December Highlights

I'm planning a super epic review of the year, including my top ten books, and highlights of the whole year. But today, I've got my December Highlights.

My sister Grace and I decided we wanted to do a hot dog roast (These are becoming quite regular around here), so we did a spontaneous trip to town to get the stuff for it. 

I got to go to the Zoo with a lot of fellow Texan writers and friends. It was a blast hanging out with them. 

I had Cedar allergies most of the month. Thankfully except for a few days, it wasn't too bad. it just gave me a phantom fever and made my nose stuffy. 

Our table for the Christmas party

We had our annual Christmas cookie party, and we made so. many. cookies. Seriously, I'm kind of sick of cookies. But it was fun! =D

My siblings and I played a lot of games this month. Mostly Forbidden Island, but we threw in some Monopoly in there. 

Two of my sisters and I decorated trees in the woods!

Me in the entrance to Longhorn Cavern (Photo taken by Rebekkah)

We went to Lornhorn state park, got to see a cave entrance, and amazing views. Then we went to a lake and walked around a pretty incredible light display! 

The floor in our storage shed started to give out, so we spent all of one day carting the boxes full of stuff to a different location. Exhausting, but it was good to get the stuff safe! 

We celebrated Christmas a little early because of my brother's work schedule, which was fun. We all got up at six and spent a very leisurely morning slowly opening presents. It took us until noon because we kept stopping to get food, and at one point to play with a game! We went for a family walk, then had a beautiful candlelight service. This Christmas was just about the best. 

All of us (Except me) on Christmas

I undecorated my room for the first time ever by myself. But Rebekkah (Whom I share the room with) was busy helping my mom, and so I did it. It took a lot longer (surprise), but I got my books really well organized. ;) 

We had a girls shopping day on the 26'th. We got a very early start, hit a lot of good deals, and had an awesome time. I didn't get a lot, but I did get a couple of fun things, like sticker packs, and a little-stuffed elephant.

We went up to Dallas to see my Grandparents and went to the biggest Half Priced Books ever. Seriously, that place is heaven for bookworms. 

Monster (Which is not nearly as creepy as it looks) was my favorite of the month. (I'm excluding my re-read of Radialloy, and It's Not About Me) 

It Turned into Narnia Aria 

Hike Four Dancing in the Rain

You Have a Purpose Chosen Vessels 

December 26 The Introverted Extrovert 

A Poem and a Bit of a Quizzie Brin Lael 

2018 Goal Progress The Left-handed Typist 

I Don't Understand this Love A Storynerds Life

Subplots & Storylines and How Beautiful on the Moutain Tracey Dyck 

See y'all next year! I've got some pretty big plans, I'm really excited to share them with y'all! 

How was your December? and your Christmas?

Noise That Fills the Day

Songs to wake me up 

To help through workout 

Reading through the morning 

Talking through lunch 

Audiobook to work to 

Music while I blog 

Writing on a review 

Texting in between 

More music while we work 

Conversations through dinner 

Phone call after cleaning 

Then outside to see the sunset 

And stopping short 

To realize how quiet it is 

No music fills the air 

No talking from nearby 

This silence speaks 

Multitudes by itself 

Breathe in the cold air 

Hear my own thoughts 

Listen to God’s still voice 

As He tells me to be still 

Be still and quiet 

And know that He is God 

Loosing Christmas Joy

Christmas joy 

Seems lost this year

The sparkle of the season 

Seems beyond my reach 

Nothing I do 

Can bring it back 

I struggle to find 

That magic anticipation 

That longing in my heart 

For that special day 

But this year seems to go by 

In faded black and white

I can’t find my Christmas spirit

And I have begun to wonder 

If I’ll ever get it back 

And somehow 

As these thoughts go 

Through my mind 

I realize 

I’m focusing on me 

During a season 

That’s all about Him 

So maybe instead 

Of being worried

That I’ve lost my anticipation 

I should focus 

On God’s amazing gift 

And the fact that this year 

My family is all together 

I won't be posting on Monday because of Christmas, but I'll be back next Friday!

Fun Things to do Around the Internet

I found several fun things to do around the internet lately and I thought I would share them with y'all!! 

First off is this super awesome quiz by Brin Lael. It seriously felt like therapy! Just click on the photo, enjoy the awesome poem, then get the link to the quiz afterward! Or you can follow this link.

There is also a super fun giveaway with the newest Ilyon books, Bitter Winter and Lacy, here and the newest Ackar book, Decree, here. There is also a huge giveaway for all the books in both series here.

As part of the tour they are having character interviews and all sorts of cool stuff, so you should hop over, it's really fun! 

If you want something completely funny to help your Christmas spirit, check out Willow City's "Something just like you (Christmas version)"

Want to get excited about New Years? Check out Abbiee's post about how she did on her goals!

I hope y'all have fun checking these out! Leave me a comment below with something fun going on around the internet and I'll check it out!

