J.J. Devine's Blog, page 13
April 20, 2018
I love the early morning...
Good morning, everyone!!!This is my time of day where I not only begin to get woke up to start my day, but also relish in the quiet of the morning, before the rest of the world starts moving about and turns this quiet into the busy day.
I'm looking forward to the near future when I can welcome the day sitting outside my camper, looking at the beauty of nature. Or, sitting out on my back porch before the light of day begins to awaken my world. I love taking in the fresh air while slowly sipping my coffee and a keyboard at my fingertips :)
I was super exhausted after work yesterday. We were super busy and had all our deliveries. I came home and collapsed on the loveseat and just sat there for a little while. The youngest son and I added a few more apps to my Fire TV and watched a show or two. Then the grandson was coming to spend the night, so I got out my bike and met him halfway between our house and his. He likes hanging out with his uncle :) The conversations those two have just make me smile.
I was blessed yesterday with being able to talk with the husband of the girl who passed away two weeks ago. He had heard I was the one who waited on her that morning and just wanted to know the basics of what transpired that morning. I was happy to tell him what he needed to know.
Sometimes we just want to know things, need to know things, that otherwise would seem minute. My heart aches for him and what he is going through, but he seems to be doing good and is going about things in a healthy manner.
We brought in over a hundred dollars for Riley's yesterday :) We did that before I left the store, so I'm hoping my people really pushed the mark after I left and brought in at least half of that during the second and third shifts :)
I have to plan what we will be serving Monday and Tuesday of next week for the lunch crew. Yesterday was a large crockpot of goulash and it went fast :) Not sure what I'll come up with for the first two days of the week next week, but I'll figure out something I'm sure :)
We will be doing the first of our cookouts next Saturday. The local catering business will be donating hamburgers and hot dogs and I've already volunteered my boss to bring her famous baked beans :) I love this sort of thing and I love it even more how our community just comes together to help us. It's pretty amazing when customers ask, "Hey, is it okay if I donate this or that for your cause?" :) We even have a customer who is bringing in cupcakes for our charity bake sale :) Another man, we call The Pie Guy, has also volunteered to bring in more baked goods for our bake sale. He did this back in November for us and kept us supplied the entire charity. It's just amazing to see how caring so many are. It restores my faith in humanity :)
Well I guess I better hit the shower.
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
And so it begins...
Good morning, everyone!!!Today we launch our charity program at work. Twice a year we collect donations for charity, in the fall it is March of Dimes, but in the spring we have Riley Children's Hospital.
I sat down last evening and made up flyers for today's launch. I also threw together a large crockpot of goulash and made a very large pan of brownies :) So I will be heading into work a bit earlier this morning to get things set up to kick us off :)
So if you're in the Jonesboro, Indiana area and want to help out, stop on by the Circle K, you can't miss us, we're the only store in town :)
While I sat in the waiting room yesterday at the dentist office, hanging out while the youngest son had some wisdom teeth pulled, I got the word Prisoner of the Night was ready in paperback and then published it on Kindle :) So yep, Prisoner of the Night is now available in both paperback and kindle :) I hope you enjoy it. You may remember this story from a few places, but it got it's start right here in this blog during a Romance Writers Weekly blog hop :)
I also worked on some more formatting for Destiny's Price. I will be so happy when I get this story done and ready for your entertainment. I promise it is getting closer :)
I feel so much more accomplished when I get things done on the writing front and am still able to get a few things done around the house. I still have a LOT to get done on both fronts but at least I'm making progress and that's what matters.
I have the early early shift over the weekend, plus on Saturday I have my meeting. So this evening after work I will be getting the agenda together and getting things packed up for that before I go to bed. This way I'm ready when I get off work to head to Fishers for the day.
Well I guess I better get ready for this day. It's going to be a long one :)
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
April 19, 2018
They're back!!!
Good morning, everyone!!!I stayed up too late last night watching my show, The Originals. It is bittersweet this year seeing as it's the last season. I'm thrilled it's back on, but sad because it's the last time I will be able to watch new episodes. I say new episodes because we all know I am a binge watching queen for certain :)
I've waited a long time (since their scene in Vampire Diaries) for Klaus and Caroline to be together again. Their magic seemed a bit forced last night, but I'm very hopeful that once the show is up and going this season they go back to being that couple you can't wait to get together :)
The writers have done an amazing job with Klaus's character over the years. Making him that villain everyone hated to bringing him into the limelight of the wounded hero. He's been my favorite character for many years now. He and Caroline my favorite 'must get together' couple.
