Points for what I think is probably my longest blog title EVER. But I am not here to talk about that. I am here to apologize.
Last you heard from me, I finished my biggest giveaway of all times...announced the winners...and then promptly dropped off the face of the earth. I PROMISE I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU!!! I especially want to apologize to the giveaway winners...because *insert the blush emoticon and face palm here* I STILL haven't mailed out your books yet. I know, I know, I'm a horrible person and trust me, I'm VERY embarrassed about this. Normally it wouldn't take me this long (like, what? THREE MONTHS or something like that now? Guys, I'm MORTIFIED) but I do have several excuses. Let me get you all up to date on how my life has been the last couple months.
~ June ~
1) My friend that's been away at college since spring break came up for the summer and our family tried to prioritize our time so we could all hang out more. A lot of spontaneous ice cream and ping pong. :) It was super awesome. 2) Penial Ranch. SO MUCH FUN. But exhausting, and time consuming. Not that I'd trade that week for ANYTHING. 3) Our house was being roofed this whole time, which meant a lot of extra chores for those NOT up on the roof all day. 4) I was still trying to do college studying throughout this time, not to mention read and write some...I mean, a girl needs to have some free time, right? 5) I also hosted a book signing at my house, which was amazing and fun, and even though it was during a busy time of year, I actually had a pretty good turnout? (The cookies were DEFINITELY not the reason why so many people showed up. :P)
~ July ~
1) Our church had its VBS program and I had a fairly important part in it including being a leader of a group of kids, leading songs, and being a character in a play that we did at the end of each day. (You can watch that play now on Youtube in its entirety. Here's a link if you're interested: TIME LAB PLAY) 2) I also went to visit my brother in Eastern Washington where he works as a missionary with another family there that our church supports. 3) I have this job, right? BABYSITTING. Yeah, I've been doing that all this time too. Four hours a day, four days of the week. Plus, I've also had to take care of their animals a couple weekends as well due to an unfortunate family tragedy which I won't go in to detail here. 4) I'm still plugging away at a couple books (I READ FAWKES AND IT'S SO GOOD) as well as trying to get in some of my own writing. I did actually manage to write about 5k in "A New Name", which, with everything else going on in my life, WAS A HUGE AMOUNT.
~ August ~
1) Throughout the end of July and beginning of this month, our family enjoyed a delightful three weeks with a couple very amazing Japanese students. Riko and Junya were so much fun to hang out with. They became a part of our family, and we all miss them terribly now that they headed home. A visit to their homes in Japan is officially on my bucket list. 2) With the roofs of our property FINALLY done, (including a couple extras that the poor guys hadn't bargained for) we could now focus on some other property issues including a washing machine that stopped working AND one of two water pumps breaking down on us. In a family of ten...this is no joke. 3) I'm almost caught up now with the life I'm living right now (since August isn't over yet, thank goodness!) I have a CLEP test this Friday, and at the end of the month, an Accuplacer test which I have to take in order to get into the college I want to get into. Needing to take a deep breath yet? Yeah, me too. Obviously, I've been a little stressed over the last couple months. Still, I know its unforgivable the amount of waiting I made you all do. Excuses aside, I should have sent out those book packages MONTHS ago. To all of you who have been waiting patiently, in growing confusion as to why your book hasn't showed up yet, hopefully this post will clear that up. Again, I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN. Your books are signed, in a bag, in my car. I just need finish writing you each a letter and take them down to the postal office in order to send them off. Due to financial reasons, I'll probably only be able to send off a couple at a time...but have no fear, I am planning on getting them to you (ALL OF YOU) before the end of September. Thanks again for your patience. I don't deserve it. <3
As I sit here, consuming too much coffee ice cream and enjoying the gentle breezes of summer (which has FINALLY decided to show up) I feel like I should wax poetic on this introduction. I should contemplate the many mysteries of life, like why do birds sing and how fast do stars die and why does my friend think a gorilla is a sasquatch...but I won't. Why?
