Mini Waterfalls & Clear Waters

Okay guys, we went on the most amazing hike the other day. It was just a little trail in Austin Texas, with a path that was super narrow. The hill behind us blocked a lot of the light as we walked beside a creek. And I stopped about every five feet to take a photo. There was tons of hopping off the path to get more photos of the creek. I was so tempted to hop into the water because it was crystal clear. As you can see in the very last photo, there was also a canopy of trees and it made a entrance that looked so perfect, it was amazing. These photos don't do justice to the trail.  

On a completely different subject, I am sorry I've been rather inconsistent with my posting lately. Life has been so crazy. I'll give you guys some highlights from my month soon!

What is your favorite hike you've ever been on? 

Dear Non NaNoers

I've talked to several people this month about NaNoWriMo. As much as I try not to just stick on that subject, when its taking up so much of my life, it kinda comes up again and again and *Cough* again.

Last week a very dear friend of mine told me she was feeling left out because she wasn't doing NaNo. That it seemed like everyone else was doing it except her. And I totally get it. Its really hard to watch everyone do something, and you decided not to. Even though I don't do that with NaNo, I totally feel that way.

And I know that nothing I say can completely make some of you feel better about not participating. I could give you a long list of all the things I'm not doing so that I'm able to do NaNo. All the late nights, frustration and thinking that there was no possible way this story could be turned into something readable. But I'll spare you the long list.

I have tons of NaNo friends to talk to. We discuss character names, have word wars, and we complain about sore fingers.  But at the end of the day, when I feel like giving up on my story because I just can't stand it anymore, I don't go to my NaNo friends.

I'm an achiever in a world of overachievers with NaNo, and that is fine with me, but not the best when you feel like you can't write one more word.

When I get discouraged, I go to my non NaNo friends. Those awesome people who have decided that they really need to focus on school, or their other commitments besides NaNo. People who have decided that they need to give their all to every project they have, and not give half while trying to cram NaNo into the mix. These are people who know their limitations, and think they are just going to sit out of NaNo. But I don't think they realize what an important role they play.

When I'm discouraged about NaNo, I go to people like Micaiah, who really wanted to do NaNo, but knew she couldn't do it and school well. Thus she's able to help me because she's not trying desperately to do NaNo as well. She's got free time for me to text her and just chat.

Or Kate, who has tons of other commitments and knew she couldn't do them all well if she added NaNo to the mix. She's available for advice any time I need her. I know, even though she's busy, she'd take the time to help me out.

Or Lauren, who's really not into writing on that large of a scale. She is an amazing writer, an always up to help. She never gets tired of ramblings and is always up for a brainstorming session or a pep talk when I need her.

Or Jessica who has so many commitments I'm not sure how she keeps up with them all. But I've never been denied a call, or text. She is crazy busy, but always asks how my writing is coming. She never forgets. We met through the NaNo site in 2013 and even though she doesn't participate in writing for NaNo, shes always been a big part of my writing.

There are so many of ya'll who are not doing NaNo, but do not feel like you aren't contributing! You are incredible, and I applaud you for all the things your getting done this month!

Comment below and link your favorite non NaNoer! If you have a few moments, why don't you go and comment on their blog or message them with a thank you! Lets give these people a round of applause for their amazing contribution to the month!

Courage and Corruption Blog Tour

About the Book

Catherine is going with her mother and younger siblings to the mountains to hide from the coming war. While she fears what might happen she is looking forward to some time away from her twin brother, with whom she often fights. One foolish act changes all their plans, and one story caused not only confusion, but more fighting.

Christopher does not believe his father’s story that they are descended from royalty. He is sure the story his father tells cannot be true. However, he is forced to go to the mountain castle of Coraway along with his mother and siblings. Will his father ever see him as a man? Will he and his twin ever be able to stop fighting?

Little do Catherine and Christopher realize that they hold the key to Taelis’ future in their hands. While they discover the truth before it is too late?

My Review:

I have never read a book by Sarah Holman that I didn't love. This was no exception. The two main siblings in this story had a problems many of us can relate to. They both struggle and the problems do not go away right away. I was refreshed to read a book set in medieval times that was not all about battles and sword fights. Actually this book has relatively no action in it. But it was amazing. It was really nice to focus more on characters then battles.

I was mildly sad because your seeing characters from previous books old and dying.

This one more then any of the other books needs to have backstory from the first two books. 

If  you haven't read them, why don't you check out the first book? They are incredible and you will not regret it. 

About the Author

Sarah Holman is a not so typical mid-twenties girl: A homeschool graduate, sister to six awesome siblings, and author of many published books and short stories. If there is anything adventuresome about her life, it is because she serves a God with a destiny bigger than anything she could have imagined.

