Being single can be difficult at times, trust me I know. You’re talking to a girl who’s literally never been in a serious relationship. Situationship? Yes but a relationship where we go on dates, watch movies, fall asleep on the phone together? No, never. Sad right?? You know what’s even sadder?? I had my first kiss at 19 and hated it. Nothing bad happened, it just wasn’t with the right person and I knew it. But Yet and still I continued to put my lips on him every time we met up for the next 2 years. Searching and hoping for some kind of spark to find it’s way upon our lips but It never came. All that ever came were tears. Not from heartbreak but from frustration, anger and disrespect. Although I don’t like that I was in such a toxic situation I wouldn’t erase it even if I had the chance. It broke me so bad I had no other choice but to give my life to Christ. He has truly given me the strength, peace and healing I’ve been searching for my entire life. Because of him I now know my worth and the importance of walking in it. A few days ago I did a post called “ Good Men Do Exist” part 2 is coming soon but basically I talk about how Society says one thing but God says another. Today, I wanna talk about the importance of carrying yourself as a wife even while you’re single. 

Be a wife in your singleness. This is something I’m personally working on now. Growing up I NEVER wanted to be married because I never seen a healthy example of a marriage but the closer I get to God, the more I actually want to be. I want my husband and i’s relationship to glorify Jesus in every way possible. I want our marriage to be the reason people we know give their lives to him. In order for this to happen there are things I must work on now, single so when he does come I’ll be ready to not only receive him but also love him the way he deserves. 

Are You Wife Material?

Before you be so quick to answer yes, take a minute and really think about the question. When most women are asked this question we ten to list our accomplishments. We talk about 

• How many degrees we have
• The job we have
• How much money we make
• The car we have
• How we can cook good ect. While these are all amazing things and should definitely be celebrated they don’t necessarily make you wife material. We can have all these things and be a Delilah. For those of you who don’t know. Delilah was a sweet weapon of destruction. The Philistine rulers employed her as a weapon to capture Samson. She is selfish. She is not there for love or the relationship. She is there for herself and what she stands to gain for herself in the relationship. She is an opportunist. Also, she is sometimes in the relationship to prove something to others. Almost everything she does has a selfish motive behind it. She has her own agenda and hardly sacrifices for the relationship. She is captivating, enchanting, exciting and charming. She is beautiful and lively. She has a sweet personality. She knows what a man wants and she knows how to make a man feel good. She is a difficult person to resist. You would love to have her around you always but she will play with your mind and heart. She likes playing games in a relationship. She can make you do things that are against your morals. She lies a lot. I think y’all get the point. Sis is just pure evil smh. 

What I’ve learned when men ask this question…

Even before my desire to get married came about. I have always been interested in the male mindset. I find it so intriguing. While some women complain about how stupid men are and how they just don’t understand us. I sit here and think to myself is it that they don’t understand us, or we just don’t take the time to listen and have real conversations? I’m not sure why but I’ve always been The type of girl who wants a male perspective on things. So, whenever I can I ask a man or multiple men that I know a question. Such as what makes a woman wife material?? They’ll break it down for me explaining what we think they want to know vs what they’re actually asking. 

• Can you pray for him when he can’t pray for himself?
• Are you COMPASSIONATE?
• Are you slow to anger when having a disagreement?
• Do you respect him?
• Can you love him unconditionally?
• Are you selfless? And most importantly will you be a 
• Good mother to his children he plans to have in the future??

Women have such a long list of expectations/wants from a man but the question is…what will you, do you bring to the table??

Remember each of our journeys are different don’t let anyone discourage you on yours!!! God can and will use people from all walks of life to help each other

Read: https://rollingwithkiki.wordpress.com/2021/07/01/good-men-do-exist/

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So by now y’all obviously know that I’m a Christian and have been for quite some time now. What y’all don’t know is that this is actually my second year truly living for him because I backslid. I backslid for many reasons but the main one was my issue with men. I didn’t hate them. I just didn’t know how to love, appreciate or talk to them because of the relationships I’ve seen growing up and always being teased by them because of my disability. But the lord has really been revealing things to me over these past 5months or so and I just wanted to share a little.