BECAUSE I'M HERE WITH SO MANY EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!!
A special thanks to the five girls who sent in questions for my Q&A video, it was fun to answer them, and MAN did you give me some hard ones! (But no math equations so thank you so much for that.) I hope you all enjoy my answers and find them helpful and informative. I'm hoping to do another one soon, closer to my birthday, so keep an eye out for that link. ;)
I know that this monthly wrap-up post will be different than most, but I thought I should acknowledge a couple very important things going on in my life:
1: I'M AN AUNTIE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!!
That's right, my friends. My older sister told us last Saturday that she was expecting. I don't know if the baby is a boy or girl yet, since Sarah is only like one month in to this new adventure...BUT...*deep breath* I've been freaking out in a good way ever since I heard the news! I think I'm more excited about this little human than my sister is. XD
2: I'm having another book-signing at the end of June!!!
A little less world-shattering after becoming an auntie, but exciting news none-the-less. I'm hosting a book-signing for "Sleeping Handsome" and "Thoughts in Verse" on June 30th, 2018. If any of you are local (or even up to a couple hours away) you should TOTALLY try to make it to my house for that! I wish all of you could come and hang out with me, but I know due to location that most of you won't. :( If you CAN make it, let me know and I'll give you directions. (Psssst, there will be free cookies... B-)
NOW. Since all of you have probably skipped to this section already, here are the winners of my giveaway!
Grand Prize Winner:
ABIGAIL MCKENNA
*confetti shower*
You get a signed copy of "The Princess and I" AND a cute set of silver earrings. :)
1st place winners:
Abigail Harder,
Kaitlyn Krispense,
Ashley Nicole, and
Becca Wall
You girls get a signed copy of "The Princess and I"!!!!! *happy dance*
2nd place winners:
Ashley (of precious moments fame),
Bethany R., and
Rebekah Ashleigh
You girls all get a signed copy of "Sleeping Handsome"!!! Congrats!
3rd place winner:
Deborah C.
You win a copy of "Alice and Alyssa" WHOOP, WHOOP!
4th place:
Faith Potts
You win a copy of "The Silver Flower" *hugs*
A HUUUUUUGE congratulations to all of you! Thanks so much for the amazing group of followers you are! As I've said before, and will say again, I wish I could give all of you free copies of all my books...but I can't. :(
To those of you who won, please email me with your address and I will get those signed books out to you ASAP! :D
If this post seemed short to you...that's because it was. :) I'm hoping to get into a better blogging rhythm during summer, but we'll have to see how that works out.
Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God!
GUYS I HAVE NOT DIED. Left you hanging two months ago with no further word from me for all this time, yes...died, no. Life in general forced me to put my blogging on the back burner for a couple months, much as I disliked doing so. However, I'll hopefully be posting on here more regularly after this surprise hiatus. Did y'all miss me? ;) (Only answer if you did. Otherwise just ignore that question and let me enjoy my innocence.)
Want to know WHY I've been strangely absent the last couple months? By all means, read on. :)
~ Life ~
Basically, the craziness all started the two weeks before Easter. I place full blame of my hectic life during the last two months at that holiday's feet. What with cantata practice, church decorating (and un-decorating), Easter itself, and that holiday being shortly followed by our church's mission's conference, our family was kept on our toes. Throw in some babysitting, housecleaning, college, and housesitting and you might get a little picture of my life during that time.
We had a brief week of rest (where, coincidentally, ALL my writing for Camp NaNo took place...in other words, I did not get to my writing goal for that month) before Margaret and I headed out to Georgia to visit our older sister Sarah and her husband Jesse. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably got pictures and updates at least during that time. For those of you who didn't, here's a brief run-down of the week we spent there:
Day One: ALL THE TRAVELLING (added Colorado and Georgia to my very short list of states I've gone to in my lifetime)
Day Two: Visited some outlet stores and bought some clothes that were more suited to the hotter, more humid weather, and caught up on sleep (that blessed thing we were very short on for most of our trip). Also, went to a jazz concert put on for free by a local college.
