20 weeks and nose bleeds...oh boy!

Nose bleeds seem  to be quite normal in pregnancy, as are bleeding gums, overactive sweat glands (like I didn't already have a problem with this living in So. Cal!), growing feet, growing everything, strange eating habits, and the list continues to infinity it seems!  But all is well with my soul because my God lives and has created a sweet life that is growing inside of me!  By this time in pregnancy, our baby weighs about 10-11oz and is approximately 6.5in from crown to rump... this doesn't include the finger like legs and arms : )  Baby is starting to put on weight now that everything is in its proper positioning and organs are working at a somewhat normal level, those have some maturing to do as well!

We had a diagnostic ultrasound done a week ago... Our baby was healthy, average in size and weight and... is a boy!!!!!  He wasn't shy about it either!  At this stage in pregnancy, our baby boy's, "testicles have begun their descent from the abdomen.  In a few months, they'll drop into the scrotum (which is still under construction)" (What to Expect When You're Expecting pg. 233).  There is also lots of room in there for him to move around and kick and punch and exercise his developing little joints and muscles.  Soon he'll be too tight for somersaults and will prepare by positioning his head down toward my pelvis.  

Weeks 8 through 17... What happened to the time?!

8 Weeks Pregnant

I'll tell you what happened to the time, I was mostly in bed with nausea and eating plenty of fast food.  Yes, the only thing I could stomach was  fast food for about eight straight weeks.  Blah!  For some strange pregnancy reason I could not eat nor cook my favorite healthy home cooked meals so being the only cook in our home, my darling Husband would offer to cook by supplying us with a steady flow of easy food... from the drive through.  Oh well, I am finally feeling better and although I still can't stomach the time in the kitchen, at least I can now eat fruits and other nutritious foods that mostly my wonderful mom in law makes at her home.  During all of this down time I have had the opportunity to read a bunch on pregnancy and baby development as well as labor and delivery.  I did experience a bout of depression for about a week because all I could do was lay in bed and even then I was feeling ill and every smell was absolutely disturbing.  Everything I was involved in got put on hold and for the most part still is so there was little socializing and constant "yuckiness".  I have an incredible family though and they let me just come over and veg in their living room just to feel like I was alive and soon enough I started feeling better!  Oh and exercise?!  Yeah right!  I am just now getting to the place where I can get out a few times a week for a walk or an easy urban bike ride without dry heaving or puking in some near bush!  

What about baby?  Baby is growing and twirling and moving all around just fine!  At our monthly midwife appointments we get to hear the heart beating and we have gotten to see baby on an ultrasound machine a couple of times.  The growth rate of my uterus is perfect as well.  We still are not sure if we are having a boy or a girl but on June 7th we have a full OB diagnostic ultrasound scheduled where hopefully we will be able to see if baby is a he or a she!  At first Eli and I thought we would wait to find out baby's sex until the birth but knowing both of our "check list" personalities, finding out will help us plan appropriately and I feel as if we could bond with baby a bit more knowing who we are bonding with.  

17 Weeks Pregnant

As for birthing classes, we chose to take the Bradley Birth Classes.   We are taking the classes at Peachy Keen Birth Services by Mandi Woolery who is passionate about child birth and who is a momma of three herself.  So far we have taken one out of twelve classes, which focused on exercise and relaxation, but I have read Husband Coached Childbirth which is all about the Bradley Method of childbirth.  While I feel inadequate to explain the entirety of what the Bradley Method is because I have only read about it and taken one class, I will do my best to briefly explain what the Bradley Method is.  Basically, the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth is a method of childbirth that teaches the husband how to be a birth coach, after all, why not finish what he helped start, and teaches the wife how to relax and breath in order to handle child birth naturally.  There is a lot of detail within this basic description so if you are interested in further information just visit www.bradleybirth.com  and read a few of the resources they suggest which will include the book I have previously suggested, Husband Coached Childbirth.  I realize that I don't have the best blogging habit but I will try as time goes on to talk more about what we are learning in our Bradley Method classes!

