Cozumel Mexico 2013

Kate's entire family and part of Zach's family recently took an incredible trip to Cozumel, Mexico. Here are a few pictures we took, but unfortunately, our camera died about half way through the trip!

Kate and Zach snorkeling in a Cenote!

 

This fish was very interested in our camera while we were snorkeling!

Chris, Dustin, Clare and Jake relaxing in hammocks at the Bob Marley's bar. 

Zach and Kate enjoying the hammocks at the Bob Marley bar.

Zach trying out scuba diving in the pool at the resort. 

Dustin, Chris, Jake, Steve and Zach deep sea fishing. 

 Sunset at the resort one night.

Kate in front of Cenote at the Tulum ruins where the Mayans got their drinking water.

Beach view of the Tulum ruins, at the top of the cliff is one of the temples.

 Another temple at the ruins.

Kate and Zach in front of the ruins. 

This vacation was one of our best and we are SO thankful to both of our families for making it possible. We can't wait to go back. 

Until next time...

The Boy from Reactor 4

I'm honestly not even sure how I stumbled upon this book other than I needed a new one. I didn't spend much time looking into the plot line or the reviews of the book, I mostly just went for it because it isn't the typical book I read and the cover looked interesting.

In short, this book takes you on a wild ride through the mafia, Chernobyl, and family ties. It's a really exciting book that is hard to put down (noticing a theme yet?). I like books that are hard to figure out and a keep you guessing as to what you think will happen next, and this book does just that.

The story line centers around a lady who gets caught up in the mafia and family ties which takes her on a crazy trip ending up at the Reactor 4 site from Chernobyl. She is chased the whole time by some really bad dudes and ends up taking care of her cousin (the boy from Reactor 4). While the preface of the book gives you a small indication of what's to come, I never saw all the peril in the middle of the book coming.

Orest Stelmach is a very talented writer and I'm impressed by his deep imagination. The only complaint I have regarding this book is it's believability factor. It's all a quite embellished and hard to give much credit to, but that being said, it's still a great story and VERY easy to get sucked into.

My other warning is this, it's SCARY! So many things are happening all the time and it definitely keeps you on your seat. So be prepared for weird dreams and feeling like you ought to watch your back.

The Boy from Reactor 4 is a fantastic story and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of an adventure in their lives. But beware, it might suck you in and keep you from your "real" life for a while.

Up next - I heard an interview on NPR and the interviewee mentioned the book, Shadow Divers. So whaddya know? I bought it that very day. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and man oh man, get ready!

Until next time...

Reason to Breathe: The Breathing Series - Vol. I & II

The last several days, I've been consumed with the Reason to Breathe: The Breathing Series books I and II written by Rebecca Donovan. I heard about these books through my cousin on Facebook and the eBook version of these books were both under $5 - score!

I happened to be traveling quite a bit a the time and I needed an easy/interesting set of books to pick up - they seemed like the perfect fit. Little did I know, these books would quickly take over my life. I read them both (about 300 pages each) in a little more than a week, between traveling, family time, school, and work - eek!

While this series isn't the most original or well-written, the story is captivating and I would recommend them to you if you're in the mood for an inciting and quick read. They are definitely the type of book that make you want to read them, even if you have other things to be doing. This is also the type of story that infiltrates your sleep, day dreaming, and TV watching. 

Without giving too much away, these books are about a teenaged girl going through hell in her home life. Despite it all, she manages to get good grades, have good friends, and a super cute boyfriend.

The both books end up with a major cliff hanger so you're dying to read the next.Unfortunately, the third book does not come out until sometime this summer so I'm stuck waiting to see what happens.

While it may not being anything more than a silly teenaged girls' book, I found it interesting and hard to put down. That's all I really ask for in a book, so I'd recommend it if you're looking for something easy to read.

Until next time.. 

Book Reviews

Since I am getting my Master's in Creative Writing, I figure what better way to practice writing than to actually keep up with our blog.

In thinking about what I should (and could) write about frequently, I've come to the very obvious conclusion that I should write about something I love and something I do often. Cause Lord knows you guys don't want to read more about our boring life.

As I started to think about what I love most, I came to this realization, what more do I love than reading? I know, I know, sounds silly - getting my master's in writing, but I love reading. Yes, it's true, but I think I love writing because I love reading so much.

All that being said, I've decided to start reviewing all the books I read. People ask me all the time what I'm reading and I'm ALWAYS looking for new books to read and love myself.

So, my goal is to write a short post about the books I read. But my real goal (and evil plan) is to get all of you to contribute. I can't wait to hear your opinions on books, your take, what you're reading, recommendations, etc.

Secretly, I'm hoping it will be like a virtual book club!

I will continue to post about our personal lives if anything exciting comes our way. But in the meantime, books it is. And I couldn't be more thrilled!

Love to all.

J.K Lewis + Girls

Recently I took these pictures of the incredibly cute and bubbly Lewis family. I had so much fun and I hope they did too!

The Best Day of Our Lives

Here are a few pictures from the BEST day of our lives. We have such incredible friends and family and we couldn't be happier. It meant so much for each of you to be there to help us celebrate and to those who weren't, we know you were there in spirit. 

 

 

Decorations

 

 

 Getting Ready:

 

Kate:

 

Zach:

 

The Girls:

 

The Boys: 

 

 The Ceremony:

 

The Group:  

 

Family: 

 

The Mr. and Me 

 

Reception:

Getting Started

So, I'm pretty sure the near the top of the list of to-do's after tying the knot includes starting a blog. Well, we all have to start somewhere right? So here the new Sheltons are!

I, Kate Shelton, the Mrs. in our title, have started this blog to try to keep our family and friends updated with our lives through a touch of humor, real life happs, pictures, stories and electronic love. While, Zach, the Mr. in our title, may have a blog deput someday, I sure wouldn't be holding your breath if I were you. He will however grace us with his humor, pictures and thoughts from a far.

On my blog-to-do list includes uploading some pictures from the whirl-wind of a month we've had, which includes: getting married (best day of our lives); taking an incredible trip to Jamaica for our honeymoon, graditude-filled hearts for all the presents and love we've been given this past month and welcoming the cutest golden-doodle puppy into our home. And wouldn't you know it, after typing all that out, I'm plumb worn-out just thinking about it all. Ha!

So, I'll just give you some teasers for today and I'll write more later.

Love you all!
the mr. and mrs.

Our first dance!

An amazingly romantic dinner date in one of the caves on our honeymoon.

The cutest Mr. ever and the cutest puppy, Cleo.