Back the Blue

I can't move forward here without addressing the insane violence from last week in Dallas. I'm from a law enforcement family, and I must take a moment to shake my online head at the terrible events of Thursday. More than that--I'm incensed that someone would target an entire group of people for the actions of a few.

It's infuriating.

Even as officers are belittled for the enforcement of the law (complaining about receiving a well-deserved speeding ticket comes to mind here), day-in and day-out they show up to insert themselves into the places none of us want to go. Can you imagine the awful things they have seen? Responding first to the scenes of gruesome accidents, placing themselves between an active shooter and those who protest against their very selves, and yes, even writing you a ticket because you can't be bothered to obey a posted speed limit sign that is there for the safety, protection, and order of traffic.

They are entrusted to uphold the law, and it's a sad state of affairs, but they are also entrusted to protect citizens from one another. What a mess that is.

And yet, brave men and women still answer the call to protect and serve us. May God bless them and their families for it.

I'm mad that anyone messed with them. I'm overwhelmed with grief for the family of DART Officer Brent Thompson, a well-liked guy from my hometown with an awesome family, as well as the the other four families impacted by this national tragedy.

So how do I respond, as I think of this through a motherhood lens? My children are not old enough to understand the violence that has occurred, but they are old enough to understand respect. How do I raise children who honor our law enforcement officers? I was taught from my childhood that a man with a badge was to be revered for his and his family's sacrifice. The word "cop" was not acceptable to my parents. They viewed it as derogatory, and nothing less than "officer" would do. I know that may seem silly to some, but words are impactful. This was their simple way of imparting respect, even in the tender years I didn't grasp all that was required of the profession.

We will make an effort to get to know the policemen and women who are responsible for our part of the city, even after the initial swell of support has calmed down. They'll not be nameless and faceless to our family.

We will #BackTheBlue in however we can, whenever we can, and teach our children, as well.

Weekending: Independence Day Edition

After such a busy beginning to our summer, we're looking forward to spending some time at home over the next few weeks before school starts. As such, we spent some much needed time at home this past weekend.

While we were visiting the Hill Country last weekend, we stopped at a brand new HEB, and it had me longing to grocery shopping there, so Friday the kids and I took off for a quick trip to the next town's HEB. Plain and simple, we need an HEB in Fort Worth, specifically the west side. I spent the rest of the day digging us out from under our trip the previous week. That evening, we grabbed dinner out, snow cones on the way home, and The Good Dinosaur from Red Box. We were neither hot, nor cold on the movie.

instant winner at the Buddy Bucks machine, right there
Saturday was a slow day, and that was perfect! I was able to finish a new book by a new Bethany House author that kept me up late into the night. I'm working on a couple of book reviews that I've really enjoyed lately.

We headed to church on Sunday morning, and it was just good to be there. Our pastor preached an atypical July 4th sermon on how we live in a post-Christian America and what our responsibilities are as Believers in a society that has turned its back on God's plan for how we should live. Sobering to say the least.

On July 4th, we slept in as late as our children would let us (7:30 am), then swung through Krispy Kreme for red, white, and blue donuts. They are my fave sprinkle donuts--a good crunch to the sprinkles.

For the very first time, we made one of those famous flag cakes that people have been making since probably 1776, or maybe not because they had more reverence for the flag than modern society. I don't know. Either way, my kids thought this was the most original and brilliant idea I've ever come up with. So thanks, internet.

That evening we headed to Granbury to view the fireworks over the lake. They tend to tout that their fireworks show is the best in Texas, and I have to say they do an awesome job. We spread a blanket, drank Sonic drinks, and celebrated!

FFF: What's Got My Summer Going

I'm looking forward to a good old fashioned Independence Day holiday close to home. Stay safe and have fun with your family!

{This post contains affiliate links.}
::ONE:: Cozi Family Organizer

Back in the fall, Mr. G and I were looking for a joint calendar that we could put all our appointments in, along with a working to do list, and grocery list. This app is exactly what we needed. So far, I haven't upgraded to Cozi Gold, but even that cost is less than the amount of money I usually spent on a paper calendar each year. I didn't even realize how awesome the shared grocery list would be. No more forgetting the list at home, and Mr. G is always great about adding the little things to the list that I would try to remember off the top of my head, then of course, forget to purchase.

