Book Review – Frasier Island by Susan Page Davis

6920668: Frasier Island Frasier Island

By Susan Page Davis / Harvest House Publishers

After specialized underwater training, Ensign Rachel Whitney is posted to a remote island in the North Pacific, a tiny scrap of rock guarding a highly classified secret. She could love her new assignment if her commanding officer, Lt. George Hudson, were not so obstinate and a bit distrustful.Despite George’s first reaction to her presence on the island, Rachel sets out to prove she is perfect for the job. She doesn’t dream of being a heroine or falling in love, but months later, when word leaks out about the prize they are guarding, Rachel and George have few resources besides each other and their faith in God to foil an enemy attack that could endanger all of America.

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KELLY’S REVIEW:

I read Frasier Island second although it is actually the first book in a series. I read Finding Marie first and really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to reading Frasier Island. I actually wish I had read Frasier Island first. This is not because the books are that closely intermingled as far as the story lines go, but this book actually had a little less action than Finding Marie. I wouldn’t have gone into it anticipating more action if I had read it first. However, I will say that the parts that contained action were very well written and kept me riveted. I don’t feel that the book was at all lacking action, certainly, but after reading Finding Marie first I somewhat anticipated more.The book was most definitely an enjoyable read even without the amount of action in the second novel.

The character development in Frasier Island is superb. I really felt that I got a great insight into the lead characters, George and Rachel, as well as the secondary character of Pierre. The way Susan Davis writes, I feel connected to the surroundings and the characters. I could relate to the characters even with no military or combat experience due to Davis’ insightful and descriptive writing style.

I very much appreciate a novel that doesn’t portray Christians as perfect and shows how all Christians deal with struggles in their lives through their walks of faith. Davis does this beautifully with both Frasier Island and Finding Marie. This provided yet another way I could relate to the characters even without having experienced similar situations.

I very much enjoyed this book and the series. I look forward to the next installment as well. Add these books to your reading list and keep an eye out for future works by the talented Susan Page Davis!

Yesssss!!!

This post is sure to show everyone what I nerd I really can be or really AM…either way you look at it. But, hey, I just have to share because this never happens. I beat Mickey in Wii Golf this morning! WOO HOO! Check this out:

That’s my “Mii” on the left  with the -1 score and Mickey’s on the right with the very uncharacteristic +5 score. Lately I have been addicted to Wii Golf and Mickey indulges me by playing 9 holes with me on it. He usually wins. Sometimes he only beats me by a stroke or two, but he’s been known to take me to the cleaners. Well…NOT THIS MORNING! Ha! I finally won. Granted, he gave up on the 9th green when he knew he wasn’t going to win and his putting added a couple of strokes due to that. But, still…victory was mine. And, I’m just nerdy enough to post about it too. :D

Backyard Discoveries

In cleaning up our backyard this weekend we found some pretty interesting creatures. We raked, piled and moved our leaves to the very back of our property. (About half an acre) In the raking process, we discovered lots of earth worms, grubs, sow bugs (aka – rollie polies), crickets, spiders and lots of little crawlies. Our most interesting discoveries were a baby snake that I uncovered yesterday and a salamander that we uncovered today.

We’ve been in our house for almost a year and a half now and we have had nothing but the best of intentions of cleaning up the backyard properly for ages now. The terrain back there has a ton of potential, but has some rough areas and the leaves haven’t been properly raked in ages. So, we took on the task this weekend. That’s how we discovered our little animal “friends” (I had to use the quotes because I simply cannot refer to even a non-poisonous snake as a friend) in our backyard. I wish I had gotten a photo of the snake so that I could identify him. I feel pretty confident in assuming he was non-poisonous, so that’s good. He was maybe 6-8″ long, tan in color on top and a grayish looking color underneath. And, he was fast. I didn’t take a picture of the salamander either, but I was able to identify it via National Geographic‘s website. It appears that we have spotted salamander living in our yard. Here’s a stock photo that looks pretty similar to the one we saw:

That’s a pretty cool looking critter, huh? All I saw at first was the tail as it skittered beneath our pile of leaves we were moving onto the tarp. I wanted to be sure it wasn’t another snake, so I moved the leaf pile and discovered it was a salamander. He was a pretty nice size and plump too! We got him to move away from where we were working and he burrowed into some brush near the fence.

I have to admit that it was pretty interesting and exciting making these discoveries right in our own backyard. And, yea, it was a little scary too. I have a phobia of snakes and finding that little fella as I was raking DID unnerve me, if I’m being honest, but I didn’t want to harm him at all. It’s really great living in an area that has remained pretty well wooded so that we get to see these kinds of wildlife. Our neighborhood has a great variety of wild animals including hawks, squirrels, rabbits and all sorts of birds. So, it’s great to see all of those plus make discoveries here at home!

