This post was long overdue but here we are with my top thriller/mystery books. Most of these books I’ve listened to on audible so I will let you know about my audible experience as well. I know a few of these are old but I still wanted to share because they were so good and I know I have a lot of readers who are newly into the thriller genre and these are some good ones to start out with. I will also mention that the pictures are clickable, so if you want to purchase a book, or the audible version you can just click on the picture. In no particular order, here are my favorite reads...
The ruined wife by Marin Montgomery
This psychological thriller was just released in January and it was crazy good! The storyline is a perfect example of why communication in a marriage is very important. Alastair has the perfect life, a lovely daughter, and is financially successful, but as her husband starts becoming distant, thoughts of infidelity start popping in her head. The author unveils the truth in a dramatic way, but before finding out what’s really going on, you will find yourself questioning if Alastair’s husband is really cheating, or is it all a big misunderstanding. I flew through the pages trying to find out what was going to happen and I was not disappointed as this book is jam packed with drama. I can’t give more details without giving away the ending, but I will say that this book had high reviews and if you like psychological thrillers, then you will like this one!Audible: The audible version was pretty good and got me sucked into the story as soon as I started listening.
Not her daughter by Rea Frey
This book came out in August 2018 and it was the authors first debut album. Although this book is based on a kidnapping, it’s actually different than any other kidnapping book you’ve probably read! Sarah Walker is a successful business owner who's business requires her to travel a lot. While waiting to board a plane, she witnesses a disturbing scene between a mother and her five-year-old daughter. Amy is clearly upset with her five-year-old daughter Emma however, it still does not justify how hateful, and physically aggressive she is towards her. Sarah feels as though she needs to save this girl from her mother Amy, but doesn’t know exactly how. When a second opportunity presents itself, and Sarah bumps into this family again, Sarah takes action and kidnaps Emma. But is it really kidnapping when you’re saving a child from an unloving family? To the police it is, and this book will have you racing to the end to find out how this will all work out for everyone because newsflash, kidnapping is a crime. The book is told from Sarah-the kidnappers point of view, and Amy-the mothers point of view. I’ve got to admit, I felt bad for the mother Amy at times because as a mother I know that sometimes parenting can be tough, and frustrating, but you need to read this to see what I mean. If you're a mom, then I promise you’ll love this book. Audible: There were so many emotions in this book and the narrator did a great job at sounding out all emotions and voices. If reading is not for you then you will enjoy the Audible version.
The kind worth killing by Peter Swanson
This book was a page turner! It was very well written, and the ending was difficult to predict, which I almost always do. The story starts with Ted and Lily chatting at the airport lounge. Ted is upset because he recently found out his wife, Miranda, is cheating on him. Ted is devastated and tells Lily (jokingly) that he would like to kill his wife for cheating on him. Surprisingly, Lily agrees that he should kill his wife…“Truthfully, I don’t think murder is necessarily as bad as people make it out to be. Everyone dies. What difference does it make if a few bad apples get pushed along a little sooner than God intended? And your wife, for example, seems like the kind worth killing.” Who is really the bad person? The murderer or the victim? You will think you have this story all figured out but I promise you, you will feel played by the author as the story unravels and the plot twists come at you. I finished this book in one sitting, and this is one that I will always recommend.
The woman in the window by A.J. Finn
This book was so hyped up, and when I heard it was also a film in progress I decided to read it before it hits theaters later this year. I will say that this book starts out a bit slow, so if you find yourself bored, don’t give up on it so soon because once it picks up, you will be glued to the pages! The book follows Anna, who a few years back experienced a traumatic life event which resulted in her becoming an alcoholic with severe agoraphobia. Her home is her entire world, and she never ever goes outside. She spends most of her days drinking, and spying on her neighbors from her window. One day as she was spying on her neighbors, she witnesses something crazy, and despite her efforts to get to the bottom of it, she begins to question if what she saw was real or a combination of alcohol, and medication she takes. This one reminds me of the girl on a train, and I am curios to see if the movie is a big hit like the book.Audible: It took me forever to finish this as I didn’t have time to sit and read so I purchased the audible version and let me just tell you-save your money or audible credit and just read it! The woman who narrates this story on audible sounds like she is falling asleep! Her voice is so dreadful and it was extremely difficult to get into the story. It’s a great book but if you listen to the audible version you will probably hate this book.
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
This was another book that was hyped up and it lived up to all the hype there was about it. It’s actually one of the first psychological thrillers I've read and the reason I got into these types of books....it was that good! Jack and Grace look like the perfect couple with their big mansion, good looks, and elegance. Very early into the story you will start to notice that something is very wrong with their relationship. What goes on behind closed doors is terrorizing, and you will find yourself wishing you could read faster to see how this book ends. I kept thinking about this book days after I finished it because it's actually something that can happen, and does happen in life. You will not be disappointed in this one.
Before we were strangers by Brenda Novak
I love a good mystery book and this one got my attention more so because I live in Texas and the story takes place in a small town in Texas. It was a good read with a plot twist that I did not see coming! I mean the story was coming to and end, I thought it was all settled, and then bam, plot twist! Sloane was only five years old when she couldn't sleep at night thanks to her parents arguing. Then she heard it...a loud thump, before it all went quiet. After that night, she never saw her mother again, and is told that her mom simply had enough and walked away from her family. Fast forward to her twenties, Sloane is a successful model now living away from her family in New York but cannot put the memories behind. She decides to come back to town to find out what really happened that night but this means she has to face her estranged father (who is now the towns mayor), and brother who clearly don't want her back in town for some reason. There is also her ex-boyfriend whom she left behind and is now married to her best friend but is still not quite over her. Audible: The audible narrator did a great job, which I am so glad for because it just made the story more enjoyable.
