Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} After All by Laurie Winter Laurie Winter – Author. Welcome! Laurie Winter pens award-winning sweet romance filled with emotion and heart. ONCE UPON A PRINCE. Sign up for my monthly newsletter: Romance & Wine. Harmony – 2nd place, WisRWA Write Touch Contest 2020. Harmony (Our Song)- 2nd place, Lone Star Writing Contest 2017. True Horizon – Honorable Mention, Pages From The Heart 2015. 2nd place, Hero of Our Heart Award, Pages From The Heart 2015. Winner Takes All – 1st Place, Pages From The Heart 2016. “Lyrical, emotional and utterly romantic, Home Field reminds us of what’s most important in life: home, family and most of all, love.” Karen Rock, award-winning romance author of A League of Her Own. “You will see yourself in this book, it is SO relate-able on how our emotions and hearts put us at war with ourselves. The romance and heartwarming sweetness of the characters in this book provides is a great snuggle-with-a-blanket read that leaves you sighing with a smile.” - Amazon Review. “Home Field was one of the best books that I have read this year. Laurie Winter captures her audiences heart and attention right from the very moment they flip the first page.” -Amazon Review. “What a heartwarming, engaging story! I’ll admit, my “go-to” genre is mystery or thriller, but this story pulled me in. AFTER ALL isn’t your typical romance; there are plenty of other issues layered in. Serious ones. Social issues like a teen pregnancy, troubled teens, family abuse, and more prove this. The author addressed these issues with sensitivity and authenticity, which is a real plus for me. The characters were engaging, their actions and thoughts expressed made me feel a range of emotions, from laughing to crying. And of course, there’s the romance. A serviceman returning home, dreaming of starting a family. A cop who’s devoted to her career goal of becoming a DEA agent. How will they ever get together? It’s complicated, but oh so good to travel along on their journey to find a way. This novel is book three in the WARRIORS OF THE HEART series and definitely worth the reading experience. They all are! Well done!” -Amazon Review. Chiles wins 2021 Winter Cup, Hernandez makes competitive return (video) After a tumultuous week for the gymnastics community (more here) – and after a year devoid of any notable competition – top American gymnasts travelled to Indianapolis for the 2021 Winter Cup. Rather than provide much clarity on which American women will ultimately compete at the Tokyo Olympics, the 2021 Winter Cup instead provided a reminder of just how hard it will be to make the U.S. Olympic team. In a change since the 2016 Rio Games, only four athletes will compete in the team event at the Tokyo Olympics. One of those athletes will almost certainly be four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles , who has the potential to break the women’s record for most Olympic gold medals in Tokyo (more here). In addition to the four-person team, two American women will also compete individually at the Games. Jade Carey has already mathematically clinched one of those spots via the apparatus World Cup series, while the other individual spot will be awarded at the conclusion of U.S. Olympic Trials. Jordan Chiles , 19, won the women’s all-around competition, 1.95 points ahead of 18-year old Shilese Jones (full results are here). While not every athlete in Indianapolis entered the all-around competition, Chiles’ result was especially noteworthy given she also notched top scores on three of four events: vault, floor, and beam (tie). In 2019, Chiles moved from Washington to Texas to train alongside Simone Biles at the World Champions Centre (WCC). After the competition concluded, Chiles gave a shout out to her WCC teammates watching from home. Other highlights from the 2021 Winter Cup : The 2021 Winter Cup marked two-time Olympic medalist Laurie Hernandez ‘s first competition since the 2016 Rio Games. Hernandez competed on two events (floor and balance beam) and described her routines as “super watered down,” though she did debut a floor routine to “Hamilton” that she choreographed herself. After the competition ended, the 20-year-old said her next goal is to contest four routines and upgrade some of her skills. Suni Lee , who also only competed on two events, finished first on uneven bars and third on balance beam. It was particularly remarkable given what the last year has looked like for the 17-year-old, who estimated that she was only at 60-70 percent entering the 2021 Winter Cup. She lost both an aunt and uncle to COVID-19. Then, shortly after returning to her gym in June after a two-month hiatus, she broke a bone in her left foot, followed by an achilles injury. Two young athletes proved that they are making most of the opportunity they were handed. Skye Blakely and Konnor McClain were both initially too young to compete at the Tokyo Olympics Blakely by 35 days, McClain by 32 days – but the two 16-year-olds became age-eligible after the one-year