Book Review Tuesday...The Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy - Book #1- The Next Always..by Nora Roberts

It's Tuesday..Time for a Book Review..well 1 would be great, but how about 3? 

I started this trilogy and just..couldn't...put...it...down! I will be reviewing all three books over the next 3 weeks so tune in! 

 

Book #1- The Next Always

The first book in the Trilogy is, The Next Always. I started this book and was captured, literally, from page 1.  It begins with a vivid description of a historic hotel in Boonsboro and the story that this hotel has had over the years. It was a part of the war and the peace after the war, and all the owners that have been a part of the hotel. There are even rumors of the hotel being haunted. 

 

 

The Montgomery Brothers purchased the Hotel and are rehabbing the place with the brains of the architect Montgomery Brother, Beckett. 

His crush from when he was 15 comes back to town, after she loses her husband, with her three boys. Clare Brewster is running the town's bookstore and frequents the Pizza shop her best friend owns, where Beckett and the Montgomery Brother's are at daily. 

Nora Roberts @ her Inns Boonsboro (google image)

BACK STORY:

Beckett has been in love with Clare since high school. He’s a self assured guy who has never had a problem with the ladies—unless that lady is Clare. He is absolutely hopeless at being smooth with her. He hid his crush and never acted on it because she never really saw him. They weren’t even close friends. They were friendly, sure, but she was friendly with all of his brothers. Unfortunately for him, Clare was in love with someone else in high school and went on to marry him and move away. Fast forward quite a few years and a widowed Clare, with three kids, has moved back to her home town and opened a business. Beckett still never acts on his crush, but he hasn’t forgotten it. He has to remind himself daily that it doesn’t matter.

Clare finds herself drawn to the Inn and wants to take a closer look at the place and Beckett is happy to oblige. There is a romantic story that is unwrapping, slowly, but these two characters are supposed to be in the Inn at the same time and the ghosts are playing a role in making the chemistry burn between them. 

I loved how Harry, Liam and Murphy, Clare's boys were a lot like Beckett, Owen and Ryder in a lot of ways and how the Montgomery Boys were drawn to Clare's boys, as if it were a foreshadow of what Clare was supposed to find in her life.  I liked that the boys weren’t perfect little kids who existed in the story only to be precocious or wise beyond their years. They didn’t conveniently exit the stage when they weren’t being cute, either. Clare was a mom through and through and they were an integral part of the story and her burgeoning relationship with Beckett.



Favorite Quote:

Ryder sent Beckett a slow smile. “So, you’re hitting on Clare the Fair.”

“I’m not hitting on her. I’m exploring the possibility of seeing her on social terms.”

“He’s hitting on her,” Owen said around a mouthful of chips. “You’ve still got that thing you had for her back in high school. Are you still writing bad song lyrics about heartbreak?”

“Suck me. And they weren’t that bad.”

“Yeah, they were,” Ryder disagreed. “But at least now we don’t have to listen to you playing your keyboard and howling them down the hall.”

 

 

Last words..

I know that Nora Robert's gets a lot of flack, a lot of grief and a lot of negative reviews. I have been reading her for years now and she is by far, hands down, my favorite author. I have said it before, I try to write like her, and it is only natural because I read all of her works. To me, she is an amazingly, real, author. 

This book, alone, intrigued me, made me want to pick up the next and the next. I don't know if it has to do with the historical part of this novel or what, but it felt so closely parallel to my life, my rehab project, the history of my house. I was hooked and I loved the book. I have already read #2 and #3- but best to save those for their own review pages! This trilogy was amazing and if you are a fan of Nora Roberts, please read! The images that she puts to paper are so real, like photographs in my mind. I could see, relate, feel the emotions from each page and it was an amazing story line as well. But, like I said, I am a huge fan!

Old pic of the Inn Boonsboro (Google Image)

Hope you all enjoy!

Until next time! (Next Tuesday I will review Book #2- The Last 

Boyfriend.) 

~KEL~

Marriage Monday...according to my Hubby....

It's Marriage Monday in a man's perspective..

I get my Hubby to dish on Marriage. It's interesting to see relationships through his eyes or hear his feelings. Men process things so very different from Woman...