No Exit by Taylor Adams
This is another mystery book I enjoyed as it was packed with action from the very first page. I could definitely see this one be made into a movie, and I hope it does because it was so good! It has a lot of gore so if you're not into that then you might want to skip over those bits but I definitely kept reading to make sure I didn't miss any important details. Darby is on her way home from college when she is forced to stop at a high way rest stop due to a blizzard. She's stranded with four other strangers, with no cell service, and no way to drive away because there is so much snow. While stepping out of the rest stop building in attempts to get cell signal, she sees a little girl locked in a cage in the back of a van. She quickly realizes one of the four strangers in the building is a kidnapper, but which one? and how can she save the little girl if there is no cell service, and no way to just drive off? This book should have came with an oxygen mask because it sure ramped up my anxiety as I got deeper, and deeper into the book. I finished it in one day because I needed to know how it would end. Run to the bookstore, or audible and get this book!!!Audible: I give the audible version five stars! I love when a good book has a good narrator because the story becomes 100 times better and the audible version did not disappoint.
Let me know if you read any of these books, and your thoughts. Also send me your book recommendations as I am constantly looking for new books to read. Thanks for stopping by! XO
My thriller and mystery book recommendations
June 12, 2019 • audible, book, book recommendations, book review, Lifestyle
This post was long overdue but here we are with my top thriller/mystery books. Most of these books I’ve listened to on audible so I will let you know about my audible experience as well. I know a few of these are old but I still wanted to share because they were so good and I know I have a lot of readers who are newly into the thriller genre and these are some good ones to start out with. I will also mention that the pictures are clickable, so if you want to purchase a book, or the audible version you can just click on the picture. In no particular order, here are my favorite reads...
The ruined wife by Marin Montgomery
This psychological thriller was just released in January and it was crazy good! The storyline is a perfect example of why communication in a marriage is very important. Alastair has the perfect life, a lovely daughter, and is financially successful, but as her husband starts becoming distant, thoughts of infidelity start popping in her head. The author unveils the truth in a dramatic way, but before finding out what’s really going on, you will find yourself questioning if Alastair’s husband is really cheating, or is it all a big misunderstanding. I flew through the pages trying to find out what was going to happen and I was not disappointed as this book is jam packed with drama. I can’t give more details without giving away the ending, but I will say that this book had high reviews and if you like psychological thrillers, then you will like this one!Audible: The audible version was pretty good and got me sucked into the story as soon as I started listening.
Not her daughter by Rea Frey
This book came out in August 2018 and it was the authors first debut album. Although this book is based on a kidnapping, it’s actually different than any other kidnapping book you’ve probably read! Sarah Walker is a successful business owner who's business requires her to travel a lot. While waiting to board a plane, she witnesses a disturbing scene between a mother and her five-year-old daughter. Amy is clearly upset with her five-year-old daughter Emma however, it still does not justify how hateful, and physically aggressive she is towards her. Sarah feels as though she needs to save this girl from her mother Amy, but doesn’t know exactly how. When a second opportunity presents itself, and Sarah bumps into this family again, Sarah takes action and kidnaps Emma. But is it really kidnapping when you’re saving a child from an unloving family? To the police it is, and this book will have you racing to the end to find out how this will all work out for everyone because newsflash, kidnapping is a crime. The book is told from Sarah-the kidnappers point of view, and Amy-the mothers point of view. I’ve got to admit, I felt bad for the mother Amy at times because as a mother I know that sometimes parenting can be tough, and frustrating, but you need to read this to see what I mean. If you're a mom, then I promise you’ll love this book. Audible: There were so many emotions in this book and the narrator did a great job at sounding out all emotions and voices. If reading is not for you then you will enjoy the Audible version.
The kind worth killing by Peter Swanson
This book was a page turner! It was very well written, and the ending was difficult to predict, which I almost always do. The story starts with Ted and Lily chatting at the airport lounge. Ted is upset because he recently found out his wife, Miranda, is cheating on him. Ted is devastated and tells Lily (jokingly) that he would like to kill his wife for cheating on him. Surprisingly, Lily agrees that he should kill his wife…“Truthfully, I don’t think murder is necessarily as bad as people make it out to be. Everyone dies. What difference does it make if a few bad apples get pushed along a little sooner than God intended? And your wife, for example, seems like the kind worth killing.” Who is really the bad person? The murderer or the victim? You will think you have this story all figured out but I promise you, you will feel played by the author as the story unravels and the plot twists come at you. I finished this book in one sitting, and this is one that I will always recommend.
The woman in the window by A.J. Finn
This book was so hyped up, and when I heard it was also a film in progress I decided to read it before it hits theaters later this year. I will say that this book starts out a bit slow, so if you find yourself bored, don’t give up on it so soon because once it picks up, you will be glued to the pages! The book follows Anna, who a few years back experienced a traumatic life event which resulted in her becoming an alcoholic with severe agoraphobia. Her home is her entire world, and she never ever goes outside. She spends most of her days drinking, and spying on her neighbors from her window. One day as she was spying on her neighbors, she witnesses something crazy, and despite her efforts to get to the bottom of it, she begins to question if what she saw was real or a combination of alcohol, and medication she takes. This one reminds me of the girl on a train, and I am curios to see if the movie is a big hit like the book.Audible: It took me forever to finish this as I didn’t have time to sit and read so I purchased the audible version and let me just tell you-save your money or audible credit and just read it! The woman who narrates this story on audible sounds like she is falling asleep! Her voice is so dreadful and it was extremely difficult to get into the story. It’s a great book but if you listen to the audible version you will probably hate this book.
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
This was another book that was hyped up and it lived up to all the hype there was about it. It’s actually one of the first psychological thrillers I've read and the reason I got into these types of books....it was that good! Jack and Grace look like the perfect couple with their big mansion, good looks, and elegance. Very early into the story you will start to notice that something is very wrong with their relationship. What goes on behind closed doors is terrorizing, and you will find yourself wishing you could read faster to see how this book ends. I kept thinking about this book days after I finished it because it's actually something that can happen, and does happen in life. You will not be disappointed in this one.