 

Keep Working

Stressed out 

Keep working 

Pain shooting 

Keep running 

Breath ragged 

Keep walking 

Heart hurting 

Keep loving 

Work dragging 

Keep plugging

Year slipping 

Keep gripping 

Tears gathering 

Keep fighting 

Words broken 

Keep Praying 

November Highlights

So this month was awesome and busy, and yeah, I loved it so much!

My parents, my sister, and I got to go to a southern gospel concert which was just amazing! There was Legacy Five, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, and the Martins. They had a Catherdals reunion which was my favorite show because I grew up on their videos. Getting to meet all of those people and hearing them play was a huge blessing.

Rebekkah, me, Scott Fowler (From Legacy Five), and my dad. =D

So, yeah NaNoWriMo happened. This year was good. So good. I had so many days where I had no idea what to write, but I had some awesome cheerleaders. My awesome sister Grace and I wrote together a lot and even went to Whataburger once (that's where I met the UPS guy). I sprinted so much with an awesome group of writers and had a lot of sleep shortage due to writing. But, I loved getting Battle for Kelar onto the page, and I'm super excited to dive into editing next month. =D

Some of my sisters and I went to a Fall Festival, which was a blast. We got lost in a corn maze (though not as lost as we wanted), played in hamster wheels, took pictures in the pumpkin patch and rode on kiddie trains. It was a blast!

Rebekkah, me, and Grace at the end of the corn maze!

I ate alone at Cracker Barrel for the first time. I even wrote while I was there and it was so fun. =)

One evening I got to just sit with my dog, Luke, and watch a huge bonfire burn till it was just embers. It was so peaceful and fun.

I figured out that my wisdom teeth need to come out. I'm not thrilled about the news, but I am really happy because I don't have to do it until spring! So I've got time to plan out all the books and movies I want to get through while recovering. =)

My mom and I at an awesome light display. =D

I had an awesome Thanksgiving with my family. My brother wasn't able to come, due to work, which we were all sad about. But I spent most of the evening relaxing with a book.

One night I got caffeine jitters and was up till 1AM. I felt very antsy and my awesome friend Micaiah texted me until I could finally go to sleep. <3

We decorated for Christmas!!

I was so excited to buddy read Things I Never Told You with Kate Willis but A Song Unheard ended up being my favorite book of the month. 

I Choose She Dances in the Rain

Do We Actually Listen Julia Ryan

I Don't Need You to Love Me Brin Lael 

I'm Doing NaNo Sunshine and Scribbles 

Thankfulness Thursday III Totally Graced

Excerpt Time, Yay! Once Upon an Ordinary 

How to be a Consistent Blogger The Left-Handed Typist 

Why YA Characters are Missing the Mark Writing is Life

Five Bookish Troops that Should Jump off a Cliff Stories by Firefly

Overall it was a bursting at the seems, awesome, busy month. 

My Mission

Stressed but blessed 

Under a mountain of work 

Trying to dig myself out 

Trying to find the end 

Somehow forgetting 

That this is my mission 

This is my purpose 

Every little project 

Building into a greater plan 

Sometimes it doesn't 

Feel like that 

But I have to remember 

That I don't look at things 

The way God does 

And every little project 

Every letter I write

Is building on something 

Bigger then I can see

Sorry this is so late, the internet here has been terrible.

Words Unsaid

I've got to be honest, I have no idea where this poem came from. I was just looking at the sunset and it wouldn't stop repeating in my mind. 

Words unsaid

Questions unasked

Things always wondered

Thoughts not spoken

All of them

Slipping out of reach

Into the fading light 

Of the pink dusk 

NaNoWriMo Excerpt

Hey everyone! I'm a bit buried under NaNo (surprise surprise) so here are some little tidbits from my work in progress! These are unedited, so they're probably messy. =) 

Some names have been changed to protect spoilers. ;) Also, Conner is my main characters (Kate) brother.

The field was filled with screams. So many people hurt. So many people dying. The massacre happening faster then any of us expected. The platform, I was laying out on it. Colby screaming from the other side. Zoe was in front of me, he dad dying. His last breath. In, out, nothing. I couldn't rip my eyes away from him. Dead. So many people dead. I couldn't move. I couldn't help anyway.

Someone was pulling me up. I scrunched up my face. The pain. Everywhere. It was all over me.
They were holding me. I was safe. I felt the beating of their heart against my cheek. I became aware of my own ragged breathing. My face was wet.
I gripped their back and slowly realized I was in my room. It was as dark as the mines. Conner's familiar breathing was over me. He didn't say anything. I didn't care.
I cried into his shoulder. Sobs came up harder than they ever had since the attack. I shivered as I could still feel the dark feeling that was over that field.
Conner held onto me and ever so lightly ran his thumb back and forth over my back.
The phantom pain faded and I took slow breaths into the dark, attempting to calm my racing heart.
I listened to his steady heart, letting it calm my own. We were home. The battlefield was all the way back on earth. I was safe.

