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My thoughts ~ Imagination is even more valuable than knowledge. |
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My topics this week *Bullet* How would your life change if you won the lottery? More importantly perhaps, what would stay the same? *Bullet* It's practically impossible to escape modern technology. Tell us about something you still do 'the old fashioned way'. *Bullet* The saying goes that 'You learn something new every day'. What did you learn this week? *Bullet* Write a list of at least ten sentences, each starting with the words 'I believe...' *Bullet* Who is your 'blogger crush' and why? That is, which blogger (on WDC or offsite) do you most admire and/or wish to emulate? What's stopping you from achieving something of the same standard? *Bullet* Tell us an excuse you used this week to get out of something or explain something. *Bullet* What cause are you passionate about? 1.What are your hopes and dreams for the future? 2.Where do you see yourself 5 years from today? 3a) What do you want to be remembered for? what will your legacy be? Write your obituary.{{/b} 3b) Are your priorities today at odds with how you wish to be remembered? If so, what changes will you make? (Note:This is not meant to be a morbid exercise but rather a personal assessment of our priorities. For me I often decide what I want the end (of anything from a book to my life) to look like and then what steps do I need to take in order to achieve it.) 4.Write your own personal mission statement. 5.What single thing are you most proud of? 6.What could you imagine never living without 7.What does the word content mean for you? Describe what it looks like in your life. 1. We are creatures of habit. Tell us some of your habits, and how they affect your day. 2. What three adjectives described your day today? Why did you choose those three? 3. Tell us five things you were thankful for this week. 4. How do you think the blog you're writing now would be different if you were writing it in a paper journal? 5. Share something you wrote today. 6. What was your latest writing accomplishment? 7.What are your writing habits? 1. What made you happy today? 2. Do you consider yourself an optimist or pessimist and why? 3.What are you writing/working on today? 5. Do you have a bucket list? If so, what is on it? If not, why? 6. What made you sad today? 7.List 10 great things about your day/ week. |
| Last week I shared my published books with 7th and 8th graders. These students are difficult in so many ways. They challenge authority, are defiant, off task and often refer to themselves as losers or dumb. I know each of them has a potential to succeed in school if they would just try. Sharing my writing may not have touched every child in the class but it certainly inspired some students to do some writing where they had never even attempted to write before. I am glad that I was able to help some students become interested in at least trying their hand at writing. It is always a good day when I am able to inspire others, especially students who need so much direction. I would like to see all of these students succeed although I know some of them may not. |
| Four years ago this month I moved from Spokane Washington back to my hometown of Riverton Wyoming. I did this for a variety of reasons but it was time to come home. I have been through a journey of soul searching to hell and back. I have faced obstacles that I would have never dreamed would touch me. I have overcome things that would have overwhelmed someone else to the point of no-return. I have not given up and I will not give up no matter what comes my way. I am a dreamer, a mother, a teacher, and a writer. I will continue on the path to be the best I can be at each of these things and much more. After fighting to survive on my own as a single parent once again I feel like I am finally going to smile more, laugh more and live more than I have before. I have faith that this summer I will have the best summer of my life and I will find adventure to fill my soul and to turn those adventure into stories to touch my readers. It is time to once again WRITE ON! |
| What made me happy today. I had a day of going to a horse event with my kids. Instead we set out to go look at possible horse for Lilly to replace our beloved Zip. Before we got there we decided that this was not the horse for her and we visited my new place of work; then went to McDonalds for lunch. It was a fun but not so successful day. On the way home we stopped at Hobby Lobby to buy beads for Elizabeth to make necklaces with. I really enjoyed this day with my kids. When I got home I decided to take a moment and check my email and account activity. I discovered that two of my books had sold off of amazon.com. I was so excited that someone had taken the effort o purchase them from the internet! I also was paid for another article on ofhorse.com. It makes me happy that after a year and a couple months I have gone from an unpublished author to a published author of wonderful books that I would love to have if I had not written them; and a couple of articles that I wrote from my heart about something I know a lot about. :) I am so excited about the next step of my journey. I am going to learn to market my books and maybe get on some book review lists. |
| Today I went to my second ever writing meeting at Auntie’s Book Store. I felt like I have always belonged to this group simply because of the connections and friendships I have made this last month. Tonight was amazing; there were so many new people with new ideas, projects, and connections to share. I truly enjoyed every minute of this meeting and look forward to many more. I read the introduction to my new novel and was surprised at the reaction. The comments and critiques were very helpful and I should be able to improve this small piece of work with just a little editing. I am excited to say that today I was able to pretend to be the confident girl I used to be instead of the introverted adult I have become. It felt good to stand up there and read the words that I have written to people who truly seemed to be enjoying it. I was such a rewarding and fulfilling experience. The time at the end to make connections and visit with other authors who are as passionate as I about writing was phenomenal. Maybe I am just imagining things but I feel that I may have just helped a few people to get on their way to becoming published authors themselves. And hopefully I have made some connections that will help us all in the ongoing projects we are working on. It made me excited for the upcoming writing conference I am scheduled to attend next month where there will be more opportunities like this. I have been thinking to myself that I need to cut back on things again as it seems I am spending many hours away from the house. But I cannot bring myself to give this up again. I have made so many sacrifices that it is time that I make myself focus on me once in a while. I guess once a month I can commit to giving my ego the needed boost to inspire me to write on! |
