Celebrating Confessions Blogfest

Friday! I can't believe it's here already! Woot!  VikLit always puts on a great Friday celebration! 

This week... 

• My son got the cameras he needed for his photography class, which would have cost me an arm and a leg if I didn't know great people that would lend theirs to him!
• Color Me Rad was awesome! Go here to read about my blog post on it!

• My mom is taking the kids tonight so the hubby and I can have date night! I want to watch a scary movie.
• Today is Confessions day! See below my confessions.

And with it being Friday, August 30th, the Confessions bloghop is here!

Jackie @Bouquet of Books and I have so much fun hosting blogfests that we decided it was time to do another one. This one is geared toward confessions...

These are my confessions **cue Usher music**

A confession is a statement made by someone, usually a personal fact that they would not prefer to keep hidden. 

My first confession is a little risque. Ready?

When I was a junior I found out my boyfriend of two years had been cheating on me. And you know what they say about a woman scorn...

While in "the throws" of foreplay one evening when his parents were out, I had my chance to get even. Wicked even. Let's just say that while he was expecting to get his way, I got mine by giving him a golden shower. (who says revenge is best served cold)

I know what you guys are thinking... WTF! But he had it coming. He shoved me off of him and screamed WTF (but not in acronym form). I smiled coyly at him and while putting my clothes on, I explained I had found out about him and "the-girl-that-shall-not-be-named". He looked at me with wide bright eyes and sunk to his bed. I finished getting ready, grabbed my purse and walked out.

That was the end of him.

On a more not-so-scanky-note, I will confess that I put things in the grocery cart just to keep my 3 yr old from throwing a fit but when she's not looking I put them back. Don't look at me like that! She forgets about them anyways.

Want to confess? And remember... a confession is usually something you're not proud of (or maybe your are) so give us some dirt.

It's not too late to join! Go here to find out all the details.

Have a good weekend!

Color Me Rad Experience

Color Me Rad was, well, RAD! The day started off with getting our gear together, dressing in our best outfits (which included Jackie and I wearing tutu's and knee high socks, & bandana's and our hubby's wore a pair of knee high's as well), and finding a place to park.

We happened to park about a city block away from where it all started and once there, we waited. And waited. And waited. To tell you, they were not on schedule. At all.

But hey, once we got going, it was a BLAST! The first color zone was Green, and it was sprayed on us with a mixed of water and green dye. This first zone was to soak us so the next zone's color would stick to us.

The second zone was orange or maybe it was purple. Ah crap! Jackie, do you remember?

The third zone was either orange or the purple.

The fourth zone was another round of liquid dye, this time it was yellow.

And the fifth zone was... oh man, it's all a color haze. I can't remember.

But during the halfway point, you turned around and heading back through all the zones again. The final stretch, however, ended with us getting blasted with pink corn starch.

We walked most of the way but my husband encouraged us to run the last bit so we had the satisfaction of ending strong.

Here are some pictures from the pros and from our cells. ENJOY!



Making orange corn starch angels

Would we do it again? MOST DEFINITELY!

Hope everyone has a COLORFUL Wednesday!

Express Yourself - Favorite Childhood Books/Movies

Express Yourself is a weekly Meme hosted by my friend Jackie and myself. We do this every week to learn more about our fellow bloggers and so far we have met some very talented and wonderful people!

This weeks question is: Favorite childhood book/movie

I think my favorite childhood book would have to The Boxcar Children. And maybe a close second would be The Babysitters Club or Hatchet.

And my favorite movie as a kid would be Star Wars IV, V & VI.

Have a great Tuesday!!


ONLY 3 MORE DAY'S UNTIL CONFESSIONS BLOGHOP! SIGN UP & JOIN IN ON THE FUN THIS FRIDAY!!

Jackie @Bouquet of Books and I have so much fun hosting blogfests that we decided it was time to do another one. This one is geared toward confessions...

These are my confessions **cue Usher music**

A confession is a statement made by someone, usually a personal fact that they would not prefer to keep hidden. 

Spill. We want to know what not-so-dark secrets you have. If you want to share the dark ones, by all means, but this is the world wide web, so... yeah, that saying "What happens in Blogosphere, stays in Blogosphere" ... That probably won't happen, so use your own discretion.

It can be fun facts about yourself, important memories, or a mixture of both. 

We just want to learn more about you.

Examples:
Do you secretly love a one-hit-wonder band?

Do you snack on food at the grocery store?

Do you want to share a recent dream? Dirty or clean *wink wink*

Are you a road-rager? What things do you do when you’re road-raging?