Kudos to the Publix Promise

I do the majority of my grocery shopping at our local Publix. I have always enjoyed shopping there because the store is nice, it’s clean and they have good prices, especially on their sale items. Since I’ve been shopping there quite awhile, I know that they have a policy called “The Publix Promise” in which they give you an item free if it rings up at the wrong price. I have never had that happen (that I know of) before today. But, today I got a pack of Huggies Supreme diapers and the shelf price said $15.99. I wasn’t paying attention when the cashier rang them and I discovered when I got out to the car that they had come up as $18.99! I went ahead home, unloaded the groceries, left the girls with Mickey and went back to Publix. I double checked the price and the shelf and, sure enough, the sign said $15.99. So, I went to Customer Service. I saw an assistant manager, Terri, that I have met there before and she got an associate to come over and help me. The associate went to the aisle to check the price and I went with her. She said that price tag was not supposed to be there, but they would have to honor it since that’s what it said when I got the diapers. We got back up front and the package of diapers she picked up somehow rang up as $15.99. They were the same size and style of the ones I had gotten which was detailed on my receipt. The associate got Terri the assistant manager to come over. Terri said they had probably changed the packaging and mine probably had a different bar code causing it to ring up wrong. Initially they were going to give me the $3 difference, but I asked if they still had the policy to give an item free if it rang up the wrong price and they do have that policy still – The Publix Promise. I wound up getting the package of diapers free. And, I am VERY pleased with Publix and their costumer service for taking care of that. So, I say KUDOS to the Publix Promise!!

Weekend Projects

It’s the weekend again. Time to bust out the “honey do” list and get to work! Our forecast today originally called for rain and we did have a short shower this morning, but the rest of the day should be pretty nice. Soooo…it’s project time! Here’s the short list of things we hope to get accomplished this weekend, specifically today:

  • Clean up around the back deck. This entails blowing the old leaves out, cleaning up toys that have fallen under the deck, etc.
  • Update the girls’ backyard play fort. This is all Mickey’s project.
  • Do some spring cleaning and organizing inside the house.
  • Mow the lawn.

Of course, we also want to do some fun family activities too. So, it’s shaping up to be a busy weekend, but really has the potential to be a great one! I hope it’s great all around for everyone!

Happy weekend, y’all!

Exhilarating!

It’s a GORGEOUS spring morning here! Both girls are at preschool this morning, so I decided that the house-cleaning could wait and I went out for a great walk this morning. I took my sweet little hot pink iPod shuffle and set out on a walk. I wound up going longer and farther than I had intended to do when I first set out, but it felt GREAT! I walked just over 2.5 miles in 40 minutes. Certainly not the quickest pace ever, but still pretty decent considering the hilly terrain around here. ;) I’m home now and I’m pumped. What a great way to start the day!

Prayers for Kenya Mission

Our church just had a mission team depart for Kwambekenya, Kenya yesterday. They will be there performing God’s outreach until April 26th. It is my honor and privilege to be a Prayer Partner here at home for those who are serving in Africa. I had hoped to go on a mission trip to Africa this year as I feel God is laying a calling on my heart for me to serve there. But, for me, this is not the year. Still, I can do my part here at home by remembering the mission team and those they are serving in prayer. If you feel so lead, please join me as I pray over them all.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Mark 16:15 (NIV)

Circuit City Friends & Family Spring Sale

Click here for the Friends & Family sale coupon page for Circuit City. This sale ends on Saturday, April 19th.

Christian Book Sale

Sweet Caroline, Low Country Series #1


I just noticed that Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck is on sale at Christian Book! For a limited time, this great book is only $5.99 plus shipping/handling!

I reviewed Sweet Caroline a couple of weeks ago. It is a GREAT read! I highly recommend it, so don’t miss out on this great deal!

Weight Loss Challenge – Week One

Last week I posted about the One Month Weight Loss Challenge I am participating in online. Well, it began this past Monday. So far, so good!

I’m following Weight Watchers again because I love the program and I know it works! What inspires me the most about Weight Watchers is that it is NOT a diet, it’s a lifestyle change. I know that sounds sort of cliched to say, but it’s true. It’s not a diet because on the Flex Plan, I can eat anything I want to as long as I account for the Points. This means that breads, sweets, etc. aren’t off-limits. YAY! It’s been an adjustment reducing my daily caloric intake, but I know that the first several days are the most difficult for me and I’m hanging in there.

I’m also increasing my water in-take and that has been another challenge for me, but it’s a challenge I’m happy to say that I’m meeting head-on. I am not a water drinker by nature, but I am getting better about it. Yesterday I bought two things that are helping with my water consumption. They are:

Brita Water Pitcher

I love this pitcher because now I can have fresh, cold water any time I want it! I had been buying cases of bottled water, but I felt pretty guilty about that because I know the plastic winds up in the landfill and takes up space there forever. So, I decided yesterday to get the Brita and reuse the plastic bottles we have around the house. It’s a great solution! This pitcher is definitely a worthy investment. For only $20, I have months of fresh water! The filters aren’t costly to replace either. Can’t beat that!

Kellogg’s All-Bran Fiber Drink Mix in Pink Lemonade

My best friend Terri told me about this drink mix and I couldn’t wait to try it. It only has 20 calories per serving and has 10 grams of dietary fiber! That means it has no Weight Watcher Points! Awesome! The best thing is that it tastes great. So, I can get my fiber and my water in one sweet package. This is one of the best new products out there if you ask me. I have been recommending it all over the place! YUM!

My first weigh-in is this coming Monday. I hope to have lost at least two pounds by then. Maybe a little more. I’m excited about this and I know the results will come as long as I exercise and stick to Weight Watchers. Again…wish me luck. ;)