Before we were strangers by Brenda Novak
I love a good mystery book and this one got my attention more so because I live in Texas and the story takes place in a small town in Texas. It was a good read with a plot twist that I did not see coming! I mean the story was coming to and end, I thought it was all settled, and then bam, plot twist! Sloane was only five years old when she couldn't sleep at night thanks to her parents arguing. Then she heard it...a loud thump, before it all went quiet. After that night, she never saw her mother again, and is told that her mom simply had enough and walked away from her family. Fast forward to her twenties, Sloane is a successful model now living away from her family in New York but cannot put the memories behind. She decides to come back to town to find out what really happened that night but this means she has to face her estranged father (who is now the towns mayor), and brother who clearly don't want her back in town for some reason. There is also her ex-boyfriend whom she left behind and is now married to her best friend but is still not quite over her. Audible: The audible narrator did a great job, which I am so glad for because it just made the story more enjoyable.
No Exit by Taylor Adams
This is another mystery book I enjoyed as it was packed with action from the very first page. I could definitely see this one be made into a movie, and I hope it does because it was so good! It has a lot of gore so if you're not into that then you might want to skip over those bits but I definitely kept reading to make sure I didn't miss any important details. Darby is on her way home from college when she is forced to stop at a high way rest stop due to a blizzard. She's stranded with four other strangers, with no cell service, and no way to drive away because there is so much snow. While stepping out of the rest stop building in attempts to get cell signal, she sees a little girl locked in a cage in the back of a van. She quickly realizes one of the four strangers in the building is a kidnapper, but which one? and how can she save the little girl if there is no cell service, and no way to just drive off? This book should have came with an oxygen mask because it sure ramped up my anxiety as I got deeper, and deeper into the book. I finished it in one day because I needed to know how it would end. Run to the bookstore, or audible and get this book!!!Audible: I give the audible version five stars! I love when a good book has a good narrator because the story becomes 100 times better and the audible version did not disappoint.
Let me know if you read any of these books, and your thoughts. Also send me your book recommendations as I am constantly looking for new books to read. Thanks for stopping by! XO
Today I make 26 weeks pregnant which means I am currently in the second trimester, and will soon share my second trimester update. I still remember everything from my first trimester, and wanted to share with you all the details. This pregnancy has been so different than my first in so many ways, and I'll be sharing in a Q&A form so here we go...
When did you find out?
I took a pregnancy test on January 7 (the cheap ones that come with the ovulation kit) but because the positive result was very faint, I didn't believe it was a true positive. I kept testing every day that week for four days and still kept getting faint positives. Finally, I went out and bought the Clear Blue digital test and sure enough the word "pregnant" came up. Turns out I was getting faint positives because my pregnancy was so early and I didn't have enough pregnancy hormones to create a strong positive. Looking back at this it makes me feel dumb that I didn't trust those faint positives. I went to medical school a few years back and I should have known I was pregnant from the start lol. You can read more about the beginning of my pregnancy journey here
How did you tell family and friends?
I really wanted to make cute little announcement gifts and surprise our families, however my husband was way too excited and couldn't keep the secret much longer. We ended up telling his side of the family back in February while at my mother in laws birthday party, and they were pretty excited for us. On my side of the family we told my parents, our son, and siblings by showing them the pregnancy test, and later posted on Facebook our announcement photos to let the rest of the family know. We both have big families so making cute gifts and telling each family one by one, would have taken forever lol. Who knows, maybe I'll do something cute for the next baby.
Any weight gain?
From the time I found out I was pregnant to the time I went to my first doctors appointment at seven weeks pregnant, I had gained one pound. Three weeks later I had to go back to my doctor for bloodwork. and another ultrasound, and had gained two more pounds so now it was a total of three pounds gained. By my next appointment I was shocked to have lost the two pounds that I had gained on my previous visit. By my last first trimester appointment, I had gained those two pounds back so if you ask me, I gained a total of three pounds on my first trimester which is completely normal. My goal is to gain less than 30lbs this pregnancy and will be working out as soon as my doctor gives me the "ok" to do so after baby is born.
Physical changes?
Oh yes! Since around week four I was ridiculously bloated. I was surprised that I had only gained one pound by that time because my belly so huge, and I mean like four months pregnant huge and I was only four weeks! I guess it was just my body accommodating to growing a baby because by week seven the bloatedness went away and my belly went back to its normal size. Other than this, I didn't have any other body changes.
*Me at 13 weeks, belly starting to show*
Have you bought maternity clothes?
Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I am 26 weeks pregnant or 6 months pregnant, and still fit into most of my regular shirts so I never bought any maternity tops during my first trimester. My jeans on the other hand, started feeling uncomfortable by the end of my first trimester so I did go out and buy one paid of maternity jeans from Ross. If you are expecting I really recommend the maternity section at Ross. They have really cute clothes and all very affordable! My maternity jeans were only $15 and the fit was way better than the expensive jeans from the maternity stores at the mall. Other maternity stores I recommend are: Motherhood Maternity, Old Navy, Asos, H&M, and PinkBlush.
*Here's me at 13 weeks trying out maternity clothes with my teeny tiny bump*
Are you sleeping well?
Sleep was great in the beginning of my first trimester since my bump was tiny. Towards the end of the first trimester I did have to get a body pillow because I started sleeping on my side and needed that extra side support if that makes sense.
Any symptoms?