How the heck did we get pregnant after almost two years of trying anyway?!  We prayed all the time.  Eli would lay his hand on my belly and pray almost every night.  I also started to ease up on my diet.  I have the tendency to be very linear so if I am going to eat a certain way, that will be the way I eat!  Instead I would let myself indulge when we would go out and wouldn't let myself stress on the junk I just put in my body.  The reason for this mostly was because, statistically, I needed to put on some weight if I was to be at my most fertile weight range.  So knowing this helped me to not be as stressed about nutrition as I have the potential to be.  Another thing we did was acupuncture.  The interesting thing about this is that I got the acupuncture around the day we conceived, not even knowing we had conceived so I am not sure how much this helped but it sure was relaxing, which I am sure helped!  Also, I took it easy on exercise.  I love to mountain bike, road bike, walk, etc. but I chose to give my body a break!  I added green juice to my daily diet too!  This juice included kale, cucumber, lemon, ginger, celery, and apple!  Oh, I love juicing, that is, loved because as soon as I hit seven weeks, I couldn't stand it!  I am going to try again at the end of this week, I hope I love it again!  Oh, for the last 10 years I worked at Starbucks and went to school so I never had a regular sleep nor eating schedule and I really believe this didn't help my fertility!  It was also so stressful for me!  For the last chunk of time I worked there I had to be at work by 4am which meant I would be up no later than 2am or 3am to get ready, eat, etc.  This didn't mean I got a nice full nights sleep either!  most of the time I was in bed by 11pm the night before ensuring a maximum of three to four hours of sleep a night!  Oh, this took its toll on me for sure!  There were many benifits to working for Starbucks so don't get me wrong please, but I did reach the end of my duty there!  By the grace of God I was able to resign in January of 2012 following a year long sabbatical in 2011!  A full year and half before we got pregnant I was able to work on getting plenty of rest, get back to a healthy eating schedule and routine and enjoy life!  And lastly, at least that I can currently think of, I truly believe that getting help in the form of counseling and medication for my extreme anxiety disorder (EAD) and OCD has played a huge role in helping us get pregnant because I can see life clearer and calmer rather than from a very fatalistic, and quite frankly a scary, point of view!  I actually feel normal!  I never knew what normalcy was like because I thought the compulsive and terrifying thoughts and the daily warfare of that was normalcy.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  Now I am fully equip to be a health momma and a healthy wife!  God indeed is SO good!  

On that note, I look forward to the days, weeks, and months ahead, I am looking forward to getting back into the kitchen and I am looking forward to getting back into the sunshine for some easy exercising!  Until next update, be blessed and take care!

   

Seven Weeks & Feelin' It

7 Weeks Pegnant

I wasn't sure what was ahead of me.  Up until this week I was feeling fine with the exception of wanting to sleep most of the day and all night.  This week however, has brought on some serious aversions.  Our homemade chicken broth is stewing in the slow cooker like usual but boy does the smell send me to the bathroom for some dry heaving!  Not very attractive I know but it is all too true.  No actual vomit, YET! Just the ultra uncomfortable silence sitting at the toilet waiting in discomfort.  Eli  and I consider it a blessing though!  It doesn't feel good but the outcome will be wonderful, that's for sure!  I thought I'd be able to continue life as usual but so far everything has been put on hold, including laundry, weekly house hold duties, even cooking.  This morning we had blueberry pancakes but I had to take a nap break because the smell sent me to the bathroom... So far everything I eat makes me nauseous which is why I'd rather be sleeping or lying down than doing anything, still, being pregnant is an absolute blessing!

Eli has been a sweet heart.  He helps when  he can, getting things I might need when I've already cozied up in bed, suggesting I eat something when I haven't wanted to think about it, etc.  I am so thankful to God for him, he is a blessing! 


Here is a neat video about pregnancy in the first nine weeks if you're interested. 

Also, some additional information from babycenter.com about your seventh week of pregnancy:

(Text is directly from site)

How your life's changing:

Your uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, and eating may feel like a chore — or worse — thanks to morning sickness, which by now may be in full swing. (If you're feeling fine, don't worry — you're lucky!)
You may need to pee more than usual, too, thanks to your increasing blood volume and the extra fluid being processed through your kidneys. (By now, you already have about 10 percent more blood than you did before you were pregnant. And by the end of your pregnancy, you'll have 40 to 45 percent more blood running through your veins to meet the demands of your full-term baby.) As your uterus grows, pressure on your bladder will send you to the bathroom as well.
About half of the women who feel nauseated during the first trimester will find complete relief by about 14 weeks. For most of the rest, it'll take another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. It's unlikely, though, that the need to pee more than usual will ease up. In fact, research shows that both the frequency and volume of urine tends to increase over the course of pregnancy.