GOOD MEN DO EXIST!! I know Society has told us otherwise but good men do you still exist!! Faithful men, loving, men exist. Masculine men, protective men, respectful men still exist. Gentlemen…still exist. Men that will fight for you, Men that pray over you/speak life into you when you don’t know how you’re gonna make it another day. Husbands are on the way and they’re FIIINE!!! So get ready. Us women truly need to uplift the men in our life in every way we can. Doesn’t matter if he’s your brother, father, cousin, uncle, husband or just a friend. Tell that man how much you love and appreciate him. Make him feel like “THE MAN ” at all times even when he makes mistakes. If you grew up similar to me this may be a bit difficult for you to do. Around age 12 I adopted a masculine mind set as a defense mechanism. I didn’t want to be a boy or anything but I felt I had to be tough like them. This would be my first time ever away from home because I had surgery. If I got teased here my family wouldn’t always be there to defend me and crying just wasn’t an option. I had to protect myself by any means necessary. The way I did this was with my words. You weren’t going to say whatever you wanted to me and get away with it. This went for everyone, I didn’t care who you were. Hearing sayings like “ men ain’t shit”, “all men cheat”, men are dogs and my absolute favorite “I DON’T NEED A MAN.” Didn’t help much either. Your reason for adopting masculinity may be slightly different but I’m pretty sure the root of it for all of us is the same. Pain. Pain can really cause self destruction if left unaddressed and unfortunately that’s what most of us are taught in the black Community. We are taught not to cry because crying means we’re weak. Most of us are talked at, not talked to. We shut down because we feel judged instead of heard. So much goes into it. But I have GOOD NEWS!!! It’s not too late to be healed. It’s not too late to have joy and peace and not too late to have the life you’ve possibly always dreamed of. Healing doesn’t happen overnight, healing isn’t easy but it’s definitely worth it. You may be saying to yourself I’ve tried to heal, nothing worked. I’ve been there. I literally thought porn would take away my pain but all it did was become an addiction and distort my view of men even more. I’m not trying to force my believes on you in any way but the only thing that truly helped was when I finally stopped trying to fix myself, by myself and gave it to Jesus. I’m porn addiction free for 2 years. I am filled with peace even on my sad days and I’m learning how to love me so that I can love my baby when he comes

Remember each of our journeys are different don’t let anyone discourage you on yours!!! God can and will use people from all walks of life to help each other

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Twitter: @RollingWithKiki

Good Morning! I have been telling myself for the past few weeks that I really need to get to writing a blog update and then I get side tracked with work or laundry or cleaning. This morning I will write to you while having my coffee instead of in my journal.

We have been talking about moving to San Diego for a few years and we have been trying to save to make that move happen. About a month and a half ago my husband and I had a chat about how much money we actually needed to be comfortable moving. We threw out numbers.
A week or so later the realtor that sold us our house called and said the market was crazy and houses were selling well above asking price and if we were interested she could do some research and let us know what the going price for a house like ours would be.

The number she came back with exceeded what our moving budget would be for us to go…. By two. We slept on it and decided why not try and see what happens? The realtor came and gave us a short list on what to do to make the house listing ready and we got to work. The next weekend she came, took pictures and by Wednesday we were up and listed.

We said that things needed to fall into place, we didn’t want to force anything right now. I reached out to a friend who lives in San Diego and she said the housing market there was beyond crazy. She recommended we check out he military base since my husband is a retired Marine. Then we could rent for a year and find a house once the real estate market settled down some. We reached out to the base and they had 2, 3 bedroom townhouses available for August.

I was like, what is happening? It was really fast but sort of falling into place. Upon further research , we found out our big mushy dog would not be allowed. He’s a rottweiler pit bull mix. He is the mushiest 120 pound lap puppy and he is not an option. So we expanded our search to off base housing. For jobs, we both were thinking we could take our current jobs with us since we have been full remote already for a year, and then find something once we get out there and settled for a couple months.

Thursday , after listing the house, my husbands friend called about Director position at their company and they thought he would be a good fit for the position. The only issue is that this is not a fully remote position. Going into the office in Connecticut would be required a couple times a week. This would totally throw a wrench in moving across the country, but if we pushed the move another year or two then he would have Director experience. We could save more and I could go back to school and finally get my Bachelor Degree, I have an associates. With that I will have the degree and the work experience and it might be easier for me to get a job once we get out there.

