Happy One Year Anniversary

 

HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY to my sister and bro-in-law! I'm grateful for the opportunity to witness you both grow in your marriage and love. Thanks for always being the fun ones! <3

.

.

.

.

.

.

Journal entry from a year ago: 

"The ceremony was so perfect. Like a Hallmark--but real. Sissy was a beautiful bride. Everything was perfect. Good food from the food truck. Good music. Dancing. Just really magical. As I write this I'm hit with so many emotions, more than the amount of hair spray in my hair (and that's saying something!)"

.

.

.

.

.

Lots of special memories from their wedding! 

Have you ever had a big sis get married? 

Comment below and share your favorite memory from a wedding you've attended! 

P.S. I've started making blog graphics again!!

Many Blessings,

Brooklyne Elysse

What is Art?

I wrote a small essay for my school last year, I thought I'd share it today along with some of my art I've been creating! Hope you enjoy!

~~~

December 17^th, 2020

What is Art?

This essay delves into the complex topic of describing what art is to the artist, but also what art can be for the viewer as well. Art is a universal language of creating. 

It is a language that explores all senses. It takes many forms for many different individuals. Art is a tangible display of what the human mind is capable of creating. A mind that reflects a small amount of creativity that the Creator of the universe used when making the entire world and all that is in it. Art is a reflection of the beauty around us. Art can be a simple finger painting by a small child, or it can be a paint brush on canvas by a trained artist. Art can be colors and shapes splashed playfully, or skillfully over a surface with precise strategy.

With many layers to what art can be, there are endless possibilities for the artist. This is one of the things that makes art what it is. The opportunity to create something one of a kind. Each area of art is unique to the one who takes up the challenge and calls themselves an artist. It can be found throughout limitless mediums of material. Through paintings, sculptures, photography, music, graphic design, etc. Art can be seen in the soft colors of a pastel landscape painting, felt through a sculpture’s chiseled shapes, and heard in the rhythms of a song. 

As an art viewer, the art is in contemplation. It’s asking questions about the reasons behind certain kinds of art. When the artist planned that particular piece, what was the message they wanted to come across? What were they wanting you to feel and experience when viewing their art? Why the choice of medium? In conclusion, art is a mindset and a way of life. 

~~~

Now for some of my art! 

^^ This is a drawing I did "after Picasso" 

^^ I love painting! Especially at the lake!

^^ Fiber art

^^More drawings from my drawing class

^^Painting pottery is so fun!

^^not quite how I envisioned this to turn out, lol

^^Digital art is new to me!

^^Working with clay

^^This could have used some more shadowing 

What does art mean to you?? Comment below!! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse

Tacos for Two // Book Review

Hello, hello!! It's a rainy day here and I decided to mix things up a bit and post on Friday. I don't know if you all noticed if I skipped a blog post last Wednesday or not, but I was a little busy and didn't have anything scheduled. (The reason for me being busy? I was working on a super crazy awesome birthday surprise for my dad! Should I do a post with pictures?? Comment below!)

But back to the review... I'm still loving the book review program btw! 

About the book: 

"Rory Perez, a food truck owner who can't cook, is struggling to keep the business she inherited from her aunt out of the red--and an upcoming contest during Modest's annual food truck festival seems the best way to do it. The prize money could finally give her a solid financial footing and keep her cousin with special needs paid up at her beloved assisted living home. Then maybe Rory will have enough time to meet the man she's been talking to via an anonymous online dating site.

Jude Strong is tired of being a puppet at his manipulative father's law firm, and the food truck festival seems like the perfect opportunity to dive into his passion for cooking and finally call his life his own. But if he loses the contest, he's back at the law firm for good. Failure is not an option.

Complications arise when Rory's chef gets mono and she realizes she has to cook after all. Then Jude discovers that his stiffest competition is the same woman he's been falling for online the past month.

Will these unlikely chefs sacrifice it all for the sake of love? Or will there only ever be tacos for one?"

Top genres for this boo

My Review: 

Who doesn't love tacos?? Who doesn't love food trucks??

