Will your child someday ask, “What’s snail mail?”

Did you know April is National Card and Letter Writing Month? When is the last time you mailed a handwritten letter to someone? Recently? Last year? Never?

Your answer to that question may very well depend on your age or generation. The older generation, who recall when typewriters were a thing and computers were not the norm in a household, would remember letter writing as a way to communicate, while the current generation of young adults barely use phone calls to converse, much less write a letter. Their form of communication has been texting or messaging for as long as they can remember. In fact, if I had to guess, I doubt either of my boys, on their own, have used even half a book of stamps between the two of them their whole lives.

This reminds me of a comedian we saw recently while visiting the Brad Garrett Comedy Club in Vegas. Collin Moulton had some great humor about aging parents and the huge generation gap between kids and grandparents. One subject that brought tears to my eyes was when he joked about a grandfather having to explain to a young one what writing and sending letters was all about. This video will give you an idea of what I’m talking about [disclaimer, he picks on the USPS a bit in this video]. All joking aside, it isn’t an easy task to ask young adults or children to write a letter. The concept is extremely foreign to them. If you’re a parent with kids, you’ll know this or understand when the time comes to inform your son or daughter they need to write thank you notes for gifts or money received after their high school graduation. The question I got was, “What do I say?”

I can’t recall the last letter I wrote but I’ll admit it’s been quite awhile – I had a great aunt who loved sending and receiving cards and letters (plus she never owned a computer or used email), so she and I continued to write to each other for years until she passed away a number of years ago. I’m thankful we shared the experience because the notes and cards I received from her are now keepsakes and will always hold special memories for me.

My aunt and I wrote back and forth because we both enjoyed the process of writing and receiving cards and letters. During other time periods when I’ve written to family and friends for any length of time, the reason has always been due to distance or because there was no other way to communicate. One example is when my brother was in the service or when he was out of the country and gone for months at a time on missionary trips. Email was not always an option given whatever location he might be in. Another stint in letter writing was when a friend of mine was in prison for about a year. I couldn’t visit her at the prison, so it was the only way we communicated until her release. When I was in middle school, my best friend in the world at that time moved out of the state and I was devastated. As devastated as you can imagine a 13 or 14 year old might be. We wrote from that point and all through high school, almost religiously, and even a bit beyond I believe. Those types of letters are precious and likely the most honest truth about our young lives beyond whatever we wrote in our own journals.

Having a month dedicated to sending cards or letters has made me pause and think…I miss writing letters. I miss having a reason to write and sharing the love of writing letters with another person.

Do we need a reason to send a card or write a letter? No. We can send one, just because we want to.

Does someone have to live states away or even in another country to deserve a card or written letter? No. we can send one, just because we want to.

But the way our lives move on at such a fast rate of speed, we don’t tend to find the time to sit and write a letter or a cute note in a card to someone special. Especially when it’s just as easy to pick up the phone, send a text or stalk them on Facebook.

So for me, because I have more stationary and cards than I need (I’m sure I’ve mentioned it…I’m a stationary/paper/journal addict), I plan to use this month as an excuse to get back into snail mail. Some challenges I’ve seen involve sending a card or a letter every day – that’s too much for me. So my challenge to myself is to pick at least two friends or family members each week and send them either a card or a letter. Even if they don’t reciprocate with a card or letter of their own, that’s okay, as that won’t be the point of the challenge. What I’ll enjoy is the fact that they’ll smile in surprise when they realize there’s something in their mailbox between the bills and the junk mail.

If I can make a loved one smile at the sight of something as simple as a note card or letter in their mailbox, that idea alone will brighten my day and is the only reason I need to take on the challenge.

How about you?

Is there someone you know who would smile at the sight of a card or a letter from you in their mailbox?

Even something short & sweet?

I'm betting there might be… J

A Year in Photos; Proof of Where Time has Gone

I hope you’re enjoying the weekend and that you find time between all the hustle and bustle to take a breather before jumping in on the holiday fun with family. I’m looking forward to a brand new year, but I was feeling a little nostalgic while going through photos of this past year. 

It’s been a busy year, but it’s also been a fulfilling year. 

While it was difficult to choose just one photo per month, I thought I’d share the past year in photos with some of my favorites:

January:

Koa and Kai move in – at this point we only had Mandy, our 10-year old (9 at the time) lab/border collie mix. It took her about three months to get comfortable with having cats around the house again.

Koa & Kai

February:

Jozee became a part of our family – and Mandy didn’t like us much at this point. She was still keeping her distance from Koa and Kai, but she had no idea how to deal with an energetic pup who insisted on trying to force playtime.

Jozee & her first day with us

March:

Life with pets – I enjoy posting photos like this, along with videos, to share our life with pets on my Instagram account @ www.instagram.com/pj_howell. Not just the cute photos, but how they make us laugh or on those days when I can only shake my head and wonder how long each stage is going to last.

Someone has an issue with the tissue

April:

It was my birthday and we celebrated with a few days in Vegas. You can never go wrong celebrating your special day.

Vegas b-day trip

May:

Jozee was not quite five months when we took her to the beach for the first time. She loved it – this is a cute photo my son took when she was looking out at the water.

