Lydia Howe's Blog, page 25

Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week One: Portugal

Well folks! Welcome to the first Friday Series post. I'm still looking for a name for it, but for now I'm going to go with "Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks" thanks to a suggestion from one of Noveltea's readers. If you have any suggestions, please let me know them! 
This post took me quite a bit longer to write than I had imagined, there's a lot of research going on here. Hopefully next week I'll be on time. Also: Please take note that I'm new to this, just like y'all are. If you have any ideas of how to make it more interesting, please let me know. (I'd be so delighted to hear your thoughts!) I plan on adding in a plot line in addition to exploring countries, but that's going to take some work. Also, the rest of the posts shouldn't be quite as long, but I had to fit so much into this first one.
I seriously had so much fun this week researching Portugal and at times really felt as if I were visiting it myself. I had the weather for Lisbon up on my phone, I looked at lots of pictures, researched the history, the best places to visit, cool facts, the foods, what they were famous for, and all that good kind of stuff. I'm quite excited about Monday now and can hardly wait to find out where we are going next. 
And now, without further ado... 
source
Around the World in Fifty-Two Weeks Week One: Portugal 
7:05 a.m.Monday, January 4th Columbus, Ohio, USA The room erupted into noise as I opened my eyes. A camera flash went off and I heard someone dialing on their phone before I even looked down to see where my finger had landed. Portugal?  “Annie! This is so exciting.” Sophie, my co-worker, squeezed my arm. “I’ve always wanted to visit Portugal.” She began rapidly typing on her smart phone. “Look at this, is that not the most beautiful scenery you’ve ever seen?” Somewhere across the room a printer whirled to life. Looking down I found myself starring at high red cliffs with white waves crashing below them. “I’m going there?” I felt my mouth drop open. “Yikes.”  “Alright, Annie,” my boss hurried over with a folder of papers in her hand. “It looks like the weather is going to be in the fifties and sixties the whole week with a bunch of rain. Fahrenheit, that is.” She flipped through the papers and handed me one that had a plane ticket and itinerary paper clipped to it. “Your flight leaves at 2:23 this afternoon so you have about seven and a half hours to do research, answer interviews, get a blog posted, a vlog off to your editing team, etc… Any questions?”  A million or so of them entered my mind, but answering them was my job, not hers. “No, this is great, thank you.”  “Alight then. Sophie will stay with you in case you need anything,” turning around her authoritative voice rang out, “Back to your stations, people!”  The room soon became silent except for Sophie clacking away on the keyboard of the computer across from me, the printer starting up again, and the sound of airplanes taking off.  I took a deep breath and sat down. First things first. I pulled up my phone and punched in my mom’s number then pushed it onto speakerphone and started my own research while waiting for her to answer. 
It had been almost six months before when I first found out about this job. I had written a freelance article about packing effectively while traveling and next thing I knew I had an email from  Exploration Airlines. At first I thought it was spam and almost deleted it; that would have been bad. The email stated that a representative of Exploration Airlines (EA) had read my article and was interested in talking with me about undertaking a few writing projects for them. I thought they were talking about freelancing, but no, they offered me a full-time job. They needed someone to keep up their social media and after several interviews they decided I was the person for the job. They said they wanted more publicity and to be known as the best airlines for people exploring the world so I set out to make that happen. The idea of having someone travel around for a full year, one country per week chosen at random, was originally my idea. It hadn’t occurred to me that I would be the person when I first wrote up the proposal for EA. Here I was though, after five months chocked full of planning, about ready to head off on a year-long adventure. The job didn’t pay much, but who needed money when given a chance to travel the world?
“There’s a reporter from The Times here for the interview,” my boss poked her head in the doorway. “And we have a news crew from Destination Live coming in an hour.”   I gave her a thumbs up right as Mom answered the phone, “Annie?”  “Hey Mom, I don’t have time to talk now, but I wanted to let you know I’m heading to Portugal.”  “Oh, yay!” Mom was who I got my traveling-and-history-loving genes from. “They have the oldest bookstore in the world, you know.”  “Really?” “Make sure you visit it.” I could hear the glee coming through in her voice. “I’ll be praying for you, good-bye, darling.”  “Thanks, Mom. Bye, I love you.”  “Love you, too.”  I hung up right as the reporter entered the room. 
6:35 a.m. Tuesday, January 5thLisbon, Portugal 