postponement was announced. In Indianapolis, both Blakely and McClain only competed on two events; Blakely tied for first on balance beam, while McClain placed third on floor and fourth on vault. Simone Biles was the most notable – but not only – Tokyo hopeful who didn’t compete in Indianapolis. Other athletes who skipped the 2021 Winter Cup but who should still challenge for a spot on the Olympic team include Morgan Hurd , Kara Eaker , Grace McCallum , and MyKayla Skinner . NBC Olympics researcher Sarah Hughes contributed to this story. Be sure to follow On Her Turf on Instagram and Twitter. THIS CHRISTMAS. Celia Batista waited a long time for all three of her sons to be together for Christmas. But after one of her identical twins disappears without a trace, Celia must rely on Police Captain Luke Veldkamp for help. Despite Luke’s accusations that her other twin son is involved with organized crime, she falls for the handsome, Stetson wearing cop. Luke Veldkamp is facing his first Christmas after the loss of his wife, working nonstop to avoid the holidays and his grief. His daughter, who’d moved home to care for her mom before her passing, pushes him to face his pain. Luke pushes back, telling her to return to college and regain her own life. If his own strife isn’t enough, the mission to locate the missing son of his beautiful neighbor grows more personal than any other case. While Luke and Celia fight to keep their families from falling apart, they find comfort and strength in one another. And when love blooms between their children, Luke and Celia’s own relationship takes root and grows. But Celia is used to living on her own terms, and loving a man who has isolated his heart is a risk too great. Now, Luke must either confront his emotions or face a life without the woman he’s come to love. After 7 months at the Fairhaven shelter, two shepherds have a place to call home. FAIRHAVEN — Sheba and Winter never left each other's side as they roamed the streets of New Bedford for who knows how long before they were taken in by the Fairhaven Animal Shelter last spring. The two stray dogs became one of those hard-luck cases of animals who might never get adopted. After all, they were both older, big dogs and one had health issues. Then Laurie Martins stepped forward. “I always tell people that I don't choose the adopters, the animals do,” said Terry Cripps, Fairhaven animal control officer. “Sheba and Winter let me know right away that Laurie was the one.” Sheba, a 5-year-old full German shepherd, and Winter, a 9-year-old shepherd mix, were first taken to the Forever Paws shelter in Fall River, when shelter officials soon realized the dogs would need a bigger yard. “They asked us if we could take them,” Cripps said. And the Fairhaven Animal Shelter became their new home. Sold and unwanted: Sheba and Winter's heartbreaking life. Sheba and Winter’s life before the shelter is heartbreaking. Winter has a microchip and was traced back to where she came from — a Rhode Island residence. The shelter contacted the original owner and learned from him that the dogs had been sold online to a family in New Bedford. “The original owner didn’t want them back,” Cripps said. And if that wasn’t heartbreaking enough, the story gets worse. It seems the new owners of Sheba and Winter in New Bedford moved away and either released the dogs or they got lose when the family moved. It’s unknown when this happened, and just how long the two dogs had been wandering around New Bedford scrounging for food and shelter, before being taken off the streets last spring. Sheba needs knee replacement surgery. Shortly after accepting the abandoned dogs to the Fairhaven shelter, Cripps noticed that Sheba was having difficulty walking. A veterinarian specialist said Sheba would need complete knee replacement surgery. But on the day of her surgery, there was a setback. Doctors discovered three growths in her leg. The growths were removed and sent out for testing, postponing Sheba’s knee surgery. The growths, Cripps said, were benign and Sheba was scheduled once again to have the knee replacement operation. Sheba’s veterinarian bills were expected to top out at around $9,000. “We then reached out to our community for help, and they responded with thousands of dollars in donations,” Cripps said. Followers kept an eye on #shebasjourney on Facebook to see how she was doing and to give donations. After 7 months in the shelter, would they ever find a home? In January, after being at the shelter for seven months, the Fairhaven Animal Shelter announced it was time for Sheba and Winter to find their forever home. Sheba was well on her way to recovering from her knee replacement. But who would come forward and take two grown dogs into their home? “Bonded pairs are harder to adopt since we know it is asking a lot to find a home that’s willing to take two dogs,” the shelter’s social media post read. “We had several great applications but there was no denying the bond that Laurie had with them,” Cripps said. Martins grieves the loss of her beloved