It is a Sunday evening and as I sit and watch T.V. with my Hubby, after a long day and his only day off,  he asks me about my blog (imagine my surprise to even know he remembers this little blog thing!) and I tell him tomorrow is Marriage Monday. He then proceeds to tell me his perspective  on the "whole marriage" thing.  ( I asked him to write this but I got a funny face...it's to real for him, I suppose!)

So, I asked him what he had to say about Marriage and his first words were, "Make sure you know what you are getting into." I was like, "Huh?"  I obviously didn't get it!  His explanation was simple, be together 5 years, buy a house together and if everything is working, take the giant marriage leap. 

I could take offense here, I probably should, but I guess the reality is that we dated, we lived together at his Dad's for a year or so and then decided to buy a house. Five  years total into our relationship he "popped" the question with a big diamond ring and that was eight years ago. 

My Ring- handcrafted by Hubby and I

I asked him to elaborate his feelings into a relationship, that is not ours...He just said that he feels that in five years you are going to "hammer" out the big issues and find resolutions or move on. I guess for guys, it is just that easy!  I guess this answer is better than the "Just Don't Do It" joke that he frequently goes to! 

His views on marriage are his own, I totally agree with that and he is entitled to this opinion. He confides in me that he never really thought he would ever get married , or have kids.  He then follows up with, "then I met you."  I know that his mind is indifferent when it comes to the whole "Everything happens for a reason" mentality that his wife lives her life by, but I think that somewhere he knew when we started "dating" - which I use loosely... that we were supposed to be together.  He knows it was not easy. Is it supposed to be? It is about learning and figuring out life and the other person.  I just think that if you are with someone who makes you happy and makes you a better person and makes you want to stay with them, they must be worth it. These, however, are my words, not Hubby's.  His views are much simpler, he does not "over think" it, as I tend to. He just said that he really liked me, then he loved me and we were having fun and kept having fun and the love kept growing and here we are. (It's so gosh darn romantic, ain't it... hmm..I like my answer better.)

We have friends that are having a baby and I asked if/when they were going to get married, to Hubby. He said, "Um, probably not."  I don't understand this and am probably naive in this subject, but in the words of my Hubby, "You don't need to get married just because your having a kid.  I am sure they will try to make it work because of the kid but I don't know if marriage is in {his} future."  So, this makes me ask why he married me, how he knew it was all of a sudden  in his future when he had told me that he never saw himself getting married.  I get an answer I don't really expect, especially after the hum-dingers I got above.  His reply was, "I love you and knew I wanted to spend my life with you, no one else but you. I couldn't imagine my life without you in it and knew it was time to settle down.  It was like we were already married anyways, the piece of paper did not change anything between us, just put some sparkle on your finger."  Awww...He does have a romantic bone! Ha Ha.

Google Image- This is totally something my Hubby would do!

He has been talking to our friend as mentioned above and I guess there is a lot of nagging going on and they are just not getting along on all levels.  My Hubby tells him that if it is worth it to find a compromise. He also refers him to my blog. (My Promoter!)  

I am going to put my two cents in here.. There are rules ladies. I know it is hard when you are expecting and hormones are all over the place, but to be in a relationship (not a marriage) and to be expecting, I feel, not from experience, would be overwhelming. I do feel that Hubby and I had a strong marriage going into parenthood, which in turn strengthened our bond and caused a lot less headaches. I am not, nor will I ever say that we never fought or had disagreements or even that I never nag, truth be told, I have, we have, it has happened. I can say that I have grown and learned along the journey that these things will neither solve problems, not help your relationship.  This nagging thing is a big issue and I think that sometime people need to flip the script and put themselves in their partners shoes, whether you are married or not. Nagging is a pain and I would not want to be nagged and I will not be doing the nagging. It is also important to remember that you are not in a relationship by yourself. You need to maintain respect and appreciate the person who shares this life with you and do not take it for granted. 