We decided to put in his resume and host the open house once to see what would happen. We held one open house weekend and received 4 offers, all above asking price. Two families really wanted the house and we were between those two. Then my husband got the job offer. So we apologized to both families and pulled the house off the market. We are here one more year at least and I am going back to school.

Besides that, I went on a girls weekend getaway to Woodstock for my friends 40th birthday. My mom came to visit for the first time in a year and a half. And now my brother is going to come for a night or two. Things are starting to get busy and back to normal. Of course, they aren’t yet. The kids are still remote. We’re going to keep them home for the rest of this school year. My husband is gearing up to start a new job soon. I am still full remote too.

My department has not discussed going back into the office, yet. But then the CDC just announced the new recommendations for wearing masks, so now who knows. The entire thing is really confusing. We are fully vaccinated but our children aren’t. Now that the vaccine has been approved for 12-15 year olds, we’ll probably be able to get our son the vaccine before school in the fall. First he has to turn 12.

That’s kind of it for me right now. I will be back to writing more often now that things are starting to settle down a little more. And as long as everyone we love is vaccinated, we might be able to have our family BBQ this summer. I’m excited to see more of the people I love, finally! But today, I have to go get a steak to grill for when my brother gets here later.🙂

When we decided to stay another year, I pulled out the planters and we planted the flowers for the deck this year. I love it. I hope you are good too! Write again soon.🙂

Personal Update time.🙂 My husband and I are trying to get the house ready for Spring. We have some out door projects we need to get to and some indoor ones as well.

The kids are getting older…😞 But also🙂. So I am starting to get rid of the toys (except the ones they loved, those we’ll put in storage in the attic) and trying to make the family room more of a tween/teen hang out. One of our friends just bought new couches so we scored one of their old ones for free.

The Barbie dream house and our generation (target brand American girl doll) Ice cream truck and kitchen set were given away this past weekend. Now I just have to go through the toy chest and get rid of all that. The toy chest will turn into a cover and pillow chest for future sleepovers. I think it’s going to look really nice in there once that’s done. Maybe I’ll do that Saturday.

We have some outdoor projects. Unfortunately, the Japanese maple tree in our front yard died. I loved that tree and I am really not sure what happen. There are bugs on it and the bark is falling off. Half of it gets leaves and the other half is just dead. We’re having a guy come to take it down so we can replant a new one. Also, we are getting a termite guy out to spray. Not sure if it’s termites but I am not chancing it. Whatever is in there likes wood and my house is wood so …

The back stairs to the deck and kitchen are getting a little bit wobbly, those need to be replaced or reinforced. The yard needs to be re seeded in some areas and I need to weed around the flowers in the front.

Another thing sort of on the back burner, we’re really looking to move to San Diego at some point this year or next. Our realtor reached out to us this past week saying that the housing market here is hot right now so we asked her to give us an estimate on our house. Just to see. I mean, who knows? If that gets us to San Diego, maybe it’s the push we need. I wanted to move there and keep this house for a year kind of as a “just in case” we wanted to come back type of deal. Rent it out and see how it goes. Then  if we decide to stay, sell and buy there. That would be ideal. But who knows if we’ll find a renter, and do we really want to be landlords all the way across the country? My sister would be here, she would be able to really take care of anything if we needed, but still… Stress. Plus, we have 2 huge dogs, a bunny and a turtle and that will really narrow our rental options. Best bet would be to sell and buy something new. Anyway, no harm in getting an estimate, right? I have heard the property prices are going up, up up so why not see what it is?

Work is talking about bringing people back. I mean like in the office back. So far there are a few people going back next month and they are doing like 2 days in office the other 3 days from home. My coworker mentioned that she thinks we’re going to be in the next round to rotate back in. Probably June – ish she thinks. She gets the inside scoop from the front desk ladies so she’s probably not far off from what they are planning on doing.

I have to say, I am pretty sad about this. I want to work from home for the entire summer and then go back slowly once the kids start back at school. Like I really want them to get back and settled and then I can figure out the logistics of having 2 kids in separate schools with different drop offs. I just don’t want to think about it yet. Not until covid is really fading out. It’s actually surging around here again at the moment. The only reason I am not freaking out is because my husband and I are fully vaccinated now. As are the small group of people we see. We still mask up every where we go.

