I LOVE going to the movies. Finding just the right seat. Sitting in the dimly lit theater playing the film trivia on the screen. Sipping a cold drink and munching on a good snack. Our theater lets you bring in food from restaurants in their complex. You keep the popcorn -Italian Nachos from Johnny Carino’s is MY favorite movie snack. One of my favorite things about going to the movies is watching the previews. I love knowing what’s coming and looking forward to new flicks with great anticipation.
The people who make movie trailers are geniuses. They suck you right into their web of images, music and quippy lines and you just pray they saved some of the good stuff for the actual film. It’s happened before. I’ve absolutely loved the preview for a movie and then when I paid good money for a ticket (or a rental fee), I’m disappointed and feel let down by the previews. Just the opposite has happened as well. I’ve watched a preview and thought, “rental”, and then when I finally got around to watching it, I loved it and wished I had seen it on the big screen, or at least a lot sooner than I did.
There is a movie coming out on November 21st that I CAN NOT wait to see. It was slated to release in October, so I’m a little disappointed I have to wait longer. I saw the preview for it when I went to see “Becoming Jane” – which I loved. Saw it twice. Yeah Jane Austen! Ahem…anyway. Here is the preview for you and a link to the official website which is incomplete but still draws you in. I might save my fun money and make a big chick flick date out of this one. If you’re in the Denver area, let me know if you’d care to join me! Leave a comment and let me know what you think of the preview for August Rush…or about previews in general. Ciao!
A scorned woman longing for wealth, position, and the return of her son…
An obsessed pirate craving the love of the lady he once ravished…
A twisted nobleman seeking to capture a spurned woman’s heart…
And the intricate plot of vengeance that weaves their lives together…
Sound like a good movie? How about a good book? I just finished reading The Restitutionby M.L. Tyndall. It is the third book in her Legacy of the King’s Pirates series, and my first pirate romance novel. I was a little leery of joining this blog tour. Not because I don’t yet have the pleasure of knowing Mary Lu personally, but because I hadn’t read the first two novels. There’s also the little tidbit about my previous stance on the romance genre in general. After reading it, I was glad I booked passage on Mary Lu’s adventurous and tumultuous journey in the Caribbean. I was quickly caught up in her world of pirates, society, and life on the high seas. Before I present my case in convincing you to read this book, watch this short video about it:
Are you convinced yet? Yes? Fabulous! My work is done here. What’s that? You want to know more about the story and why I liked it? O.K. Since you stuck around I’ll share…
The story begins with Isabel struggling to understand a God she doesn’t really know and why he would allow tragedy to befall her. She’s used to titles and position, but currently she is living a life she didn’t ask for due to another’s actions. If only this theme were exclusively bound into the pages of a book, but you and I know all too well that happens to us in real life too, doesn’t it? She struggles with many of the same issues we’ve all struggled with. Who am I when you strip away family, prestige, promise of a prosperous life, and all of the other outward signs of success in the pursuit of happiness? Can God really uproot the bitterness in my heart? How can I forgive acts of violence against me? Where are you God when I am suffering?
Like a ship on the waves of the sea, the tale shifts and we meet Captain Kent Carlton. He sounds like your everyday hero, but he’s not. He’s been the bad guy since the tale began in Book 1. What work is God doing underneath his fierce exterior? Can he overcome his father wounds to trust the one Father who sees him for who he could and should be ? Can he win the forgiveness and the heart of the woman he loves? He has many choices to make and the wrong ones could cost him his child and possibly his future as a pirate captain. After a life of taking what he wants and proudly wearing the badge of a fierce reputation, Captain Carlton faces an agonizing voyage of self-discovery and renewed purpose while trying to stave off a mutiny aboard his ship.
The wonderful characters in this book deal with some hard issues: Rape, disfigurement caused while performing a heroic act of service, racism, loyalty, doubt, dishonesty, revenge, fear, and my favorite one…forgiveness. No matter what you read, you tend to find the things you’re looking for in a book. I found heart pounding adventure, a fierce love story both between a mother and her child, and the woman and the man she must forgive, and a chest full of golden spiritual truths.