Life is a beach

June:

We decided Mandy didn’t have enough playmates so we brought home a rescue we named Booker. He wasn’t sure what to think about moving in with two dogs and two older kittens (who were turning one in July), but he settled in fairly quickly and has been an adorable and fun addition to the family.

Booker is dreaming he caught a mouse

July:

Jozee loves going for walks and we thoroughly enjoyed roaming both Washington and Oregon in order to find new parks to explore.

Lake Sacajawea

August:

Road trips are my favorite, especially when we get to visit Montana and Wyoming. We had to change things up with our itinerary due to the fires at Glacier Park, but we never fail to enjoy ourselves when we get to explore these two particular states. I share photos of both local and out-of-state places we visit on my Instagram account at www.instagram.com/road_trip_junkie.

Montana river

September:

Last year I enjoyed Halloween Horror Nights with my boys and we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity again this year, especially when I’m able to enjoy the world of Harry Potter during the day.

HP world at Universal

October:

The weather in the Pacific Northwest was so beautiful and mild throughout October and into November, so that we were able to continue enjoying walks at local parks during the change in the seasons.

Tumwater Falls park

November:

Jozee is one month shy of turning a year old and I just adore her.

Jozee

December:

When someone in your family turns 21 years old and you can make Vegas happen, it will leave you with lasting memories. Even better is when your visit is this time of year, when you also get to enjoy all the holiday spirit and decorations around every corner.

Vegas and the holidays

So that’s my year in photos. We made great memories and have a lot to be thankful for. When my husband asks me what I want for Christmas, I can truthfully say, “nothing,” because the whole year has been one wonderful gift and nothing in wrapping paper could ever compare.

I hope your year has also been a great one and that you made your own wonderful memories.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

December is dubbed the project month

In addition to finding the perfect tree, decorating for the holidays and spending time with family, the month of December also means a handful of projects for me…

Completing the fifth book in the series so that I can begin editing and revising before it’s shipped off to my editor. I’m excited to complete this novel and move on to the next project, as well as my next project idea of a new series. In addition to other book ideas I’d like to play with, another series might be a lot to take on but I’m excited about it and I know that the idea will continue to chatter at me until I put words on paper. That series will be a WIP for a bit, so I’ll share more once I have more to share. J

The beginning of a new bullet journal for 2019 – this past year was my first year using a bullet journal and while it took some getting used to, I thoroughly enjoy using it over a preprinted calendar that doesn’t accommodate everything I need on a given day or in a whole week. I’ve decided to continue with bullet journaling, which is a good thing since I have SO many journals I’ve purchased that I need to make use of. I’ll schedule a post after the first of the year to share how I put together my bullet journal, for those who might be interested.

A new writing calendar for 2019 – although I have pages earmarked for “author stuff and ideas” in my bullet journal, I track all of my writing notes in a separate calendar/planner so that I can track my word count, author and marketing to-do’s based on my business plan, author events and so on. This calendar is also where I track the days of my characters in the series, which is something else I think I’ll share about in another post. My writing calendar helps me so that when I reflect on the previous year, in preparation for the coming year, everything is in one place and not mixed together with a bunch of personal items I’d have to sift through.

My business plan for the first quarter of 2019 – originally when I wrote about finally putting together my first business plan, I thought I might switch from quarterly to bi-yearly. However, after tracking my to-do’s over the course of almost three quarters, I decided to stick with quarterly plans. Having quarterly reviews fits my business model better and I believe they will help keep me accountable while a six-month plan might be a recipe for procrastination. I’ll be sharing more in a later post with a year-in-review and my plans for 2019.

Organization – seriously, this is a constant WIP but lately I’ve spent a lot of time going over everything I use in my writing life in an attempt to figure out what works, what I can utilize better and what I need to just cut loose (some days, Facebook is high on that list). I have so many ideas, not only with what I want to write, but also what I need to do when it comes to my author platform, marketing and promotion. Too many ideas, really. I want to work smarter, not harder, so that I also have plenty of time to write. Now that I’ve organized everything and condensed my lists, the focus is…what to really focus on. More on this will probably be included in my year-in-review or when I share quarterly updates after the first of the year.

I’m also thinking about my reading list for next year – not that I actually make a list. It’s more like a stack of books I keep adding to on my book shelf that I need to read next. While I have a large stack waiting for me, I’m torn between sticking to a bunch of smaller titles or finally beginning the Game of Thrones series. I loved the TV series and I’m looking forward to how much better I’m certain the books will be. Plus, I think reading them during the winter months of January and February will be the perfect fit.

If you’re curious about my 2018 reading list – here’s a list of the fiction titles I read this past year:

Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni

Fatal Frost by Karen MacInerney

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lemonade and Lies by Agatha Frost

I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Eaves of Destruction by Kate Carlisle

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs

The One That Got Away by Simon Wood

Dying for a Taste by Leslie Karst

Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney

Deja Moo by Kirsten Weiss

Year One by Nora Roberts

Mistletoe Murder by Karen MacInerney (currently reading)

I may be able to add one more book to my reading list this month while I focus on my projects but it won’t stop me from enjoying the season and time I plan to spend with family. December is going to be full of seasonal festivities, family fun, productive projects and time spent reading holiday themed books when the mood strikes. I’d say that’s a great way to spend this last month of the year.

