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

Author Interview with K. M. Weiland

I can't begin to tell you how excited and thrilled I am to bring you a very special interview from a very amazing Christian author: K. M. Weiland. A couple weeks ago, I wrote a nervous, fangirly email to one of my new favorite authors on her website, asking if she would be willing to do an interview with me on my blog.
To my surprise (ok, I may have had a small heart attack...one of those good heart attacks that fangirls get every once-in-awhile) SHE SAID YES!!!!! And I...like the proper fangirl I am...totally freaked out on the inside.



Since being led to her website by my older sister, I have read three of her fiction novels and one of her nonfiction works. After the first book I read by her: Dreamlander, I was hooked. The fascinating characters, unique plot lines, sweet and humorous romances, faith building lessons, and page-turning action all sucked me in, making it hard to put any of her books down.
I'm a fan.
And, if you have read any of her works, you probably are too. ;) If you haven't read any of her works...I'll tell you now, Dreamlander is a free e-book right now on Amazon, so go read it and join the fan club. :) For those of you who judge books by their covers...these are the covers of the fiction stories I've read. Judge away...if you can.

 

Ok, ok. I'll try to tone down the fangirling at this point. It probably won't last long...but note that I made a valiant effort.

About this fabulous author:

K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso. She is the IPPY, NIEA, and Lyra Award-winning and internationally published author of Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs. She writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in western Nebraska and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

Let's go onto the interview, shall we? After all, that's kinda why I wrote this post. :P She gave me the limit of five questions... *cough* I may have stretched that line a bit. But I only numbered four of them, so we're even. ;)

1: Which authors inspired/impacted your writing style the most?

As a novelist, I am inspired by countless excellent authors and filmmakers. Specifically, Brent Weeks’s epicness, Margaret Atwood’s prose, and Patrick O’Brian’s sheer genius speak to me and urge me on. As a blogger, I’m inspired by the professionalism and creativity of people such as Joanna Penn, Porter Anderson, and Jody Hedlund.

 

I love reading authors who are masters of characterization, adept with subtext, and players with their prose. Authors who can put all the puzzle pieces of a story together seamlessly always have something to teach me.

2: What part of writing (brainstorming, typing, outlines, editing, publishing etc.) has been the hardest for you? And on the flip side, which parts are the easiest/most fun?

Sometimes starting is the hardest thing you’ll ever do. But it only takes five seconds of courage, and it only gets easier from there.

The conception stage, before I’ve put the idea down on paper, is always my favorite. The story is free and full of possibilities and uncaged by my words. But I also love the outlining period, when I’m really digging into the story and discovering the path it’s going to take.

3: I know this is like choosing a favorite child for you, but if you had to narrow all your fiction stories down to one favorite, which one would you choose and why?

Yes, to paraphrase Dickens, authors aren’t supposed to have their favorite children. But my medieval epic Behold the Dawn still manages to maintain a special place in my heart. Aside from the fact that it was a comparatively uncomplicated book to write, I’m still just as much in love with those characters as I was when I first created them. Marcus Annan—surly, broken, and good-hearted—and crazy, funny, irreverent Peregrine Marek were such a blast write.

 

4: Finally, since you probably noticed the extra questions I slipped in there...would you mind giving some writing advice to all of us aspiring authors?

Don’t scrimp on the small stuff. Understanding the details of your craft—and the publishing industry—is what sets the pros apart from the amateurs. If you’re really serious about selling stories, perfectionism needs to be a constant goal. In a cutthroat market such as we have today, nailing the small details will make all the difference.

 

Special thanks to Katie for being willing to take the time and answer some questions that I hope you all will find as helpful as I did. Again, if you haven't checked out her website, I put a link in the intro paragraph. Her blog has been incredibly helpful to me, and I know it will be to all you fellow aspiring authors who I know read my blog. :)

Should I do more of these interviews with authors we constantly fangirl/boy about? If so, who should I have next? Give your vote in a comment below and I'll see if I can round up another awesome author to question. ;)



~Let everything you do be done for the glory of God~

Belated Post: Dandelion Dust Blog Tour

Yes, this is terribly late. I was supposed to do this post on Thursday. -_- I have already apologized to poor Faith, and now I'm apologizing to all of you. Profusely. I beg you to forgive me. PLEASE. This beautiful, touching story deserved better, as did it's equally beautiful author. I'm just going to say it again, because it makes me feel better about myself: I AM SO SORRY.
Now, enough of the apologies. On to a much more delightful part of my post today.