Another big one, one that I am sure everyone goes through when they walk down parenthood, is the resentment. I harbored so much resentment for so long when our kids were babies because I felt that I was the one doing everything, including getting up all night with babies to feed them and maintaining my job, which required me to be at work by 5:30 a.m.  I felt that I was sacrificing everything, including my life and Hubby got to sleep, sleep in on weekends too, and was not weighted down with the kids all the time.  Just to write this makes me think back to those times, they were not pleasant. Those were the hardest times in our relationship for me because i did not know how to express my feelings or fix the situation and it caused a lot of stress in our lives. I have since expelled my distasteful feelings and traded them for gratefulness and appreciation for my spouse, who did not understand what I was feeling or going through, but was patient with me and remained by my side through my learning process. 

I am not sure how I came to terms with my "role" but I think it might be just that. I have read about roles, and studied them until I truly understood what my role was and where my place lies. I did not do this alone either. This was a process that Hubby and I both had to go through and it has brought the best out in both of us and taught us that this is a team and one person does not, or should not, go through anything alone. It was a tough lesson though, let me tell you. 

So, thinking back on these times, I ask Hubby, if we did not get married would we have survived. He simply replies, "NO."  There is no explanation needed. I know he is right. It would be easy to throw in the towel at that point of our relationship because without the bond of marriage and vows, what would the point be to stand by, essentially in the dark, which is where I unintentionally kept my poor Hubby.

I am proud of the things I have learned, especially over the past few years and how I have really embraces  my Wife role, as well as my Mom role. It is important to work with your Hubby and make your marriage everything you wanted it to ever be. But it all goes back to those four letter words that surround us, that we do everyday, W O R K.   I think Hubby said it best when he said, "Don't get Married unless you are willing to fight for it, cry for it, laugh at it and WORK for it!" 

We keep working and keep finding more and more happiness and that is what life is all about in my eyes!

Google Image.

 

Thanks Hubby for putting your WORD in my ear! I love you more than you will ever know and appreciate all you do for our family and for me. I am one lucky girl, I get to grow old with you, my Lover and my Best-est Friend in the whole world! GO US!

~KEL~

T G I F.. It has been an exhausting week, but what am I teaching my daughters...

I am a Mom. I am a Wife. I have not 1 but 2 daughters and am the "role model" in my household. 

I was thinking recently, what are some things that I want to instill in my daughters? Something that I want to make sure they always know and will use throughout their lives? 

What were some things that you took throughout your life?

 

Whoever wakes up in the morning and says that their life is "perfect" with a "perfect" house and "perfect" kids and "perfect perfections of perfect" is full of beans! Everyone has a bad day from time to time and guess what it is OK!  I say this because as a Mom, I am not "perfect" and as a wife, I am not "perfect" and I am just fine with these facts.  Does it mean I do not strive to be "perfect?" Well, I know that the idea of "perfect" is not a reality but an illusion, so I strive, instead, to be the best ME I can be for that day and find satisfaction in knowing that I gave it my all. 

Why am I talking in circles you ask? Well, I have two lovely daughters, two incredibly caring, warm and completely different girls who were given to me to care for and lead their way on their journey to adulthood. (Whoa, that's deep!)  I have two girls who cry (a lot) and fight and bicker and sing and dance and are happy and sad and mad within minutes of each other. I have two girls who are beautiful and sweet but can be a handful and sometimes just down right mean. My job is to find balance on top of all these sweet* emotions.  I have to find ways to keep them on the right path, to build values and to make sure they are true to themselves.  This has brought on a whole new meaning to "role model" for me.  This has also taught me to teach them that there is no such thing as "perfect."

Here is an interesting fact, thinking back to before kids, I never thought I would have girls. I always pictured my future and it always seemed like I was destined to have boys. Imagine my surprise on #2's gender reveal when they said, "its a girl."  Needless to say, I could never imagine not having these two ladies in my life. They are dramatic and sassy and bossy and loud, but they are also such a joy, so refreshing and unique and just plain amazing to me. 

But, having girls also means that the playing field is set up completely different. I think that when you think of having a boy, it is all a little more relaxed. I think that the "talks" I will need to have with my girls would not happen if I had boys. 

