Writing in Berlin

Winter Camping Fun

2012-01-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

I don't think there will be many years where we can go camping at the property on the 30th of December and have it be close to 50 degrees! We had a great time (camping life is so much nicer when you get to sleep in a heated trailer). The kids had a blast running all over as usual. Out by their favorite rock (Turtle Rock) water had pooled into little ponds and they made their own ice skating rinks. D made us a huge fire in the pit late at night and we sat looking at the constellations for a long time. It is amazing what a walk in the middle of nowhere can do for my writer's block. A scene I've been hung up on for over a week totally resolved itself while I was out there. But it was Hertha who had the most fun of all. She was definitely in doggie paradise. 40 acres to roam and run made her one happy camper. She even found the perfect stick she was determined to carry all the way back to the trailer. Anyone who knew me five years ago would never believe that two of my favorite past times could be camping and hanging out with a puppy, but that just goes to show you that you should always give new things a try. You may find out something you were sure you hated could turn into memories that will last a lifetime.

Happy New Years Everyone! Hope you find new adventures in 2012!

Breaking Dawn Update

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

So this really isn't an update on the movie, but on where I was in life last night when the movie premiered. I have been waiting for this movie to come out for many different reasons, and non of them had to do with seeing Sparkly men or adolescent teen wolves.

Last year around this time, I was cleaning my room and I came across a picture that had been taken a few months before at the Eclipse premier. Maybe I had hidden it to not be reminded what was very obvious as I looked at the newly found picture---I was fat, and not just a couple of pounds, we are talking over the wall, seam ripping chunk. I quickly hid the picture and refused to acknowledge that I had gotten that way. I mean, I have three kids, a few extra pounds was normal, right?

Needless to say it wasn't until my birthday a couple of months later that I stepped on the scale and it confirmed the sad truth. That day I dug the picture back out and it has been hanging on my mirror as a reminder that when Breaking dawn came out, I was not going to be embarrassed to take my picture...and I wasn't. Last night we took tons of pictures and I was 37 pounds less than at Eclipse.

The final movie comes out in one year. I have 15 pounds to go. I will be at that midnight showing and I will be as skinny as I was in High School!

Also when Eclipse came out I was in the midst of trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life. Being a stay at home mom was great, but I knew there was more I could do. I was already taking some classes at the local University, but no major was declared, I had no goal in mind. That has changed as well. I am officially one year away from my BA in History with a 3.96 GPA (stupid A- in Biology!). I signed up for my Senior Research Project class which will begin in January and from there it is all down hill.

Next Year at the midnight showing I will be a few weeks away from my degree and taking a much needed break right before finals.

As for my writing? At Eclipse I had Sky in hand and a three page rejection letter telling me if I just rewrote the whole thing I could maybe go somewhere. It was a challenge that I took to heart.

As of last night, Sky has been completely rewritten and is a million times better and different than I could have imagined. I finally feel confident to really send it out to agents and publishers and not have them laugh at me.

I am now five chapters into a new story which will from here on out be called Room for Two (Room) until a better title falls in place and am discovering the joy of a fresh story all over again. By the time the last movie comes out I hope to have that story in the same polished position that Sky is in.

So from one movie to the next I have lost the weight, got the brains, and found the joy. Last night I rewarded myself by having that Dr. Pepper, getting a manicure and message, hanging out with a dear friend, talking and laughing, and of course watching Vampires and Werewolves slug it out.

Next year I plan to be with the same friend at another midnight showing with a whole new set of milestones that I have overcome. Until then it is back to eating Primal, studying hard, and writing continuously...all intermixed of course with being a soccer mom extreme! The one thing that I hope won't wait until next year is another post!

Book Review: All Diets Work

2011-08-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

I know a post on Worldcon is due and I promise one will be coming with pictures very soon. I'm still trying to come down from the awesomeness that was Renovation 2011! So, until that happenshere is a book review for you!

As you may know back in February as the scale came close to a dreaded number I never wanted to see I decided to change my lifestyle and dove full force into being primal. Today 38 pounds lighter, 100% healthier, and filled with more energy than I've had since before the kids came along, I am doing great. I still have those last stubborn 12 pounds to go, but am confident that I will be leaving them behind in 2011! In light of my new found health, when I was approached by a friend to do a blog tour for a new diet book I was more than happy to read through it and see what else was out there. Just so you know, I don't know the author, but I did get a free book as part of this review. And now for the good stuff!

The Book is called All Diets Work that's the problem by Jen Brewer. The subtext says: 25 tools to help you stop dieting and start losing weight for good.

To be honest there wasn't really anything new in this book to me. But then again, I've read a lot of diet books over the years. So here is what I thought of the advice given. Or According to Sabine.

The thing I liked about this book is that it was quick and easy to read. At only 132 pages there are no long winded diet plans or complicated workout routines to follow.The information given for the most part was good. I do beleive that lifestyle change, not diet is the only way to lose weight and keep it off in the long run. There were several ideas that were fun to read and I could see them being very helful to people. Did I agree with everything said? No, but bear in mind the more I read about grains and sugar, the more I want to steer clear of them at all costs. That is not an easy thing to do. Many people look at me and say: Pasta? I could never give up pasta. For those people, this book may be just what they need.

There are 25 tools given to help you in your goal to weight loss. The success stories in the book are fun as each one tells you which of the 25 tools they combined to make their successful weight loss plan. At the end of the book there are food diary examples and plenty of useful charts that may make the purchase worth it just for that.

So my recommendation would have to be: Go Primal, its easy, it works, and you will feel like a million dollars! If you really don't think you can give up grains (trust me, you can live without them) then buy this book, it is a great way to get started on a plan that will change your life.

Around the Corner

2011-08-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

There are so many things coming around the next corner that I am not prepared for. I leave for Worldcon in two days. My bags are not packed, the house is not clean, my final critique is not written nicely (at least I've read the story and done the critique itself). School starts for the kiddos about 8-10 hours after I will be getting home. I need to have them all ready before I go so the first day of school won't be a train wreck. I start school a week later, I am still trying to get into one class that I MUST take or my schooling will be prolonged by another semester. I want to have more, much more, of my rough draft for ROOM finished before school starts. Taking 15 credits will not help me in the field of writing unless I have a strong start before then. So much to do and yet yesterday I spent my morning reading with Bear, watching Minchkin in her soccer tournament, and celebrating my twelfth anniversary to my wonderful husband. It was a wonderful, relaxing day. I wish I could say the same for the next two days, but I have a feeling life is going to be turned upside down. If it were just me, I could handle it, but I have to tread carefully since the kids, especially Squishie don't handle things well when mom gets into turbo mode. I guess that means no writing for the next few days. I will have a whole week of kid free mornings to work on it when I get back. For now I will sign off as Sabine Writer, and turning into my secret identity of Superwoman (if I can find her!)

Count Down to Worldcon

2011-08-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

I can't beleive that I am 8 days away from Worldcon, my first out of state major writing convention. Last night I went "shopping" in my young and stylish mother-in-laws closet and came home with outfits for all five days, plus a dress for the Hugo awards. She also allowed me use of her extensive accessories, so I will have matching earings, necklaces, rings, and bracletts to go with all my finery. It is a relief to have that checked off my list. There is still so much to do. I have to get my business cards printed, read through the schedule and make an outline of where I want to be and when. I only have two things that are preplaned, my writers workshop and breakfast with my fabulous online writing community. It will be so fun to finally meet people who I have only known online for several years. I still have to do one more full critique for my writing workshop. I sent the first 2 and half chapters of SKY for my piece and am excited to see what complete strangers say about my story. Hopefully I will still be excited after I hear what they have to say!!
I also have to have everything ready for the kids to start school the morning after I get home. So that doesn't leave much time for writing. In fact, I've been pretty bad all week what with the cousins from Germany here (and since their plane was delayed we get them for two more days:))and M's soccer tournament (they one the first 3 games she played in, but she didn't play in semi finals due to family activities and they lost :(), and back to school shopping (done for all the kids thanks to the great sales at Park City Outlets), and the Real game (great date night especially since they won!!!!) and getting sucked into the book Shades of Milk and Honey which so far I totally recommend if you are a fane of Jane Austen fan. But the house is clean, the kids have their cousins and maybe this week another chapter will surface before I fall into complete Worldcon mode.

Writing on

2011-08-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday, after having figured out the bathroom issues well enough for the time being, I came to another drastic halt. I had no way of knowing if she tells her family about the situation or not. Ease dictates that no one knows but her, but logic says Why on Earth would she not tell her family? I was at that lovely little intersection known as Writer's Block. I tried to write on, to not let this one thing stop me, but lets face it, if the family knows I have a whole different story than if they don't know. So I lived life this weekend instead.
On Saturday I spent the morning with Minchkin at a Shaved Ice fundraiser for her team. The results were pretty good. We now have enough to pay for five of the seven tournaments our team has planned for the year. Oh we still have to pay for gas and hotels to get to said tournaments, but the actual tournament fees are taken care of. That night D took bear to the Real Salt Lake Game and Squishy, Minchkin and I had girls night out which included Jason's Deli (thanks to free kids meal coupons from school), The Chocolate (for the girls) and Barnes and Noble of course for Italian Cream Sodas. Then it was home to watch a beloved Disney classic Summer Magic. Old Haily Mills movies are the best! So basically my mind was anywhere but on the next writing stall.
Then Sunday came.
You would think that I worried all day about this problem, but I didn't instead another rejection, and a search for agents to send Sky out to made me step back and take a big look at my first chapter of Sky. Not even just the first chapter, which is pretty good if I do say so, but the first five pages, the ones that really count, the ones that I realized I had a lot of great lines, but it was all back story. A writing no no. So I began to dissect, which I should not be wasting my time on, since it is the first 3 chapters of Sky that I will be workshopping at Worldcon in two weeks. SO now even though I came up with a good idea how to get my information across without back story so much, I am still trying to focus simply on Room and trying to wait for actual author feedback at the Worldcon Workshop. So despite all my efforts to procrastinate on Room, the point is, this week I will be Writing on. (and thanks to a writing group dead line today will be spent submerged in the Room!

What to do about the bathroom?

2011-07-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with activities. On Monday night D and I went out to celebrate his birthday. We had a wonderful, although very slow, dinner at Red Lobster and then it was off to the Sawyer Brown Concert. I'd been looking forward to this concert since 9th grade when all my friends got to go see them and my parents told me that I was too young to go a concert with just a bunch of friends. (On a whole psychological aspect, she asked if I would let Minchkin go to a concert with friends when she was in 9th grade and the answer was no way as well. Is that because I am older and wiser, or was trained that way by my own mother?) Well we got to the concert (outdoors) found our seats and promptly got poured on. Seeing as D is a weather expert of sorts we realized this downpour wasn't stopping any time to soon and ended up the evening at my favorite place--Barnes and Noble for Italian Cream Sodas and a little book browsing. SO I guess I may have to wait another 20 years to see Sawyer Brown. I told D good thing it wasn't The Killers or he would have been soaked by the end of the night!
On Tuesday the cousins from Germany came and we had dinner at our house, which meant all morning I cleaned the house, and the minute I got home from work went into chef mode preparing Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi and Stuffed Zucchini, two primal favorites that are sure to please any hungry family. Squishie was in 7th Heaven to have her cousins here. She and HR played all night, and language was never an issue.Funny how when we get older we learn to be embarrassed that we can't say things right. I know that I hesitate each time before speaking German, unless I am talking to one of the kids.
Last night we had a big family birthday party to celebrate 4 birthdays. The kids loved the Pinata, not something they do in Germany a lot. Food was good, family was great, and good times were had.
In the midst of all this I wrote my first chapter of a new story, one that has been plaguing me for a while. I asked my teenage niece and nephew to read it and see if they liked where I was going. The answer was yes! But the most important advice came from my sister who saw it up on the computer and had a peak. This is not my sister who is an editor mind you. She read it, liked it, and had one major question...If he is trapped in this one small place for a long time where does he go to the bathroom?..And just like that I had some major renovations to do to my location. The verdict is still out with a bunch of ideas. My major concern when I started this idea was how will he eat. That one was easy enough. I never stopped to consider the ramifications of allowing him to eat! Oh well all in a days writing quest. Do to the amount of research I am going through (not all potty related of course) I am not hitting my 1500 word goal, so my new goal is to have two chapters done by next week for writer's group and to have the bathroom dilema solved. Wish me luck!

Write On!

Eating Primal

2011-07-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

The best thing about going primal of course is the weight loss, and with the weight loss comes two firsts I have not had in a long time. Last week we took the kids to a local waterpark and I got to wear a cute new swimsuit since my old one was too big for me. That was one bonus, but the biggest bonus was not worrying about looking like a beached whale the whole time. The level of confidence I felt walking around the park was awesome. I looked good, not eensy weensy tiny polka dot bikini good, but lets face it, unless you're Jennifer Gardner on Alis or the likes, there are not many people who can actually pull off that look. But I felt one piece modest swim suit good and that is enough for me.
Today I had another first in the sense that we went and had family pictures taken. I am not sure how they will turn out, but at least the only thing I worried about was keeping the kids clean until it was our turn for individual family pictures. I am 35 pounds less than the last family pictures and I can't wait to see these pictures unlike last time when I didn't even bother printing any of them out.
And while the weight loss is amazing side effect, and the fact that I am not tired all the time is awesome, it is the food that really makes primal great. People ask me how I can give up pasta and bread and the truth was it was hard at first, and every once and awhile I would like a bowl of Alfredo, but luckily with primal I can eat all I want so I am never starving enough to actually need it. Plus tonight we had hamburgers (sans buns) with grilled onion, mushrooms, and salsa (better than ketchup since I can get the natural stuff with no sugar or additives). It was so yummy. I don't even miss the grains, and for dessert I think there is a piece of dark chocolate calling my name. So it looks like I'll be staying primal and you won't hear any complaints from me (until I have to pass up that piece of Pumpkin Pie at Thanksgiving! I guess I have four months to figure out how to make me a primal pie!

Venting

2011-07-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Just a few small vents before I get back to cleaning, child rearing, working, chauffeuring, studying, and so on. So I am super proud of my husband for losing 50 pounds and everyone can notice. He looks hot, if I do say so myself. He is such an inspiration. But I've lost 35 and no one notices! Okay so my mom did, and I obviously do since all my pants now drown me, but no one else noticed on their own. I have to tell people I've lost the weight. And I do look better, and yes I still have 15 to 20 more stubborn pounds to go, but come on people I'm a girl. Can't someone notice that I look a ton better than I did in March? Oh well, I guess the important thing is that I feel good and I have a reason to go buy myself some new jeans.
Now the big vent... I've been using Evernote to do my typing at work on the ipad. I get between 1000 to 2000 words typed each day in between customers and it has been awesome. So I finally figured out where my story takes place and who my characters are (at least for now) and I type 5 pages of brilliant stuff (if I say so myself) and what happens? One wrong push of a button on Evernote and it is all gone. Bye Bye. No more. So now I hope I can remember all the clever things I wrote and go for a retry today. Oh well, at least the downstairs is clean. Until next time. WRITE ON!

Realization

2011-07-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

While working on my story the past couple of days I have come to the realization that the super cool idea (the one that must be written) that I started with, does not belong in this story. At first that was discouraging, but then I realized that the story I am writing is in itself super fun and cool. So now I have two story ideas both fun and different. That's great, but which one do I write? They both need some major plotting since one now has a story idea, but I have no clue how to accomplish it, and the other has the super cool idea, but I don't have a story to go with it. One is light and comical which is something I want to write since we don't have enough of those just feel good YA books lately. The other is darker, more dangerous which fits in with what I have been writing and many of the stories that I have planned to write in the future. SO I think my writing goal is going to have to change for the month. I still plan on writing every day, but I think I need to take a week or so separating these two ideas, building each one up and then seeing which one really wants to be written right now. So until then I must remember to WRITE ON!

Restart

2011-07-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Any one who actually reads this,

Life comes at you fast. Going to school full time, working part time, being a complete and total soccer mom, and trying to write takes up a lot of time and blogging falls by the side of the road. I can't promise that is going to change, but I am going to try. I have been posting my dieting success on the blog Pushing Past the Pounds so if your interested in seeing my journey go there. I am 35 pounds down on my 50 pound goal since February, so I am pretty happy with that.
As for the writing, which is the real reason to start blogging again. AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS is written and I have officially begun to send it out to agents and publishers and such. A big shout out to my awesome critique groups and my mom and sister for all their line edits. While I am learning the business side of writing, I have not given up on the fun side. I am 10,000 words into a new endeavor that is entertaining me quite thoroughly.
In fact, I need to go get my word count in for the day. I promise I'll try to restart this whole blogging business, but not at the expense of family or word counts! I guess we will see.

Until then,

Sabine

Book Review: The Hidden Sun.