You can find her at her website: www.thedestinyofone.com

Follow the Tour

November 15

Faith Blum

Lakeside Publication

Claire Banschbach

November 16

Ordinary Girl, Extraordinary Father

November 17

Learning Resource Directory

Into the Bookcase

November 19

Gods Peculiar Treasure

A Pinch of Faith

            

Find it on Goodreads and on Amazon 

What I See in the Mirror

Please forgive the bad quality of my window photo, but its the best I could do.

Guys, this post is poem is long. But its my heart right now. I wasn't sure even sure about posting it, then a very dear friend said I should, so here it is.

I look in the mirror

Do I really like what I see?

No, not at all.

I don’t look like what I had always imagined

I don’t look like any of the other beautiful girls I love.

Oh, people say I’m beautiful

Friends post about how I am perfect just how I am

But they aren’t me

They can’t know

The disappointment I feel

Every time I look in the mirror.

Why did I have to turn out like this?

When there are so many girls that turned out perfectly?

Why was I the one that got cursed with this?

People tell me it’s just fine.

But they are all perfect.

They don’t know what it’s like

To look in the mirror and see

Irreversible mistakes

Things out of my control

Things I never would have chosen

Things that will take years to get rid of

But I’ll never be like those perfect size 0-4’s.

I simply cannot be that.

It’s not how I was built.

It seems unfair

None of my friends look like me

And I still hate what I see

But maybe, just maybe

God made me to be something different

Maybe there’s a reason I was made this way.

Maybe.

Maybe this thing I hate

Was God’s perfection for me.

I still feel hatred towards it

But, have I asked Him to help me

Let that hatred go and actually do something?

Maybe I should just stop hating it and learn to live the way God wants me to

Because how am I going to be different from the world

If I hate the same thing everyone else does?

Shouldn’t I hate

Sin

Poverty

And disobedience

And not myself?

If I really believe

That God made me;

I should know

That He made me

Perfectly

Just how he meant to

For a reason

To fit into His plan

Priceless

How can I look at what God made, and hate it?

How can I, claiming to be a child of God, hate one of His children?

How can I look at myself and say I’m not good enough?

When God made me

With His own hands

With His plan in mind

With love and tenderness

With joy

Knowing that

He would never make

Another person

Just like me

And He knew

There was a reason for everything

That I call a flaw

He knew he would never make two people alike

Because we weren’t meant to be who we wanted to be

We were meant to be what He wanted us to be

So maybe

Just maybe

I can learn to

Love the ‘imperfections’

The things I can’t change.

And who am I

To question God?

Because, He’s told me

I

Am

Priceless

And I believe Him. 

Sometimes, it doesn't even help to have people say you're fine the way you are, you have to decide for yourself. Have you ever had a moment like that?

Am I a Rebel, or Not?

Okay guys, sorry for the lack of posting. I have been super wrapped up in the crazy thing we are currently calling life. 

First I'd like to give a shout out to Sarah for helping me make sure the blog URL worked correctly. You should totally check out her blog, its awesome. And then to Allie because, well, she's the reason the blog has a ton of things I couldn't do on my own. And she didn't mind my never ending questions, which was awesome. If you would follow the link in her name up there and check out her blog.
If I had time I would also thank every single person who contributed to this blog, but that would take hours. I would feel like mentioning everyone who brainstormed with me, or just the person who pointed out that my main fount was gray instead of black. But I don't have time for that. Lets just say I've had a ton of help. 

Shadow has a fascination with chasing his tail.

Now, onto life right now. It is crazy and I love it.

First things first, I'm doing NaNo. Every single year I go into saying "Yeah, this is going to be so easy, I'll ace it, unlike last year. It won't take over my life, and I will never stress about it." and every single year so far I get to about this point and go "This is hard. Its taking over hours of my life, I'm stressing about what I'm going to write and this will be an epic fail" But strangely enough I am having a ton of fun. I've had my very first word wars this year, which I'm now attached to. 

Now you may wonder what my subject line is about, well, this is where that comes in. 

I'm writing a Scifi about a civilization where there are the main group of people, and there are the rebels. My main character finds faults with both, but also merits and she doesn't know which group she stands with. She has decide if shes a rebel or not.

And also, every NaNo I write more then one story. Its happened every time. It makes me what is called a NaNo rebel. But this time I actually seem to have enough plot to keep up with NaNo so far. Its crazy, but awesome. 

I'm also wrapped up in a lot of other stuff this month, but I don't want to keep y'all so long, so I'll tell y'all later!

So, are you a (NaNo) rebel, or not?