As long as I'm reading,

I’m at home. -George Forman

This quote rang especially true for me this summer. Between the move, job changes, vacations, and house hunting, there was one constant between the months of June and August. Books! Those who know me best know that I am never without a book. You never know when you might be stopped at a red light and you have time for just one more page. Or there is a long line at the grocery store and you can squeeze in a short chapter.

Since I am very obvious about my love of reading (I even carry around a tote that says “I have always pictured paradise to be some kind of library.” I know, I know. I’m a dork.), people are always asking me for good book recommendations. These are my favorite requests! I thought that I would take some time and share some of the books that I have been reading this summer. Even though summer is coming to an end doesn’t mean that we still can’t enjoy beach reads. We just might be reading them with a cup of hot tea cuddled up on the couch, rather than while sipping a Corona with our feet in the sand.

Without further ado, here is my list. (J means I highly recommend it!)

• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen J

Fun fact: This is going to be a movie with Reese Witherspoon and Edward Pattinson.

• Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

If I had to compare it to a movie, I would say to wait until it comes out on video. So in book terms, wait for the paperback.

• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

If you like historical fiction and reading about WWII, pick this one up for a quick read.

• Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

If you are an Emily Giffin fan, pick this book up. If not, skip it.

• The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty J

Fun fact: This book took off in popularity due to a review by Stephen King.

• The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard

I discovered this author by randomly picking up a book on display at my local library (which I love!) This is a fun murder mystery (not sure if fun and murder go together…but you know what I mean.)

• Band of Brothers: E Company, 506^th Regiment, 101^st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle Nest by Stephen Ambrose J

Millions fell in love with the HBO-miniseries, but how many of you read this book. It is amazing to hear the true stories of these soldiers. It was just my luck that the day after I finished reading the book, FX had a Band of Brothers marathon!

• Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

I’m obsessed with Chelsea Handler. I think that she is the greatest thing since sliced bread. She is one raunchy woman and I love her. If you are a Chels fan, then pick up this book. I didn’t like this one as much as My Horizontal Life but you’ll still have some good laughs.

• The Road of Lost Innocence: The true story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam J

This is a real eye-opener about the sex slave industry, not only Cambodia, but in the rest of the world. You will be shocked by her story.

• House Rules by Jodi Picoult J

I will always recommend Jodi Picoult because I happen to love everything she writes. This novel did not let me down! Even Leslie will like this one because it is not depressing like The Pact. She refuses to read Jodi Picoult because she was too upset by the ending of that book, but I think that this one might win her over.

As you can see, I have been busy with my summer reading. I hope that you find something that you might like. If you are a reading a good book, please comment and let me know! If you are not reading a book at all, you are missing out! There are sooooo many good ones out there. If you want to follow along with what I’m reading, join the world’s biggest book club, LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com/) and look for me (kclynne52). It is free to join and you can track what you read.

And now I’m off to finish reading my current book, A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick.

Happy readingJ

A couple of my favorite things...books and beer

Ahhh, what is there not to love about summertime

little of this...little of that....weddings and movies

I love weddings :) I loved my own...but really love enjoying them as a guest and getting to drink, eat, and dance while celebrating friends and family getting married!

We didn't really realize we had so many weddings this summer, till they were upon us, but we had 4 between July and August and one more to go on Halloween weekend! It has been really fun and given us a good excuse to travel to VA which we love.

The last weekend in July went to Charlottesville, VA for Nick's friend's wedding at a beautiful estate called the Clifton Inn. Really lovely outdoor wedding with a fun band!

The Clifton Inn


all dressed up!


You may recognize some of these handsome guys


Pretty table decor


blurry pic of the jon and jessica reda!


with good friends, Trace & Natalie


In between work and weddings, we enjoyed some summer NYC festivities! We live a block away from the Hudson river, which has an AWESOME river park that we enjoy every day. The park goes from the tip of the island in battery park all the way up to the 100's. I think our portion is the nicest though. It includes a boardwalk with lawns and grassy areas and benches along the water as well as a running and biking path...along the water there are also big piers. Some have been turned into grassy parks, some are for events and some are big buildings that house gyms, soccer fields, driving ranges, trapeze schools (yes really), some are ports for the city, and much much more. (google "chelsea piers")

There have been Hudson River Park summer events all summer...concerts, kids movies outdoor, salsa dancing, live jazz and adult outdoor movies. We decided to go watch "Julie and Julia" one thursday night. We got sushi, a bottle of wine, a blanket and found a soft spot on the concrete. It was pretty fun!