2010-08-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

As you know, occasionally I am asked to read and review a new book thanks to a friend of mine in the editing business. This time I was super busy with school when the request came, but I read the back blurb and you know me...anything fantasy or sci-fi will probably draw my attention. So a week or so after accepting I got a free book in the mail(and hey, who doesn't like free books?)
The book is THE HIDDEN SUN BY J. Lloyd Morgan. The story is about the Kingdom of Bariwon which holds a contest called the Shoginoc whenever a new successor to the throne, or a mate for the current successor is to be chosen. This contest picks the bravest, the strongest, the smartest...not to mention the richest, as its winner. But this time there is a problem, the man chosen to marry Princess Eliana is not the man she loves..or the man she is secretly married to.
This book has a lot of technical difficulties, from poor editing to lack of showing. That being said, there were moments that I did actually get caught up in it, and I enjoyed a few of the characters. I had a lot of yeah right moments as I read this, but I also had a few please tell me more moments.
To check out THE HIDDEN SUN for yourself go to Amazon.

Goal Date.

2010-07-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Just set a goal date of September 15th for SKY to be done. Barring any natural disasters, I think this is a very doable goal. It would consist of 500 words a day while in school and 1000 on the week and a half break I have between semesters, plus it will give me a week or so to do clean up editing. Had an amazing dream last night that needs to be written into a story, so there is even more motivation to get this book done, so I can finally move on.

School Daze

2010-07-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mid-terms were last week. I got 100% on both my History and Geology tests so I am very happy. I have one more test in History and two in Geology to deal with and three weeks of school left. This semester has been crazy doing both classes in 7 1/2 weeks, but it has also been nice because when I have my comprehensive final it won't have been as long to have to remember the stuff. The History grade makes me happy because that is my major. In Fall I will be taking 3 History classes and an introduction to Homeland Security class. A full schedule especially with soccer and the kids back in school and well everything. I think the next two years are going to be like this, me in a daze running around like a chicken with my head cut off, but hopefully somewhere in there I will manage to finish my rewrite of SKY and start my next story because I am coming up with ideas faster than I can write anything down!

Food Glorious Food!

2010-07-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

This morning we needed to go to the bank and the store. Got up early and took the kids while they were still in their jammies. At the store I told each child they could pick one doughnut. Yes, I know super nutritious breakfast. While looking over the chocolate, sugar, jelly filled masses, the girls discovered doughnut holes. Their first question was "Are those what we had in Germany?" Sadly, my answer was no. They are nothing like the perfectly rounded, lightly powder sugared quark balls that we had at the bakeries around Germany. In fact, nothing is like the glorious feasts we had on our trip. Here are just a few of the delicacies we got to indulge in.

Hungry Yet?

Hohentwiel

2010-06-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Are there even words to describe how much I loved Hohentwiel? I don't think there are, so please bear with my inadequate description of how cool this place was. We divided our trip into two parts, the north and the south. Our first three days in the south we stayed in Garmish(more to come on that), then we went west a little to the Bodensee area. My mom grew up in that area. A few years ago when she and my sister were there they were driving and my sister happened to look up to one of the volcanic mountain peaks and see this amazing fortress at the top and ask what that was. It was Hohentwiel, a place my mom had never been, but recognized, from family road trips as a young girl, as the marker that meant they were almost to Lake Konstanz.
About a third of the way up this peak is a small hotel which not only has an amazing view, but is one of the most comfortable hotels we stayed at, and has terrific food as well!
From the front of Hotel Hohentwiel, you can hike up a trail the rest of the way and get to the fortress, the amazing ruins of a place that once was home to about 300 people in times of peace and over 1,000 in times of war. This place, the surrounding forest, and the farmlands that crept up to its base are a writer's paradise. In fact, right outside the front door of our hotel was a huge tree with a sign posted to it that said it was under that exact tree where the book EKKEHARD was written.
I could have spent a full day or more exploring the ruins at Hohentwiel. There were hidden passages, full rooms still standing, and enough forest surround it to put me back int he tenth century. It was standing in one of the dark rooms with small rays of sunlight poking through the ceiling that I could clearly imagine the characters I've been getting to know for my fairytale living. I could see it all and more than anything I just wanted to sit and write. Alas when you are with a group, two of which are small children, you don't always get what you want, so taking a million pictures of every rock, tree, and viewpoint had to do.
Hohentwiel just had this feel about it that wrapped me up and said you belong here. I already told D that he and I are going back and spending a whole week there. The best thing is that it is so conveniently located. From Hohentwiel we did day trips to the Black Forest, the Rhein Falls, and Lake Konstanz. It is a beautiful place and I can't wait to go back, or to start my fairytale. Better hurry up with this final draft of Sky!!!

The Spreewald

2010-05-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

Sixteen days in Germany can not be done in one blog post, so the next few blog posts will be dedicated to some of the more fabulous places we got to go! Even though we didn't get to the Spreewald till toward the end of our trip I am posting it first due to the sheer awesomeness of it.
My family lives is Lubben, a town about one and a half hours south east of Berlin in what was once the former East Germany. The thing that makes Lubben famous is that The Spreewald, a series of small waterways branching off from the Spree river and winding their way through the forest, is there. It is tradition when we go to take a boat ride on one of the long flat bottomed boats. You can take a tourist boat through the more widely traveled area and see a great deal for a few hours, or you can be lucky like we were and get to go on a private boat for a 5 hour tour and then get lost and end up spending 9 wonderful hours in this beautiful place, and one freezing hour as we tried to find our way back before dark. So yes, we got the 10 hour tour and for the most part it was amazing.
I say for the most part one because of the last cold hour when the kids who had done awesome most of the day (especially since half way through we found a restaurant in the middle of the wetlands and had some very tasty ice cream) started getting tired and hungry. And because of the mosquitoes. With a little bug spray and wearing our windbreakers we were saved from them mostly, but there was that incident when after about 5 hours there needed to be a bathroom break and our only option was a swampy side bank. Lets just say that it is hard to slap away bugs and pee at the same time and leave it at that. If you want to hear the whole story I will admit it with a red face, but not in writing!!!
So here are my pictures of The Spreewald. It was breathtaking. Enjoy!!!

Writing in Berlin

2010-05-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that in no time at all I will be living out the title of my blog. I really will be writing in Berlin, and Munich, and Luben, and Dresden, and Potsdam, and....well you get the point. I am so excited to be taking Minchkin and Squishie Pie on their first German (and Austria, and Switzerland) trip. We will be flying into Berlin and then driving about an hour and a half south to stay with family in Lubben. The next day we will be driving to Munich (10 hour drive, I know we are crazy). Down south we will go see Munich, the Black Forrest, the Castles, the Rhein Falls, and several other sights before making our way back to Berlin. We will have a one night stay in Dinkelsbuhl so we can watch the town cryer sing the town to sleep and then it is back to Lubben to take day trips to Berlin, Dresden, Potsdam, and just visit with family. The girls are so excited to go.
I am excited too, but walking with Pooh Bear to Joy school today I realized that I am going to miss my boys terribly. Yep this is a girls only trip with my mom and my sister. The boys will have fun Daddy-Pooh Bear times while we are gone, but I am going to be thinking about them a lot!
One thing I debated on was taking my book to work on. I mean I will be in Germany, it is not like I will have a lot of time to write, but at writer's group this week I made a goal of adding another 7,500 words to SKY and so I decided that the book comes. I am also going to be doing some research for two other book I have in the idea stage. One is a fairy tale retelling and we will be visiting a lot of old castle ruins to inspire that one. The other is a story about East Germany and what life was like before the wall came down. Most of my research on that will be interviewing my relatives. They all grew up behind the wall.
So I have a full plate coming up. Until then there is soccer and house work to keep me organized. I finished the semester with two A's and one A-, so I am happy with that. Minchkin's team is ripping it up on the boys league. Those poor boys thought playing girls would be easy. Now they see them coming and they turn and run the other way! Both Squish and Bear are doing good as well in the Rec league. So that is what we are up to. If I don't get around to another post before we leave (which knowing me is very likely) then I will for sure have a gazillion pictures to post when we get back. Until then just know that this Berlin will be Writing in Berlin!!!

M's Corner

2010-04-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

So M is nine and wanting a blog of her very own. Can you believe how quick these kids grow up? So to help her enter the blogging world I am introducing a new feature here called M's corner. When you see a title with that you can know you are getting the facts straight from the Queen Bee herself! Hope you enjoy and feel free to let M know what you think!

BUSY AS A BEE

Almost every day I have soccer. The only days I don't are Sunday and Tuesday, which on Tuesdays C has soccer. I'm basically always busy with, soccer, school work, and spending time with my family. My life is so fun even though I don't play with friends often, I still have soccer friends and school friends. I play with them at soccer practice and school. Life for me is as busy as a bee.

Written in the Stars

2010-04-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

I want to be a better blogger. To record all the awesome stuff I am doing or thinking, but the truth is, I am just too busy. And I mean that in the best way possible. Yes it is soccer season. Yes, I am in the last three weeks of the semester and finals, papers, and group assignments are starting to pop up. Yes I have a house to run, and am doing an okay job. Going on about a month now where I've kept the house in a state of "if someone were to show up right now I would not be mortified" state. And if that was not enough to keep me busy, I am trying to pump out 10,000 words on AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS. Hit 39,000 tonight so that is about 6,000 for the month. I am updating as often as possible on the side bar, so if you come around and don't see me look to the right. If nothing is there I may just be lazy, but hopefully what you see will mean that a lot of good things are being written in the stars!

The Thorn

2010-04-02T13:42:00.001-07:00

Another day, Another Blog tour. Thanks to my friend Tristi at Valor Publishing I get the opportunity to review new books coming out. Today I am going to be reviewing The Thorn by Daron D. Fraley.

Three tribes are at war on the planet Gan, unaware that the sign of Christ's birth on an unknown world-Earth-is about to appear in the heavens.
During a bloody skirmish with Gideonite troops, Jonathan of Daniel spares Pekah, a young enemy soldier, gaining his trust forever. These two distant brothers from estranged tribes covenant with each other to end the war being waged by a self-proclaimed emperor, and soon discover the intentions of a far more dangerous foe-a sinister general bent on ruling those he can bring into subjection and destroying all others.

The good: What I liked about this book is that Pekah, one of the main characters is very loyal. He is the type of friend you want to have on your side. I like the idea of thinking what life on other planets would be like when thinking of it from a religious POV and I think the author does a good job of thinking this out.

The not so good: Two of the main characters were supposed to be about 30 in age and they acted, spoke and behaved like teenagers. In fact, when the love interest was finally brought in (a little too late for me) I was surprised. I had a hard time taking them seriously for this reason. Also, most of the conflicts were handled a little too easy for me. I say make them suffer! :)

Who will like this book? I see this book having a good following. There is action, romance, and religion. There are places that make you think and wonder what you would do in that situation and that is always a good thing in my opinion.

The Thorn is the first book in a series. Look for your copy on Amazon.

I Have A Goal!

2010-04-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

April, what can I say about it? For a mother with three young children who all play soccer, who is in her last month of a semester and has 12 page papers, and finals, and group presentations due, who wants to keep her house clean, and spend some time with her family in a setting that doesn't include driving to and from soccer only, well April is a crazy month. Now add to that that I want to write. That I need to finish this book so I can go on to the next idea I have and you can see why I needed to make a goal. I originally wanted to do 30,000 words this month, but then I came back to reality and set my sights a little lower. So for April I am making a goal of adding 10,000 words to my 33,199 that I have as of this moment. I will be keeping track on the side of the blog so feel free to yell at me if you see any zero's on days other than Sunday. That is my goal and I hope I can make it and still survive! What is your goal for the month?

Squishie and her Big Dog

2010-03-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

The other night the girls and I were sitting and discussing Germany. Both girls were cuddled up close as I showed the pictures of where we were going, places we would stay, castles, forests, and stores we would be exploring. The excitement was mounting and I could see that both girls were super excited. And then the moment came crashing down as Squishie asked if she needed to pack Big Dog or if she could just carry him onto the plane. Big Dog is her giant, bigger than her, stuffed animal. She loves Big Dog. She drags him around the house. She takes him in the car with her. It broke my heart when I had to tell her that she wasn't going to be able to take Big Dog. I held her for over an hour while she cried, poor thing. I pulled out Mr. Cow and said that he was the right size to take with us, it helped, a bit.
I hate seeing my Squishie so sad, but it made me realize just what a big heart she has. Being the middle child, there are many times when Squish tries my patience, makes me want to pull out my hair, or just lock myself in my room and give Mommy a time out. But with all the feisty spirit that she has, there is a sweet loving side as well. I am so glad to be her mom. I love how smart she is. I love that she comes home from school each day and sings me a song that she has learned. And I love that she loves things--her blanket, her daddy, her big dog, so much. But most of all I love her.

I Can't Live Without You! Or Can I?

2010-03-24T11:27:00.001-07:00

Three weeks ago I was opening my microwave to melt some butter. One push of a button and suddenly the whole thing went dead. I panicked! I ran downstairs and hit the breaker box, trying every single one just in case I missed something (yes, resetting clocks is a pain). The microwave was still dead. I looked around for the plug (it was already in when we bought the house, so I don't know how they installed it) and could not find it. I was without the modern convenience of a nutrient zapping machine! What was I to do?

I figured it would probably not be that much more to get a new one than to call a repair guy, so I told myself, if I could just wait until that night, I could sit and do a few minutes of research and by the next day I would have my old friend back. But of course, as everything in life, I was so busy with homework, and kids, and making dinner--without the microwave, gasp!!!--and soccer, and cleaning, and...Well you get the picture. I was too busy to look at Microwaves. And so it was for the first week, I would look later I told myself. And then after a week went by I began to realize I wasn't missing my modern convenience. The vegetables tasted better when I steamed them on the stove then when I steamed them in the microwave. If I needed to reheat something I just put it into the toaster oven for a minute or two and it came out somehow better. So last week when my husband said "why don't you call and check on a microwave", I just shrugged it off. Why waste the money on something I don't need?

Now don't get me wrong, there are modern day conveniences that I could not live without. I lived in the Philippines for over a year. I cherish my washer and dryer! I wouldn't give up anything in my bathroom, running water, bathtub, toilet. But I have realized that we live in a society that says we have to have everything. And yes, it is nice to have things, but maybe we don't need everything we see just because someone else tells us it is a convenience.

What do you think? Are there somethings you can't live without? Are there somethings you can live without? And are there somethings you think you can't live without until you really think about it? As for me. I don't see my microwave getting fixed any time soon, because it just isn't the priority that I thought it would be.

THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE BLOG TOUR

2010-03-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!!!

I am excited to tell you all about a great new book that just came out called THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE by Karen Hoover.

The world of Rasann is dying. The mages in the land have been working together to weave their magic into a net to hold the world in one piece, but those cords are breaking down. They need a white mage, the rarest of them all, to step in and take over where they are falling down, but there hasn’t been a white mage for over three thousand years. Their only hope lies in finding the magic keystones, long hidden, which will bind the world together.
Kayla has been given charge of one of those keystones, the Sapphire Flute, and been told not to play it. Along will come another, destined to play the flute and bring the magic within it to life. She has never met this player, and has no idea where to find such a person.
In the meantime, Ember has discovered a secret – her father had the ability to shift himself into the shape of a wolf, and she has that gift as well. When she takes upon herself her new appearance, quite by accident the first time, she discovers a family she never knew she had.
Lurking behind it all is C’Tan, the sorceress. She wants the keystones for herself, and she will stop at nothing to get them.

“The Sapphire Flute” is Karen E. Hoover’s first publication, and is the first of a series of seven. A new book in the series will be published each spring.

I was lucky enough to meet Karen at Life the Universe and Everything in February and she is a super nice, fun voice in the YA market. So nice infact, that she took some time to answer a few questions for me.

Me: Your story revolves around strong female characters. Thinking of the two main protagonist's, Ember and Kayla, they are each so different and yet both find the strength within them to fulfill their quests. Very inspirational. What women in your life have been inspired you to learn and grow?

Karen: I love this question. A lot of women have inspired me over the years. Several teachers from school and church both. Friends of the family. Friends in general. But mostly, I'd have to say the two women who have inspired me more than any others are my mother and grandmother. My great-grandmother passed away when my grandma was only six and her father disappeared,so she was, as she used to say, "kicked from pillar to post." She was raised by other family members so grew up very strong and independent, yet had a very tender heart. She taught me that I could make it through anything.

My mother was my hero. She was an only child, and a widow for over 30 years, and raised my little brother and I alone from the time he was 2 and I was 4. She had a beautiful singing voice and could do anything. She was the one who taught me not to be afraid to try anything. She said "Karen, you can do anything if you want to do it bad enough." She told me she had confidence in me. She taught me how to build, how to sing, how to follow my heart, how to listen to the spirit. She was everything I want to be and more. I miss her.

Me: I will admit, I am more sci-fi than fantasy, but I really got caught up in your story. Where did this fun idea stem from?