Day Three: We went to a cool park that had all sorts of animals in cages along the path like cougars, bald eagles, gophers, and my personal favorite, the lake with turtles in it. We also went to the biggest Western store in the South (sounds contradictory when I say it like that) and had a hilarious time trying on all sorts of hats and boots. The day finished with my first visit to Sarah and Jesse's church where I got to meet the pastor and his lovely wife.
Day Four: We drove to a fair and stood in line to get into the biggest book sale I have ever gone to. I bought a grand total of 27 books for only $34.25! Needless to say, this was probably my favorite day of our stay there. We also toured a historic house and I tried fried pickles for the first time. (They were weird, but not necessarily bad tasting??) That night we went to another free college concert, this one a flute choir, which was super cool to watch.
Day Five: We hiked stone mountain, and walked half-way around it to see the engraving of the three most famous confederate figures (Lee, Jackson, and Davis) in the mountain's side. We walked a total of 6.3 miles that day...and promptly wasted all our efforts by eating dinner at Chick-fil-a (my first time though...so TOTALLY WORTH IT). Fun story, I almost lost my phone there, which gave me a minor heart-attack...but we recovered it after I figured out it was missing half-an-hour down the highway and drove back to the restaurant to collect it.
Day Six: We went to Zoo Atlanta. Highlights of that trip: coming within two feet of a very hungry looking lion and tiger, and seeing live pandas for the first time EVER. After the zoo, we walked around Atlanta for a little bit and bought raspberry geranium popsicles at a snooty "organic" store. They taste better than they sound, believe me.
Day Seven: We went to Sarah and Jesse's church again and got to see what church feels like for normal people. (a.k.a NOT pastor's kids) It was weird. Interesting, but weird. The people there were really sweet and made us feel very welcome, and the pastor was even preaching from the same book Dad does on Sunday morning!
That afternoon while Jesse barbecued some ribs for a very tasty Sunday dinner, us girls cooled off in the pool, pretending we actually knew how to swim. It was very entertaining. :P
Day Eight: For the last day we had to spend together, we drove to some more outlet stores and enjoyed just looking around at the fancy clothes and accessories. We got some coffee at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore and chilled (as much as we could in the heat of the day). That evening when Jesse came home from work we walked around a college campus that had beautiful grounds and enjoyed dodging bugs and talking.
Day Nine: We flew home. Georgia was lovely for the time we got to spend with Sarah and Jesse, as well as the many new experiences I had...but I was awfully glad to get home. I love my state. I love my friends and family I have here. And I wouldn't trade this life for anything else you might offer me. :)
After getting home, I've spent the rest of the time getting back on Washington time, unpacking and handing out souvenirs, and catching up on everything I had to catch up on.
~ Writing ~
The last couple months, as I have just finished explaining, have not been the best for getting any writing done. However, I did do some writing, and I have hopes of getting more done as time goes on. For Camp NaNo, I got a grand total of 5,045 words written. All of that in one week of April between our mission's conference and our trip to Georgia. *face palm*
I started a new book (I know, I know, groan with me) called "The Assassin's Child" and I hope to have it end around 30k words long.
Good news, I got over the writing block that was keeping me from continuing writing in "A New Name" and I'm hoping to have at least another 20k written in it by the end of this month. Wish me luck!
With the impending release of my poetry collection, I put most of my time into polishing that, which included writing a six-page introduction. More on that project later, I promise.
~ Social Media ~
I currently have been more active on my Instagram than here, and for that, I apologize. It's just so much easier to post a picture and a couple quick sentences during the midst of a crazy busy day, or like a post while scrolling through a feed rather than read an entire blog post and leave a creative comment at the end.
However, I know how much it means to me when someone takes the time to wade through my posts and leave a comment, so I'm going to try very hard to do better at this. If I have to set aside a scheduled time in my day to read blog posts and comment...SO BE IT.
