Tubing Down The River With Adventures Unlimited

I totally forgot how much fun tubing is. I was reminded this weekend while tubing on Cold Creek River with Adventures Unlimited.

Now if you're looking for a relaxing lazy river experience you're not really going to find it...Cold Creek River is riddled with tree stumps. If you don't watch out for will catch you in the bum! The landscape however is lovely so lean back when you can and look up towards the heavens, you'll realize real quick what an amazing place your in. I think the absolutely best part of my experience was traversing this obstacle course of a river with thirty three women. The total arm work out I got was also a bonus!

Four miles and three hours later I was ready to be out of the river, but glad for all the laughter I shared with my fellow bloggers!

Things to remember:

• Closed toe water shoes. Don't think you can skimp on this. I did and won't again.
• Wear a swimsuit. The property has changing rooms. Hat and sunglasses and UV clothing is also a great idea.
• Sunscreen
• Water and a snack helps put it in a cooler or a water tight bag.

This is definitely something affordable you can do. A tube is $20 per person and a cooler tube is $9.

Adventures Unlimited is located about an hour outside of Pensacola in Milton, Florida.

Photos: Photo courtesy of  Sheri from KidSumers.

Zip Lining With Adventures Unlimited

This weekend I soared across treetops while zip lining with Adventures Unlimited during Brandcation-Bloggers Gone Coastal. Zip lining with a bunch of your friends is so much fun. Feeling like your flying through the air at a pretty fast speed is absolutely exhilarating. I can say that, now that my feet are firmly planted on the ground.

If I had to choose a word to describe how I was feeling at the thought of zip lining I'd have to use "trepidation". I'm accident prone and climbing up into the sky, then jumping off into the air made me nervous. However my fears were soon put at ease by the staff at Adventures Unlimited. They're commitment to safety first was reassuring and it ensured I, and all of their other guests zip lining had a great experience.

My two guides on our tour were Dave and Brooke they were super! Not once did I ever feel unsafe, in their more than capable hands. If you're ever in the Pensacola area and are in the mood for some adventure check out Adventures Unlimited -the landscape at that height is worth it, the adrenaline rush (and the Twilight fantasy) is just a bonus!

Things to remember:

• You've got to be able to climb both regular stairs and ladder types.
• Dressing comfortably and wearing closed toe shoes will help make your zip lining experience a better one.
• Most importantly remember that this is Florida and carry a water bottle, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
• If you plan on taking pictures or drinking water a knapsack is an awesome accessory to have (I totally wish I wore one!)
• Wear sunscreen.
• Carry some cash to tip your guides. Believe me when I tell you they'll earn every penny!

Kia Soul: Drives Out of the Box!

If you get my Twitter of Facebook feed from the last week I'm sure you know that I had a blast test driving the 2012 Kia Soul for review. Though this car is classified as a sub-compact automobile where it may lack in room it makes up for in soul! My boys absolutely loved it and now when ever they see one on the road they look longingly at it and wish to have one as their "forever car". My mini-van is pushing 220,000 miles-I can assure you they're not the only ones letting out a long sigh of longing....Sigh.But I digress....back to the Soul. I really drove this car around. I had a great time driving to events during Brandcation, Bloggers Gone Coastal, because it afforded me the opportunity to drive other bloggers around in the Kia Soul. All the feedback I got from my blogger-colleagues was positive. If you know a blogger-you know they are generally unafraid to offer up their opinion so I was glad to hear their positive feedback as well. If you'd like to know the technical details about this car check out this review from Motor Trend My focus is more on the every day, busy writer-mama who spends a ton of time chauffeuring around two little boys. What I liked: It's cute, fun, and so very geek-chic from it's interior, with great little touches like "mood" lighting, and branded fabric, to it's tech-savy radio system, back-up assist (it's got a camera in the rear so you can see-really see what is behind you). The exterior is very square-in a Gap ad-totally-cool sort of way. Gas mileage was phenomenal. With a push of the "econ" button this car could go...and go...and then go some more, with out really taking away from the pleasure of driving this car. My youngest son's car seat was a breeze to connect with the easy to find "latch" system and it fit very comfortably and it left him with plenty of leg room to stretch out with out bugging the front seat. The trunk is small-but it's awesome. It' has this super compartment area where someone who is OCD like me can keep things organized. When I checked out it's safety rating I was very pleased to discover that it received the highest score of "Good" from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for in their frontal offset, side-impact and roof-strength tests. Which means this car is not only fun to drive it's safe to drive. Kia gives a lot to their consumers. Standard on every Soul come the following features: Driver and passenger front air bags Dual front seat mounted side air bags Full length side curtain air bags Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with Brake Assist Traction Control System Electronic Stability Control Tire Pressure Monitoring System 3 Point seat belts for all 5 positions The LATCH system for child seats What I disliked: Giving the car back.All opinions are my own. I was loaned this car for a week from Kia Motors to facilitate this review. Thank you Kia for a super fun week!

'Night Sky' by Jolene Perry Book Review

Night Sky by Jolene PerryGenre: YA RomancePublished: February 21, 2012 by Tribute BooksStand Alone or Series: It's a loner.Source:  I received a copy in e-book format from the author.Where can you get it? These books are available in paperback or e-book. Try Smashwords or Amazon.

What's it About? 

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

What made me want to read it: Who doesn't love a book about unrequited love?

What I thought...

I thought it was really good! I absolutely loved the main character Jay. It's not often you get a male protagonist in young adult literature,  I'm always interested in reading books where there is a strong male voice. Jay is authentic, it's like I was inside the head of a teen.