Karen: I've always been a day dreamer and love to imagine the impossible. I can't seen to help myself. I was one of those kids who was constantly looking out the window in schoool, or reading a book when i should have been doing my work. The first idea came from a dream of a girl standing by a tent playing a sapphire flute under the full moon. A white wolf with beautiful green eyes came from the shadows and sat on the other side of the stream and sang with her as she played before disappearing into the night once more. I wrote it down, just three short pages, and the idea never left me. About five years later I started working on the actual book, knowing next to nothing about how to craft a story. Eventually that flute playing girl split into two characters. She just had too big a story to tell.

Me: This is the first of 7 books what a great contract to get. What did you think when you got the news they were going to be published?

Karen: I can't even describe the feelings that washed over me, but I'll try. I've spent my whole life wanting to be a writer and finally seeing that offer on paper . . . well, I squealed, I'll admit it. My heart was racing and I had to run upstairs and show my husband. There was a bit of sadness involved as well, because I couldn't share the news with my mom. She passed away in 2008 after a short sting with pancreatitis and a resulting heart attack. She had always wanted to be a journalist and had been with me every step of the way on this journey. So, it was bittersweet. But honestly, the sweet outweighed the bitter. How could it not? I was going to be PUBLISHED! :)

Me: Will all the books follow these two heroines, or do you plan on introducing us to other protagonists as the series progresses?

Karen: You know, I've really debated on that for a very long time, and finally decided to stick with Ember and Kayla with the future keystone holders joining one group or the other. The groups will come together at times and separate again, so it continues to be two stories. Not sure how that's going to translate in the final couple of books when they are taking on the baddies together, but it will work out somehow. lol

Me: How long are we going to have to wait for book two? Any clues you can give us on what to expect?

Karen: Book two will be released in March of 2011 and each book will be released in March of the following years. Clues on what to expect? Well, the end of book 1 will have the first two chapters of book two in it, so that gives you an idea of what's coming. There will be some new bad guys introduced in book two that completely changed my plans for book 7. lol I don't even know everything that's going to happen yet. I know the big scenes, but I tend to be a bit of a discovery writer and see where the stories lead me. The best thing I can tell you is that Kayla, Ember, AND C'Tan all develop as people, not just characters. They grow and come to understand themselves better through the series.

Okay, so now that you know all the info, let me tell you what I thought of this terrific book. Oops did that give my thoughts away? When I first got this book in the mail I have to admit, I wasn't that taken with the cover. And as a result I didn't open it immediately. My mistake. This is a fun well written book that kept me intrigued the entire time I read it. I loved the characters, both good and bad. I found myself hoping for them, wondering what was going to happen next, and hating to have to put it down (when you're a mother of three that is sometimes inevitable). This book is sure to please young audiences, fantasy lovers or not. I am excited to pass it on to my nieces, although seeing as I am lucky enough to have a signed copy I may have to get them one of their own!

Click here to get this great book for yourself!

And to find out more about the author you can visit her blog http://karen-hoover.blogspot.com/

A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy Far Far Away

2010-02-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

My Pooh Bear is five. I can't believe that my baby is getting so big! After getting all things Star Wars for Christmas it was no wonder that when asked what type of birthday party he wanted, the answer was STAR WARS!!! The budget came in just under thirty dollars for a party that had 16 kids there. It could have been less, but I went overboard and bought Star Wars Plates and Napkins and Cups. I never do that because the kids just throw them away. I could have saved $10 at least, but oh well, I just need to remember for next time. Here is what we did!

Welcome young warrior to Mos Eisley Cantina.(Have Cantina song playing-downloaded form itunes)Come on in, pull up a chair and find yourself among some of the greatest Jedi Warriors in history. (Jedi coloring page)

You’ve all come here today in an attempt to join in the ranks of great men and women who have come before you. Great men and women who have become Jedi! Come and sit around as your adventure is about to begin. (Have everyone sit in a semi circle)
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away. (Start Star Wars theme music-downloaded from itunes, play a for about 20 seconds and then lower into background music) A group of brave warriors gathered together with the hope of becoming Jedi knights. But the Evil Darth Vader had taken the force and hidden it. In order for these brave boys and girls to reclaim the force and become Jedi they were required to pass a series of tests. Who among you will help bring the force back?
*Your first task is learning to know your friend from your enemies. Before you are several pictures. You must listen to clues about each one and guess who it is I am talking about. Then you must decide if they are friend or foe. (Who am I game-here I printed pictures of different characters from Star Wars and made up 3 age appropriate clues for them. You can find info on each character at Wikipedia.)
*Good Job Jedi trainees. You are now ready to learn the art of disguise. In order to infiltrate the Death Star you must learn to act like Storm Troopers. The best way to do this is by learning to move as they would. (Have everyone march to the Imperial March-downloaded from itunes).

*Now you can get on the Death Star, but once aboard you must be ready to fight. In battle every Jedi needs a Light Saber. (make balloon light sabers/swords and teach kids how to fight--My girls got balloon making kits for Christmas and were eager to try them out. Online you can find how to make light sabers, but it takes a lot of time and work so the girls just made swords.)
*But wait brave trainees, we must escape. Everyone man your battle cruisers and fly away! (Have kids fly around like spaceships)
*Quick! We can hide in that Asteroid over there (living room). Whew, we are safe, but Darth Vader still has the force. Luckily I managed to find a clue to where he has hidden it. A Jedi must not only be strong, he or she must also be smart. Can you help me figure out the clues that will lead us to the force? (treasure hunt, ends with each child getting a star wars bag filled with stickers and candy- you can also use a pinata or just have a bowl of candy, but I split it all before hand so each bag would be equal and no one would feel bad.)

*Congratulations you did it! You are now official Jedi Knights! (Give Each child a Jedi Certificate and shake their hand)
*Jedi’s must eat to keep up their strength. Come Jedi’s to the Mos Eisley Cantina for cake and drinks!

*Open Presents.

Dressing up was optional, but the girls were aliens (who looked more like punk rockers) L was Obi-Wan, we had a Darth Vader, an R2D2 and another Jedi knight. But everyone had fun. L had a great time and loved the Hot Wheels bike we got him. I think Mommy is the only one who had a hard time with her baby growing up so fast! Happy Birthday little man! I love you!

LTUE, Richard Hatch, and President Cup Champions!!!

2010-02-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend I got to go to Life, the Universe, and Everything at BYU. It is the longest running student organized science fiction and fantasy symposium in the US. I have been attending for the past three years and have loved every minute of it. Not only is it actually within driving range, but it is FREE to attend. Bonus and Bonus. There were some great workshops. I especially got a lot out of Dan Wells on Pacing and Story Structure. I love that LTUE is right after my birthday because that means I always have a stack of books that I can get signed, which makes me a big fan girl I know, but it is so much fun to meet writers I admire.
This year however, my big fan girl moment didn't come from an author (well I take that back, he is an author of several books) but from the man I had a huge crush on growing up. Richard Hatch...Apollo from the original Battlestar Galactica. He also plays Tom Zarek on the new Battlestar, but he will forever be Apollo to me. I must thank my friends Chris, and Garrett for lending me a camera and being my photographer as I had the biggest fan girl moment of my life. I know I am a nerd. But really, he gave an awesome workshop that was very inspirational.

M's team won the President's Cup In st. George this weekend against Crossfire, the team that they lost to in a shootout this Fall at the Sparta Cup. This time they took the title of number one team in Utah for their division in a 3-1 game. I am so proud of all the work that she has put forth. This team has been amazing for her, not only to help her soccer game, but also to teach her how to work as a team, making great friends, learning to listen to instructions, I could go on and on. Way to go M and way to go Lightning FC!!!

There she is.....

2010-02-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

Miss America made an appearance at our house Saturday night. Well actually, 4 Miss America's and one Mr. Universe!!! The girls each had a friend over to watch the Miss America pageant on TLC. We started the night with Pizza and Cream Soda. Then we decorated Cupcakes. After that I gave each girl a form with the pictures of all 53 contestants and they got to pick their top 15, top 10 and top 5. As well as Best Spray on Tan, Worst dress, number of red dresses, number of wardrobe malfunctions, and did anyone trip? (The answer to that is yes, but she caught herself). The girls had fun cheering for their favorites, changing into swimsuits and ballgowns, and of course they loved the talent competition. When they changed into swimsuits, L had to join in and so he became MR. Universe.
We also made foam crowns with glitter stickers and markers. By the end the girls were pulling for Texas and Hawaii. There was a little silence when Virginia won, but then they started saying, well she did do this well or her dress was nice. It was so funny.
While we waited for the friends to be picked up we played SINGIT on the Wii since C got that for her birthday. I think all the girls were Miss Americas, but if that doesn't pan out, it turns out we may have a few American Idols on our hands!

Check out my diet blog!

2010-01-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

So I posted a little about motivation a few entries ago, and it turns out there is a whole group of other authors out there who are looking to push past the pounds as well. I was lucky enough to receive an invite to post my triumphs and failures on their diet blog. It is a great place to learn about different diets, see other people struggle and overcome the same things I am trying for. So come on over and check us out at Pushing Past The Pounds. BTW-I am down 7 pounds since Jan 1st. To see how I am doing it head on over!

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-01-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

This past weekend M participated in her first out of state soccer tournament. Lightning FC was the only Utah team in her age division and bracket to compete. It was a tough weekend, but our girls held their own and learned a ton about playing out of state teams. It was really a step up from the local teams we played in the fall where we won every game, and beat the team that came in second 9-0. Southern California teams are very competitive and the girls saw what it takes to win. We missed going to the semi-finals by one goal. That was tough on the girls, but they came away from the weekend feeling more confident and gearing up for the St. George Cup in February. M really stepped up her game down in Vegas. She is one fast kiddo. When she puts her mind to it she can outrun almost anyone on the field, which saved goals from being made by the opposite team several times. Not bad considering she is one of the younger girls on the team and is technically still U9. Because of that fact we can't play in the U11 league this spring, so the girls will be playing U10 boys instead. This will be a fun challenge for them, but one I think they are ready to tackle! Las Vegas was fun, though cold and M was awesome! I am so proud of you girl!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SQUISHIE PIE!!!

2010-01-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

C turned 7 last week. I can't believe how big my squishie pie is getting. She is reading up a storm, can unload the dishwasher and is learning to load it, right now she is missing four teeth and looks adorable! C has been wanting an H20 party for a year now. So as the time grew closer I started scanning for ideas on how to make my little girl a fabulous mermaid party (on a budget of course). The party averaged out to be about $35. Some of the stuff I bought in bulk at Costco, knowing I would use it later so I averaged the cost of the price on just what I used for the party.
When the girls first arrived they got to color a mermaid coloring page which I downloaded for free here. This website gave me a lot of ideas for the party!
Next we played a game called "What Sea Animal Am I?" For this, I printed pictures of sea animals (dolphin, shark, puffer fish etc...) and taped them to the back of each girls shirt. They had to ask yes or no questions to try and guess what they were.
After that they had lunch.
We had....

Fish Ice Cubes in Sprite

Sushi Sandwiches

Blue Jell-o with Swedish Fish and Whipped Cream Waves
Also Goldfish Crackers!

Then we played with colored sand on plates (pixie Stick dust, although I used David's candy filled straws which were cheaper and worked really well). Here are some of the art pieces.

Next we went on a big treasure hunt and found the hidden treasure...

After opening presents, we dug into a mermaid cake.

Go here for instructions.

And last of all we put garbage bag fins on the girls and let them race around the house.

For decorations we were under the sea with blue balloons, white waves, and green seaweed.

It was a great party with tons of smiles and never a dull moment. I learned that I really can't frost a cake and want to go to a cake decorating class, that just because my kids like turkey and cheese on their sandwiches not everyone does, and the more sugary the treat the more the kids will like it. L is already looking forward to his Star Wars party next month. Any suggestions?

Motivation

2009-12-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

I have known for some time that I need to lose weight. Not only for my self esteem, but for my health as well. I am not motivated to share that number that haunts me every time I step on the scale, but I am willing to say I need to lose between 30-35 pounds to find myself in an ideal and healthy BMI range. The thing is, I have tried to do it on my own-to no avail. I need help. I need motivation and so I need to share my triumphs and my setbacks here where I know I am accountable to a reader.
I know this is a blog for my writing, but let's face it, if I am too out of shape to workout, I will be too tired to write. For a long time I have been putting writing before working out. Who knows maybe one day I will go back to that, but for now, I think my health needs to be the number one priority. So my goal for the following week is to do a workout everyday before I even turn on the computer.
I want to post a goal for each week and I will report back to say how effective it was.Feel free to share any tips that have helped you, any goals you have for your own healthy weight loss, and any yummy recipes that promote healthy foods. I need the motivation and I hope this will help!

An Angel on Main Street Blog Tour

2009-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Life has been crazy with school and National Novel Writer's Month in full swing, but I wanted to take a break to share about a great new book I read just in time for the Holidays!

AN ANGEL ON MAIN STREET by Kathi Oram Peterson is the story of eleven year old Micah Conners who has moved with his mom and his little sister, Annie to a new town following the death of his father in the Korean War. His mom is hoping to give Micah a new start in this small town, away from the influence of gambling that had gotten him in trouble in the big city. But old habits are not always easy to steer clear of, and when the sheriff finds Micah with a pain of dice and no way to explain it he decides to help set Micah straight. The problem is, Micah doesn't want help. He doesn't want the sheriff hanging around when his only goal this Christmas is to steal the baby Jesus from the mysterious manger that pops up in the middle of town. He truly believes that this is the only way to save his little sister from dying. With the help of a small community, a loving family, and maybe an angel or two, Micah learns that miracles can happen.

This was a sweet, fun read, that had me laughing and crying. It was the perfect book to fill the space that sometimes gets overlooked as the busy holiday season starts. I got a chance to ask a few questions of the author and here is what she had to say:

Me: You grew up in a small Idaho town. How much did that inspire this story, the characters, and the setting?

Kathi Oram Peterson: My upbringing inspired the story immensely. Let me give you a few examples. My father owned a store on Main Street and my family lived in the apartment above. When I was only five, my mother had a heart attack while washing my hair. I remember calling to her, hair dripping, wondering what was wrong. I remember watching my father carry her down the apartment stairs to the car that took her to the hospital. I was very frightened I would never see her again. Many times I would stare down on the street below from our apartment wondering if she would be all right. My father worked part-time for the police department. I often went with him at night as he checked store doors, making certain they were locked. If you've read my book, you can see how I used memories of these experiences and morphed them into events and characters in my book. The characters are not based on one person, but a collection of people--real and fictional. The setting--my hometown of Rigby--was a great influence of good for this book.

Me: This book is about miracles. Have there been any miracles in your life that helped with or prompted this story idea?

KOP: I remember once talking with a friend of mine who said she didn't believe in miracles. I felt sorry for her. Miracles are all around us, but not everyone sees them. Yes, I've had miracles in my life. I keep them close to my heart. However, the miracle in my book was inspired by my mother. As I mentioned before when I was little she suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital for many weeks. When she came home she shared with our family a very sacred experience, which left no doubt in her mind or ours that there was life after death.

Me: You got an English Degree from the University of Utah. I have recently gone back to school and am debating different degrees. Do you think an English degree helped or hindered your writing? Why?

KOP: Good for you, going back to school!!! It's tough, but well worth the sacrifice. And my answer to your question is...I believe it helped my writing. Not in the way my critique group does, but in a broader more in-depth scope (I highly recommend critique groups for novelists). For an English degree you have to read a ton of English novels, which is good. The best way to become a good writer is to read and read a lot. An English degree also requires you to write a great deal. A serious writer will try to write every day. My English classes helped me hone my writing to meet the teachers demands. Learning to deliver what a teacher expects helps a writer deliver what readers expect in a story. I recommend checking into what the college offers in a Communications program as well. Weigh the two courses and see which will fill your needs the best.

Me: The relationship between Micah and his little sister, Annie, is touching. Do you have any brothers or sisters? If yes, did your interaction with them growing up help you to write this relationship?

KOP: I have three brothers and one sister. But my family is like two separate families since two brothers and my sister are much older than me and my little brother. There's been times when I've been going through troubles and my sister becomes very protective of me. My older brothers have always supported me in whatever I try to do. For the relationship between Micah and Annie I drew a lot from all my brothers and my sister, but especially from my little brother. We've stayed pretty close through the years. We talk to each other at least once a week.

Me: This book is set in a small town where everyone seems to know everyone, and in a time when people seemed more willing to help their neighbors. Do you have any suggestions on how we can get our lives back into that frame of mind, especially during the upcoming holiday season?

KOP: My answer is very simple. We need to focus on the Savior, make Him part of our daily lives. I know many will say that's very naïve because of the complex problems our world faces...but it really isn't. So much would change for the better if people would just ask themselves the question posed to Primary children...What would Jesus do?

Me: What made you want to become a writer?

KOP: I've always loved good stories. They take you out of your life and give you experiences you never could have imagine. But I never really thought of becoming a writer until after my first child was born. My mother and I read a lot of novels by Phyllis Whitney, Nora Lofts, Mary Stewart, and Jane Austin. One day as we were talking Mom told me she thought I should write a book. She planted the seed, and I've been trying to make it grow every since. I wish she were still alive to see my books published, but I know she knows ... and I can almost hear her squeal with joy.