I was really here. I could hardly wrap my mind around the fact. I yawned and made my way over to the bus. It was a bit difficult figuring everything out since it was in Portuguese and I was suffering from jet lag, but eventually I got to Corinthia, the hotel where Sophie had booked a room for me. I left my luggage at the front desk since it wasn’t check-in time yet. Then I left to find some breakfast; I had eaten on the plane, but I was already hungry again.  I ordered scrambled eggs and salmon with fresh orange juice and ate while perusing the internet and finalizing my plans for the day. There was a light rain coming down and so I decided my first stop would be the Lisbon bookshop Mom had told me about. After some quick checking I found out I could get there by bus and it would only take about twenty-two minutes.  “Well you look American.”  The accented greeting I received when I stepped inside Bertrand’s Bookstore made me smile, “I am.”  “I’m Jake.” The guy shook my and then gestured toward the books, “Is this your first time here?”  “It is.” I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply; the scent of books and a million stories, some written in pages and some lived out in real life, invaded my senses. “I heard this is the oldest bookstore in the world?” I touched the dark wood bookshelves and imagined how many generations before me had done the same thing.  “That’s true. We were founded in 1732.”  “And it’s been open ever since?”  “Not quite. Unfortunately it was destroyed back in 1755 when there was a massive earthquake. It was moved to this location in 1773 and has been going ever since.”  “Woah, that’s impressive.” The bookstore wasn’t crowded so I made my way slowly along it asking questions as I went.  “You’re really interested in the history of Lisbon, aren’t you?” Jake raised an eyebrow as I made my toward the travel guides that were written in English.  “I work for a travel blog.” I grinned, it felt so cool to say the words. A thought popped into my head, “Would you consider letting me interview you?” I slipped my backpack off.  “I’d be happy to, but I will have to stop if another customer needs me.”  “Thank you.” I pulled out a release and an information form so Jake could enter all the pertinent information that he would like to be featured on the blog {Side note: I still need a name for this blog and the story, Noveltea readers! Offer suggestions in the comments if you feel so inclined.} After explaining the details to Jake I pulled out my iPhone and started recording our conversation and got out my pen and notebook. “Oh, and by the way, my name is Indiana Anderson, but most people call me Annie.”  “It’s good to meet you, Annie.” I glanced at the pages of questions I had jotted down on my flight over. “Alright, first off, what would you consider to be the coolest random fact about Portugal?”  “Only one?” Jake frowned. “There are so many it will be hard to make my choice.” His forehead creased in thought. “Perhaps that the royal House of Bragança, which ruled Portugal from 1640-1910, was so wealthy, they didn't charge taxes on its land for 120 years.”  “For real?” I stopped my note taking and looked up, “You’re making that up, right?”  “Of course not.” The door opened just then and Jake looked over his shoulder. He called out rapidly in Portuguese for a minute and a petite woman with black hair came to join us. “This is my fiancée, Jen. Her English isn’t good, but she can answer the questions as well.”  I shook her hand, then Jake said something to her in Portuguese.  “She says the coolest fact is that Portugal once had a dead Queen.”  “A queen that died?” I questioned, not sure how that was so cool.  “No, no, no. See, when Pedro I was crowned King of Portugal in 1357, he proclaimed his lover, Ines de Castro, to be Queen, despite the fact that she had died in 1355.”  I gave a half-laugh, “That is pretty cool.” I flipped through my notes, “And, on the subject of royalty, why don’t you each tell me what you think if the most interesting ruling fact about Portugal’s history?” “That is an easy one as well.” Jake translated for Jen and then turned his attention back to me, “The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance between England and Portugal is the oldest alliance today that’s still in force.”  “Sounds impressive.”  “It was singed in 1373 and states that if either country enters war, then the other county will help defend them.”  “Wait a second.” I held up my finger. “This alliance was signed in 1373? How long did it last?”  “It’s still in force today.”  “No way. That, that means that they’ve had this alliance going on since before Columbus discovered America!”  “True.” Jake went off to help some customers then and I followed Jen as she showed me her favorite places in the bookstore. The ambiance was unreal and I felt amazed that I hadn’t heard of the bookstore until twenty-four hours before.  When Jake came back he and Jen conversed for a moment then Jake asked if I was ready for Jen’s answer. I re-opened my note book and nodded.  “She says that Lisbon is older than Rome; second in age for European capitals only to Athens. It is believed to have been settled in 1200 BC.” I nodded, “Neat.”   “And at one time half of the “New World” belonged to Portugal, including Brazil, and parts of Africa, and Asia.”  “Portugal sounds like it was quite the powerful empire.”  I asked a few more questions and then they gave me a list of popular places I should visit and experiences I should have while in their country. I thanked them and bought a couple of books and left my business card before moving on to explore the rest of the country.
During the rest of the week I visited museums, old castles, went on a ride in a wicker toboggan sled on the streets in Funchal, and ate more fish than I had ever imagined (some people say they have a thousand different ways to fix cod in Portugal!). I traveled across the Vasco da Gama Bridge, which is the longest bridge in Europe. I walked on the beaches, which hold the record for the biggest wave ever to be surfed, coming in at around 90 feet. I explored the streets of Coimbra, which is home of one of the oldest universities in Europe. And I ate massive amounts of my new favorite dish: Piri Piri Sauce which includes chilies, garlic, onion, lemon juice and paprika and is delicious.
All throughout the week I took notes and lots of short videos and then at night I would sit up in my hotel room with a view of the city stretched out below me and type up blog posts and put together vlogs. It was amazing. By the time Sunday rolled around I found a church to attend (even though it wasn’t in English) and then happily spent the rest of the day resting. Monday morning I would be off to a new country. 