I hope your month will also be full of what makes you happy.

Until next time…

When the holidays sneak up on you

Koa - cute, cuddly and a big baby

Thanksgiving seems early this year, or maybe it came up on us fast, I’m not quite sure. My dental hygienist had a good laugh at my expense the other day when I asked about scheduling an appointment for next week. She shook her head and told me next week wouldn’t work because it was Thanksgiving.

I actually replied to her in astonishment with, “No it’s not.”

And then she showed me the calendar.

I use calendars, obviously. I’m a paper planner addict and have one for both my personal and writing life. How the heck did I miss that next week is Thanksgiving? In my defense, I’ve been busy with writing, marketing and book promotions, a book event, and planning ahead for book promotions throughout the rest of the year.

In addition, I enjoy celebrating Halloween all through October and realistically, I begin to think about Christmas on November 1st. I am one of those people, yes, who begins to listen to Christmas music or watch holiday movies right after Halloween. Thanksgiving is just another day smack dab in the middle of ghost stories and holiday baking.

Although, I have to say I enjoy left-over turkey sandwiches. If I had to choose, other than time spent with family, that is my favorite part of the holiday.

And pumpkin pie.

Can’t forget the pie.

Okay, now I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. J

Joking aside, this month is more about family. The food is just a bonus.

In addition to family, my other focus this month was on writing and health/wellness. My writing schedule is still going well and I’ve been able to reach my word count just about every day. As for the remainder of my focus for the month, I took part in a fitness challenge and did about half as well as I expected but ended with a better mindset and some good advice on what I need to do to stick with a routine. I also began a gratitude journal the beginning of the month and I’ve actually stuck with it - I’ve tried to do this before but would usually fizzle out after a week or so. And, I began a new meditation practice this past week that has helped me feel calmer this time of year than I remember ever feeling before.

I guess that explains why I didn’t completely freak out when I found out next week was the holiday. I’m not prepared and plans are still up in the air, but I’m okay with that. Which is a bit odd, coming from me. I suppose that’s additional proof the meditation technique is working.

Other than not keeping up with what date the holiday was landing on, the month of November is providing for me what I had hoped. And considering the fact that December is going to be a fairly busy month, I will appreciate the limited focus in November. It’s something else I will add to my grateful journal.

Whatever your plans for the holiday and the rest of the month, I hope you find time to be with family and celebrate the areas in your life you can be grateful for.

The top 3 things I’ll focus on this November

I’m a self-proclaimed klutz and it’s not uncommon for me to wind up with bruises and no memory of how I got them. My husband just shakes his head when he hears me exclaim after stubbing a toe or running my leg into the corner of a table or slamming my arm into a door frame. Actual falling, fortunately, isn’t usual for me but I have to stay on guard to avoid completely tripping and landing flat on my face or back. 

I enjoy this time of year when “falling back” has nothing to do with my inability to walk a straight line or avoid hitting a solid object. When falling back gives me the opportunity to sleep in, even though I’m getting up at the normal time, and when it allows the day to move just a bit slower each time I realize it’s not as late as I think it is.

Gaining that extra hour is just one more bonus to this, my favorite time of year, along with fuzzy socks, hot drinks, cozy blankets while watching movies and the beautiful array of colors outside as the trees shed their summer coats.

Today I’m using the extra hour to soak in what a good month October was, as I review what I have mapped out for the month of November. As noted in my last post, October was going well, both with my writing and my personal life, and the trend continued with a high word count the last full week of the month and fun times celebrating Halloween.

To keep up with the trend, I expect good things from the month of November. So far, the month has begun with another book event of my own at the annex of a local church. This was a first for me as far as venues go, so I wasn’t sure what to expect and while it worked out a bit differently than other events, I enjoyed what turned in to a type of round table discussion. I answered questions and discussed my books and my writing life, but each of the ladies who attended also added to the discussion as it pertained to their lives, their pets or their work history, whether they were currently working or living on retirement. One of those in attendance was formerly employed by the sheriff’s office, is now currently working as an investigator for the state and also has rescue dogs, so she and I had quite a lot to chat about. Another brought her little dog to the event, and for awhile that small dog stole the show with how adorable it was. I feel good about the fact that as I continue to hold book events, I can still be pleasantly surprised by how the events turn out. There really are no dull moments when it comes to this writing life and because I’m starting out the month with a grateful journal, I’ll place that in the number one spot.

I’ve decided that the rest of November I will focus on three things: writing, health/wellness and family. I had thought of entering NaNoWriMo this year but after some reflection on what that would mean for me, I decided this year was not a good time to join. NaNoWriMo requires 50,000 words to win and I’m about three-quarters of the way through my fifth Jorja mystery, so I won’t need 50,000 words to complete the novel. Also, I think NaNoWriMo is better suited to jumping in head first on a new novel and I can’t justify setting aside my current WIP just to join the challenge. I’ll continue to write as I have been, knowing that I should be able to look forward to a completed first draft by the end of November. Hooray!

Instead of joining the NaNoWriMo challenge, I decided to join two other challenges that will focus on health and wellness. The first will focus on a new fitness routine and tips that I can use throughout the month, which is much needed when holiday foods can cause havoc on the scale and I’d prefer to enjoy holiday gatherings without counting calories. The other challenge involves making time for some soul care and includes keeping a gratitude journal, meditation, prayer and fasting. After all the fixings of a turkey dinner at the end of the month, I’m sure I’ll be more than ready for some fasting.