AN ANGEL ON MAIN STREET is a great book for yourself or to give as a gift to someone you love. You can buy it at Deseret Book or Seagull Book. Or online at the following links:

http://deseretbook.com/item/5030490/An_Angel_on_Main_Street

http://www.seagullbook.com/lds-products-585064.html

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Main-Street-Kathi-Peterson/dp/1598117211/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257785685&sr=1-1

Cascade Springs

2009-11-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like the mountains in the fall. This year we were a little late, but we still caught a lot of great colors. I always love the drive up to Cascade Springs, and the beautiful walk that you can go on. The kids had a great time, watching the fish, finding leaves, and listening to the sound of the wind blowing leaves to the ground. I hate that fall is almost over, but it sure has been a beautiful one this year!

The Write Song

2009-09-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

I love writing and I love music, so when I can mix the two then I am always happy. My problem is, there is not a wide range of music I can listen to while I am writing. There are songs that I listen to and then feel inspired to write, but actually writing to them distracts me. And then there is anything by The Killers. They are my muse, my great and ongoing inspiration. They make me want to write, and I can listen to them while I write and still concentrate on my writing. Last night my lovely husband took me to their concert.
It has been a while since I have been to a concert that wasn't at the SCERA SHELL...not that I am dissing the concerts I go to there. I am very fortunate to have my friend and Mother-in-Law, April, get us tickets to all sorts of fun concerts, but this was the first time since I got married 10 years ago that I have been to a big concert. I was so excited and it lived up to every expectation. D was a real trooper. He likes their music just fine, but he doesn't feel the need to listen to them constantly like I do.
The best part was when they sang READ MY MIND. That is my favorite song by them and it is the main inspiration for my novel AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS (BTW=still seeking representation for that one. I guess it would help if I sent it out to some people!!! Soccer has made me a slacker, but come October I am all over sending it out). Hearing that song live was awesome! The other best part of the evening was when they sang Bones. I had heard that song a few times, but it wasn't on my regularly listened to list. But hearing them sing it live, catching phrases I had never really paid attention to totally inspired me for my new novel endeavor (which I am calling ROOM FOR TWO for the time being). I wrote 5,000 words on it last week with a goal of adding 5,000 new words a week. Now after hearing that song I am inspired to write, write, write! SO I guess you could say I have found the write song!
So to Brandon and the rest of the boys I say thank you for a great concert, for songs that make me want to write, and music that makes me want to dance! And to my wonderful D, thanks for sitting through it all and letting me dance like a fool and not say anything about my stupid grin that would not go away except that it made you happy to see how happy I was. Last night was great baby, I love you! Now what? I think I will go write, better get my Killers music out!

Back to School!

2009-09-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

So I went back to school. Yep, two nights a week you can find me in Spanish Fork taking English 2010 through UVU. I decided it best after ten years to only start with one class.
My first night I was extremely apprehensive. Would I be the oldest in the class? Would the teacher and I get along? What if nobody sat by me? What if me, a writer, didn't do a good enough job writing college English papers and discovered that I am not a writer after all? Needless to say I was all nerves. I left the house way to early, had to sit outside the classroom for 30 minutes waiting for the other class to end, and it really was beginning to look like no one was going to sit next to me. But lo and behold, things worked out--so far.
I like my teacher. I am not the oldest in the class, though I am up it the top percentage! People sit by me now, and work with me when we need to pick groups. Okay, I have only gone twice, but I am liking it. I am still nervous for those 6 research papers I get to do, but I like class. I like the ride to and from when I can sit and think without the distraction of Radio Disney and yelling children. I like getting to go and talk to adults, to share my opinions, and to be validated. Most of all, I like that I did it. I said I wanted to go back to school last year and I chickened out. But not this time. I am there, and I hope I am there to stay (at least until I finish that pesky degree!)

Lightning always comes before the thunder!

2009-08-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

Which means that Lightning is first, number one, primo! Here at our house we think our own little Lightning star is number one as well. M has been learning there is a lot more to soccer than getting the ball, running down the whole field and scoring while leaving all the little girls in the dust. With this new team she is learning positions, how to work with a team, the endurance of playing on a bigger field, and that a game usually doesn't end 17-0. She has a great coach and a very talented group of girls that she has the privileged of playing with. She also has some great opportunities, such as training with an amazing trainer(and today we found out she gets to train with two amazing trainers because they want her to be backup goalie based on a scrimmage they had a few weeks ago that their goalie missed and M was put in the goal box for the first time ever and did amazing), playing in some major tournaments(her team took second place in the Sparta Cup--Utah's premier soccer tournament--loosing barely to the number one team in the state for their age division in double overtime), and attending her first REAL Salt Lake game(in which her team was picked to go out with the REAL team and stand for the national anthem check them out on this link ). She is also learning about dedication. She has to do daily drills and a daily workout as well as running each week. This takes planning and a lot of hard work. But she is loving it, and each time I see her play she gets a little bit better. I am so proud of my girl, she is a great example. Go Lightning!

M isn't the only soccer player in the family though. We got C's schedule today and it looks like Monday's will be taken up as well with her practices. That means we will be doing soccer everyday but Sunday for the month of September. C is a lot less competitive than M, but she shines in her own way because she gets the strategy of the game, and as she has been watching her older sister work out and practice she has been learning some new skills that I am sure will make her shine on the field this year.

And then there is little L. This will be his first year and we got his team schedule he will be playing with all of his little friends so it should be fun. There is no coach yet, I told them this soccer mom can't be the coach, but if it came down to it I could co-coach so who knows what will happen there. All I know is I will be able to say"Why Yes, I am a soccer mom" for sure by the time September ends! And in advance thanks to my mom and my Father-in-law who I will be calling on to help when I have to be at a game in Orem and Lehi at the same time two or three times a week! You guys are official Soccer Moms as well!

YARD SALE!!!

2009-08-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

HEY EVERYONE!!! I am having a huge yard sale on Saturday at my house from 8am-12pm. There will be tons of baby clothes, both boy and girl up through pre-teen, some adult. A cars toddler bed, a bassinet, baby baths, over 70 rubber stamp sets, books, movies, maple cabinet, lady bug baby bouncer, book shelf, cd/record player, Double tandem stroller, jog stroller, printer inks, and so much more. If you are interested leave your e-mail and I will send my address. This is not one to miss!!! (Multi-family)

Happy Ten Years Baby!

2009-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today D and I were married in the Mount Timpanogos LDS Temple. We had picked a Thursday to be married on because we thought there wouldn't be as many weddings on that day. Well a pesky little tornado in SLC the day before changed that by closing down the Salt Lake Temple. So all brides who were to get married that day south of Salt Lake came down to Mount Timpanogos. The nice thing was however, that we had come to the temple the day before and taken all of our pictures so we only had to do family shots on the day of.
It has been a crazy 10 years! We have lived in 8 different places, 5 different cities, and 2 different states. We have been blessed with 3 beautiful babies, who fill our lives with joy. We have lived in apartments, a trailer, with family, and now our own beautiful home. We have made it through job changes, two degrees, and an emergency airplane landing. We have been there for one another through sickness, messy houses, screaming kids, broken down cars, never having any socks folded in the drawers :), and many other things. We have fought and cried, loved and laughed, and watched a lot of TV series (our nightly, kids in bed, wind down routine). And through it all the I LOVE YOU's have been there. So now I will say it once more. I LOVE YOU, DUSTIN. Happy Anniversary!

Preschool Help

2009-08-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

So as it turns out, the preschool the girls went to was no longer functioning when I went to get L signed up. So I scrambled looking around, all local ones I could find were filled, or way too much for a miss frugal like me. I even found out about a joy school group in the ward, but they said they were already established and didn't want a new kid (yeah that's the type of ward I live in unfortunately). The gist of it is. I am doing Preschool for L myself this year. I have an idea of what I would like to do based on some great information C's Kindergarten teacher gave me last year. I am planning on doing it three days a week, with one of the days focused on playdate/fieldtrip time, so he is still getting some social networking.
My question is please please please if you know a great website with preschool ideas, a great idea of your own for activities, or a great field trip opportunity in the area that isn't too highly priced, I would love to hear about it (even and especially seasonal things such as: Pumpkin patches around Halloween, or Christmas Festivals (daytime activities). I decided if I paid myself each month for supplies just as if I was paying for a normal priced preschool (or a little less since I don't have to pay me, just for supplies). I hope it works out. I want him to have fun and be prepared for Kindergarten, as well as have some fun friend and mommy time.
Thanks!

Climb Every Mountain

2009-07-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

The moment you realize that you are fat is not a happy one. You may know that you have a few pounds to shed, you may know that sure you don't fit into the same jeans you did when you got married, but the actual realization that you can't remember the last picture you took when you actually felt good about yourself is a sad sad one. And sadly to say I have discovered that this past year. The good thing? I am finally motivated to do something about it.

The thing is, I don't run. I have my reason. I see friends and neighbors who are awesome inspiring women that run like crazy and I just can't do it. Also, I don't do the gym. I am too self conscious. I did great in the water aerobics when I was pregnant with L because I was the youngest one there and I was pregnant, it was okay to be fat. But going in my fat sweats as everyone else walks by in their little tight pants all perky and happy, is not my idea of motivation.

So in an effort to help me get in shape D went out and bought me a Wii Fit. Which I had been doing at a friends house and really enjoying. But my husband doesn't do things half way. He also go me a program called Wii Active, which I love. Bob Greene (Oprah's Trainer) put it together. The best part is the 30 day challenge. You get a different workout each day tartgeting different areas, unlike the Wii Fit (which I still love for the Jackknife challenge, balance games and yoga) You don't have to stop in between each exercise and pick a new one. You can choose your intensity and then you get a 20-30 minute workout that targets strength and aerobics together.

I have been enjoying it, and while the scale has not decreased (thanks stupid Wii Fit scale and your "That's Overweight" sayings) I can tell it is making a difference. The jeans are comfortable, not tight. I can chase the kids around the block and not get tired. I can walk my stairs a million times a day and be fine. But I always like a challenge and so when my sister suggested a join her for her early morning trail hikes, I thought I would give it a chance.

The picture above is why I love it. I take M with me and it is so fun to see her discover nature (she can run up a mountain, that girl is so fit, but she stops and rests when mom needs too). We do about a 3 mile round trip hike in the mornings. M thinks our goal should be to climb to the glacier by the end of summer. I smiled and said "We'll See". But if I can go with my girl it would be worth it. This morning she discovered some squirrels which she fed a cracker to. The look on their faces was like they had hit a jackpot and the look on M's face made the pain in my bottom half worth it! I really need to take my camera with me.

So it looks as if this is going to be a regular thing. We have a great trail, and as long as M wakes up at 5 with a smile on her face, we will continue to climb every mountain as part of our fitness routine. But don't worry Wii Active, I have not forgotten you. I'll be back, but sorry, the TV screen can't compare to nature!

Freedom

2009-07-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a great and wonderful post on freedom, but I didn't want to debate the current problems with our government and so I decided to post M's reflections essay that actually says a lot.

My Grandma's life is WOW! by M age 8

When my grandma was little she lived in Berlin. When the Russian army marched into Berlin she had to hide in the cellar with her mom for 10 days and 10 nights. They had only a few potatoes to eat. Every day her mom would cook one and she would eat the skin while my grandma would eat the middle.
One night their neighborhood was bombed and many people died. My grandma and her mom lived But lost everything, except my Great Grandma threw a feather bed out of the window while the house was burning. She had put her favorite china plate inside it and it did not break. My Grandma still has the plate and I love to look at it.
After the war was over my Grandma live in East Berlin. One day her dad decided it was bad to live in a communist land and he told my grandma that they would have to flee East Berlin at night. They had to sneak out at night and coulden't take anything with them. They had to leave their house and all their things behind. My Grandma then lived in West Berlin and on August 13, 1961 the Russians built a wall dividing West Berlin from East Berlin
I am glad my Grandma was in the west at that time or she would not have been able to move to America and become my Grandma. She has touched my life, and taught me about freedom.
WOW what a life.

Hope everyone has a happy INDEPENDENCE Day. Remember our blessings and lets not take them for granted!

Family Movie Review

2009-06-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight we watched WHAT'S UP DOC for family movie night. I loved that show when I was younger, and for me the appeal was still there. I laughed so much. But don't take my word for it. Take these:
M (age 8): Thought it was very funny, especially the car chase. She loved that. She also liked how they switched up the bags. Would watch it again. She also loved when they stole the "Just Married" car

L (age 4): He liked the part when the hotel room caught fire. He also liked the mixed up suitcases. Would watch it again, but not till morning! :)

C (age 6): Liked the whole show, but her favoritest part was the car chase. Liked how they ended the car chase (I won't give that part away). Would watch it again.

WHAT'S UP DOC stars Ryan O'Neal and Barbara Streisand. It is the story of a plaid bag (or 4 bags) that get hilariously mixed up, no thanks to a wildly eccentric young lady, a jewel thief, a government agent, and all their wacky accomplices. Our family gives it an A.

Buffy and Edward?

2009-06-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here is another Vampire post. You all know I love Buffy and Twilight. Here is a look at what would happen if Buffy from Sunnydale High had a run in with Edward from Forks High. *Giggle*

Sorry, when I checked it out it doesn't look as if you are getting the full effect so you can go here to see the full thing!

Sliders and Soccer

2009-06-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

Soccer camp has been occupying most of our mornings this June. I know they do it early so it isn't so hot, but 8 am everyday? Come on people. It is Summer!!!! I can hardly wait for July! M tried out for competition soccer in May and made a cool team called Lightning FC. She stated 3 v 3 scrimmages this month with her team. They do them twice a week. She is really liking it. On her first day, she came up to me and said, "Mom, I don't just run the whole field with the ball, I actually have to pass. We have positions!" I was laughing so hard. I love the program here, but wish they played a little more seriously at first. We don't even do goalies until U-10. Luckily, M is fast and a great kicker. Her coach has her practicing at home everyday. She has different drills to do. Mostly juggling and working on using her left foot. I bought her some cones and she goes out and practices. Now I think I need to get her a goal.
In July she has a team camp and at the end of July she will be playing in the Strikerfest and then straight into August for the Sparta Cup. Competition for fall starts the end of August so with all the practices, and tournaments she is going to be one very busy little girl for the next few months (she also is still doing piano and rocking at it!!!)

C and L are both doing soccer as well. L is so cute out there in the morning in his orange shorts and bright yellow shirt and socks! I can't miss him. I tried to have him use the girls old cleats, but he is just so much smaller than they were at this age so we had to go buy him some new ones. He loves running and explains to me all the time that right now there are girls on his team (for camp) but when he plays games it is boys only.

C is fast. Last year the thing I noticed about her the most is that she was really good at standing back when all the girls are huddled around kicking at the ball in one group, C just waits and when the ball comes out she is there to take it downfield to the goal. She gets more of the strategy then M did, but wasn't as fast. At least that is what I thought until I saw her this morning. She passed about 12 kids all running pretty fast, just to get in line for her treat at the end. SO I guess if I hang a laffy taffy from the goal post I will have a winner on my hands!!! She is also doing piano and is excited for her first recital. She will be playing Minuet in G.

So last night after M's soccer game, I just didn't have energy to go to book club. Sorry girls. I was so tired. I had a bad case of food poisoning all last week and it really took it out of me. Then I had to get my book ready to give to my mom because I have a June 25th deadline to send it in to a contest and wanted her grammar edits. So I have been up past midnight all week. I just dropped. But on the way home we had to grab something to eat (too tired for BC=too tired to cook). We stopped at Marley's (the restaurant attached to the Harley store). A bit pricey, but the food was good, and the kids had a blast reading all the bottle caps pushed into the tables. They service was super nice though. We got 3 combo meals, but instead of giving us one big drink for the one the kids were sharing, the guy gave us three smaller ones so they wouldn't have to share. He did it without asking, just being aware of our needs. I swear you don't get that much anymore, especially at a burger place.

The kids loved the shoestring fries and the sliders. They were pretty good, and really filling considering their size. I would go again just for the service we had though. It is fun, if you are ever in Lindon you should check it out!

Boldly Continuing On....