That said, please don't feel left out if I somehow miss your posts in my feed or run out of time to read yours in particular. I only wish there were enough hours in the day to allow for that to never happen, but I'm afraid it's inevitable. I love all the blogs I follow (which is why I follow them :) and just because I'm unable to comment on yours, that doesn't mean I don't care. Quite the contrary, I assure you. <3
~ Music ~
Living Hope (Phil Wickham)
The Power of a Prayer (Matthew West)
Evermore (Josh Groban)
~ Announcement Section ~
Ok, first thing I'm kind of freaking out excited about is the fact that my first poetry collection EVER is releasing THIS UPCOMING SUNDAY!!!!!!!!! Like, WHAAAAAAAAAAT?? Feel free to freak out with me...it'll make me feel better. (maybe)
Yeah, you read that right: "Thoughts in Verse" is releasing in SIX DAYS. Due to the style I'm publishing it in, my book will only be available on Lulu, so any help you can give in spreading the word would be GREATLY appreciated. In fact, if you're interested in publishing the announcement on Sunday anywhere, just drop a comment below or contact me via email if you're willing to commit to sharing about the publication. If you can and do, I will send you these:
1: a "The Princess and I" bookmark (signed if you want)
2: one of the poems in my collection of your choice (I'll send you the list to pick from)
3: a note with me gushing about how nice of you it was to help a poor author out
Sound interesting? Cool. I'll hear from you soon. ;)
Second thing I need to announce...
Turns out I totally missed the first birthday for "The Princess and I"! Which is very sad, because I wanted to have a huge giveaway to celebrate my baby's first year of being published. So, instead of celebrating on the release date, I'm going to celebrate when my blog turns 5 (in a couple weeks) and we'll host a huge party for the both of them on the same day. Sound good? Think, LOTS of books being given away as well as a bunch of extra goodies, questions about the book being answered and even a sneak peek into "The Princess and I"s sequel "The King's Cousin". The best part? I'm going to allow you guys to ask me ANYTHING you want in the comments, and I will write them all down, put them in a hat, and video myself answering them.
To end a VERY long blog post before you are bored out of your mind, here's the ending period.
Well, almost. ;)
Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God!
And just like that, February is over...thus enabling me to post my FIRST end-of-the-month recap post because I missed January. (Whoopsnotwhoops.) And, yes, I will announce the giveaway winners at the end of this post...though *spoiler alert* they already know who they are. ;) Since I'm obviously not in a "let's make a crazy long, exciting introduction" mood, let's jump right into this monthly recap thing with both feet. Otherwise I'm going to bore you to death within the first minute you spend on this post. XD
~ LIFE ~
So February and January have done their best to make me realize yet again that this life is not going to listen to me as I gasp for air and yell at it to SLOW DOWN.
However, in a weird way, I'm glad my life is as busy as it is. Much as I wish I could find more time to read and write, I love the hectic chaos that is my life and I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's if you paid me. (No offense)
As most of you know, during February I released my first EVER fairytale re-telling, "Sleeping Handsome". You all were super supportive and sweet in your congratulations and help in spreading the word. ^_^ I just recently ordered a set of 20 copies to distribute among church family who have asked for signed copies, and if any of you are interested, there will be a few extra copies if you also want to claim a autographed copy. ;)
College has been happening...between helping grandparents and housework and my nanny job. I'm hoping to have a total of 45 college credits within the next two weeks. Wish me luck! ;)
My job as a nanny is, as always, a blast. And though there are definitely challenging days, I love "my girls" to pieces. Basically, I have two more adopted siblings that I get paid to watch. :P
To wrap up this post and explain my title, I added a ukulele to my collection (Patrick has a brother now!! :D) His name is Sean (pronounced sh-aw-n in case you, like me, have always thought that name was pronounced "seen". *shakes head* Irish people and their crazy pronunciation) and he is a concert ukulele. Patrick is a soprano uke, so its nice to have a slightly bigger one with a broader range and lower tone. :)
Also, you may have noticed that Valentine's Day happened. AND YES, RELEASING MY BOOK ON V-DAY WAS ON PURPOSE. XD I hope you all had a wonderful time eating chocolate and watching Hallmark videos. :P
~WRITING ~
With the release of "Sleeping Handsome", I've given myself a sort of writing hiatus while I focus on my next college test, but as you have seen, I do have another project up my sleeve... B-) But more on that later.
