Birthdays, Figet Spinners, and a Giveaway

So, one of the problems with having a birthday a day before the last day of the month is that it makes it so I have two blog posts very close together. But that's ok, right? I mean, your weekend wouldn't be complete without a monthly overview of August from me, right? *cough* ANYWAYS...

(Plus, if you make it through to the end of my ramblings, you'll find a lovely surprise...not that I'm BRIBING you or anything...)

Summer is almost over guys. *distant weeping* Flip-flops, sunshine, and extra time to spend with friends and family is morphing into boots, rain, and school. But, some of that won't be so bad...and when has a little rain kept me from wearing flip-flops? Maybe my favorite season is over...but my next favorite season is just around the corner with awesome fashion changes and, let's face it, who doesn't like a good pumpkin spice latte? :P (Except those of you who don't like coffee...but you're crazy anyways, so whatever.)

With college life driving me slightly insane, I figured it was time for a little update on how I'm still alive and surviving. (Which goes to show, if I can do college and a writer's life at the same time, SO CAN YOU SO NO EXCUSES.) Let's jump right in, shall we?

~ Life ~
August started out kind of normal, but that changed the second week with our VBS program at church. Despite new management from a younger couple, it was pulled off extraordinarily well. I enjoyed every minute of taking "my kids" around to all the activities and having a whole week where I saw my friends every day. Exhausting, yes, but SO MUCH FUN.
Amidst babysitting and helping grandparents and family, I've tried to read, write, and do college...not all at once, I promise. It's been hectic, but I've learned a lot about life as an adult.

Us girls headed out to Port Gamble, location of the best UK store I've ever been too. There I ordered more Scottish fudge and English crumpets.

Crumpets are EXCELLENT when topped with some butter and raspberry jam/lemon curd. :)

Besides that, we took pictures by flowers ('cause why not) and ate ice cream ('cause DUH).

Our family went to the Kitsap County Fair, along with cousins and "my girls" that I babysit. :) Loads of cheap, free stuff and bags of cotton candy later, we headed home after a fun-filled day petting various animals (we did not pet the tiger...much as I wanted too.)and eating junk food.

Yeah, I got within five feet of a live tiger.
Totally not freaked out by that look in her eyes.

No trip to a fair is complete without cotton candy. ;)

My brothers discovered and bought (I'm not kidding) two pet sugar gliders that were being sold there, and although one of them died a few days later, which was very sad, the other one is still alive and as adorable as ever.

Guys, these pets are seriously amazing. Look them up and sigh with me over their incredible cuteness. We're hoping to get poor Max another one soon since apparently these critters have a decent warranty.  

Last week our family went to Northwest Trek and came within ten feet of a bunch of cool animals like bison, mountain goats, wolves, cougars, skunks, porcupines, lynx, beavers, golden eagles, bobcats, black bears, elk, and caribou. Though the day was a particularly hot one, we still enjoyed getting close to some of God's amazing creations.

After that we met and hung out with a local pastor's family who lived in the area. Yeah, we never turn down a chance to spend time with other likeminded Christians. ;) Besides...pizza and hilarious fellowship made a perfect end to our day. :P

Lastly, I kinda had a birthday...in case you hadn't noticed. XD Still feel like an eighteen-year-old. That probably won't change for another couple months. But I think I'll get used to being nineteen eventually. The scariest thought is that I'm turning twenty next year. Like, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE??!!!? *freaks out* Ok, deep breath...that's not happening for another year. I've got time. (I got a fidget spinner for my birthday. That's really the only reason I put it in the title. I didn't realize how fun those things could actually be! I can kind of see why they're popular?)

Go Huskies! ;)

Well, August was definitely no less busy than any other month of this year. It had its moments of relaxation...though few and far between. Its been crazy, but fun. Am I looking forward to having a little more structure in my life since the school year is starting for our family? Actually, yes. Despite being a naturally NON-structured person, nothing helps keep priorities straight like a schedule. So maybe I'll actually get some decent writing done this month...along with studying for college classes and doing my job well and spending time with family and making some kind of dent in my TBR list and...ok so I guess we'll have to see. ;)

~ Writing ~
Well, as you know, I got to 20,000 words in my current WIP, "A New Name"...well, that number has changed. Not by much...but every little bit counts. :) I'm at close to 25,000 now, and I'm hoping to add 10,000 by the end of this month. I actually know where I'm headed next with the plot, which gives my writing a HUUUUGE advantage. Nothing like knowing where I'm headed in a book to keep the words count building at a steady rate. I'm hoping to give y'all snippets at roughly every 20,000 words, but we'll have to see if I can keep to that schedule.