I'm in the process of putting out another short story. I'm hoping it will be ready for publication tonight after work. I'm just waiting on the okay to go live from Createspace then I'll get the kindle version set up and then Prisoner of the Night will be ready to go live :)
I take the youngest son to the dentist today after work so I figure I will take my laptop with me and get some more editing done on Destiny's Price while I wait on him to be ready to go home. Then I need to finish up Unfinished Business and get Darkness Brings Desire in edits. Those are my goals for this year and then I'm hoping by the end of the year to be ready to get Passionate Pursuit ready to go out :)
The only thing stopping me is me, which I know so I have to make the firm decision to get things done and going out into the world.
Well I guess I should get this work day started.
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
April 18, 2018
Winter please go away...
Good morning, everyone!!!I just got done going through my memories on facebook. The last three years for today I have pics of being outdoors, cooking out, eating dinner on the back porch, enjoying the sunshine...
This year, sure I've been able to hang clothes on the line, cooked out once, and even taken a few walks and rode bikes once already, BUT... then it all disappeared and snow came back and the cold came back and I've had a taste of the warmth yet to come and I need it bad!!!
Cold weather makes me lazy, tired, and I'm just all out ready for some beautiful days and sunshine.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind winter. I don't even mind the snow. But I am an outdoor kind of person who does love being out in the sunshine and warm weather too.
We're trying to get things ready at work for image and even our charity drive, which I would love to plan a few cookouts like last year, but with this weather being so unpredictable it is hard to plan.
I know I know, it's Indiana... We're famous for if you don't like the weather stick around... But I'm truly needing some sunshine and warm weather to complete my soul :)
A friend of mine picked a few of us up chakra bracelets awhile back. I wear mine proudly and anoint it with Dragon's Blood from time to time to get me centered and focused. This helps with the mood seeing as the weather isn't cooperating as of late. I had a customer the other day notice it and as she touched it, she smiled, looked at me, and told me she could feel the positive energy radiating from it. This made me smile :) I try very hard to keep a positive outlook on things even in this cold weather when it should be warm. At least I know it's working :)
I managed to get a few things done yesterday around the house. Which was a plus. I gave myself a time limited, seeing as I didn't want to miss the new Roseanne :) Today, I have the beginning of the final season of The Originals coming on, which is an hour later than Roseanne, so I have an hour longer to get things done before I can sit down and relax :) Which is probably good seeing as today is pay day and after work I need to go to the bank and the store. Then home to vacuum and fold laundry.
Tomorrow I take the youngest son to the dentist to get wisdom teeth pulled. I'm hoping that all goes smoothly and getting him back into the house won't be too much of an issue :) I've already got a game plan in motion for when I get back. Thankfully. So I need to get the couch ready for him this evening because there will be no time tomorrow after work to do it.
Well I guess I should prepare for this day...
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
April 15, 2018
Time alone with my thoughts...
Good morning, everyone!!!Sometimes in life you just need to be alone with your thoughts. That's where I've been for the last week. It's no one's fault, just things have happened that required some deep thinking on my part.
When a young person dies in this world it can be hard to accept. When that person is someone who has been a part of your life for a short time, but their world impacted your own, well, it makes it harder to understand.
I went to a funeral Saturday afternoon for a young person I only knew through working at my store. It was sad to see that even though in life we only knew each other through this casual meetings that I knew more about her day to day than some of those who should have been closer to her.
I left there with a heavier heart than I went with.
It is sad when such an energetic life has been snuffed out. Someone who walked into a room like a whirlwind could actually no longer walk into that room. But to sit back and listen to people talk of their memories and struggle to find words to describe their time with this force, was saddening.
I spent the day yesterday cleansing of the bad energy I enveloped on Saturday. I texted my sisters to thank them for being my sisters. Knowing I had sisters who have memories they could share with others of not just our childhood, but also so many memories we share still. Even if we can't be together every day.
I'm thankful for a mother who would not have to be asked to sit with family, but one who would be sitting right there knowing it was the last time to sit at my side.
What in life could be so horrible? What in life would split a family in such a way?
Lord knows our family is not perfect by any means, but at the end of the day they would still be there. Of this I am positive.