~ MUSIC ~
Do to Valentine's Day having happened, I chose a couple favorite sweet songs to feature in this month's "favorite music of the month" section. You're welcome. ;)
~ ANNOUNCEMENT SECTION ~
First and foremost, special thanks to all of you who participated in the giveaway I hosted during the release of "Sleeping Handsome"!
Congrats to the three girls who got to come away with a prize! :)
Hanne and Abigail won two "The Princess and I" bookmarks each, and Ashley won a signed copy of "Sleeping Handsome"! :)
This month there is going to be a celebration for the first birthday of "The Princess and I" and so there will be another giveaway soon, I promise. ;)
Ok, second announcement: the last post I put on here was about a cover conundrum I was having with my collection of poetry I'm trying to publish at some point in the next couple months.
WELL.
With all the votes from you on the blog, family members, friends from church, and critique partners to total votes came out DEAD EVEN. Exactly 1/3 of everybody liked each of the covers. *face palm*
SO.
Here is what I have decided to do. In order to solve the issue, I'm going to do something I have NEVER DONE BEFORE. I'm going to publish my poems in each cover and the buyer can choose which cover they prefer and buy that one. So its a win-win for everybody! :)I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before, but there you are. XD Also, I'll be adding a little more information to the first cover, so it's not QUITE as simple as it was. Anyways, closer to the release I'll be asking for help spreading the word again, so keep an eagle-eye out for that post.
I hope you all had an amazing February, and I hope you will have an amazing March. :)
Until next time, let everything you do be done for the glory of God!
Heeeeey, guys. Long time no see, right? Heh, yeah my life (as described in the title) has been CRAZY. There's been a LOT going on. I'll try to clue you in a little bit, but this list may be a bit scattered. Count yourself warned. No, this is not a normal wrap up post. Yes, I actually have a life. *gasp*
1: College School alone could probably be to blame for my absence on social media in general lately. I'm currently studying psychology, which has been...interesting...to say the least. I've had a lot of story ideas pop into my head while working away at the different things that go on inside people's minds. However, there's a lot of things I don't agree with going on in this branch of science, and so MUCH for me to remember. Sheesh. It's like I'm expected to be SMART or something! :P
2: Family My Eddy grandparents have been dealing with a lot of health issues over the last couple months, and that means us grandkids have been spending a lot of time working on various household and landscaping stuff over at their house. Sometimes we go over up to five times a week to get all the this done that they need done. Then of course, there's all the regular chores I'm expected to do at home that keeps our boat afloat, AND time I want to actually spend with my parents and siblings. Like going out to eat with a couple sisters or watching a football game with my brothers.
3: Church/Social So basically my church is my social life right now. XD Which is kind of nice, because every service is killing two birds with one stone. But, it does take time...not that I would trade that time for anything else. I love my church and the stuff I do there. A lot of musical things are coming up with the approach of Christmas, and that's been fun. :) My siblings and I are working on a song to perform during the Christmas Eve service which I wil try to have someone video so I can share it with you all. :)
4: Reading You would think with all the other stuff I have going on that I wouldn't be finding time to read...BUT YOU WOULD BE WRONG. Strangely, I've read more fiction the last couple of months than like, ALL of summer. The irony. (Actually, it's probably due to my procrastination on certain college tests. *cough* But we won't go there.) I've discovered several new authors and even wrote a few reviews on Goodreads, which you may have read if you follow me on there.
