Lydia Howe's Blog, page 31
October 5, 2015
Goals for October 2015
Hey y'all! The last several days were crazy and amazing with our almost-sister getting married and a spur-of-the-moment trip out-of-state and all that kind of stuff the accompanies a huge event. It was all very beautiful but left little time (or brain-power) for blogging today.
I've been tossing the idea around in my mind of not only having a review at the end of each month on my blog, but also having a post with some of my goals at the beginning of each month. So, I figured I'd better get that posted today and here we are. I'm still going to have to tweak the guidelines and all that of how it will work, but for now this will have to do.
Goals for October, 2015
1. Finish the Fourth Draft of When Life Hands You Lymes
2. Focus and do an amazing job with the MWR (a big project at my non-writing job)
3. Read two non-fiction books and write reviews
4. Finish two baby blankets
5. Finish figuring out my 24 before 24 challenges
* * * What are some of your goals for this month?
I've been tossing the idea around in my mind of not only having a review at the end of each month on my blog, but also having a post with some of my goals at the beginning of each month. So, I figured I'd better get that posted today and here we are. I'm still going to have to tweak the guidelines and all that of how it will work, but for now this will have to do.
Goals for October, 2015
1. Finish the Fourth Draft of When Life Hands You Lymes
2. Focus and do an amazing job with the MWR (a big project at my non-writing job)
3. Read two non-fiction books and write reviews
4. Finish two baby blankets
5. Finish figuring out my 24 before 24 challenges
* * * What are some of your goals for this month?
October 2, 2015
When Life Hands You Lymes Update
Happy Friday, folks! Crazy that I don't have any more segments from When Life Hands You Lymes, right? But, but, but, I do have a little update about how the book is going (and don't forget to check out
this
post for the giveaway that ends today where you could win either a $15 Amazon gift card or get a character named after you!).
So, how is my precious little book (that really isn't so little after all) doing?
Well, I'd have to say it's Overwhelming. Ginormous. Full of flaws. Beautiful. A piece of my heart. Crying-worthy. Lovely. A dream come true. A huge mess. Funny... It's a conglomeration of so many heart-felt writing sessions and tears and fears and laughter. It's the byproduct of seven years spent battling Lyme disease.
Pretty much that means that it's half-way between terrifying and exhilarating.
I'm ready to begin the forth draft and also ready to clean my office and cut the grass and do the laundry and get something to eat and take a walk and pretty much do anything that will help me procrastinate and not rip my book (aka "a piece of my heart") to shreds again.
I've been getting some fantastic feedback from my beta readers and I'm ready to dive in and push my book up to the next level. Only. Only. Only. I'm not really actually ready. Instead thinking about going through When Life Hands You Lymes again makes me feel exhausted.
See, this book is so engrained in my brain that it's hard to see it from new eyes and I like it the way it is. I'm about as far from a perfectionist as a person can get and that doesn't necessarily translate into "stunning work" when it comes to writing. Instead it's more like "Eh. The story had potential but the plot holes and lack of character development and random scene jumps ruined it" which is not what I want a publisher to think when they see my book for the first time.
Which of course means I am going to happily jump into this next draft of the book and embrace the changes that need to take place. Cause you know what? When this draft is over I'm going to be holding a sparkly and beautiful story in my hands. And some day other people are going to be holding it too, Lord willing.
I'm excited about being an author. Excited about sharing this story with the world. Excited about growing as a person as my book grows as a story. (I'm easily excited, by the way.) This book has taken up a huge part of my life so far, but I think it's going to be well-worth it.
And with that said, good-bye, y'all! I'm off to edit. (Or perhaps eat breakfast...)
* * *
What about you? What is one word you would use to describe the last big project you've been/are working on?
So, how is my precious little book (that really isn't so little after all) doing?
Well, I'd have to say it's Overwhelming. Ginormous. Full of flaws. Beautiful. A piece of my heart. Crying-worthy. Lovely. A dream come true. A huge mess. Funny... It's a conglomeration of so many heart-felt writing sessions and tears and fears and laughter. It's the byproduct of seven years spent battling Lyme disease.
Pretty much that means that it's half-way between terrifying and exhilarating.
I'm ready to begin the forth draft and also ready to clean my office and cut the grass and do the laundry and get something to eat and take a walk and pretty much do anything that will help me procrastinate and not rip my book (aka "a piece of my heart") to shreds again.
I've been getting some fantastic feedback from my beta readers and I'm ready to dive in and push my book up to the next level. Only. Only. Only. I'm not really actually ready. Instead thinking about going through When Life Hands You Lymes again makes me feel exhausted.
See, this book is so engrained in my brain that it's hard to see it from new eyes and I like it the way it is. I'm about as far from a perfectionist as a person can get and that doesn't necessarily translate into "stunning work" when it comes to writing. Instead it's more like "Eh. The story had potential but the plot holes and lack of character development and random scene jumps ruined it" which is not what I want a publisher to think when they see my book for the first time.
Which of course means I am going to happily jump into this next draft of the book and embrace the changes that need to take place. Cause you know what? When this draft is over I'm going to be holding a sparkly and beautiful story in my hands. And some day other people are going to be holding it too, Lord willing.
I'm excited about being an author. Excited about sharing this story with the world. Excited about growing as a person as my book grows as a story. (I'm easily excited, by the way.) This book has taken up a huge part of my life so far, but I think it's going to be well-worth it.
And with that said, good-bye, y'all! I'm off to edit. (Or perhaps eat breakfast...)
* * *
What about you? What is one word you would use to describe the last big project you've been/are working on?
October 1, 2015
Twenty-Three
When I turned twenty-one and twenty-two I had wonderful blog posts that had been marinating in my brain for weeks and I contentedly wrote them out on my birthday morning. Yesterday morning I had to be at a round table at work by 8:00 and I ended up having so much going on I didn't open my computer up the entire day. So much for the tradition of deep birthday thoughts spilled onto Noveltea.