Until next weeks update, have a blessed week!

Answered Prayers

6 Weeks Pregnant

Eli and I have been praying for a family since we got married on 26 June 2010. And here we are, a testament to an answered prayer! We are currently six weeks pregnant!  Truly a miracle!  God has brought us SO far in the last year and eight months of our marriage.  It started out very rocky and tumultuous due to my having something likened to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with aggravated Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and major anxiety disorder (MAD) that I had no clue of.  All I knew was that I panicked at nearly every event Eli and I were together - feeling like I was going to be abandoned, forgotten about, overlooked, etc.  This caused me to become very intolerant, aggressive and  jealous.  I was constantly worried that my husband was going to forget about me and leave me so I was wrapped up plagued by constant fear and anxiety.  We started marriage counseling with a Christian Marriage and Family counselor named Joseph Kozinski who not only negotiated his price to fit our budget but took God's perspective and made it ours as we ARE His children.  After seeing that I needed more help than just talking through things and explaining PTSD to us, he set me up with Dr. Kohut out of San Bernardino to help evaluate and place me on an anti anxiety medication.  I have had the most normal and rational life ever since which has allowed my marriage to soar and my body chemistry to regulate and to conceive!  I have never been so clear headed emotionally!  Thank You Lord for your never ending involvement in our lives and for seeing us through the good times and the bad!  We are forever Yours.

Now back to the pregnancy!  So far at six weeks I have been feeling a bit tired.  Usually right after I do something, anything, I feel like rest is needed.  Also, my baby feeders are quite tender.  I feel cramping in my uterus area from time to time which is totally normal.  Eli is SO happy!  Neither of us can keep our mouths shut about it!  We love telling people that we are pregnant and especially to pray for a full term and perfectly healthy baby!  And now that you know, please join in on the prayer ; )  I plan on keeping you all updated week by week with the priceless belly pictures so keep reading and I would love to hear your thoughts!

Lots of love,
Candace

Ohhhh... Fudge... My Mouth Is Watering!

    

 The first time I made fudge, I was, oh.... say 17 years old or so.  I melted the butter with the sugar over a low heat... then the chocolate chips... stirring and stirring, so it wouldn't burn you know.  I had little to worry about in terms of sugar diabeties, excess fat, blood pressure and the sort because I was, well, I was 17!  Those were the days I could slam down an entire pizza by myself without gaining a pound or even worrying about the health stuff.  These days are different!  It's been over a decade since those "eat anything, when ever and where ever" days and my outlook on nutrition differs greatly.  It took some extremism (eating disorders, no fat, calorie counting, you name it, I went there!) to finally arrive at the conclusion that I want a fully nutritional diet, the way God, the Creator and Savior of the world, intended.  That includes unaltered full fat, unaltered cholesterol, preferably organic, grass fed (never grain fed, not even at the end of their lives), no processed sugars of any kind, soaking grains, nuts and seeds, make everything in your own kitchen; Picking up what I'm putting down?!  That's right!  I've put down the boxes of manufactured foods in order to pick up raw foods that I make and enjoy (enjoy the awesome flavors as well as the nutritional benefits!)  All that aside, being that it's the Christmas season (yes, I am a Christian and celebrate Christmas), we needed some fudge around here so I went on the hunt!

Here's What I found!  Got your pen and paper handy?!  Enjoy this simple delicious recipe that is full of health benefits and nothing fake!

Ingredients: Five Total

• 1C Coconut Oil
• 3/4 C Carob Powder (you may use Cocoa Powder but Carob is a bit healthier and hardly different in taste plus, carob is naturally a bit sweet where cocoa isn't!)
• 1/4 C Honey
• 1/4 C Almond Butter (Try making it yourself.  I'll follow up with a post on "how to" within a day or so)
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Add it all to a bowl, preferably stainless steel.  Get a pot of water (approximately 2/3 of an inch of water will do) nice and hot.  When it starts to boil, put the bowl of ingredients on the pot, making sure the bottom of the pot is not touching the bottom of the bowl, we want indirect heat here.  Stir constantly until all the ingredients are mixed well and totally melted and dissolved (approx 5-10 minutes).  Next, line a baking dish with parchment paper and pour the mixed and melted ingredients into the dish. 

When it is totally solid, slice into cute shapes of your choice ; ) and enjoy!  Keep these babies cold as coconut oil melts at around 70 degrees.  Try putting nuts in it next time!

