So finally at 3:45 I have to breakdown and head to work I am only about 10 minutes away so I get to work and tell one of the guys I work with that I am expecting a package and will have to cut out for about 20 minutes to pick it up when it is delivered. So I keep tracking it. About 5 pm I call the leasing office to see what time they close (UPS will deliver there) they tell me 6pm. So I am getting more and more nervous that I will have to wait another day and after paying extra for one day shipping.

FINALLY at 5:45pm my Kindle is delivered so I call the office and say I am on the way might be a few minutes late cause of traffic and the nice lady in the office says I have an appointment and have to leave at 6 so if you don’t make it you will have to pick it up tomorrow. So I hop in the car and of course hit EVERY freaking light, get behind 3 different assholes and get to the door at like 6pm on the dot.

I grab the door knob and it is locked. I look in to see the woman at her desk and Thank the Good Lord she came and opened the door cause I was all set to walk through the glass door and wring her neck if she did not let me in.

So I have my new Kindle and my first impressions are MOSTLY good here is a short list of good and bad.

Bad

1. The Kindle 2 although thinner is about a half inch longer. Not horrible, but I like the small size

2. The screen is a bit smaller.. maybe 1/4 inch on each side, but still a bit smaller.

3. Did not come with a case so I had to buy one… Price drop??? Not really one one came with the case.

4. USB cable is a different size than the old one.

Good 

1. A bit Thinner than the old Kindle

2. Better resolution on the screen.

3. Like that the page turn buttons don’t take up the whole side of the unit. People would pick it up and accidentally change the pages

4. Wireless is now 3G so downloads are a bit faster.

5. Was easy to get all my Amazon books on the new Kindle.

6. PDF’s do not have to be converted anymore I can drag them right on the Kindle.

7. Text to speech – Don’t think I will use it and sounds a bit strange, but nice feature for some.

So everyone be happy you do not need to bail me out for killing the nice Lady in the leasing office or the UPS guy.

The Lovely Jaci Burton.

Bound, Branded, and Brazen

Bound by passion, branded by love, brazen enough to take it all…

In the wilds of Oklahoma, three sisters have a hot date with destiny. Valerie, Brea, and Jolene McMasters reunite on the family ranch that should have been called the Bar Nothing…

Bound…

When Valerie left for the big city, she kissed her foreman husband, Mason, goodbye—along with the best sex she ever had. Now, seeing him brings back sizzling memories. But their rekindled fire threatens to burn them both.

Branded…

Watching Gage wrangle untamed horses with a gentle but firm touch leaves Brea hot and bothered. But can she live out her fantasy with a man who may ask more than she’s willing to give?

Brazen…

Ranch hand Walker Morgan can’t afford to lose his job by getting too close to his new boss, Jolene, no matter how much she tempts him. But Jolene’s prepared to take the first step, because what Jolene wants, Jolene gets. And Jolene wants Walker.

So as I said the first book in this series is my all time favorite Erotic romance and I was more than excited to learn that Jaci was writing a sequel to it. Although this book is a bit different than the first and not based on the same characters or characters introduced in the first book it is the same kind of Erotic HAWT sex that you will find in the first book. What is different in this book is that they is MORE feeling on this. In the first book I found it to be more about the SEX than anything else which is good and HAWT if that is what you are looking for. In THIS book there was more feeling in it. There was still LOTS of HAWT sex, it is just that this book had more feeling too it. Now that is not at all a bad thing, just a matter of what you feel like reading at the time.

Honestly BBB will not knock WWW off my list of the hottest erotic books I have ever read, but I loved it just as much for a different reason. The sex was hot as is always the case in Jaci’s books, but the feelings were more pronounced than in WWW. I found this to be very appealing and it made me bound with the characters more than I did with WWW. I found myself rooting for the girls in the story to hook their man and I found the  relationships between the 3 sisters to be heartwarming and touching.

Although WWW might be higher on my HAWT list this book is higher on my heart list and will remain there for a long time I am sure, It is nice top read about strong women that know what they want and GO FOR IT and NO one does that better that Jaci !

I suggest you all run out and buy this book on March 2, 2010 when it comes out.

Pre-Order at Amazon.com

Pre-Order at Borders

Pre-Order at Idiebound

Pre-Order at Barnes & Noble

Pre-Order at Books-A-Million

Thankfully I had the support of awesome friends and the BEST family anyone could ever ask for.

Since my Mom passed I have had to move away from my family which has been hard, but even harder I had a falling out with my oldest sister who has always been not only a source of strength for me but one of my best friends. I think this has been harder for me than actually losing my Mom. For many reasons.. 1 because I miss her terribly and because it would KILL my Mom to know that we are not speaking anymore.