Well, folks, my brain is turning into musing mode, so I guess I feel a birthday post coming on.
My twenty-second year of life feels somewhat like a blur when I look back on it. There weren't huge defining moments like when I was twenty-one or twenty or eighteen. Which means maybe it's kinda like my nineteenth year. A lot happened but what happened is somewhat of a mystery.
I got two books published. I poured months of my time into When Life Hands You Lymes. I wrote 267 posts on Noveltea. I learned an incredible amount about writing and editing and the craft in general. I did book signings. I guest-posted on blogs. I wrote book reviews. I spent a lot of time not feeling well due to allergies. During my down days I gulped down 180 books which seems like far too many for a measly 365 days but it helped with my writing so that's a plus.
I went swimming in the ocean of change and emerged with two main thoughts: 1) Change is going to happen no matter what and 2) When I decide to accept and embrace change, it can actually be rewarding. I also realized that sometimes change isn't as close and complete as I thought was.
I cooked hundreds of meals and pretended I had a popular cooking show. I cut grass for dozens and dozens of hours lost deep in thought. I stayed up late doing my laundry while listening to music. I vacuumed our house while pretending like the sweeper hose was an elephant's trunk. I raced myself and made new records. I turned stressful situations into challenges. I lived.
I made new friends. I drifted away from some people and drew closer to others. I made memories. Oh my happy little heart, the memories I made! This summer was especially glorious filled with family and friends and routine and Monday night Bible Study and Taco Tuesday. This summer will endlessly hold a special place in my heart.
Clara came into our lives and changed them forever. I've always heard about babies doing that, but Clara took the cake. Who would have guessed that we would all become so attached to our sweet little bundle of joy? I spent the weeks around her birth spending time with her mama (my best friend) and will forever treasure those days.
I traveled. From North Carolina to Nebraska to Michigan to Africa to Florida to Georgia to Aruba to Kentucky to Tennessee to Pennsylvania to sleepovers and book signings and basically everywhere in-between I traveled. I spent 136 nights of my twenty-second year away from home.
My twenty-second year came and went and now find myself on the other side of that interlude with the chasm of my twenty-third year staring me in the face, challenging me to do something even bigger and better with the 365 days that constitute this next year of my life.
It can be a scary thought. So much to accomplish in life and so little time. I'm not freaked out though, because do you know what? I actually know who holds the future. He's my Friend and I trust Him fully. Not that I don't have random moments of panic, because I do, but when I stop and think about it I know everything will be alright.
See, I had huge plans and goals for life. I'm already incredibly far behind where I wanted to be. I've had to let go and readjust and yet not allow myself to become complacent with the height I've achieved in the goal-climbing ladder. Over all though, I know it's all going to work out.
This next year I want to live each day fully. I want to bring glory and honor to God's Name in everything I do. I want to grow closer to God and sing His praises even during the hard times. I want to write and publish and make a difference. I want to show those who I'm closest to that I love them. I want to live in such a way that if it were my last day on earth I would know I lived it well and left behind no regrets.
I want my twenty-third year to stick out in the patch-work quilt of my life so that when my grandchildren one day ask me to tell them stories I'll softly carry them back to these days and whisper epic tales that make them shiver with delight and squirm with anticipation.
This is the life I've been given and I'm so thankful for the chance to touch people's lives and add a little bit of love. So, as I journey into this next portion of my life I do so with great expectations and even greater love and the knowledge that the Creator of Love holds me in His hands and calls me His. And that makes life beautiful.
Well, folks, my brain is turning into musing mode, so I guess I feel a birthday post coming on.
My twenty-second year of life feels somewhat like a blur when I look back on it. There weren't huge defining moments like when I was twenty-one or twenty or eighteen. Which means maybe it's kinda like my nineteenth year. A lot happened but what happened is somewhat of a mystery.
I got two books published. I poured months of my time into When Life Hands You Lymes. I wrote 267 posts on Noveltea. I learned an incredible amount about writing and editing and the craft in general. I did book signings. I guest-posted on blogs. I wrote book reviews. I spent a lot of time not feeling well due to allergies. During my down days I gulped down 180 books which seems like far too many for a measly 365 days but it helped with my writing so that's a plus.
I went swimming in the ocean of change and emerged with two main thoughts: 1) Change is going to happen no matter what and 2) When I decide to accept and embrace change, it can actually be rewarding. I also realized that sometimes change isn't as close and complete as I thought was.
I cooked hundreds of meals and pretended I had a popular cooking show. I cut grass for dozens and dozens of hours lost deep in thought. I stayed up late doing my laundry while listening to music. I vacuumed our house while pretending like the sweeper hose was an elephant's trunk. I raced myself and made new records. I turned stressful situations into challenges. I lived.
I made new friends. I drifted away from some people and drew closer to others. I made memories. Oh my happy little heart, the memories I made! This summer was especially glorious filled with family and friends and routine and Monday night Bible Study and Taco Tuesday. This summer will endlessly hold a special place in my heart.
Clara came into our lives and changed them forever. I've always heard about babies doing that, but Clara took the cake. Who would have guessed that we would all become so attached to our sweet little bundle of joy? I spent the weeks around her birth spending time with her mama (my best friend) and will forever treasure those days.
I traveled. From North Carolina to Nebraska to Michigan to Africa to Florida to Georgia to Aruba to Kentucky to Tennessee to Pennsylvania to sleepovers and book signings and basically everywhere in-between I traveled. I spent 136 nights of my twenty-second year away from home.
My twenty-second year came and went and now find myself on the other side of that interlude with the chasm of my twenty-third year staring me in the face, challenging me to do something even bigger and better with the 365 days that constitute this next year of my life.
It can be a scary thought. So much to accomplish in life and so little time. I'm not freaked out though, because do you know what? I actually know who holds the future. He's my Friend and I trust Him fully. Not that I don't have random moments of panic, because I do, but when I stop and think about it I know everything will be alright.