God is in the business of changing people from the inside out and offering a freedom and peace that nothing else in the world can offer. I saw some of my own transformation and growth while I was reading this novel. I ached with Isabel as she searched for her child. I watched from the deck of the ship as a battle ensued and Captain Carlton destroyed a Spanish vessel to rescue several slaves from it’s berth. I got caught up in the awkwardness of a few characters praying without “knowing how”. I marveled at the greatness of God as he reveals his glory and magnificence when He answers a prayer in a visual way so big He couldn’t be denied. I love it when He does that!
M.L. Tyndall is an excellent writer and her works are well worth your time. You can read more about her and her novels on her website. Go check her out and leave a comment or question for her there or here. I’d love to share her work, so I’m holding a drawing for a free copy of The Restitution. If you’d like to put your name in the hat, please email me, or leave me a comment on this post. I’ll hold the drawing on Friday morning and announce the lucky winner. You can also purchase the book by clicking here or checking out your local Christian bookstore. We’ll be seeing ye next time then mateys!
It’s one of my favorite days of the month. Specifically-my day off. The sky today has been a kaleidescope of weather. It was raining when I woke up, now it’s mostly cloudy, with the sun breaking through for an occasional hello. I’m sitting here in a coffee shop relaxing and surfing the web. I’ve been blog hopping for the past hour and leaving comments for friends. It seems like I haven’t had the time to do that much lately. Last week was pretty rough with school starting and my sad attempt to get my family back on a routine. I’m still trying to figure out how to do it all.
It seems I’ve had more cloudy days than sunny ones lately. I’m struggling to see a future with a lack of financial stress, so I’m looking back and seeing God’s faithfulness in providing for my family when we didn’t think we’d make it through the month financially, like this month. I’m working through some hard issues with a few of my friendships, but as I look back I clearly see where He provided friends to walk through some difficult times and days of loneliness. I have great friends and I’m thankful. I’ve been too emotional dealing with my kids and the balancing act of homeschooling. I am a teacher. I’ve been teaching my kids since they entered the world. I’m not proud of some of the unspoken lessons they’ve learned from me, but I know I’ve taught them (and still am teaching them) the things that matter. They love God. They love others. They are compassionate and people of character. They are world changers. I wouldn’t give that up for a straight 365 days of tough homeschooling. The routines will come and things will get better. I know this to be true.
Why is it that when the storm is raging around us all we see is the destruction outside and not the strong walls that protect us? Surely I’m not alone in this. There are storms I’m strong through – an anchor firmly planted – and then there are storms that sweep me out to sea. ~sigh~
My day off. A day of rest. A day to rejuvenate myself so I can face the days ahead. It’s crazy that I look forward to this day with such anticipation and when it arrives I have a hard time deciding how to spend it. What do I enjoy? How do I relax? I read. I drink tea and chai. I write. I devour magazines, mentally filing away the many tips that will improve my life and those of my family and friends. I chat on the phone. I mark up my Bible with highlighting pens. I sing. I blog. I love my days of rest, but resting doesn’t feel natural to me. I have to plan for it. Work for it. Fight for it.
Back in July when Tawnya was here we toured Celestial Seasonings. This painting is one of the first things you see when you enter the visitor center. It instantly brought a smile to my face because it really spoke to me. It encompassed what I need most in my life…rest. Thanks to Bruce Wolfe for painting it. You can see more of his art on the Celestial Seasonings website.
The big day arrived and after much hassle, the Princess boarded her flying coach and made her way towards the royal family and her fears. With a stop off to see one of her favorite Princes and Mall of America, she was feeling strong and ready to handle whatever might happen at the royal wedding.
The tension in the King’s palace was evident though everyone was glad to see the Princess again. There was much to do and the Princess enjoyed the last minute preparations with the King. The wedding day arrived…and it was raining. The bride-to-be was frantic, but the Princess was able to reassure her that there were several hours before the wedding and plenty of time for the grass to dry at the country club for the pictures. Which it did. (Thank God!) The wedding was beautiful as was the bride and all of her maidens. (Two of the four were the Princess’ sisters-in-law.) The Princess sang her heart out and made the bride cry. The princes served in their roles well, and the King beamed as he watched his last child be married off. The wonderful step-queen was gracious and loving to all.