I am planning our December trip to Hawaii. I am working with a travel agent there. Super excited about that. So far it’s looking like 5 days in Maui and 5 days in Oahu. I hope that come December things are more open. Hopefully, we can put the deposit on that soon.

Last but not least, this week is my husband and I’s 13th wedding anniversary.🙂 It’s like how did that happen so fast and also, that’s it? Haha. We’re planning on going out to dinner for the first time since August. There’s a Mexican place with a nice outdoor area and delicious margaritas.

That’s it for me right now. Still working. Reading. Planning, planning and more planning. Getting ready to I guess get back to some sort of normal. I just really actually liked the slow down of this past year. I mean, yeah, I missed friends and birthday’s and all that. But I got to spend a lot of time with my kids and my husband and just relax. I feel really lucky in the sense that we were able to do that. We didn’t have to worry about work, everyone we knew stayed home for the most part and stayed safe, and now we will get to hang out again… Eventually…  and outside probably, but it’s spring and summer now.

How are you doing? Any spring projects going on?

My reading spree continues. We are supposed to start book club again this coming weekend. I really hope we can actually all get together and pull it off. It’s been over a year so I hope that this is the start of us being able to meet more consistently. The weather is getting nicer so meeting in the park is what we have planned.

Let’s get started on my March Reading!

All girls

I did not enjoy this book. I live in CT and I bet there are a lot of people like those girls in the book. I kind of liked how each chapter was told from a different girls point of view. That was really the only thing I liked about this book. But I do not recommend this book unless you want to re live some high school hell. If you like that sort of thing, then you might enjoy this.

Behind closed doors

This book was recommended by a girl in book club and it was nuts. The same one who recommended Mrs. Parrish. The characters in this story were crazy. The story was twisted. I liked it. It was a super fast read and kept me entertained.

Klara and the sun

This book was good. I like that it was different. I liked that it was told from the Robots mind as she was trying to understand humans. I thought it was interesting and well written. The ending made me sad but that wouldn’t stop me from recommending you read this! Definitely worth the read.

The lost apothecary : a novel

I really liked this book. I liked how it connected the past and present and I really thought it was a good read. I liked the characters. I like the story. I would definitely recommend you give this book a read!

The Kitchen Front:

This book was really fun to read. I recommended it to my mom too. She loves cooking shows. I really liked the story of friendship. I wish I could go back and pick this for a book club read and then have everyone try to make a dish from it for when we meet to discuss. Should you read it? Yes!🙂

The Charmed Wife:

Interesting. I didn’t really know what to expect when I picked up this book. I just saw it on some lists and thought why not request it. Then when I started it, I was not really expecting it to be based on Cinderella. That is fairy tale isn’t my favorite. I kept reading and it was really good. I actually finished the book in 2 days because it was a really interesting take on the fairy tale and with lots of interesting twists. I understand why this book is on must read lists and I recommend it as well.

I have 4 more books waiting to be read this month and 2 more on hold. I am just really happy that the weather is getting nicer. My husband and I are fully vaccinated now. My sister is half way there. Our best friends are fully vaccinated. My in laws are too. We aren’t going to be throwing any parties, but we are starting to plan on some outdoor cook outs and I just can’t wait to see people that I love and missed so much. I know we aren’t out of the woods yet, and we still have a ways to go, but it feels good to make plans.

How are you doing? Have you read any good books? Anything I should add to my April reading?