See, I had huge plans and goals for life. I'm already incredibly far behind where I wanted to be. I've had to let go and readjust and yet not allow myself to become complacent with the height I've achieved in the goal-climbing ladder. Over all though, I know it's all going to work out.
This next year I want to live each day fully. I want to bring glory and honor to God's Name in everything I do. I want to grow closer to God and sing His praises even during the hard times. I want to write and publish and make a difference. I want to show those who I'm closest to that I love them. I want to live in such a way that if it were my last day on earth I would know I lived it well and left behind no regrets.
I want my twenty-third year to stick out in the patch-work quilt of my life so that when my grandchildren one day ask me to tell them stories I'll softly carry them back to these days and whisper epic tales that make them shiver with delight and squirm with anticipation.
This is the life I've been given and I'm so thankful for the chance to touch people's lives and add a little bit of love. So, as I journey into this next portion of my life I do so with great expectations and even greater love and the knowledge that the Creator of Love holds me in His hands and calls me His. And that makes life beautiful.
September 29, 2015
September 2015 in Review
I know this is a day early, but I wanted to do it before my birthday. I'll add to it later. :)
What I Focused on in September
1. My caving adventure at the beginning of the month and my non-writing job at the end of the month2. Certain stretching aspects of writing work on WLHYL 3. Finishing up my birthday challenges
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update
Birthday Challenge 1. Read 23 Non-fiction books {23 Completed 9-21-15}4. Write 23 book reviews {23 Completed 9/26/15}
9. Memorize 23 verses {Completed 9/29/15}12. Write a list of the next day, 23 days in a row (not counting weekends) {Completed 9/26/15}
22. Make 5 blankets for a pregnancy center (or something like that) {Completed 9/26/15}23. Write monthly reviews on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available 23. Write monthly reviews on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available (October, November, December, January, February March, April, May, June, July, August, September,)
Dream List None
Reading Update
Fiction: 8Non-Ficton: 2Reviews: 8
Traveling
Nights Gone: 6New Countries or States visited: None
What I've Been Learning
My brain didn't explode these past few weeks despite cramming it full of writing information, so I'm viewing that as a good sign. I learned a lot about synopsis's and author bios and writing notes and editing and yeah... The same stuff I talked about last month. Only more. Because there's always more to learn, right?
I also learned that I can surprise myself. I can surprise myself a lot, actually. Life is complicated and I'm alive so I guess that means that I'm complicated so it makes sense. It's not bad being complicated though, I think it helps me have more grace and empathy for other people.
I've been learning to enjoy the stillness and try to spend time just being and existing and thanking God instead of rushing on to the next thing. Life isn't all about filling every single moment with the most that I possibly can. Sometimes I'm supposed to be still and rest and focus on who God is and what He's done (and doing) for me.
I've also been reminded about how HUGE and wonderful and incomprehensible God is which leads me to how loving and kind and full of mercy He is and that leads me to how very thankful I am that He cares about me. And you. And everyone. I want to continually share His love.
Other Things
This month was wonderfully full. Looking back I'm quite satisfied and so very thankful for everything I was able to accomplish and experience in September. Not only was it a utterly gorgeous month, but I was also able to accomplish a lot. *dances for joy*
Caving at the beginning(ish) of the month was so. fun. Camping in the cave continues to be one of the highlights of my year and I'm rounding up family members and friends to hopefully go with me sometime... I also really enjoyed getting to spend a good amount of time at my adopted parent's house before and after the caving trip. We had fun brainstorming and working on a new book.
I had a project with my book that had a very specific deadline and my writing brain was duly stretched and I packed tons of information into my mind and then worked at random times at pouring that information back into the story. It was quite messy at times, but eventually got all cleaned up and looked glorious and I sighed lots of happy sighs and re-read stuff dozens of times. (Vague, I know. I'm good at that.)
We also posted the last(!) segment of my fictional story, When Life Hands You Lymes. It's been a long journey that y'all and I have been on together and as a thank you I'm doing a giveaway (enter it here; everyone and anyone can enter!).
This month I've been making soups and stews and that is so much fun. It's truly autumn now and autumn is the bestest of bests and is toppled with memories and always makes me extremely happy. I've had so much good family and friends time during the past few weeks and I'm reminded all over again how very thrilled I am to be over Lyme disease and feel like participating in life.
* * *What is one of your favorite things you got to do this month?
What I Focused on in September
1. My caving adventure at the beginning of the month and my non-writing job at the end of the month2. Certain stretching aspects of writing work on WLHYL 3. Finishing up my birthday challenges
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update
Birthday Challenge 1. Read 23 Non-fiction books {23 Completed 9-21-15}4. Write 23 book reviews {23 Completed 9/26/15}
9. Memorize 23 verses {Completed 9/29/15}12. Write a list of the next day, 23 days in a row (not counting weekends) {Completed 9/26/15}
22. Make 5 blankets for a pregnancy center (or something like that) {Completed 9/26/15}23. Write monthly reviews on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available 23. Write monthly reviews on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available (October, November, December, January, February March, April, May, June, July, August, September,)
Dream List None
Reading Update
Fiction: 8Non-Ficton: 2Reviews: 8
Traveling
Nights Gone: 6New Countries or States visited: None
What I've Been Learning
My brain didn't explode these past few weeks despite cramming it full of writing information, so I'm viewing that as a good sign. I learned a lot about synopsis's and author bios and writing notes and editing and yeah... The same stuff I talked about last month. Only more. Because there's always more to learn, right?
I also learned that I can surprise myself. I can surprise myself a lot, actually. Life is complicated and I'm alive so I guess that means that I'm complicated so it makes sense. It's not bad being complicated though, I think it helps me have more grace and empathy for other people.
I've been learning to enjoy the stillness and try to spend time just being and existing and thanking God instead of rushing on to the next thing. Life isn't all about filling every single moment with the most that I possibly can. Sometimes I'm supposed to be still and rest and focus on who God is and what He's done (and doing) for me.