So to give you a little background, I didn't actually get any symptoms until I hit 9 weeks as far as morning sickness. Even so, I didn't have morning sickness, but I did experience afternoon sickness. Every day for exactly one month, I got sick after 3pm but it was bearable. I got the worse of it on week 13, and even had to force myself to throw up to see if maybe that would make me feel better (which didn't by the way). Thinking back at this, it wasn't as bad as my first pregnancy, and I am extremely grateful that I didn't get super sick. Another symptom I had was acne, and it was so bad! I had never had a breakout like I did with this pregnancy and not even the best face creams helped. My skin is all better now but the acne did last a good three months. Lastly, something else I experienced that is really not a symptom but I guess you can say more of a discomfort was having a hard time brushing my teeth! I think almost every pregnant woman experiences this and usually lasts all pregnancy. It's crazy how brushing your teeth makes you gag and something throw up acid. Sorry TMI but if you've ever been pregnant then you know what I mean.
Did you have any cravings?
All I wanted was cold fruit especially watermelon. At other times I randomly asked my husband to get me some cake but other than that, I didn't really have any major cravings.
Any food aversions?
I could not eat or smell meat! Even the thought of meat made me sick. There were also a few other foods and snacks that I really loved like pickles, but as soon as they were in my mouth, they instantly tasted foul and I couldn't eat them. I was also a big time water drinker and when my symptoms kicked in, I was no longer able to drink water. Thankfully that went away and I am back drinking water again.
Babys Gender?
Since this pregnancy has been different than my pregnancy with my son, I was starting to think I was now expecting a baby girl. Both mine and my husbands family (with the exception of very few people) all thought it was a boy. All I kept hearing was boy, boy, boy, therefore I convinced myself that I was having a boy. I spent so much time reading on old wives tales and the Chinese gender calendar and kept getting mixed answers. My doctor offered us genetic testing as a courtesy so we said yes and found out the gender at our gender reveal party in March. I will finally be sharing our baby's gender with you guys next week and I cannot wait.
*This was taken at out gender reveal party on March 31st. I was 16 weeks here. What do you think? Boy or Girl?*
Least favorite moments?
Feeling tired all the time and the short period of evening sickness. Thankfully it all went away phew!
Best pregnancy moment?
Best moment was listening to our baby's heartbeat for the first time. I bought a doppler so the first time we heard baby's heartbeat was at the comfort of our home, and it was such a special moment. Another best moment was seeing our baby for the first time in the ultrasound. At just seven weeks, there was baby, just a tiny little bean but already so loved and we cannot wait for baby to be here.
Something you are looking forward to?
By the end of my first trimester I was really looking forward to feeling my baby move. Feeling the little kicks is my favorite thing about pregnancy with the exception of my ribs being kicked lol. Something else I was looking forward to was getting my energy back. Feeling tired all the time sucked!
Thanks for stopping by! XO
Today I make 26 weeks pregnant which means I am currently in the second trimester, and will soon share my second trimester update. I still remember everything from my first trimester, and wanted to share with you all the details. This pregnancy has been so different than my first in so many ways, and I'll be sharing in a Q&A form so here we go...
When did you find out?
I took a pregnancy test on January 7 (the cheap ones that come with the ovulation kit) but because the positive result was very faint, I didn't believe it was a true positive. I kept testing every day that week for four days and still kept getting faint positives. Finally, I went out and bought the Clear Blue digital test and sure enough the word "pregnant" came up. Turns out I was getting faint positives because my pregnancy was so early and I didn't have enough pregnancy hormones to create a strong positive. Looking back at this it makes me feel dumb that I didn't trust those faint positives. I went to medical school a few years back and I should have known I was pregnant from the start lol. You can read more about the beginning of my pregnancy journey here
How did you tell family and friends?
I really wanted to make cute little announcement gifts and surprise our families, however my husband was way too excited and couldn't keep the secret much longer. We ended up telling his side of the family back in February while at my mother in laws birthday party, and they were pretty excited for us. On my side of the family we told my parents, our son, and siblings by showing them the pregnancy test, and later posted on Facebook our announcement photos to let the rest of the family know. We both have big families so making cute gifts and telling each family one by one, would have taken forever lol. Who knows, maybe I'll do something cute for the next baby.
Any weight gain?
From the time I found out I was pregnant to the time I went to my first doctors appointment at seven weeks pregnant, I had gained one pound. Three weeks later I had to go back to my doctor for bloodwork. and another ultrasound, and had gained two more pounds so now it was a total of three pounds gained. By my next appointment I was shocked to have lost the two pounds that I had gained on my previous visit. By my last first trimester appointment, I had gained those two pounds back so if you ask me, I gained a total of three pounds on my first trimester which is completely normal. My goal is to gain less than 30lbs this pregnancy and will be working out as soon as my doctor gives me the "ok" to do so after baby is born.
Physical changes?
Oh yes! Since around week four I was ridiculously bloated. I was surprised that I had only gained one pound by that time because my belly so huge, and I mean like four months pregnant huge and I was only four weeks! I guess it was just my body accommodating to growing a baby because by week seven the bloatedness went away and my belly went back to its normal size. Other than this, I didn't have any other body changes.
*Me at 13 weeks, belly starting to show*
Have you bought maternity clothes?
Like I mentioned in the beginning of the post, I am 26 weeks pregnant or 6 months pregnant, and still fit into most of my regular shirts so I never bought any maternity tops during my first trimester. My jeans on the other hand, started feeling uncomfortable by the end of my first trimester so I did go out and buy one paid of maternity jeans from Ross. If you are expecting I really recommend the maternity section at Ross. They have really cute clothes and all very affordable! My maternity jeans were only $15 and the fit was way better than the expensive jeans from the maternity stores at the mall. Other maternity stores I recommend are: Motherhood Maternity, Old Navy, Asos, H&M, and PinkBlush.
*Here's me at 13 weeks trying out maternity clothes with my teeny tiny bump*
Are you sleeping well?
Sleep was great in the beginning of my first trimester since my bump was tiny. Towards the end of the first trimester I did have to get a body pillow because I started sleeping on my side and needed that extra side support if that makes sense.
Any symptoms?
