New Wedding Date

So Spencer called the Logan Temple this morning to schedule a room for our wedding and was told that the temple would be closed from about July 5th to about July 27th for cleaning. So we changed our wedding date to Friday, July 2, 2010, this is our new wedding date.

Tainted by: Julie Kenner (1st in series)

This book was absolutely amazing!!! I was amazed at what good a book this was. I can't wait to read the next books.

Lily Carlyle has never been a good girl. She's lied, cheated, and stolen, but she did it all to protect her younger sister. To keep food on the table after their mother died. She'd made a promise, after all. A promise to take care of her sister. To keep the family together. And that's a promise she's determined to keep.

Even to the death...

When her sister is brutally attacked, a vengeful Lily resolves to exact her own justice from the monster responsible. She succeeds--at the cost of her own life. As she lies dying, she is given a second chance: Though what she has done is evil, she can earn her way into paradise by fighting for the forces of good.

Lily agrees...

...and wakes in the body of Alice Purdue--a Boston barmaid who has more than a little familiarity with the battle raging between the light and the darkness. Each side is mustering its forces for all-out war--and Lily is going to become an assassin for the light.

It's a job she believes she can really get into--but she doesn't realize that she may not be able to get out...

Darker Angels by: M.L.N. Hanover (2nd in series)

Another great book. I really enjoy these, it's a new take on fantasy.

In the battle between good and evil, there's no such thing as a fair fight.

When Jayne Heller's uncle Eric died, she inherited a fortune beyond all her expectations--and a dangerous mission in a world she never knew existed. Reining in demons and supernatural foes is a formidable task, but thankfully Jayne has vast resources and loyal allies to rely on. She'll need both to tackle a body-switching serial killer who's taken up residence in New Orleans, a city rich in voodoo lore and dark magic.

Working alongside Karen Black, a highly confident and enigmatic ex-FBI agent, Jayne races to track down the demon's next intended host. But the closer she gets, the more convinced she becomes that nothing in this beautiful, wounded city is exactly as it seems. When shocking secrets come to light, and jealousy and betrayal turn trusted friends into adversaries. Jayne will soon come face-to-face with an enemy that knows her all too well, and won't rest until it has destroyed everything she loves most...

Unclean Spirits by: M.L.N. Hanover (1st in series)

A great book, I recommend this to everybody!

In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules.

Jayne Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayne travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers--and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric has left her another legacy: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.

Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayne finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, but Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be dominated by any means--magical or mundane--so Jayne had better start believing in something to save her own life. If she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast--or break them completely...

Magic to the Bone by: Devon Monk (1st in series)

A great book, I will have to get the other books for sure!

"Using magic meant it used you back. Forget the fairy-tale, hocus-pocus, wave a wand and bling-o, sparkles, and pixie dust crap. Magic, like booze, sex and drugs, gave as good as it got."

Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user--maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying, and they Offload the cost onto innocents. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster--and Allison Beckstrom's the best there is.

Daughter of a prominent Portland businessman, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune--and the strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magic Offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown into the high-stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic.

Now Allie's out for the truth--and must call upon forces that will challenge everything she knows, change her in ways she could never imagine...and make her capable of things that powerful people will do anything to control.

Street Game by: Christine Feehan (8th in series)

Love these books!

For Mack McKinley and his team of GhostWalker killing machines, urban warfare is an art. But despite a hard-won knowledge of the San Francisco streets, Mack knows from experience that too many things can still go wrong. Danger was just another part of the game—and now he’s come face-to-face with a woman who can play just as tough.

She’s Jaimie, a woman with a sapphire stare so potent it can destroy a man. Years ago she and Mack had a history—volatile, erotic, and electric. Then she vanished. Now she’s walked back into Mack’s life, as a spy with more secrets than are good for her. Against all odds, she’s hooking up with Mack one more time to take on an enemy that could destroy them both, or bring them back together in one hot, no-holds-barred adrenaline rush.

Blood Memories by: Barb Hendee (1st in series)

What an amazing book!!! I could hardly put this book down! I can't wait to read the next book. This is a great series in the making.

For ages, they have lived among mortals, in the shadows, hiding their true selves from the eyes of humanity--until now.

Eleisha Clevon is no angel, although she has the face of one. A vampire, she's far older than she looks--and she makes men yearn to care for her. A few even survive the experience. Eleisha might not like to kill, but she knows self-preservation must come first.

So when an old vampire friend kills himself, Eleisha is shocked. What she finds afterward shows how world-weary he had become--hoarding drained corpses and keeping records of vampires' actual names and addresses. Now the police know who Eleisha is and, more alarmingly, what she is. But she soon realizes that being known may have its pros--even if it puts her and her kind at risk.