I've also been reminded about how HUGE and wonderful and incomprehensible God is which leads me to how loving and kind and full of mercy He is and that leads me to how very thankful I am that He cares about me. And you. And everyone. I want to continually share His love.
Other Things
This month was wonderfully full. Looking back I'm quite satisfied and so very thankful for everything I was able to accomplish and experience in September. Not only was it a utterly gorgeous month, but I was also able to accomplish a lot. *dances for joy*
Caving at the beginning(ish) of the month was so. fun. Camping in the cave continues to be one of the highlights of my year and I'm rounding up family members and friends to hopefully go with me sometime... I also really enjoyed getting to spend a good amount of time at my adopted parent's house before and after the caving trip. We had fun brainstorming and working on a new book.
I had a project with my book that had a very specific deadline and my writing brain was duly stretched and I packed tons of information into my mind and then worked at random times at pouring that information back into the story. It was quite messy at times, but eventually got all cleaned up and looked glorious and I sighed lots of happy sighs and re-read stuff dozens of times. (Vague, I know. I'm good at that.)
We also posted the last(!) segment of my fictional story, When Life Hands You Lymes. It's been a long journey that y'all and I have been on together and as a thank you I'm doing a giveaway (enter it here; everyone and anyone can enter!).
This month I've been making soups and stews and that is so much fun. It's truly autumn now and autumn is the bestest of bests and is toppled with memories and always makes me extremely happy. I've had so much good family and friends time during the past few weeks and I'm reminded all over again how very thrilled I am to be over Lyme disease and feel like participating in life.
* * *What is one of your favorite things you got to do this month?
A Post Without a Title
This morning has been an extremely peaceful morning thus far and I've been thoroughly enjoying soaking the stillness into my being.
I woke up thirty minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off and I'd been dreaming of some of my friends so I lay there cuddled up in my fuzzy blanket praying for them. I was still tired but didn't fall back to sleep so I continued praying and then read the Proverb of the day. Some of the verses stuck out to me.
(Proverbs 29:18) Where there is no vision the people perish: I know that having vision and having a goal isn't exactly the same thing, but they are pretty close to each other. This morning I worked for a while on coming up with what I want to work on for my 24 before 24 challenge. There are so many important areas of life I want to focus on and grow in this next year of my life and I want to make sure that what I do brings glory and honor to God and helps me be prepared for what He has in store for me.
(Proverbs 29:20) Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him. I was recently having a discussion with a friend about how powerful and important words are. There is so much responsibility that comes along with words and as a writer I want to make sure that all my words are used for God's glory.
(Proverbs 29:27) An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. That verse reminded me that #1. I'm going to have people who view me as "an abomination" and that #2. That's a good thing because when I'm following God my light shines bright and a bright light feels like a threat to an unjust person. I need to continually focus on spreading the love and truth of God and not worry about the rest.
Last night after our weekly Bible Study everyone hung out for several hours playing games as a birthday celebration for me and a couple of other people who are having/had birthdays this month. I had so much fun. I like playing games (mainly board and card games) a hugely huge amount. I don't think I ever get tired of playing games with people. I do eventually get tired of playing a game by myself, but I also thoroughly enjoy doing that for a while.
We played Revolution (a card game) most of the time. At first we were playing with a pretty big group and it was too big. It got a little bit crazy (not the good kind) trying to keep everyone focused and paying attention to what was going on while waiting for about a dozen other people to play their turn. After we split into two smaller groups it was a lot better and a crazy (the good kind) amount of fun.
Plus we had a whole array of finger foods last night which were quite yummy. All in all it was a wonderful evening and it makes me so very thankful for my family and friends that I get to hang out with on a regular basis.
Today I'm going to be working on cleaning my office, catching up on my laundry, getting my work done and a dozen little things I want to accomplish during my last day of being twenty-two. (And I'll probably be posting my month review later on...) It's a beautifully gray day and I'm excited to be alive.
* * *What about you? Do you like playing card games? Board games? Any kind of game?
I woke up thirty minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off and I'd been dreaming of some of my friends so I lay there cuddled up in my fuzzy blanket praying for them. I was still tired but didn't fall back to sleep so I continued praying and then read the Proverb of the day. Some of the verses stuck out to me.
(Proverbs 29:18) Where there is no vision the people perish: I know that having vision and having a goal isn't exactly the same thing, but they are pretty close to each other. This morning I worked for a while on coming up with what I want to work on for my 24 before 24 challenge. There are so many important areas of life I want to focus on and grow in this next year of my life and I want to make sure that what I do brings glory and honor to God and helps me be prepared for what He has in store for me.
(Proverbs 29:20) Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him. I was recently having a discussion with a friend about how powerful and important words are. There is so much responsibility that comes along with words and as a writer I want to make sure that all my words are used for God's glory.
(Proverbs 29:27) An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. That verse reminded me that #1. I'm going to have people who view me as "an abomination" and that #2. That's a good thing because when I'm following God my light shines bright and a bright light feels like a threat to an unjust person. I need to continually focus on spreading the love and truth of God and not worry about the rest.
Last night after our weekly Bible Study everyone hung out for several hours playing games as a birthday celebration for me and a couple of other people who are having/had birthdays this month. I had so much fun. I like playing games (mainly board and card games) a hugely huge amount. I don't think I ever get tired of playing games with people. I do eventually get tired of playing a game by myself, but I also thoroughly enjoy doing that for a while.
We played Revolution (a card game) most of the time. At first we were playing with a pretty big group and it was too big. It got a little bit crazy (not the good kind) trying to keep everyone focused and paying attention to what was going on while waiting for about a dozen other people to play their turn. After we split into two smaller groups it was a lot better and a crazy (the good kind) amount of fun.
Plus we had a whole array of finger foods last night which were quite yummy. All in all it was a wonderful evening and it makes me so very thankful for my family and friends that I get to hang out with on a regular basis.
Today I'm going to be working on cleaning my office, catching up on my laundry, getting my work done and a dozen little things I want to accomplish during my last day of being twenty-two. (And I'll probably be posting my month review later on...) It's a beautifully gray day and I'm excited to be alive.