At the movies!


Edamame, anyone?


outdoor movies on the hudson


Then we were headed off to another wedding for our friends Colin and Cherie at Smith Mountain Lake in VA. LOVED making the drive to southwest VA...especially since we won't be able to go a VT game this season. Also loved being on the lake. We stayed in the condos at the lake community where everyone stayed and where the wedding was held....somehow our condo become the "party condo" which made for fun times and interesting stories. Saturday during the day we rented a boat from the local marina...the boat sucked, but we all had fun skiing (or trying to) and riding around. The boat kept shutting off at idle and having to be started up again...repeatedly. Nobody in the group but myself had driven a ski boat before, so I was left to figure this out and restart it every time. Eventually the marina came out and gave us a new boat, just in time for me to ski!

me skiing


Nick skiing


me skiing some more


The wedding itself was gorgeous...on a deck on the lake. Colin and Cherie aren't very traditional, so everything was a little different and cool. I loved it! The ceremony was short...and by short I mean, bridal entrance, vows, rings, kiss and done...5 mins tops! So we pretty much ate, drank and danced from 5pm to 11pm...so much fun. The food was amazing, nick and I ate an entire platter of these tuna ceviche edible spoon hors d'ouvres to ourselves...can't help it when the server comes right back to you everytime! The bartenders were great and the dj rocked it out. needless to say it was fun. Sunday was also great...pretty much my perfect day...hanging out at the lake, boating, skiing and swimming. We should've left to drive back to NY around noon, but we just couldn't tear ourselves away so we didn't get home till 2am, but it was worth it.

umbrellas for the sun


marriage is a beautiful thing


ceremony space with lake backdrop


Krispy Kreme cake...yummmmm


stunning bride


her awesome bouquet she made of family pins, buttons and broaches


my handsome husband


tent :)


the beautiful couple


hanging out with joelle at our table


the addictive tuna ceviche...i must be in a food coma since my eyes are half closed


ending with a dance party

Swimming...Swimming...in the Swimming Pool

...when days are hot and days are cool...in the swimming pool! That's the start of a swimming song we used to sing to our campers at summer camp when it was their pool time. Oh the careless days of summer camp...life seemed so complicated then...little did I know it was the easiest life will ever be!

Recently we've been doing a bit of swimming or rather drowning when it comes to our work! Nick has been swamped, as have I. Selling beer is not a fun job when it involves walking blocks and blocks in this heat, sweating through your clothes and coming home with black feet since you're wearing sandals.

When I took a few days off to visit my family during their TWO WEEK vaca in sunset beach...I got lots of beach time, relaxation time, and swimming in the ocean time. Sunset Beach is where we go every year...Nick was sad to miss it this year, but it's the ultimate quaint, quiet beach town in southern NC. Just arriving in the teeny tiny myrtle beach airport was enough to slow down this city girl....all I could hear were the carolina twangs on everyone's voice around me. Sometimes I really miss the south. Here are a few pics:

Andy, Shan and I beachin' it


Annual Smith Putt Putt Tournament....I did not represent the Guptas very well, I came in last! :( Dad won this year...taking the spot that usually rotates between Andy and Shannon. Nick is usually up there in the ranks as well, but has yet to win the top spot.



Annual Sunset Beach family pic


Smith baby on the way!


A couple weekends ago nick and I were home with no plans and it was great! the weather was beautiful and when it's beautiful here, you really appreciate the city and get out and enjoy it. We went to a new restaurant, Mermaid Inn Oyster Bar...yummmm. the food in nyc never ceases to amaze me and a new bar, the collective....very cool. On Saturday afternoon, we headed to a state park about an hour north of the city, call Bear Mountain State Park. Very pretty and it had a lake, so guess what we did?! Taught Cole to swim!!! It was hilarious and he LOVED it! he was a real natural and was retrieving stick after stick in no time.

only 45 mins from downtown manhattan!


Cole's first try at swimming

Jobs and Pickles

Now that the big move has taken place, the next adventure begins. My big job search. Since we should only be here until February/March, I am not looking to work in the school system. My conscience will not let me start in a school when I cannot complete the school year. Plus, the county that we live in is incredibly small and I was told that librarians only leave when they die or retire, so my chances were not good from the start.