So to give you a little background, I didn't actually get any symptoms until I hit 9 weeks as far as morning sickness. Even so, I didn't have morning sickness, but I did experience afternoon sickness. Every day for exactly one month, I got sick after 3pm but it was bearable. I got the worse of it on week 13, and even had to force myself to throw up to see if maybe that would make me feel better (which didn't by the way). Thinking back at this, it wasn't as bad as my first pregnancy, and I am extremely grateful that I didn't get super sick. Another symptom I had was acne, and it was so bad! I had never had a breakout like I did with this pregnancy and not even the best face creams helped. My skin is all better now but the acne did last a good three months. Lastly, something else I experienced that is really not a symptom but I guess you can say more of a discomfort was having a hard time brushing my teeth! I think almost every pregnant woman experiences this and usually lasts all pregnancy. It's crazy how brushing your teeth makes you gag and something throw up acid. Sorry TMI but if you've ever been pregnant then you know what I mean.
Did you have any cravings?
All I wanted was cold fruit especially watermelon. At other times I randomly asked my husband to get me some cake but other than that, I didn't really have any major cravings.
Any food aversions?
I could not eat or smell meat! Even the thought of meat made me sick. There were also a few other foods and snacks that I really loved like pickles, but as soon as they were in my mouth, they instantly tasted foul and I couldn't eat them. I was also a big time water drinker and when my symptoms kicked in, I was no longer able to drink water. Thankfully that went away and I am back drinking water again.
Babys Gender?
Since this pregnancy has been different than my pregnancy with my son, I was starting to think I was now expecting a baby girl. Both mine and my husbands family (with the exception of very few people) all thought it was a boy. All I kept hearing was boy, boy, boy, therefore I convinced myself that I was having a boy. I spent so much time reading on old wives tales and the Chinese gender calendar and kept getting mixed answers. My doctor offered us genetic testing as a courtesy so we said yes and found out the gender at our gender reveal party in March. I will finally be sharing our baby's gender with you guys next week and I cannot wait.
*This was taken at out gender reveal party on March 31st. I was 16 weeks here. What do you think? Boy or Girl?*
Least favorite moments?
Feeling tired all the time and the short period of evening sickness. Thankfully it all went away phew!
Best pregnancy moment?
Best moment was listening to our baby's heartbeat for the first time. I bought a doppler so the first time we heard baby's heartbeat was at the comfort of our home, and it was such a special moment. Another best moment was seeing our baby for the first time in the ultrasound. At just seven weeks, there was baby, just a tiny little bean but already so loved and we cannot wait for baby to be here.
Something you are looking forward to?
By the end of my first trimester I was really looking forward to feeling my baby move. Feeling the little kicks is my favorite thing about pregnancy with the exception of my ribs being kicked lol. Something else I was looking forward to was getting my energy back. Feeling tired all the time sucked!
Thanks for stopping by! XO
My little family and I are so excited to share with you that we are having a baby this September!!! I'm in the beginning of my second trimester and sometimes I still cannot believe I am pregnant. I wanted to share how I found out I was pregnant so that I can help out anyone who is trying to conceive and is getting the same confusing results as I was. I also wanted to share this on my blog so that I can look back at it years from now, and who knows, maybe baby will read the post too someday. It's a long post so grab a snack and enjoy.
Since my husband and I are both about to hit our 30's, we knew we wanted to start trying for baby number two sooner rather than later. After having baby talk with a few friends and family, I was shocked to hear that it took most of them more than 7 months to get pregnant with their second baby. For some reason this led me to believe that it was also going to take me this long to get pregnant. I honestly had a gut feeling that it wasn't going to be easy for me, and I even started looking into fertility clinics just in case I needed an appointment in the future.
We started trying in November of 2018 and I was devastated when I got my period in December. You see, I really thought I was going to get pregnant in November because my husband and I were active while I was ovulating or so I though. I was tracking my ovulation on an app which is just that...an APP!!! You should never trust apps when trying to conceive because you will only stress yourself since they are not so accurate. I used the one with a flower icon called "Period Tracker" which estimates your most fertile days/next period based on the dates in which you had your previous periods, but ovulation can truly happen sooner or later than expected, and obviously there's no way a period tracker will know that! So while on my period in December, I ordered these ovulation strips (which also come with pregnancy tests) to accurately track my ovulation.
The way these ovulation strips work is that you have to pee in a cup and then dip the strip into your urine. You have to start doing this a week and a half to two weeks after you've finished your period but I highly suggest to start a week and a half in case you ovulate early. Let me tell you, peeing on an ovulation stick twice a day every day until you hopefully get a positive can be so stressful and nerve wrecking. I was so happy that I finally got a positive strip 16 days after my period, and I told my husband it was go time if you know what I mean lol.
Monday morning of January 7, which was also 10 days after I got my positive ovulation strip, and 4 days before my missed period, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I was not expecting to see a positive because I knew that if I did get pregnant, it would be too soon to show up on a test and sure enough the test was negative. I put the test away and went about my day. Hours later when I got home I grabbed the test to throw it away but before doing so I glanced at it one more time. To my surprise, there was a very, very, faint second line that I did not see earlier that day which meant positive right?
In that moment, I wanted to jump up and down, do cartwheels, and scream of happiness, but at the same time I really didn't know if it was truly a positive test. According to pregnancy test instructions, you have to look at your test within 3-5 minutes after you pee on it and anything after that time frame can be a false result or an evaporation line. Because the line was extremely faint, and appeared waaaayyy after the 5 minute window, I figured it was just an evaporation line and decided to just take another test early the next morning.
Tuesday morning January 8, and Wednesday, January 9, I took pregnancy tests and the same thing happened on those days. The tests were negative as soon as I peed on them but hours later when I came back from work, there were faint lines indicating they were positive. I started questioning these test strips because they were super cheap price wise. I thought maybe I got a defective batch of pregnancy tests. When I mean the lines were faint, I mean you had to really squint or get under good lighting to see the second line. So what did I decide to do? I made my 15 year old sister which I know for certain that she is not pregnant, pee on one of the pregnancy tests so that if she got a second faint line, I would know that I did in fact have defective pregnancy tests. My sisters test was completely NEGATIVE!!! Hers didn't even get the second faint lines like mine did and it was at that point that I started to realize that I was more than likely pregnant.