* * *What about you? Do you like playing card games? Board games? Any kind of game?
September 26, 2015
Reviews of Some of my Favorite Childhood Books
Warning: You might feel like there is way too much gushing going on in these reviews, but believe me, there isn't. I can't really tell you how much I enjoyed these books growing up and how much I enjoy them even now. They are all simply beautiful. The end.
James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First personFiction 260 fully illustrated pages Children's book
About the BookBack cover blurb
James Herriot's Treasury for Children collects all of the beloved veterinarian's delightful tales for young readers. From the springtime frolic of Oscar, Cat-About-Town to the yuletide warmth of The Christmas Day Kitten, these stories-radiantly illustrated by Peter Barrett and Ruth Brown-are perennial favorites, and this new complete edition will make a wonderful gift for all readers, great and small.
Why I Choose this Book
Our family got this book when I was a little itty bitty girl and who know how many childhood hours were spent pouring over this book and learning to love the art of storytelling through it's beautiful and enticing pages. Last year I bought myself a copy so that if I ever have a family of my own I'll be able to share it with them, as well. It's that good.
What I Thought about this Book
I think this will forever be one of my favorite children's books. From the paintings to the words choices to the stories that are told, everything is filled with a phenomenal amount of beauty. The whole book is like a piece of artwork. I'm pretty sure that some of my love for animals came from within the pages of this book. Often times during my teenage years when I had a goat farm with my brother and we would be up late at night playing vet to a sick or laboring goat I would remember the stories that had captivated me as a child and realize that I was living that life and it would make me happy.
Conclusion
Y'all should really get a copy and read if for yourselves. Rating
I'm giving James Herriot's Treasury for Children five stars and I recommend it to children of all ages.
* * *
A King for Brass Cobwebby Dawn L. Watkins
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third person (Omnipresent)Fiction59 Illustrated pagesChildren's book
About the Book Back cover blurb
The Kingdom of Brass Cobweb has many remarkable treasures, including a peppermint lake and a great shining web of brass for a gate. But what is a kingdom without a king? When the citizens of Brass Cobweb decide to find a king, Grandmother Cricket says that Chipmunk should be the one to go.Chipmunk leaves on his journey with a bundle of food and Grandmother's advice: find a king who is brave and wise and true. He sets out for the Copper Hills, encountering many dangers and seeing many rare sights. Among all his new acquaintances, however, he cannot find one who is brave and wise and true. He returns home thinking he has failed, only to discover that he has succeeded brilliantly.
Why I Choose this Book
THIS book. Awww! My happy little heart doesn't even know where to start. I grew up adoring this book so crazy much that as soon as I found out my best friend was expecting her first child I had to buy it for her new little one. And... I also bought a copy to add to my library in case I ever have kids of my own... Or just to read it even if I don't have any kids.
What I Thought about this Book
The illustrations are superb even though only every seventh page or so is colored in. Those colored in pages though? My eyes could feast on them for hours. They are filled with soft colors and remind me of milkshakes and cotton candy and hanging out laundry on a warm summer day. (That might sound weird to you, just imagine happiness and that's what these pictures are.) So, pretty much the book would be ranking up there pretty high, even without words, then the words come in and blow this story out of the water. I normally don't like this style of story, so maybe it was that I grew up reading it, but this is one of my favorite books and I've read it and re-read it so many times that I lost track long ago. It's books like this one that helped inspire my love for reading and writing and propelled me along the path to become an author.
Conclusion
I only have good stuff to say about this book. Thank you, Dawn L Watkins, for writing it!
Rating
I'm giving A King for Brass Cobweb five stars and recommend it to pretty much anyone although it is geared toward kids.
* * *
The Biggest Bearby Lynd Ward
Find it on: AmazonGoodreads
Third personFiction 85 (short) Illustrated pagesChildren's book
About the Book Back cover blurb
Johnny Orchard brings home a playful bear cub that soon becomes huge and a nuisance to the neighbors.
Why I Choose this Book
Sniff. Sniff. This book takes me back to my childhood in a glorious rush. A beautiful childhood, by the way, filled with playing in the woods and then cuddling up with Mom and my siblings at night to get a bedtime story. The Biggest Bear was one of our often-chosen books. We all loved it so much that several years ago I think about half of our family gave each other copies for Christmas.
What I Thought about this Book
I don't have any documentation, but I think I probably cried over this book and most likely more than once. It's practically as perfect as books get. The story is short but has the ability to draw you in from the very beginning. The antics of the bear took turns making me giggle, feel horrified and dream of one day having a wild pet of my own. (That desire was eventually transferred from bear to coyote and eventually dropped altogether... Unless you consider my dream for a de-scented skunk to be relevant.) The illustrations are also amazing. I really like how they are in brown and white. It gives the book an old feeling that matches the story perfectly. The drawings are also very detailed and I used to dream of being able to create such lovely visuals.
Conclusion
This is another one of those books that is simply amazing and I'm so thankful to authors who write like this. Rating
I'm giving The Biggest Bear five stars and recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good story.
James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First personFiction 260 fully illustrated pages Children's book
About the BookBack cover blurb
James Herriot's Treasury for Children collects all of the beloved veterinarian's delightful tales for young readers. From the springtime frolic of Oscar, Cat-About-Town to the yuletide warmth of The Christmas Day Kitten, these stories-radiantly illustrated by Peter Barrett and Ruth Brown-are perennial favorites, and this new complete edition will make a wonderful gift for all readers, great and small.
Why I Choose this Book
Our family got this book when I was a little itty bitty girl and who know how many childhood hours were spent pouring over this book and learning to love the art of storytelling through it's beautiful and enticing pages. Last year I bought myself a copy so that if I ever have a family of my own I'll be able to share it with them, as well. It's that good.