| Two Saturdays a month I volunteer at the local food bank. It is a place where I feel welcome and useful. I usually help sort fruits and vegetables, move boxes of food from one place to another or carry boxes of food to cars for the visiting needy. Today I was working behind the tables moving boxes of food from a pile behind us to the table for easier access when I was asked to assist a man with his food. I chatted with him as we walked in the cool air. His boxes safely deposited in the back seat of his car I walked on towards my vehicle to retrieve some item; I don’t remember now what it was I was going to get. I heard a frantic call from across the parking lot for someone who knows CPR. Having a current CPR card I rushed to help. When I arrived there was a 70 something gentleman in the back seat of his car, he was drooling and his face was pale. He was breathing but his breathing was erratic. There was another gal there who also knew first and they aid and CPR she was taking his pulse and reporting to the man on the phone who had first called out for help. He was on the phone with the 911 operator and was relaying the information. I stood there not being able to get close enough to help and not wanting to leave for fear of abandoning this man. Eventually we decided to lay this man down in the back seat of the car and get his feet up. When it seemed that there were too many people around this man I stepped back. It was then that I noticed his brother standing lost and frightened near the door of the car. As I watched a volunteer comforted him but he seemed to have tears in his eyes for his brother. These two men are regulars at the food bank. Every time I am there so are they. They are known to most as the two Russian brothers because they are immigrants from Russia. They speak to each other in Russian although they can communicate in English and do so when necessary. One can tell that they are close by watching them interact. Eventually I felt I would do more good stepping away and going back to helping at the food bank so I resumed my duties inside. Occasionally I was asked to carry a box for someone and I did so with a happy heart. As I did so I watched the fire truck come in and then the ambulance. I noticed that the gentleman was sitting up in his car, then that he was standing talking with the paramedics. I was relieved and thankful that he seemed ok but I worried still that he was not. At first it was assumed that this man was having a heart attack; it turns out it was just a seizure. As I look back on this day the adrenalin rush that went with it I am touched by these two brothers. They came here from Russia and have probably survived many hardships. They rely on each other in their old age and one would be lost without the other. Today I saw the faith of those around me as the volunteers stopped to pray for the ailing brother and prayed with the frightened one, willing god to let everything work out for the best. I today, watching helplessly I was reminded of my dad who passed away from a heart attack. I found myself thinking of his last moments, alone in his barn with his prized foal; quite the opposite of the scene playing out around the elderly gentleman in the parking lot. My emotions were more than I could handle I cried on the shoulder of the best friend I have here in Washington. I found myself being grateful for the friends I have found through this selfless act of kindness. Everyone should take the time to carry a box of food to the car of a stranger. You will find your life richer and your heart more full. |
I am so far behind in my blogging that I have decided that I will turn this week into one single blog for all of the days I have missed. So here goes. Yesterday I cleaned my living room in anticipation of a puppy buyer who was supposed to come to my house. It had been so long since I had taken my brain away from my writing that it was hard to focus and not think about my book in progress. It turns out that the puppy buyer had something come up and didn’t end up coming but if I keep on top of it I will be ready next time. Maybe by then the ice will have melted and we can meet and greet puppies on the lawn instead of in my living room. If I had known they weren’t coming I would not have spent so long on house work. Sometimes, however, it is good to walk away from a project and my house sorely needed the attention. So today I sat here staring at my computer trying to focus on the project I have been working on. My little girl was trying to take up where we left off yesterday and started dragging all of the chairs out of the dining room so she could “clean”. I was so distracted by the fact that she was messing up my freshly cleaned and vacuumed living room that I could not focus on anything. When the school called for me to come and retrieve my ill son I was glad to put the computer down and go get him. As my car was broken from the flood the day before, I took my daughter’s car knowing I only had a few minutes before she had to leave for work. When I got hoe me I was wishing I had insisted that she go get him. She had helped little Isabel build a fort out of chairs and blankets. I have always hated forts for many reasons the biggest being that I usually have to clean up the mess left when the fort has been abandoned and collapsed. My eldest child laughed when I walked in and protested. But then I gave in and let them keep the fort. My life would be so much easier if I didn’t have a five year old and an eighteen year old who wishes she was five. Because I have been suffering from writer’s block regarding my fantasy project I have been doing a lot of research for the historical fiction piece I am planning. As I research I miss my dad and his fantastical stories and I wish again that I had taken more time to listen to his stories and record them before he passed away. I can still hear his voice talking about his little porcupine that the raised or complaining about my brother’s raccoon. I miss everything about him and everything he stood for. It makes me want to focus on my mother and her stories but I am afraid that I will forget my dad’s so I press on hoping to have time for both. My ancestors and the stories I have heard of them inspire me. I write to record everything I know before it is lost. I can write down every story I know about my parents and their parents before them and still miss out on writing a great tale. I also write in hopes of entertaining