The original recipe came from a compilation of YouTube videos which you can find here.  The nice lady in the video series says the credit for the original recipe goes to Dr. Jordan Rubin.  Dr. Jordan Rubin is the author of "The Maker's Diet" which I plan on following come New Years when the food madness of this beautiful season is passed.  I will keep you posted and am planning on blogging about the details!  Looking forward to it!

As usual, I would love to hear your feedback!  Tell me if you made them and what you thought of them!  I personally think this is my new recipe for the rest of my life! 

A Fun DIY Lampshade!

I have been wracking my brain with what to do for this lampshade that my darling husband got for free from his friends grandmother.  It has a cool vintage mint color along its spiraled stand and the light hinges and extends out about a foot over our brown sofa.  I tried to paint these colorful flowers over the cracked-cream color shade, aiming to make it look mosaic or something but after a few weeks, my eye still hated it!  So I ripped it off in hopes  of discovering a fanciful look for this poor lamp, now with no shade...  I was brainstorming as I was cooking dinner, looking at different ideas online (multitasking!) and at the time, I couldn't find what I had in my mind : / rrrrgg!

I was stuck looking back and forth from dinner in progress to this naked lamp shade trying to think of what I could possibly do... Then!  Then I looked over at a roll of ribbon I picked up from Costco a few weeks ago and it suddenly all came together!  Out came the trusty hot glue gun!  I started measuring and cutting ribbon in lengths that would lay from top to bottom...

Starting with one strip, I lined the shade-skeleton with hot glue, the width of the first ribbon, and wrapped the edge of the ribbon around the skeleton of the shade and over the hot glue (obviously, right... o geez!).  There it stuck, all beautifully finished, so I did the same with the top of the ribbon.  The second and all the rest of the ribbons were lined up with the edges of each ribbon before it at the bottom and bringing the ribbon up, they overlapped the last ribbon by at least half so it would all fit...

Turns out, it looked cool!  Taking pictures with my iPhone does not do it justice!  It does dim the light quite a bit because of the dark ribbon but I am totally satisfied for the time being and now that I have done it once, I can do it again with different kinds of ribbons!  Seasonal even!  Oh, I love being a homemaker!  Thank You Lord!

There you have it!  A DIY lampshade!  Have fun all and let me know if you'd try it or if you have tried it!  I'd love to hear about your lampshades!!!

Searching For The Perfect Title

Hi friends!  I am still searching for a title for my blog that sits just right in my heart so here is take three!  Let me know what you think!

Love,
Candace

Good Eating: Eggplant Kiku & Sprout Salad

"Kiku is a Persian or Arabic dish that has many variations.  It came to Spain during the Moorish invasions where it took the form of the Spanish tortilla or Spanish omelet, with potatoes as a filling." (p.440 Nourishing Traditions)

The ingredients for Eggplant Kiku are:

• 2 eggplants
• sea salt
• 2 onions
• extra virgin olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 3 cloves of garlic
• juice of one lemon
• pepper 
• paprika

Without copying the recipe verbatim from my Nourishing Traditions cook book, I'll give you a brief layout of the recipe.

The first and most time consuming step is to salt the peeled and cubed eggplant.  Let it sit, draining in a colander for an hour or so.

Next, after the hour is up, rinse and drain the eggplant well and...

saute it in olive oil until soft.  When it's soft, mash it with a potato masher or something like that in another bowl.  (I forgot to take this pic... pardon that)

In the same pan you sauteed the eggplant, saute the onions until they look yummy (transparent and browning) then add the mashed eggplants and the garlic.

(Also forgot this picture...eek!) - Beat the eggs with some salt, the pepper, lemon juice and the paprika, add it all to the eggplant/onion/garlic mixture.

Next, pour the mixture into an oiled baking dish (I used a 9x13 baking dish) and bake for 30 minutes or so in a 375*F oven until its just browning on top.  Take it out of the oven, serve it up however you would like!

I served mine with a sprout salad using freshly sprouted sprout, and a homemade sesame ginger dressing (interested in the recipe? Leave a comment to let me know!), garnished with garden fresh tomatoes and freshly ground pepper.  In the picture above, I sprinkled my husbands with Parmesan cheese!  Every bite was delicious!  Try it and let me know what you think about it!

Happy cooking!