Those two challenges won’t take much from me or require too much of my time during the day, but each will benefit me greatly during this season and while I continue to focus on taking care of myself while I also keep up with my weekly word count.

Last, but certainly not least, I look forward to time spent with family. Each day is a good opportunity to make memories, which is something I’ll take advantage of when I can and continue to be grateful for. It’s also what I’ll end this post on so that I can add it to today’s grateful list.

Have a great day and a great(ful) week!

The dog days of summer

Jozee is people watching

As I prepared to write this post, I was actually startled to look at the date and realize August is almost half over. It seemed like yesterday when I shared a photo on Instagram about the hay bales in the field and how that usually marks the end of the beginning of summer for me. Suddenly, it’s been almost two weeks since then and now we’re really not that far away from entering the next season.

It happens every time; the rapid end of summer, but it surprises me each time, nonetheless.

This summer has been a hot one, with temps in the 90’s more often than we’re use to in the PNW, and apparently with more on the way. Today I’m enjoying the fact that I can work comfortably in my office with temps in the low 70’s after a huge amount of rain yesterday. The rain was certainly a welcome sight considering how dry everything has been and the constant threat of fire in too many areas at this point.

Happy Dog graduate

This summer has also been a busy one, especially since my last post, with family gatherings, small-town festivals, and multiple visits to the beach and various parks around our state in order to get out more to explore with Jozee. I love taking her on walks and hikes and we meet so many nice people who are also dog lovers. Jozee was also in her first training class this summer and she graduated the end of July after having a great time proving she’s a bright pup. I’m a little biased, of course, but I guess you can’t blame me. J

But summer hasn’t kept me away from working on my writing…

In fact, I just completed another book that will soon be published. I’m excited and nervous about this publication, because it’s personal, it’s non-fiction, and its purpose is to be motivational. When authors talk about dealing with imposter syndrome, I really hadn’t understood it, until now. Until now I’ve been writing fiction and I just haven’t been inclined to believe there’s any reason why I shouldn’t be writing and sharing my stories. I always hope readers will enjoy my books but I know not to take it personally if they don’t. However, now that I’ve ventured into the world of non-fiction, and with a book that’s so personal, I believe I can finally understand. While the book expresses my own thoughts, which is enough to make anyone nervous, what I’m anxious about is whether readers will accept and understand what I’m sharing due to my underlying need to fulfill my desire to inspire others. And beyond that, whether they’ll believe I’m equipped with the experience to inspire them.

As with all things, only time will tell.

So whether I sweat from the high summer temps during the remainder of our dog days of summer, or from nervousness as I wait for feedback and reviews, I’ll hope for the best and continue moving forward. The most recently completed book is in the final stages and if all goes according to plan, it should be available by the end of August. I’ll definitely share the news and the links once it’s available. In the meantime, I’m back to working on the next book in my series, as well as a young adult novel I’ve been working on, so it’s back to the fictional world full time for me. And I’m okay with that.

I’ll share a post when the next book is available so until then, enjoy the remainder of your summer, stay safe and stay cool!

I’ve lost a bunch of hats, and my head feels funny!

If you had to come up with one word to describe yourself or your current situation in life, what would it be? I can imagine coming up with one word might actually prove to be very difficult.

If you are like most, you’re wearing any number of hats on any given day given your current situation…parent, spouse, employee, employer, entrepreneur, chauffeur of children, coach of your son or daughter’s team, caretaker of a child, a spouse or a parent…and the list goes on and on.

Those hats change every so often, and especially when you enter each new season in life. From being young parents, to middle-aged married beings with high school or college kids and very busy schedules, to empty nesters to retirees; each season can bring about change that is gradual or very swift, but regardless of either, it brings about a change in the hats we wear.

I’ve come to the conclusion that these past few months, while I’ve been tackling time management alongside puppy rearing and playtime, I’ve also been tackling something I hadn’t realized was even an obstacle. That obstacle was my inability to realize that my expectations in life were drawn from how I managed myself when I was wearing previous hats, in previous seasons, under previous situations.

I failed to realize that I was undergoing a transition.

In my last post I commented on warmer days or my next vacation and, honestly, those days were just right around the corner because I left only a week later for a vacation in a warmer state to celebrate my birthday. And this wasn’t just any birthday; it was a big one. One of those birthdays you say doesn’t really bother you, because your age is just a number, right? Honestly, it really didn’t bother me, until I got to thinking more seriously about it.

What got me thinking more seriously about it was the fact that I’ve entered a new season, but my mindset might not have caught up to the idea that my life has changed quite a bit. My life is not what it was before when I wore all those hats as a busy mom, wife and daughter, who also worked for someone else or for herself while running her own business. I’m not an empty nester yet, but it’s close, and while I enjoy spending time with my husband, and having a puppy feels like having a child again (pure understatement, really J), my schedule is not wrapped around what everyone else in the household is doing or what an employer requires of me.

My schedule is my own.