Take no note of the dates...*looks into sky and whistles a few random bars of Amazing Grace*

Let me introduce you to the fabulous novella Dandelion Dust. A touching story of family strength, steadfast love, and abundant faith in times of testing. Sacrifice. Hope. And a LOT of tears and feels. Make sure you have a Kleenex box nearby. Trust me on that one.

Here is the beautiful cover:


And, the summery:
Like a speck of dandelion dust riding the tides of a prairie wind, life is fleeting. Though I never realized just how fragile it was until that day . . .
Charity always had a dream. It was simple, really. Find a guy, fall in love, and get married.
The day she met Ryder, Charity knew he was the man God had chosen for her. But she never expected their relationship to be tested and tried through the fires of a freak accident. Suddenly, her world is thrown into chaos, and the bleak, white walls and sterile smells of a city hospital fill every spare minute. And then there comes the dreaded news. It was likely Ryder would never make it out of the hospital bed.
As her carefully laid plans for the future come crashing down around her and the sun seems to set on her dreams, can Charity still find hope in the dark of night?
Like a dandelion, life is beautiful. But treasure every moment. . . . for one day, the flower will be gone.

And, here is my Goodreads review:

Faith, Faith, Faith! This was amazing. I'm so sorry my hectic schedule kept me from enjoying this heartwarming tale sooner. I think I've fallen in love with each and every one of your characters and you had better be plotting the sequels or so help me... I rarely cry while reading, but I choked up not once, but at least FIVE times while reading this. I'm glad I had a Kleenex box nearby. It was a beautiful, inspiring, and uplifting read that I want to have on my bookshelf as soon as possible! So h Faith, Faith, Faith! This was amazing. I'm so sorry my hectic schedule kept me from enjoying this heartwarming tale sooner. I think I've fallen in love with each and every one of your characters and you had better be plotting the sequels or so help me... I rarely cry while reading, but I choked up not once, but at least FIVE times while reading this. I'm glad I had a Kleenex box nearby. It was a beautiful, inspiring, and uplifting read that I want to have on my bookshelf as soon as possible.

Last, but not least, I give you an exclusive, just-for-Rebekah's-Remarks-followers-and-nobody-else, interview with the one and only FAITH POTTS from STORIES BY FIREFLY!!!!!! *cue confetti and fanfare* *also cheering and clapping* *and anything else happy and excited that I missed*
I threw some pretty crazy questions at her...this should be entertaining...*insert evil laugh* FOR ME.

1: What inspired your book's plot/characters?

The inspiration for the basis of the plot actually came from a dream I had. (I know. Weird, right?) Nope. That sounds completely normal to me. XD I started with what the dream gave me, and just went with it. Of the characters, some of them are based off of friends and family members, and others are just figments of my overactive imagination. That sounds familiar. ;P

2: Do you have a favorite chapter/scene?

My favorite scene would be the 'haircut scene' from chapter thirteen. It was just so much fun to write, and I feel like the characters' personalities showed through well. For the record, that was one of my favorite scenes too. Gave my poor heart a chance to heal a little. Chapter thirteen could be counted as *one of* my favorite chapters from the book, as well as chapter six. 

3: This is a cruel one, but too much fun to pass up: in five words or less, sum up your book. (Without spoilers. *evil laugh*)

*makes a face and growls* Okay, I'll try. My five or less words: emotional. heartbreak. relationships. trusting. Ooo...good answer. So much for my devious plan. :P

4: Favorite fangirl/boy response from a reader?