I guess everything has come to a head recently… missing my family, and missing my Mom and feeling so lonely all alone in GA. Although I know I have to be here I miss my family terribly and although I am not suicidal in any way shape or form I often wish that I would not wake up in the morning,

I like my job and the people I work with are all great, but I miss my family and friends and I wish to god I could go home and be happy again.

It is funny how you can not know how happy you are until you miss what you had. Anyway the point of all this is that I finally broke down and cried like a baby tonight… cause I miss my Mom and cause I miss the life I used to have.

I know that Caesar “The Dog Whisperer” is for REAL cause Lexi came and consoled me and licked my tears away.. and did help make me feel better, but I still wish that I would not wake up tomorrow and that it would ALL be over, but life does not work that way and we have to muddle through till it is OUR time to go……..

I want to get back into photography more and figured this is a much better way to post the pictures. Hopefully with the beginning of a new year I will actually start something and stick with it for awhile.

I don’t think I will be posting many new picture for awhile unless they are of Lexi cause it has been too damn cold to get out and shoot. Yeah I am a wimp .. I don’t like it too hot or too cold I need a place where it is forever spring and fall : )

Enjoy the new site and let me know what you think and any suggestions are always welcomed.

Don’t get me wrong I am not now, nor have I ever been suicidal, I mean maybe once or twice in my life I considered it for a brief moment that I would be better off dead (a VERY brief moment) and then I think about all the people that I love and how it would effect them. I also figure that as bad as I feel sometimes I have it WAY better than a LOT of people do. My Mom always drilled that into me and it is so true there are so many horrible stories of people who somehow have the strength to hold on in the face of tragedy, I don’t know how they do it…or how Mom did it for that matter. Raising 4 kids all alone is not an easy thing to do and many times Mom went without so that her kids could have things they wanted but did not need.

I recently got a comment on my I Miss My Mommy blog from a woman who was my mother’s Maid of Honor at her wedding. She expressed how sorry she was about my Mom and how life just got in the way and they lost touch. It is sad how that happens, and I feel that happening to me now living so far away from my friends and family. It is tough to find the time to keep up and I am sad everyday that I don’t get to see my family anytime I want like I used to. I now have 2 great-nieces and 1 great nephew and it SUCKS to have to see them grow up in pictures. I hate it and I wish I would win the god damn lottery or find me a “Sugar Daddy” so I could go back to NY where I belong.

Anyway I hope wherever Mom is that she is happy and knows how much she is loved and missed by MANY people.

This is a bit of an older picture (1999) as you can tell it is from my wedding and the other LOVELY lady is my Grams (Mom’s mother) who passed away in 2001 from Cancer as well. I miss them both and I hope that they are together wherever they are. My Mom always LOVED blue and wore it for ALL of our weddings.

Today is one year since I lost my Mom. Trying to express what I feel for her is pretty close to impossible. I mean I can give you all an idea, but I don’t think anyone aside from her family and friends will ever REALLY get it. When I say my Mom was the greatest and one of the most special people in the world I am not just saying that. Anyone that knew my Mom could tell you stories of her love and generosity both of which could not be measured.

My mother never really had very much but that did not stop her from giving her kids almost anything they wanted even if that meant she went without. She had a heart as big as North America and she was not afraid to show it. When I was back in high School all my friends LOVED Mom. She was always there if one of my friends was having trouble at home and needed to talk. All of my friend have always called her Mom cause she was Mom to EVERYONE. When my cousin was too young to be having a baby and did just that anyway her parents fought to have her give the baby up for adoption. My Mom stepped in and offered to take the baby until my cousin was 18. Instead she and the baby came to live with us and Mom watched the baby at night so my cousin could finish high school and go on to become one of NY’s Finest and a terrific MOM. That was the kind of woman my Mom was selfless… completely selfless. Anyone she loved was more important that she was. ALWAYS.

I have gotten all of my BEST qualities from my Mom and I cherish them even if I sometimes get kicked in the face for being too kind and helpful to other people.

For those that don’t know me so well my father was a violent alcoholic and when I was 10, my mother took my father to a rehab and then came home and packed up what we could grab and took off for greener pastures with her 4 kids ages 13-9 and it was not easy. For many years my Mother had no bedroom and slept on the couch so her kids could have the bedrooms.  My mother showed me how to be a strong woman when your life is crumbling around you. My Mom did not know the meaning of CAN’T. She always pushed through though not always gracefully but she pushed anyway.

When my grandmother was sick and dying from cancer my mother took care of her in her final days, it was very hard for her, but she did it anyway and never complained. Seven years later when my mother was dying of cancer I took up her job and took care of her in her final days. It is really hard to watch someone you love so much die especially when they are in pain and feeling like they do not want to be a burden to you. Someone you don’t know how you will live without, but you tell them that you will be fine and they should go be in a better place. Well everything is NOT fine, but I am glad that my Mom is in a better place and that she is no longer suffering, not just from the cancer, but from a life that was not as kind to her as she deserved.

