Tag: Shelter for Koren

August 2026 Wrap-Up

Personal Highlights from this month:

  • For the days of July 30th through August 1st
    • Miss R finished the leadership camp. She was invited by the head of the camp to join his Junior Explorers group when she’s 14 (next year). She is very excited to have gotten that invitation!
    • I also confirmed that Miss R will be doing wrestling this school year (not too thrilled about that).
    • Miss R also got thrown off the horse she was riding during her Saturday lesson. She’s fine (some whiplash, a sprained wrist, and a huge bruise on her hip). The horse had gotten stung by a wasp, bucked, and then bolted. She got thrown off when he made a sharp turn. He is also all right (no lasting issues from the sting).
  • For the week of August 2nd through August 8th
    • It is one week until Mr. Z moves into his dorm. We started boxing up stuff that he wasn’t using and will finish packing over the weekend.
    • It was the last week of Miss R doing camp at the barn. She is thankful that she can sleep past 7:30 a.m. lol.
  • For the week of August 9th through August 15th:
    • We moved Mr. Z into his dorm this week. It was uneventful, and he seems to be getting along with his roommate.
    • I did Miss R’s back-to-school shopping (clothes and supplies). We also picked up a few things for Mr. Z (we went back over the weekend to drop off some he forgot).
  • For the week of August 16th through August 22nd:
    • I finally got to try 7 Brew and Guthrie’s Chicken. I loved 7 Brew but was not too fond of Guthrie’s.
    • Mr. Z started classes on the 17th. His first class is also his furthest class (a 5-minute shuttle ride or a 15-minute walk).
    • Miss R has her sneak peek (for school) later on this week. She meets the teachers, gets her schedule, and confirms transportation. We are also talking to the wrestling coach to get a sports physical form.
    • Miss R also got her hair done. She did red chunks with her natural color, brunette. It looks really good.
  • For the week of August 23rd through August 29th
    • School started this week.
    • And since we are on the subject of school, Mr. Z is loving college. He’s acclimated pretty well.
    • Miss R is loving school. The school is doing something different. They are splitting science and social studies into different semesters. Right now, Miss R is in science. Next semester, she will be in social studies. I think it is a good way to get the kids used to that kind of schedule shift for high school.
    • Miss R isn’t loving the bus ride, though. Her route got changed because that driver retired. So, two routes were combined, and they have a new driver. On the first day of school, she was 10 minutes late getting there (they start at 7:20, and the bus got there at 7:30). But it was the ride home that got parents complaining (not me, though). Miss R was dropped off at 3:10ish (her regular time). The rest of the route took almost 1 1/2 hours to drop off because the driver got lost. Thankfully, the assistant principal will be driving with that driver until he gets the hang of the route.

Books I Read:

Monthly Playlist (I use songs featured in the book, if there are any, along with a playlist generated by ChatGPT).

Featured Song of the Month

Bookish Travels: August 2026 Destinations

Bookish Travels

I saw this meme on It’s All About Books and decided to do it once a month. Many thanks to Yvonne for initially posting this!!

This post is exactly what it says: the places I travel to in books each month.

Enjoy my travels, and please let me know if you have read these books.

Countries I visited the most: United States, England

States/Provinces I visited the most: Texas, Nebraska

Cities I visited the most: San Antonio, London, Dover, Sapphire Falls

United States

England

Scotland

Hati

France

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?—August 3rd 2026

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet and share what you have been reading and what you are about to read this week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and was then hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

What I am Reading Now

Hiding from her ex is exhausting enough, but for Hope Drayden, putting her seven-year-old son through a life on the run and living on the streets has been mentally torturous. When a kind diner owner offers her a job, Hope begins to claw her way toward a new beginning for herself and Billy, one tip at a time. But since her son’s recent abduction, and with threats from her ex still fresh in her mind, she’s constantly looking over her shoulder. Then a surprising, and lucky, tip from a diner regular puts yet another target on their backs.

At the request of a friend, medical examiner Calder Stonewall has been looking for Hope and Billy for weeks. When they unexpectedly show up at the scene of a crime, his interest soon becomes personal. He’s amazed by the beautiful, brave woman and her resilient son. He’s also surprised by his growing need to take care of them both, although winning Hope’s trust won’t be easy. But when a tragedy thrusts the couple together, Calder quickly proves he’s a man Hope can rely on.

Which is a good thing…because she’ll need all his support, and love, to get through a threat they never saw coming.

What I plan to read Tuesday and Wednesday:

Freak. Witch. Ugly. Abomination.

Having grown up with a port-wine birthmark on her face and neck, Quinn Dixon’s heard them all. Her own mother couldn’t bear to touch her, let alone strangers. Years of stares and insults from everyone from classmates to foster families have made her understandably reluctant to trust. So when John comes along, of course he couldn’t be interested in more than a brief affair. He’ll get sick of all the gawking and whispers soon enough and leave her…just like everyone else.

John “Driftwood” Trettle was captivated by Quinn the moment they met. After months of skirting around their attraction, one pivotal evening finds John seizing the reins and refusing to be denied a chance to prove he’s worthy of Quinn’s time, her trust, and her love. To show her he’ll have her back, always, and defend her against anyone cruel or stupid enough to hurt his woman.

But he can’t protect against an unknown threat. Even if it wears a familiar face…

Discovering your ex is a serial-killing religious zealot would put anyone off dating for a good long while. That’s where Hudson “Taco” Vines’s head is at when he meets Koren, a woman who looks a little too much like his ex for comfort. But he can’t deny their attraction, and the more he gets to know her, the more Taco realizes how different Koren is from his ex, in all the best ways. It’s not long before he’s feeling things for her that he’s never felt for anyone, ever. After the drama of his last relationship, maybe this is his reward…a supportive, comfortable life with a woman he’s coming to love.


Koren Garner is no fan of drama, and it certainly seems Taco and his friends have all seen more than their share. So you’d think meeting him for the second time at the scene of her own car accident would be enough to warn her away. But Koren can’t resist the sexy firefighter. A little drama might be worth the risk…even when an unknown threat starts targeting Taco’s friends. Someone’s setting fires, and the danger’s escalating with each blaze. Koren and Taco can only pray the culprit is caught before their relationship—and their lives—go up in smoke.