Let's taco 'bout this book then, shall we? (Hands out tacos with extra cilantro for those who like that sort of thing... -->Jude.) 

This book was super contemporary which was a fun change from my typical genre. We're talkin' even text bubbles and emojis. About halfway through the book, I had to watch You've Got Mail because I wanted to catch all the references! And I'm glad I did, because the parallels between book and movie are epic. So I'm glad I got in the loop enough to know what they were talking about. 

The characters. 

Rory Perez was a great main character with lots of faults but also a lot of family loyalty and a fountain of ever-changing emotions. I didn't relate with her much besides her obsession with aesthetic Pinterest boards. Her relationship with Jude was interesting, and I'm kinda surprised she didn't figure it out sooner. 

Jude Strong rubbed me the wrong way on multiple occasions yet when I saw them interact on the dating site, they made a good couple. I loved reading through their banter and inside jokes (and who knew emoji sketches could be so cute!)

The side characters didn't have much going on and only supplemented the main characters. (Grady was funny though!) I always like it when the other characters get some storylines as well. I wish the ending would have been slightly different with a certain main characters' father... 

The Setting. 

Small towns are my favorite! I love the food truck competition and the family themes. The pace of this book was slower and there was less of a plot to follow. However, there was some nice themes about not placing our worth in what other people think of us and also that more money doesn't always mean happier lives. 

Concluding thoughts. 

Overall, it was a cute story with unique characters trying to find where they fit in the world. If you liked You've Got Mail, then you'd like this book! For me, it was slightly "meh" but the text bubbles, emoji's, and colorfully designed cover made it a fun & light contemporary romance! I'd recommend this book if you like a touch of family drama, small towns, and TACOS! 

***Thank you Revell books for a complementary copy of this new release! 

What's your favorite contemporary book? I'd rather read Historical fiction tbh! 

Do you like tacos as much as I do? 

P.S. I just finished my classes today and now I have a 10 day fall break before the next ones start! 

(no more math class for me!!! *confetti*) How have you been? 

Have I missed anything in the blogging world recently? 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse

A Midnight Dance // Book Review

Hey blog readers! Who wants to read another one of my long-winded book reviews? Ok good, cause I had a lot of fun writing this one! 

Back of the book blurb: 

"All theater romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most--and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. Yet as she struggles to maintain her tenuous place in the ever-shrinking ballet company, win the attentions of principal dancer Philippe, and avoid company flirt Jack, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the dead ballerina.

Is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own tragic end? Or will the secrets that are about to come to light offer release from the past?

Mystery and romance make the perfect dance partners in this evocative story from fan-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano."

My review: 

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭒

At first, I was skeptical. Like, really really skeptical. I hadn’t even read the book yet before I had some preconceived notions about whether I was going to like it or not. First, this was a new-to-me author. Second, I’m not too keen on books written in 1st person. I know, I know, call me old-fashioned, but sometimes Historical fiction doesn’t flow as well if the book’s in 1st person. Third, it’s about a ballerina. I don’t know what it is about ballet, but all the pink and the tulle and the tiptoes… *cough* I’m just not into that sort of thing I guess.

Soooo, with all that said, I just wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up to read and review A Midnight Dance. And let me tell you, I was a bit caught off guard with how well I liked it! I actually couldn’t put it down, it was so good.

The characters. 

Ella Blythe was the main character and her story was heartbreaking & beautiful & full of growth throughout the pages. She first came across as extremely naive and the daydreaming type. These character traits really made her stand out against the other ballet crowd. She had quite the burdens to carry around and yet we see throughout her dance (both onstage and off) that she strove to rely on God’s strength. I can’t say I related a lot with her character, but I did like how she was so unique… also, she was a perfectionist and that was about the only thing Ella and I had in common. With the help of some not-so-subtle shoves by Jack, Ella found her wings to fly without the constraints of fearing “not enough” as a perfectionist.