My plans were to surprise my husband in a really cute way but because I was so confused with the faint lines, I decided to tell him about my doubts. We both agreed to buy a Clear Blue digital test and look at the results together. On Friday afternoon, January 11, one day before I would have had my "missed period", I took the Clear Blue digital pregnancy test. It was my first time taking a digital pregnancy test and didn't know it would blink for about 30 seconds before getting the results. Those 30 seconds felt like hours, and then finally the word "Pregnant" came across the screen.
My husband and I both looked at each other with huge smiles, then hugged so tight while tears of happiness rolled down our faces. He knew I was afraid it was going to take months or years for me to get pregnant, and because we got pregnant on our second month of trying, we were so happy and thankful to God. Still to this day I thank God for giving me the gift of carrying a second baby.
If you've made it this far on my post, thank you for reading. I highly recommend ovulation strips for anyone trying to conceive. The ones I bought had really good reviews on Amazon and I was surprised they worked for us, hence I'm pregnant. You can get the same ones I bought here. Looking back and doing research, I now know that my Amazon pregnancy strips were super faint because I was newly pregnant and there wasn't enough pregnancy hormones to create a dark positive line. So ladies if you ever take a pregnancy test or two and you get a faint line, it 99% of the time will be a positive. Best of luck to all mommas trying to conceive. I will surely keep you in my prayers so that you too get your positive test. And to all currently pregnant moms, I pray that you have a healthy pregnancy. Thanks for stopping by! XO
My little family and I are so excited to share with you that we are having a baby this September!!! I'm in the beginning of my second trimester and sometimes I still cannot believe I am pregnant. I wanted to share how I found out I was pregnant so that I can help out anyone who is trying to conceive and is getting the same confusing results as I was. I also wanted to share this on my blog so that I can look back at it years from now, and who knows, maybe baby will read the post too someday. It's a long post so grab a snack and enjoy.
Since my husband and I are both about to hit our 30's, we knew we wanted to start trying for baby number two sooner rather than later. After having baby talk with a few friends and family, I was shocked to hear that it took most of them more than 7 months to get pregnant with their second baby. For some reason this led me to believe that it was also going to take me this long to get pregnant. I honestly had a gut feeling that it wasn't going to be easy for me, and I even started looking into fertility clinics just in case I needed an appointment in the future.
We started trying in November of 2018 and I was devastated when I got my period in December. You see, I really thought I was going to get pregnant in November because my husband and I were active while I was ovulating or so I though. I was tracking my ovulation on an app which is just that...an APP!!! You should never trust apps when trying to conceive because you will only stress yourself since they are not so accurate. I used the one with a flower icon called "Period Tracker" which estimates your most fertile days/next period based on the dates in which you had your previous periods, but ovulation can truly happen sooner or later than expected, and obviously there's no way a period tracker will know that! So while on my period in December, I ordered these ovulation strips (which also come with pregnancy tests) to accurately track my ovulation.
The way these ovulation strips work is that you have to pee in a cup and then dip the strip into your urine. You have to start doing this a week and a half to two weeks after you've finished your period but I highly suggest to start a week and a half in case you ovulate early. Let me tell you, peeing on an ovulation stick twice a day every day until you hopefully get a positive can be so stressful and nerve wrecking. I was so happy that I finally got a positive strip 16 days after my period, and I told my husband it was go time if you know what I mean lol.
Monday morning of January 7, which was also 10 days after I got my positive ovulation strip, and 4 days before my missed period, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I was not expecting to see a positive because I knew that if I did get pregnant, it would be too soon to show up on a test and sure enough the test was negative. I put the test away and went about my day. Hours later when I got home I grabbed the test to throw it away but before doing so I glanced at it one more time. To my surprise, there was a very, very, faint second line that I did not see earlier that day which meant positive right?
In that moment, I wanted to jump up and down, do cartwheels, and scream of happiness, but at the same time I really didn't know if it was truly a positive test. According to pregnancy test instructions, you have to look at your test within 3-5 minutes after you pee on it and anything after that time frame can be a false result or an evaporation line. Because the line was extremely faint, and appeared waaaayyy after the 5 minute window, I figured it was just an evaporation line and decided to just take another test early the next morning.
Tuesday morning January 8, and Wednesday, January 9, I took pregnancy tests and the same thing happened on those days. The tests were negative as soon as I peed on them but hours later when I came back from work, there were faint lines indicating they were positive. I started questioning these test strips because they were super cheap price wise. I thought maybe I got a defective batch of pregnancy tests. When I mean the lines were faint, I mean you had to really squint or get under good lighting to see the second line. So what did I decide to do? I made my 15 year old sister which I know for certain that she is not pregnant, pee on one of the pregnancy tests so that if she got a second faint line, I would know that I did in fact have defective pregnancy tests. My sisters test was completely NEGATIVE!!! Hers didn't even get the second faint lines like mine did and it was at that point that I started to realize that I was more than likely pregnant.
My plans were to surprise my husband in a really cute way but because I was so confused with the faint lines, I decided to tell him about my doubts. We both agreed to buy a Clear Blue digital test and look at the results together. On Friday afternoon, January 11, one day before I would have had my "missed period", I took the Clear Blue digital pregnancy test. It was my first time taking a digital pregnancy test and didn't know it would blink for about 30 seconds before getting the results. Those 30 seconds felt like hours, and then finally the word "Pregnant" came across the screen.
My husband and I both looked at each other with huge smiles, then hugged so tight while tears of happiness rolled down our faces. He knew I was afraid it was going to take months or years for me to get pregnant, and because we got pregnant on our second month of trying, we were so happy and thankful to God. Still to this day I thank God for giving me the gift of carrying a second baby.