I noticed for someone so young there were so little there to pay their last respects. Then when the time came to respect the family, so many walked out the door without a second glance leaving the family standing up there all alone. Not many went forward to say, "I'm sorry for your loss," like there should have been.
This really shook me to my core. Where is the unconditional love? Where is the respect for the dead?
When the husband is so proud of the local store's people who came to pay their respect, introducing the women to family members. We should have been just people who came to show their respect. But we made an impact by being there.
I was the last one in our store to wait on this young lady. I felt the deep gut impact when I came across the scene of the crash that took her life only hours later. But I am not the only one in our store who will miss her coming in for her pop, her chocolate covered donut with sprinkles, her menthol 72s, and her number 24. I'm not the only one who will miss that ball of energy walking through our doors, loud and ready to take on the world. I'm not the only one who will miss her passion for life or her cocky way of telling it like it is.
I don't know why death affects me this way. But it does. I over think it to the extreme sometimes. I know now why she required me to mourn for her after being present for her funeral. We all deserve to have those we leave behind to mourn us no matter what.
Fly high with the angels, Marti!!! You will be missed and you were deeply loved by those who understood you.
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
April 9, 2018
Welcome to Monday!!!
Good morning, everyone!!!Well I survived hell week!!! To save my sanity I took a tiny vacation from the computer and pretty much all else. It was definitely reenergizing and strange how I feel after being away for awhile.
My days and nights were crazy mixed up this last week, so just maintaining has been the goal and I succeeded :)
Life is strange sometimes, but we all need things to get shaken up once in awhile. It helps us put things in perspective. I awoke the other afternoon with the urge to do a bit of binge watching on True Blood again LOL. It's my go to show. And yes, I'm at the end of season 4, what about it???
I managed to go in over the weekend for my early early shifts and kick ass on the books :) Thankfully, things went pretty smooth for a weekend :)
Yesterday I waited on one of my regular customers and then three hours later she passed away. It really shook me up to say the least. To know someone was there one minute then gone in the blink of an eye. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers as they try to get through these next days, months, and years without her light.
I have two days left of my work week. Then a few days off, which I need very much. I have so much to do around here that I put off and eventually it will catch up with me LOL.
Well I guess I should call it a morning and get this day started...
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
April 5, 2018
Welcome to B2BCyCon!!!
Welcome to B2BCyCon!!!I've been asked to write a blog on my true life inspiration. That's an easy one. The Indian at the End of the Trail.
When I first began my journey as a historical romance writer I was and still am obsessed with The Indian at the End of the Trail. The symbolism of the way of life for the Native Americans coming to an end, always struck my soul. The beauty of their way of life ripped away to a life of poverty and living on reservations.
If I could rewrite history where people embraced the differences of other cultures, learned from one another, helped one another succeed, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I keep this symbol surrounding me each and every day as a reminder that we are all human and deserve to live in peace together. I write my stories in The Acceptance Series in hopes that whoever reads them, will embrace the differences between cultures and learn we can all live together in one world.
Destiny's Price is next up in my Acceptance Series:Destiny Connors never knew men to be kind. Her father beat her, sold her body, and left her for dead. Trust isn't something that comes easily to her. Then Stephen Davis is thrown into her life. He heals her physical wounds, but can he heal her soul? Stephen fell head over heals for the fantasy life he dreamed he and Destiny could have. Yet, when reality hits, it's like a blow to the gut, shattering all his hopes and dreams. Can he face the truth and find it in his heart to prove to Destiny not all men are alike? Or should he just send her back to her real life hell and forget he ever met her?
Next up on the hop is the award winning Lizzi Tremayne. She writes about the Old West, Russia, and Colonial New Zealand as well as veterinary fiction and non-fiction. Check out her blog here:
https://lizzitremayne.com/cycon-2018-come-…e-what-its-about/
April 2, 2018
Unconditional Love...
Good morning, everyone!!!This morning I want to talk a little bit about unconditional love because it's been on my mind lately.
Unconditional love doesn't mean you have to submit yourself to everything someone dishes out to you. It means, that in spite of the things they dish out to you, you're still going to love them no matter what.
No one makes all the right choices for themselves every minute of every day. It doesn't mean we're not loveable, it just means we're human. Sometimes we make the wrong choices over and over again. We get stuck in a pattern we find comfortable and we stay there. A comfort zone can be heaven or our own personal hell. It still doesn't mean we're not loveable.