What I Thought about this Book
I think this will forever be one of my favorite children's books. From the paintings to the words choices to the stories that are told, everything is filled with a phenomenal amount of beauty. The whole book is like a piece of artwork. I'm pretty sure that some of my love for animals came from within the pages of this book. Often times during my teenage years when I had a goat farm with my brother and we would be up late at night playing vet to a sick or laboring goat I would remember the stories that had captivated me as a child and realize that I was living that life and it would make me happy.
Conclusion
Y'all should really get a copy and read if for yourselves. Rating
I'm giving James Herriot's Treasury for Children five stars and I recommend it to children of all ages.
* * *
A King for Brass Cobwebby Dawn L. Watkins
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
Third person (Omnipresent)Fiction59 Illustrated pagesChildren's book
About the Book Back cover blurb
The Kingdom of Brass Cobweb has many remarkable treasures, including a peppermint lake and a great shining web of brass for a gate. But what is a kingdom without a king? When the citizens of Brass Cobweb decide to find a king, Grandmother Cricket says that Chipmunk should be the one to go.Chipmunk leaves on his journey with a bundle of food and Grandmother's advice: find a king who is brave and wise and true. He sets out for the Copper Hills, encountering many dangers and seeing many rare sights. Among all his new acquaintances, however, he cannot find one who is brave and wise and true. He returns home thinking he has failed, only to discover that he has succeeded brilliantly.
Why I Choose this Book
THIS book. Awww! My happy little heart doesn't even know where to start. I grew up adoring this book so crazy much that as soon as I found out my best friend was expecting her first child I had to buy it for her new little one. And... I also bought a copy to add to my library in case I ever have kids of my own... Or just to read it even if I don't have any kids.
What I Thought about this Book
The illustrations are superb even though only every seventh page or so is colored in. Those colored in pages though? My eyes could feast on them for hours. They are filled with soft colors and remind me of milkshakes and cotton candy and hanging out laundry on a warm summer day. (That might sound weird to you, just imagine happiness and that's what these pictures are.) So, pretty much the book would be ranking up there pretty high, even without words, then the words come in and blow this story out of the water. I normally don't like this style of story, so maybe it was that I grew up reading it, but this is one of my favorite books and I've read it and re-read it so many times that I lost track long ago. It's books like this one that helped inspire my love for reading and writing and propelled me along the path to become an author.
Conclusion
I only have good stuff to say about this book. Thank you, Dawn L Watkins, for writing it!
Rating
I'm giving A King for Brass Cobweb five stars and recommend it to pretty much anyone although it is geared toward kids.
* * *
The Biggest Bearby Lynd Ward
Find it on: AmazonGoodreads
Third personFiction 85 (short) Illustrated pagesChildren's book
About the Book Back cover blurb
Johnny Orchard brings home a playful bear cub that soon becomes huge and a nuisance to the neighbors.
Why I Choose this Book
Sniff. Sniff. This book takes me back to my childhood in a glorious rush. A beautiful childhood, by the way, filled with playing in the woods and then cuddling up with Mom and my siblings at night to get a bedtime story. The Biggest Bear was one of our often-chosen books. We all loved it so much that several years ago I think about half of our family gave each other copies for Christmas.
What I Thought about this Book
I don't have any documentation, but I think I probably cried over this book and most likely more than once. It's practically as perfect as books get. The story is short but has the ability to draw you in from the very beginning. The antics of the bear took turns making me giggle, feel horrified and dream of one day having a wild pet of my own. (That desire was eventually transferred from bear to coyote and eventually dropped altogether... Unless you consider my dream for a de-scented skunk to be relevant.) The illustrations are also amazing. I really like how they are in brown and white. It gives the book an old feeling that matches the story perfectly. The drawings are also very detailed and I used to dream of being able to create such lovely visuals.
Conclusion
This is another one of those books that is simply amazing and I'm so thankful to authors who write like this. Rating
I'm giving The Biggest Bear five stars and recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good story.
September 25, 2015
When Life Hands You Lymes #89 The End and a Giveaway
I can hardly believe it's here. My brain doesn't want to wrap itself around the fact that today is the day. This, the 89th segment of my fictional story When Life Hands You Lymes, is the very last segment. Of ever. This is it! The end. Yes, you will see those two little words down at the bottom of this post. The End. Oh, happy words.
I am currently knee elbow-deep in working on the synopsis and author bio and all those cheery little extremely difficult things for When Life Hands You Lymes. It's a long road to publication, y'all. Therefore it's pretty special to be able to take a break from all of that to sit here and share the final instillment with y'all after going on this journey with you for the last twenty-two months aka ninety weeks aka 632 days aka... You get the point. It's been a long journey and I'm so very thankful for all y'all who went through it with me.
I'm not even sure if this book would have been written without the constant push to get a post on here each week. Y'all kept me accountable and helped propel me forward. You cheered me on. You encouraged me. You read my story and actually enjoyed the messy little words. Since I've been posting the first draft on here y'all got to see a lot of freaky-bad writing, but you kept coming back for more and thankfully I kept delivering.
Since y'all were such a huge part of the writing process, I wanted to do something to thank you. Now, my idea might not throw any of you into the realms of joy, but this is the kind of thing I really (really, really) think is cool.
In the second book I have some neighbors who Madalyn's family does a lot with and when I do my third re-write I'm going to sprinkle the neighbors throughout the first book, too. These neighbors have names, but I thought as a special "thank you" to my Noveltea readers I decided I'm going to actually name them after y'all!
What you can do is enter the giveaway and if you're the winner, than I will use (part of) your name (or a variation - you get to choose) as one of the characters. That way you'll have your name in a book which is going to be tons of fun. There are three neighbor kids, so there will be three name-winners. I'm also giving away a $15 Amazon gift card as another Thank you!
