Alyne Hart's Blog, page 16

What I Love About My Town Walla Walla (Day 5 Slow Down Plan)

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Walla Walla, the town so nice they named it twice. It’s my town. I wasn’t born here, but the second I saw it, I knew it was home. Walla Walla has community spirit, and it was voted one of the friendliest cities AND one of the most charming small towns in America. It’s no wonder I chose Walla Walla as the location for Rocking Autumn!

So why do I love Walla Walla?

Food Truck Night!

Every first Monday of the month from spring until late summer, all the food trucks converge to one beautiful location. It’s a feast you cannot miss out on! Expect to see everyone you know there!

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2. Downtown Farmers Market. Fresh local produce and handcrafted items. Score! (expect to see everyone you know here too)

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3. The picturesque Blue Mountains. In spring when the rolling hills are covered in grass, it looks like something straight out of Middle Earth. (expect to see no one here)

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4. Balloon Stampede Night Glow. It’s magical. (more than half the town will be there)

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6. Downtown Walla Walla, Main Street. Quaint charm meets upscale. Amazing food, eclectic bars and wineries. Local businesses and upscale shopping.  Swing by Public House 124 for some truffle fries, stroll main street lined with trees wrapped in sparkling white lights, browse through vinyl records at Hot Poop and maybe even grab a giant ice cream cone at Brights. (Everyone you know is here – probably at Starbucks or Coffee Perk)

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7. Macy’s Parade of Lights! It’s a holiday festivity that you can’t miss out on! (half the town will be here)

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8. Walla Walla Public Transportation. Repurposed cable cars. Score! They’re cute…and they ding!

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9. The gazebo at Pioneer Park. It’s simply beautiful and peaceful.

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Family Rituals (Day 4 Slow Down Plan)

Three years ago I became (by choice) a single mother. Money is tight most of the time. I’m usually budgeted down to the dollar, leaving very little wiggle room for things like new shoes and jeans and seasonal clothing.

We can’t always do the things that their friends’ families do by going to the movies or out to dinner or buying the newest video games.

So I needed to be creative. How could we have a fun family night together, and not break the bank. We came up with movie date night. A dig through the $5 movie bin at Walmart (which has stocked our library nicely), $1 boxes of candy and a handful of other snacks – and date night with my boys was born.

It’s something we all look forward to. And it’s something that I hope they carry with them into adulthood as a fond memory! We have lots of other fun traditions, that I will share as the holiday’s approach ♥

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A List of Things I’ll Never Do Again

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I tend to be a bit of an impulsive person – maybe even a little forgetful. I’ve done my fair share of stupid things, even some downright ridiculous things. Here is a list of ten things I will never do again, and why.

I’ll never mix Red Bull and vodka ever again. My heart and liver will thank me. I’m sure.
I’ll NEVER join a dating site ever again. Paid. Free. They’re all the same. The four horrifying dates (for example, one grabbed my boobs over a plate of pancakes) and the two internet stalkers should explain why.
I’ll never skip the sunscreen in Hawaii ever again. The five days of a miserable vacation are the reason why.
On that note. I will never use self-tanner ever again. Donald Trump orange anyone? I’m too pale, I’m not fooling anyone by showing up as a bronzed goddess!
I will never watch horror movies alone ever again. (But I probably will) The lack of sleep and jumping at every noise were ridiculous.
I will never try to force a relationship to work ever again. If it doesn’t work – it doesn’t work. No matter how nice they may be.
I will never not save my work periodically. (I probably will) Crying over lost documents is not a good look for me.
 I will never think I can remember something without writing it down.  Because I will never remember. Ever.
I will never ever apply Icy Hot to my entire, freshly showered body ever again. No matter how sore I am. Can you get hypothermia from a creme because…
I will never pretend to ignore red flags/signs of lying because I think I’m being too critical or negative. Red flags are red flags…you need to believe your gut instincts.

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A List of Things I’ll Never Do Again (Day 3 Slow Down Challenge)

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I tend to be a bit of an impulsive person – maybe even a little forgetful. I’ve done my fair share of stupid things, even some downright ridiculous things. Here is a list of ten things I will never do again, and why.

I’ll never mix Red Bull and vodka ever again. My heart and liver will thank me. I’m sure.
I’ll NEVER join a dating site ever again. Paid. Free. They’re all the same. The four horrifying dates (for example, one grabbed my boobs over a plate of pancakes) and the two internet stalkers should explain why.
I’ll never skip the sunscreen in Hawaii ever again. The five days of a miserable vacation are the reason why.
On that note. I will never use self-tanner ever again. Donald Trump orange anyone? I’m too pale, I’m not fooling anyone by showing up as a bronzed goddess!
I will never watch horror movies alone ever again. (But I probably will) The lack of sleep and jumping at every noise were ridiculous.
I will never try to force a relationship to work ever again. If it doesn’t work – it doesn’t work. No matter how nice they may be.
I will never not save my work periodically. (I probably will) Crying over lost documents is not a good look for me.
 I will never think I can remember something without writing it down.  Because I will never remember. Ever.
I will never ever apply Icy Hot to my entire, freshly showered body ever again. No matter how sore I am. Can you get hypothermia from a creme because…
I will never pretend to ignore red flags/signs of lying because I think I’m being too critical or negative. Red flags are red flags…you need to believe your gut instincts.