::TWO:: Eagle Creek Black Pack-It Folders

I attempted to pack small for camp (details on that here), which led me to these Eagle Creek Pack-It folders. I grabbed one in the medium size, as it's the perfect footprint for my rollaboard suitcase. If you take the time to fold your clothes correctly using the included guide, you will be amazed at how wrinkle-free your clothes remain, as well as how many outfits you can stuff in there! I'm now considering grabbing the smaller size for smaller sized trips--it's that good. Found here.

::THREE:: Elta MD Tinted Moisturizing Facial Sunscreen

found here
I blogged about this tinted moisturizing sunscreen a few weeks ago, but I've really put it through its paces since then, with a day on the Guadalupe River and another full day at a water park. My goal was to come home as pale as I left, and this stuff worked wonders. It is my new favorite and worth every dollar.

::FOUR:: Pure Barre

After being out of pocket for around 3 weeks, I'm attempting to do my own personal 20 in 30 (20 classes in 30 days) this month, starting TODAY. I always see results when I get back to business with Pure Barre, and this is a great month to make it happen since I have a birthday coming up in August. If I think about it again today, I might even take my measurements. I ♥ Pure Barre and can't say enough good things about it! I've been taking for over three years now, have been an instructor for a little over one year, and it is the longest I've ever loved a workout. Take 10 classes, and you will not believe how quickly your body changes.

::FIVE:: Lululemon Running Skirts

found here
Whether it's the Pleat to Street (on sale here) or the Pace Rival (not on sale, but here) these are a great way to beat the heat and look cute doing it. I wrote a post a long time ago (found here) where I detailed my angst over the running skirt as part of my mom-athleisure wardrobe, and obviously, the running skirt won.

We Now Return To Our Regular Programming

The past three weeks have been fast and furious around here. I left on the 11th for Beach Week with the student ministry at our church. The kids spent time with their grandparents, and I served on the kitchen staff for the week. One, our food is much better than typical camp food service because it's not food service, and two, I ♥ the team of adults I served with, so I signed up to go again this summer. For the adults that go, it is truly a mission trip because we work hard.

Beach Week is hosted by Student Life, and the site we attended was in Orange Beach, Alabama. Our interim student minister challenged our students to invite their unchurched friends, and they really stepped up to it! We took quite a few that were not only new to our church, but new to church in general. It was a privilege to be part of reaching them for Christ and get to know some of them. The speaker was Ed Newton, pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio. He had a really interesting backstory, but the best part was how he laid out Gospel living in a plain and real way to the students.

Last year, we needed more help in the kitchen, so I had about twenty minutes of beach time the entire week. This time, we had more help and thus had a little more free time. I got to stick my toes in the sand for at least a little bit each day. All in all, it was a great week of serving God, with a little beach bonus thrown in!

I was only gone a week, but my family has had some other goings on since then that I'll detail soon, but right now, we're looking forward to settling in for a few weeks of our normal summer schedule: story times, splash park, and probably more pj days than are truly proper.

Book Review: From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden

Through the Bethany House Blogger Review program, last week I received a copy of Elizabeth Camden's new novel From This Moment. This is the first book of Ms. Camden's I've had the pleasure of reading, and as of writing this, I have already read a second!

A quick synopsis: Magazine publisher extraordinaire, the debonaire Romulus White has no intentions of settling down before the age of 40, leaving broken hearts all over Boston. Stella West is an London-based artist Romulus has been begging for 3 years to come work for his magazine. As luck would have it, he discovers she has mysteriously moved to Boston, and he determines to persuade her to work for him. Stella's move to Boston is more costly than Romulus could ever imagine. While she frantically works to find closure in the questionable death of her sister, Romulus must do battle to protect his precious magazine.

My thoughts: This is part mystery, part love story. I found the characters well developed and well described. The language was enough to picture Romulus and Stella in my head and practically feel the dust from the streets of 1897 Boston under construction as they built the first subway in the US. They are colorful and full of energy. Stella and Romulus's foibles perfectly balance one another. On another level, I loved that Ms. Camden tackled the burgeoning electrical engineering industry during this time in American history.