dog. “Who’d have thought that two senior dogs would bring such joy so quickly,” Martins said. She had lost her beloved Sophie, a Golden retriever, just before Christmas. When Sophie was a pup, Martins said she was “mischievous in a loving way,” and recalls the day when the pup torn the stuffing out of the couch cushions. Martins and Sophie eventually made their peace and “she ended up being the biggest part of my life,” Martins said. When she had to put Sophie down, the old retriever had to stay behind a clear plastic sheet because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Martins’s daughter, Tara DiGiantomaso, was with her. Crying and hugs after Sophie heaved her last breath, prompted DiGiantomaso to find a way to help her mother through the grief. A daughter steps in to help ease her mother's grief. That’s when DiGiantomaso saw the Fairhaven Animal Shelter post about Sheba and Winter needing a home. She showed her mother the post. “I had nervous excitement,” Martins said. She was afraid to take the leap of allowing her heart to once more belong to animal and risk having it broken again. “It was like divine intervention.” Martins met with Cripps at the shelter and after an introduction, it was clear that Sheba and Winter found a new home. Tears all around at the shelter. “I can tell you that their last week here [Sheba and Winter] saw lots of tears from our staff when they said goodbye to them,” Cripps said when Martins picked the dogs up on Jan. 30. “As one of our volunteers was saying her goodbyes, she was crying so much that Winter was licking her tears away. It was almost like her saying ‘Thank you for caring for us and keeping us together through this long journey,’” Cripps said. Martins had nothing but praise for Cripps and the volunteers at the shelter. “I’ve already gone back for a visit,” Martin said, noting that Cripps was heartbroken when the time came for Sheba and Winter to go home with Martins. She said she’ll make regular visits to the shelter with Sheba and Winter. "They are doing really well. They crack me up,” Martins said of Sheba and Winter’s antics like swapping dog beds and toys. “It’s like in the story of the Grinch when his heart grows,” Martins said about bringing Sheba and Winter into her home. “Mine has grown three times its size.” Jordan Chiles wins Winter Cup; Laurie Hernandez comes back. Jordan Chiles won the Winter Cup, while Laurie Hernandez competed for the first time since the Rio Olympics in the first significant elite gymnastics meet in the U.S. in nearly one year. Chiles, a 19-year-old who trains with Simone Biles , totaled 57.05 points at the Indianapolis Convention Center largely without spectators. She prevailed by 1.95 over Shilese Jones . “You can kind of tell that everybody had nerves here and there,” said Chiles, who considered ending her elite career during the pandemic but ultimately deferred enrollment at UCLA for a second year. “I did what I was supposed to do when I needed to.” Most of the U.S.’ top gymnasts either weren’t at the meet — which U.S. high-performance team coordinator Tom Forster equated to a preseason football game — or chose to perform on fewer than four apparatuses. Biles passed. She’s expected to return for a World Cup in Tokyo in May, her first competition since the October 2019 World Championships. Hernandez, in her first meet in four and a half years, had the fifth-highest score on balance beam (13.95) and was 11th on floor exercise (12.05), taking out some difficulty ahead of the more important spring and summer events. “It was terrifying to initially go back out there,” she said. “Super watered-down routines so we could dip my toe back in the water and get the feeling of what it feels like to compete again at such a high level. … I’m really excited about how today went, and I think it foreshadows a really good meet season.” Chiles, the 2017 U.S. all-around silver medalist, had the highest scores on vault (14.9) and floor (13.6) and tied for the best beam score (14.5). She won in her first competition since September 2019. “The last year and a half, I honestly put in so much work to prove to myself that I can do it,” said Chiles, who moved from her native Washington to train at Biles’ gym in Texas in 2019. “I went out here and did the same thing.” That Olympic roster, named after June’s trials, will be four women, plus two more for individual events only. Jade Carey clinched one of the individual spots last spring. Sunisa Lee , the 2019 U.S. all-around silver medalist behind Biles, had Saturday’s highest score on uneven bars (15.05), her best event. She was also third on beam and didn’t perform on floor or vault as she builds back from injuries. Lee, 17, was largely shut out of her Minnesota gym from March 18 until the start of June. Two weeks after it reopened, she suffered an avulsion fracture in her left foot and missed two months. She then had Achilles tendinitis that curtailed training another two months during a year in which both parents and her sister had Covid, and an aunt and uncle died from Covid.