Child of a Dead God by: Barb & J.C. Hendee (6th in series)

For many months, Magiere and Leesil have searched for a forgotten artifact, even though its purpose has been shrouded in mystery. All Magiere knows is that she must keep the orb from falling into the hands of a murdering Noble Dead: her half brother. And now dreams of a castle locked in ice lead her south, on a journey that has become nothing less than an obsession...

Accompanying Magiere and Leesil are the sage Wynn; their canine protector, Chap; and two elven assassins-turned-guardians who must fight their distrust of this sister of the dead. For forces more powerful than they--some may even say fate--are rallying around Magiere, arming her for the conflict to come, because finding the orb may be just the beginning of the challenges that await her...

The Pirate King by: R.A. Salvatore (Forgotten Realms)

Another great book about Drizzt, I love these books.

"DRIZZT DO'URDEN...in the black flesh," the portly proprietor said as the drow came up to the bar. "What brings you back to Luskan after these long years?" He extended a hand, which Drizzt grasped and shook warmly.

"Well met, Arumn Gardpeck," the dark elf replied. "Perhaps I have returned merely to see if you continued to ply your trade--I take comfort that some things ever remain the same."

"What else would an old fool lke me do?" Arumn replied. "Have you sailed in with Deudermont, then?"

"Deudermont? Is Sea Sprite in port?"

"Aye, and with a trio of ships of a Waterdhavian lord beside her," Arumn replied.

"And spoiling for a fight..."

The Other Side of Heaven by: John Marsden (7th in series)

Since their home was invaded by enemy soldiers and transformed into a war zone, Ellie and her friends have been fighting for their lives. Thy have learned survival skills out of necessity and taken care of each other through impossibly dark times. Now, with a roar like a train in a tunnel, the war has entered its final days. There's no more sitting around, no more waiting. There are only fast decisions, fast action, fast thinking--and no room to get it wrong. As the enemy forces close in on their hideout in Hell, Ellie, Fi, Homer, Lee and Kevin, and their adopted group of orphaned children, find themselves facing the last chapter of their struggle for freedom. But it may just be the most dangerous yet. And not everyone will survive.

The Night is for Hunting by: John Marsden (6th in series)

We had a good run with radio calls lately...I began our report, which was really just a matter of saying that we had nothing to report, when suddenly Homer lifted slightly beside me and leaned forward, quivering like he was made of brand-new fencing wire. I stopped tlking and gazed anxiously at him.

"Shut down," he hissed, without looking around.

I should have turned the set off straightaway, but if there was danger I wanted New Zealand to know, only because I couldn't bear facing it on our own. Sure they were a long way away, safe and sound, but it might be some consolation to know they were thinking of us.

So I whispered into the radio,"We're in trouble," then slammed off the switch.

Hell's a big place, but it gets crowded when Ellie and her friends take an uncooperative crew of orphans under their wing and into their hidden refuge. It's not easy to keep four young children busy and happy in the bush, and things only get worse when Ellie and Homer find evidence that mysterious visitors have discovered their sanctuary. Could it be a patrol of enemy soldiers sent on a search and destroy mission? They find out all too soon.

In a time and place where war robs your identity, makes you forget your past and fear your future, it seems impossible for Ellie to make sense of a world that is quickly falling apart. And after a peaceful food raid turns into a nightmarish fight for survival, escape back to Hell seems hopeless.

Ellie, Fi, Homer, Lee, and Kevin brave the worst in this electrifying continuation of their battle to stay alive and sane in a war zone that was once their home.

Burning For Revenge by: John Marsden (5th in series)

So the moment had come. All those careful plans Colonel Finley and Ursula had made, so carefully, so long ago, so far away--they came to nothing. Now it was up to us, using a plan we'd made up on the spur of the moment, using our own brains and initiative, and a lot of luck. Funny, the Kiwis had only wanted us to come on this trip as guides; they thought because we were young we wouldn't be much use. Even though we'd done so much already, they thought it was all a fluke. You could tell by the way they looked at us, and the way they talked. Like they knew so much more than us.

Well, here we were, inside the airfield, about to inflict major damage. I just hoped they'd build a big memorial to us after this was over.

We reached the entrance of the lane. Going into it I felt the strongest sense of danger I'd had since the war started. I don't know why I didn't stop right there. I could have called out but it would have been noisy. I could have stopped where I was but I didn't want to be separated from them. I could have...

From Hell to Stratton isn't an easy trip, especially when the enemy's headquarters lie somewhere in between. And that's exactly where Ellie and her friends unwittingly find themselves--smack in the middle of the Wirrawee Airfield. With only five of them against hundreds of armed soldiers, escape seems like a suicide mission. The odds aren't good, and Kevin's nervous breakdown isn't helping matters.