*Please Note: Even if this is the first time you've read a segment of When Life Hands You Lymes you can still enter the giveaway! This is open to everyone. The more the merrier!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
“I can’t believe you’re calling me from your get-away cabin.” Julia’s voice was reproachful. “Not that I mind, of course. I love hearing from you. But why in the world aren’t you just being by yourself like you said you were going to be?” “Good thing I wasn’t hurt.” I pause. “You do know how to answer the phone with a torrent of words.” “Consider it my gift to you.” Julia laughed, “I actually figured you were probably lonely for the sound of my voice and so that’s why you were calling.” “You were right.” “I could always drive out there and hang out with you one day this week if you needed me to.” It made me happy to realize that Julia was missing me, too. “No, I need to have this time away, but that doesn’t mean I can’t call and talk on the phone does it?” “Of course not.” I could hear Julia moving around. “What are you doing?” “Walking.” “Outside or on the treadmill?” “Outside. It’s a nice day. You should be out walking, too.” “It’s not a day at all.” I looked out at the inky darkness. “It’s night and it’s dark and please tell me you’re just in our gardens or fields and not on the road like an idiot.” “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m in the garden.” I heard a noise. “What was that?” “Um, I may or may no have just run into a pile of rocks.” “Julia, should I call you back later?” “No, I’ll just sit down on one of the benches. There, now I’m safe and still so lets talk about you. How are things going?” “It’s going good, but it’s hard.” “I can imagine that. How is it hard?”
“I’m going through so many emotions in my head and it’s driving me nuts.” “Pecans or almonds?” I shook my head at Julia. “Walnuts.” “Oh, that’s bad.” “What’s the difference?” This conversation is just what I needed. Goofy, nonsense and giving me a break from everything I’d been going over in my head. “Walnuts have so many ridges that confusing thoughts and feelings can hide in. That makes them a bad nut to feel like because when you reach the crevices the sights you see are pretty scary.” “You’re a nut yourself.” I couldn’t help laughing. “I know, but I’m a hazel nut.” “A hazel nut? What does that mean? “It means that I’m feeling small and round at the moment.” “Julia, you’re the best.” “I could argue with that, but since I’m really easy to get along with, I won’t.” “Such a dear.” I took a sip of water and then went over and laid down on the couch, kicking my shoes off as I walked. “For real though, I need some advice.”
“Ok?” I sighed in relief at how fast Julia’s tone changes. She can go from goofy to serious in a split second if she knows I need her to. “I’ve been realizing that I still have this fear inside me holding me back. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is and I finally realized that I’ve hidden so much of my pain and all I’ve gone through with Lyme disease from everyone except my closest family member and friends.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve hidden it for so long and somehow it feels wrong.” “How does it feel wrong?” “I’ve learned so much and having Lyme disease and being sick has changed me in so many ways and helped shape me into the person I am now. I know that I would have never been able to learn all I did from Lyme disease if it weren’t for my parents and all they helped me through and taught me...” “So you feel like you should maybe open up and share your struggles with the world?” Deep breath. “I don’t want to be ashamed of it. I want what I went through to help others when they go through a hard time.” I close my eyes and rub my forehead. “But how?” “Write a letter?” “A letter?” “Yes. Telling about this week. Why you went away. What you’re learning. Why it was hard.” “Who am I supposed to write this letter to?” I felt my forehead wrinkle. “To the world.” “How will they ever see it?” “Newspapers? Online magazines? It doesn’t matter what venue we choose to send it to, what matters is that you pour your heart into it and be completely open and honest.” “I’ll think about it.” “And I’ll be praying for you, Madds. Remember, you’re strong. And you’re going to win this.” “Thanks for having faith in me.” “Of course, dearie.” I turned water on for tea and then took a shower and changed into my pajamas. I needed some way to relax after an emotionally trying day so I spend the next ten minutes with my tea steeping and looking through the collection of old DVDs the cabin had on a bookshelf. At last I decided on Babe: The Pig, recalling somewhere in the back of my head that this story was a part of my childhood. It would hopefully do the trick of numbing my mind until sleep would take over. Ninety minutes later I put water in my mug, deciding to wait to wash it until the next morning and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. “One day down, six left.” I speak the words in the darkness and smile. “I just hope I can survive them without talking to myself too much.” As I drift off to sleep my last thought is No wonder old ladies get cats.
Julia’s words glide in and out of my head during the rest of the week. Sometimes I think I’ll take her up on her challenge, other times I wish I had never called her. At last the week ends and I pack up the car, ready to go home. I start the car, then sit there with the engine running. After ten minutes I turn the key and silence surrounds me. I pulled my notebook out of my backpack and chew on my pen for a minute before beginning to write:
Dear World,
People change a lot between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. That's how long I was sick. As much as I wanted to be better, being sick was now my comfort zone, I knew how to deal with it. I knew how to work around it. I knew how to make the most of it. Being healthy though... While that was what I longed for, I no longer could imagine it. I didn't know what it felt like. I wasn't even sure what my personality was like any more, because Lyme disease had made me somewhat of a loner... Or could that be my music? That was the way it was in so many different areas. I had no way of knowing. Plus, once I felt better, I knew I would realize again how much I'd missed out on during the years of being sick, and that was really hard on me.
And then of course I felt stupid, guilty and ashamed of being scared to get better. So it was a horrible cycle. I hated it. I dreaded knowing that I would once again be overwhelmed and feel powerless to shut out the mocking voices that assailed me.
I had to make a choice. A choice to get better. To re-program my mind for health. To remind myself of all the reasons I needed to be healthy. Getting healthy wasn't easy. It meant months of vitamins. Months of strict diets. It meant a lot of work on my part, bodily, emotionally and spiritually.
The Bible tells us: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8) That is one of the things I had to keep reminding myself, and still do to this day.
With all those thoughts swirling around in my head though, I knew I needed to get away and go through all my Lyme disease years in my head. A second trip to the doctor in April showed us that I was indeed on the track to health. "Why am I so tired though?" I asked. The doctor responded that it was because I've been pushing myself too hard and doing so much. I was like "Huh?" It wasn't until I went through my year at the cabin that I realized despite not feeling well, I really have been doing a good amount of stuff.
