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!

Vacation, Graduation, and Lessons in Adulting

 

WHY? My favorite season is almost over! Sunshine, flip-flops, vacations, extra time with friends...its all coming to an end in one short month. *distant sobbing* I don't even feel like giving you a decent introduction to this post so HERE have the title picture instead and just keep reading while I go off into a corner and mourn the thought that summer is leaving us soon.

Life:
Oh, where to start. Well, first of all, I was so busy that I never got around to the June monthly recap, so I'm doing a double header today. That in itself tells you all a little about how my life has been. I guess we'll start with June. Ready?
June:

So proud of this dude! :D

Da 456 Gang rides again! ;P

That month started off with my younger brother graduating from high school along with two of his friends. Boy, nothing makes you feel old like having a younger sibling achieve a milestone like that!

 

The very next week our family loaded ourselves into our big white van and headed down to Eastern Washington for our church's summer family camp.



Have I mentioned how GOOD Columbia River Guest Ranch food is?

Our family preformed the play "The Ugly Ducking" by A. A. Milne. If you haven't heard of or read that play...go. and. read. it. NOW.

Scattergories. Poor Grace. XD

Paddle boating, being dumped into the Columbia river WITHOUT any say in the matter by two friends, riding down a slide made out of bumpy black tubing, hide and seek tag in the dark, volleyball, ping pong, swimming, running around buildings and throwing balls over the top, Scattergories and Apples to Apples late into the night, fresh early mornings to read our Bible and escape the heat of the day, foosball, pool...I could go on for a lot longer. But, to keep this post within reason, let me just sum it up: it was SO MUCH FUN. And, I didn't get burnt to a crisp OR eaten alive by the bountiful amount of mosquitos, which means it was a success. ;)

 

The hat store...always a fun photo opp. :D

I think some of us may have had too much sugar. *cough*

On the way back, we stopped at Leavenworth (along with two other families that we're really close too) and went around that town shopping and eating ice cream. Two of my favorite things to do! XD

 

Some of the families from church, including us, also went down and spent the day at Enchanted Village/Wild Waves. Basically the only amusement park we have in Washington. ;) That was a ton of fun. For the first time in my life, I actually did some of the water slides they had there. THAT was...quite the experience. :P

Our weekly summer activities started off with our Field & Fellowship and Volleyball & S'mores happening every Tuesday morning and Sunday night after the evening service respectively.

These two cuties are my job.
If I had a dream job, this would be it! :D

I started doing my new nanny/babysitter job with the two little girls on a regular, weekly basis. This oppretunity has been gallons of fun and excitement since I've also been keeping an eye on the family's three dogs and two horses. Let's just say I'm kept on my toes. ;P

My Eddy grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary! So privileged to have these two as an example. :)

This is before we painted and pulled carpet.

This is after. (The floor is now painted, fyi)

My two little brothers pulling up staples.

To top it all off, us kids had a room remodel. Or, to be more accurate a ROOMS remodel. Like, it started with us girls' room being repainted and having the wallpaper and carpet removed...then morphed into us switching bedrooms with the boys, and them getting our freshly painted room. (Not that I'm bitter about this or anything. ;P) It all worked out though. Us older girls ended up with the bigger room while the older boys and younger boys split the two smaller rooms (which had been what us girls were doing) and everything is sort of getting back to normal. I don't have to do my hair and make-up on my knees in front of a mirror propped up against the wall waiting to be hung, for example. :P

July:

This month started with a wedding. Our family is very good friends with another pastor's family in Bremerton, and their oldest daughter got married and now lives with her new husband in Canada! :) 

The fourth of July happened. That was exciting. I love sparklers. ;) We actually blew some things up. I'm not kidding. Also, just a quick shout out to my adorable cousin who is posing in the picture above. Could we just take a moment to appreciate his cuteness? XD

On a sadder note, the following week we said our goodbyes to a different friend, my brother's best friend, who is going to college in Colorado now at the Air Force Academy. 

Things began going down hill after that...

-- My car broke down and ended up costing a lot more to fix then I had thought it would. 

-- A dear woman who had been fighting cancer for over three years went to meet her Savior.

-- I had no time to write or read anything except school work during Camp NaNo.

