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Rhe’s Bookshelf ~ The Last Lumenian Series by SG Blaise

April 8, 2022 No Comments

Get ready! It’s my first Rhe’s Bookshelf in just a bit and I’m journey through a SciFi world of fantasy. It’s kind of out of my typical genre preference, but I’m nothing if not adventurous. Not really sure what to expect I decided to dive right in without reading up on it at all. So, let’s jump right in here too.

The Last Lumenian series is two books – Book One, of the same name, and Book Two, True Teryn. We meet Lilla, General Callum, Prince Arrov, and Lillia’s best friend Glenna. She sets out to free refugees forced to work in her homeland. She joins the rebellion to save the people but she ends up on a journey to save herself, and discover who she truly is and what purpose she serves. In Book Two, Lilla finds herself in a new role, but still fighting to do the right thing. You will truly find yourself interested in these characters, and in the story. I myself was surprised.

Lilla is sassy and fiery and you want to root for her. Blaise’s ability to write the characters in such a vivid way so that you can not only envision the characters but their clothes and their homeland. Throughout both books to learn more about Lilla’s mother, a looming presence in her life. She died with Lilla was little and took with her secrets that will change the way Lilla views not only herself but the world around her. Full disclosure, there is just a sprinkling of romance in the books as well, which really make it the perfect young adult book in my mind. It is a quick and easy read, which really short chapters, but you don’t miss out on any of the information and intrigue one needs in a good book.

Important to note – a few “love scenes” are present in the series, and some mild language

I enjoyed reading this book. It might not have totally sold me on the genre but if fantasy, magic, and sci-fi is in your jam you absolutely need to grab this book for yourself. Snag your copies below!

The Last Lumenian: Sci-Fi Fantasy and Action-Adventure of the Rebel Princess named Lilla
True Teryn: Sci-Fi Adventure of Lilla discovering the greatest secret in the Seven Galaxies (The Last Lumenian Book 2)

About the Author

S.G. was born in a faraway land of castles, monarchies, and fallen dictatorships, aka Hungary. Hollywood movies were forbidden under Soviet oppression during her childhood, but her dad smuggled them in, risking his life so that his children could experience the magic and hope inherent in those stories. She watched rebellions unfold in real-time. Journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean for love. She ended up in sunny California, where she is living her dream — writing stories and annoying family members.

Learn more by visiting SG Blaise’s website and social

website

tiktok

Instagram

Disclosure – This post is part of the book release blog tour and I was compensated for my participation. As always, my reviews, thoughts, and opinions are not purchased.

Rhe’s Bookshelf prides itself on bringing you accurate and honest reviews. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

travel

Travels with Rhe ~ Westgate Town Center Resort, Kissimmee, FL

January 28, 2022 No Comments

I was thrilled to be able to visit Westgate Resorts during their Military Families weekend. Not only does Westgate offer free vacations to families every year, but they also offer military discounts to their resorts. Not enough? Well, Westgate also strives to hire veterans and spouses and support them in their transition out of the military. Both their CEO and COO are former military, and if you spend just a moment on their property you can feel just how important it is to honor military families with TIME. Time to be together in a relaxing environment, and time to take a step back from the business of life and just be a family.

Whether you are military or not the Town Center Resort is everything you could hope for in a home away from home. You don’t even have to leave the property to have a great time; but if getting out for an adventure is on your list you are only a short drive from experiences like Walt Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, Legoland, and more!!

Military Weekend is full of fun things to do for families, including a military vehicle demonstration with a WWII reenactment group, a family night with games, food and music, a movie night, and so much more.

The Resort

I was absolutely impressed by the resort itself. The rooms were gorgeous, clean, and spacious. If you stay in one of the suite rooms you will have a full kitchen, access to laundry right outside your door, and a balcony with seating. There are several food and dining options whether you are vacationing with or without kids. The waterpark was great, with plenty of seating, areas for food and drink, and fun for all levels of comfort with water structures. There’s an ice cream shop, arcade, and small store on-site with a deli and pizza joint. You can catch a movie, play mini golf, rent bikes or even pick up a meal kit to cook in your room. Everything is walkable within the resort (or by Westgate Tram!), and you honestly could enjoy time away from regular life and never leave or use your vehicle. I gave a full room tour on my Instagram so I hope you check that out, as well as some more highlights of my stay. Westgate staff can help you get tickets to local attractions and even access swim lessons for the kiddos right on site!