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20 Random Facts About Me

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When I was a little girl I wanted to be a secretary. Specifically, a secretary named Diane. The whole thing just seemed the height of glamour to me.
I have an obsession with organization
One day when I was a kid I decided to make orange my favorite color because orange had no friends. It’s been my favorite color ever since.
I can touch my tongue to my nose
I’m curious about veganism and I want to try it for a year
I’m a shopaholic when it comes to clothes
I like being single, mostly
My favorite number is 17, but it has absolutely no significance. I just like it!
I’m terrified of fish in lakes and rivers
I’m ambidextrous. I broke my right arm three times when I was in grade school. It took into my early adulthood to stop using my left hand to hold a fork.
I was a huge tomboy as a kid
Despite my peppy and outgoing seeming personality, I’m actually quite introverted. I taught myself to be extroverted, but it drains me.
I use the word like more often than I should
I lived in Yakima, WA when Mt. St. Helens blew. I was nine. It’s a day I will never forget from the loud boom that Sunday morning, to the dark, black skies hours later in church and all the ash…piles and piles of it. Because the technology was basically nil back then, it was assumed we were dead in mine and other towns.
I have a hardcore resting bitch face. Until people get to know me well, it’s usually assumed I’m in a bad mood or angry. I tried walking around with a little smile, but I felt like a psycho.
My mom is my best friend
I’m mildly obsessed with cats
I love playing video games
I’ve had my nose pierced twice in the last ten years and lost the piercing both times – due to taking them out to get jobs
I prefer sherbet over ice cream

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20 Random Facts About Me (Day 2 Slow Down Plan)

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When I was a little girl I wanted to be a secretary. Specifically, a secretary named Diane. The whole thing just seemed the height of glamour to me.
I have an obsession with organization
One day when I was a kid I decided to make orange my favorite color because orange had no friends. It’s been my favorite color ever since.
I can touch my tongue to my nose
I’m curious about veganism and I want to try it for a year
I’m a shopaholic when it comes to clothes
I like being single, mostly
My favorite number is 17, but it has absolutely no significance. I just like it!
I’m terrified of fish in lakes and rivers
I’m ambidextrous. I broke my right arm three times when I was in grade school. It took into my early adulthood to stop using my left hand to hold a fork.
I was a huge tomboy as a kid
Despite my peppy and outgoing seeming personality, I’m actually quite introverted. I taught myself to be extroverted, but it drains me.
I use the word like more often than I should
I lived in Yakima, WA when Mt. St. Helens blew. I was nine. It’s a day I will never forget from the loud boom that Sunday morning, to the dark, black skies hours later in church and all the ash…piles and piles of it. Because the technology was basically nil back then, it was assumed we were dead in mine and other towns.
I have a hardcore resting bitch face. Until people get to know me well, it’s usually assumed I’m in a bad mood or angry. I tried walking around with a little smile, but I felt like a psycho.
My mom is my best friend
I’m mildly obsessed with cats
I love playing video games
I’ve had my nose pierced twice in the last ten years and lost the piercing both times – due to taking them out to get jobs
I prefer sherbet over ice cream

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60 Before 60

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Have you ever really sat back and thought about the things you want to do and accomplish in your life? Really take stock of all the adventures and goals you have and made them into a tangible list?

The bucket list. There are all kinds of them. Summer bucket lists. Fall bucket lists. Before I die bucket lists.

Mine is the sixty things I would like to do before I turn 60 list. So here we go.

Go skydiving (super cliche, but it’s true)
Zipline through the jungle
Find the person I want to grow old with and/or have an epic romance
Eat a deep-fried Twinkie
Visit Bali
Eat pasta in Italy
Take a photography class
Write a best-selling novel
Visit a hot spring  with the love of my life and sit in it unabashedly naked together
Take a cooking class
Have a picnic in Central Park
See the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York
Listen to jazz in the French Quarter
Vacation alone
Live on the beach
Befriend a complete stranger
Visit a castle
Go clam digging
Eat Boston Baked Beans in Boston
Eat pizza in Chicago
Kiss a beautiful man on top of The Empire State Building
Spend an entire week in a cabin unplugged from the internet and cell service
Learn how to make soap
Be on someone’s bucket list and help them make it happen
Build a Habitat For Humanity House
Go vegan for a year
Go to a silent retreat
Attend a book signing, as an author
Order one of everything off a menu
Have a super fancy dinner party
Watch a play on Broadway
Learn to homestead
Perform at a slam poetry reading
Be a bridesmaid
Learn to sew
Kiss in the rain
Hold an otter
Learn how to make candles
Eat something bizarre in a foreign country
See Manchester Orchestra perform live
Visit Greece
Visit Ireland
Visit Germany
Get my palm read
Try fire cupping
Stay in a 5-star resort
Eat a meal cooked by a celebrity chef
Enter a food challenge at a restaurant
Learn how to make a killer cocktail
Cuddle a koala bear
Hold a monkey
Watch my boys turn into men
Plant a thriving garden
Press my own apple cider
Make a completely home-grown meal
Go to a floating lantern festival
Name a star
Go ghost hunting
Pay for a stranger’s groceries
Own a home

So that’s it. That’s my 60 before 60 list. What’s on yours?