The sky is the limit when it comes to confessions.

• On Friday, August 30th, post your confessions.
• Make sure to post the Confessions badge on your blog.
• You don’t have to be a blog follower but we'd appreciate it.
• You can also follow us on Twitter @danibertrand & @jackiefel and don’t forget to Tweet your blog confession using #confessions.
• And most importantly, sign up in the Linky Thingy below and hop around to other blogs on August 30th!

Celebrate the Small Things

Ahhh, it's Friday! I can't believe it's here already! Woot!  VikLit always puts on a great Friday celebration! 

This week... 

• The kids' paternal Grandfather had a quadruple bypass on Tuesday and hasn't been able to get out of ICU, so we have been sending extra prayers his way. I know that's not very happy news but I thought if my blogging friends could send some prayers his way, he might make a faster recovery!
• I had a dentist appt this week and I'm happy to announce that I'm cavity free!
• Kids seem to be having a good first week of school. My 15 yr old is taking Photography and Ceramics this year; I don't remember either being so dang expensive when I took them 18 yrs ago not that long ago. He not only needs a film camera (they are taking it old school) but a digital one as well. Thank goodness I know someone who knows someone.
• Color Me Rad race is tomorrow! I. Am. So. Excited!

Race Day Wednesday

This Saturday, Jackie and myself are "competing" in Color Me Rad 5k.

How does this differ from other races I've done... well for one, it's the first one I've done where someone douses you in colored corn starch.

And, besides the bike race, this is the first one that I will be doing with my husband. Not that we are going to be anywhere near each other once the race starts, he will probably be running with Jackie's husband, ahead of us. And it's the first race that Jackie and I have done together... and hopefully this will inspire her to do more with me! *hint hint* *wink wink* *clears throat, coughs Dirty Girl Mud race, coughs*

Another difference in this race, I plan on making tutu's for Jackie and I to wear. My outfit consists of a white tank or T and a pair of yoga pants... the tutu is to cover my rumpshaker. No one wants to see my fanny in a pair of tight, painted on, yoga pants.

♫♪ My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard... ♫♪

Yeah, not so much!

The last differences, It's not a boring, plain 5k. I won't be covered in mud. I'm not being chased by crazy faux zombies at Run For Your Lives trying to tear away my football flags. And my bum won't kill for weeks on end because it was glued to a bike seat for 4+ hours at Urban Adventure Games or UAG.

What plans do you have this weekend?

Don't forget to sign up for our bloghop happening August 30th! You have 9 days to get your confessions in order. Muahahahahah

Go to the Page tab that says Confession to find out more!

Express Yourself - Comfort Book and Movie

Express Yourself is a weekly Meme hosted by my friend Jackie and myself. We do this every week to learn more about our fellow bloggers and so far we have met some very talented and wonderful people!

This week questions is: Whart is your comfort book/movie?

Comfort book would probably be Everlost by Neal Shusterman. I love how magical he makes the Afterlife sound like.
And my comfort movie would most likely be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or the second part of Deathly Hollows.

Have a great Monday!!

Celebrate the Small Things + Bloghop Reminder

Ahhh, it's Friday! The weekend is upon us!  VikLit always puts on a great Friday celebration! 

This week I'm celebrating... 

• This past week the kids have watched their little sister all on their own for the very first time. They are super excited because they got paid for it. Too bad school starts on Monday cause they really had fun! They really showed us how responsible they are. So proud that I don't have to worry.
• Dentist appointments for the kdis tomorrow and a party for the husbands department at work. (We work at the same company)
• Today I'm sitting at home relaxing with the kids on their last day of summer vacation. I definitely not missing work.
• Don't forget to check out the new bloghop, Jackie and I are throwing August 30th. Check it out below. And remember... you don't have to dig deep for a your confession... just share something about yourself that you normally won't. i.e. "I sample grapes before I buy them." See, super simple!

Jackie @Bouquet of Books and I have so much fun hosting blogfests that we decided it was time to do another one. This one is geared toward confessions...

These are my confessions **cue Usher music**

A confession is a statement made by someone, usually a personal fact that they would not prefer to keep hidden. 

Spill. We want to know what not-so-dark secrets you have. If you want to share the dark ones, by all means, but this is the world wide web, so... yeah, that saying "What happens in Blogosphere, stays in Blogosphere" ... That probably won't happen, so use your own discretion.

It can be fun facts about yourself, important memories, or a mixture of both. 

We just want to learn more about you.

Examples:
Do you secretly love a one-hit-wonder band?