That one little fact in addition to the entry into a new decade has left me just a little breathless. All those hats I use to wear, which we all know can get a little heavy sometimes since women are so terrible at finding time to take them all off to care for themselves, have dwindled down to just a few. Imagine, rather than the idiom reference, if you wore one real hat every single day for a whole year, how would your head feel when you finally took it off? It may feel very much like what it is to suddenly not be so many things to so many other people.

While I have been more committed to self care the past year or so, I thought it was just because I had finally realized how absolutely necessary it was. However, it may have been my way of preparing for the upcoming transition I was going to go through. I just hadn’t realized it at the time.

Being so many things to so many people for awhile begins to feel normal, maybe because the constant pull in so many directions gives a false sense of feeling grounded. But when change occurs and you’re not pulled in all different directions, you may feel a little off balanced if some of the tugging suddenly stops. That’s how I visually see things when it comes to what some women must feel like when this sort of transition occurs.

Writing is one way that keeps me grounded, which may seem funny since my books are all fiction. I also have a number of ways to focus on self care, such as journaling, yoga, and so forth, but as with anything, I’ll learn as I go to determine what works best for me. A transition also means change or evolution, which also means progression and development. It means learning more about yourself and evolving as you continue to move forward. It also means, no matter what age you are, how many hats you wear or what season you’re in, what you learn about yourself will help you through each transition and hopefully as you move on into the next.

Whatever season you’re in, however many hats you wear, I hope you take time to focus on self care and find what also keeps you grounded so that when all the tugging suddenly stops, you don’t find yourself unbalanced and flat on your back.

Out like a lion, in like a lamb

We left February after getting quite a bit of snow and moved into March with some nice spring weather. Yesterday was no exception…it was beautiful, with temps in the high 60’s and today we apparently might hit 70 degrees. It makes me happy to have a laptop so that I can sit outside rather than having to choose between writing and enjoying a warm sunny day.

End of February

I don’t doubt that we’ll be back to normal Washington weather soon: rain, rain and more rain. It’s only March, after all, and we still have to get through “April showers bring May flowers.” It’s what makes the PNW so green and beautiful.

So we enjoy the weather when we’re treated to it, knowing that soon enough we’ll be stuck indoors again.

Even with easy access via my laptop, the past two weeks were not as focused on writing. I did complete some admin tasks with regard to updating information on various sites, narrowing down additional tasks and timelines for the projects I want to complete this year and I took part in a marketing webinar, which then added another project to my list that I want to begin when I can make time for it.

Beginning of March

Other than that, my writing focus slipped due to a number of personal tasks, each taking up space on my to-do list. However, the past two weeks were very productive when it came to finally checking off my list those tasks that have been hanging over my head for awhile. The benefit is that I will have more time to focus on my writing, which is a great thing because I feel very unsettled when I don’t get to spend regular time with my characters.

I’ll share one thing I was focused on the past two weeks…tidying up a few things with regard to my mother-in-law’s estate. It’s been long enough and I finally decided I just need to get it done. In addition, I’ve had boxes of photos and family documents to finish going through, and having those boxes sitting on the floor in my office has been, honestly, distracting. I have had a constant reminder of a task that I needed to complete, but usually I found I wasn’t emotionally prepared for. Going through a loved one’s personal items can be difficult if you aren’t ready.

But I’m glad I finally did, and that I was finally able to get through the material with more curiosity and less sadness.

Old school photo of my mother-in-law's

I found undeveloped film rolls and was pleased to discover photos of my in-laws that none of us had ever seen. I found old photos, birth certificates, death certificates, and school records from the 1950’s. I also found very old pages of family history typed up by a family member back in 1967 describing in great detail my father-in-law’s parent’s family history. I’m amazed any of these are in my hands, as they made it through a nasty flood we had in Chehalis back in 2007 (the original pages of the family history show proof of that fact), multiple moves throughout the years and even possibly a house fire the parents had many years ago. What’s even more amazing is that the family history dates back to the early 1800’s on his father’s side and the mid-1700’s on his mother’s side. It’s really a fantastic find and with the addition of little stories about some of the family members, the historic details about what some of the family members dealt with is really quite amazing.

As a reader and as an author, you can imagine how this type of find really peak my imagination!

So I begin this new week fresh and ready to get back to it as I imagine that maybe someday, many years from now, a distant relative will be reading details about me or my family’s history and what we made of ourselves.

Have a great week!

End of the year check in – ready for 2018!

Maui sunset - so long 2017!

I’m working on my list of intentions for 2018, while reviewing my list from 2017, and the task immobilized me as I thought to myself…another year gone just like that!  I can only shake my head, amazed that each year seems to go by more quickly than the year before.

So how did I do with my 2017 intentions? 

When I look at the focus of my 2017 list, which included writing, health, self-care, family and fun, it is apparent that health (mine and Piper’s) and self-care almost completely took over my attention.  My back issues made me look much closer at my health so that I focused more on what could help me heal, which has led to improving my core strength and knowledge about what types of movements and also which types of foods can cause me more pain due to inflammation in my spine.  Physical therapy and restorative yoga have been helpful and while I still have my limitations, I am thankful I’m getting better. 

Family and fun ran a close second, with my son returning home from Hawaii, as well as family trips to Disney World in Florida and Universal Studios in California.  In addition, trips to Vegas, the beach, the zoo, Mt. Rainier, and family get-togethers kept our schedules pretty full.  It has definitely been a busy year with visits to a lot of fun places.