Everyday I wish that I had her back.. My mother was my sounding board, my voice of reason, my biggest fan and my nicest critic. She was always whatever I seemed to need at any point and time and she amazed me with her ability to adapt and be JUST what I needed when I needed it.

I was lying in bed the other night thinking cause I ain’t been sleeping so why not get the mind going and make myself stressed on top of not being able to sleep. I was recently talking to a friend and said that if given the chance I would not change anything in my life as all life experiences GOOD and BAD shape the people we become and I REALLY like who I am. Well I have decided that is a crock and I would change a MILLION things given the chance. I am not talking about money, although having money would have been nice, but rich people have issues too they are just DIFFERENT issues. Hopefully none would change the person I am they would merely make me even better. I shall leave THAT pity party for another post.

I shall leave you with two song for my Mom… Enjoy.. Okay this version SUCKS, but I could not find a good one that would let me EMBED it. I dedicated this song to my Mom, Grams, sisters (Jackie and Donna) and my cousin Kara at my wedding I meant it then and NOW more than ever.

The second is Boys II Men -  A Song for Mama… This song ROCKS and I can’t hear it and not think of my mom. Again I could not get the regular version to embed so here is a live version.

Anyway I miss My Mom like crazy, and I hope that she is in a better place now where she is treated like a queen and wants for NOTHING.

I LOVE you FOREVER MOM !!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOOXOX

1. My Grandmother Sonja J. Erickson – My Grandmother was one of the greatest people I have ever met. She showed me how to LOVE unconditionally and how to be a strong woman in the face of unhappiness. I had no idea till many years later that my Grams did not have a happy marriage. I always joked that her and my grandfather were like Archie and Edith Bunker he was always yelling at her and acting like she was an idiot (she was NOT) Many years later after she nursed him while he died from cancer I found out she was not happy and had times been different she would have left him many years before. As a result she was not buried with my grandfather but with her brother and I miss her everyday and visiting her grave since I have moved to GA.

2. My Mother Elaine E. Smythe – My mother was likely the GREATEST person I will ever know and I don’t say that lightly or just cause she was my Mom. My mother was a STRONG woman and had an unbelievable capacity to LOVE. I am humbled and amazed everyday even almost a year after her death when I think of the things she dealt with not just for her family but for friends as well. I think that I get my "help everyone you like at all costs" from my Mom. She went out of her way for everyone she loved and she loved many people. I miss her terribly EVERYDAY and I wish that I could have eased her pain in her final days. I hated seeing her suffer in her final days and would have given my life if she could have suffered ONE less day in the end.

3. My sister Donna Naveo – I always say my sister Donna is the smartest person I know, but more than that she is one of the most caring people I know. She inspires me EVERYDAY to be a better person. She tends to stress too much and I wish I could take away that stress for her. She has always been there for me NO questions asked and I love her more than I can ever express!

4. My sister Jackie Robertson – Although we have not been speaking as of late my sister Jackie is the kind of person that loves so fiercely she loses all thought when someone she loves is threatened. Sometimes this might not be the BEST quality, but when you are on the back side of this it it the most amazing thing you have ever seen. I have always been VERY close to both my sisters and I miss my big sister very much, but I hold on to the hope that one day fences will be mended and she will be fighting for me again instead of against me.

5. My cousin Kara Fehsal – My cousin Kara has ALWAYS felt more like a sister than a cousin. She is one of the people that PROVES it is NEVER too late. She had an unexpected young pregnancy and despite the odds she finished school raised an awesome daughter and became one of NY’s Finest (a Sergeant no less) she is now married to a GREAT guy and has 3 beautiful boys. She inspires me EVERYDAY to try and improve my life!  

6.My BFF Dakota Cassidy – Dakota is probably the closest friend I have in my life right now which amazes me everyday. Not only because she is one of the most talented writers in the world as far as I am concerned (even if SHE does not think so- Funny is not an easy thing to write woman!) but mostly because at first glance we are an unlikely pair. Dakota is the epitome of "GIRLY" I on the other hand am about as far from girly as one can get an still be a girl. Yet we are like soul sisters on the INSIDE. We have the same values and morals and some days I feel like I was not whole until Dakota came into my life. I know she will ALWAYS tell me the truth even if it hurts and that is a AWESOME thing. We ALL need more honesty in our lives.

7.My BFF Michele Bardsley - Who reminds me so much of my mother some days it hurts. She is way too nice and cares sometimes more than she should. Like Dakota she is so much a part of me now that I don’t know what I would do if she was not there. She is a fighter even if she does not know it, and she can write some sexy fucking vampires !