A Bit of a Delay with the Friday Series Post

Hey folks! I'm having so much fun working on my Friday Series post! It's going to be so much fun doing it this year!

Unfortunately it won't be quite ready before 8:30 this morning, but I'll try to have it up as soon as possible. I'm working toward having it live before 10:30 this morning, but I guess we'll have to see what happens. Thank you for your patience.  =) 

Peace

I decided to choose a word each week to focus or work on this year, and my word for this week has been Peace. I've really enjoyed looking up different verses that are about peace and breathing in the stillness of peaceful moments. 
Peace is something that can slip from my grasp so quickly when I'm focusing on what I want, or my plans, or how I thought a day would go, because lets face it: Day to day life does not generally go according to plan. 
When I'm steadfast and calm, knowing that God can work through my life when I'm open to Him, that's when I have "Freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility," which, by the way, is how peace is defined. It's not always easy to set aside my own plans, but I'm working on it, and it does make life a lot better. 
This morning I wanted to share some verses about peace that I really like with y'all. 


“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
The Lord gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace. Psalm 29:11
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10
* * *
What is your favorite verse about peace? 

Beta Readers

Last night I stayed up far later than I had planned to because I received comments/edits back from one of my beta readers at about the time I was thinking of heading to bed. The thought crossed my mind that I could wait to read them until morning, but I quickly dismissed that idea and dove into them. 
One thing I've discovered recently is that writing and reading are so subjective. I can say one thing in my book, but that's probably not what the person reading it is going to understand it to mean. That's one reason why beta readers are so important to me - because they can help me to figure out what scenes in my books came across clearly and what scenes are going to be misunderstood or taken the wrong way. 
I've found that the more beta readers that agree on a subject, the more I should take it into consideration. Take Emerson Airlines in When Life Hands You Lymes for instance: I've heard several times now that it would probably be best if I changed Emerson Airlines to another business and added a bit more realistic details to that sub-plot of the book. Since I've had some of the same thoughts myself, I decided that those suggestions have exceptional merit and so one of my next editing projects is to switch out Emerson Airlines and develop the new business more. 

I've also had some beta readers who have pointed out issues that I gasped at because I thought they were so clear, but apparently they weren't. Or when a beta reader highlights a problem that I hadn't even realized existed. Now that can be a weird light bulb moment. (How in the world did I miss that?!?)

Then comes the times when I disagree with a beta reader. It's always hard to figure out what advice to follow and what advice to politely leave behind. After all, different people are going to have different ideals when it comes to books, that's just life.

It's times like that when I start talking out loud, answering the comments and waving my hands around wildly, acting like a crazy little author. I also sometimes respond with long emails because typing out my thoughts on the subject help me to process how I actually feel about it. If I don't like an idea, I generally try to think about it for a few days (or at least a few hours) before deciding what road I'm going to take.

One thing I've discovered though, is that beta readers are a writer's friend. They spend large amounts of time reading through the WIP (work in progress), making comments, and trying to give the author a better understanding of their work. I am so very appreciative of everyone who has beta read for me.

I've found that being a beta reader can be a rather daunting task, but it can also be very rewarding. I've learned a lot through beta reading and even more from people who beta read for me.

And... With that all in mind: Does anyone want a chance to beta read When Life Hands You Lymes ? It will probably be a few weeks before I have the first several chapters ready to send out again, but I'd be delighted for some more feedback. (Getting a lot of feedback is really important to me.) I'll just be looking for your general overview/impressions, although if you want to add more thoughts, I'd be happy to receive that as well.

If you are interested, please email me at aidylewoh@gmail.com and let me know. I can't guarantee you a place in the beta reading group, but I am in need of some more opinions. When you email me, I'll reply with more details.

Thanks, everyone!

Focused Writing & January 2016 Goals

This month I'm working on being focused with my writing. It's so easy for me to jump from project to project, but that's not very productive. Right now I have a conglomeration of different writing-related ideas flying through my head and there are four of them that I'm working on concentrating on at once. 
To help keep me focused I've decided to spend this month writing down what I work on and the time I work on it. That way instead of writing Echoes for ten minutes and then flipping over to research Portugal for my Friday series and eight minutes later deciding to edit WLHYL, I'll put my head down and accomplish something in one of those projects. 
I'm also going to try and have concrete daily goals (or at least time amounts) so I can know that what I'm doing really is working. Being busy doesn't equal being productive. 
I want my writing and the time I spend at my writing desk to really count. The thought that my words actually have the ability to help people along the road of life and even possibly make a difference is amazing. I feel like words are a gift that I can wrap up and hand to other people, and I want to make sure I'm packaging the right words. 

My goals for January 2016:
If the Lord wills and I live I will...

1. Begin my Friday Series (and come up with a better name for it; suggestions anyone?)
2. Keep track in my Really Living book
3. Eat Paleo the whole month
4. Spend 80 hours on my writing stuff
5. Spend 80 hours on my non-writing job
6. Read only non-fiction books

* * *
What are you doing this month to help keep on track and stay focused with your tasks? I'd be delighted to hear recommendations of what I can do. :) 

My Idea for a Friday Series

Happy first Monday morning of 2016! I am so excited about starting this week out strong and I've already had a wonderful hour or so of being awake and enjoying what looks like is going to be a fantastic day. 
Back on January first I mentioned that I had an idea for a Friday series here on Noveltea and I'm here to give you more information on that. 
As y'all know I like to travel. I also enjoy writing. And, I find it intriguing to learn about new countries and people groups. Therefore, I thought it would be a lot of fun to combine all three of those interests and start a series about traveling. Kinda, anyway. 
Despite only having had this idea for about a month or so, it's gone through quite the evolution and so I'll tell you what I'm thinking now instead of going through all the stages of what I had thought. 
1. It will be a fictional story, but have cool true facts in it about different countries 2. It will be written from the perceptive of a girl about my age. I'm not sure of all the details yet, but right now I have her working for a travel blog and I might throw a video travel-guide team in there, too3. Each Monday morning she will spin the globe around with her eyes closed and randomly put her finger down on a country, then she'll go spend the week in that country, learning all about it and having adventures. She'll start the process all over again each week for a whole year 4. Each Monday morning I will, in reality, spin my own globe and randomly put my finger down on the country, then I'll research it and each Friday write 500-2,000 words of a story where the main character is in that country and learning about it. That way all of us (you, me, and the character in the book) will be experiencing the journey and having fun and learning about different places 5. At the end of my normal Monday morning post I'll leave a little endnote type thing letting you know which country was chosen and then it will be my job to research it during the week and have the post ready by Friday 

I'm not sure if that makes complete sense because I haven't actually written it out before now, so please, ask me if you have any questions.