Jack Dorian. I found him to be annoyingly sweet and irritatingly perfect for Ella. At first, the guy was so annoying, unpredictable, and full of himself. But in his usual Jack fashion, his spontaneous and unusual training strategies won over in the end. After the day at the circus, his story started to grow on me and I rooted for him after knowing more of his growing up years. He was still a little pushy, but in a goofy well-meaning sort of way. I would have liked to see his character grow a little more and maybe share more of the spotlight with a bigger POV.

With the other side characters in mind, I would have liked to see less loose ends and more stories wrapped up. We saw a lot of glimpses into side characters (Lily, Mama Jo, Philippe, Marcus de Silva, and Fournier) but was only left with what could have been. The book’s main focus was on Delphine Bessette’s story/mystery and less on the side characters. 

The setting & plot.

There’s something about this book that SO reminded me of The Greatest Showman. I don’t know if it’s the contrasting of poverty and riches or if it was the outcasts that the ballet dancers were deemed in that era. But yeah, for some reason I kept thinking of The Greatest Showman (lol, it could have been the trapeze scene *winks*). Lets just say, I would not want to be in the theater industry at that time in history! This book really showed a glimpse of how hard, unforgiving, and messy it actually was at the time. 

The plot was so intricate and detailed. I loved the complexity and mysticalness of it. However, my head was spinning just trying to keep up with so many plot twists and trying to solve the backstory mysteries. If you were to ask me to sum up the plot for you in a paragraph, I couldn’t! You’d just have to read the book for yourself ‘cause I’m still not exactly sure what all happened there at the end. 

Concluding thoughts.

This book was written with such pose and raw authenticity. The quality of writing style was perfect for the Victorian England era. Most authors aim to “show not tell,” Politano has definitely achieved that standard! One last point I’ll make before wrapping up, I really appreciated the message in this book. It was all about finding one’s identity. The characters both had a lot of family drama and secrecy laced throughout their childhoods. These events shaped their worldview and it was hard for them to break away from shame and the feeling of being unwanted. I liked seeing how Ella (and Jack?) eventually allowed God to fill those holes in her life. True identity is found through Christ (no matter ones background) and not in the world’s acceptance. Also, the world is full of beauty and life is too short not to dance once in a while! (*whispers* you’ll most likely find me dancing to something just a lil bit different than ballerina music tho!)

If you are a fan of family tree mysteries, a smidgen of fairytale romance, and red ballet slippers, then I’d gladly recommend A Midnight Dance!!

***Thank you Revell Reads for a complimentary copy. All thoughts are my own!

What's your favorite genre to read? 

Have you ever read a book about ballet? 

Comment below! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse

A Grand Adventure // Anniversary

Ya'llllll!!! I'm back from my hiatus for the time being!! And to jump back into blogging, I have a special post planned. For those of you who've been around for a year, you might remember me posting about THIS TRIP to the Grand Canyon. If you're new around here, (welcome) my mom and I took a girls trip to meet my friend, Rebekah, and her mom for the first time exactly ONE. YEAR. AGO! Wow, time flies! Well, anyway, we met up for the first time at the Grand Canyon (go big or go home, am I right!?) We had an absolute blast and made the most special memories with our moms. 

To celebrate the anniversary of our trip, we thought it might be fun to do another Q&A specifically about our trip and basically this is going to be like a 5 (thousand) star travel review rating... 

Read Rebekah's post HERE!! 

How Did Ya'll Meet? 

Rebekah and I met through the blogosphere!! I think it probably all started when I found the Anti Carter blog tho... that's where I found a lot of blogger friends at! *winks at all the Andi/Taffy fans*

Did You See Any Elk?

We saw TONS of Elk. I was so surprised to see them up close (I'm used to deer, y'all.) There was even baby elk and honestly, they were quite desensitized to us humans. One literally was just chillin' when we were *trying* to film our Q&A. I'm surprised our hysterical bloopers didn't scare him away. XD

Were You Scared to Get to the edge? 

