Return of the runaway bride

Return of the Runaway Bride
by Donna Fasano

It was their wedding day in Savanna had cold feet. She told her mom she cannot go through with it. Her mom dismissed her concerns and told her not to worry because Danny would be a good provider. Even though Savanna knew this to be true, in that moment, she was feeling so smothered, that she ran away.

Fast forward six years~~~~

Savanna returns to the small town of Fulton Virginia and she is looking for resolution and forgiveness. She is hoping that her hometown can embrace her once more.

A lot has changed since she’s left. Danny now goes by Daniel and he has not even begun to deal with the emotions he felt when she left. Savanna thought he would have been okay and is ready to bury the hatchet. She wanted him to understand why she had to leave, but he was still very bitter and angry. I was thinking “Ummm could be the fact that you DITCHED HIM at the altar!”

Soon enough there is a community project that has them working together, giving Savanna a chance to prove herself (there is always something to tie the main guy/girl together). No longer immature, she is an independent woman and who is still in love with the sweetheart from her teenage years.

I agree that Daniel should not have made it easy for Savanna considering all the pain and anguish she caused him when she left. Saying “Sorry, can we be friends?” Was not going to cut it. When he alluded to the fact that she might run off, abandoning the town once more, she tried not to be hurt that he lacked confidence in her. I was on his side the whole way. She had to pay and prove herself to be trustworthy. Most of all, she had to show Daniel that she was worthy of a second chance if he is understanding enough to accept.

In the book Return of the Runaway Bride , it goes to show that sometimes two people can be in love but their timing to be together could be wrong. When Savanna left Danny/Daniel the timing might have been right for him but it was not right for her. Fortunately for her, when she was mature enough to accept the love that he was willing to give he was still available.

Beautiful Blogger Award

Jan9

Thanks Rohan for nominating me for my first blog award. I knew 2013 was going to be a good year 🙂

The Beautiful Blogger award has been given to me by inspirational superstar Rohan who has found 7 things that have helped him find happiness (but I digress…more on that later). I like reading his posts because he has a interesting perspective on life. Plus, his photography is phenomanal!

So the rules state that I must give 7 facts about myself that are not listed on my “About Me” page, and then pass the award onto 7 other bloggers, so here goes:

I love Johnny Cash songs.
I am working on my first romance novel. I am not writing everyday but when I think of a scene, I type it out. At this pace, I might be finished in another 3-5 years. But I’m in no hurry.
I like aromatherapy and other holistic remedies. I create and sell scented bath scrubs and salts using different essential oils.
My hubby and I are like a real life version of Green Acres (Green Acres was about Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert), an erudite New York City attorney, acting on his dream to be a farmer, and Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor), his glamorous Hungarian wife, dragged unwillingly from the city life she adored to a ramshackle farm- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Acres.) Hence the chickens in #5 🙂
My hubby and I have chickens that lay eggs most days. I named them lazy chicks because they get lazy sometimes. and don’t lay eggs as often as I would like them to. I have to threaten to make chicken soup in order for them to act right.
To make a living and pay the bills, I work as an international trade compliance specialist.
I am an ambassador for the local Chamber of Commerce in my town. It has helped me to have a greater appreciation for small businesses. Chain stores and franchises are good, but I try to support small business whenever possible.

Nominate 7 Bloggers & Tell them you nominated them!! So here are my nominees:

Quirkywritingcorner – This blog is aptly named because the posts are quirky and random. I think that is part of her charm. She is a published fiction author that provides her point of view on life experiences. Check her out, become friends, and maybe you might have a guest appearance in her next book.
bldodson – I love reading all of Bruce’s stories but especially the tales of two kitties named Buckmister and Amber. Check out his blog to see what I am talking about.
allergictomylifebattle – I have food allergies but not to this extent. I think that everyone should read this blog to understand what is is like for a person whose food choices are limited because it is a life and death matter (not exaggerating).
thejigglybits – In the short time since I have found her blog, I feel like I have found a kindred spirit who consistently tells it like it is in a humorous way.
budgetcookingblog – I don’t cook a lot, but I like seeing the pictures on this blog to give me ideas when I get the urge to whip something up in the kitchen. If you like to cook, you will get ideas. If you don’t like to cook, these posts will probably make you hungry and want to try to cook.
bbanublog – Her creative writing skills take you as the reader on a journey. I feel as if, there should be mediation music playing in the background while I read her blog.
thebrandbuilder – He provides very useful information how to create your brand and market it effectively. His in depth analysis has helped me to look at the way I am doing things in order to make sure I am conveying the message that I want my readers to capture. Read it and be informed.

How would beauty change you?

Jan8

Beauty (The Beauty Series)

Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥ ♥

Has ever been something that you wanted and you thought if you had it all your troubles would be over? What would you do if someone offered it to you? How deep is your desire?

Eve thought that if she lost weight, she would be pretty. And if she was pretty, all her troubles would be over. She would have friends that she wanted, the boy that she wanted, the life that she deserves.