This idea has been pretty exciting for me and I can only imagine how much new information I'll be able to learn as the weeks glide past. This isn't set in stone, so I might change it up or even abandon it, but I wanted to at least give it a try. If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions I'd be delighted to hear them.

I hope y'all have a great Monday and I'd better get off to my non-writing job now so I don't have to run all of the way there. :)

* * *
If you could choose any country, which one would you want to go to?

* * *
The country for this week is: Portugal 

December 2015 in Review

What I focused on this month:

1. A big project at my non-writing job
2. A week with my adopted parents 
3. Lots of family time with Christmas and the week after Christmas

Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update: 

Birthday Challenge 

2. Pray the "prayer of Jebez" every day for three months 
3. Read the whole Bible {Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah}
4. Go to Wednesday night church 24 times {2}
5. Write a list of 1,000 things I'm thankful for {Completed 12-29-15}6. Read 12 non-fiction "spiritual" books {4}
7. Read the Proverb of the day every day for six months {4 Months}
12. Go to bed at 10:30 or before 24 nights (not in a row) {4?}
13. Write a monthly review on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available {Yes} 
14. Blog my 3 (or more) top goals for each month within 5 days of the beginning of each month whenever internet is available {Yes}
15. Write 24 book reviews {4}

Dream List

Date Written: Dream: Date completed: 12-11-14 Write a list of 1,000 things I'm thankful for 12-29-1512-11-14 Read the "Proverbs of the day" every day for a year (I missed Jan. 19th and possibly Nov. 11th) 12-31-15
Reading Update
Fiction: 8Non-fiction: 4 Reviews: 3
TravelingFive nights gone New states or countries: None
December Goals Update1. Complete all my assigned tasks during our really big week at my non-writing job {Yes}
2. Read four non-fiction books and write reviews for them {Yes}
3. Review my year {Yes}
4. Work on goals for 2016 {Yes}
5. Enter the new year with a clean office and library {Yes}
* * *I did this in a different format because I wanted to quickly get this review down because it's one of my goals, but it's so last year and last year is done. So, onward and forward to 2016. :) 

Happy Twenty-Sixteen! {Plus Some Ideas for Noveltea}

Happy Twenty-Sixteen! 
Yes, I am joining in with a late-afternoon post to say "WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR!" I am so excited to be in 2016 and can hardly wait to see what all these next 366 days bring. (2016 seems like the perfect year to throw in an extra day!) I finally feel as if I'm acclimated to my new writing set-up and am thrilled with how warm and cozy it has turned out to be. I can see myself spending many pleasant and worthwhile hours right here.

I've been waiting for the dawning of a new year to institute some slight changes with Noveltea that I think y'all will really like:

#1.When I asked in a poll, a lot of you said that a consistent posting time would be nice, so that's what I'm aiming for. I plan on posting between 7:00-8:30 am each day that I blog. (This is beginning on Monday 1/3/16 since I'm currently in my yearly "rest week.")

#2. I hope to get back in rhythm answering comments. This won't always be possible when I'm traveling, but I'm going to aim for answering all the comments within two days. So, if you leave a comment you can go ahead and check back for a reply. :)

#3. I have a really cool idea for a continuing story/project/cool sorta thing for a Friday Series. I'll tell y'all more about it some day soon in it's own post, but I'm excited about it and think you will be, too.

I hope y'all are having a wonderful first day of 2016! What are some of the things you're looking forward to this year? 

Books Read in 2015

Books read in 2015
Books Read Altogether: 152 
Fiction: 121 
Non-fiction: 31 

Re-reads: 15
New reads: 137

Reviewed: 23 (plus 3 children's books) 

E-books read: 102 
Physical books read: 50

Pages Read: 38,615 Approximate pages per book: 254 Approximate pages read per day: 105 
I read a book approximately every: 2.4 days
Stack of books read this year equals: 119 inches, or 9 feet, 11 inches 

Reading broke down by month: 
January = 9 books and 2,163 pagesFebuary = 14 books & 3,393 pagesMarch = 23 books & 5,361 pagesApril = 23 books & 6,299 pagesMay = 12 books & 3,520 pagesJune = 8 books & 2,255 pagesJuly = 17 books & 3,478 pages August = 10 books & 2,236 pages September = 11 books & 2,490 pages October = 12 books & 3,368 pagesNovember = 2 books & 725 pagesDecember = 12 books read & 3,327 pages

This year I learned so much through reading. I really saw my writing expand and grow and my style become easier and my creative side flow in a more even manner. I learned more about what I did and didn't like, as well as what aspects of books touched something deep within me. 

Reading Ideals for 2016 
* Read less (Haha, yes, I know that sounds weird coming from little ol' me since I'm all into reading, check out this post for my reasoning.)
* Read more non-fiction (In fact, this month I started a "nonfiction only" challenge for myself. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm aiming for at least a couple of weeks.) 
* Review more (all?) of the books I read, although I won't put all the reviews on Noveltea 
(Please note: The books in the pictures aren't actually the ones I read since so much of my reading this year was e-books. The books are the equivalent to the same number of pages I read this year.) 
* * * What about you? How did your reading go in 2015? What are some reading ideals you have for 2016?