Do you snack on food at the grocery store?

Do you want to share a recent dream? Dirty or clean *wink wink*

Are you a road-rager? What things do you do when you’re road-raging?

The sky is the limit when it comes to confessions.

• On Friday, August 30th, post your confessions.
• Make sure to post the Confessions badge on your blog.
• You don’t have to be a blog follower but we'd appreciate it.
• You can also follow us on Twitter @danibertrand & @jackiefel and don’t forget to Tweet your blog confession using #confessions.
• And most importantly, sign up in the Linky Thingy below and hop around to other blogs on August 30th!

This is a Blog Hop!

---

1. Bouquet of Books	2. Entertaining Interests
3. My Baffling Brain	4. In Between - Adriana Dascalu
5. The Write Game	6. The Writer Ambitious

You are next... Click here to enter
This list will close in 14 days, 19 hrs, 9 min (8/30/2013 11:59 PM North America - Eastern Standard Time)

What is a blog hop?
Get the code here...

Linky Tools  |  Linky Blog 2013

This is a Blog Hop!

---

1. Bouquet of Books	2. Entertaining Interests
3. My Baffling Brain	4. In Between - Adriana Dascalu
5. The Write Game	6. The Writer Ambitious

You are next... Click here to enter
This list will close in 14 days, 19 hrs, 9 min (8/30/2013 11:59 PM North America - Eastern Standard Time)

What is a blog hop?
Get the code here...

Linky Tools  |  Linky Blog 2013

GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie by C.A. Verstraete

GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie by C.A. Verstraete

ISBN-13: 9780979478895

Website: http://cverstraete.com

All book purchase links and details, download Prologue/Chapter 1 - http://www.cverstraete.com/girlz-teenage-zombie-book.html

Amazon US: print and Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/csbyqc5

Amazon UK: print and Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/ctyd9dz

Barnes & Noble: print and ebook: http://tinyurl.com/d889gzn

Author blog: http://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com

Girl-Zombie-Authors Blog Contributors

•Pembroke Sinclair

•Karina Fabian

•Kristen Middleton/K.L. Middleton

•Chris Verstraete

** A reader just posted a great review on the Amazon US site: In part, (and it's all good!) :"... If you've read as many zombie books as I have (I believe I'm up to about 60 now) you may be getting that "been there, done that" feeling. I can that you will NOT have those feelings with this book. If you're looking for a fresh, fun, and fast-paced New zombie book, download, Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie! I firmly believe you will not be sorry you did so..." Read the rest: http://tinyurl.com/kll7gjw

Urban Adventure Race - July Bike Race News and Pictures

As some of you know, July 27th I participated in a bike race – slash – obstacle course. And just like last year, I should have trained a little harder and more frequently but it didn’t work out in my favor. The weather leading up to the Games didn’t feel like cooperating with me so I got little biking time in. And boy did I know it!

This year (compared to last year) was much harder and had a few more challenges to complete. Going from 28 (last year) to 34. Last year my husband and I only completed 25 out of the 28. This year my friend and I only completed 16 out of 34. So why such a huge difference? The challenges were spread out and more physical. And don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the physical challenges. I love being pushed to my limits but only in short bursts. NOT biking the 30+ miles.

However, I HAD A FREAKING BLAST!

Below are some of the pictures we were able to take, plus some professional ones curtesy of Urban Adventures website. Not all challenges were photographed. The race took place in South Bend and Mishawaka, Indiana.

Also, Here is a video of the group I was in. I’m only in a few clips but it gives you an idea of what we accomplished. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czlYpn8vvF8

Teams: Black Widows & Shark Attack

The wall was so hard but we finished! I'm on left and my partner is on the right.



We had to stuff 10 kickballs in oversixed granny panties, while wearing them, then run around a baseball diamond.



We had to run around Notre Dame stadium: one ran while the other scootered and then we switched at the 1/2 way point.

Paddlebording across the river and back.

Coming into the finish line after getting lost in the "hood" where we witnessed a drug deal.



We survived and have the medals to prove it!



Challenges not pictured: canoes, zipline, counting beer, mystery photo, airline, cornhole, climbing one of those carnival ladders that flip you, finding $.36 at the bottom of a pool, having 4 flat tires (not me but 3 in my group started out with 3 flats before we even began and then another got a flat during).

People traveled from all over. My partners' brother (who was in Shark Attack) came up for Florida, and others came from California, Ohio, Kansas, and one for Texas. Plus, everyone travelled from ALL over Indiana... myself included (drove 2 hrs). So if you are wanting to challenge yourself, this is the thing to try! South Bend is beautiful and a must if travelling!