Writing and reading are always part of my day, in one form or another, but I did not accomplish nearly what I had hoped for this year.  I was able to complete the fourth book in the series, but wasn’t able to get it published before the end of this year, as I had hoped.  Which means my young adult novel and another book in the mystery series will have to be my main focus next year once the fourth in the series is finally published.  I dislike that I’m behind where I had hoped to be by this time, but one focus for this year was to learn to let go.  It is what it is, and all I can do is let go of any negative thoughts and move forward from here.

And moving forward I will go.

When I made my list of intentions for this past year, I also made a list of words, in addition to writing and reading that came to me when I thought about the upcoming days of 2017.  Now that I look at it, the list was pretty long, but as I review the past year, I see I was able to focus on most of them at least a few times throughout the year.  My monthly check at the end of April touched on strength and movement, less clutter, being present, finding beauty, creating, reflection, family, travel, and adventure.  My bi-yearly check in shared my thoughts on balance, growth, focus, gratitude, being mindful, dreaming, less chaos, being brave and letting go.  October hit on fun and the need to recharge.  I now notice a few I did not write about; one is laughter, but I can guarantee that item is not missing in my life.  However, there are a few others - less stress, more sleep, forgiveness and contentment – that appear to have missed their debut post this year.

Well, forgiveness is a personal journey, and a work in progress, but isn’t something I will likely ever write about here.  The others, though…less stress, more sleep and contentment, are a reflection of how I react or feel based on what is going on with my life.  Now that I’m preparing for the beginning of 2018, I realize that these particular three will come into play this next year given the fact that I have made a decision that will greatly affect my routine and creative life.  I’m going to have more time to focus on my writing, and because I will no longer be stretching myself thin, I expect it will result in my feeling less stressed (because I do get stressed when I have limited time to focus on writing), and more sleep (because I am less stressed), which will lead to contentment with my days as a writer. 

Big changes will result in big expectations for myself but I am excited to move on to a new year with the knowledge that these changes will pave the way so that I can focus on what I am passionate about, and be able to accomplish more as I live a creative life.  I am so ready for the New Year!

Happy New Year and cheers & best wishes as you close out the year and move on to the next!!

 

Reading, journaling and photo challenges, oh my!

Clouds provide plenty of photo ops

It’s the last day of a long weekend, the longest of the year for most, and we now have another holiday under our belts and will soon be celebrating the next. 

But for now, it's a good day to stay in, so I’m enjoying this last non-busy, non-stressful, no-need-to-drive-anywhere-if-I-don’t-want-to kind of day. Yesterday I spent a full afternoon working on my novel and felt incredibly accomplished by the end of the day. Today, I am leaving what I do to the moment or mood and right now, I feel like blogging, while listening to Christmas music. Yes, I'm one of those people this year.  J

As we’re about to move on to the last month of the year, I’ve been thinking about where I am with regard to the goals and mindful intentions I made early this year. Will I have made good use of the 365 days as we close out another year? I’ll be posting my end-of-the-year update next month; some goals I completed, others I’m still working on or maybe haven’t even begun, but I’ll share more about what tools I’m using to reach my goals (or work toward reaching them) with regard to my specific mindful intentions for 2017.

In the meantime, the month of November was about spending time with family, focusing on health (there’s so much crud going around!), and writing.Oh, and reading, of course. And journaling. And taking in the moment to capture photos here and there when the mood strikes me. 

While I’m always reading one or two fiction novels at a time, I’m also reading the non-fiction book, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I’ve already read the book, but I decided to join an online book club challenge and it’s the book they proposed. I decided I liked the idea of reading the book again along with other creative women and hearing how they interpret or relate to it. In the process I may have also found an online writing community, so that’s a plus.

I’ve also been working on a journal that is probably the most difficult one yet…I’m trying to decide whether or not I want to start a bullet (or dot) journal. Not what you expected me to say when you think of difficult journaling? Well, it is. I use paper planners. I love them…I’m a paper planner fanatic, sad to say. But I also make tons of to-do lists or lists in general, constantly, and not always in my planner because the planners don’t accommodate me in that regard. Which means my planner is usually full of loose pages of lists. So, I’ve been looking at the idea of bullet journaling, and began a “test” project for these last three months of 2017 to see whether I’d like it, or stick with it, before I decide to commit to a whole year. So far, the jury is still out. I like the idea, and I know it could probably be the best fit for me with everything I need to keep track of, but it’s a huge change from what I’ve been use to. Either way, I have another month to go; we’ll see what happens.

This time of year can be really stressful for many and lately I’ve felt an aversion to anything that has too much negativity, raging opinions or commercialization. I’m “this close” to unsubscribing from a number of people who clog my inbox with buy-my-latest-item emails and when it comes to social media, I’m more in love with Instagram since I first began using it. Rarely does a post on Instagram make me frown or cringe and I like using it to share my own photos. I enjoy taking photographs because it’s a great way to get caught in the moment, find the beauty where you are and enjoy time to yourself while you capture what draws your attention away from this noisy life. December is the time when we reflect on the year as a whole and I look forward to taking part in another December Reflections challenge by author/blogger/photographer Susannah Conway. This month-long challenge is a mixture of photography and journaling…so, of course, I love it. It’s also a great way to look back on the year, whether in photos or with journal prompts, in preparation for how I’m going to approach the coming New Year.