children and young adults. I know I have a gift, at least my sixth grade teacher told me I did, and I want to share this gift while I can. I started blogging to exercise my mind, to take a break from my regular daily writing. I have found that it is rewarding to write about pieces of my day. Someday I may look back on this blog and see a fantastic story just waiting to be created. Today was a good day as I got past the paragraph I have been struggling with for days in my book. The writer’s block ended with a ton of new ideas of where to go with my story. My fingers flew and I have now finished most of the ideas I had brainstormed a month ago of where to go with this book. My living room is still somewhat clean despite the fort and the pile of blankets I have yet to put away. I have a lot of research done on my family and am ready to start a couple of stories in the historical fiction genera based on my family history. The flood has dissipated and left in its place a mucky muddy quagmire that will dry up in time and my car is fixed. Once the battery is charged and I can start it to make sure it is going to stay running I will be back on track; going to work, writing, and cleaning house as necessary. |
| Today I came into the house to find my five year old busy with her own agenda. Of course this included things she was not supposed to be doing like climbing to the top of the cupboards to get items that were forbidden to her. She had gone out with us to do chores and had disappeared from the barnyard while we were busy. When I discovered what she was up to I decided to let the kids and Denny finish the outside chores and i tried to get Isabel to climb into the chair with me to cuddle. She was less than willing but eventually she gave in. As we sat and watched tv with her she told me about her puppy. I loved to hear her talk but I think she just needed to have some attention. Sitting with my little girl and talking with her was a special moment for both of us. I am glad I found this time to give her what she needed. Sometimes our children need us to sacrifice for them; but its great when that sacrifice doesn't feel like one. |
| As you went about your day today, who or what was on your mind? Who were you thinking of? Last night I had a dream. It was a vivid but clouded dream about the fantasy I am creating during my waking hours. I went to bed at an impasse in this book that has had me so enraptured. The images that came to me provided solutions to all the problems I had encountered in moving forward in the book. I spent the day getting those images put on the pages of my computer. My day belonged solely to the characters in this world. I know they are fictional characters in a world of my imagining but I cannot be at peace until their tale is told and the problems solved. Even while I sleep it seems. |
| Today I went to a nearby school and taught for an absent teacher in the first grade. The children were typical of most first graders I have known. Some were quiet and studious; some were boisterous and goofy. I enjoyed the fact that many of the children remembered me from when I subbed in music earlier this month. They were smart, funny, and loyal to their teacher. They spent a lot of their free time creating cards for her as if she were terribly ill. The room was a typical square class room with student desks placed in clusters in the center of the room. There was a kidney bean table at both the front and the back of the room, a bank of computers near the window. The calendar corner near the computers had a multitude of activities to aid in the children's learning of basic concepts that they needed to know. The children hung their coats and backpacks in a series of nooks just inside the door with a cubby for their books above. The Ipads were placed on a table by the cubbies, opposite the computers and were the coveted activity for free time. Upon entering the room I noticed a chill in the air. I thought that I was just chilled because I had just come in from the below zero weather outside. When the children arrived I noticed that they were reluctant to shed their snow gear and because I was frigid myself, I allowed it. When the children left the room for lunch another teacher commented on the snow pants some of the children wore. When I told her the room was cold she stepped inside. "Burr" was all she had to say. When I returned from the lunch room she had a thermometer in the room. It was a toasty 52 degrees in the room and the custodial staff set about trying to get the heat to work. By the time school ended the temp by the door was up to almost 70 degrees but near the massive windows it still felt like an arctic blast was blowing through an open window. Tomorrow I will be in a different room with teenagers who sometimes could care less about their teacher's existence. I will be thinking of the little blond girl who asked me if I could close the window (that wouldn't open if I tried), and I hope that the custodians crank the heat before lunchtime tomorrow. |
| I spent the day teaching algebra and geometry. The great thing is I didn't have to teach a thing. The regular teacher had done a great job of laying out the day. The one class that did not take a quiz watched a video on the lesson so some guy on the computer taught them what they needed to know to complete their homework. It was pretty cool just push play and the lesson was delivered. I spent the nice quiet time working on my book. It was pretty exciting but the team lost one of the bad guys into the endless forest. I can't wait to see where he pops up next. In weaving my tale I couldn't help but twiddle in some random girls or rather young women. Some of my new characters were rescued and some were helping the bad guys. I am finding that writing fantasy is fun and rewarding. As I weave my tale I am excited at the prospect of sharing this book with others. It is full of adventure,mystery, magic, and just a little romance. This story is going to draw readers and keep them riveted until they read the last page. If I am successful it will leave them hungering for more. I am grateful today because I am finally doing a job that allows me to create this wondrous tale. Tomorrow I will have to do a bit more teaching as I am teaching first grade. I have missed the little kids and will steal a moment or two to work on my book during my lunch break or planning period if I am lucky. If not I will revel in my time with these little wonders. As children are our future and I am thankful that I get the chance to be part of molding this future. Taking every opportunity to connect with a child could make a difference for just one of them. I choose to take those moments and make them memorable and great. |
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