Invest. When most people think of this word the first thing that often comes to mind is money. Want to be a homeowner some day? Invest in land. Want to be an entrepreneur? Invest in business and the most talked about is stocks. All of these things are good and I think we all should at some point in our life. But what if I told you that these aren’t the only things you should invest in. In fact I believe that before we invest in any of that, we should invest in something way more important and that is ourselves. You are worth so much more than material things. You are worth more than any car, house or business on this earth. Why? Because you my friend were created by God himself. When he created you he gave you your own gifts, dreams and purpose that only you can fulfill. Most of us had huge dreams for our lives as a child but somehow they died as we got older. It could’ve been because of your up bringing and the mindset you were taught to have , Society standards, your environment or the people around you. Be careful who you share your dreams with!! Not everyone wants to see you win. Some people will kill your dreams from the moment they hear about them including your very family. How do I know? Unfortunately this is something that has constantly happened to me as a child. Not just from my family but literally everyone around me. Everyone’s favorite question still to this day is. “ How? You’re in a wheelchair. ” Thanks for the reminder because even though I’m sitting right in front of you in it as you say that, I do have mornings that I forget. For years I allowed comments like these to affect me so much that I literally stopped dreaming. Even after giving my life to Christ. He would tell me to do things and I would always cancel myself out believing the lie of I’m not good enough. Until now. Unlike most people I’m actually grateful for this pandemic because it forced me to build my relationship with Jesus, to truly put my trust in him not on the things of this world. To find my identity in him and work on some of the issues and insecurities I have. It forced me to learn to love myself and not know that I’m pretty but believe it. This is an everyday journey but luckily I’m not alone. When I was 15 the lord blessed me by bringing my favorite person into my life. (I literally call him my favorite person) because he is. Lol. This man has impacted my life since day one. You see when he came into my life I was an angry, rebellious teenager who struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. When everyone gave up on me he didn’t. When I gave up on myself he didn’t. When I fall he’s here to pick me back up. When I’m doubting myself he doesn’t allow me to stay there. He says I don’t but I know I annoy the hell out of him because ever since we reconnected I’m always in his DMs venting or asking questions. I promise it’s only because he gives AMAZING ADVICE. I mean the man should be a life coach, that’s how good he is. I’m not just saying that because I know him personally, I’m saying that because it’s true. Some of the things that I talk about on here are things that he’s personally walked wit me through or is still walking me through like today’s topic. Self love. As most of you know I grew up with a load of insecurities about myself because of my disability. I didn’t hate myself but I hated my life and had a deep dislike for myself if that makes sense?? His love for me reminds me of Jesus’s. Literally. I don’t understand it and definitely do not deserve it yet they give it so freely with no strings attached. The most they want is my love in return but even, on the days I may not be so good at it they love me anyway. And. I’m. Just. So. Thankful🥺 

So, about self love. Obviously this is something I struggle or should I say struggled with. However, since he’s been back my self esteem has shot up tremendously. Especially within the past 2 months. My confidence is still a process but we’re taking it one day at a time. I wake up every day feeling beautiful even if my hair isn’t done. I’m nowhere near where I want to be in life but I’m starting to dress like I am. I’m not married yet but I set the table like I am. I didn’t want to be a blogger but I am and I think I’m doing pretty good for someone that’s literally learning as I go. The consistency could be better but I’m busy these days. The book has been getting all my attention lately because my favorite person knows about it and if he finds out I haven’t been writing I will not hear the end of it. Moral of the story, invest in you!! You don’t need Thousands of dollars to this. Your self investment can be as simple as you reading one book every month, taking yourself on dates even if it’s in the house. Cook your favorite meal, put it on your good plate, you know the one you only take out for special occasions? With you good glass. Pour your favorite drink, whatever it may be and enjoy!! You want to be a dancer but don’t have the money to pay for dance lessons!! YouTube University. It’s the best school I’ve ever been to. I’m currently taking classes on learning how to play the keyboard and so far my professors are wonderful. I learned a song in my first week. I’m not joking. The bonus for me is if I don’t understand something I can always ask my favorite person who just so happens to play and he’ll help me. I’ll leave a video below so you can see him as well as his new song. (I hope it gets stuck in your head as much as it gets suck in mine 🤪) But if you don’t have anyone that will help you that’s ok. Keep trying, don’t give up!! It doesn’t matter how many times you may have to stop, start, pause and rewind just keep going!! Yes it can become annoying and frustrating, you may even cry but in the end it’ll all be worth it. Start living the life you dream of now even if you’re circumstances say otherwise. I believe the first step is changing your mindset. I believe if you can see it you can achieve it. You don’t need a bunch of people cheering you on. Sometimes you may have to walk alone for a season or two but pray and ask God for like minded people. He will send them. I don’t care whether it’s five people or one person. Learn to appreciate just being in their presence. Laugh, cry if you need to but most importantly grow together. One thing he always tells me is “Block out all negativity, don’t listen to The naysayers no matter who they are. Focus on loving yourself because self love is the best love.” This isn’t an overnight thing, it’s a journey. It’s like baby steps, you will fall sometimes but get back up. 