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60 Before 60 (Day 1 slow down plan)

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Have you ever really sat back and thought about the things you want to do and accomplish in your life? Really take stock of all the adventures and goals you have and made them into a tangible list?

The bucket list. There are all kinds of them. Summer bucket lists. Fall bucket lists. Before I die bucket lists.

Mine is the sixty things I would like to do before I turn 60 list. So here we go.

Go skydiving (super cliche, but it’s true)
Zipline through the jungle
Find the person I want to grow old with and/or have an epic romance
Eat a deep-fried Twinkie
Visit Bali
Eat pasta in Italy
Take a photography class
Write a best-selling novel
Visit a hot spring  with the love of my life and sit in it unabashedly naked together
Take a cooking class
Have a picnic in Central Park
See the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York
Listen to jazz in the French Quarter
Vacation alone
Live on the beach
Befriend a complete stranger
Visit a castle
Go clam digging
Eat Boston Baked Beans in Boston
Eat pizza in Chicago
Kiss a beautiful man on top of The Empire State Building
Spend an entire week in a cabin unplugged from the internet and cell service
Learn how to make soap
Be on someone’s bucket list and help them make it happen
Build a Habitat For Humanity House
Go vegan for a year
Go to a silent retreat
Attend a book signing, as an author
Order one of everything off a menu
Have a super fancy dinner party
Watch a play on Broadway
Learn to homestead
Perform at a slam poetry reading
Be a bridesmaid
Learn to sew
Kiss in the rain
Hold an otter
Learn how to make candles
Eat something bizarre in a foreign country
See Manchester Orchestra perform live
Visit Greece
Visit Ireland
Visit Germany
Get my palm read
Try fire cupping
Stay in a 5-star resort
Eat a meal cooked by a celebrity chef
Enter a food challenge at a restaurant
Learn how to make a killer cocktail
Cuddle a koala bear
Hold a monkey
Watch my boys turn into men
Plant a thriving garden
Press my own apple cider
Make a completely home-grown meal
Go to a floating lantern festival
Name a star
Go ghost hunting
Pay for a stranger’s groceries
Own a home

So that’s it. That’s my 60 before 60 list. What’s on yours?

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Re-Focus and Taking a Step Back

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One of my favorite things to do is have a cup of tea, light a candle or two and meditate. Most days, it’s hard to quiet my mind. It’s always in hyperdrive about everything I need to accomplish, my goals, work, bills and basically how to be SuperWoman.

During a meditation session Sunday, the thought that’s been nagging at me finally rang through so clearly, that I need to heed it. It said, “slow down”.

I will be filming a YouTube video on the subject, but I am a person who lives with depression. I am also a person who is usually high-strung, constantly pushing myself and extremely driven. Often times I push myself so hard, that I back myself into a corner, and find myself completely overwhelmed.

All in the span of about six months I have released my first novel, written and released my second novel and gotten out of a relationship that left me emotionally drained, triggered and stressed out. I’ve been pushing myself hard. While the release of Rocking Autumn has me on an incredible high, I also feel drained. Mentally, creatively and emotionally. Every time I do something that puts me on an incredible high, I always hit an inevitable low. I’m not there totally, but I feel the low coming. I feel the toll it’s taking on my energy and creativity.

“Slow down.”

I have a great idea for my next novel. I have an incredible outline and plot and plot twists and character dynamics. But guess what? It can wait. I’m not in a race to pump out as many books as I can in as short of a time frame as I can. I didn’t even want to release the next one until February or March anyway.

“Slow down.”

I’ve decided to take a month off. A month off of pushing myself. A month to breathe. To focus on what’s important. My children. My health. My zen. My work (which gets hectic this time of year). My creativity will be thankful. My blood pressure will be thankful. My mood will be thankful. My body will be thankful.

I’ve put together a thirty-day blog post list. I am a writer, and writing every day is important! So here we go. Thirty days of slowing down. Thirty days of giving myself a break and cutting myself some slack. Thirty days of focus.

“Slow down.”

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Vlog | Day in the Life | Rocking Autumn Release Weekend ♥

 

When I started my YouTube channel I talked about how I find balance between being a single mom, working full-time, finding personal time and writing! This video crams 15 hours of my day into a 14-minute video – and it’s a small glimpse into how I do it all!

Rocking Autumn is available HERE:

Amazon → US https://goo.gl/nNxvzK

Amazon → UK https://goo.gl/iC8hGK

Amazon → CAN https://goo.gl/7pSZrE

Amazon → DE https://goo.gl/AxgSAR

Amazon → FR https://goo.gl/ct7FzN

Amazon → AU https://goo.gl/tDJA8T

Paperback → https://goo.gl/V6FcXA

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