~ Editing ~
Well, due to an insane life recently, I haven't gotten nearly enough time to spend on hardcore editing. I'm hoping to get Ocean Mist edited by the end of fall, and ready for publication in time for Christmas, but that's only a hope at this point. Due to some medical issues with grandparents, our family is being stretched a bit thin. Prayer for us and my grandparents would be appreciated. <3

~ Reading ~
*distant, maniacal laughter* Let's just say reading is not really happening for me right now. I'm in middle of, like, five different books...non of which I've had time to finish. I finally got my review for "London in the Dark" up on Amazon and Goodreads, and I started a book called "Story Thieves" which I picked up kind of at random at the library. So far its been an pretty good read...but I need to finish it before it's due. *gulp* The other book I'm in middle of is "The Old-fashioned Etiquette of Falling in Love" by Eric Ludy (he also wrote "When God Writes Your Love Story"). Guys, its AMAAZING. I've only gotten in about five or so chapters and I love it! The way he writes is so much fun to read and his sense of humor is awesome! Definitely recommend it, even though I should probably wait to do that until I've finished reading it. *whistles and looks into sky*

~ Music ~

~ Quotes ~
I'm going to give you some of my favorite quotes from my WIP, "A New Name". Let me know which one was your favorite! :)

This last one made me laugh. Hope it makes you laugh too. ;)

~ Goals Reached ~
1: Write five chapters in "A New Name"
(Well, so I didn't FINISH writing five chapters...but the fifth chapter is STARTED. That counts, right?)
2: Read 5+ books
HA. Yeah, nope.
3: Visit the Scottish/Irish/English store in Port Gamble again
Done and DONE. Got me some Scottish fudge and crumpets. ;)
4: Write a poem/compose a song
I did write a poem. On Evangelism. It'll be posted on here sometime this month probably. ;)
5: Finish surviving my eighteenth year! ;) 
YES. I DID. Barely...but I DID. XD

Heyyy...four out of five! Not bad...not bad at all! ;) Wish me luck for this month's set of goals! I set myself some hefty ones.

~ Goals for September ~
1: Write 10,000 words in "A New Name"
2: Read 5+ books
3: Take (and hopefully pass) 2 college CLEP tests
4: Keep up better with out of state pen/email pals
5: Do some hardcore editing on "Ocean Mist"

Speaking of my birthday...we were, weren't we? Well, even if we weren't...I'm hosting a giveaway!!!!! *fanfare, confetti, and the works* I'm giving away one copy each of three of my books: "The Silver Flower", "Alice & Alyssa", and "The Princess and I". You're welcome to enter any and all of the giveaways ONCE. And please, feel free to share about this giveaway. It'll only help. ;) So without further ado...

~ Giveaway ~
That moment you've all been waiting for... (Or, you know, you might have just scrolled to the bottom, skipping every golden word I've typed before this...in which case, shame on you! Go back and read EVERYTHING ELSE. Then come back and enter this giveaway. ;)

Our cat decided to pose right next to my books while I was trying to take pictures of them...so helpful, Mouser... >_<

I'm going to give you the link to each Rafflecopter giveaway (still haven't figured out how to embed these thingies into my blog) and let the fun begin!!!

First giveaway: An autographed copy of "The Silver Flower"!
Second giveaway: An autographed copy of (my yet to be released) "Alice & Alyssa"!
Third (and final) giveaway: An autographed copy of my newest novel "The Princess and I"!

All three Giveaways go through the end of September. I'll announce (and afterwards email) the winners during my monthly overview post. So hurry and enter and share with as many people as possible. Let's see how many entrees I can get, k? :P

Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God!