8.My BFF Renee George - The Queen of Hugs as I like to call her. She can make EVERYTHING better with one hug and I have no idea how she does it. She should bottle it and sell it. I met her for the first time at RT 2007 with Dakota and Michele and we have been like the 4 musketeers ever since. I don’t see her NEARLY enough but I can’t imagine my life without her in it. Oh and she wrote me the BEST fucking story in the world and I will always have an EXTRA special place in my heart for her!

9. My Ex-husband Jose Lugo – Who is one of the most awesome guys I have ever met in my life and unfortunately he does not realize it. Even after our divorce he was always a GREAT friend and was beyond helpful in taking care of my Mom in her final days. I know that she LOVED him as much as I did and I just wish that we could have worked things out between us. I hope that he one day finds the happiness that he so much deserves. 

10. Author and friend Ann Vremont – Ann amazes me EVERDAY with her intellect and her heart. She will defend herself and her friend with a fierceness that I don’t think I have ever seen before, and although she does not show it often she has a heart as big as TEXAS and it is a beautiful thing to see when she opens it too you. I have been luck enough to see it and I will cherish her friendship FOREVER.

11. Author and friend Cindy Cruiger – I met Cindy in person at RT 2007 and knew that she would be one of the special people in my life. Cindy is like a PIT BULL when it comes to defending herself and her friends and that might not always be a popular position, but Cindy does not care. She will fight to the death for what she believes in, and although I might not ALWAYS agree with her 100 % I always admire her tenacity in her beliefs. I love her dearly and I hope that she will be in my life for many years.

12. My friend Patrick Micalizzi – Pat is my oldest and dearest friend and another example of "It is NEVER too late" Pat was severely overweight for many of the years I knew him and in the last few years he worked hard and lost a lot of weight he inspires me everyday to lose weight and become a better person. Not that I think losing weight would make me a better person, but Pat is one of the hardest working people I know and he is also one of the funniest. He loves with all his heart and once he loves you he NEVER lets go… no matter WHAT he says !   

13. ALL of the women and men of  Dakota Cassidy’s, Michele Bardsley’s, MaryJanice Davidson’s, Mark Henry’s and Toni Mcgee Causey’s Yahoo Group – It is amazing to me almost everyday how you can become so close to people who you have never even met. I have met many people from the groups but am amazed everyday by the camaraderie of the men and women in these groups. They are always there for each other no matter how many miles might be between them. They rock my socks off EVERYDAY and I Thank God for EVERYONE of them each and every day. I hope to one day meet them ALL.

Street Magic By Caitlin Kittredge

Release Date: June 2, 2009

Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life  mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete’s eyes—or so she thought. Now a detective, Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster’s chilling prediction has led police directly to the child…but when Pete meets the informant, she’s shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self.  But he’s able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget’s kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey.  Even though she’s spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget—and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago…

Reviews

“Kittredge is a winner.”—Jim Butcher

Praise for the Nocturne City series:

“Dark and cutting edge.” —Romantic Times

“Smart, gutsy.”—Karen Chance

“Hot, hip, and fast-paced.”—Lilith Saintcrow

I was recently lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Caitlin Kittredge’s first book in the Black London Series. I had read the first book in her Nocturne City Series Night life and really enjoyed the book. I usually like a book when there is a STRONG female lead. I have to say that Street Magic is a KNOCK-OUT. Pete Caldecott is one of the best characters I have read in a long time and the relationship between her and Jack is terrific. I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next with them. I tend to be a character based reader more than a plot based reader, but this books had more than enough of BOTH. I loved the character as well as the interaction between Pete and Jack. The plot was smart and exciting and kept me interested from page one. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes great characters and smart and exciting plotlines. Caitlin is way beyond her years in the way she writes. You would think by the book that she has been writing for many years and had tons of books on the shelves instead of a few. I expect that she will have a very long and successful writing career.

Visit Caitlin online here

Pre-order Street Magic online at

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble.com

Borders.com

I was driving to work on Wednesday night (I was working 8 pm – 5 am) as I was driving down the road near my office I came around a curve and had to jam on the breaks to miss a group of rabbits hopping across the road. It was not a really close call or anything so I thought nothing of it.

Today I was driving to work and as I came around the same curve I was watching for the rabbits. No rabbits in sight so I hit the gas and as I do I see the pavement move. So I slam on the breaks and come to a screeching halt and there in the middle of the road is a tortoise / turtle (what the hell is the difference anyway) This time it was a close call. I did not hit him but I did scream at him. Geeze what the hell is wrong with these animals are they suicidal?

I did put on my flashers and sat there for a few minutes to make sure he got out of the road and then headed to work.

I think Dr. Doolittle needs to have a talk with the nice animals in GA and let them know to get the hell out of my way.