I have the Color Me Rad 5k August 24th that I'm running with Jackie and our hubbys. And I've already signed up for Dirty Girl Mud happening May 17th of 2014!!

Book Reveal - That Fatal Kiss by Mina Lobo

Mina Lobo has long held a passion for Greek mythology. The story of the goddess Persephone's marriage-by-kidnap to Hades, Lord of the Underworld, has particularly fascinated her, and thus came about Mina's debut novel, That Fatal Kiss. Coming September 2013, the revisionist tale features a fiery and noble heroine, a handsome and broody hero, and some heated, earth-shakin' lovin'!

Given Mina's self-professed neurotic nature, it took her and cover artist Steven Novak a few go-arounds before settling on the cover design for That Fatal Kiss. It had to be curiously compelling, slightly spooky, and yet super sexy—and so it is!

The Book:

Feared by mortals for his inexorable power, and loathed by his fellow Greek gods for the same, Hades rules the Underworld alone. A stark eternity looms before him until he discovers Persephone. Struck by the youthful goddess’ beauty, kindness, and spirit, he must have her. But Hades believes Persephone could never love him, and so he conspires with his powerful brother, Zeus, to take her by force.

Persephone too seeks a mate but her possessive mother, the goddess Demeter, frustrates her husband hunting. Then Hades abducts Persephone, tearing her away from the Upperworld she loves to reign with him in the dank depths below. Though outraged, Persephone cannot deny the desire ignited within her by the dark lord’s touch. And even as she hopes that Demeter will unearth her, Persephone aches to surrender to the heat in Hades’ immortal soul.

The Teaser:

“Enough,” Hades said, closing the distance between them. “I have taken you with your father’s consent, as custom allows. You are in my kingdom, under my rule, and if you have any care for your continued well-being, you will get into my bed. Now.” And with the removal of the pins that held together the black cloth about his waist, he stood naked before her.

The anger warming Persephone clashed with another fire that roared to life within her. She choked on a breath and turned her face from him. “Be warned; I will resist you with the full force of my being, through violent means, if necessary.”

His large, unyielding hands encircled the soft flesh of her upper arms as he said, “If you must. Though your surrender to me would prove more satisfying to us both.”

The Author:

Mina Lobo has a lot of Scorpio action going on in her natal chart, which makes for a rather sybaritic and lust-driven Sagittarian. She aims for a wildly successful future as a writer of dark and whimsical romance while dodging the slings and arrows of her outrageous teenaged son, who's buggered off to college (hence the "Lite" in her Twitter handle, below). She enjoys comedic horror and alt rock, goth, & new wave music, as well as quality Belgian chocolates.

Mina invites you to keep abreast of updates regarding That Fatal Kiss, as well as the development of any new neuroses, by stalking her at her usual haunts:

Her blog: Some Dark Romantic
On Facebook: mina.lobo.1
On the Twitter: @GothMomLite
And GothMomLite Will Tumblr For Ya as well

Express Yourself - Alternate Universe

Express Yourself is a weekly Meme hosted by my friend Jackie and myself. We do this every week to learn more about our fellow bloggers and so far we have met some very talented and wonderful people!

This week questions is: Which book/movie do you wish you lived in?

I would love to live in Splintered's Wonderland with Morpheus!! Hello!? He's so swoon worthy.

Or, even though the series started out slow in the first book and now the series is just dragging out at this point, I'd really like it if House of Night was real.

Oh but I'd like Hands of Forest and Teeth too. Oh this is so hard!

And movie wise... duh, Harry Potter but of course I'd like to be a witch (even a half-blood) and not an ordinary muggle.

And second movie runner-up, X-Men!

I'd like to live anywhere but the real world.


Have a great Monday!!

Celebrate the small things and Blog Hop Reveal - Confessions

Ahhh, it's Friday! The weekend is upon us!  VikLit always puts on a great Friday celebration! 

This week I'm celebrating... 

• Going to a baseball game with my hubby tomorrow.
• Got the kids school shopping all done.
• Jackie and I are hosting another blogfest.

Jackie @Bouquet of Books and I have so much fun hosting blogfests that we decided it was time to do another one. This one is geared toward confessions...

These are my confessions **cue Usher music**

A confession is a statement made by someone, usually a personal fact that they would not prefer to keep hidden. 

Spill. We want to know what not-so-dark secrets you have. If you want to share the dark ones, by all means, but this is the world wide web, so... yeah, that saying "What happens in Blogosphere, stays in Blogosphere" ... That probably won't happen, so use your own discretion.