Google Image

Stop and think about it for a minute, I mean as a girl, we deal with self image, self esteem, hormones, emotions, there is the vanity part of being a girl, fitting in, then dating..oh lord please help me!  There are so many more aspects to being a girl and the things that girls deal with compared to what boys have to deal with. Girls are so complicated! Their minds are complex, their hearts are fueled with emotions. So, I am sitting down, thinking about what I want my girls to know, to believe, to help them through their journey in life. 

This is my list for my beautiful girls, please always remember these things and I hope they help your journey be a little easier, a little less stressful and help you be a better person because of it:

1- Most important:  You are Beautiful!  You don't need diets, makeup or to be a size zero. You are you and that is the most beautiful thing ever.

2- You are loved by so many people. Dad and I love you so much. Nana, Papa, Grandma P, Uncle Tony, Papa Glen...just to name a few, we all love you. More than us, you are loved by God and nothing you do or could do will ever change this fact.

3- No matter how old you get, guess what, you will always be my Baby. You also can't change the fact that I will always be your Mom.

4- I am so lucky because I get to be your best friend and your Mom, but I will always be your Mom first so be gentle with me when your all grown up.

5- I will always be here to lift you back up from a broken heart. And yes, you will get your heart broken, that is why God has given us recipes for Cookie Dough and Brownies!  

6- I will always fight for you but I will also teach you to fight your own battles. I want you to be a powerful woman. To stand up for yourself and always be true to you.

7- You will have a home with Dad and I. No matter what the situation is, we will always be here, this will always be your home. 

8- This one is important: Marry your best friend. I did and with that I found true happiness. Live by God's definition of what a wife is and have a man who will live by God's definition of what a husband is. It is OK to make him prove that he will fight for you, it will make your marriage stronger. You will find that Marriage is not easy and requires this extra work from both of you. Communication is the secret and teamwork.

9-  The day you were born was the day we bonded. I will always feel your hurt and cry your tears, I will always share your happiness and joys throughout life. My heart is a part of yours. 

10- Your Dad will always love you. He will love you forever. He will be tougher on you, expect more out of you because of this love. He is scared to see you grow up, so be patient with him.

11- Go to school. Challenge yourself. It will be worth it, I promise. Don't stop at your Bachelor's either. It is a minute moment in life and it might seem like forever, it really isn't.

12- Dance. Dance whenever, where you can, even when you think it is silly. We did this a lot when you were little and would laugh and laugh and it was a lasting memory for me, and I hope it will be for you too.

 

13- You are Never to old to love Disney. Love all the movies you loved as a little girl and never forget how they made you feel.

Frozen movie image

14- Enjoy food. Like it. Don't become a slave to it, don't use it to feed your happiness, but do eat, please!

15- I will make mistakes and screw up. I will apologize. I will try to make it better with an "I'm Sorry" and I will mean it.

16- Never be afraid to talk to me. Talk to me about everything and anything. I will not judge, I will not tell you what to do, instead I promise to listen. I don't care what time it is either. 

17- Tattoos are OK in our house, but remember they are permanent, try to be tasteful, but always be you. You can also always dye your hair when you need a change. Change is good. 

18- Always work hard. Work hard even when you don't have to. Find something your are passionate about and work at it. 

19- Travel. Travel before you settle down and have kids. Travel when you do. 

20- Another important one: Your first kiss.  We will celebrate, we will have champagne and talk and make it as special as it should be.

21- You will always want to say that you should wait... for marriage... for kids... until you are financially stable. 

It is a lie. You won't ever have enough money, so don't wait, but do plan ahead. Make sure that it is what you want and what your heart is telling you. Listen to God for hints.

22- It is OK to say sorry first. Saying sorry proves that the relationship is more valuable than just being right.

23- It is OK to cry. Sometimes you just need to cry, whether it is happy tears or sad, it is OK.

24- PMS is not an excuse. Try something herbal, it works. Green tea also helps with crabbiness.

25- You will question at one point in your life if you are a "Good Mom". Your ability to love and nurture defines what a good Mom is, not what kind of house you live in or if you cook homemade dinners or what your kids wear. Always remember this. It will be important at some point in your life.

26- Take chances, risks.  If you fail, it is OK, you are going somewhere. Don't be afraid. Failure means you are strong because you tried, but God has another path for you to take right now.