Remember each of our journeys are different don’t let anyone discourage you on yours!!! God can and will use people from all walks of life to help each other🤝 

IG https://instagram.com/justask_kiki?igshid=15roz18kcy67b

I am taking a mini break from reading so much. I just slowed it down and I haven’t been requesting any new books until I catch up a little. We are planning on starting book club again in a couple weeks so I will have that new book and then probably request a couple more that I already have on my list. I can’t wait for book club. I miss hanging out! We’re going to meet in a park so we’ll be outside and apart from each other and everyone will bring thier own snacks and beverage. YAY for that! I do have a couple other book reviews coming next week.🙂

Also, I got the vaccine and then I got the second one this past week. I had some side effects from the second dose. Muscle aches and a headache. It took about a day to feel alright. My husband took the day of his next vaccine and the day after off from work already in anticipation. At first I thought he was slightly over reacting but after experiencing the side effects, I think he’s smart to take it off just in case.

In the US there is a company called GoldBelly. The have really good foods from all over the country and you can order them and have them shipped right to your door. I was highly skeptical of this at first cause shipping perishable food across the country seems weird. Also, the prices looked a little steep. Like $80-$100.00 for 3-4 pizza sampler pack seems like a lot to me, even with free shipping. I discovered that you can usually find a pretty good promo code. I have been able to get at least 15% off each order. My husband and I LOVE pizza so we decided to take a US tour of pizza. Let’s get started!

First stop: Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Pizzas . Chicago, IL

This is what started the pizza tour. I had a craving for Chicago Pizza and I rationalized this order with the thought that I probably won’t get to Chicago for quite some time so if I really wanted the pizza, I would have to order.

The review- To be honest, this pizza almost brought the pizza tour to a halt before it even really started! The shipment was a day late getting here, which is not the pizza places fault… UPS was having shipment “delays”… Which means, they gave up half way through the day due to a “snow emergency” and said they would deliver it the next day. (I use “” because we live in CT there is nothing emergency about 1-2 inches of snow. That’s like a Tuesday in the winter). The next day it took the ENTIRE day to get here. I was worried the pizza would be bad. It was defrosted but not bad yet, I think. We cooked it immediately and… In my mind, Chicago pizza should have lots of cheese and lots of sauce. Like in that picture up there. It needs to be consumed with a fork and knife and one slice is enough. The pizza we got had way less sauce and less cheese although the crust was really good. I ate it with a fork and knife even though I didn’t really need to.

I wouldn’t order from here again but we will be trying Chicago pizza again at some point. While this didn’t fulfill my wish, it wasn’t terrible. I personally wouldn’t recommend ordering this. If we ever get to Chicago, I would maybe stop by and try it fresh.

Second Stop: Rocket Inn – Indianola, NE.

I have never even heard of Nebraska pizza but I saw this on Gold Belly and thought “Sauerkraut, on pizza?!? I think I need to try that.” And I am glad we did. It’s delicious. Kraut and hot sauce come on the side and you can add it when baking if you want. We made half the pizza baked with the Kraut and half plain and put cold kraut on. I dropped the hot sauce on too and that was really good. The only issue with this order is that we picked 3 different ones and we got 2 gameday pizzas and a rocket special. Honestly, they were both really good.

Gameday Pizza- a Beer Cheese base, pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese

The Special Pizza- featuring Hamburger, Sausage, Pepperoni, Onions and Mushrooms over their trademark Rocket pizza sauce

Would we order again? Probably not… but maybe? If we are ever in Indianola, NE, we will make it a point to stop and have this fresh, hot, kraut and all!

Third: Tony’s Pizza Napoletana – San Francisco, CA.

We ordered the Combo pack of 3 pizza’s. The cheese was forgettable.

The New Yorker with sliced mozzarella, tomato sauce, house-made fennel sausage, pepperoni, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, Romano, and ricotta…. Was really, really good.

As was the Cal-Italia Pizza- Asiago, fresh mozzarella, Italian gorgonzola, imported Parmigiano, thinly sliced imported prosciutto di parma and Croatian sweet fig preserve, drizzled with a balsamic reduction.