2009-06-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Growing up our family had very different schedules, so FHE didn't always occur on Monday night. In fact it didn't always start with a prayer, or have a song, scripture, lesson and treat. But my parents always made sure that we did have one night together as a family. And a lot of times this meant a weekend night. As I got older it became harder to give up my weekends. I wanted to go out with my friends. I can think of several nights that I hated the fact that I was missing a party or a date. But it seems that without fail, the times I HAD to do a family activity and miss something that I thought was "important" I always ended up the evening glad I had stayed with my family.
Our usual night together quickly became known as Family Movie Night (my dad loved movies, plays, concerts, musicals). And I found some great shows that way. Thinking back now, I wonder if I really loved the shows as much or the time I got to spend with my family. I kicked and screamed to have to miss swimming with my friends to go with my dad to see La Bamba. I ended up seeing that one in the movie theater 7 times I loved it so much. Or there was the New Years Eve of 9th grade when I had been invited to my first big party only to have to spend the evening seeing Dances With Wolves. Yep, you guessed it, another favorite! One night in high school I had to turn down a date. I tried to scowl, but our family night movie ended up being The Party with Peter Sellers, I thought I was going to lose a kidney I was laughing so hard. I have not seen any of those shows for so long, if I watched them again, on my own would they be as fun? It doesn't seem like it, but I have a way to ensure I would enjoy each of them again: watch them with my own family!
And so we have started movie night. And the kids moan and groan about the shows mom and dad sometimes pick, but they always end up liking them. So tonight we boldly took them down memory lane and watched the first episode of the Original Star Trek. L was fascinated with the shape shifting alien. M was glad to discover that in the future Spock uses a "bluetooth" and C was happy to realize that the ship looked just like the one she had gotten in her kids meal last week. D and I just laughed at everything, but with my little Pooh Bear snuggled in my lap, my squishsquish holding my hand, and my minchkin asking a million how come questions I figured out why mom and dad made us watch all those shows-and I am sure glad they did!

It's Okay!

2009-04-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Just want to state for the record that sometimes it is okay to lie in your bed with an entire carton of ice cream and watch Hulu.

Painting again....

2009-04-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

For the past month I have been telling myself that I have to have the house done by the third week in May for Book Club. So when I decided to do both my writers groups here the first week of May I thought that is a week early, I can do it! Then yesterday I realized that I only have a few weeks and not enough time. So I am painting again like crazy and the house is going to pot for it. So please don't come by before May 1st! I will be going crazy!

Bending over Backwards

2009-04-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

It has been a while but here is a random post of my doings. First the good news! We took M up to Primary Children's on Monday for her Scoliosis appointment and when they took the x-rays I thought to myself, is it possible? Does her spine look straighter? All the books and everything From America said you can't reverse Scoliosis, you just hope it doesn't get worse. But I went with the European way of thinking and tried the Yoga and stretches, so maybe I was just wishful thinking! No, I wasn't. The doctor came in and confirmed that the curve had gone from 15 degrees down to 11 degrees in just 6 months. It was improving. He was shocked, but said to keep her in Yoga and that is exactly what we will be doing.
The bad news that goes with this is the only children's yoga I have found is in Alpine and that is quite the drive. Does anyone know of a more local place that they do children's yoga?

I am figuring out something that I have known all along. I am not the world's nicest mom. I put my kids in timeout, I make them clean their room. I don't always buy them things when we go to the store. I tell them they can live without shoes with skates in them and a DS and pretty much every item they see on TV. They lose computer time, TV time or friends, when they talk back or don't do their chores or are mean to one another. I make them do their homework, and practice the piano.
So when I was doing something this morning and L wanted me to drop everything to open him a can of tuna fish. I said just a minute. Well I was then told what a mean mom I was. So I started to think about it. To a kid I might not seem like the nicest mom, but am I really the world's meanest? So I asked him. Who washes and folds your clothes? Who cooks you dinner every night. Who buys the food and always has an after school snack ready? Who plans playdates, drives you kids to games, lessons, friends houses. Who plans parties, makes crafts, does preschool with you? Guess what his answer to each of those was. MOMMY! So then I asked him again who was the meanest mom in the world. Suddenly I was the best nicest mom in the world. So maybe I am not the nicest always, but I am not doing too bad.

Misunderstood

2009-03-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

First just want to give a big thanks to everyone for making me feel better about moving. I do have great friends!

So yesterday I was talking to one of those great friends and we talked for about 10 minutes before we realized that the actor and show she was telling me about was a different actor and show than I thought she was talking about. Then we had a good laugh. Now normally we understand each other pretty well, but once in a while we end up being on totally different pages. This experience yesterday made me think of my favorite time that Aly (yes, I am pointing you out) and I misunderstood each other.

It was the week that we got to go Orson Scott Card's Literary bootcamp. Now imagine how much fun we were having...getting to be with your best friend, not having to worry about kid or housework, or anything but writing! So Card had given us an assignment to go out in the world and find 3 story ideas. One from going to a book store or library. One from interviewing a stranger, and, one from our surroundings. Well the story idea that I had found was about a man that was found off the coast of England and was said to be a merman.
So we were brainstorming this idea and had come up with some good ideas to expand on this (Aly is the worlds best brianstormer). Than I began to talk about OSC and his writing. Well Aly was still brainstorming my stroy idea and said to me..."I wonder if he was a feral child" since I was now focused on Card the first thing out of my mouth was shock. "Why would you say that?" To which she began to respond of how maybe he had been abandoned by his family and on and on. Well as usual, by the time we realized she was talking about the Merman and I was talking about OSC we had a good laugh. But even better was after I wrote my story and then I got to tell OSC about our little misunderstanding.

Okay so this might not make much sense, but I wanted to write it down, not that I think I will ever forget it, but it just goes to show, sometimes two people, no matter how well they know each other can be speaking to one another but having totally different conversations. Has this ever happened to you?

Loving it? Not so much.

2009-03-18T14:32:00.001-07:00

Yes we are loving our new house. We have put a lot of work in it and I promise to post pictures soon. We had to move, I could not live in my mother-in-laws basement forever. The kids like their school, and have made friends, who unfortunately don't live close by, but still they have play dates. D can come home from work for lunch and never gets stuck in traffic. But I can't say I am loving the area. Maybe it is just moving from such a great neighborhood, but I mean we are going on like 3 months and there are a few people at church who say hi to me, but no one comes up and talks to me, no one invites me to sit by them. Even the times I have tried to be social I have been made to feel like an outcast.
I remember when we looked at this house, the owner could not stop talking about what a great ward this was. Well the people behind us are nice, and the people next to us, but not in the same way it was in our old ward. Not in a lets have a girls night out, or oh your sick what can I do for you way. More like a you can trust me to not rob you while you are out of town, but lets not hold a lofty conversation way. I remember even when we were new in our old ward, having at least 3 or 4 neighbors I could ask to bring the kids home from church if I wasn't feeling well. Now I can't even think of someone to make sure M gets home safe from achievement days. (They have it at night so it is dark when she gets home). I hate feeling this way, but now I know why people have a hard time going to church if they don't have a support base.
Yes, I know the church is true. Yes, I will keep going. But it is awful to feel like an outcast, like I have the plague and no one wants to be my friend! I guess I was lucky that I had a chance to make good friends in Orem. Maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself because I am so sick right now, but all I can say is to everyone in the old neighborhood, I love you, I miss you, and I am bummed about missing bookclub tonight. You guys are the best! Thanks for still letting me come.

My Favorite Vampires

2009-03-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Vampires? Who needs them? Give me Aliens any day, or at least humans in Alien situations! That was me. I never made it through Dracula, and even though Van Helsing was played by Hugh, it would have been so much better if he was fighting spacemen! But then I picked up a book, a little teeny bopper book that my niece and all her friends were going gaga over. Come on, you know the book I mean. And all of a sudden vampires could be good, they could have morals, they could be in pain over the need to take human blood, and they could turn you into mush as they tried to convince their human counterparts that Immortality is not all daisies and sunshine.
Yes my friend, we have entered a new world, the world of good Vampires ( or at least really spunky bad ones) so here is my list of the Vampires I would not mind running into and why.

The Cullens. Need I say more? Not really but I will. The whole family has something good in them. Whether it is Emmet's joking around, Alice's persistent happiness, or the way Edward looks at Bella when he stops the truck from hitting her. They were the ones to start it all for me. Edwards constant battle inside himself as to if he was a monster or not, when everyone looking in could see he was better than most the "humans" around, gave me a new perspective into Vampires and I found myself thinking, hey these bloodsuckers are not so bad.

Fast forward to last year, when I finally decided that I needed to watch Buffy. Oh I had seen the movie in high school and laughed my head off at the corny lines, but I had put it off for a long time because as I said, I was an alien girl. But the Cullens had softened me and after all, Joss Whedon's masterpiece Firefly is my favorite series of all time, I figured it was time to give Buffy the series a go. And it was there I discovered my next two favorite Vampires.

First we have Angel, played by David Boreanaz. A Vampire that has been given a soul. A Vampire that refuses to take human blood, a vampire who is in love the Vampire Slayer. His tortured portrayal of the monster he could become, of the crimes he had committed in the past made him such an icon that they ended up giving him his own series. My favorite episode is when he becomes mortal, finally he and Buffy can be together, but then he is faced with the choice to be with Buffy, or to be able to protect her, which he can only do as a Vampire. Oh the tragedy!

Next is Spike, who is so not the good guy. He is bratty, hates humans, and is a pain in the neck (literally). But he is one of those bad guys that you love to hate. What would Buffy be without Spike always showing up causing problems for pretty much everyone? If the vampires in Dracula had had Spike's sarcasm, snarl, and snarkiness I may have began to enjoy the whole Vampire world long ago.

And finally we get to the heart of this post. The show that has got me Gaga over Vamps. Moonlight. Take Mick St John, a private eye in LA who uses his speed, stealth, and strength to help fight crime and protect the woman he loves--even if she has a boyfriend who is a really great guy and so each episode of each extremely short run (1 season, stupid writer's strike) leaves you wondering who she should be with. The man who can never age, never give her a life, but looks at her in a way that makes you melt? Or the nice respectable DA who loves her just as much, but maybe just doesn't have that look of desire quite down yet? I finished This last night and all I have to say is Thank heavens, even though they only did one season at least they left you with a clear promise of what the future for this PI might hold.

Last, but not least is Mick's friend Josef. He bugged me at first, but I have to admit by the end of the show he had me. Rich, cocky, and yet still having that little sensitive side that lets you know, if the right girl came around, he just might change.

So there you have it. I have been converted. Now don't get me wrong. I still like my Sci fi shows, Farscape, Firefly, Stargate. Oh yeah, hey Deep Space nine was responsible for me falling in love with my husband. But from now on when I see Vampire I won't be turning a blind eye to what could be a great new show, or book. Vampires, tonight you win!

The Big Cut Part Two

2009-03-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

So last summer a friend got some of us together to cut our hair and donate it to Locks of Love, a foundation that helps provide hair pieces to children who have permanent hair loss. At the time I asked M if she wanted to join me, mostly joking because I could not have stood the thought of her parting with her beautiful locks. But last week after a particularly trying Sunday where getting through tangles lead to tears and sorrow we decided that it was time to cut off a few inches. After deciding how short we should go we realized that if we added 5 more inches M could send her hair to Locks of Love. She decided that if she was going to cut her hair it would be for a worth while cause and so 11 inches later her hair is cute as ever! I am so proud of her because she really has loved her hair, but when we cut it she just said, it will grow back and now some other little kid can have hair too. What a girl!

Birthday Fun

2009-02-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

So L turned four. I can hardly believe it, he is getting so big. It is strange to see that he is not a baby anymore, although he will always be my baby. So for the past several months he has been telling everyone that he was going to have a go Diego Go party. And that is exactly what he had. I have to admit when it comes to planning my kids parties I am a bit of a freak. For one thing, I always have to have a theme. For another thing, I have to do it for as little money as possible. I just don't think I could have an expensive party for my kids. Not that I skimp, it is just a pride thing almost. Can I have this party for under $25? And that is what I did with L. For Under $25 we had cupcakes in diego wrappers, diego plates and diego cups with chocolate milk. I made 10 gift bags with candy and a deck of diego playing cards for each kid, I bought balloons, a table cloth, candles for the cake. We started the party out making toilet paper telescopes for all the rescue rangers and then set off on a scavenger hunt to find the lost lion cubs. The entire hour was filled with fun, no tears, and little stress. It was another hit. I say another because (and here I have to thank Aly because I could never do any of this without her, and this next comment I am about to reveal was given to both of us) at M's 8 year old 80's surprise party Aly and I had several of the neighborhood girls tell us we should be party planners. So not to brag, but if you ever want to have a fun cheap party, just give me a theme and I will be glad to help you out (of course I may have to run the ideas by Aly for good measure, but that's what friends are for.)
Oh and just so you know, L may be four now, but he still run around in just his undies! How am I ever going to keep clothes on this kid?
So now I get to relax until August when I have another party to plan...Got any ideas Aly? I bet I can do it for pretty cheap!!!!

Family Scriptures...with little ones?

2009-02-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

So I will admit that family scriptures study/prayer is not the easiest thing to gather for when you have soccer/piano/yoga/work/homework/housework/bathtime/etc.... to contend with. And add to that the fact that with young kids getting them to sit still for a long enough time to learn something is insane! But I think we have found the key. This little book has been our lifesaver. Each day is filled with a scripture and a small piece of advice from President Gordon B Hinkley. And now that M and C are jut a little older we can actually have them read it, and tell us what it means.
Okay sure, we are not reading the entire Book of Mormon in a month, or spending hours trying to dig through Isaiah, but in the ten minutes we can get the kids to sit and listen, they are getting it. C even makes sure that when I yell for Family Prayer, she comes with the book in hand to do our nightly scripture.
Maybe as the kids get older we can increase our study time, but then again life is even busier for older kids. So I am just glad that we found something we can all agree on, and hopefully remember to let the Savior into each day of the week and not just Sunday.

What kind of Kung Fu are you?

2009-02-16T10:01:00.001-08:00

So last night for family night we watched Kung Fu Panda (which is awesome on Blu-ray). My children especially C and L like to choose a character they are in the movie and then remind us the whole way through. So we all picked which one of the kung fu fighters we were at the start of the show. When the movie ended we were looking through the special features and after dancing several times to the music video of "Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting" we found a quiz we could take that told you what kind of fighter you are. It asked questions about your fav subject in school, what you like most about yourself, fav type of pet. Basically it was a personality test. At the end it matched you to your character. So D was the first to take the test and he ended up being a Tiger just like he had earlier claimed he was. I took the test next and was a Crane, just like I had picked. Then each of the kids took it and wouldn't you know it, they each turned out to be the character they had originally chosen. M was a monkey, C was a viper and L was of course a Panda. I just thought it was funny that it matched each of us perfect to the one we already decided we were going to be. So go watch the show(it was worth it) and then find out what type of Kung Fu you are.

What is 33?

2009-02-05T07:56:00.001-08:00

For all you inquiring minds who did not know what # 33 on my birthday list was check out this link....Bucca di Peppo. Last year when we went with the family to California, our friends took us to this great restaurant called Bucca di Peppo. The food is good, the atmosphere fun, and it wasn't outrageously priced (trust me we had taken the kids to the Rainforest Cafe a few days earlier and were still wondering why the food was as much as it was.) We loved it and were excited to find out they have one in downtown SLC. But really, how often to go to Downtown SLC just for dinner? We don't, but one day this year we will. I need my Bucca!

Here is to 33!

2009-02-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

In celebration of my 33rd birthday I thought I would post 33 things I want to accomplish in this 33rd year of my life. These are in no order, just as they are floating around in my head.
1. Read the Doctrine and Covenants.
2. Get in Shape.
3. Make prayer time more meaningful.
4. Write a book.
5. Get something published.
6. Go to some writing conferences.
7. See the new x-men movie at the midnight showing. (This is a tradition for me)
8. Get more food storage.
9. Be a better flosser.
10. Remember to wash my face every night!
11. Read everyday to my kids (I am great about week days, it is weekends that kill me)
12. Go back to school, for at least one class.
13. Make one friend in my new ward (I am a loser and after a month still no one talks to me. I promise I shower every Sunday, I miss my old ward!)
14. Read 55 books this year. (I read 54 last year!)
15. Make some of those books non-fiction.
16. Spend quality time with each kid each day.
17. Keep my house clean.
18. Help someone.
19. Plant a garden
20. Take my vitamins
21. Take time for me each week.
22. Go on a date with my husband once a week.
23. Make Temple visits a priority.
24. Plan FHE ahead of time.
25. Be a good listener and friend.
26. Write a short story.
27. Get my pictures in order.
28. Save my money.
29. Use a kinder voice.
30. Be active in a writer's group.
31. Learn a song on the piano.
32. Get on a schedule and stick to it.
33. Go up to eat at Bucca di Peppo at least once!

So there you have it. 33 things I want to do this year. Most are attainable, I just have to get in gear and get them done. Some will take more effort than others, but I think all are important. Some more so than others, but hey I am 33 I can do it!

My girl rocks!

2009-01-29T16:14:00.000-08:00

Just got a letter in the mail today that M was one of the Region 9 winners for her reflection entry. Her entry will now be sent on to another level for judging. I am so proud of her. What writer wouldn't be proud when their child starts winning awards for her writing. Granted she had a pretty cool story with my mom's life. Maybe I should write a book about growing up in East Germany. Then maybe I can be as cool as my girl. Well, at least somewhat as cool, I will never have that hair! It is down to her waist now and just so beautiful. I could go on for hours gushing about her. How well she is doing at her new school, her teacher even called D and told him what a joy she is to have in class. Or about how responsible she is becoming. Her room has been spotless from the moment we finished unpacking it. Wish I could say that for the rest my room! Or maybe how hard she tries, her back has been giving her a lot of pain lately and so we signed her up for YOGA and she is doing it so well. She practices and tries to stretch a little further with each pose, even though she has never been known as flexible. She is one grerat girl. I love you M and I am so proud of you!