My favorite place to eat during the whole trip was Villa Italiano Chop House. And you know I ordered an old fashioned! They did an excellent job, and the large round ice cube (or globe) was a perfect touch! I want to mention that they were so busy that night, but the bar tender checked in with me extra despite being a little shorthanded that evening. I think its important to acknowledge that sometimes life happens, but its what you do in situtations like that that matter and the staff was absolutely amazing….serving my food quickly and refilling my water and drinks. Try the tomato soup, its killer!

Why Westgate

I don’t know about you, but when I choose to spend my money or share how to spend yours I want to try my best to focus on businesses that not only give back but show their true priorities. I am more likely to spend my money and encourage you to spend yours in places that not only aim to please their guests, but also are committed to supporting their communities (military or not). It’s what makes the world go around! And in this crazy world, kindness matters.

I’m proud to support Westgate Resorts. I would encourage military families to stay there so that they can continue to pay it forward to others. And watch next year when Military Salutes returns and Westgate gives away free vacations to military families.

have you ever stayed at a Westgate property? I’d love to hear about it!

Military Discounts, travel

Spend 24 Hrs In New York City {Family Trip}

November 13, 2021 No Comments

We recently had a lovely opportunity to attend a military family weekend in Upstate New York. So, we decided to venture to New York City for the first time, and take our three kids with us. Traveling with the kids has always been a priority ever since they were younger. Getting them used to travel and flexibility from a young age is extremely important. They are tough cookies, and are along for the ride despite the long distances we walked that weekend!

Twenty-Four Hours in New York

So, where do you start when you spend just twenty-four hours in a city jam-packed with things to do and places to see? The first thing one must do is recognize that they can’t possibly see everything and really pair down your list to some of the most important things. Where you stay is also important. We chose to stay just off Times Square at the Belvedere Hotel. It was a great hotel, with great staff, decent-sized rooms, and came with parking (which was a few blocks away near the Tonight Show theater).

Military Families! Make sure to grab your military discount at both the Empire State Building and the Central Park Zoo!!

Empire State Building

Head here with a couple of hours available on your schedule! You will enter through a new, tourist-looking entrance. But never fear, you will end your visit through the lobby you see in all the movies (which I know is what many people, including myself, were hoping for) like ELF and Sleepless in Seattle. You will go through several displays with the history of the Empire State Building, including old elevators and video presentations. The kids even enjoyed most of them. Several levels include different ways to view the landscape around the building and lots of windows so that you aren’t waiting around. Covid restrictions in place include masking, but there was still a good number of people around. The timed entry tickets made the waits almost non-existent.

Times Square

It’s busy, make no mistake about that; and watching out for the designated walkways and designated places to stop and take pictures is important. It is a fast-moving area and high traffic, but there are plenty of spaces to see all the things. I would also highly recommend passing through during the day and the night so you can truly see everything. Families beware though, you will see body-painted, basically naked ladies, so it is important to be aware of that. My younger two did not notice them at all. My fifteen-year-old did, and gave me the best parenting gift ever….he completely turned around and looked the other way.

Central Park

Central Park almost deserves its own post because it is so large! There are so many things to see in Central Park that it is easy to spend several trips seeing all there is. On this trip, we visited the Central Park Zoo, which was loved by all three of my kiddos, the “Friends” fountain, and Strawberry Fields with the Imagine Mosaic. We crossed across the park from the Zoo to hit those other two landmarks, and made our way to a great pizza joint!

New York Pizza

Experiencing some New York Pizza was high on our list of things to do. We chose two places – one was a “take a slice” type New York joint and one was a sit-down restaurant. Both with amazing New York Pizza!

We squeezed in a lot! What would you add to your 24 Hr NYC Trip?