Darkness Be My Friend by: John Marsden (4th in series)

We were getting pretty good at this stuff, hiding out, living rough and tough. It seemed a funny skill to be proud of, but it was a skill. I admired the fox his craftiness, the way he could get into the chookyard and out again, leaving nothing but blood behind. Blood and feathers and a few squawks from the chooks. We were getting mroe like foxes all the time.

If they hadn't been there, if they'd been safe in New Zealand, for example, would I still have agreed to goback? It was a horrible question and one I'm glad I didn't have to answer. But all the same, I think I knew deep down what the answer would be. Sometimes there's really only one answer.

Ellie and her friends had been rescued, airlifted out of their own country to the safe haven of New Zealand. They'd arrived burnt and injured and shocked, with broken bones, and scars inside and out.

They did not want to go back.

But five months later the war is not over, the nightmares continue, and there are two compelling reasons for them to return to Australia: A planned sabotage of the air base in Wirrawee, and most important, the families they left behind.

I'M ENGAGED!!!

So Spencer finally popped the question on Friday, November 2o, 2009. I said, "Yes!" I like this picture, I had put my finger over the flash, and it makes the ring look pretty.

So the question everybody has on their mind is: How did he propose? Well, Spencer was coaching a Trappers game on Friday. The Trappers are the traveling mens' league team based in Logan, UT. Because Spencer still isn't fully recovered from breaking his ankle and so he was offered a coaching spot on the time. Well the game was a slow game, not much happened. So I was thinking that I might get up and get something from the concessions stand or go to the bathroom during the break between the second and third period. So I was getting my motivation to get up and get moving when I noticed that only the opposing team had gotten off the ice. The Trappers were still on the ice.

Then the guys on the team all knelt down on the edges of the big face-off circle in the middle of the ice. As I was trying to figure out what was happening, the captain, Shimmell, got a microphone and said, "Will Makayla Schmelter please come down to the ice." I sat there shocked, wondering if he really said my name because he did sound a little garbled. Then he said again, "Is Makayla Schmelter here?" Spencer's roommate, Mike, said that they were asking for me. By this time I knew what was going to happen. So I stood up, Shimmell asked if I was Makayla Schmelter, and then he motioned me down to the ice. So I get down to the door, someone opens it for me, and Shimmell and Paul, a defenseman, offered me their arms so I wouldn't fall. They escorted me to the middle of the ice and Spencer was standing there. He kneels down on one knee, pulls out a beautiful box, and Shimmell hands him the microphone. He says into the microphone, "Makayla, will you marry me?" and opens the box and shows my beautiful ring. Of course I said, "Yes" and put the ring on my finger. We got the loudest cheering and whistling and horn blowing of the entire game. It was embarrassing but sweet. Before we left the ice, Spencer had Scott, the guy who takes all of the pictures for the hockey games, take some pictures of us. I don't know when he started snapping pictures, hopefully he took one of Spencer proposing, we will find out in a couple of days.

So here is my beautiful ring. I picked it out myself. Spencer had no idea which one to get me when we went ring browsing. This picture has both the engagement ring and the wedding band with it. The wedding band goes underneath the diamond. I think it looks prettiest with both the wedding band and engagement ring together, so I wear them both. So, here is the romantic story of how Spencer proposed to me.

A Killing Frost by: John Marsden (3rd in series)

These books are really good. This book shocked me. I was totally unprepared for the ending of this book, it ended in a way I never would have seen.

When we had passed through that gate we found ouselves in our new home. This was E Wing, the maximum-security section of the maximum-security prison. In peacetime it was the home of serial killers. Well, maybe that's what we had become. Whether we deserved to be there or not, our lives were now ot of our control. Whether we lived or died would be decided by others.

It's nearly six months since our country was invaded. We've lived in a war zone since January and now it's July. So short a time, so long a time...I'm an expert on fear now. I think I've felt every strong feeling there is: love, hate, jealousy, rage. But fear's the greatest of them all. Nothing reaches inside and grabs you by the guts the way fear does. Nothing else possesses you like that. It's a kind of illness, a fever, that takes you over.

Ellie and her friends return from a camping trip to find their country at war. Learning together, they fight back--battling fear, rage, and the invading army that has stolen their land, seized their homes, taken their families, and destroyed their future.

The Dead of Night by: John Marsden (2nd in series)

"Ellie! Don't shoot me!


I lowered it.


"Where'd you get that thing?"


"Over there," I said, pointing, getting the shakes a bit, but putting the rifle down carefully. Robyn seemed so controlled, and I felt like I was on the brink of completely losing control.


Robyn lost her smile suddenly; she ran to the soldier and knelt beside him.


"What happened. Did you shoot him?"


"Hit him. With a rock. And a branch."


"God, I think he's pretty bad."


"He has to die, Robyn," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "If he doesn't, he'll get his friends and they'll come looking for us. And the first thing they'll do is to climb that tree. They could track us right home, into Hell."