Special thanks to Chloe W. for sending in this picture. If you remember, this sweet girl was the winner of my book "The Princess and I" in the giveaway I hosted. :)
5: Writing As you may have noticed my lack of NaNo-ey posts and correctly assumed that I'm not participating this year. This is due to several exciting (as well as frustrating) things that are going on in my life as an author. Ready? (You MAY want t be sitting down for this...;) Guys. I have some amazing news. I HAVE A PUBLISHER WILLING TO PUBLISH MY FUTURE BOOKS. Due to my typical lack of funds as a college student, I'm waiting until next year to actually take them up on their offer to market my book and everything, but they graciously said that they would still take my books even if I had to wait until I felt more financially stable. So that has been a pretty huge step in my life that I've only dreamed about happening. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think that a publishing company would take me up so willingly and quickly! Thanks so much for all of you who promised to pray for me when I first announced that they had called me. It means more than words can express to see you guys give so much support to me while I'm freaking out over something like this. :D You are seriously the BEST people an author could ask for. <3 Also, in other news, my current WIP, "A New Name", is almost 40,000 words long and going strong. By far the hardest project I've ever tackled, I've gotten an immense amount of brainstorming in, and can't wait to show you guys some more snippets! At the same time, I've been sloooooooowly editing "Ocean Mist"...*sigh* It's needed a LOT of help, but I'm really hoping to get out the rest of the first round of editing in before Christmas. Please pray that I can find time to finish this up because I HAVE a final proof-reader/editor...I just need to get the suggestions worked in. One more thing that probably belongs in this category is some more random fun stuff. I'M WORKING ON SOME BOOKISH MERCH. Yep, you read that right. I'm getting some shirts, mugs, bookmarks, etc. with quotes and stuff from various books of mine. You'll see a shirt sample shortly, because I ordered one already with MY favorite quote from "A New Name" and I'll post pictures when I finally get it. BUT GUYS I NEED YOUR HELP. I need those of you who have already read my books to give me some of your favorite quotes to put on this stuff. Any quotes from "The Silver Flower", "Ocean Mist", "Alice & Alyssa" or "The Princess and I" would be greatly appreciated. :) If you're interested in helping me out, click THIS LINK and it'll take you to a google form where you can sign up as a quote searcher (yes, that's absolutely a real job...do not question this fact.)
6: Blogging Besides it being painfully obvious that this has fallen behind in the list of priorities, I do have a couple posts in working progress, including a call for beta readers for "Alice & Alyssa" (I know, FINALLY). A post on the incredible impact a "boring" testimony can have, several tags I'm waaaaay behind in, and the next 21 Answers post are just a few. Also, a friend of mine made me a GORGEOUS new blog template that I just fell in love with...but you don't get to see it until next year. B-) All in due time, my minions....all in due time.
7: Some goals Yeah, apparently I have those still? XD I guess I'll never learn. I'm hoping to have 45 college credits by the end of January, finish publishing "Ocean Mist" by February, write the complete first draft of "A New Name" by March, and start outlining the sequel to "The Princes and I". And all that is only AFTER I make sure I'm still keeping my family and God as the first priority in all the hectic life that happens. Hmm...maybe I should write a post on the importance of priorities? ;)
So yeah, those are a few things that have kept me from haunting the blogosphere as much as I wanted too. I've tried to keep up with most of the posts you all have written, but I wasn't able to comment as much as I wanted to. I'm sorry I haven't been on here as much as want to be. Please know that if each day had about 36 hours, I'd get way more of this in, but I simply don't have the time to have a job, study for college, live life as a pastor's daughter and author and still get eight hours of sleep every night PLUS write blog posts twice a week and comment whenever I want to. But I wish I could. I'll try to be more consistent, but I make no promises. B-) You'll just have to check back occasionally to see if the shadowy form has left a post recently. :P
Until then, let everything you do be done for the good of God! :D
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!!!
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!
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