27- Have faith and make it your own. You can believe in whatever way works for you and that is fine with Dad and I. Just believe.

28- Please know that a number will never define who you are. It doesn't matter what you GPA is, what your age is or how much money you have in the bank. Most importantly, the number on the scale will never define who you are, it is just a number, not a reflection on the person you will be.

29- Make plans. Sometimes they will happen, most of the time they will not. Don't be scared of the change that will happen when they don't pan out, just modify them and try again.

30- Money does not grow on trees, no matter what you might believe. We all have to work hard to have money. Save as much as you can.  Splurge once in a while. But, don't live your life through money, don't let money live life for you either. It is a superficial part of life, break free and be creative.

31- When they say, "having a baby changes everything" - guess what, they really mean it! It will change what you thought you knew about life, about marriage and about kids. Be prepared. Be strong and be hopeful. You will get through it. 

32- Don't forget to laugh. Laughter is the best medicine and will help to keep you sane.

33- Forgive. It is hard but do it anyways. It doesn't mean you have to forget but you will live your life a little better without the stress of stubbornness. Life is too short.

34- Time is precious. Time together is more valuable than any amount of money. Remember this when you have a family. 

35- Pray. God is listening. 

36- Celebrate every Birthday you have. Even when I am not here, celebrate the way I always have on your birthday. You are my gift and it is the day when I get to spoil you rotten. You deserve it!

37- Never judge a book by its cover. You never know the whole story.

38- Other people's happiness is not your responsibility. Do not try and make it. (Words your Mom should listen to!)

39- You are a gift from God, given to Dad and I, one that we did not deserve. We are trying our best, giving our all.  We pray a lot.

40- Carrying you was the most amazing 9 months of my life. I love being your Mom. From the day I found out I was pregnant to the day I die, my greatest source of joy is being able to call myself your Mom.

41- People are always going to think what they want about you. Don't let it get to you. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what others think, it is about what you think. On that note, beauty is found in who we are, not what you look like. 

42- You are never to old to cuddle. Especially with me. If you need a hug, I am here.

43- Marriages are not built on dates and passion, but instead they are built on folding laundry, lazy mornings and washing dishes. This is real. 

44- Always trust your instincts. You are aware and capable of more than you realize.  I will always push your further as part of my job as your Mom.

45- You will never know how much I love you. There is nothing that you could do to ever make me love you any less. 

Please listen to Christina Aguilara's "Beautiful" - it summarizes just how I hope you will always feel. Other people don't matter. This is not their life, this is your life. If you get bullied in High School, stand tall, keep your head up and stay true to who you are. It is four years of your life and then those people will be remnants of your past. Never forget who you want to be, make your life what you want and always reach for the stars, even the ones that seem so far away you will never get to them, never give up. Find your source of happiness, find your light and your purpose and live this life for all it's worth.

Beautiful Lyrics  

"Beautiful" is track #7 on the album Stripped.

Every day is so wonderful
Suddenly it's hard to breathe
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain, I'm so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring me down, oh no
So don't you bring me down today

To all your friends you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Tryinghard to fill the emptiness, the piece is gone
Left the puzzle undone, ain't that the way it is?

You are beautiful no matter what they say
Words can't bring you down, oh no
You are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring you down, oh no
So don't you bring me down today

No matter what we do
(No matter what we do)
No matter what we say
(No matter what we say)
We're the song inside the tune
Full of beautiful mistakes

And everywhere we go
(Everywhere we go)
The sun will always shine
(Sun will always shine)
But tomorrow we might awake on the other side

'Cause we are beautiful no matter what they say
Yes, words won't bring us down, oh no
We are beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can't bring us down, oh no
So don't you bring me down today

Don't you bring me down today
Don't you bring me down today

Songwriters
PERRY

Read more: Christina Aguilera - Beautiful Lyrics | MetroLyrics

My girls are my drive. You have made me a better person, you have always brought the worst out in me at time, but that is OK, it puts it into perspective to strive for better. I took on my role as a Mom, shook hands with it and made it my own and kept expecting more out of myself until I stopped and looked at God's plan for me and it all made sense.  I am a protector, I am worried and scared and annoyed sometimes too, I am tired and cranky, happy and sometimes I am even sad. That is my role as a Mom, to show both of you that it is OK. I don't have a handbook. What works for one does not for the other and it is about me figuring out what works and how to creatively parent. 