(Princess Cara, Princess Teresa, and Princess Marcia – The lovely bride)
Then came the tension. Pictures. The royal photographer was a jovial man and he allowed the Princess to take some of her own pictures as well telling her which angles were best, etc. The evil-ex-step queen made a big deal out of getting pictures with HER children only with the bride and groom. She was standing right next to the Princess while she said it. 😦 The Princess ignored her and tried not to explode. There were other tense moments throughout the day, but the Princess smiled on and did her best to support her beautiful bride little sister. Here are a few pictures of the royal family – not taken by the photographer. He’s a professional afterall!
(From L-R: Princess Angie, Prince Jason, Princess Niki, Prince Chris, Princess Teresa, Prince Eric, and Princess Cara. Three of the Princess’ brothers and their lovely wives.)
All in all, the Princess’ time with the royal family went well. The evil-ex-step-queen turned out to be less of a threat than the Princess had worried about. She deserves her name, but no more than a passing mention in the story of this Princess. 🙂
The Royal Family including King Don and his wonderful Queen Shari, The Bride and Groom – Princess Marcia and Prince Sam, and the sweetest little princess of all…Katelyn. Princess Sarah (3), Princess Kerstin (8), and Prince Gage (5) were off playing somewhere when this was taken . 😉 And of course the Princess’ family was in Colorado and missed the whole thing.
The cutest little princess – Princess Katelyn.
The Princess Story is far from over, but this is the close of this chapter. There were experiences both painful and exhilarating while the Princess was in the kingdom of her youth. It has been a lot to process and is too much to share here. The Princess would be happy to share more details with anyone interested. Thanks to all who read this story and prayed for the ending to be a happy one!
Pardon my French, but yesterday sucked! (Why do we blame everything on the French?) It was one of the worst days I’ve had in a long time. Homeschooling did not go well. The kids fought me on everything I tried to do. There were lots of tears and time-outs – for me as well as the kids. It was awful. I was tired. I was crabby. I gave up for the day and made the kids go to their rooms. I wish I could say it got better after nap time, but it didn’t.
I threw out a lifeline to my friend Wendy and waited. I left a message on my Facebook saying, “Niki Nowell is having a crappy day!” I called Benny and cried some more. I wanted to demand that he give up his day of rest and come home to rescue me, but I didn’t. He encouraged me the best he could and told me to call a girlfriend and get some advice. He warned me not to isolate myself. I told him I emailed Wendy, but decided to call Jennifer as well. She’s been homeschooling twice as long as I have and she loves me. Surely she would be an encouragement. But I still feared being “needy”. It has become “not ok” with a few of my friends.
After bedtime routines were completed and I had a silent house for a few hours before Benny was due to be home, I jumped on-line to check my email before calling Jennifer. Wendy had emailed me back and let me just say, I am so incredibly blessed to have her in my life. She said everything right, and everything I needed to hear. I had chosen her specifically for how she sees my heart and loves me through things. I also had an email from Jennifer! She had read my status on Facebook and wanted to offer to talk if I needed it. (Thank you God!) So I called Canada (free from my home phone) and Jennifer and I chatted for over three hours. I’m not sure why I keep bringing this up, maybe to show God’s amazing grace in my life, but Jennifer and I haven’t always been friends. We were enemies in college. A fact we blame entirely on Satan. We’re just sure He meant to keep us apart because together we’re a force to be reckoned with! Our lives have paralleled in scary, sad, and hilarious ways and we are so thankful for the healing and nurturing that has happened with us over the past few years. She’s an amazing friend.
***Update: Today is now Thursday and I still haven’t posted this thing! That should tell you how my week has been going. Tuesday was a huge improvement over Monday, and Yesterday we did a field-trip to the library. We have been keeping VERY busy this week and we are desperately trying to get back on some semblance of a routine. That includes no computer until after we’re done with “school” for the day. I’ve been working on Part 3 of “A Princess Story” and will post it soon.