1,000 Things I'm Thankful For

Back on July 16th of this year I wrote a list of 500 things I'm thankful for. This morning I wrote one of a 1,000 things I'm thankful for; I didn't look back at the 500-things list, but I'm sure I have repeats. :) 
I started writing the list last month but had to stop due to wrist problems. I haven't been feeling the best recently so this morning I decided to start the list again to help me gain perspective in life. I didn't write "I am thankful for" each time because I wanted to cut down on how much typing I did since my wrist is still not 100%. Overall I worked for about two and a half hours to come up with this list, although I did it over about a five hour time period cause I had several long breaks in there. 
This is obviously a very sporadic and very much not in list of importance. I expect anyone to read the whole thing, but if you do, wow. 

What are some things that you're thankful for today? 

I am thankful for/that…
Listscomputers to type onmy desk set upcandles to burn while I writeunlimited supply of matchesthe decorations in my room the view from my windowthat I can have a window to look out of while I work my glassesthe warm weatheran adjustable chair cozy sweaters yarnmy globe the furniture in my officemy library the letters I havepictures on my wall the quotes around my officethe dried flower bouquet I got for my birthdaymy nieces and nephews that my office is cleanfor my new computer keyboardfor my new computer micefor the wood floors in my officethat I have three windowsfor waterfor being able to eat in my officefor the color brownfor hatsfor pillowsfor blanketsstuffed animalsSequoia all the traveling I’ve gotten to do reflections planescarsbuses safetycloudsdogs motor bikes in different countries boatsswimmingChristmas lightsholidays Jesus coming to earthJesus loving us the Holy Spirit living inside of meGod’s patience with meGod’s love in m life Jesus being willing to die for meGod’s powerthe ability to prayGod redeeming meGod showing grace to meGod giving me so many good giftsGod giving us the Biblebooks that help us study the Bible learning to grow closer to God the Bible lighting our path encouraging versesdreams come truethe ability to think and reasonideas plot linesbrainstorming all I know about writing all I’m going to learn about writingthe writing mentors I’ve hadthe books I’ve gotten publishedthe stories I’ve written the ways I’ve grown in writinghaving written every day for the last 1,200 or so days WLHYL editingmy typing skillsmy wrist bracemy imagination my style of writingthe books I’ve read about writingthe blogs I’ve read about writingsingingmusicinstrumentspeople with talentdedicationrest balancethat we can all learnmercyfaithtrustlearning obedienceeating healthy yummy foodfruits pineapple mango apples  bananas  how cool some words are spelled kiwi  that not all words are as confusing as “kiwi”  that I learned how to spell words for how some words sound  the beauty of language  the creeks running through our property  our hay fields our woods our pond our buildings our newly painted old barn my rocks  maps  my magnet  words the ability to worship God Sarah  Sarah is so sweet  Sarah lives nearby  Sarah prays for me  Sarah gives me massages  Sarah listens so well Sarah is my best friend  Sarah writes poems  Sarah is a great mom  Sarah is funny  I don’t have goats any more I could grow up with goats I grew up out in the country  I had so much fun with goats for a while  cute little baby goats I don’t have to drink goats milk  I’m not allergic to goats milk in case I ever do want it  white trees  all four seasons  I get to live where there are all four seasons I’m actually enjoying this weather  gray skies  country roads  Mariah Mariah is such a deep thinker  Mariah works so hard Mariah has a good sense of humor  Mariah is willing to try new things  Mariah is really good with kids Mariah is dedicated with journaling  Mariah is helpful  Mariah is smart  Mariah is fun to be around  there not being a lot of bugs right now  my birthday is in September I have the ability to move  I am learning to type with my feet on the floor  I have enough to eat I have fresh air to breath  I always have pure water  my house is warm  I can start a fire with flint and steel  I have a job  I can be a writer, too  word-counters  my blog  GTW My blog followers  the people who leave comments the people who read my blog  wrist braces  paleo  cucumbers  green peppers the ability to see  the ability to hear  the ability to taste the ability to feel  the ability smell  the ability to walk  the ability to move  the ability to dance  the ability to make memories  all the great memories I have  remembering stuff from a long time ago  my childhood all the fun I had during my childhood my amazing parents  how smart my parents are how wise my parents are  how much my parents invest in me  all the great ways my parents have helped me grow my parents being willing to set aside plans for me  my parents spending time talking to me  my parents truly wanting what is best for me  my parents praying for me  my parents giving up for me  our parents showing us that they love us my parents allowing me to have pets  my parents supporting my writing  my parents believing in me my parents taking time to help me grow  my parents being a “safe place”  my parents raising me the way they did  our parents homeschooling us  our parents making family meals such a priority  my parents being funny  my parents being hospitable  our parents providing for us  our parents teaching us to love learning  our parents teaching us to love reading  our parents showing us different cultures  our parents uniting us as a family  our parents helping us learn to study the Bible  my parents raising us in the country  my parents instilling a high value system in me  my parents teaching me to be thankful  my parents teaching me to be generous  my parents teaching me to spend time with God each day  my parents teaching by example  snorkling  mountains  the ocean  rivers lakes waterfalls  pictures cameras  phones with cameras  phones books on phones  email  snail mail  hand written words communication  Africa  I could visit Africa I could learn from the people there  I can learn from everyone I meet monkeys  elephants  donkeys  mules Francis Moses  Moses’s imagination  Moses’s love for reading  Moses’s sense of humor  Moses’s hard working attitude  how much fun Moses and I have when we hang out  playing games with Moses Golden Nuggets  being able to multitask  my parents want to help others  life doesn’t just “happen” to me  I can make a difference I can grow myself  