No one in this life is perfect. To believe that we are is a dilution of the truth.
Giving unconditional love is a topic that has been on my mind as of late. Understanding how to give unconditional love and still be able to enjoy life.
I have a friend that no matter what is going on in this world she always seems happy, on top of the world, and never seems to let the struggles of this world get her down. I thought about this as I thought about unconditional love. She has this hands down in this life. Always giving off a world of beautiful energy.
So how do you do this? I asked myself.
When you see someone close to you going back to the same habits as they once embraced before? Then the answers became clear, you love them unconditionally. You give them the space to live life in their own manner. You just keep loving them.
Unconditional love doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your values or your decisions. Because we all have to live with the consequences of our actions. We do not have embrace their choices, but we do still have to love them even when they aren't being loveable.
Part of life's lessons are living with the consequences of our actions. If everyone around you is always bending to your actions, there are never really any consequences for you to live with. Nothing for you to learn from. Unconditional love doesn't mean you have accepted the path of another, it just means you've accepted the fact that each person must live their life in the manner that they see fit for themselves and love them anyway. We all have our lessons to learn in this life, and sometimes those around us can see the bigger picture and it breaks their heart, but to give that unconditional love, they must let you live without interruption.
The hardest part is watching someone you love keep repeating the same patterns over and over again. First instinct is to lash out at them, say things like, "Don't you see you're back at square one?" But then you let this roll over in your mind, you realize there is still much to learn for this person from this behavior and you have to figure out how you may have blocked this learning from them that helped them get back to this position.
Unconditional love is messy. It is hard. It is not a place we don't wish to be in all the time, but we do it, because unconditional love means loving without demands, without expectations, and let love flow through us regardless.
Just because you love someone unconditionally, doesn't mean you are part of their choice, it just means you love them regardless of their choices.
I make choices every day that I know are not the choices someone else would make. I am just thankful those who love me, love me anyway :)
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
March 31, 2018
Last day of March... Why oh why is this year flying by???
Good morning, everyone!!!Can you believe how fast three months has flown by? I sure can't. Vacation will be here before we know it :) and that isn't even until the end of July.
Update on Rudy and Lilli:
They are definitely the life of this household. Very entertaining to say the least. Lilli is still the friendliest of the two. She loves jumping up on my hand and trying to groom my nails LOL. The youngest son has been working with them as well. She still won't hop up on his fingers but she will eat off of his hand :) Rudy on the other hand is still pretty shy. He will peck at my shirt, but doesn't want any part of climbing around on me. But he watches Lilli make herself at home :)
The fly cage has been fantastic for them. They have now gotten to the point they use the entire cage. They like sitting on the top perch, and Lilli loves hanging upside down. I tell everyone she is part bat LOL.
They love talking on the phone. When my phone rings they start chattering especially if it is hubby. There's just something about his voice that gets them going.
I have to say they have definitely brought some light into my life. I enjoy having their chatter and their antics LOL.
Today I am headed out to my sister's house to enjoy the day. I need this little break in life. I'm looking forward to just hanging out and doing a whole lot of whatever we find to get into :)
Well that's it for me today.
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
March 30, 2018
So much to do...
Good morning, everyone!!! I'm headed into my insane week, where I will work three different shifts. But I do get an extra day off :) So hey, it works.
However, it is also the week before Cyber Con and still so much left to do to prepare. So, I will be a busy bee this weekend going into my insane week.
I've sorta taken some writing time off to help the son and daughter-in-law get some of their things moved in and put away in their new house. As well as worked a few early early shifts this past week. So, Sunday will be spent catching up on the Cyber Con stuff and hopefully get in a bit of writing.
Saturday I am taking for me. Hoping it will be nice enough for my sister and I to go for a nice walk in the woods. It is definitely something I need to do right in the middle of the insanity. I need the grounding this will bring :)
Today is going to be a long one. I go in to the day job here in less than an hour and then work until 3 this afternoon. Delivery day!!! Yay!!! Not!!!
I am looking forward to these next couple of days off, even though they will be busy. No alarms for a few days :) That always makes it worth it, even though I still get up early.
Well wish me luck. I'm going to need it :)
Everyone have a lovely day!!!
Blessings to all!!!