HOWEVER. Good news, guys. Don't stop reading now!

-- My car works now! (And it's so awesome having my own wheels again, I tell you!) 

Matilyn's fifth birthday party! :)

-- My oldest young charge had her fifth birthday!

This beautiful beach... <3

Some are born selfie takers,
some achieve selfieness,
some have selfies thrust upon them.

Not sure if this was a giant
hammock or not...but we treated it like one! ;P
 



Found this beautiful stuff at my new
favorite shop in Port Gamble. ;)

YASSSSSSS

Reader, writer, musician. Also a giant teddy bear?
I named him Pancake.

Just the necessities, right? :)

Yes, we had a hot tub. BE JEALOUS.

 

So glad we could all make the trip and spend time with these awesome grandparents! :) We are so blessed!

-- Our family and the Eddy grandparents were able to go down to Quilcene, WA where we stayed in a lodge and had a week to celebrate my youngest brother's eighth birthday. Kayaking, seal-sightings, and enough time for me to actually get some decent progress in books I was in middle of reading AND writing. (More on that later.) Also, I discovered my new favorite shop in Port Gamble. Scottish fudge, guys. SCOTTISH FUDGE. Need I say more? *endless fangirling*

-- Last month ended with another birthday party, a wedding, and me completing my freshman year of college!! *cue confetti and the whole works* 

So yes, the last two months were crazy busy and kind of sad and depressing at points...but God is good. He gave me subtle encouragements either through friends or small accomplishments that kept me going and kept me smiling. :) I can't wait to see what August holds! :D

Writing:

Guys. I actually kind of got something done this month! Not really enough to record in Camp NaNo (for one because I had no time to update my profile so #ifailedsortof) but I got a ton of brainstorming and outlining done for my book "A New Name"! At the last week of July, I had about 12,000 words written...by the end of the month? 20,000, people! Yes, you read that right! "A New Nane" has been by far the most challenging book for me to write, but it has been so much fun, and well worth the effort I've put into it. I can't wait to share some snippets with you all and spread my excitement! :D Coming soon, I promise! ;) 

Reading:

*cough* Well, I'm counting college class books in the mix because otherwise my reading would look a little ridiculous. BUT. I have started some delightful stories that I hope to finish in the short break between college tests. Here's some titles and pictures of the covers I could find. 

Official CLEP Study Guide for College Composition

REA Study Guide for College Composition

The English Handbook

Handbook of Grammar and Composition

Ace the CLEP: Technical Writing

For the two cover pictures, reviews to come on Goodreads and Amazon. ;)

Editing:

It's going pretty well. Some of my wonderful team have finished, and there's a lot of work for me to do, but I'm hoping to have "Ocean Mist" ready for the public by the end of this year! *crosses fingers* Also, be in the lookout for beta-reader sign ups for "Alice & Alyssa"...that is coming up soon as well. ;) 

Music:

Quotes:

These were all found in various shops around Port Gamble.

Me. In four magnets. XD

#writer :P

Goals Reached:

1: Read 5+ books
IF you count college books, then yes, I completed this goal! *fist pump* Whoohoo! Go me! ;P

2: Write five chapters in "A New Name"
YES I DID IT, I DID IT!!! I was on a roll! Hopefully I can recreate that roll this month. ;)

3: Write five essays
Thanks to my College Composition CLEP, I did that much and MORE. ;) I think I wrote a total of ten or eleven essays for that test.

4: Finish outlining "The King's Cousin" and "Silent Voices"
Nope. But I started outlining...which is sometimes the hardest part for me. ;)

5: Begin editing "Ocean Mist"
Double thumbs up on this one. I certainly BEGAN...I just need to CONTINUE at this point.
6: Finish a short story
Sadly, no. It was a good thought, though, right?
 

Goals for August:
1: Write five chapters in "A New Name"
2: Read 5+ books
3: Visit the Scottish/Irish/English store in Port Gamble again
4: Write a poem/compose a song
5: Finish surviving my eighteenth year! ;) 

So, now it's YOUR turn! (If you haven't already posted your end of the month post. ;) How has your summer been so far? Any family vacations? If so, where'd you go? 

Truthfully now...have you missed me posting on here more often? ;P