I can learn from others  I can change  I don’t have to live in guilt  I can be faithful  I can learn to be a better friend  I have friends  babies  little children  cuddling newborns Clara being seven months old now  Clara’s smiles  Clara’s happy attitude  Clara making my life so much better Clara living so close by  getting to hold Clara at church  getting to hug Clara  Clara being so sweet  who Clara is going to grow up to be  all the lives Clara is going to touch  for sweet pictures of Clara videos of Clara that make me laugh  cats  my rabbit my rat  my bookshelves my cute little spoons my coffee maker my filing cabinets  my Willow Tree figurines  my trip to Asia  all the fun things I got to do in Asia  the family I stayed with  being able to work on WLHYL while I was there being able to more forward with WLHYL  not being the same person I was six months ago forgiveness  love freedom  life  hope  peace  the ability to show love being commanded to show love dishes when it’s cold outside being able to look out the window while doing dishes snow  rain  clear blue skies music I like  Buddy Davis Music  Michael Card Keith Green  Chris Rice  Toby Mac  Casting Crowns  Music videos  inspiring songs changes in weather  changes in life  learning how to accept and embrace change all the changes that leave me learning to depend on God more getting a new perspective on life by thinking of things I’m thankful for  spellcheck  trees  we don’t live above the tree line  stars  night skies  swinging at night night time walks with family members  weddings new family members watching sunsets  living where I do  the beauty I can find all around me  rain puddles muddy roads  cutting grass  my lawn mower noise-canceling headphones  pockets clothes  warmth  a well-insulated house the experience of living in an adobe house  traveling across Europe  going to the top of the Eiffel Tower eating French fries in France eating French bread in France eating swiss cheese in Switzerland  eating yummy good all across Europe staying in cool places visiting castles  visiting palaces seeing amazing architecture  visiting interesting museums  seeing places my dad saw when he was my age  that we all arrived home safety with all our belongings the inside jokes we made  flowers windmills  the people we met the dreams I accomplished  visiting the Beje  Learning from Corrie ten Boom  seeing “The Hiding Place”  getting to tour Corrie’s house  getting pictures before they told us not to  seeing the watch shop  reading part of her books at her house  buying some of her books at her house buying the post cards there  knowing they happily made such a difference in the world  being inspired by her faith  knowing that she wasn’t perfect but God still used her  relating to her as a writer  knowing that God holds me in His hands  I am in a safe place I don’t have to work to find favor in God’s eyes my worth comes from Him, not what I can do  I don’t have to move mountains to receive God’s love God’s love will make me want to move mountains to teach others about Him  the book “Love Does”  Bob Goff how he’s changed so many people’s lives he’s touched mine  I can learn from books  I can help others learn from my books, too  Brother Andrew  I could read his book while in Holland  I can rest  I can accomplish  I can take breaks I have thoughtful people surrounding me  Helena  Helena wants to help others  Helena is such a good sister Helena wants to learn and grow Helena is so good with business Helena is making a difference Helena does so well with people  Helena is so loved at church Helena is willing change plans to follow God Helena takes time to help me grow Helena and I could grow up together  Helena writes so well  Helena loves people a lot  Helena is kind  Helena is so good with business stuff  Helena will take me places  Cool pens Different colored pencils  pencil sharpeners  my new lamp  my coffee maker  my beautiful windowsills all the cool stuff I have on my windowsills my shelf of special things  all the good memories different objects have all the amazing adventures I’ve gotten to go on   going to Hawaii  finding out in Hawaii that my first book was going to be published seeing all sorts of cool things while in Hawaii  getting to see sea turtles getting to go to ABC stores in Hawaii  getting to stay at the cute little beach houses  Grandma could go with us all the games Dad, Grandma and I played  the game that Dad and I made up  Logan, Dad and I playing the game so often the few times I’ve won all the cool memories we’ve mad playing it  games in general  how many games I got to play these last few days  that I enjoy games so much  sometimes other people like games, too  new games  winning games not minding losing games the amazing food we had in Hawaii  all the yummy rice we got to eat in Asia the fruit in Asia  shopping in the marketplace in the rain  not having to eat cow eyeballs  not having to eat sheep brains  only having to eat guinea pig once not having to regularly eat stuff I can’t stand  having good cooks in our family  knowing how to cook  enjoying cooking getting to cook so often  having good food to work with  learning to make new foods working in the kitchen with my family  sitting on the counters growing up with David and Helena  David being funny  David juggling eggs David making cool food  David making me laugh  David bringing us girls flowers David being so sweet David helping me grow  David helping me get stuff when I need help  David letting me listen to his music  David being a good example David living his dreams  David living close by  David being good with animals and taking over the goats  David following God Paddington bear Turkish tea Being read to growing up  exciting books  non-fiction books  fiction books  all sorts of different genres  learning through books  being able to read to others  giving Clara books  notebooks   dry erase markers dry erase boards juice  apple cider eggnog  white chocolate creamer  coffee seasonal candy  blank pages giving being crazy  not caring what some people think  beta readers  learning through comments getting better  not having to rely on myself  learning lessons  being able to move forward and not live in the past  God’s Word making a difference in my life   getting to spend so much time learning about God my blogging mug  tea  the name “Noveltea”  words that sound cool  Boxes  suitcases  email searches  that I’ve lived 23 years  laughter Peru  all the trips I’ve gotten to go on  all the times I’ve gotten to stay home  yawning  being able to breath  smelling good scents lilacs  tulips  daffodils  tiger lilies  cala lilies candy  