Through a twist of fate, she has the body she always wanted. She is skinny.

But nothing ever comes without a price.

What is her price? As long as she stays the person she is, keeps her personality the same, she is able to stay skinny. It would seem to be a simple thing: stay a good person and stay slim.

And then we find out what low she is willing to go just to grasp the life of person she thinks that she wants to be. And as her problems snowball, her body begins to gain weight. As Eve spirals out of control, she has to make definite decisions about what should be important in her life.

What leads to true happiness?
What good is a friend if he or she is fake?
What good is a friend if they do not have your best interests in mind?

Beauty (The Beauty Series) was the worst case scenario for someone who has a chance at something they desired their whole life. It seems that every possible bad decision, Eve made it. All the while she was trying to justify why it was okay. She believed that she could beat the system as if her actions had no consequences.

Beauty (The Beauty Series) was interesting in a very dark way. It could almost be seen as a cautionary tale. In Eve’s case, her desire was weight-loss, but I think that “weight loss” could be a metaphor for any item that you desire with your whole being and you’re willing to sacrifice your life for that.

Some things we feel are worth the sacrifice, but we end up losing more of ourselves in the pursuit of that goal. So, was it worth it?

***warning: this book contains drug abuse, rape, and other disturbing acts

Cupcake collection – Nashville TN

Jan8

Cupcake Collection in Nashville TN

I like sweets. I especially like cupcakes. Even though I like sweets, I am still really picky. I don’t like just any type of cupcakes. They have to be done very well. There is two parts to a delicious cupcake. (1) the cake part (2) the frosting. If either part is not done well, it can spell disaster.
Yes. I know this is a first world problem – to have a cupcake you do not like, but that’s the way it is.
My friend told me that the best place for cupcakes in Nashville was Cupcake Collection. Of course, that means I have to go!
When I entered the Cupcake Collection, after inhaling the wonderful fragrances of the bakery, I looked around for any indication of the cost of the cupcakes. I could not find prices listed anywhere so I assumed that these cupcakes were three dollars. At the most $2.50 maybe (if I was optimistic)? So I only ordered two. To my surprise the price was less than $4. My eyes widened as I did the quick mental math. Cheaper than I thought. Instead of doing a dance to celebrate my good fortune, I decided I was going to get more cupcakes. Might as well make it an even six.

In my head, I was dancing.

Coconut cream with key lime frosting – it had a coconut cream custard in the center! I was not expecting that, and I usually do not like cream filled anything, but this cream was so good. It was had a light coconut flavor. It was the consistency of cold vanilla pudding. When I bit into the cupcake the cream did not ooze out and make a mess. The tart sweet key lime frosting complimented the light sweet of the cake and coconut cream.
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting – this was good but did not have as much carrot pieces or walnuts as Hey Cupcake. However, it was still a worthy contender for carrot cake.
Yellow cake with buttercream frosting – This was the best yellow plain cake cupcake that I had. So simple and sweet.
Sweet potato with cream cheese frosting – this was good almost like a muffin instead of a cupcake. I could eat this for breakfast everyday if I lived in Nashville.
Coconut cream with cream cheese frosting – More of the coconut cream custard in the center. More yum-yum.
Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting – I could tell this was the REAL deal red velvet cake and not some white cake with red food coloring. The flavors were rich and complex as only a true red velvet cake can be.

And I feel like a little piggy telling you this but I ate all six of them. I could not help myself. They were THAT good. And then I was sad that they were gone and Nashville is 6 hours away.

Nomad dosa – food truck Austin TX

Jan7

If you are like me, you probably never had a dosa before. It is best described as an Indian crepe.
I was in Austin for dinner and I did not know what I wanted to eat. After driving around, I knew that I wanted something light because I did not feel like eating too much. I decided on the food truck Nomad Dosa.

I ordered crispy dosa Kerala Kokonut (butternut squash, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, cauliflower, avocado). I chose basmati rice and sambar lentil soup as my side items. The lentil soup was good. Usually I don’t like eating beans, but if they are pureed into a smooth milkshake-like consistency, it is palatable.

By accident, I ended up eating a purely vegetarian meal. It was so tasty that it was not until afterwards that I realized, "Hey I did not eat any meat." From the picture of the food, you can see that once I began to eat , the filling is not the most appealing looking food. Trust me when I say it tasted better than it looked. It was just what I needed too- something light, but filling. The feeling of fullness made me start to wonder if I should try to go vegetarian for the health benefits, but then I thought about bacon and nixed that. Mmmmm bacon. But I digress.

Overall, this is a dish that will appeal to meat eaters and vegetarians alike. It has enough depth that you won’t miss the meat. Like most Indian food, it was full of spicy (not heat) flavors that stayed with me after I finished my meal. I had to brush my teeth and rinse with mouthwash to regain feeling in my taste buds.