, got her home – took her temp, it was 100.6 and then she had diarrhea. So I’m pretty sure she caught a stomach bug. I knew she would catch something being back in school…but I thought it would be RSV, flu or COVID – not a stomach virus. 😒 It’s always a surprise, isn’t it?! UGH. 

At least it is a 3-day weekend. We need it to recuperate. 

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• 2023 | A Year in Review
• #5OnMyTBR: 2024 Releases
• Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024  | TTT | 1/9/24
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 1/9/24
• WWW Wednesday | 1/10/23
• If I Promise You Wings by. A.K.Small | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• The Getaway List by. Emma Lord | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• First Lines Fridays | 1/12/24
• The Invocations by. Krystal Sutherland | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Books I Read:

The Invocations by. Krystal Sutherland

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat

These Deadly Prophecies by. Andrew Tang

ASAP by. Axie Oh

Currently Reading:

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

Chasm by. Stacey McEwan

The Book of Azrael by. Amber Nicole

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• NFL Football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

Wow, is the first week of January 2024 really over?!

What a week! New Year’s Eve was loud and colorful as usual but my kids slept through it, but our dog did not. Poor thing. He survived, but it’s always so traumatizing for him. We celebrated my daughter’s 7th birthday and my nephew’s 16th birthday also. It was nice to see family so much over the holidays and I felt like each week I saw my mom she got stronger and stronger. It’s been a month since her operation and today she seemed almost back to normal! I’m happy about that!

My hubby left yesterday and me and the kids will miss him. He’ll be back in 11 months for good. How time flies! Anyway, it’s back to school this Tuesday – we are back on the grind again. Is it bad that I already feel exhausted? lol…

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• Book Covers: Black and Gold
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 1/2/24
• Favorite Books of 2023  | TTT | 1/2/24
• WWW Wednesday | 1/3/23
• The Atlas of Us by. Kristin Dwyer | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• Most Anticipated Book Releases | January 2024
• Birthstone Book Covers: January – Garnet

Books I Read:

If I Promise You Wings by. A.K. Small

Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross

Dance of Stars and Ashes by. Nisha J. Tuli

Currently Reading:

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat

The Invocations by. Krystal Sutherland

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• NFL Football – sometimes I just have it on as background noise while I do something else lol…but I was interested to see who made the playoffs
• Kiki’s Delivery Service – cute movie!

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

Happy New Year’s Eve! A few days ago was the one year anniversary of my father-in-law’s passing and at least this time, my hubby is home for it. I still cant’ believe he had to deal with his dad’s death alone because it happened right when he moved to Okinawa last year. We went to the synagogue for a service to honor his anniversary.

So NYE in Hawaii, especially on the island of Oahu, where I live, it is BONKERS. I mean I’ve been hearing fireworks since before Thanksgiving. It’s loud, it’s smoky but there’s is such an energy feeling the whole island rumble with fireworks being lit at midnight. I can just look out my window and see all the fireworks around me, we don’t actually need an official NYE show. But there is an event near our house at a new complex in the neighborhood – it’s a wave place (machine generated wave), there are restaurants, a water area and a lawn area (where we go for the Farmer’s market and food trucks some Thursdays). Anyway they just posted they will be having a fireworks show, music, food, etc. If only my kids were into New Year’s and waking up before midnight, then we’d definitely bring them. But I also I can’t leave our dog alone at home – he’s terrified of the loud booms already.

Anyway I hope ALL of you have a safe NYE and a very Happy New Year! I’m hoping 2024 is a good year!

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• Book Covers: Frosty
• #5OnMyTBR: 2023 TBR Tittles You Didn’t Get To
• Book Covers: Red and Green
• Naughty or Nice Book Tag – Merry Christmas!
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 12/26/23
• The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf  | TTT | 12/26/23
• WWW Wednesday | 12/27/23
• Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by. Amélie Wen Zhao | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• First Lines Fridays | 12/29/23
• Gild by. Raven Kennedy | Mini Book Review ⭐️⭐️

Books I Read:

Gild by. Raven Kennedy

The Getaway List by. Emma Lord

Currently Reading:

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat

Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• Barbie – I thought this movie was so funny but with good themes about gender equality, etc… – my son and I got a kick out of Ken’s song. I can see why there was so much hype for this movie! 😍
• Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse: my son asked if we wanted to watch this with him and I said okay. We had watched the first one together and I didn’t even know this sequel came out. We enjoyed it so much! Even my daughter who said she didn’t want to watch it, she enjoyed it a lot! 😍 Can’t wait for the next movie. I think I really love the artistic design of the movie – it’s like visual eye-candy. And I’m not someone who is into Marvel movies (only because I’m old and I was there for all the first ones 😆 and I got tired of them…). But the way they did this Spider-Man animation is so good. 
• NFL Football – so much football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

It is Christmas Eve and honestly, I’m ready for Christmas to be over. It’s fun, lots of fun for the kids but it’s so hectic and we had to go to the mall – or I should say shopping center in town it’s a big one – but it was my only chance to see a friend who was visiting and we needed to exchange gifts, plus my hubby had a dentist appointment next to the mall. The traffic was getting on my nerves, people were driving nuts, and I was so ready to go home once we got there. 😆 

We are going to my parents house for Christmas lunch tomorrow so that should be easy and then it will be time for me to decide on what to do for my daughter’s birthday. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time figuring out what I want to do for her- maybe because I’m tired? 

Anyway how are you spending Christmas Eve? Did you get all your shopping done or are you a last minute shopper? 

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• #5OnMyTBR: Winter Celebrations
• Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes | TTT | 12/19/23
• WWW Wednesday | 12/20/23
• A Fragile Enchantment by. Allison Saft | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• Somewhere in the Deep by. Tanvi Berwah | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• First Lines Fridays | 12/22/23
• Looking Back on 2023: New to Me Authors
• A Study in Drowning by. Ava Reid | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Books I Read:

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by. Amelie Wen Zhao

Currently Reading:

The Getaway List by, Emma Lord

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• Elf

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

I got to spend some time with my mom on Sunday and she’s getting better day by day. I’m going to go spend time with her today since my sister and her family will be going out to celebrate her hubby’s birthday. My husband finally came home yesterday – he’ll be here for 3 weeks so I can go get some things done! I haven’t taken my kids to Sunday school the past few Sundays because my son had a piano recital and then my daughter was sick this whole week – but they also had a bomb threat, so I didn’t feel safe taking them. 

Kids have 4 days of school this week – but I’m already over it! I wish they had this week off! But at least I’m done with all my Christmas shopping. Now I just have to give the gifts so hopefully I can see some friends this week! 

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• #5OnMyTBR: Short Read
• A Curse for True Love by. Stephanie Garber | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Books On My Winter 2022-2023 To-Read List | TTT | 12/12/23
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 12/12/23
• A Festive Feud: Special Edition by. Maren Moore | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• WWW Wednesday | 12/13/23
• Most Anticipated Book Releases | December 2023
• Hallowed Games by. C.N.Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• First Lines Fridays | 12/15/23

Books I Read:

Somewhere in the Deep by. Tanvi Berwah

A Fragile Enchantment by. Allison Saft

Hallowed Games by. C.N. Crawford

Currently Reading:

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by. Amelie Wen Zhao

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• The Buccaneers (episode 8) on Apple TV – scandalous! 

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!