Let no stranger intrude here, no invader trespass. This was ours, and this we defend.

Australia has been invaded. Nothing is as it was. Six teenagers are living out their nightmare in the sanctuary of a hidden valley called Hell. Alone, they make their own rules, protect what is theirs, and struggle for courage and hope in a world changed forever.

Seeking supplies, allies, and information the friends make forays into enemy territory drawing on nerve and resourcefulness they never even knew they had. As the risks bcome even greater, so too do the sacrifices they must make.

Tomorrow, When the War Began by: John Marsden (1st in series)

In the house nothing was wrong, and that was what was wrong. There was no sign of life at all. Everything was neat and tidy. At that time of day there should have been food spread out on the kitchen table, there should have been dishes in the sink, the TV should have been chattering in the background. But all was silent. Corrie opened the door behind me and came in quietly. "Jesus, what's happened," she said, not as a question. The tone of her voice terrified me even more. I just stood there.


"What's wrong with the dogs?" she asked.


"They're all dead except Millie, and she's nearly dead."



I was looking around for a note, a note to me, but there was nothing.

"The dogs were dead. That was my first thought. They didn't jump around and bark when we drove in, or moan with joy when I ran over to them, like they have always done."

When Ellie and six of her friends return from a camping trip deep in the bush, they find things hideously wrong. Their families are gone, houses empty and abandoned, pets and stock dead. Gradually they begin to comprehend that their country has been invaded and everyone in their town has been taken prisoner. As the horrible reality of the situation hits them, they have to make a life-and-death decision: run back into the bush and hide, give themselves up to be with their families, or stay and try to fight.

Living with the Dead by: Kelley Armstrong (9th in series)

Such a great book. I love this series. Unfortunately, I don't own this book yet, I had to borrow it from the library. I can't wait to read the next book, but there is a waiting list of, like, 108 days. Definitely recommend this series to everybody.

They're smart, sexy, and supernatural. They're the men and women of the Otherworld--a realm of witches, ghosts, and werewolves who live unseen among us. Only now a reckless killer has torn down the wall, trapping one very human woman in the supernatural cross fire.

Robyn Peltier moved to Los Angeles after her young husband's sudden death, trying to put some distance between herself and her memories. Though she's still grieving, the challenges of her new life as the PR consultant to Portia Kane--the word's most famous celebutante wannabe--can sometimes be amusing, even distracting. But when her client is gunned down in the back room of a nightclub, Robyn is suddenly on the run as the prime suspect in the murder. And as more bodies pile up around her, it seems like only Hope Adams, Robyn's best friend, and Hope's somewhat spooky boyfriend Karl are on Robyn's side.

Hope Adams follows the kinds of stories whose headlines scream from supermarket checkout lines. But the difference is that Hope's stories are even weirder--and they're all true. Though determined to help Robyn, Hope knows it's only a matter of time before her friend is caught. But it's not the police Hope is worried about. For Robyn has gotten herself in the middle of a turf war between two powerful Otherworld cabals who'll spill any amount of blood--human and inhuman--to protect what they consider theirs for all eternity. And the only way Hope can keep her friend alive is by letting her enter a world she's safer knowing nothing about.

Prince of Swords by: Linda Winstead Jones (6th in series)

These were great books, I'm glad I grabbed them from the library. I wouldn't mind owning these books, they were great!

As the forces of good and evil clash in an pic battle, the firstborn children of the Fyne witches have finally come into their own, each with a special gift that will shape destiny...

For months, Rayne has been imprisoned in the cellar of secluded house, afraid of the day when the demon-possessed Ciro--the man who has declared himself her future husband--will return to claim her. He believes that the linking of her pure soul to his lost one will produce the perfect child--one who will serve his ultimate purpose.

The Prophecy of the Firstborn spells out that Lyr Hern is to wield the crystal dagger. But his search for it is sidetracked by the beautiful prisoner he encounters. Despite his attraction to Rayne, Lyr is none too happy about taking her along once he has freed her.

Especially when--to foil Ciro's plans--Rayne decides that Lyr is just the man to corrupt her...

Prince of Fire by: Linda Winstead Jones (5th in series)

The firstborn children of the Fyne witches have finally come into their own, each with a special gift...

Despite the prophesies, Keelia, Queen of the Anwyn, would never let a wild Caradon, a man who can shape-shift into a mountain cat, touch her. But when one kidnaps her, mistaking her for the caster of a spell on his people, Keelia realizes she has never been more wrong: Her Caradon captor is the very same lover as in her torrid, recurring dream...

No man alive, Caradon or not, can resist a sensuous Anwyn queen. When Joryn, the Queen's kidnapper, realizes his mistake, the two must work together to undo the wicked spell. Neither can deny the crackling chemistry between them, nor can they deny the ever-looming Prophecy of the Firstborn: She will betray love in the name of victory...