Review: Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska

Tonight I have a very special post for you. I had an opportunity to review a book before the official release date which is January 1, 2013. 

Before I get to the review of the book I wanted to share a little story of my own on how this came to be. A couple of years ago I attended a women's retreat and had the pleasure of meeting an amazing woman and international speaker Heidi McLaughlin. After the weekend I was researching Heidi and discovered a radio show that interviewed her. That radio show was none other than Living Inspired with Tricia Goyer. I found Tricia fascinating and of course started to follow her blog. The rest, as they say, is history. 

About the book
Singer Ginny Marshall is one signature away from the recording contract of her dreams—a deal that would guarantee success for the former foster child, who still struggles to bury the memories of her painful childhood. But Ginny needs advice from the one person who will look out for her best interests—her former fiancé, Brett Miller. She travels to the remote town of Glacier Bay, Alaska, where the town’s colorful characters and stunning scenery provide respite from LA’s pressures.
 
In Glacier Bay, Ginny discovers a box of old letters and is swept up in the love story between Clay, an early missionary to Alaska Territory, and Ellie, the woman who traveled there to be his children’s governess. When Ginny is reunited with Brett in Glacier Bay, will she discover—as Ellie did—that healing and love are sometimes found in the most unexpected places?

My Take
On Christmas Eve I received my copy of Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss. I have to say this was a wonderful Christmas present! I worked the evening on Christmas Day and I just couldn't put it down. I devoured this book as though I was starving and hadn't eaten in days. It took me less than a day to read. Tricia and Ocieanna really dive into the rich history of the land and paint the beautiful picture that is Alaska. I was on the edge of my seat and had to know what Ginny would do next and what the outcome would be for Ellie, the woman in the letters. Reading about the two completely different time periods was fascinating. I love the way the authors developed both love stories simultaneously and ended it beautifully! What really touched me was seeing Ginny's faith blossom through reading the letters and spending time with both Grandma Ethel and Brett. Any story that makes me laugh and cry out loud, regardless of my surroundings, is a best seller to me!  

Giveaway Hop 

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Happy Dance

I'm very excited to announce that I officially have a job in my field! I am now a Casual Relief Counselor for a women's residential treatment facility. I have a regular weekly shift and should be able to pick up another one here and there.

It may not seem like a big deal, but this is HUGE to me. Since, I've started this process I've known that I want to work with women in addictions. I haven't wavered from this idea once. I've known all along this is the area I'm meant to work with. I feel strongly about advocating for women, especially women with addictions.

I have an interview on Thursday for a job at Staples. It's not in my field but it will pay the bills while I'm trying to find work that will pay the bills and be in my field. For now I'm content to know that I have my foot in the door at a treatment facility. 

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I PASSED!

I Passed! I Passed! I Passed!

I got a call from my teacher last night to say that I passed and more than that I passed with a 92%!!!!! 

I am so happy and relieved. I admit I'm still shell shocked. It's all been a blur of lectures, stories, assignments (I'll be happy to NEVER do ANOTHER essay again!), midterms, tests, finding a placement, and passing my comprehensive at the end. All of this and so much more has been my life for the last 8 months. 

Tomorrow I start my new journey - working at my student placement for the next 8 weeks or so (I need 320 hours). My biggest challenge is going to be putting myself to bed at a decent time. Oh, and making sure the kids have everything they need ready the night before! 

Now, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who's been there for me especially over the last 8 months. I've gone through some really rough patches and if it wasn't for you (you know who you are) I don't think I would have survived - let alone succeeded! I appreciate all of the prayers that were going around behind the scenes. I am so grateful to those who encouraged me when I was so discouraged. I am thankful to those who believed in me even when I couldn't believe in myself. I love you all. 

I Passed! I Passed! I Passed!

Have a great day and enjoy some of this sunshine!

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Pre-Test Post

Okay folks.....it's D-Day...or in my case T-Day, as in Test Day, the BIG test. This test covers 14 of the 19 subjects I've taken in the last 8 months. From ethical counseling to pharmacology and a whole lot in between! My nerves just kicked in - I'm feeling wound right up! I'll post AFTER my test to let you know how I feel about it. Okay enough procrastination off to study! 

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Big Changes and a Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day card (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's been so long, I'm not sure where to start. I feel completely out of practice. First things first...I've come back to Blogger. Trying to maintain my own site was too complicated with my life right now. It was fun when I was working on it, but the reality becomes I just don't have the time. At least here on Blogger I can just write and I'm pretty sure that was the whole point in blogging. If I can manage blogging once a week I'll be happy. 

You must all be wondering what happened to me? If you recall, I've been in school since September in the Addictions and Community Service Worker program. Friday marked my last official day of class! Tomorrow is my big comprehensive exam that covers a little bit of everything we've studied. Wednesday I start my eight week placement at the Elizabeth Fry Society. Like I said, big changes! 

It's an exciting time full of emotions. I'm happy, sad, nervous and anxious all at the same time. I'm going to miss the people I've grown close to, although I'm sure this is not the end to our friendships! I'm relieved that I've passed all of my courses and at last check I'm sitting around 86% overall. Who knew I could pull off taking a heavy course load as a wife and mother of 3 and still manage 86%? 

There's still a lot to catch up on, but for now this will have to do. I've got a career to start! Have a wonderful day.

Happy Mother's Day!

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