Honeywood Part II

Sarah says:  I'm still confused by the flavor of this wine, but I'm enjoying it more this time around.  Tonight, since I  knew what to expect, I find myself more able to look past the orange color and peachy flavor, and just drink up!

Overall:  Thumbs higher than yesterday.

Sarah says:  I'm reading what might possible be the saddest book in the entire world.  "Chasing Charlie" by CM Newman, is a freebie I got on my kindle.

Book description:  Get swept away with Vince and Angela in Chasing Charlie, a deep exploration of love and faith that has sold over 80,000 copies and has been the #1 best seller on Kindle's Religious Romance, Christian Inspirational Romance, and overall Christian Fiction lists, as well as the #5 best-selling free book in the Amazon Kindle store.

Vince Glasser, an overworked federal agent and single father with a troubled past, already has enough on his plate when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He deals with it the only way he knows how--by fighting the illness with everything he has in him. Along his path toward a certain end, he mends relations with his estranged brother, reexamines his faith, prepares his son to live life without his parents, and finds room for romance with his longtime partner, Angela Hawkins.

Angela finds herself falling in love not only with Vince, but also with his young son, Charlie. In caring for both of them, she sees that despite decades-old mistakes that have left her in a pattern of empty relationships, she can still find redemption and have the family she's always wanted. But a nagging feeling tells her that death isn't the only thing that threatens to tear her new family from her grasp.

Amidst the struggles of a family with an expiration date, between the medicine and the meltdowns, Angela and Vince learn the true meaning of grace. See what other readers are talking about as two lost people find each other - and God - just in time.

Chasing Charlie is currently undergoing professional editing. A first round of revisions went live in May 2013; please expect another round of editing to be completed in July 2013. Please note that editing will be for errors, but not for length. Chasing Charlie is long and will remain that way unless C. M. Newman chooses to submit it for traditional publication. It is currently a self-published work. 

Sarah says:  This sounds like everything I want in a book, but so far is just so darn sad.  A few years ago his ex-wife died, then he survived a gun wound while working, now he has terminal cancer and only has 6 months to live!  And, he has a 6 year old boy!  Geez, poor guy can't get a break.  And this book is long!  I've been reading it for days and I'm only 10% done (per Kindle, I didn't calculate that myself - on a totally unrelated note, I cannot seem to grasp the concept of reading on a Kindle and not being able to see how thick the book is, and thus seeing how much I've read or still have to read).  I'm expecting it to get more uplifting, but probably more sad at the same time.  I will keep you posted.

As sad as the book has been so far, it has one good thing... it's got Vince, and me, thinking about a bucket list.

I've never put too much thought into a bucket list, now is probably a good of a time as any to start one.  I think of a bucket list of being things that I want 100% for me.  I'm sure I mentioned before that pretty much every decision I make in someway or another has my kids best interests in the back of my mind.  I love them dearly, but I'd like to keep them out of this.  So here goes:

• Go hot air ballooning
• Complete a marathon
• Vacation in Hawaii
• Eat at a sit down restaurant by myself
• Sew something useful (ie. more than a button)
• Sit in the audience of a live TV show
• Kiss Jon in the rain
• Fly first class
• Be someone's mentor
• Travel to New York, New York
• Donate blood
• Take a surfing lesson
• Do a color run
• Learn to cook one really good item that I could take to a pot luck
• Go to the symphony
• Read the Bible
• Play paintball
• Go to the airport, pick a flight, and go
• Plant a tree
• Build a bonfire on a beach
• Learn to make a balloon animal
• Make my own wine
• Go on a mission trip
• Give horse back riding another try
• Drink from a coconut
• Order room service
• Buy every flavor of cookies from a Girl Scout at a cookie booth
• Travel to Washington DC, appreciate it this time
• Ride an elephant
• Join a flash mob
• See the Lion King live on Broadway
• Own a Coach purse
• Give a stranger flowers

That's a start.  I feel that most of these are fairly attainable, I didn't want to set myself up for failure.  I don't have a timeline for any of this, so don't you people start pressuring me to get it done!  I'm expecting a lot of it won't happen until my kids are a tad older, but none the less, it's a list of goals, and that feels good.