I'm Back.

2009-01-15T18:25:00.001-08:00

Has it really been a month? Wow time flies when you are moving. I hope to post pictures of the new house soon, but here is a quick update. We are getting in slowly but surely. There is still a lot to do and we are putting of some things such as furnishings until spring when we can pay cash for them. But the main stuff that needed to be done before we could move is done. We have new floors, new texture, new paint, new base boards. The crown molding is up, but we still have to caulk and putty and sand and paint (not the whole thing, just the nail holes. We have also discovered a few surprises. The cable line had been cut and so we had to drill a new hole in the house to get cable and internet. The oven will not open for the life of us, but we are pretty sure that is in the home warranty. The telephone lines to the house had been cut as well, so they had to run a new cord which they can't bury till spring and so I have a nice black cord running through my back yard. I tried to contact the previous owners about these things, but wouldn't you know that they won't return my calls. Hmm sounds like they might have known about these things and didn't disclose them. Oh well. We love that we have a place and we are making it our own. The kids love having their own rooms and I love being able to do whatever I want and letting the kids run out back and play if they want and not have to worry about anyone else, if you know what I mean! The freedom is amazing and for the first time in months my thyroid is not wigging out, hmm maybe the doctor was right when he said stress can make it worse. Well I will write more later, gotta go unpack some more.

Scentsational!

2008-12-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

Clothing stores nowadays are just expensive. I walked into Hollister the other day and could not believe the price they wanted for T-shirts alone. Cute clothes, but come on with this economy why should I pay that much for clothing? I gave a casual look and began to make my way out and that is when the store got me. The scents! Oh the scents! I am not a big perfume person, but I do love body mist. I love Bath and Bodyworks Brown Sugar and Fig, Victoria's Secret used to have a cucumber scent that I was mad about, but today I will add Hollister to my new favorite store to fill my aroma therapy addiction. I have to go back there and try one scent at a time, but I think Laguna Beach is my favorite, at least today anyhow. And how fun is that that all the scents are named after beaches that I have been to? Laguna, LaJolla, Ventura. Great names, wonderful scents, and the price isn't really that much more outrageous than B&BW. And the men's scents are to die for as well. I think I know what D is getting for Valentine's Day. (I already have gotten him more Christmas than I had planned, Drat!)

Oh and PS, D doesn't want me to blog about it, but he got his MBA! Maybe he deserves that scent afterall!

Not so Horrible

2008-12-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that I am a huge Joss Whedon fan. Firefly is the best ever! So I have to be excited knowing that on December 19th DR HORRIBLES SING ALONG BLOG will be out on DVD. This is not a happy movie, but for some reason it puts me in the best of moods, especially the first act. I probably should be embarrassed to say just how bad I hope I get this for Christmas, but if there was ever something I could count on putting a smile on my face it would be Neil Patrick Harris singing the Laundry Day song. So I know that you each have a weakness, something that might seem idiotic to everyone else, but you can't help but love. I put mine out there, what is yours? Go ahead admit it!

Nano a no no...House a go go!

2008-11-29T18:01:00.000-08:00

So Nano kinda fell through for me. I did manage almost 20,000 words, but then the housing project began to suck any life force from me. WE have been painting non stop all week I swear. Everyone keeps saying to me. "I painted my whole house in 2 days" or "You're still painting?" It is a little frustrating. We have been working hard, but I have no idea how anyone can 3 tone their entire house when ceilings need 3 coats, rooms are all different colors and they each need 3 coat, baseboards and casings all need 2 coats, doors need 2 coats, and some of the doors are one color on the inside and another on the outside depending on what room they join. It has been insane. I think I have learned my lesson on picking many colors, but it just looks so good that I might not have.
Tonight we finished L's blue wall. That took 4 coats of paint plus the primer. It might have needed more, but after one gallon on one wall we are calling it good. I love it next to the yellow walls and can't wait to get the red trim on. His room really is my most daring room, but it is the room I am also most excited for. I got him one of those city street rugs at Home Depot and he is getting a fire engine bed from his cousin. I can't wait to see it all put together. It will be such a boy room.
M is still having a surf room. Her quilt is getting closer to being done. I will post it here when it is finished. My mom has hand stitched the whole thing. The applique is so cool. I am thankful for a talented mother. I have a Hawaiian message board for her to hang up, but I am still looking for more decorations. Anyone have any good ideas? I thought about doing grass skirts for the windows.
C's room is the easiest since she will be inheriting all of my Mary Engelbreit things. She has curtains, paintings, light switch covers, the works. It will be so bright and cheery (also the name of her trim color). As soon as M's quilt is done, my mom will start on one for C, but even now her blanket has cherries and posies on it so it is already very Mary Engelbreit.
There is still a lot to do and we are not out of the woods yet, but everyday we get a little closer and with any luck we may move in officially the weekend before Christmas! That is all I want this year and it just might happen. At that point I can turn my focus back to writing in my free time, which lets face, as a mother of three I don't have much of, but some is better than nothing. So sorry nano, I flaked out, but just you wait until next year!

Reflections Night

2008-11-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

Tonight was reflections night at the school. It is such a simple thing, go to the school, get your medal (everyone gets one), look at some art and get a brownie. It takes all of 10 minutes, but it is worth it all year to see the look on a child's face as they hold up their medal and know that someone thought they did good. M has entered for the last 3 years. The last two years she has entered in art and gotten an honorable mention and the opportunity to move on to the next round. This year she decided to enter in literature (how proud am I as a writer that my daughter wanted to do this?:))The theme for the year was WOW! She decided that she was going to interview her Oma about her life as a young child during WWII and the Russian occupation of East Germany. (Okay it helps that my mom had a pretty amazing story to tell.)
M interviewed my mom, composed a story about what she learned and then wrote it in her best handwriting(which is something she struggles with, so that alone made me super proud!)Well, when we got to her place tonight, there were two medals there. She looked at me and said "Who is that other one for?" I tried not to laugh as I told her that it was hers. She had won the award of excellence for literature. She looked at me for a moment with a blank expression and then got a huge grin. "Really?" That smile was all worth it.
On the way home we had our usual talk about how proud we were that she entered and it doesn't matter if she doesn't move on past the next level, but that she did her best and that is what will always make her a winner. It is hard as a parent to find that fine line between encouraging your children and making them think that winning is all that matters. I try my best, but for tonight I am going to gloat for a moment and say, my baby girl rocks! I love you M and am so proud of you!

Test your Awareness

2008-11-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

I always look forward to reading Orson Scott Cards reviews on Hatrack. They always give me something to think about, talk about, read, see, or avoid. Today they gave me this great ad that I have watched several times. GO ahead, take a minute watch it and then as Card says watch it again!

When you're sick...

2008-11-18T15:06:00.000-08:00

So I finally am taking a break from running around, getting water, holding achy kids, playing candy land with L who is not sick, taking temperatures, and some stuff that needs cleaning up that I am sure no one needs to hear about. I just made a pot of cinnamon raisin rice and now M is finally saying her tummy feels a bit better. It got me to thinking about the things that comfort us when we are sick. I made this, because it is what my dad always made me when I was sick. I also used to only drink Hi-C Ecto Cooler when I was sick. I don't think they even make that anymore. Now when I am sick, my comfort is my big pillow, my blanket and silence!
My sister swears by peppermint tea. When she is taking care of my kids and they are sick to their stomach that is what they get. I can't stand hot drinks and so while I might take a sip or two (it does work) it is not a comfort to me and so I usually try to avoid it.
It is funny how each person is different when it comes to what will make them better. L needs to sleep when he is sick. M likes her rice pad heated up and C is all about sponging herself with cool wash cloths. But no matter what different things each of them need, the number one thing they all seem to want when they are sick is Mommy. It makes for a lot of work which is added to the stress of seeing your kids sick, but it also is a comfort to me that when they are miserable, it is me that they want. Maybe I am doing something right after all!
So what is it that you need when you are sick? A friend, chicken soup, coke? Whatever it is I hope you always have it, and you never need it! Healthy thoughts for this upcoming sick season!

I'm Sick and Tired

2008-11-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, you heard me. I am sick and tired! Literally! I am sick to my stomach as is C and cleaning her throw up up is not helping. L has fifth disease, and I thought with the fever that is what C had as well until dinner started coming back. I am also tired. We have been working like crazy on the house. Painting ceilings is hard work, I am sore. But all the ceilings have been primed, five got a first coat of paint, and three of those got their second coat this weekend before the bug hit me. I hope to feel better tomorrow so I can get back at it. I so want this house to be done and for us to be in it. I have waited a long time for a house of my own. Now the only thing I wish about as much as I wish to get into it, is that I can take my current neighborhood with me when I go! I love it here so much. I know I should give the new one a chance, but I live in the ideal neighborhood right now. I am going to miss everyone! Just thinking about it makes me sad. So now I am sick, tired, and sad. Oh well C'est La vie! That is my rant and my reason that there has been no word count posting this week. But the silver lining is that last night I had a dream about my story and figured a way to begin resolving all of my many dilemmas. I am sure there will be more to come before this is a book, but maybe, just maybe next week I can write again! Oh and three cheers to my fellow codex writers Eric James Stone and Ami Chopine. Both have stories in the recent edition of Intergalactic Medicine Show. If you are looking for good reads, check it out!

Nano Nano Day 11

2008-11-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

I wrote over 4,000 words yesterday! Wha-hoo! If I could just do that for just 2 more days then I would be caught up all the way on word count and could keep to the 1667. My biggest problem is I have just been writing scenes, and I have a a first chapter due on Saturday for writers group. So do I get my word count up writing things I enjoy or muddle through the first chapter for writers group? We will just have to wait and see. How about you? Where are you on Nano? On your first chapter? Well here are some incentives. Write 500 words today have a small candy bar. Write 1000 buy yourself lunch. And for 2000 then you can play on the computer! Good Luck. Any thing you want for your goals? Just ask! WRITE ON! PS Thanks to all the non Nano people who have been offering us encouragement. WE need it and we appreciate it!(Notice how I did good ANDS? I went back and changed them! Oh wait no editing in November!)

Spelling Bee and Nano Day 9

2008-11-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

I didn't write at all yesterday! After 7 hours of tiling (we didn't finish because the tile saw broke and we spent an hour trying to fix it, then we tried to do pieces with the grinder and that was near impossible, so we finally just set all the pieces that did not need cuts) I came home and sunk into bed and read my book. But, had I written it probably would have been good to start with the word AND, because I obviously can't spell it, or at least I can't type it. I have found more often than naught that I get typing so fast all of my ands become adns. The word is killing me. I have never had that problem before with this particular word, but I am seeing a pattern and trying to be positive I may turn it into a good luck quirk. I had another easy word that I always typed wrong when I was writing AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS. It was FORM, I mean FROM :). That one was actually worse than and because spell check would not catch it. I had to comb my manuscript making sure all my froms were not forms. But I managed to write a whole book with that little problem. I have not had a word haunt me like that again, until now. SO I am wondering if that is a good sign, that because I can't seem to spell adn/and without looking very slowly at each letter, maybe my mind is in mode to write another book. Maybe in my acknowledgements of my books I need to thank the words that messed me up, or maybe I need to just join a spelling bee.
Nano is okay I have just over 8,000 words which is not where I should be, but more than I have written in a long time. Hope all of you who are participating are still keeping strong and for heaven sakes don't erase anything....you know who you are :)! Good Luck and look for more mini goals tomorrow!

Housing Update and Nano Day 8

2008-11-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

Aida must have been good for me because I managed to get over 2,000 words yesterday. That was the first day I hit wordcount for Nano this year. It probably also helped that I stopped trying to write in order and just wrote a scene that was in my head, surprise-surprise, after my night of inspiration. It feels so good to reach a goal! Another goal that is starting to come into focus, but has a way to go is the remodeling. For those of you who don't know, we basically gutted the inside of the house we bought down to the sheet rock. It wasn't our plan, but we decided to put some of the things we wanted on hold and do a few of the things that could only be done right now before anyone was living in the house. So far the texture is all done. It looks so good. It is amazing what just retexturing the walls can do, it is a whole new house. We also took out a wall in the downstairs bathroom and widened that up, tiled the washroom, fixed a hanging light in the washroom over the washer that made it so you could not open one of the cabinets all the way and made it into a canned light. Today my sister and I are going to tile the downstairs bathroom. That will leave baseboards, paint, carpet, closet doors, and then rehanging all the light fixtures, smoke detectors, etc... and having the vents cleaned. After that we can move in. I think Christmas will be our first holiday...or so I hope!

Aida and Nano Day 7

2008-11-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

Last night was GNO. My good friend, Alyson, and I left the kiddios in care of grandparents and then daddies to go see one of our favorite musicals, AIDA. I saw it for the first time a couple of years ago when the Scera did it. The first time I saw it I cried and cried after we left. I wasn't sure what it was, but it touched something in me and made me fall in love with it. I was hooked. They did a great job last night at the Hale Center Theater. I laughed, I cried (as always), and when it ended I turned to Aly and said, "I want to go write now!" There is something about live theater that touches my writing bud and inspires me to give my characters life. There is also something about seeing it with someone who loves it as much as you do. Thanks Aly! After we were so pumped up,we drove around and just talked while we enjoyed hot chocolate from 7-11. They have a great new flavor, candy cane with white chocolate. Aly must have been inspired because she suggested that we mix it with regular. The outcome was undoubtedly yummy.
So goals for today are timed writing again. I pick that because I did so well with it. I'm not caught up yet, but I loved what I wrote yesterday, and today, feeling inspired, I am ready to do it again. So write 4 30 minute sessions if you can and then go to 7-11 and get some of that hot chocolate! Also, I only have 900 words until I can read my book so you know what I am working for, how bout you?

Cleaning your house adn Nano Day 6.

2008-11-06T06:15:00.001-08:00

Why is it so hard to keep my house clean? I will admit, I have never been OCD when it comes to cleaning, but I could always pull a deep clean off of the whole house in about a day. And by deep clean I do mean scrubbed (usually including Baseboards, floors, vents, the works). But lately it is just like I am trying to keep my head above water. It probably doesn't help having a million boxes in my living room, or the fact that I spend most of my time thinking about the other house. (UPDATE: All the textuting has been done and it looks great. I am going to tile the downstairs bath on Saturday!) Oh it is beyond frustrating! And on top of that my Nano word count just keeps slipping farther and farther behind. I need motivation. So last night I got the house livable clean and so today I hope to write. My main goal is to get to 7,000 words so I can read my book which came in the mail yesterday. Having a new Juliet Marillier book on my nightstand and not allowing myself to open it, even for a peak, is torture. What things torture you enough to motivate? I hope this one does the trick. So Today lets work on Time. Write for three 30 minute segments with out stopping! Can you do it? If you do then go and down load that song you have been wanting from itunes! And if you do 4 segments? Then crank up the music and dance to that song like it is 1999! Hey, we need exercise too! WRITE ON!

NANO DAY 5

2008-11-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

So Music seems to be a no go for some of you but Custard has made its way into he running of things to motivate. I however have decided that it is not fair to be diabetic and a writer! But since some of you are moving along quite nicely with the food goals we will keep them coming. I am behind. So very very behind that I need some goal to get me going. The problem is, moving, packing, cleaning...is there time to write? So I guess I could write now and will keep this short and sweet. My goal for today is to clean for 30 minutes and write for 30 minutes, back and forth until I have a clean house and 1,000 words. I know I should shoot for more, but right now that seems alot.
I ordered HEIR TO SEVENWATERS yesterday and it should come today and so I am going to use that as my goal. I can not read it until I have 7,000 words. That should motivate me. As for goals for you....
500 words............you can watch a TV show today.
1000 words...........Bubble Bath!
1667 words............Custard! (Oh COney's how I love and miss you)...My goal for this one will be 1 piece of the yummy chocolate my mom brought back from Germany!

Good Luck and Write On!

Nano Day 3

2008-11-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

How did you do? I didn't do so hot, but I did listen to Reo Speedwagon and it totally put me in the mood to write. SO Give yourself props for today, and tomorrow lets do some yummy goals. 500 Words. 1 piece of chocolate. 1000 words. 2 pieces of chocolate. 1667 words a jamba juice or another yummy smoothie of your choice. Can you tell my mom just got home from Germany and I have chocolate on the mind? I threw the smoothie in their to get something of nutritional value in my day. Good luck tomorrow. I will be writing to music. I thnk that will help. DO you write to music? If so what inspires you?

Nano Day 2

2008-11-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Some people write everyday, some take Sunday off. Whatever you choose to do remember it is good to have a day of rest. No matter what today rest your mind and your body to get in shape for tomorrow! Way to go Alyson on the awesome word count! Oh and as a side note, little M spells awesome, osuem. Isn't that cute? Rest well and Write On, Nano Writers!