Not really. I mean, it was a little unnerving with the wind (and all the stories I've heard. yikes.) but it was actually the best kind of thrill to hang my feet over! (All while keeping a death grip on the rock I was sitting on, mind you.) My nannie would have flipped out if she saw us standing out there on the rocks outside of the trail, but you can't have an adventure without stepin' out, ya know!? But sure, I wouldn't let little kids run around without supervision cause, #safetyfirst. Also, we didn't have a selfie stick, so that lessoned our chances of falling, right? 

Was the Weather Nice in September/October? 

It was absolutely beautiful. The mornings were cool (sunrise chasing was *chefs kiss*) but out on the trail midday, it was really hot. So hiker pro-tip: get an early start! The stars were pretty too (when we took our nighttime convertible cruise.) I was actually pretty surprised at how cloudless the sky was. There wasn't much shade unless you were close to the rocks. 

What Was Your Favorite Thing About the Grand Canyon? 

How, how, how can I pick??? This question is almost as bad as asking about my favorite book! Anyway, my favorite thing was seeing God's beautiful creation up close and personal! Being immersed in nature and it's beauty is something so often overlooked, yet, at the Grand Canyon, nature demands to be seen. And I'm sorry, but the pictures just can't compare to seeing all the depth in real life. It made me feel small, and like I could just sit and stare for hours yet still not catch all the details. *all the heart eyes* 

Did You Feed Any Squirrels?

I prefer to steer clear of those "killer squirrels" thank you very much! The question should be, "did you get eaten by any squirrels?" and the answer is... a l m o s t. (But I think the little guy wanted to get Rebekah more than me *laughs* It must have sensed she's not a animal lover. Tucker will win her over someday! *winks*)

Did You Hike on the Bright Angel Trail? 

Yes we did! And loved every minute of it! Wait-- maybe not every minute, but every minute that I could catch my breath! lol, don't underestimate a *slight* incline and over heating! 

What Was the Most Unexpected Thing About the Grand Canyon?

The most unexpected thing for me was the little village that was literally on the edge. There was a couple lodges, restaurants, a train, and shops basically on the rim. I don't really know what I was expecting but I wasn't expecting it to be set up like it was-- it was really nice and easily assessable to tourists. I also wasn't expecting the wildlife to be so friendly. And I wasn't expecting to like the bike ride as much as I did! (I'm so glad we got to do that! It's one of my many highlights!)

Did You Eat any Good Food? 

Can we just take a moment to rave about BROWN BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES? Okay, no, but really. My mom and I picked them up at a Whole Foods on our way to the Grand Canyon (We drove from Vegas, btw) and I'll forever correlate brown butter chocolate chip cookies with the Grand Canyon. We also dined at the fancy El Tovar hotel restaurant for Rebekah's birthday which was awesome. Oh, and there was a food truck where we had lunch once. (Who doesn't love food trucks??) But my favorite might have been the pizza or TV dinners at the General Store.

(P.S. Trail mix tastes pretty darn good when you're out hiking too!)

^^Lol, this is me enjoying the whip cream almost more than the hot chocolate! XD

Tell Me About the Hotel Room? 

Our accommodations weren't anything too grand, but when it's walking distance from the most GRAND view, I'd literally sleep in a tent. Thankfully, our lodge was MUCH better than a tent! We had a TV (Friends and home renovations shows, anyone?) and a mini fridge (which we stocked with sandwich stuff!) The one thing it didn't have was a microwave. Which wasn't a big deal bc we just hopped in our stylin' convertible and used the one at the General Store (aka tourist souvenir TRAP. You better run if you don't want to spend your money on cute t-shirts and stickers!) We got to get rooms next to each other so that was fun! 

Favorite Trail You Hiked? 

ALL of them! I would have loved to stay longer and hike some more, but the trails we went on were all awesome! 

Favorite Animal You Saw? 