nerds  pop rocks  mating sock parties with Betsie reading while we were growing up  Elisabeth  Elisabeth being such a good big sister Susanna  Susanna’s imagination  Samuel  Samuel wanting to explain stuff  Isaiah  Isaiah’s excitement for life  Faith Faith’s expressive face Mercy  Mercy’s knowing looks  Roy  Roy being the 7tth just like me Kenzie Kenzie’s encouraging words Titus  Titus looking just like his dad used to Emma  Emma’s cuteness Zane  all the fun we had the summers we hung out  Zack listening to his violin playing growing up  Alexa all the fun we had growing up  playing house together  playing war together playing “going west” together the stories we wrote together having fun with our imaginations together  day dreaming together  cooking together going to church together  playing with our younger siblings together  sleepovers  reading books together  going to our old fashioned festivals together  Zach  Zach is fun to hang around  Aubrey  all the great talks we’ve had about art the stuff I’ve learned from you  knowing I can bounce ideas off of you  that you listen so well you’ve been around so much  how dedicated you are  I can learn from your dedication  you create beautiful music  you are generous  you willing help others  you have a good sense of humor you read a lot  you’re willing to help me with my writing when I need it   all the laughter we’ve shared all the trips you’ve gone on with me   the times we’ve dreamed together  being able to dump all my thoughts on you  Zebb  how amazing you are you’re so outdoorsy  getting to hang around you a lot Zeke  you’re funny  you make people feel included  you are dedicated Zion you read a lot  you think things through  make us laugh  Annie you being around so much  watching you grow up beautifully giving you hugs Abbie holding you playing with your hair  watching you learn and grow  Isaiah being inspired by your piano playing growing up Isaac how much fun you are to hang Inika playing games with you  Ilijah  hanging out with you  Olivia  the fun we have when we are together  Jessie seeing your personality come through  Susie  and her cute little dancing  liberty  the ability to be thankful  knowing what it is to be thankful  realizing that I have so many blessings finding time to accomplish so much  learning how to live life in a more orderly way  meetings  getting to work on baby blankets knowing that I can make a difference having the decision making skills to decide stuff  curtains  indoor bathrooms  clean floors sweepers brooms mops wind the sound of wind blowing  thunderstorms  the cozy feeling of lying in bed listening to thunderstorms fresh flowers dried roses weddings the beauty at weddings getting to have been a maid of honor  the beautiful dress I got to wore  that I can still wear my dress  the flowers I got to carry with me  the memories involved with the wedding I knew the rest of the wedding party so well  the photographers  the laughter from that day  eating pizza afterward  having a group of people that I really like hanging out with  my church  all my friends at church  having a church I really enjoy  being able to get move involved with church  writing all this in about an hour and forty-five minutes being able to take a break for a meeting then coming back to write more things having a family business  having a ministry to be a part of  all the people I get to meet  the people who’s lives I can touch and maybe change for the better  the chiropractor  making Christmas cookies  being able to give gifts learning how to make new meals I get to cook with my family  listen to music while I cook  people enjoy eating the food I make  for sun sets  brillant blue skies budding trees in the spring  colorful trees in autumn  all the different shades of blue  bright yellow how colors help show personalities  the different hues of the ocean  the different colors of lilacs Michael W. Smith  Family time  feeling loved  feeling accepted  knowing I belong that hard times only last for a while  tomorrow is a new day  plans can be changed change can be good  sign language  I got to learn about stars with my bro  for all the help I’ve had with my books  knowing that people are praying for me  being safe having my family all safe living in a family that loves Jesus  having a community around me who loves Jesus  Logan  Logan is kind Logan likes to play our card game  Logan has helped me so much with designing book covers Logan is so good at puns  Logan shows true love  Logan is willing to help us grow  Logan is generous  Logan is such a good photographer  Logan is touching so many people’s lives I get to see Logan so often  for people who go out of their way to help me  people who read my books   people who buy my books  people who write book reviews for my books  places like Amazon where I can sell my book s Cool Critters of the Ice Age Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl  Action Kids’ Club  I finished the first draft of WLHYL  that I finished the first draft to the sequel of WLHYL  I finished the 2nd draft of WLHYL  that I finished the 3rd draft of WHLYL  that I finished the 4th draft of WLHYL that I finished the 5th draft of WLHYL  that I’ve started the 6th draft of WLHYL  that Misi did such a great job beta reading WLHYL  N is married now  Jamie is such a cool guy  for all the people in the world who are following God  for all the people in the world who are sharing His light  for all the writers in the world who seek to honor God with their writing  for the books that bring glory to God  for everyone who is having their lives changed by books  all the countries I will one day visit  for all the people who I have met who I’ve been able to have a good influence in their lives  knowing deep down that what I do matters that I can be encouraged in Jesus  Betsie  that I got to grow up with her she read to me so much  she helped inspire my love of words  Novel  Jamaica  Scout  Clara the cat  Medallion   Amiee  canoes  kayaking  that I’ve gotten to help film the Amazing Adventure DVDs  “Alaska!”  “I Dig Dinosaurs”  “Swamp Man”  “Extreme Caving”  “Ice Age”  that I’ve gotten to go caving that I’ve gottne to sleep in a cave that I got to become friends with Elizabeth while caving  for electric  for people who are well trained in their trade  doctors nurses hospitals  medicine  blood work being so accurate  healing  understanding of how things work  being able to praise God  Singing to my skunk papa  Having skunk parents  being able to have all sorts of inside jokes with them  how generous they are the swing they made me  being able to have adventures with them  being a part of their lives  going to the Creation Museum  the Creation Museum being built  All the great people who work at the Creation Museum  Answers in Genesis  all I’ve learned from Answers in Genesis  my friends who work for Answers in Genesis  that so many lives can be changed when they find out that the Bible is true  the Bible is true That I grew up knowing the Bible is true  Jesus coming to earth for us  being able to celebrate Jesus’s birth on Christmas  being able to think about Him and read about His life Knowing that He will never leave me  He knows the beginning from the end and can direct my steps  beauty  star fish  finding star fish in Aruba our time in Aruba the family time we had in Aruba the yummy food we ate in Aruba  the beach being so close to us in Aruba being able to crack a whip  having a whip to crack  being able to throw a tomahawk  having one to throw  being able to throw throwing knifes  I enjoy outdoors stuff the weather is nice enough for me to have my windows open without freezing  all that I learned in 2015  all I have to look forward to in 2016  that I can live life, really live that I don’t have Lyme disease any more  the health problems I do have have a cure  It’s not been hard to eat paleo  we have the right food for me to eat paleo  that being thankful is helpful  that a cheerful heart does good like medicine  the Bible tells us how we can live  the Word of God is alive and active  I can read  I can write words I know how to do math  I know about science  True Science and the Bible are in harmony with each other  words like harmony  and names like Monica  the way sounds roll off my tongue  that I have a tongue  I can taste a lot of good foods  pixi stixs  purple  pink  pink and brow together  pretty fabric  comfy clothes sweatshirts that make me look like a teddy bear cute socks  people who know what I like  hugs  back rubs  shoulder rubs dancing in the rain  swinging in the rain   boats trucks places to go  good roads clean roads  nice cars  rewards  knowing that God wants to reward us for doing good  being able to share what we have  being hospitable   sweet peas  daisies  puppies  kittens  colts  lamp shades that match my room  things inherited from Grandma  my grandparents that taught us to love Jesus  my grandparents we will, Lord willing, get to visit soon  visiting relatives  stationary  stamps  books by extra creative people  thoughtful words  kindness extended from strangers  edifying conversations  birth announcements  Jonathan Park  Blueberry Knoll  Echoes Getting so much written on my Echoes series  NaNoWriMo  A to Z Challenge  all the goals I’ve accomplished  getting 22 things done on my 23/23 challenge  having fun with my 24/24 challenge  Johanna  that she is so encouraging to people  that she has Three Life  she can write notes she loves a lot  she is creative she is bright  she knows how to make people laugh  she has a lot of good jokes  she has a good sense of humor  she’s dedicated  she’s got a bright room  she’s so uncluttered  she knows how to listen to people  clean windows  screens  good DVDs  Anne of Green Gables  childhood fantasies come true acting stuff  knowing I will continue learning  being able to learn to trust and abide  that I know what I need to learn a lot of the time  England  for the delicious meals we had in our friend’s garden in England  the beauty of the landscape in England  the beautiful sky in France  my first memory being of flying when I was two  snowman presents  thoughtful friends  how nice it is to have a weather app going on morning walks  being able to pray while walking  our roads  how I can find beauty in the same view over and over again  haying  getting to help with hay  pizza parties after hay  all the wonderful birthday’s I’ve had that Grandpa and Elenore lived so close by for so long  the great relationships I’ve been able to have  growing up in a ocean themed room  sleeping on the floor  choosing not to have a bed doing silly things to feel creative feeling creative so very much  hearing John Maxwell speak  all I’ve learned from John Maxwell for Howe Insurance Services  our office team  our retreat staff  being able to work with such cool people  people who send me notes  Lord willing getting to go to Mexico next year  Christmas parities  the music the wind makes that we have the ability to make music  that I can create worlds in my books that we don’t have a sheep farm  I can accomplish big tasks  I bought the placemat in France  the missionaries we know all over the world  when the Bible is translated into different languages all the people who are providing food and care for the refugees in Greece  encouraging texts  being able to bundle up when it’s cold  new story ideas  the thought of getting to continue blogging next year  long hugs when I’m stressed out  being Heidi’s sock monkey  fuzzy blankets  fluffy pillows warm sleeping bags clean animal cages that the Ark is being built in Kentucky  Uncle Zane  Aunt Denise  Aunt Becca  Uncle Chet Aunt Lori  Uncle Matt  Uncle Nick  Aunt Angie  Jo all the fun times I had with Jo growing up  bright and cheery Christmas decorations  frozen fruit  pickles  pretzels  cheese decaf coffee hot tea  iced tea lifesavers  my chair I like sitting in  our family pictures from down through the years  the ability to print a bunch of pictures  I can make photo albums  I could spend a week this month with my adopted parents  my corn husk dolls my arrowheads silly jokes that make me laugh  random pictures in my brain that amuse me  being able to translate my thoughts into words  the word “logical”  people who have helped me in the past years, even if I don’t still do a lot with them  working through problems and feeling happy to have them accomplished  being able to move all my fingers and arms and wrists, etc…  cool emails about writing  that I’m keeping up with answering emails now  for people who tell me that they believe in me  picnics parks  swingsets vacations sandwiches French fries dreams for the future  that it’s possible to travel all over the USA, even though I haven’t done so yet that there’s a place called Alaska that can be visited  braille  and audio books so blind people can still enjoy books  playing games at Sarah’s house eating popcorn with David  pickled garlic  cotton balls  warm water to wash up in  good tooth brushes  hair that doesn’t tangle easily  leggings to help keep warm  my blanket that I carry with me everywhere  freedom from guilt  butterflies and how they can remind us that change is good  the “change is beautiful” shirt Sarah made me  Helena’s thoughtfulness towards her sisters God having an amazing plan for my life