Would we order from here again? Maybe. I would swing by if we ever end up in San Francisco.

Fourth: Cane Russo – Dallas, TX.

We ordered the Pizza Napoletana Sampler 4 pack. When this arrived we immediately made the Honey Bastard: A sweet and spicy powerful combination of creamy, housemade mozzarella cheese, spicy hot soppressata salami, and housemade bacon marmalade, with a drizzle of habanero pepper-infused honey at the end to finish with a kick. This pizza was delicious. That’s all I can say. Sweet heat and so good.

We had a couple friends over and we made the PRB for an appetizer: a meaty combo of smoked brisket, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, roasted onions, candied jalapenos, and BBQ sauce. The PBR has the smoke, the sweet, and the heat that make it the ultimate Texas-style pizza. Everyone agreed this was really good too.

We still have the other 2 pizza’s, A margherita and a pepperoni. I am really looking forward to these as well. Will we order from here again? Definitely. Even if we do a smaller pack and get the honey bastard and the PBR again.

Fifth: Red Wagon Pizza – Minneapolis, MN.

We ordered the wood fired pizza sampler and had the Olive Oyl Pizza – pesto and ricotta, artichokes, roasted mushrooms and green olives. My husband said he was pleasantly surprised and originally thought it would be really salty. I love salt and I was fine with all of it. Next time I would make it more well done in our oven.

We still have the other 3 pizza’s.

A Red Wagon: The ideal ratio of bacon to pork and garlic to onion with precise seasonings and our house-made fig balsamic.

Carl the Cuban: Chef Carl Ruiz was a dear friend and mentor to Red Wagon Pizza’s founder, Peter Campbell. Carl “The Cuban” was the inspiration behind the flavor profile of this beloved pizza, which is topped with 12 hour citrus cuban pork & shaved ham over house cheese, finished with dill pickles and mayo-mustard.

And a Pepperoni pie. I do look forward to trying these and will give an update on the next review! Will we order from here again? The verdict is still out. So far, I am happy with the products!

Up next we have a delivery of Detroit Style Pizza Co coming in the beginning of April. This I originally ordered 2nd and didn’t notice the shipping date. If you do order from Gold Belly, make sure you check the shipping dates! After that, who knows were else we are ordering from.

We have a favorite list and we have places picked in Wyoming, Georgia, Colorado, Missouri, Arizona… So much pizza. If you order, I would double check the weather to prevent any shipping delays, and make sure you look for a promo code, it’s worth it!

If you want to try it, and get $15.00 off your first order, please consider using my link: https://www.talkable.com/x/t53hRo

I’ll get $15.00 off my next order too and that will help me get around the country faster. **This is my personal review on something I bought. I did use some discount promo codes I found online.

I decided to just put a hold on a ton of books off various must read lists. Suddenly, they were all available for pick up and since there is a hold list for a lot of them, I can’t renew. SO… My reading spree continues….
White ivy : a novel / Susie Yang. 

I liked this book. I did not like the main character. In fact, I am pretty sure I didn’t like anyone in the book really… haha. Wait, I liked the street friend from when she was growing up. It was interesting to see how it all turns out and I am pretty sure everyone gets what they deserve. Except the street friend. Pick it up for a good weekend read.

Let me tell you what I mean [large print] / Joan Didion ; foreword by Hilton Als.

This is another one you should pick up if you have a chance. I liked how it was written. I liked that it was a bunch of different articles from over the years. So each chapter is a new article. I really enjoyed the last few articles. The one on Martha Stewart was very interesting to me. I also liked the chapter on Hemingway. I never really thought about how books are published posthumously, and how the writer no longer has any say in their work. This book gave me a few interesting conversations with my husband so I would really recommend reading it.

The kindest lie : a novel / Nancy Johnson.

I think I saw this on a must read list. I did enjoy this book. There are so many secrets people and families keep. For me, this was an interesting read and I think that if you get a chance and have a weekend to hang around, I would suggest giving this book a read.

Tell no one : a novel / by Harlan Coben.

A friend recommended this book. This was fast and kept me turning the pages. I read it in a day. I would recommend adding to your reading list if you like these sorts of books. I did figure it out before the end of the book but there are definitely a lot of twists and turns.

Writers & lovers : a novel / Lily King.