As usual, I found myself wanting to know what happens next. While that is not likely to happen as this does not appear to be a series, there is a prequel to the story! In the novella, Summer of Dreams, we discover the love story of Evelyn and Clyde, who play a central part in From This Moment as Romulus's cousin and best friend.

If you love historical fiction, this is a great one, with quite a bit of historical fact thrown in! I learned a bit of Boston history, along with a bit about the growth of our nation's infrastructure, presented in a way that enhanced the story rather than appearing as a history lesson.

The book was fascinating, and I highly recommend!

FFF: We ♥ Summer

I'm back with another edition of Friday Fave Five, linking up again like I did last week!

{This post contains affiliate links.}
::ONE:: Elizabeth Camden Books

found here
This week I read this one full length novel, plus one novella that is a prequel, but I cannot get enough! If I can get myself together, a full review for this one will be up next week, which will be a record for me. Easy read, compelling story. If you're going on a road trip this weekend, download this book. The prequel is free (found here), if you want to kick the tires a bit.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of From This Moment from the publisher to review, but I currently have at least one other novella and novel of Camden's downloaded on my own.

::TWO:: Amon Carter Museum's Summer Storytime

We visited the kick-off of this summer story time series last week and had a great time. It's an incredible program, really, that they let children get up close and personal to the artwork while providing a top notch story time. I'll be back next week with more details around this, because I think it's my favorite little kid thing here right now in Fort Worth.

::THREE:: GAP denim surf shorts

found here
Already a pattern has emerged in my summer style choices. If I'm not in a swingy dress (a la last week's FFF found here), I'm constantly reaching for these shorts. They're easy wash and wear like athletic shorts, but more chic. They go with everything and have awesome pockets.

::FOUR:: Elta MD Tinted Moisturizing Facial Sunscreen

found here
After years of little attention to my skin, this year I'm slightly obsessing. One of my Pure Barre clients is a dermatologist, and one lovely Saturday morning at the barre, we got on the topic of sunscreens for face because everything I use stings like fire. She says we should all be using products with good old fashioned zinc oxide and brought me this to try the following week. I give it two very pale thumbs up.

::FIVE:: Aggie Baseball v. TCU

The last matchup between A&M and TCU was epic. I'm hoping this one will be much less dramatic. We cheer for the hometown team (TCU--we live in Fort Worth) unless they're playing our Aggies, then we're out! We'll be yelling super loud for the Ags to BTHOTCU and wearing every bit of maroon we can find.

A photo posted by Aggie Athletics (@12thman) on Jun 5, 2016 at 9:09pm PDT

Book Review: The Reluctant Duchess by Roseanna M. White

Through the Bethany House Blogger Review program, I recently received a copy of Roseanna M. White's latest work, The Reluctant Duchess, for review. This is the second of three books in her Lady of the Manor series. I loved the first book, The Lost Heiress (review here), so when the opportunity to review this one hit my inbox, I jumped on it! I couldn't wait to know what happens next.

A quick synopsis: We pick up some time after The Lost Heiress where recently the charming Brice Meyerston has inherited the Duchy of Nottingham. On a trip to Scotland, he finds Lady Rowena in a desperate situation. The handsome, wealthy, society sought-after Duke offers his hand in marriage to her in what seems like a lark, but really, he feels that God has moved him to do so out of compassion to Lady Rowena. He is certain that she is meant to be his wife.

The new Duke and Duchess of Nottingham now find themselves in the middle of danger from all sides, as they attempt to first, become at least acquainted with one another, and second, hopefully fall in love and find happiness in their marriage. Conflicts in the previous book pick up right where they left off.

My thoughts: Right off the bat, I'd like to mention that I've read this book cover to cover at least 3 times since it arrived in April. It has some really great swoon-worthy moments. You know--those particular passages that you want to read over and over again. Am I the only one that does things like that?! While it reads somewhat like a fairy tale, there is a redemption theme for all of the characters. My only disappointment is a piece of the ending. We are left scratching our heads at a big, unanswered question--a blank space in a very important conflict in the story. My guess is that it will be wrapped up in a nice bow in the final book, but there was no storyline prep done here for the final outcome.

I can't wait to check out the last in the series!