Hey Writers! Are you ready to be scared?

2008-10-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween might give some a fright, with bats and ghouls roaming around all night. But for writers the day is scarier then many becasue it means tomorrow you have to start your story, even if ideas you don't have any!

Are you ready for NANO? I'm not. I mean, I signed up. I have an idea rolling though my head. I even figured out who the narrator was going to be. Sounds like I am on a roll, right? Wrong! There is just one tiny problem. I have no idea when I am going to find time to write 50,000 words! Oh well, what is the fun of trying if it didn't push you?

So NANO writers here is the deal...
If you are writing every day, you need to write 1,667 words a day to get your 50,000 in. If you are taking a break weekly (5 days off) it is 2,000. Now of course you can do this in lumps or all in one day, but this is your rough estimate. So how about we start with a bang?
For your first 500 words go buy yourself a coke (or your yummy drink of prefrence).
For your 1,000 word goal dig into the kids Halloween candy and pick any treat you want.
And if you hit 1,667 words tomorrow then you get to surf on the computer for 30 minutes!

More golas will be coming. Make sure you post what you are doing here, or somewhere else so you can get the encouragement it is going to take.

Last but not least. I will be trying to type goals as often as possible, but there will be no editing of my blog as all my spare time needs to be focused on my book, so sorry for all the typos. I don't care, I have a book to write.

Remember this is NANOWRIMO...Decemeber is for editing.

Hello my name is....

2008-10-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

I love nick names. There is something fun about a special name that you can call your little one and they know mommy gave them that name. M has always been my Minchkineli because when she was little she would have me read YOU ARE SPECIAL over and over again to her. When C was born she had the sqiushyest cheeks ever so she became my Squishy Pie. And when L was born well we called him Poopers as you can imagine why. After awhile I felt bad for that nickname and since he had such a round tummy it was edited into Pooh Bear which he has been ever since.
It wasn't until recently though, that I discovered that he really thinks that is his name. Oh he will answer to his real name, but he never calls himself by that. The other day waiting for C to get out of school we met a nice woman and her dog. L loved the dog and while playing with it, the woman asked him his name..."Pooh Bear" he said. I then tell her his name and he gets mad. "My name is Pooh Bear!"
Last night at dinner he was blessing everyone at the table and when he got to him he said "Bless Pooh Bear". It was so cute. I've always known he was a wild animal, but it doesn't matter, I would not trade my Pooh Bear for anything!

PS 2 more days till Nano. Are you ready? I'm not, but I will make sure to post a reward to give yourself on Saturday, so come have a look and WRITE ON!

Yearbook

2008-10-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight for family time we played with pictures on the computer. This is one of the kids favorite pass times. D's Mac is super cool. They can take pictures of themselves with warped faces, or riding on a roller coaster, or underwater. We did the look alike meter and all three kids looked equally like the two of us, but then we went to www.yearbookyourself.com and we found some post worthy treasures. Here is a little look at what the Berlin family might have looked like in a different time.

Here is D in 1964

M in 1984

C in 1966

L in 1952

And here I am in the year I was born, 1976.

What can I say? Are we a family of lookers or what?

A LITTLE BIT OF FUNNY

2008-10-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have been sick this week. It has not been the most fun, as any progress towards getting the house packed and the other house painted have gone down the tube. SO the other night when I was grouchy, D pulled out the computer and casually just put this video on. It was not the first time he has shown it to me, but for some bizarre reason every time the doll hands come out I bust up. Since D and I usually watch a show together on his MAC before bed, he has taken to playing this nightly for me. If you need a little funny in your life go on and watch it. Another bonus is, it's a SNL skit that is actually kid friendly! (Hint, it really starts about a minute in so if you don't want to watch the whole thing drag the timer to 1 minute and start from there) Enjoy!

NANOWRIMO

2008-10-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that national writer's month is already coming up again. Last year I participated and wrote over 50,000 words in one month. This year I plan on doing things a little different.
It has been a hard year for my writing. It started off with a bang. In February I went to LTUE and got to meet several cool authors. I had a private (well Aly came with me) meeting with Orson Scott Card to discuss the first few pages of my NANOWRIMO story. I spent March and April sending out queries on AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS, and In June I went up to Bosie to see an agent who had requested a partial on the same book. Then I began to get sick and it seemed as if everything just flew out the window. I stopped writing, querying, thinking...Well you get the point.
So here I am, 1 year from NANOWRIMO and not a lot to show for my writing.
The good news is that I am feeling better. The thyroid is under control as well as the diabetes. I have more energy and my characters have popped out of nowhere and started talking to me again. I am even considering going to some writing conferences. The Bad news is...with the remodeling of a home, packing up the old one, and catching up on life that stopped while I was sick, finding time to write is near impossible. But I want to do NANO....just in my own way.
So, I will not be starting with a new story, but one that is outlined in my head and researched. NANOWRIMO encourages you to write a novel from scratch and then use December to edit. I will be starting from Chapter One, but have a lot of things worked out already. So here is a challenge for any of you who want to do Nano, (basically write 50,000 words in November), but don't want to start with a fresh story. Do Nano my way. I will be posting ideas for rewards you can give yourself and ideas throughout November to help you make your goal. If you need someplace to report to you can do it here, and if you finish and really really really want a certificate, I am sure I can come up with something! So just because you don't want to start a story from scratch, don't let that make you give up on the real NANO goal....50,000 words in one month. Oh, and we can also make goals for anyone who is done with a novel, but wanting to polish it, anyone who just wants to make an outline, anyone who wants to spend the month researching. Let me know what your goal is. Together we can get all those novels out of us and onto the shelves!

What is a girl to do?

2008-10-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

I love TO-DO lists. In fact, I usually thrive on them. A whole schedule written down mapping out my day. I have even gone as far as assigning a time slot to each thing on my TO-DO list before. Sometimes I tell my kids I am not an octopus, but even as I joke, I still try to be one. But now? Now with having to deal with two homes, one that needs to be kept clean and packed, one that needs to be ripped apart and refinished; three kids, two who have home work, one that wants to do school the entire time the girls are gone, all three who need mommy play time and cuddle time (and a have a mommy that needs that too); the intense desire to write as creative thoughts that have been absent for so long, now seem to be flooding my mind; wanting to edit at least two friends stories that are sitting in my large email pile waiting for me to read them; the email pile itself; having to put together and figure out Halloween costumes; wanting to have Christmas shopping finished before Thanksgiving like I always try to do; knowing that D is going to be going out of town for a bit; and life in general, I don't know if I dare write all these things down. I am afraid that I will see there is not enough time in the day. I am afraid I need to be at least two octopodes. I'm afraid I need help!
And I know I did just write them down, but with no real specifics, with no real intention of looking at that list again for fear of what might jump out from it and bite me. So, I just am wondering, because I am not superficial enough to think that I am the only woman out there with way to much to do, how do you do it? How do you accomplish everything you need to and want to without going mental? How do you stretch the day to meet all of your demands? And what do you do if you can't? I am sinking in my own TO-DO list and calling on you to tell me: WHAT IS A GIRL TO DO?

What is the issue?

2008-10-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a political blog entry. I have keep quiet for a long time because I truly believe that in America it is not only our right to vote, but our right to be free to vote as we feel. The upcoming election has brought many points out. I am not going to say that any of the candidates are perfect. They are not. But sometimes it comes down to what is important. I am not Catholic, but I think that this video which I saw on my friend Tristi's blog says something important to people of all faiths and religions. I don't want to start a fight with this. You can disagree with me, but please do so in a manner that is clean and tasteful. The thing I want to accomplish by posting this is not to tell you who to vote for, but to ask you that before you vote at least make a prayerful decision. I know that when we ask our Heavenly Father in humble prayer, having faith in Christ, our prayers will be answered. I have made my decision through prayer and hope that everyone will do so to be at peace with the candidate you feel is the best choice for your own beliefs. My friend said an interesting thing. If you vote for something, it is like saying you believe in it. So no matter whose name you check on November 4th, just make sure you are doing what you believe in, and not just voting to Rock the vote.

NEW HOUSE

2008-10-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well we are officially homeowners. In fact, right now I am sitting on the floor of my new house (we have no furniture yet) blogging, and watching D chip out the tile in the downstairs bathroom. Our plans for the future include: new paint, new carpet, new tile (which the previous owners kindly left enough for us to use), raingutters adn then we will move in. I am thinking about a month. Yay!

I'm not pregnant, I'm just fat.

2008-09-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

It doesn't help a person's self esteem much when their MIL informs them that people have been asking when you are due. Especially when you have had the last two months I have. First off I gained 12 pounds in one month, went to the doctor, found out my thyroid had stopped working and I have diabetes. Had to go on meds and begin to count cabs like crazy. Then there was the hormonal depression and anxiety that comes from said problems. Then the next month I lost 9 pounds. So now I get to add to that that I am not just fat like I thought I was, I am fat enough that people think I am having a baby! Oh vey! That just bites. I guess I better increase those sit ups and push ups. And until and if I ever stop being the fatter of the two pigs just remember, I am not pregnant, I'm just fat! (Thank Heavens, I don't think I could throw another kid into my messed up equation right now).

FOUR YEARS OF BOOK CLUB

2008-09-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

This month marks four years since the book club I am in first met and organized. October will be four years since our first book was read and discussed. It has been so fun. We have a great group of women in the club that I have enjoyed getting to know. We meet once a month to talk, eat, and have a break from kids. And yes, we even discuss the book! Here is a list of the books we have done. The my pick books are ones that I picked to read (we take turns hosting the club at our houses and choosing the book). I tried to pick a favorite book for each year, though it was not easy as you will be able to tell by this list we have read some great books.

October 2004 These is my words by Nancy Turner
November 2004 A town like Alice by Nevil Shute my pick
Jan 2005 Cain River by Lalita Tademy
February 2005 Reunion by Fred Uhlman first year favorite
March 2005 The Giver by Lois Lowry
April 2005……….. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
May 2005………… The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle
June 2005………… Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier………………..my pick
July 2005…………. Bold Spirit by Linda Lawrence Hunt
August 2005……… Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
September 2005.…. Dark Angel by Robert Kirby
October 2005…….. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
November 2005….. Pope Joan by Donna Cross
January 2006…..… The Family Nobody Wanted by Helen Doss
February 2006…… Phantom by Susan Kay…………………………Second year Favorite
March 2006……… The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
April 2006……….. Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
May 2006………… Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card……………….my pick
June 2006………… Before the Dawn…by Carol Warburton
July 2006………… Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel
August 2006……… Alisha: My Story by Alicia Appleman Jurman
September 2006….. Eve and the Choice made in Eden by Beverly Campbell
October 2006…….. Before Women had Wings by Connie May Fowler
November 2006.. The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen Randall...Third Year Favorite
January 2007……… Ingathering by Zenna Henderson……………………..….my pick
February 2007…….. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
March 2007……… The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards
April 2007………… I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
May 2007………… Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
June 2007………… The Curious Incident of the Dog and the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
July 2007…………. Things not Seen…by Andrew Clements
August 2007……… Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
September 2007…… Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
October 2007……… Freakenomics by Levitt and Dubner
November 2007…… The Book Thief by Markus Zusak……………Fourth Year Favorite
January 2008……… Moloka’i…by Alan Brennert
February 2008…….. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
March 2008…….…. Secret Life of Bees by Susan Monk Kidd
April 2008………… Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper
May 2008…………. Escape by Carolyn Jessop
June 2008………… The Eight by Katherine Neville…………………………..my pick
July 2008………… The Authurian Omen by GG Vandagriff
August 2008……… Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
September 2008….. Rachel and Leah by Orson Scott Card
October 2008…….. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The best thing about our book club is we have a unique group of women and so each months pick is something different. It has really opened me to a world of books I may not have read other wise. Browse through this list and see if maybe there is something you might like as well. So thank you girls for four great years! Here is to many more.

GO SEE THE FLYBOYS

2008-09-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to the movies with my mom and my sister while D watched the kids. Fortunately, we saw an amazingly good show. Unfortunately it was only playing at 3:45 pm or 10 pm. We opted for the later so the kids would be in bed and although I was tired the next day, it was well worth the money and the time. The movie was called THE FLYBOYS and it happened to be directed by the brother of a friend of mine from high school. My friend, Jason, also helped produce this fantastic film. There are so many reasons you should see this show. For an independent film, it has amazing action and filming. The flight sequences are amazing (and I am not just saying that because I am a pilots wife). The scenery is beautiful(they filmed it in Southern Utah. You have to love red rock country). The acting is good, the story fun, and I also really liked the musical score.
The show is about two boys who after an attempt to ditch a group of bullies, end up at the local airport. Being boys, they are sneaking around looking at planes and get caught in the luggage compartment of a plane that belongs to a mob boss. It is fun to watch how they overcome this sticky situation, but the real heart of story, in my opinion, is the relationships. First between the friends, and then the relationship between the mob boss and his brother (played by Stephen Baldwin).
This movie which has won several awards at film festivals across the nation made me laugh, cry, and come away knowing I had seen a fun show. The writing was well done, and it really made me wonder why the theaters are ripping it off by only showing it at inconvenient times. It should be playing all times and for many weeks to come. In fact the other people at the late showing were seeing it a second time because they liked it so much. It is a must see, so go out and watch it. If we support good independent films, then maybe we will get the chance to see more of them!
Viewers guide:
Limited bad language at the start of the movie by the bully.
One scene of half a behind (the boys mooning the bully)
Very mild violence
I probably will take my kids to see it, but I would suggest adults go first and decide for yourself. It was not offensive at all to me.

The Santa Letters Blog Tour

2008-09-16T13:38:00.001-07:00

I am very excited to introduce as my first blog tour review, author Stacy Gooch-Anderson and her warm and inviting new Christmas story, THE SANTA LETTERS.
Stacy lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and four sons. She attended the University of Utah and has won several awards through the Society of Professional Journalists. THE SANTA LETTERS which arrived this year just in time for the upcoming holiday season, is a story of trials, forgiveness, and the joy that comes from allowing Christ into your life.

A year after her husband was killed by a hit-and-run driver, Emma Jensen finds herself dreading having to face Christmas without her sweetheart and with all the financial strains that have been placed on her family since William's death. Only six-year-old McKenna, still believes that Santa will bring a Christmas miracle for their family.
But Christmas has always been a time of magic, and the Jensen's miracle comes in the form of an mysterious package on their front door days before Christmas, with a letter signed by none other than Santa himself. As the letters and packages continue to arrive the family remembers the miracle of the Savior's birth and learns that their beloved husband and father may be closer than they think.

At 190 pages, this delightful Christmas story is just the right size to open your heart to the miracles that are all around us. Having lost my own father to cancer several years ago just after Christmas, I can understand the suffering that goes along with facing life without a dear one. Stacy Gooch-Anderson, has taken this pain and turned it into a story about life and love. This book teaches forgiveness, overcoming loss, and how to let Christ into our lives in a tone that is anything but overbearing. There were several times that I found myself tearing up as I thought about ways I could let the Savior into my life. But this book is not just for those of us who have suffered loss. It is for anyone who wants to reunite with the true meaning of Christmas. It is for anyone who earns to remember that there is more to this season than presents and decorations. This story is for anyone who wishes to feel the Savior's love in their lives. In short, this story is for you.

And because I am lucky enough to be hosting a blog tour and not just sharing my review, I was able to have a little Q & A time with the author.

BERLINWRITERGIRL: We've all heard of the 12 days of Christmas, but this was the most Christ centered version I have ever seen. How did you come up with this idea?

STACY GOOCH-ANDESRON: Several years ago, I found out that two of my sons had been in a sexually abusive situation and my first instinct as a parent was to kill and then sadness for having failed them. After many prayers, the only answer I got was that in order to heal them, I had to first heal myself. I went to my scriptures and studied the Savior's birth. And since Christmas was upon us and there was no money after so many legal and counseling bills, I merged the best of life and what the Savior has to offer and put together the Santa Letters as way to help us all forgive and heal and remember all the true gifts that have been offered.

BWG: There were several Christmas traditions mentioned in your book, which ones if any came form your own life?

SGA: All of them came from our own Christmas Letters experience but many of them like humor, the ornaments every year, the music concert and a night of service are annual Christmas traditions for us. The only one that was fictionalized in the book was Health and Good Cheer since I know of no event like that held in any city. But we did take a walk at a place called Gardner Village and enjoy the sights there as a family.

BWG: How can people use this book to bring themselves closer to the Savior this Christmas season?

SGA: Since the main focus of the book is bringing Christ back into Christmas, I would hope that people would think more about Him and what He can do for us and has done for us rather than the commercialization of the season. I also think service is key to that. Whether in the service of your family, friends or mankind in general, service will bring you closer to Him and heal your heart as you find the real Christmas spirit.

BWG: I noticed you named two of the main characters after your parents. Was there any significance in doing so?