Oh goodness, that's a hard one! I don't know that this is my 'top favorite', but I can definitely say I was grinning pretty big when one of my beta-readers told me Ryder was "the most adorable thing ever." Well, he IS. I second that reader's opinion! :D

 

5: Tell us something you learned in the making of this story. :)

Through the making of this story, God taught me many life lessons. One of them being to cherish those close to me and not take them for granted. Another was to be open to God's will for my life, and to be willing to wait for His perfect timing. And that's just two of them. ;) Thanks so much for doing this Faith! Once more, I apologize for my lateness...I really loved beta-reading your book, and I look forward to holding a copy in my hands! (Along with a bountiful amount of tissues. ;)

 

 

Have any of you read Faith's book? If not, go pick up a copy HERE. No excuses. Shoo.

Babysitting, Sunburns, and Out of State Siblings

Well, this is it. The farewell post to my favorite month of Spring. *sighs* I think that May wins as the fastest fleeing month of this year so far...which is saying something, since ALL the months have gone by incredibly fast. I'm still catching my breath after April. And Summer isn't going to go by any slower. Our family is already neck-deep in preparing for a pretty significant milestone for a certain younger brother of mine this Saturday AND a church retreat next week. Life just doesn't appear to listen to me when I politely request it to SLOW DOWN. Ugh. But enough introduction. I'm sure you're wondering what on earth has kept me strangely quiet on here...honestly, I'm wondering a bit myself. ;) 

Life:

This month started with my parents deserting my older sister and I to fend for ourselves as the babysitters of younger siblings while they flew to Wisconson and witnessed my one and only older brother graduate from his seminary. He then joined them and returned to Washington were he was going to be ordained by a group of elders and pastors who had been a godly influence to him throughout his growing up years. 

The day before Andrew's ordination ceremony, my older sister Sarah (yes, she's the one who got married recently) came up for a week to see us and watch Andrew ordained. 

The last time we were all together was for Sarah and Jesse's wedding last September, so having all of us together for a whole week was pretty special. :) 

During this crazy time with all ten of us running around (selfishly trying to get in as much time with Sarah and Andrew as possible) I had my first nanny job end after the parents' schedules lined up so that one could watch the baby while the other worked. This wasn't a tragedy for me...it was exactly what the goal had been when I started babysitting Alice. But with the dad on military time we hadn't known if it would work like we hoped it would. 

Here's where I started realizing God had everything figured out for me...a couple days before I found out that my job watching Alice was at an end, a different nanny job was offered to me, this time for two little girls. At first, there was no way I could juggle the two jobs together, but God quietly shut one of the two doors and I landed this new nanny job. (I'm starting in just a couple weeks!) I'm still in awe at how He managed to put that altogether for me. Don't tell me He doesn't care about the little things in my life. He does. Always has, always will. 

May ended with our church's annual Memorial Day Picnic, hosted at our house. This event requires a LOT of yard work (and house work) that kept all of us busy the entire month. However, God blessed us with AMAZING weather and a wonderful turnout of people. It was fun to see new faces in addition to all the awesome regulars. ;) 

You know those sunburns I mentioned in the title? Yeah, I got pretty scorched during the time spent outside. BUT THEY WERE SO WORTH IT. I also got doused in water...our water ballon fight kind of turned into a "lets fill up five gallon pails and drench everyone with those". It was cold. And it made playing volleyball in our sanded court rather painful. BUT THAT WAS ALSO WORTH IT. XD

Writing:

This month was not a very good month of writing. I hate to make excuses for my sad amount of writing...BUT family time IS kind of important. However, next month I'm taking a class on college composition, so I'll be cranking out essays by the bucketload. Thankfully, writing essays is something I actually enjoy. 

I wrote a Mother's Day poem. That ought to count for SOMETHING, right? 

I did write some in "A New Name", and started outlining "The King's Cousin" and "Silent Voices"...so May wasn't a complete loss. ;) 

Reading:

I'm in middle of like...five to ten books right now, but I did actually COMPLETE three books during May around all the insane mess of busyness. And all three were amazing. Reviews to come on Goodreads. :)
 

 

 

Editing:

My wonderful group of beta readers have been wading (pun intended ;) their way through "Ocean Mist" with surprising speed. Two have finished their first read through already, with a couple others not far behind. I'm so grateful for their helpful insights. My poor story needs a lot of help, and help is exactly what they're giving. Without them, I wouldn't feel nearly as confident that my story is going to become something worth reading as I do now. :) 

Music:

Here's a sample of what I've had on my playlist this last month.
 