This is another book I enjoyed reading. I really liked the writing. I liked the story. I liked that it was relatable to things that really go on in life when you are starting out. The stresses that pile on top of each other and the feelings of being lost and hopeless sometimes. What I didn’t like? The ending. For me it felt like it just wrapped everything up too perfectly and really fast. I was happy for the characters but I was also thinking that everything that was super relatable suddenly wasn’t. That’s my opinion though. I think it’s worth reading and I definitely recommend.

This is what I have been doing with my free time lately. I have 2 more books here, 1 waiting for me at the library and 3 more I am holding for… So more book reviews are in our future.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Are there any books that you would recommend?

When I pick my books I really just google book lists and pick anything that sounds interesting. If I see a book on multiple lists, I will request it from the library too. I like it like that. I never really know what I am about to read. Currently I am on 8 hold lists and I have 2 more books waiting for me to pick up at the library so I have been on kind of a reading spree.

Damned / Chuck Palahniuk. I really liked this book BUT I read the trilogy out of order. I read the Doomed book first and since I knew a lot of the main characters history already, and what happens next, I really just wanted to know how she died. I know that sounds really gross, but if you read the book, you’ll understand. Should you read this? Yes. But I would recommend reading the books in order. I will be reading the 3rd book whenever it comes out.

Deacon King Kong : a novel / James McBride. I really enjoyed this book. To be honest, it took me a while to get into it. I loved the way it connected all the characters. I loved everyone’s names and nicknames. Mid way through the book, I just wanted to keep reading. By the end of the book I understood why this book is on so many book lists. Would I recommend to read? Yes. I think I might request another book by this author too.

Leave the world behind : a novel / Rumaan Alam.This was a book that I didn’t expect. I saw it on lots of lists and finally threw my name on the wait list at the library.  I was not thinking that the book would go in the direction that it went it. It kept me guessing. It was a fast read and kept me wondering what the heck was happening! I recommend giving this book a read. This is another author I think I might request another book from.

Pizza girl : a novel / Jean Kyoung Frazier. My first long job was working at a pizza hut. I worked there for 10 years and ended up being the general manager in the end. That job taught me a lot so I was really excited about this book for no other reason than the name of it. This book made me sad. haha. I enjoyed it. I thought it was funny in some places. It really actually brought me back to my time working in the pizza place when I was right out of high school and unsure of where or what I was doing with my life. And the wanting to just be able to fit into someone else’s life, that made sense to me. That was pretty much the extent of my relating to the book, the other parts were a little nuts and the main character is pregnant. She also drinks a lot. I’m not sure if that would bother other readers. For me, I was concerned but this is a fiction book, so if the author felt it was necessary, then it was. I would say that this book was interesting enough to add to your book list.

Next up: White ivy : a novel / Susie Yang.  This book I saw on many book lists so we’ll see.

What are you reading?? Anything you would recommend?

I feel like a lot of books are based in Connecticut or New York. Sometimes it makes me think about why I want to leave this area when a lot of authors seem to think this is an ideal book setting. There is no shortage of epic love stories or psychos or ghosts in these parts, and plenty of history to back it all up.  I want to move to San Diego and a good number of books are based there too… Or end up there. I guess I can leave one story book setting for another one.🙂

On to the book reviews!

Conjure women : a novel / Afia Atakora. I really enjoyed this book. I had more than a few secrets and kept me interested. It made me sad in parts because I do believe that some parts of this could have been real life back then.  I couldn’t decide if I liked any of the characters besides Bean. I did like the book enough to keep reading to piece it all together. I would recommend giving this book a read.

The last Mrs. Parrish : a novel / Liv Constantine. This is a really fast read and had twists and turns and secrets. It was crazy and interesting and silly in some parts. Silly as in, these people can’t be for real even though I have no doubt there really are people like that living around here. I liked how the book was divided in half and told the story from each of the two main characters points of view. That was interesting. Would I recommend it? Yes. It’s fast and entertaining but also a little ridiculous.

Next Up:

Damned / Chuck Palahniuk. I read Doomed first not knowing that it was the 2nd book in a trilogy. I liked Doomed and kind of wanted to know what the hell happen before the main character dies and goes to hell… So I rented Damned.

Review for this and a couple others coming next week. What are you currently reading?