It can be fun facts about yourself, important memories, or a mixture of both. 

We just want to learn more about you.

Examples:
Do you secretly love a one-hit-wonder band?

Do you snack on food at the grocery store?

Do you want to share a recent dream? Dirty or clean *wink wink*

Are you a road-rager? What things do you do when you’re road-raging?

The sky is the limit when it comes to confessions.

• On Friday, August 30th, post your confessions.
• Make sure to post the Confessions badge on your blog.
• You don’t have to be a blog follower but we'd appreciate it.
• You can also follow us on Twitter @danibertrand & @jackiefel and don’t forget to Tweet your blog confession using #confessions.
• And most importantly, sign up in the Linky Thingy below and hop around to other blogs on August 30th!

Whats Up Wednesday - I Got Mail & IWSG

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme geared toward readers and writers, allowing us to touch base with blog friends and let them know what's up. It's hosted by the lovely Erin and Jaime.

This is also what I'm using for my IWSG post created by Alex ... two birds, one stone.

What I'm reading
Email - Last Thursday I FINALLY received an email I've been waiting on. Well technically I totally forgot I was waiting on it, it has been that long. A few months ago my hubby suggested I send my blog link to Run For Your Lives (RFYL) because they were looking for a few bloggers. Well a few emails passed between myself and RFYL and they have chosen me as one of their bloggers!! Woot Woot! So be looking for frequent Zombie posts, running posts, book post, etc. I will be applying what I learn from movies and novels and incorporating those towards the RFYL race.

What I'm Writing
Still working on my poems but now writing more for the above mentioned posts.

What Else I've Been Up To
Well I finished my bike race and now I'm working towards a 5k I will be running/walking with Jackie and our husbands August 24th. Color Me Rad is going to be, well, RAD!

What Inspires Me Right Now
Zombies!!

What's Up on your Wednesday? *Mike, Mike, Mike, what day is it? ... Huuummmp Daaaaay!* Having a good one? I hope so!!

Express Yourself - Two Weeks Worth

Express Yourself is a weekly Meme hosted by my friend Jackie and myself. We do this every week to learn more about our fellow bloggers and so far we have met some very talented and wonderful people!

I am posting this weeks and last weeks questions; last weeks: What are you looking forward to in August?

For one... August is my Anniversary (blogging) month!

And two... I'm excited that Autumn is almost here. I'm not overly thrilled about the kids going back to school but I am excited for them keeping busy and my youngest to start Pre-K. And when the kids go back to school, Autumn is not far off.

This weeks: What book/movie characters do you relate to most?

Book wise I relate to Aphrodite from the House of Night novels. She is sarcastic and speaks her mind. But most of all she is hilarious! She is also one who you know what you are getting with when it comes to her. And I really love that about people and characters. I hate to guess about somebody, especially in real life.

Movie wise I would have to say Keanu Reeves, John Constantine. I don't know what it is about him and his struggles to keep humanity alive, but I really relate to Constantine in general. It's hard to explain... and maybe it's more personal than I want to let on but I just get it.

Salted With Fire

Blurb:

Black magic, murder, insanity, humor, honor and devotion. Salted With Fire is a journey of flash fiction and poetry that shows my writing transformation from worldly to wanting to please God.

Flash fiction is my passion; poetry is my release. I love creating a complete story, with a beginning, middle and end, with twists, humor, drama, compassion and horror, all under 1000 words. Salted With Fire isn’t just a book of stories and poetry, it is my journey as a writer, from writing only for the mere joy of it regardless of the message, to writing stories that highlight God’s will for people, even if the stories themselves are not religious in nature.

Inside are fifteen flash fiction pieces and twelve poems with full-color pictures, and short Biblical discussions after each story.

Meet the Author:
Nancy LaRonda Johnson is a passionate writer of Christian and other fiction and poetry. She has written short stories, poetry and personal journals most of her life, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Juris Doctorate.

Her first book, the literary Christian speculative novel, "Anticipation of the Penitent", reached the finals in the Indie Publishing Contest sponsored by the San Francisco Writer's Conference 2012, and is receiving high acclaim. "Salted With Fire", a book of flash fiction and poetry, is her second publication.

She is working on several projects, including a sequel to "Anticipation of the Penitent". Visit her website at www.nancylarondajohnson.com.

Anticipation of the Penitent
Amazon.com
Smashwords.com

Salted With Fire
Amazon.com
Smashwords.com

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