My breaths came in ragged breaths as I sank down against the wall. I should go home. I should be with my family. They would help this hollow feeling inside. This sinking feeling that we were never going to be at peace. I took in quick breaths as I watched the medics and security swarm over the area. Was the man I had helped okay? Was anyone okay after this? 

Something twisted in my stomach. Something heavier than when earth had attacked us. That had been people who didn't know us. Who didn't care. But we had just attacked ourselves. Sideners, Kelarians, we were all the same, no matter how much hatred ran in our veins. 

I hugged my knees to me, everything beginning to feel numb. I was alone. So alone. 

The wind started up, pushing my hair back from my face and sending ash right into me. 

I coughed into my arm, squeezing my eyes shut as they burned from the ash. 

I had to get away. Stumbling to my feet I pushed away from the wall and hurried forward. Ignoring all pain, I squeezed through the people coming and going. I had to get away. 

A special thank you to my real life Kate for helping me decide what to post tonight and making the process more fun. <3

Life Moves On

(Honestly, I wrote this weeks ago, and this isn't how I feel right now, but I am brain dead from NaNo and have nothing else to post.)

Life moves on 

Even after heartache 

After countless apologies 

And tears that burned 

The tears go away 

And the ache fades 

People forget 

But today it feels like forever 

Like it will never pass 

The pain is still fresh 

While waiting until 

Life moves on

Five Minutes to Spare

I was sitting at Whataburger (Best burgers in the world. Only in Texas), doing NaNo. My sister Grace had to step away for a minute, and so I was typing alone. A man in his late sixty’s leaned over to me from the seat down and asked if I was still in school. When I told him no, he told me that he was retired UPS and that if I was looking for a part-time job, that was the place to go. He proceeded to go on for a long time about what the job looked like, and the hours and benefits. I was a little wary, I mean, I was trying to write, but I didn’t want to upset the man. I can always spare a few minutes. 

The man got a call a minute later. I only heard his part of the conversation, but he was talking to his wife who was in the hospital. He promised to come to see her just as soon as the hospitals visiting hours opened up. 

I don’t know if the man just likes telling people about UPS, or if he needed someone to talk to, but I am so glad I was sitting there. Five minutes was all that guy needed. He needed someone to listen and I am so glad (as a package enthusiast) I was sitting next to him.

September and October Highlights

Somehow I missed two months worth of highlights. *Crickets* yeah, so this is super late, but if you want a really condensed version of what happened in my September and October, here it is.



September 

My sister and I babysat some really awesome kids and we made toy parachutes for them out of kleenex, sting, and lego people. It was a blast!

My mom, sister,  and I spent a few days with my aunt who was having surgery. It went really well, and on the way home, my three other sisters met us at the zoo. It started pouring rain on us, but we had a blast walking in the zoo, getting dripping wet. ;D

I drove in rain so bad that you couldn't see the lines on the road. That kind of freaked me out. Also, one day I drove so terribly that by the time I arrived at our destination I was in tears. I called my best friend, and she made things better. <3





We had a hot dog and s'mores roast. It was just our family, sitting around a fire, and seriously, we had so. much. fun!

We got our puppy, Ascari. He's an adorable handful. ;)

One night, the stars were bright enough that we could see the Milky Way. That isn't super uncommon, but it is always a treat.

October

Some of my family and I took the month off movies and computer games. It was refreshing.

My computer came!! I could not be more pleased with my computer. *grin*

I celebrated 11 years of knowing God!!! =D





My siblings and I had a retreat. It was the best weekend I've had in a long time. We did madlibs, played tons of board games, stayed up late talking, took tons of goofy photos, ate to much pizza, and did an escape room. Seriously, I wasn't sure what I was going to think of an escape room since I don't really love puzzles, but it was great, and we got out with 16 seconds to spare! The whole weekend was amazing!!

One of the kids I babysit saw me putting on my chapstick and just looked at me very seriously and told me (In three-year-old lisp) to make sure and buy more. And to make sure and wear my jacket on the way out because it was cold. I just about melted.

I voted for the first time. =D

I got the meet Gray Marie from Writing is Life. Seriously, her blog is awesome. If you haven't checked out her blog, you should, it's awesome, and she is amazing.

Beta read "Live Without You" by Sarah Grace. I'm really excited because it's coming out in January!



September                                                                  October 

My favorite from September was The Coronation and Kates Conundrum.
From October, Live Without You.

16 Expressions Writing is Life
Sweet Dreams Dancing in the Rain

The Fire of Contentment Apples of Gold

Let There be Light A Purpose and a Promise

A Daily Reminder: Its all Him Lauren Elizabeth 

House Sitting and a Book Fair Stories by Firefly

Writers: How to Engage the Five Senses Adventure Awaits

What No One Told Me About Writing || Farris's Birthday The Left-Handed Typest 

So there you are. Two months worth of updates!