If you've made it this far on my post, thank you for reading. I highly recommend ovulation strips for anyone trying to conceive. The ones I bought had really good reviews on Amazon and I was surprised they worked for us, hence I'm pregnant. You can get the same ones I bought here. Looking back and doing research, I now know that my Amazon pregnancy strips were super faint because I was newly pregnant and there wasn't enough pregnancy hormones to create a dark positive line. So ladies if you ever take a pregnancy test or two and you get a faint line, it 99% of the time will be a positive. Best of luck to all mommas trying to conceive. I will surely keep you in my prayers so that you too get your positive test. And to all currently pregnant moms, I pray that you have a healthy pregnancy. Thanks for stopping by! XO
Happy New Year! I hope your New Years was great and if it wasn't, I wish you a remaining 2019 full of blessings and success! I have not posted on my blog for over a year and I am happy to be able to do so again. 2018 was a year full of wedding planning, and with all the craziness of trying to plan my own wedding and a broken Mac Book, there was just no way for me to be as active as I wanted to on my social medial platforms. My sweet husband knew I really missed blogging so for Christmas he bought me a Mac Book Pro (Thanks babe), and I couldn't wait to open it and type away.
Ok so that is all for todays post. I tried to make this as short as possible so if you made it this far, thank you for sticking around :) You can shop my planner, or anything from the picture above by clicking on the pictures below. Thanks for stopping by, and have an awesome day.
I wanted to start my first post of 2019 by sharing a few changes that will happen on my social media platforms in the next few months. I'm so excited for these so here they go...
Social Media Rebranding
Up until now being a social media influencer has been a hobby I truly enjoy. I do have an 8-5 job but someday I would like to be my own boss, and work from home doing what I love-which is this! That is why I plan to rebrand my entire social media platforms to something that defines me a little better as it will eventually become my business. I have a few choices in mind and will share with you once I make a decision.
Blog Makeover
I started my blog back in 2015 so it's definitely time for a makeover. There are a few things my blog needs in order to help it grow and instead of trying to mess with the complicated HTML stuff, and possibly screwing up my blog, I'm going to have a web designer change the entire layout and design. This is one of the things I am most excited about and hopefully by the end of February my new design will be live.
Change of content
My passion for fashion is what inspired me to start my blog and while I still love all things fashion, it will no longer be my main focus. Sure I will incorporate a fashion post here and there however, I want to branch out my content to travel, lifestyle, fitness, and beauty.
Starting my Youtube channel
The other day I asked my husband "Babe for how long have I been talking about making a Youtube channel?" He answered "Ummm for about five years". Honestly though, it's been longer than that...like since I graduated high school long ago, and that was back in 2008!!! I’ve had several friends and family constantly telling me to start one and I know they’ll be happy to know I’m finally getting it done lol. This year I decided that I was no longer going to procrastinate on this and just go for it. It's now or never, and with so many exciting things happening in my life this year, I think it's the perfect time to start vlogging for my channel. I am still figuring out video editing, and will have my first video up soon after because uuummm I don't want to upload anything just to have a video up. I want to upload fun and entertaining stuff all while nicely edited :)Ok so that is all for todays post. I tried to make this as short as possible so if you made it this far, thank you for sticking around :) You can shop my planner, or anything from the picture above by clicking on the pictures below. Thanks for stopping by, and have an awesome day.
Happy New Year! I hope your New Years was great and if it wasn't, I wish you a remaining 2019 full of blessings and success! I have not posted on my blog for over a year and I am happy to be able to do so again. 2018 was a year full of wedding planning, and with all the craziness of trying to plan my own wedding and a broken Mac Book, there was just no way for me to be as active as I wanted to on my social medial platforms. My sweet husband knew I really missed blogging so for Christmas he bought me a Mac Book Pro (Thanks babe), and I couldn't wait to open it and type away.
Ok so that is all for todays post. I tried to make this as short as possible so if you made it this far, thank you for sticking around :) You can shop my planner, or anything from the picture above by clicking on the pictures below. Thanks for stopping by, and have an awesome day.
I wanted to start my first post of 2019 by sharing a few changes that will happen on my social media platforms in the next few months. I'm so excited for these so here they go...
Social Media Rebranding
Up until now being a social media influencer has been a hobby I truly enjoy. I do have an 8-5 job but someday I would like to be my own boss, and work from home doing what I love-which is this! That is why I plan to rebrand my entire social media platforms to something that defines me a little better as it will eventually become my business. I have a few choices in mind and will share with you once I make a decision.
Blog Makeover
I started my blog back in 2015 so it's definitely time for a makeover. There are a few things my blog needs in order to help it grow and instead of trying to mess with the complicated HTML stuff, and possibly screwing up my blog, I'm going to have a web designer change the entire layout and design. This is one of the things I am most excited about and hopefully by the end of February my new design will be live.
Change of content
My passion for fashion is what inspired me to start my blog and while I still love all things fashion, it will no longer be my main focus. Sure I will incorporate a fashion post here and there however, I want to branch out my content to travel, lifestyle, fitness, and beauty.
Starting my Youtube channel
The other day I asked my husband "Babe for how long have I been talking about making a Youtube channel?" He answered "Ummm for about five years". Honestly though, it's been longer than that...like since I graduated high school long ago, and that was back in 2008!!! I’ve had several friends and family constantly telling me to start one and I know they’ll be happy to know I’m finally getting it done lol. This year I decided that I was no longer going to procrastinate on this and just go for it. It's now or never, and with so many exciting things happening in my life this year, I think it's the perfect time to start vlogging for my channel. I am still figuring out video editing, and will have my first video up soon after because uuummm I don't want to upload anything just to have a video up. I want to upload fun and entertaining stuff all while nicely edited :)Ok so that is all for todays post. I tried to make this as short as possible so if you made it this far, thank you for sticking around :) You can shop my planner, or anything from the picture above by clicking on the pictures below. Thanks for stopping by, and have an awesome day.
