News:
We made our son think we were taking him to school on Friday, but then went to LEGOLAND instead! It's a little over two hours away, so it didn't take him long to realize we weren't headed in the direction of his school, haha. LEGOLAND was the last thing we did as a family before my husband's deployment, and we had a blast revisiting those memories while making new ones. The girls were too small for some of the rides last time (some are based on height, others on age), but this trip they were tall enough for one of the bigger attractions.
On our way home, we stopped by SANTA LAND! It was unplanned and unexpected, but it offered a nice reprieve about halfway through our trip (we were all exhausted by this point). We tuned into a radio station and watched as the trees "danced" along with the songs, and later rolled our windows down to listen to the music being playing through speakers once we were actually inside the Forest of Lights (my name, not theirs). It's very extravagantly done, and the monsters really enjoyed the experience.
Monday: Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle, #1) by Rosaria Munda ⋆⋆⋆
Tuesday: Charlie Hernandez and the Castle of Bones (Charlie Hernandez, #2) by Ryan Calejo [Blog Tour: Spotlight & Giveaway]
Thursday: 2019 End of the Year Giveaway!
Friday: NA
Saturday: Mini Reviews [36]
What I'm currently reading:
A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers, #2) by Brigid Kemmerer
The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1) by Rin Chupeco
The Addams Family: The Bodies Issue by Zoe Quinn, Philip Murphy
I was trying to read A Heart So Fierce and Broken slowly (in order to savor the experience), but once I got going, I couldn't stop. I should finish it later today! Kemmerer is crazy talented, and I really love this series. Grey! The Bone Witch is my current audiobook, but I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. The Addams Family: The Bodies Issue is a comic I plan on reading with my son later today.
What I plan on reading next:
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
Pure (Pure, #1) by Julianna Baggott
Transformers: Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron by Alexander C. Irvine
These are all books I've started and really need to finish! I'm using to December to simultaneously get ahead and catch up, since I don't have any review books this month.
What I'm watching:
We started Solo: A Star Wars Story on Netflix, but haven't finished it yet! I'm enjoying it so far, especially seeing how Han and Chewie met and became friends. Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian is perfection!
Challenge updates:
Audiobook Challenge: 42 / 30+
Beat the Backlist Challenge: 90 / 100
Discussion Challenge: 5 / 11-20
Goodreads Challenge: 423 / 500
Don't forget to check the list of giveaways in the sidebar! Most of them are ending soon!
Love the surprise you gave your son. It's neat that you did that! Santaland sounds like a fun unexpected stop :)
ReplyDeleteYou have some good books on your list. I look forward to your thoughts on them!
We saw the lights as we were driving home, and I remembered going a few years ago! We were all tired, so stopping made everyone happy. :)
DeleteThat sounds like a lot of fun. I went to Legoland a few years ago and had a lot of fun. It's insane how they created so many things from just Legos.
ReplyDeleteRight?? They have some creations that are as tall as I am! We rode riced, raced cars (that we made from LEGO pieces), drove a car, watched 3D movies, PLAYED! It was so much fun! There was also a new 4D movie/roller coaster experience that was TRIPPY. <3
DeleteWhat a fun treat for your son... and for the whole family. :) I hope A Heart So Fierce and Broken has a fantastic ending!
ReplyDeleteWe had a blast! Dallas also has more vegan options when it comes to fast food, so we all enjoyed delicious vegan burgers with homemade fries! Yum! AHSFAB had a wonderfully unexpected ending!! <3
DeleteThi was so great of you to surprise him like that!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHe was so suspicious after about five minutes! ;)
DeleteWhat a fun trip! I wish someone would hijack me on my way to work and bring me to Legoland. I didn't have many December book, but I had a ton of January releases to tackle. I am trying to get ahead. It's pretty light after January though, or at least it is right now. Hope you get some winners in that batch.
ReplyDeleteAdults need to be hijacked and taken to LEGOLAND for sure! ;) My January releases are insane... that's why I'm mostly getting ahead instead of catching up. There are so many books coming out next month! Like you, I'm pretty light after January, but I never know if that's going to change. :)
DeleteThat sounds like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteIt was!
DeleteAw, that's so fun you surprised your son with a trip to LEGOLAND. I'm sure it was great. And Santa Land looks fantastic too - we have something similar to that near me as well.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
We couldn't tell the girls ahead of time either, because they definitely would have spilled the beans. They kept asking me why they were getting dressed up to take William to school, and I hardcore avoided ALL questions, haha. They're too smart for their own good. ;)
DeleteLEGOLAND sounds awesome- what a cool surprise! And the lights pics are nice too. Aren't the holidays fun? :)
ReplyDeleteHave an awesome week!
LEGOLAND was a blast -- especially the 4D roller coaster/movie! It was so trippy, Greg. We were sitting in a chair that moves, and the headset completely covers your eyes. I expected to look behind me and see whatever was supposed to be in front of me, but I was wrong. We were in a LEGO race, and if I looked behind me, I could see the racers BEHIND me! When I looked up, I could see clouds and the volcano shooting lava into the air. It was a surreal experience.
DeleteOh my gosh, Legoland and Santaland both sound amazing!! <3
ReplyDeleteThey were! It was a very memorable day that I will always remember fondly. <3
DeleteLegoland and Santaland sound awesome, what a fabulous memory the day will make for your family
ReplyDeleteThe Bonewitch series is on my TBR, I hope you are enjoying it.
Wishing you a great reading week
We had a wonderful day! I'm about 25% into The Bone Witch, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The concept is interesting, the details and descriptions are thorough, but there's not really a plot.
DeleteSanta Land looks so cool, I love all those lights!
ReplyDeleteIt's very over-the-top! We loved it! <3
DeleteLegoland sounds a lot more fun than school. Santa Land seems pretty awesome too. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is drive around and look at the lights. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
My son loves going to school, so I was actually worried he would be upset about missing a day. Thankfully, LEGOLAND proved to be more enticing! ;) Yes! We love driving around and looking at the lights! People get so creative with their decorations. SANTA LAND was just miles of lights -- and very spectacular ones! Monkeys falling into a barrel, a frog leaping over lily pads, a bull trying to throw its rider. That's just a few! <3
DeleteWhat lovely family time and those photos are great! Have a wonderful week and enjoy your reads.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
We really enjoyed ourselves! However, I'm still recuperating from the long day, haha. I'm not as young as I used to be, and I don't "bounce back" like the kids. I still feel tired from driving all day, and being gone from sunup to nearly midnight (and this was DAYS) ago. :)
DeletePlease adopt me for a weekend and bring me to Legoland as well LOL. That sounds like a ton of fun (also, I used to play with Lego bricks ALL THE TIME when I was a kid, while I wasn't big on dolls and such). What a lovely surprise for your kids!
ReplyDeleteI totally would! They have interactive rides, amazing builds, and crazy creations. We stayed there for hours and only managed to do everything once. The 4D experience might have been my favorite! All of my kids love to play with LEGO sets, and come up with their own inventions.
DeleteThose lights look so fun!
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's worth
They were! We had a blast! <3
Delete