But now I’m getting ahead of myself – I’ll enjoy these last few days in November before diving into the month of December. 

Whether you read, write, journal, take photos or all of the above, I hope you’re able to find time during this busy season to let the moment or mood strike you in order to enjoy some extra quality time to yourself.

Carrying on with calm – another book event under my belt

The month of September was not lacking when it came to how busy life can get in a single month.  My head is spinning a little when I look back at the past 30 days. When it comes to my personal life, my day job and my writing, there has been a lot going on lately!

While the days are busy, much of my attention has involved making changes so that I can more effectively focus on my writing career. That includes getting myself back out there as an author. The first part of September I attended a writer’s conference – a much-needed day out to mix and mingle with other like minds and to meet and learn from seasoned and bestselling authors. And then a few days ago I had my first book signing in…quite some time, now that I recall the last book club meeting I attended as a guest speaker.    

I had at first only called this most recent event an author meet and greet. My expectation was that maybe only a handful of the attendees would have heard about me or even read any of my books beforehand. The exposure, as well as the practice of speaking in front of a group, can only be a good thing, so I was more than willing to take part when one of the residents wanted to schedule an event so that other residents of the community could meet me.

I should have been more nervous before arriving but, honestly, I didn’t have much time to think about it because I had worked at the office that morning, taken a long lunch to attend the Celebration of Life for my great uncle who had passed away a few months ago, and then spent a few more hours at work before heading to the venue.

When I arrived and entered the room where the event was to take place, I barely had time to prepare myself because the room was already full of people! Apparently there was a snafu with the time and many of those who were present thought the event was set to begin a half hour earlier than the agreed upon time, so that when I arrived to get set up, they were all waiting for me to begin.

This is where my lessons in life come in handy. I just had to go with the flow…you know the saying: keep calm and carry on.

Since two different times may have been posted and there were others who were still likely to arrive, the host asked me to hold off until our agreed time, just in case. My husband was with me and he took it upon himself to entertain the early attendees with stories and humor about the two of us and his perspective as the husband of an author. I wasn’t able to listen to all of what he said, but based on the amount of laughter I heard, I could tell he was doing a fantastic job.

When the time came to begin the event, and even more attendees had arrived, I was humbled by the number who had come to meet and hear from me. My husband told me that there were close to 40 attendees present, which is a terrific turnout for someone who is still at the beginning stages of getting their name out there. I shared with the group my journey as a writer and while I couldn’t recall now exactly what I covered during that hour, I pretty much spoke from the heart. I had a great time and afterwards, as I met some of the attendees on an individual basis, I felt good about the fact that they appeared to have enjoyed themselves as well.

With another book event under my belt, and the number of chances I was given that entire day to lose focus or falter, I feel great about the fact that I was able to keep calm and carry on. I’m still learning as I go, but what’s great is that I’m paying attention and able to make use of what I’m learning.  J

Until next time, carry on and have a great week!

What I did this summer…so far

One more day in the month of July and then we’re sliding right into the last real month of summer. This week, everyone in the PNW will be preparing for a real heat wave expected to hit us mid-week, so I guess many will be sliding into the new month on their own sweat. Temps nearing or over 100 degrees…not optimal for many who don’t have access to A/C because these high temps just aren’t normal around here. If this continues, our summer weather will be holding out until September and beyond. Some will love it, others won’t but Mother Nature doesn’t tend to care what we think.  J

How has your summer been so far? Mine has been a mixed bag, really it has, but I guess that’s what’ll keep the summer interesting.

Piper

If you’ve kept up with my posts, you know I’ve had some difficult moments with Piper during the months of May and June. I wish I could say we were all through it, but unfortunately, she has been struck yet again with another infection and she’s back on antibiotics as of last week.  We’ve been in and out of the vet a dozen times over the past two months…I’m sure if she could speak she’d say she hopes this time will be the last. Even with everything she’s gone through, she’s been such a good girl through all this; it’s probably obvious, but I really can’t say enough about how special she is to me.

Home from Hawaii!

June also marked my oldest son’s return home from Hawaii – funny enough, on one of the days when I had to take an unexpected trip back to the vet because Piper had pulled out her drain tube after surgery, I returned home from the vet to find a bunch of luggage in the front hallway. Nothing can eliminate the anxious feelings of a parent better than the knowledge that their kid is finally home safe and sound after a long trip.

Steps while in Orlando!

June was also busy with preparations for a family vacation to Florida where we visited all the theme parks at Disney World over a four-day period, as well as Universal Studios for two days.  

Just a sneak peek...

While my absolute favorite place to “be” was Diagon Alley at Universal Studios, my favorite ride by far was at Disney World, in the newest addition of Animal Kingdom. Avatar’s Flight of Passage is nothing like any ride I’ve ever experienced since we first began going on theme park vacations more than ten years ago. I really can’t put into words how absolutely amazing the Flight of Passage is, but if you ever get the chance to experience it, do it. You won’t be disappointed.

Very alert & just about ready to fly

 

Let’s see…what else? 