If you like it, PIN IT!!!

military

{Cool Subscription Box Alert} Military Made Box

June 7, 2021 No Comments

I’m so excited to be sharing with you all the Military Made subscription boxes. Every once in a while a product comes along that I’m just so excited to share with you. We all love subscription boxes, at least I do. A box delivered to me every month with fun, new products in it. Bonus points goes to this box though, because you are also supporting (and learning about) veteran and milspouse-owned businesses.

What is Military Made?

Military Made is the brainchild of Bill Deutch, CEO and Executive Producer, of Hiring America. Hiring America is a show that highlights Veteran and Spouse employment by sharing inspiring stories of Veterans and Spouses in the civilian workforce, sharing companies dedicated to hiring veterans and spouses and so much more. Military Made is an extension of this in a really neat and interesting way. Each month you receive product made by Spouses and Veterans, learning about them and their story.

I wanted to take that one step more and encourage everyone with a Pay it Forward Movement. Think of a spouse, a veteran a non-military connected friend, family member or co-worker who needs a pick me up, and send them a box! Maybe it will encourage them, and then inspire them to keep paying that forward. The more hands and minds we can get these products into the better. It fills my “Supporting small businesses” and “Supporting the Troops” soul. So many service members over the decades have left the military careers and been unable to fully put that behind them. Finding meaningful employment or starting their own businesses hasn’t always been easy, especially after two decades of intense service.

As if that wasn’t enough, a portion of the sales from Military Made boxes goes to Hiring America Service, a 501(c)(3) that helps to educate veterans and spouses in finding meaningful careers. There’s so much good!

Get your own Military Made Box!

You can snag your own box by visiting their website and choosing between a quartly or annual membership. Military Made also has an option right on their website to “Pay it Forward” by choosing to the send the box as a gift.

What’s in the box right now? Well, go check out my Instagram (in the feed and on REELS) to get an up close and personal peak at it. You can also follow Military Made on Instagram for some more in-depth introduction to the current boxes’ products and the stories behind them.

What are some of your favorite military-owned (Veteran or Spouse) products?! I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

DC, DC By Foot, DC with Kids, DC/NoVa Adventures

DC/NoVA Adventures ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial

October 8, 2020 No Comments

On September 17th, 2020, the memorial dedicated to Dwight D. Eisenhower was dedicated in Washington, DC. Located within a short walking distance of the Capitol Building in DC, the memorial is designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. Gehry is also the architect behind such well-known buildings as the Guggenheim Building in Spain, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. The memorial sits on a 4-acre park and includes two large pillars, several statues, and quotes from Eisenhower. Not only does it depict scenes from his Presidency, but it also pays important attention to his childhood and the importance of Abilene, Kansas, as well as paying homage to his military service. Several artists contributed to the memorial, including Nicholas Waite Benson who was the inscription artist. Benson has also inscribed the WWII, Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorials. The large stainless steel tapestry depicts the beaches of Normandy, which connect Eisenhower’s service and the peace he maintained during the President. The two large pillars on either side of the memorial are the height of the cliffs of Normandy that American soldiers had to climb that day.

Who was Eisenhower?

I consider Eisenhower to be an interesting sort of President. While I wouldn’t consider him as unknown as say Rutherford B. Hayes or a Chester Arthur, but I WOULD consider him to be unassuming. What exactly did he do? The site location of the memorial as a whole was chosen carefully to connect parts of DC politics that are connected to Eisenhower. It is surrounded by the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Air and Space, Voice of America, and the Federal Aviation Administration. President Eisenhower was the first president to direct federal aid to education, signed legislation to the department that preceded the Dept of Health and Human Services, lead the charge in creating the Air Force, creating the Air Force Academy, and helped create the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The list goes on and on of the small of significant parts of history that Eisenhower had an impact on.

A behind-the-scenes impact

The impact of Eisenhower rings loudly today as we think about the quiet steps that Eisenhower took to impact positive change, presiding over eight years of peace and prosperity in the United States. He sent troops down south to help enforce desegregation, pushed for the desegregation of Washington DC, and completed the desegregation of the military that had begun before his election. He also signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957. And despite all the drama surrounding the design and creation of the memorial I love its simplicity and symbolism and hope that that shines through and inspires visitors to learn more about him.

See more DC/NoVA Adventures!!

American History Museum

National Inventors Hall of Fame

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