From, "The Candace Way" to "University of Ambition"

 Just a little FYI regarding the changes to "The Candace Way."  I was personally not sure if the readers of TCW really knew what the title actually meant so I decided to change it.  "University of Ambition" is ambiguous enough to embrace anything a blogger could think of.  A creative yet positive title is what I was looking for; Hopefully we have reached that goal.  We are still going to have an intriguing time here at the UofA so stay tuned and keep watching as I share my life and creativity with you.  Please feel free to share your thought with us any time by posting a comment.  We care about your thoughts too!

Sincerely,
Candace

Ahhhh... There's something so soothing about fall...

 The first things to make my heart leap for fall are the colors!  Oranges, olive greens, burnt yellows, multitudes of reds and so forth as the color spectrum is limitless.  I am absolutely eager to start my holiday decorating at the coming of the full, moisture rich clouds, and the changing colors.  The day light gets a littler shorter allowing for the lighting of warmly scented candles, sooner, with each passing day.  The chilly nights grant the usage of toasty blankets and piping hot herbal teas which seem to sooth the tensions of the day.  

There is nothing like walking into a warm home with the pleasant fragrance of fresh baked goods and flickering candles in the background.  

Beautiful center Pieces from www.KallistoEvents.com

Top view of the two right centerpieces at left.

The center pieces were brought home from a business meeting we attended for Gillespie Insurance Services.  You can see more floral decorating by Kallisto Events by clicking on their highlighted name.



To the left you see a decorative tree about a foot and a half tall.  I try to decorate it for every season in attempt to bring the seasons and holidays alive in our home rather than having them fly by with no memories of them.

The center the the three diagonal pictures is an old fruit stand that I didn't need to use so I stocked it up with some festive items to brighten up our room, bringing the warm fall colors into our home.

And Mr. Turkey here is just an awesome find from Joann's.  He was on sale so I had to give him a home!

Oh the joy of pumpikins!

Then the bows come out and the festive decorations that transform the environment get splashed around the house, as well as out doors!

 This year is my second fall season being married too!  Last fall we were only married for four months and with our tedious arguments, it was obvious.  This year, we are a little more comfortable with sharing our environment with each other as well as growing closer to one another.  Fall could be particularly awesome because this is the season in which my husband and I met in 2009!  We would go for walks in the cool autumn nights, holding hands for as long as we were together, walking closely to keep warm.  So many charming memories from the fall!!!

I especially love that feeling of being freezing and then walking into a warm home!  Oh Lord, thank You for fall!  Actually, I like all of the seasons but I think I like fall a little bit more than the rest : ).

Do you have a favorite season?  What makes it your favorite, I'd love to hear about it!  

While I Was On The Farm With My Mom...

Yes!  Those are chicken feet!  Excellent for making rich chicken broth!  Chicken feet broth is full of nutrients like collagen, glucosamine chondroitin, gelatin, minerals and much more!  All things that our bodies absolutely need!  I prepared these two pairs of feet myself, which is far from where I came from ( as you may know, I spent lots of years eating a vegan and/or vegetarian diet ).  That all changed when I started feeling like I wasn't getting ALL the nutrients my body needed in order to do what it needs to do to reproduce, and pretty much... function well.

As a quick side note, an awesome blog called Nourished Kitchen has a wonderful recipe for making stock from chicken feet.  Check it out!

My mom lives in a small town called Calimesa where if you buy a house, it will probably be an older one with some property.  Her property is just under a half an acre and she has ducks, a goat, lots of chickens, a goose, dogs, cats, fish, a bird, and her gardening.  I know this is relatively small compared to the country, but for the city, it's great!  We eat the eggs and now, for the health benefits of eating organic, pastured meats, the chickens, and soon the ducks!  So that is what we did today!  We butchered two chickens, well, one rooster and one hen.  It was very humane and quite interesting!  Here is a video snip of the "crime scene" where the killing and feathering was already done and my mom is TCBing ( Taking Care of Business ).  If you have a weak stomach or are an animal rights activist, do not watch as you will have lots to complain about...  Following the video, I will put up a picture of the forming eggs that were taken out of the hen... super, super interesting if the video is too much for you.

That is my mom.  She is such a wonderful lady.  She is a cancer survivor from age 13 when she had to have her right leg amputated.  She finds lots of strength in things like what we "city" folk call farming.  I, on the other hand, try to find all of my strength in Jesus, when I get myself out of the way.
Here is a photo of the egg development progression inside of a hen.  All of these came from one hen and there were more attached on the inside that didn't come out.  Fascinating if you ask me!