Oh yes, birds. 

This summer has been quite the experience with birds. Not just the normal characters who visit every summer, although I would like to see more owls than I have so far. No, this summer we’ve been treated to quite a few baby birds. The first family was a nest of robins in a shrub in our front yard – one we had planned to cut way down because of how large it had gotten. But once we realized there was a nest of babies, we had to put that plan on hold. When the babies finally left the nest, the plan to cut down the shrubs was halted yet again when we discovered a new nest with more baby robins in the other shrub. 

Cheez-it B&B for birds

And baby robins weren’t our only guests this summer; we also had some swallows who decided our porch would be a good place to start a family. Their home was probably like no other, but it worked for them and all six babies thrived in this odd-looking nesting box. It was seriously fun to watch them grow as they received food from their parents, and then watch as they learned to flutter and fly and finally move on. We don’t have cats right now, or this situation would have made me very nervous!

The month of July has been busy with family events just about every weekend – to include a wedding reception, an outing to the zoo with my two great nephews, hanging out at the annual Oregon Trail Days and a family reunion at our house just yesterday. 

I think I’m ready for some free weekends during the month of August, if I get my way…I have a book to complete! 

I hope your summer so far is a fun one to write home about – carry on and stay cool!

Bi-yearly check in…already?

What travels faster than the speed of light?  I’m beginning to think just your average year! A bit of an exaggeration, I’ll admit, but still…we’re already moving on into the last six months of the year – how did the first six months treat you?

My last check in was the end of April, and it feels like a lot has happened in just the two months since that time. I’m still doing what I can to continue to improve on my monthly intentions, so that I can continue to have good progress on my tasks and expectations, both personally and professionally. As I review my original list of mindful intentions for 2017, here’s how I’m doing now in that regard:

Reading and writing - I am still reading almost daily, both fiction and non-fiction. Whether I can sink into a good mystery or thriller, or read a new book on writing or inspiration, I’m always on the lookout for new options to add to my reading list. I’ve discovered, however, that lately when I read fiction I’m having a difficult time wearing just my “reader” hat…because my “author” hat likes to stay put sometimes. I tend to read stories more critically, or I compare them to how I like to write, or I see a mistake or misspelling and realize even the work of well-known authors aren’t perfect. But regardless of which hat I’m wearing, being a reader is in my DNA and will always be a constant in my life.

And, when it comes to my own writing, the fourth book in my series was sent off to the editor for review this past week. It’s such a huge relief for me to finally be at this point! I took so much time off after losing my dad, and then soon after with the illnesses and later the loss of my step-mom and my mother-in-law back-to-back, it was just really difficult to keep my head where it needed to be in order to keep up with my writing or stay on a regular schedule. Everyone deals with grief in their own way; I just had to figure out how to deal with mine, rather than what was expected or what I thought others expected from me, and I've had to push through my fears. It doesn’t have to be a lonely journey, but you do tend to travel that road alone. What works for you might not work for another, and sometimes it takes awhile to figure that out.

Growth, gratitude, focus, letting go - following up on the above, I have dealt with some serious blows but I have also grown through them, learned from them, and I have accepted the process of letting go of what I cannot change and of what might hinder me. I’m grateful, not for the bad parts, but for what I’ve learned from these past few years. It hasn’t broken me, but has made me stronger and has helped me focus on what matters most and for that, I am grateful.

Be mindful, be present, balance, strength – part of my new mindset involves being mindful, so that I can continue to find calm in the chaos, let go of hindrances, be present in each moment and find a better balance in life. I’m also constantly focused on how I can better myself with building strength and being more active. Yoga, meditation and journaling are just a few activities that help me in all those areas. 

Less clutter – I moved on from the house, after cleaning out quite a few closets and drawers, and we finally tackled the garage. It was a chore, but it felt good to go through everything, store items in bins or throw them away if necessary, and it felt especially good when we were able to haul off two truckloads of large items that had been taking up way too much space. There’s still a little more work to do, but it’s a manageable task compared to what we started with.

Travel, adventure, family – May and June were busy months when it came to travel and family. My oldest son, who has been living in Hawaii for the past year, came back home. Some might think it was because Hawaii was too expensive, but that wasn’t the case for him. He actually did very well and enjoyed living as an islander. But he decided it was time to come home and as a mom, you can imagine I’m thrilled to have him living nearby where I can visit with him more often, not to mention enjoy the holidays together. Only a week after he came home, we left as a family for a vacation to Florida. In June, no less, where the heat and humidity likely match, or was a bit worse, than where my son had been living in Hawaii. We’d sweat buckets during the day before the rain clouds came in the afternoon to soak us and lower the temps a bit but other than that, we had a great time and an unforgettable adventure.

Be brave, dream, create – these may be the hardest or the most fun, depending on the day or the mood, but these are also intentions I never wish to forget or discover buried under all the daily, common or necessary tasks. I am brave, I can’t help but dream and I love to create. Those traits are what make me, me, and they are intentions that will always make me feel complete when I stick to them. 

So that’s my bi-yearly check in. With half the year under my belt, and a better mindset and positive attitude as I move along, I am ready to take on the next six months! 

Until next time…take care and read on, or write on, if you’re also a writer.  J