I am on an incredible journey right now to finding myself, to taking on my role as a Godly wife and a Mom and an employee and I am learning as I go and that is OK. We will all be fine, we will all learn and we will be better for it. 

google image.

This is our journey.  We will grow, we will love, laugh, we will be happy and sad, were going to get mad and upset and feeling will be hurt along the way, but we will always have one another. We will always know what love it and create memories on this path. 

google image

I will love my Hubby for eternity and then some. I will love my girls the same. I love my life, even when it is hard and I want to do nothing more than crawl up into a ball on the floor and cry, it makes me stronger, it gives me perspective and drive and teaches me not to take anything for granted. Life is fast and you never know what tomorrow will bring so live in the moment and make memories, lots of them!

google image

I love you girls...to the moon and back.. You will ways be my sunshine when skies are gray, you will never know how much I love you and I pray no one takes that sunshine away.

google image

KJ (my Moon)

KM (my Sun)

Love,

~MOM~

 

  

 

 

 

I know it's #tbt..but Life at Gray Gables is getting Interesting...

What if you get an unexpected phone call that you answer and the person on the other end of the line wants you to work from home, what do you do?

What if working from home is exactly what you have wanted for a long time and this opportunity is happening at just the right time in your life? 

Google Image

My life is moving at rapid speed right now and I am on the brink of losing control, with excitement that is! 

Let's have a little throwback Thursday action and head back to last Wednesday.  I am getting my kids to bed and handling some laundry detail. Its about seven at night and my phone is lying on the bed in our room, obviously on silent, as usual (bad habit!).  I take the laundry up to our room and start sorting according to what goes where, when I look down and see the little green indicator light flashing for all it's worth, trying desperately to get my attention. So, I open the cover and swipe my finger (I love you Samsung Note!) and see a missed call and a voicemail. Right to voicemail I go and enter password and hear an unfamiliar voice who is trying to get ahold of me because she saw my resume and was very impressed. 

My thoughts are, um, OK. So I call the number back and it goes to a voice mailbox and I leave a message.  Then, I go back to my laundry. 

It isn't until after nine o'clock that I get a callback, and yes, I am still doing laundry. What happens next is just crazy! I basically am in an interview. I am told about the company that is looking for an Administrative Assistant and the kicker is that this is not a freelance opportunity. I am excited. This is exactly what I have been looking for with the added perks of being a real employee, not a free agent. 

What would you do? Would you consider this position? Would you be skeptical? 

Since then, I have had three interviews and in depth details about the position and I want this job so bad! I have never been so excited and happy about a job before, but having the opportunity to work with the company and at home is a dream come true. 

I am still waiting for the final steps, but I have been told that everything is good, from the Executives that I interviewed with yesterday, and even went as far as to pack up my stuff at my current job. 

Am I crazy? I just see this as an incredible opportunity for my family! 

My Hubby is just as excited. We did our research and this company is legit and growing, which is very important. It is a smaller company, but it believes in helping its employees continue to grow with the company.  

I feel that God has put this in my path for a reason, probably my nagging prayers. I have not been quiet about the fact that my oldest starts Kindergarten this fall and I want to be there for her, drop off/pick up and room mother. I want to be an active Mom and with my current job, I am missing everything. I work early in the morning and although I get off early, it still is an awkward time and I am just missing out on her school experience, and my Hubby is running on fumes because of his odd work schedule. 

I can not explain how deep my feelings are, but this feels so right, like that feeling of being exactly where you should be? I don't know exactly how to put it into words, but I know that I can not wait to get started with my furture with this company and be a little more active in my girls lives. 

Here is the kicker! My current job let me know six months ago that I would be out of a job within a year or so and to start looking elsewhere. My Boss was very open and said that she did not know what the future was for our company, being that it is health care, and there has been a lot of activity in our building since the beginning of the week. I just feel like this was God's way of taking care of my family and I will continue to pray for this godsend that befallen upon us. 