SGA: My father, William (Bill) Rex Gooch, died at age 61 from cancer on March 28, 2004 while he was serving as the Bishop of an LDS ward. His whole life was about service and unconditional love. My mother (Laurel Stapley Gooch) really struggled with his passing and lost much of her joy in life. My kids called her Miss Emma after a "classical" Laurel moment when she mistook my son calling her Emma on the phone and replied, "Sorry there is no Emma here, wrong number.: and then hung up the phone. This happened about three times before she finally asked me if Justin had a friend named Emma - it sounded just like him. After looking at the niumber and determining that it had been Justin, I called him back and asked what was up. He was stumped and in his normally fast dialect told me that he'd said Gramma, not Emma. He was the one left confused at her reaction. She ran upstairs after that to give her ears a thorough cleaning. She died earlier this year at age 63, also from cancer, on April 29, 2008. Her life was all about serving as a mother and unconditional faith but the lessons they taught me all growing will live on in our memories and through this book.

BWG: To those of us who are inspiring writers, what advice can you give us?

SGA: Find your passion and write from your true inner voice and never, never give up! And hone your skills in whatever way you can. talents were made to be used - not buried.

BWG: Would you share a little bit about your journey in writing and publishing this book?

SGA: You read a bit about my story above but what I didn't share then was that for 15 years I'd prayed earnestly that I could write stories that would touch the hearts of men. Even when we went through this, I didn't think about writing it since I figured that no one would be interested on one family's journey of healing. But then a good friend of mine, when she found out what we were doing, challenged me to write the story.I feel like I was just along for the ride from there as I watched the Lord's hand take over in everything to the timing of it, the publisher whose desk it landed on and the success since.I truly feel it is not my story but one that I was blessed enough to be a part of.

Perfect to read for Family Night, great to give as a gift, and inspirational enough to pick you up when life becomes overwhelming, THE SANTA LETTERS can be purchased through Amazon, or Deseret Book.

I HEART HOMEWORK!

2008-09-11T15:50:00.001-07:00

Now that C has started Kindergarten I was surprised at the amount of time needed to do homework each day. In 3rd grade M has to read to me 20 minutes a night, do her spelling words and one sheet of math, plus the occasional extra assignment such as preparing for her upcoming book report. C in Kindergarten has a lot as well. We need to read at least 15 minutes, work on writing for at least 10 minutes and work on math for at least 5 minutes each night, and additional projects for her as well. Now I know that does not seem like a ton, considering my 15 year old niece has about 3 hours a night for 10th grade. But it is a big step for us, with soccer, preparing to move, my being sick, potty training for L, a husband in a Masters course, and life in general. At first I was frustrated with it, but then I realized that homework time was the perfect opportunity to stop the stress of the day and bond with each child. I am having such fun reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane with M and finding words she doesn't know in the dictionary, and working on Math with C plus snuggling for story time, that I actually have invented homework time for L as well. We read, count, and at the dollar store I bought a bunch of Whinnie the Pooh pre-K books for him to do. I work finding out about school and friends into the time and end up getting to spend some great time with each kid while they are learning.
I am learning a lot about my kids by doing homework, so come on and bring it on teachers, I don't mind, its just more time to spend with my little ones!

So when should the medicine start working?

2008-09-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

That is the question of the day as I sit here completely drained after another restless night. And the next question is...What do I do if my house falls apart before I get some energy back? The good news is the diet seems to be helping the diabetes, at least my blood sugar is normal again. The bad news is, you can't see my living room floor. I have heard Thyroid meds take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. I would sure love it to be closer to 3!

Truffle for Thought

2008-08-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I have been invited to share my comments on a new blog called Truffles for Thought. You can go there to hear my comments on Movies, Books, Music, whatever! Check out the link in the next column over. I will probably not post that stuff here anymore unless it is just too outstanding for words! Hope to see you there!

What a day!

2008-08-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

It was a day like any other day..well, not exactly, maybe like any other day for the past month. I dragged myself out of bed just in time to get M off to school, looked at dishes in the sink, the growing pile of laundry on the floor, tripped over the toys that littered the house, attempted to clean, got tired sat down, fell asleep allowing the kids to destroy more of the house. My dear friend in an attempt to cheer the black clouds that have been forming for the last month goes out of her way to drive to Sonic to get me a cherry coke. They mess up and give her a strawberry coke. Yuck! But at least it makes me laugh once in the day. Finally after hours of waiting, the doctor finally called. The good news, I am not just a lazy slob. The bad news, not only is my thyroid out of balance, but I also have diabetes. And then as I am trying to digest this and learning just how hard cutting not just sugar, but all carbs down is, I get a rejection letter on my partial. It was not a good day. Oh well, C'est La Vie! At least I have great family and friends. Thanks to all of you who have been there!

9 Happy Years

2008-08-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow D and I will be celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary. We were married on August 12th, 1999 in the Mount Timpanogos temple. There were so many wedding there that day because 9 years ago today SLC saw its biggest (at least in my lifetime) tornado and the SLC Temple was closed for damage repair. The Jordon River Temple was also closed so all the weddings that were to take place in SLC went either north to Bountiful or South to Mount Timpanogos. We had gone the day before and taken all of our pictures except the family ones and I am so glad that we did becasue it was crazy, but none of that mattered. All that mattered is on that day I was sealed for time and all eternity to the love of my life.
In these 9 years we have enjoyed 3 kids, 6 moves, and 2 states. We have had the propeller fall off our plane mid-flight, traveled (my favorite trips were to Germany and Wisconsin), put D through school (he will be done with his Masters in December), lived at one time or another with all of our parents, watched a lot of Sci-Fi (D has been a very patent man sitting through everything from Babylon 5 to Quantum Leap to BattleStar Galactica with me). We have laughed and cried, loved and learned. We have survived everything life has thrown at us. I can truly say that I am married to my bestfriend. Here is to 9 great years and an eternity more to come. I love you D!

For the record...

2008-08-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

I read it and I loved it. I have been reading some people's reviews on Breaking Dawn and I am wondering if I am just innocent, or if there are some people out there that just like to pervert anything they can. Trust me, I don't think I'm that innocent. I gave it a five. Twilight was the only other book in the series that I gave a five. Two types of books get fives from me. Books like: A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I may not read again, but the message is just so intense and thought provoking that you are truly changed by the story. Or books that are fantasy and just so much fun I could read them again and again. Breaking Dawn falls into the last category.
Maybe because I have never been one much for Vampires. This book seemed to have more magic in it than the others. I loved that. I love happy endings. This book is fun. By the way people it is FANTASY. That is the great thing about fantasy, anything can happen. I for one think Meyers did a good ending to the story. The only ending that made much sense. I will admit there is still one question I have, but I can say this..I finally like Bella! So while a lot of people are disappointed, I will probably find myself reading this book again, and again.

TWILIGHTASTIC!

2008-08-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

It is just a book right? A silly little book about a beautiful perfect vampire, a hot and hunky werewolf, and the girl we all love to hate. So what exactly is it about this ultimate series that has people waiting in line over night just to get a wristband to stand in line the following night for a chance to be one of the first people to hold the newest book in the Twilight series, BREAKING DAWN, in their hand? I'm not sure, but that didn't stop me from dragging my kids down to the local bookstore, straight from bed, in their PJ's, no breakfast whatsoever yesterday morning to get that wristband. I'm not a bad mom. I just sorely underestimated the power these books have over the female population. So did the book store. At one point in the wait, an employee came through the line and said they had expected maybe a hundred people to come first thing for wristbands, what they got was well over four hundred people.
After finding a parking spot, gathering blankets and reading material, the kids and I made our way around the building to the back of the store where we finally found a place in line about 200 people back. I have to give it up for the little ones, they are real troopers when it comes to mommy's obsession. For two and a half hours they stood with me in the hot sun for that wristband. And here is the clincher, the thing that really hurt. I ordered my copy off Amazon, the wristband in question was for my 15 year old niece. Had I known what I would have to go through to get her a place in line, I would have just had her reserve two books. As it is, I still have to wait till Monday to get my copy. Ouch!
But we got the wristband, had some breakfast brought to us, and canceled my Visiting Teachers. Was it worth it? I don't know, I will tell you on Monday when I finish the book, but my niece was sure grateful. Last night at 12:20 she had a copy of the book in hand.
But just because my book isn't here yet, does not mean I didn't participate in an evening of pure TWILIGHT fun. I spent the evening with my niece and best friend searching the store for wedding bands, eating frozen custard dedicated to none other than the beautiful Edward (butterscotch and chocolate flakes as opposed to Jacob fans who had chocolate with brownie chunks),playing TWILIGHT TRIVIA ( I made it to the third round), and watching as Alyson strutted her stuff in a competition to name the worst bridesmaid dress (She was a winner of course). It was the ultimate in girls night out which I don't foresee being repeated until December 12th when the TWILIGHT movie comes out. The greatest thing is, I am not alone, there are millions of women out there right now reading or waiting for their book. And from all of us I have a small message to author Stephenie Meyer. We may not be sure what exactly it was you did that turned us into uncontrollable fans, but we are glad you did it!
So whether you are a member of Team Edward or Team Jacob, or can't make up your mind and decided to be Switzerland, I hope you have a TWILIGHTASTIC weekend and don't get bitten too hard by BREAKING DAWN.

Thank You For The Music!

2008-07-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

I have the coolest husband in the whole world! For his 31st birthday (which is today, Happy Birthday Baby!) he let me take him to see THE MUSIC OF ABBA WITH ARRIVAL FROM SWEDEN. They are, of course, an ABBA tribute band. And not only that, they are the only ABBA tribute band with the exclusive rights to identically recreate exact versions of ABBA's original clothing, and been given permission from Bjorn and Benny (the two BB's in ABBA) to perform one of ABBA's unreleased tracks. Okay so I was a little excited.
I first fell in love with ABBA when I was a little girl and heard the song FERNANDO, which is still my favorite song by them. During the 80's I learned to love more of their music as another of my favorite groups, ERASURE, began to cover their songs. TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME, AND SOS became instant hits. In high school, DANCING QUEEN became a favorite song. I just seem naturally drawn to ABBA songs! Even on my mission, as a farewell tribute to one of my favorite companions, my other comp and I dressed up in our then stylish Chicago Bulls jerseys (20 Pesos at the flea market, thank you), decked out our hair and makeup and made up a dance to TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, which we then horribly performed, much to Sister R's delight (thankfully there are only two other people in the world to testify to this!) Point is....I love ABBA!
The concert was great. There is no wonder why this group is allowed to do the official tribute. They sounded exactly like ABBA. Did I mention it was awesome!? I even got D to stand up and dance on not one, not two, but three songs (MAMA MIA, TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, DANCING QUEEN). He was happy when they played his favorite song, CHIQUITITA. It was so much fun, and thanks to my worlds greatest Stepmother-in-Law for hooking us up with the tickets. And Thank you for the music, ABBA!(and ARRIVAL).

NA NA NA NA HEY HEY HEY GOODBYE!

2008-07-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Well there is no going back now. I said I was going to cut it all off, and boy did I cut it all off. The initial cut was just under 11 inches. That has been placed in a plastic bag and will be sent off to Locks of Love tomorrow. To smooth it out I think I lost another inch or so. I am loving it right now. My head feels so light and my hair feels so healthy. We will see what happens tomorrow when I have to actually style it on my own! So in case it flops and never looks nice again, here is my photo documentation that once upon a time my short hair looked cute. A big thanks to my Sister-in-Law E. for the cut and highlights.

Play it again, Sam.

2008-07-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a week in California. Had a blast and will post on that later, red ants and all!!! But for now I just wanted to post a song that I love by Sam Beam. This guy on Youtube does a pretty good job. The Lyrics are amazing. They are so poetical. Hey, I am a writer, how can I not love beautiful lyrics? Hope you enjoy!

Here are the lyrics if you want to follow along!

Iron and Wine -- Passing Afternoon -- Sam Beam

There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon
Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon
And she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her
Wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms

There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days
Autumn blew the quilt right off the perfect bed she made
And she's chosen to believe in the hymns her mother sings
Sunday pulls its children from the piles of fallen leaves

There are sailing ships that pass all our bodies in the grass
Springtime calls her children 'till she let's them go at last
And she's chosen where to be, though she's lost her wedding ring
Somewhere near her misplaced jar of Bougainvillea seeds

There are things we can't recall, blind as night that finds us all
Winter tucks her children in, her fragile china dolls
But my hands remember hers, rolling 'round the shaded ferns
Naked arms, her secrets still like songs I'd never learned

There are names across the sea, only now I do believe
Sometimes, with the windows closed, she'll sit and think of me
But she'll mend his tattered clothes and they'll kiss as if they know
A baby sleeps in all our bones, so scared to be alone

The First Chapter

2008-07-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy week as I have spent everyday of it driving back and forth to my sister's house to watch her kids while she is at girl's camp. So I have not kept track of my writing. The bad news is...I am behind of where I wanted to be on my word count. The good new is...even with kids and dogs, lemonade stands and car repairs, I have still managed to work on my story everyday and I am liking where it is at. I found that when I wrote AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS, I spent almost two months on the first chapter and once I felt that I had it right, I zoomed ahead with the rest of the book. For me it is all about getting it right at the start. I am hoping that by next week I will have Chapter one where I want it. Anyone want to do a read through for me?
On another happy note. I do have a working title for this second book. THE PATH OF THE STARS. I like it. I hope you do too.

UVU, Neighborhood of Fire, and the Great Cupcake Debate

2008-07-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

It has been an eventful week. On Monday UVSC celebrated its move to UVU and now is an official university. There were a lot of festivities, but the best one was watching D fly over the crowd in one of the three twinstars the aviation department has. The kids sat on the grass and when he came overhead they started yelling "Hi Daddy" It was pretty cool.

On Tuesday we celebrated our neighborhood of fire. Good food, great friends, and the kids had all decorated their for the annual ride around the block. Even little L participated this year. His big wheel was not decorated because he had ripped all the streamers and flags that M had so carefully placed on it. He wanted nothing to do with decorating his bike. But when the moment for the ride came, he was in full force, making it around not just one, but both blocks. He was the last one in, but he did the whole thing by himself. We had a great time until the fireworks. I hate fireworks. I hate my kids having them, I don't mind sitting at a safe distance and watching them, but I hate the worry associated with them. The big problem ones for me are sparklers. This year, after I was told that the previous year people had been giving me bad looks because I had not brought sparklers for my own kids and the neighbors had to share, I broke down and bought some. Never again. It was not the million kids that swarmed me when I pulled them out, they were all cute and polite. I had no problem sharing (as I am sure my neighbors didn't the year before, why do I listen to these guilt trips?), but with that many kids someone was bound to get hurt. Well someone dropped one. It lit my blanket on fire and M trying to help stomp out the flame, lost her flipflop and had the lit sparkler go into her foot instead. Poor thing. I felt so bad because she is a little of a drama queen and so when she said she had been brunt, I assumed it was from one of the sparks and made her walk home wailing in pain while I gathered C and L. Then I got home and washed the burn only to find a nice hole in her foot. She insisted on a Band-aid, and I insisted on lavender oil. Next year I am thinking Glow Sticks!

You may not believe this with my distaste for fireworks, but 4th of July is my favorite holiday. I love to make flag cakes, and BBQ and, play outside. When I was in the Philippines on my mission, I was sad because I would miss 2 fourth of July's. I ended up making all the elders candy flags. So when I saw these cupcakes with blue and white sprinkles I just had to get them. They are so sinful, I know, but I had some great justifications of why I had to bring home a package from Costco with 20 extra large cupcakes.

#1...I was being frugal. I had a coupon!
#2...I was being patriotic. They have star sprinkles!
#3... I was being a good mom. My kids beg me all the time to get these cupcakes and for the past year I have been saying no. Now was my time to spoil my kids!
#4...I was helping out the economy by making this purchase. I was doing my American duty by putting my money back into society!

Now tell me, with all those fine things, don't I deserve a cupcake? (or two?)

Write Here Write Now

2008-07-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well, July came with a bang. I had hoped to have an entire day to write, but my children decided that would not be the case. Still I got in over 2,000 words in the few hours I had. Not a bad start. Except about 1,400 words in I was not loving the story. Once again I knew more outlining was needed. Zareepa! Wouldn't it be so nice if you could just come up with an idea and write it, knowing how everything would work from the get go? I sure think so. So I was faced with a dilemma. I want to do the BIAM challenge, but if I had to do the research (which is essential if you want to write anything worth reading) that wasn't going to happen. Then my good friend and fellow writing group member pointed out to me that I already had a story that I had done all the research for, a character that I knew and loved and an idea that I had been playing with for the past 2 years. I thought it would be jumping the gun to write a sequel to AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS before I even knew if I could get the thing published, but now I think why shouldn't I? There is a character who is just dying for a story of their own and a lot of the research has already been done. So as I love change I am going to give this character a chance. So here it is: Write Here Write Now I pledge that for the month of July I will write this person's story. And if I change my mind somewhere before the 31st will someone please come over and slap me?