This song can ONLY be sung in a Scottish accent.

And it will probably be stuck in your head.

You're welcome. ;)

 

Here are the lyrics...in case you couldn't understand what he's saying. :P I included some interpretation of some of the words below (identified by *.)

 

The Midges

Sung by Kenneth McKellar

Chorus
The midges, the midges, I'm no gonnae kid ye's,
The midges is really the limit,
Wi teeth like pirhanas, they drive ye bananas,
If ye let them get under yer simmit*!

The Lord put the Garden of Eden on earth,
And it's north of the Tweed, we believe,
Ay, Scotland's the place, and the whole human race,
Started off with MacAdam and Eve!
In six days or under, he finished this wonder,
Except for the Forth and Tay Bridges,
Then always a bloke for a practical joke,
He made Scotland the home of the midges!

 

Chorus

 Back in 1314, the proud Edward was keen,
To take Scotland into his care,
But he made a U-turn when he reached Bannockburn,
Just a few weeks before Glasgow Fair!
For the midges let loose by King Robert the Bruce,
Straight into the English they tore,
So they ran off in tears, and for six hundred years,
They've been blocking the A74!

 

Chorus

 Now never forget, when the sun's going to set,
And the midges arise on Loch Eck,
Like the vampires you see, played by Christopher Lee,
They will give you a pain in the neck!
You can smack them and whack them; in vain you'll attack them,
For they know every move that you make,
If you manage to kill yin****, another half million,
Are ready tae come tae the wake!

 

Chorus

 Now Torquil the piper's a giant of a man,
With a sporran** as long as your arm,
And in Oban he's known, for the sound of his drone,
And a pibroch*** of real highland charm!
But they're sighing and sobbing, the ladies of Oban,
For Torquil is not what he was,
Since a midge in Glenbranter got hold of his chanter*****,
And carried it off in its jaws!

Chorus

 

*simmit (semmet): a vest (part of traditional, male Scottish dress)

**sporran: a pouch (part of traditional, male Scottish dress)

***pibroch: bagpipes

****yin: one

*****chanter: bagpipe part

 

 

 

 

Quotes:

 

 

 

Goals Reached:

1: Write 10,000 words in "A New Name"

#epicfail I tried guys. I did. Just...life.
2: Read 5(+) books

Better luck next month. *sigh* WHY IS THIS SO HARD? I love reading...I really do!
3: Write a poem

YES. I DID. FINALLY.
4: Complete a short story

*cough* Well, it was a nice thought. 
5: Work on editing "Ocean Mist"

Yes. I did. *thumbs up*
6: Spend less than an hour on the internet each day

Surprisingly, I did best on this one. With family around I didn't have much time to waste on Pinterest. ;) 

Goals for June:

1: Read 5+ books

2: Write five chapters in "A New Name"

3: Write five essays

4: Finish outlining "The King's Cousin" and "Silent Voices"

5: Begin editing "Ocean Mist"
6: Finish a short story

Because I foresee a very busy month ahead of me, I thought I'd warn you all that I might not be able to post much on here. I'll try to reply to your comments, and expect a couple blog posts throughout the Summer (I'm still planning on doing 21 Answers posts and monthly overview posts)...but I'm taking a break from Internet stuff (excepting Camp NaNo) until September. 

You could write me snail mail if you really need to get ahold of me. :P I just have a lot going on in my life right now, and the Internet has been bumped down a few notches in my priorities list. So there you gave it.
Also, I'm going to try to upgrade my blog a little...which will mean a lot of days when you happen upon it during the middle of the construction process. Try not to get a heart attack. Everything will look better (hopefully) by the end of summer. :P Speaking of which, I NEED HELP FOR THIS. If any of you are any good at blog design, please let me know you're interested in helping a poor girl out via a quick email. Otherwise, I'll try to manage on my own. *sniff* *puppy-dog eyes*
 

Other than that, I think I'll stop rambling and let you get on with your life. How was YOUR month of May? ;)