I am just feeling truly blessed right now!

Happy Thursday All!

 

~KEL~ 

Wacky Wednesday...Let's talk Catfish...

What is being "Cat-fished" mean? 

Have you ever been? 

With the online craze that the kids now a days rely on for dating needs, how many of you really think that you are talking to the person you think you are? 

 

Image from MTV.com

 You join Match.com, hoping to find the one, not really knowing what to expect but trying to be open minded on this journey. 

--This is where I have to rely on my friends who are using the services that are out there because I got married before these were such a big hit! 

So you start checking people's profiles and send "winks" trying to show your interest. Then..you wait...and wait..

Now, I have been told that this service is not as speedy as some, but let's say you get a "wink" back from a person of interest. You are jumping up and down and start "talking" to this person through chat and message. You develop a relationship with this person. 

What if years pass. You have changed your facebook status to "in a relationship" even though the person you are in this relationship with you have never even seen in person.

OK, --hold up.. I am so old school. Does this really happen? 

Yes, yes it does!   Are you shocked? Are you amazed? 

I watch MTV's Catfish and this is exactly what is happening to tons of people around the world. 

Each season we meet up with Nev Schulman and Max Joseph as they take us on another adventure to meeting one part of the "online" couple who has decided they are ready to meet the other party after years of having this Internet relationship.   

I think that this show is so awesome because Nev himself was Catfished.  He is someone that we can all relate to, connect with and with Max, they make a great team and understand and care about what the reality could be and I can say, as an avid tuner, it usually is not the person from the pictures.

I started the T.V. series before I watched the movie of Nev, Catfish, a documentary, that he, himself put together in 2010.  The documentary is almost disturbing because Nev thinks he is having a relationship with a beautiful woman and when he goes to meet her he finds a married woman who is having relationship with multiple people via the Internet. He is heartbroken to say the least.

What can we expect from Season 3 of Catfish, the T.V. show?

If you are anything like me, amazed by this new dating experience, and you are watching Catfish on MTV, you want to know what we can expect from this season's line up of the show, right? 

{Image from MTV.com}

we are heading into season 3, starting May 7th at 10:00 p.m. on MTV and per Nev and Max we are up for a darker season then we have seen to date.  They say that the Catfish victims have gotten smarter, but so have the Catfishers. 

It has been reported that the victims seem to be less gullible this season and harder to find, but it also seems that the catfishers are getting more manipulative this season, finding people to send them money, go places, or having physical, real-world things happen through the Internet.  We also should not expect all romantic stories this season. We can expect catfishing an entire town, cyber-bullying, and even just to get people to turn against one another. 

As for how Nev feelings about Online dating, he is stated to have said, "I remain hopeful for human beings but have become more and more skeptical of Internet relationships.”

I, personally, can not wait for this next season to get underway. I think that bringing in the other aspects that happen with the use of the Internet will give the show a new light, a look into what the Internet can do both positive and negative. 

As a mother, I dread the Internet for my girls teenage years. Social media can fuel bullying and as a bullying survivor (in my high school days) I am personally not looking forward to this hateful weapon.  I hope that I can teach my girls to never judge, never make fun but instead find positive in everything and everyone. Everyone is different, they are supposed to be and we should all learn to appreciate that. 

As far as using the Internet as a dating tool, use caution. It can be a wonderful experience or a terrible, down right scary experience. I think that there are warning signs that should be looked at without the rose colored glasses on before jumping feet first.

I love the idea about real-time photos, including words that you request and in a time frame, or just using other tips to make sure that this is "real" or as "real" as it can be. 

I wish that our society was a little more honest, but people will be people and as I Love to say, 'to each their own.'

 

 

I just hope that everyone watches the Catfish Project and learns from it. You can be the nicest person in the world, think that nothing like that could ever happen to you..until it does and it leaves you heartbroken, or broke. 

Tune in on May 7th with me at 10:00pm on MTV and let's keeping learning the warning signs and bring hope back to honest people.

Happy Dating all!

~KEL~