Back in September, I did a little flashback post in honor of my 5th wedding anniversary with the Hubster. Today is yet another important day in our romantic history, so I figured another flashback post was in order!  Today is the 7th anniversary of our engagement.  (Awwwww)

We have kind of a unique engagement story.  We went on a cruise to the Caribbean in May 2006.  I had NO idea that Hubs was carrying a ring around in his pocket, just waiting for the perfect time to pop the question.  For the first 2.5 days of the cruise, he brought that darn ring everywhere.  He sweated profusely every time we went through security, worrying that the metal detector would go off and he'd have to reveal it to me right there, in the security line.

Luckily that did not happen.  On May 23, we found ourselves in St. Thomas, enjoying some sun at Morningstar Beach.  We struck up a conversation with the people next to us...who turned out to be Matthew and Gunnar Nelson (of the '90's rock group The Nelsons) and their manager Tami.  (If you need a refresher, watch this video and thank me later:)

They were super cool/friendly and we chatted with them for a while.  Turns out they were the surprise musical act on our cruise ship for the next night.

After a while, I decided to go down to the water and snorkel.  Hubs felt this was HIS MOMENT.  He asked Tami if she would take pictures while he went and proposed to his girlfriend.  And that, my friends, is how I found myself knee-deep in the Atlantic Ocean with a snorkel in my hand, trying to comprehend the heartfelt words that Hubs was saying to me on one knee, while Matthew and Gunnar Nelson cheered us on from the beach and their manager took pictures.

Naturally, I said yes.  We also sat front row at the Nelsons' show the next night, and got a feature on their website for a while.

And that is our awesomely random engagement story.

Okay, so you're like, this is a book blog, what does this have to do with books?  Just like with my wedding post, I am flashing you back to what I was reading in May 2006!  Here's the reading material I had with me on our cruise (thank goodness for Goodreads keeping track of my life), with a short mini-review of each.

Cujo by Stephen King

I know, not really vacation reading, right?  But I'd had this one on my shelf for such a long time, and I figured vacation was a good time to finally get to it.  (And if you think this is bad, I read It on a European cruise a few years later...yeah.)  I am a big SK fan, but this actually turned out to be pretty low on my list of his novels.  Most people know that Cujo is basically a rabid dog that kills people--basic premise.  There's a more interesting backstory than that, but that's the gist.  It's not a terrible story, but there's about 150 pages where this mom and her son are locked in their car...not really doing anything...because Cujo is outside.  There was supposed to be a lot of suspense there, but it didn't work for me--just dragged on and on.  Overall I'd say it's not a bad book, but it's also not an SK fave for me.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

OK, Kelly, again...this is terrible vacation reading!  What were you thinking?  But Angela's Ashes is actually a fantastic book, though depressing.  This is Frank McCourt's memoir of his childhood in Limerick, Ireland.  His family was extremely poor and struggled for survival.  Years of famine, illness, and death plagued them.  McCourt tells his story plainly but in a way that is sure to touch your heart.  I felt myself rooting for him throughout the novel, and I was happy to see a glimmer of hope at the end. It was surely enough to make me go out at read his second memoir, 'Tis, soon after.  An excellent memoir that covers some heavy topics.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

I bought this one in the airport when I was afraid I needed something lighter to read (ya think?).  Sophie Kinsella is always good for lightening the mood.  Samantha, an attorney, walks out of her high-profile job, and through a series of zany mishaps, ends up being hired out in the country as a housekeeper.  Only problem--she hasn't cleaned or cooked a thing in her life.  In typical Kinsella fashion, many ridiculous mistakes and unexpected romances ensue.  If you enjoy the chick-lit genre, this is a fluffy one that will capture your attention for a while.  I thought it was "eh" only because the concept was SO similar to the Shopaholic series (Becky Bloomwood, the accidental finance guru, anyone?).  But of the three books I've listed here, this one is certainly the most appropriate for light vacation reading!

Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!  Happy Engage-a-versary, Hubster!!

Guess what, y'all?  Today is Hubster and my 5-year wedding anniversary.  Woohoo!  We have officially been married 24 times as long as Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries.  If that's not cause for celebration, I don't know what is!



In honor of this hella-awesome day, I am flashing back to the books I was reading around our wedding day and during the honeymoon.  Here's what I read, and a mini-review of each.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Apparently, the beginning of my wedded life was also the beginning of my love affair with Jodi Picoult novels.  JP is one of my favorite authors, and this was the first book of hers that I read.  I actually picked it up from Hudson Booksellers in the airport on the way to our honeymoon (and I still read with the bookmark that came inside!).  Good decision, because I LOVED this book.  In case you live under a rock and haven't read it yet, it's about Anna, whose sister Kate has leukemia.  Anna was conceived by her parents to basically be a donor for Kate and help her stay alive.  Anna decides this isn't what she wants to do anymore--much to the despair of her family.  Well-written and an incredible ending that I did not see coming.  Don't watch the movie--Hollywood ruined this one.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Another book that ended up on my all-time faves list.  What can I say, in September 2007 I picked good husbands AND good books.  In 1964, Dr. David Henry helps his wife deliver their twins.  He notices that one of them has Down's Syndrome before his wife sees her, and so he secretly tells his nurse, Caroline, to send the baby away to an institution.  However, Caroline can't bring herself to do it, and ends up keeping the baby herself.  CRAZY premise, right?  The situation itself is so unique, I had a hard time putting this down as I got wrapped up in the story.  Plus, there are some amazing twists at the end.  I know other reviewers have not always been kind to this book, but I loved it.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Yeah, this was back when The Kite Runner was getting ALL the hype.  I won't give a full synopsis (because it's complicated, and most of you probably already know it), but the story is told by Amir, who grew up in Afghanistan during a time of great government upheaval.  The book is emotional, graphic, and gripping in its sense of reality.  A bit slow in parts, so I didn't think it was all that the hype said it would be, but still a very good novel, especially if you're interested in historical fiction.

There's your 2007 flashback!  Now, off to celebrate with my darling husband. :)