Therefore I have determined that I am going to get a fun job for the time being. My job search started with Fleet and Family Services on base. This is a really good service that the Navy offers to help family members adjust to their new surroundings. They have a lot of different programs, but one of them is job placement. They connected me with a local staffing agency. I went to the staffing agency, took my drug test and Microsoft Word proficiency testing and left three hours later without a job and crying because I was depressed that I was in a situation where I had to go to a staffing company. It really wasn’t that bad, but it was just one of those days.

Next, I checked out places online. I called every medical office, dentist office, eye doctor, and coffee shop in town. Nothing.

Then I had Matt drive me around town so that I could get numbers off of billboards and office signs to call and see if there were any job openings. Nada.

Finally, I consulted Craigslist, Monster, and my friends. I found some jobs and applied. And that is what led me to the chimney cleaning company. You read that right – chimney cleaning – as in Mary Poppins. So I had my first interview! Long story short, I was offered the job, but didn’t think that it was the right fit for me. Give me a call if you are interested in the long story, because it is a good one! So I was back at square one – jobless.

Finally, as I was just about to give up and was getting used to the idea of staying up late and sleeping in, I got the call. Turns out the staffing company was a good thing. They were calling me with an offer to be a temporary receptionist at a local Hospice. Right now the position is only for four weeks, but my fingers are crossed that it will turn into something more. My first day was today and it was great! So, at least for another four weeks, the job search is off. And then, back to the coffee shop idea.

One nice thing is that in all my free time I have been able to work on my cooking. My newest venture is pickles! I am very proud of my pickles and have them pictured below (say that three times fast).

Until next time, love from Florida!

Check out those pickles - both chips and spears!

All homemade and delicious - pickles, egg salad, and salsa! Yum, yum!

Florida!!!

So, like I said in the earlier post, we made it to Florida. Let’s see if I can give you the short version of our trip:

Went on a family vacation to Ocean City, Jersey (yes, the Jersey shore) for a week, left Matt to do all the moving himself (not a bad deal for me, not so good for him), came back and all the stuff was gone besides the air mattress (which, thanks to Sadie, had a hole in it after the first night), spent all day Sunday cleaning, left Monday morning for a 14 hours car trip to Florida (2 cars, 3 plants, and a dog), spent the night in Baton Rouge, arrived in Pensacola, Florida on Tuesday, July 20^th, checked into the lodge and spent the next 10 days living in a hotel room. I think that about sums it up. Except forgot to mention that I left my cell phone in Jersey and we moved to Florida without a place to live. For someone who likes to plan, this was incredibly difficult.

So during those 10 days being cooped up in a hotel room with the dog and plants, Matt started helicopter training and we house shopped. We had an awesome realtor (if you are ever moving to Milton, Florida – let me know and I will give you her information) and we were able to find an incredibly house within 4 days. We live in a 4-bedroom house with our friend, Karl. It reminds me of when I lived with Leslie and Nick and sang “Three’s Company” all the time. But in all seriousness, it has worked out perfectly. Karl has two rooms – his room and the man cave (or dedicated Call of Duty room) and we have two rooms – our room and the “please come visit us” guest room. It took a while to get settled down, but we finally got our stuff (minus one box and one broken chalkboard) and it has started to feel like home. Matt is now going to class every day and I am on the hunt for a job.

Overall, I really like Milton and have already made good friends. We miss Texas (mostly the quick walk to the beach and the Mexican food), but we are really happy to have made the move. More to come later on the job search and the perils of living in an actual house (we bought a lawn mower!!!)

Here are some pictures from our trip and first days in Florida.

Look who is sneaking a sip of my last beer in Corpus

Baton Rouge

"Come and knock on our door" and if you do we will bring you to the famous Mcguire's Irish Pub for an Irish Wake out of a mason jar!

The Swartzes - one year later (at Peg Leg Pete's - an awesome Pensacola Beach bar)

She swimming at the Dog Beach (my new favorite place and incredibly awesome in this extreme heat)!!! Water quality is questionable, but she loves it!

Our new living room - don't you love the furniture. It is part of my beach decor;)

Home sweet home (at least for the next seven months)

We love Florida!!!

We made it!

Well, we are here! We are happy to be in sunny (and incredibly humid) Florida. We moved into our new house about two weeks ago and have been running around ever since. After 11 days of hotel living I was more than ready to get settled. So much has happened since my last blog and I promise to fill you in soon! I just wanted to write a quick hello and let you know that I will be posting more this weekend! Until then, happy Thursday!!!

14 long hours later...FLORIDA!!!

Our first meal in Florida. Was it fresh seafood from the Gulf...nope...Chinese!