Jay has two love interests, but there never really is much of a love triangle. I was seriously worried about Sky there for a while, I didn't like her right away. I think this seemed for an overprotective feeling for the MC. I think she make my "Mama Bear" come out a bit in the begining-I'm sure it has everything to do with my mothering two boys of my own. This book does deal with some serious issues like, abuse, rape, and divorce. It's not a dark novel by any means, these issues were handled well, and in a way that wasn't graphic or that could make a person uncomfortable.

It takes place in Las Vegas and since I used to live there it was cool reading about streets and places I'd visited. This is a great story, I'm sure you'll enjoy too!

I received this novel as part of the Night Sky blog hop. Please visit the other blogs on the tour.

'Night Sky' by Jolene Perry Book Review

Night Sky by Jolene PerryGenre: YA RomancePublished: February 21, 2012 by Tribute BooksStand Alone or Series: It's a loner.Source:  I received a copy in e-book format from the author.Where can you get it? These books are available in paperback or e-book. Try Smashwords or Amazon.

What's it About? 

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

What made me want to read it: Who doesn't love a book about unrequited love?

What I thought...

I thought it was really good! I absolutely loved the main character Jay. It's not often you get a male protagonist in young adult literature,  I'm always interested in reading books where there is a strong male voice. Jay is authentic, it's like I was inside the head of a teen.

Jay has two love interests, but there never really is much of a love triangle. I was seriously worried about Sky there for a while, I didn't like her right away. I think this seemed for an overprotective feeling for the MC. I think she make my "Mama Bear" come out a bit in the begining-I'm sure it has everything to do with my mothering two boys of my own. This book does deal with some serious issues like, abuse, rape, and divorce. It's not a dark novel by any means, these issues were handled well, and in a way that wasn't graphic or that could make a person uncomfortable.

It takes place in Las Vegas and since I used to live there it was cool reading about streets and places I'd visited. This is a great story, I'm sure you'll enjoy too!

I received this novel as part of the Night Sky blog hop. Please visit the other blogs on the tour.

10 Little Things [All About Me Sunday]

I’m happiest when… I'm curled up on the couch with my honey watching a movie, reading, writing, snuggling with my little guys.The best place to be in the summer… At the beach underneath an umbrella with a cold drink in your hand and your toes in the sand. I could spend the whole day…  Thrifting, reading, writing, watching old movies.I always wanted to be… a Mom. Awesome. Check. Check. It wasn't until later, I realized that writing was something I always did, loved to do and should pursue professionally.Favorite thing about my house… well MY house doesn't exist. Not yet anyway. The thing I love about my in-laws house... I guess my bedroom. It's the only space that feels like "me".  Sigh.For inspiration I… pin, listen to music, read, talk to my kids, check out blogs, stand on my head (j.k. -but it's not a bad idea).It’s worth the splurge… my Mac Book Pro (thank you honey), DSLR camera, iPhone 4, ASICS running sneakers.Words I live by… “If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough." Day I’d love to live again… my husband coming home for R&R at Christmas.Brings out the best in me… my husband. my kids. being creative.Save

Spectral by Shannon Duffy [Book Review]

Convinced she’s a part of the witness protection program, sixteen-year-old Jewel Rose is shuffled around the globe with her family like a pack of traveling gypsies. After arriving at lucky home twenty-seven, she stumbles upon a mysterious boy with magical powers claiming to be her guardian . . . and warning of imminent danger. Despite the obvious sparks between them, Jewel discovers a relationship is forbidden, and the more she learns about dark, brooding Roman, she begins to question who she can even believe—the family who raised her, or the supposed sworn protector who claims they’ve been lying to her all along. As she struggles to uncover who her family has really been running from, she is forced to hide her birthmark that reveals who she is. With new realities surfacing, unexplained powers appearing, and two tempting boys vying for her heart, Jewel battles to learn who she can trust in an ever growing sea of lies, hoping she’ll make it through her seventeenth birthday alive.Novel: Spectral by Shannon DuffyPublished: Published April 10th 2012 by Tribute BooksStand Alone or Series: Not sure.How I Got it: I received a copy in e-book format from the publisher.Where can you get it? This book is available in all e-book formats. Get it at Amazon it's $2.99!What made me want to read it: I have to admit, when I first received the pitch to review this book I was shocked. Shocked because the premiss is very similar to the book I'm writing down to names, birthmarks, being lied too...etc. I knew immediately I wanted to read this novel because I figured Shannon Duffy had to be a brilliant and totally cool writer, I'd want to get to know. I was right, and you'll want to get to know Shannon Duffy's work too! This book was phenomenal (and nothing really like the one I'm writing *wipes brow*)!What I thought…Jewel is no slacker! I immediately liked her and wanted to get to know her more. Once she discovered the life long ruse her family kept, her world does go and get all topsy turvy, but Jewel managed to keep herself level headed and come out on top!Jewel has probably gone to a zillion different schools (growing up in Witness Protection could do that to a girl), and when she found herself at yet another new high school she wasn't expecting to be there for very long, or make any lasting friendships. She not only manages to make a good friend, but she also has two hot guys to give her butterflies. The love triangle is put to rest early on when Jewel realized which boy is the one for her but not before a little rescuing is done by both boys. Ultimately Jewel rescues herself and becomes the kick ass witch she was meant to become.Shannon Duffy wrote a thrilling story jam packed with intrigued and a few plot twists that will keep you up reading well into to the night. When I got to the end of my e-book I kept trying to turn the page, hoping there was some magic in my iPad that would make the story continue!