Happy Friday! We drove to Marfa,Texas a few weeks ago, and the nine hour drive was so worth it! I would highly recommend a road trip to West Texas as there are so many places to visit, and jaw-dropping scenery. Houston is a very "flat" city so to see mountains is quite mesmerizing well at least for this Houstonian it is :)
This Prada art installation had been on my bucket list ever since I found out about it! One day me and Jay were like "we should go this weekend" and just like that out of the blue we planned a mini trip and left that same weekend. We left Houston around 11p.m. and drove almost nine hours straight with a few restroom/gas stops. We got there around 9a.m and in case you're wondering-yes I left my house with pajamas, my hair curled, and did my makeup in the car as we got closer. Mind you I was running on zero hours of sleep so if I look a hot mess in these pictures that's the reason why LOL! We were trying to get there as early as we could because although it's in the middle of no where (literally) it still gets crowded to the point that you have to wait your turn to take your picture, and if you're a fashion blogger then you know we don't settle for 10 or 20 pictures LOL!!!
When we got there there was already a crowd of about 10-12 people, and when I started shooting a man and his wife asked if they could take my picture. They loved how my red dress coordinated with the background, and seemed like sweet people so I agreed, however almost the entire crowd started taking my picture. In my mind I was like "what the heck?" but I also felt flattered like if I was a celebrity and they were my paparazzi ha! Anyway,to the people who were in that crowd and took my picture if you're reading this I would love to see how those turned out so please email me :)
I fell in love with the open back and bow detail of this dress so I knew I had to share it with you guys especially because this specific color is on sale! It runs kind of small-I am wearing a size large for reference but i am usually a Medium and can fit into some smalls. I hope you guys have an awesome weekend and be sure to stop by on Monday for another blog post. XO
*Shop the post below*
Prada Marfa
May 5, 2017 • marla texas, Outfits, prada, prada marfa, red dress, road trip, west texas
Happy Friday! We drove to Marfa,Texas a few weeks ago, and the nine hour drive was so worth it! I would highly recommend a road trip to West Texas as there are so many places to visit, and jaw-dropping scenery. Houston is a very "flat" city so to see mountains is quite mesmerizing well at least for this Houstonian it is :)
This Prada art installation had been on my bucket list ever since I found out about it! One day me and Jay were like "we should go this weekend" and just like that out of the blue we planned a mini trip and left that same weekend. We left Houston around 11p.m. and drove almost nine hours straight with a few restroom/gas stops. We got there around 9a.m and in case you're wondering-yes I left my house with pajamas, my hair curled, and did my makeup in the car as we got closer. Mind you I was running on zero hours of sleep so if I look a hot mess in these pictures that's the reason why LOL! We were trying to get there as early as we could because although it's in the middle of no where (literally) it still gets crowded to the point that you have to wait your turn to take your picture, and if you're a fashion blogger then you know we don't settle for 10 or 20 pictures LOL!!!
When we got there there was already a crowd of about 10-12 people, and when I started shooting a man and his wife asked if they could take my picture. They loved how my red dress coordinated with the background, and seemed like sweet people so I agreed, however almost the entire crowd started taking my picture. In my mind I was like "what the heck?" but I also felt flattered like if I was a celebrity and they were my paparazzi ha! Anyway,to the people who were in that crowd and took my picture if you're reading this I would love to see how those turned out so please email me :)
I fell in love with the open back and bow detail of this dress so I knew I had to share it with you guys especially because this specific color is on sale! It runs kind of small-I am wearing a size large for reference but i am usually a Medium and can fit into some smalls. I hope you guys have an awesome weekend and be sure to stop by on Monday for another blog post. XO
*Shop the post below*
Jacket: Nordstrom|Top: MSSP |Pants: XOXO| Boots: Dolce Vita (from last year) identical pair here| Gloves: Michael Kors| Beanie: Old Navy, sold out similar here|Bow bag: Kate Spade, similar here Scarf: Nordstrom
Happy New Years! I hope you all had a great New Years and I wish you the very best this year! I wore this look on the last day of my trip to Wisconsin/Chicago. I cannot begin to tell you how freezing cold it was in Chicago! I took off my gloves to tie Jacobs shoe laces and my hands froze in seconds!!! We didn't have much time to explore Chicago but we did get to see the giant bean and walk around the little park right next to it where I took these pictures.
I wore a coat on top of this outfit because there was no way I would have survived the cold wearing only the leather jacket pictured above. (#bloggerprobs) Lol! On another note my pants were so comfy, and made traveling so much easier because they are pull ups. They flattened my belly area, and gave me the appearance of a bigger butt which is every girls dreams ha! They are on sale for $40 and are so worth it!
Thanks for stopping by and supporting my blog! XO
Jacket: Nordstrom|Top: MSSP |Pants: XOXO| Boots: Dolce Vita (from last year) identical pair here| Gloves: Michael Kors| Beanie: Old Navy, sold out similar here|Bow bag: Kate Spade, similar here Scarf: Nordstrom
Happy New Years! I hope you all had a great New Years and I wish you the very best this year! I wore this look on the last day of my trip to Wisconsin/Chicago. I cannot begin to tell you how freezing cold it was in Chicago! I took off my gloves to tie Jacobs shoe laces and my hands froze in seconds!!! We didn't have much time to explore Chicago but we did get to see the giant bean and walk around the little park right next to it where I took these pictures.
I wore a coat on top of this outfit because there was no way I would have survived the cold wearing only the leather jacket pictured above. (#bloggerprobs) Lol! On another note my pants were so comfy, and made traveling so much easier because they are pull ups. They flattened my belly area, and gave me the appearance of a bigger butt which is every girls dreams ha! They are on sale for $40 and are so worth it!
Thanks for stopping by and supporting my blog! XO
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