Sorry, I had to make the picture huge!

So that was an interesting event huh?!  Butchering chickens ( Humanely! And for our food!) has now been qualified as quality time with my momma!  Thank You Lord for the life You gave us and for the food You provide!

Sincerely,
Candace

Time Really Flies When You're Having Fun!

On top of the hill in my Parents-In-Laws where their garden is.

There is nothing like spending what can be deemed "deep limbic" (this is the part of the brain that is mostly responsible for bonding, moods, emotions, etc.) time with the ones you love!  I have been blessed with five nieces and three nephews and I am in love with each one of them!  Some I get the privilege of spending "deep limbic" time with more than others because they are either (so unfortunately ) the "byproduct" of broken relationships or because some live in other states. 

I get to spend lots of time with Cana, her brother Jackson, and their baby sister, Malina and each one are absolutely riots.  While I was hanging out with them one day, I shot this video of  Cana running down the stairs from the garden... She's so cute and is such a trooper! 

She is such a fun girl!  She loves swimming and I love doing arts and craft things with her ; )  Her ankle was not injured during this film... she though it was for a second though...Yikes!

                                                        
This is Jackson.
I know.... such a cutie!  He's full of social energy, always sure to get his words in during any conversation.  Oh, and he's competitive with his sister : )  That blonde/white helmet hair is, in my eyes, one of Jackson's signatures.

The baby in my beautiful Mom-in-laws arms is Malina!  This picture was taken on my wedding day over a year ago so it does not give her the cute justice she deserves.  She is one adamant little person.  She would walk over to the shoe basket to grab her big brothers shoes for you to put on her, then grab your hand so you can take her for a walk... Adorable!  And she loves/needs her nap times.

So, that vaguely summarizes my fun-times with my nieces and nephew that I get to see most.    Another thing I have been up to is Mocha!

Eli and I have been talking about getting a cat because it would be a good step into parenthood.  Mocha is her name!  We named her Mocha because Eli and I were both indulging in a rare Starbucks Mocha (our personal modifications of course) when we decided to go to the house with the "free kittens" sign we saw the other week.  She was eight weeks old when we got her.  She is now about 11 weeks and is becoming quite a handful - which I am embracing because I think it is a nice introduction into the life of being parents when our time comes.

She is absolutely adorable.

 Yes, she is scaring that cat in the reflection...rrrr... meow!!!  LOL! (Maybe it's so dang cute to me because I'm her new momma... I don't know... ; )













And then there is my love for cooking... well, this could be considered canning or preserving.   I made Cortido, fermented HOT chili sauce, and pickled ginger...yummmm.

Oh, I cannot forget to mention our Casting Crowns concert!  A couple of friends of ours, Lance, Natalie, and Miss Princess Gina Riley, gave us two tickets and it was so cool!  Here is a snippet of one of the songs they did with all acoustic instruments!

They did this acoustic set after the intermission... It was impressive, their witness was admirable, and their life missions are for the youth and to see people encounter Jesus in a true way.

Lindsay McCaul was their first opener, followed by The Afters, and then Sanctus Real.  Together they made up the Come To The Well Tour.  The stories they shared, the songs they chose to sing, and their passion for Jesus, were heart touching, often bringing me to tears.  I had the honor of going with my husband, Eli, who is the best friend I could ever have!  It was a memorable evening!

So, I haven't really been blogging because I am new at prioritizing my blogging time and I just didn't get to it with all the excitement I have been involved in!  I am so glad to have this opportunity to share my life with you though!  Until next post!

Love,
Candace

My Latest Read: Ocean Star

In Ocean Star, author and life-long surfer, Christina De Mari tells in this memoir, her life's story.  From an once loving, turned extremely abusive father, to her checked out mother, the death of her best friend, drugs, her faith walk, and more.  Christina recaps her dark child hood, her out of control teenage years and her life's journey unto wholeness.

This book captivated my heart and I read it in two days.  Maybe it's because I could connect with her struggles in so many ways, and maybe it's the way it was written, but the chilling beginning, the thrilling middle, and the incredible ending was a great read!   

A great big thanks to my sister-in-law, Amy for letting me borrow it : D
I definitely recommend this one.