The elk might have been my favorite! The babiessss! But we saw bighorn sheep (up close) which was so neat!! <3 Also, there were a ton of Ravens! It was crazy to see them fly below the rim!

~~~

Photo Dump!!

So, happy one year from our trip, Rebekah! I'm glad we got the opportunity to go together! What fun memories to look back on! <3 <3

Have you been to the Grand Canyon? 

What has been a destination that you've checked off your bucket list? 

Comment below! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse 

Beyond the Tides // Book Review

Hi friends! I know, I know, I'm supposed to be taking a hiatus at the moment, but I wanted to pop on real quick and share a book review! 

~~~

About the book: 

"When Meg Whitaker's father decides to sell the family's lobster-fishing business to her high school nemesis, she sets out to prove she should inherit it instead. Though she's never had any interest in running the small fleet--or even getting on a boat due to her persistent seasickness--she can't stand to see Oliver Ross take over. Not when he ruined her dreams for a science scholarship and an Ivy League education ten years ago.

Oliver isn't proud of what he did back then. Angry and broken by his father walking out on his family, he lashed out at Meg--an innocent bystander. But owning a respected fishing fleet on Prince Edward Island is the opportunity of a lifetime, and he's not about to walk away just because Meg wants him to.

Meg's father has the perfect solution: Oliver and Meg must work the business together, and at the end of the season, he'll decide who gets it. Along the way, they may discover that their stories are more similar than they thought . . . and their dreams aren't what they expected.

Bestselling author Liz Johnson invites you back to Prince Edward Island for a brand-new series about family, forgiveness, and the kind of love that heals all wounds."

~~~

My Review: 

⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

After reading Prince Edward Island Dreams when I was younger and loving the trilogy, I was looking forward to another book by Liz Johnson. However, I may have set my expectations just a little too high. Despite some reasons for docking the star rating... this book was a light, fun, and a charming story about leaving the past in the past and savoring each moment as if it were your last.

On a side note: I thought it was super cute that the author dedicated the book to her father. Meg's father in the book played an important roll and he may have been one of my favorite characters in this book. So naturally, I thought it was sweet for the author to dedicate the book to her dad. 

Okay, back to the review. The setting was fun, I love learning about new places and lobster fishing was a career I'd never read about in fiction before! I also really like the cover (all the blue!!!) Basically, this book felt like I was watching a Hallmark... this is a good thing and a bad thing. For contemporary fiction, I find it's hard to pull in the deep themes and descriptive writing style that I'm drawn to in historical fiction. That being said, this book had a good message but I just couldn't get into it very well. I think it's one of those books that would be great for a beach vacation, something to read when you're in the mood for a lighter story. 

Meg Whitaker. From the very first chapter, she wasn't my cup of tea. It's hard when you can't relate with the main characters and there was something about Meg that had me shaking my head. I wish her character would have grown towards the end. Her behavior was immature and her stubbornness made her come across as less intelligent than she was. I did appreciate it when she took some time to spend with her mom and that was sweet. As a reader, I could see she really wanted to do the right thing, but she got hung up on the slightest details and a silly high school dramafied past that she easily missed what really mattered (and what was right in front of her!) 

Oliver Ross. I really wanted to like this guy. His story had a lot more depth to it and I was interested to see how things turned out for his family. Also, middle kids unite! However, the more I saw how he carried himself, the more he lost my respect. Their romance was over the top and eye roll worthy at moments (hehe, back to the Hallmark vibe). It was just annoying to be honest. 

Side Characters. I liked the side characters in this book way more than the main characters! I loved how quirky Kyle was and how wise Meg's dad was. I also thought Mama Potts needed more of a spotlight cause her character rocked! And Violet was also a sweet character (that teaser chapter at the back got me excited about her own book!)

Final thoughts: Other than the fact that the characters rubbed me the wrong way, and the plot was almost nonexistent, I did find this book to be a fun summer-y read and I could almost feel the salt water and hear the seagulls! I'd recommend this book if you are the type of reader to enjoy a contemporary romance with a fun tourist setting. 

*All thoughts are my own. Thank you Revell Reads for a complementary copy! 

What's a summer-y book that you've read this year? 

Comment below with your favorite Christian contemporary book! 

Many Blessings, 

Brooklyne Elysse