If you're wondering: I still don't feel the best. I still have a very limited amount of energy. I also know I'm on the right track and I'm no longer scared of being perfectly healed. Freaked out by some of the things? Yes. Scared? No. I'm on a pretty strict diet/lifestyle that I'm thoroughly enjoying. I'm thrilled to be where I am in life right now. Have the last three and a half years been hard? Yes. Have they helped shape me into the person I am now? Yes. Would I change the last three years into perfectly healthy ones if I could? No, because they really have helped me learn so much. Would I totally freak out if I had to go through three more years? By all means yes! Yet I would still believe that God could use them for His good.
So, what exactly did I do during my week? Other than getting extremely homesick at night, I went through things in my head. I read old journals and letters I had written during the time I had been sick. One of the side effects of my Lyme disease was a messed up sleep schedule where I would be awake until late (or early) just about every night, and then take naps during the day. That gave me a lot of quiet time to write down my feelings during the last three years.
I let myself remember how it hurt to be misunderstood, so that I could forgive. So that I could get over it. I let myself remember the deep, tear inducing feelings of aloneness when I had one of my best friends visiting and yet I felt so bad I just laid up in my bed in pain, crying. I let myself remember what it was like to feel an unbelievable magnitude of guilt and have no clue where it came from. (We later figured out that my thyroid would randomly skip from hypo to hyper and the effect would produce the same feeling I would get when I was guilty from something.) Those were some of the hardest moments. I let myself remember what it was like to long to go somewhere, to do something, yet not have energy. I let myself remember what it was like to feel like just existing was more work than I could manage.
I also allowed myself to remember the undying care of my family. The way people stood by me. The way I had learned to trust in God in a deeper way than ever before. The way I had cried out to God during those times when I felt like I had been forgotten.
And I played music. I played like never before. As I felt the hurt pouring out, I felt healing pouring in. Not physically, that had been coming for a while, but emotionally. I knew I needed the week to successfully close the chapter in my life, and goodness, with God's help, I am going to close it.
When I was done writing the letter I took my violin off of the seat next to me and slowly began playing the letter out in hushed tones. I closed my eyes and swayed to the music, letting myself go on a journey and find closure. I played the final chord and as the vibrations ended, the last page to that chapter in my life slid shut.
The End
I am currently knee elbow-deep in working on the synopsis and author bio and all those cheery little extremely difficult things for When Life Hands You Lymes. It's a long road to publication, y'all. Therefore it's pretty special to be able to take a break from all of that to sit here and share the final instillment with y'all after going on this journey with you for the last twenty-two months aka ninety weeks aka 632 days aka... You get the point. It's been a long journey and I'm so very thankful for all y'all who went through it with me.
I'm not even sure if this book would have been written without the constant push to get a post on here each week. Y'all kept me accountable and helped propel me forward. You cheered me on. You encouraged me. You read my story and actually enjoyed the messy little words. Since I've been posting the first draft on here y'all got to see a lot of freaky-bad writing, but you kept coming back for more and thankfully I kept delivering.
Since y'all were such a huge part of the writing process, I wanted to do something to thank you. Now, my idea might not throw any of you into the realms of joy, but this is the kind of thing I really (really, really) think is cool.
In the second book I have some neighbors who Madalyn's family does a lot with and when I do my third re-write I'm going to sprinkle the neighbors throughout the first book, too. These neighbors have names, but I thought as a special "thank you" to my Noveltea readers I decided I'm going to actually name them after y'all!
What you can do is enter the giveaway and if you're the winner, than I will use (part of) your name (or a variation - you get to choose) as one of the characters. That way you'll have your name in a book which is going to be tons of fun. There are three neighbor kids, so there will be three name-winners. I'm also giving away a $15 Amazon gift card as another Thank you!
*Please Note: Even if this is the first time you've read a segment of When Life Hands You Lymes you can still enter the giveaway! This is open to everyone. The more the merrier!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
“I can’t believe you’re calling me from your get-away cabin.” Julia’s voice was reproachful. “Not that I mind, of course. I love hearing from you. But why in the world aren’t you just being by yourself like you said you were going to be?” “Good thing I wasn’t hurt.” I pause. “You do know how to answer the phone with a torrent of words.” “Consider it my gift to you.” Julia laughed, “I actually figured you were probably lonely for the sound of my voice and so that’s why you were calling.” “You were right.” “I could always drive out there and hang out with you one day this week if you needed me to.” It made me happy to realize that Julia was missing me, too. “No, I need to have this time away, but that doesn’t mean I can’t call and talk on the phone does it?” “Of course not.” I could hear Julia moving around. “What are you doing?” “Walking.” “Outside or on the treadmill?” “Outside. It’s a nice day. You should be out walking, too.” “It’s not a day at all.” I looked out at the inky darkness. “It’s night and it’s dark and please tell me you’re just in our gardens or fields and not on the road like an idiot.” “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m in the garden.” I heard a noise. “What was that?” “Um, I may or may no have just run into a pile of rocks.” “Julia, should I call you back later?” “No, I’ll just sit down on one of the benches. There, now I’m safe and still so lets talk about you. How are things going?” “It’s going good, but it’s hard.” “I can imagine that. How is it hard?”
“I’m going through so many emotions in my head and it’s driving me nuts.” “Pecans or almonds?” I shook my head at Julia. “Walnuts.” “Oh, that’s bad.” “What’s the difference?” This conversation is just what I needed. Goofy, nonsense and giving me a break from everything I’d been going over in my head. “Walnuts have so many ridges that confusing thoughts and feelings can hide in. That makes them a bad nut to feel like because when you reach the crevices the sights you see are pretty scary.” “You’re a nut yourself.” I couldn’t help laughing. “I know, but I’m a hazel nut.” “A hazel nut? What does that mean? “It means that I’m feeling small and round at the moment.” “Julia, you’re the best.” “I could argue with that, but since I’m really easy to get along with, I won’t.” “Such a dear.” I took a sip of water and then went over and laid down on the couch, kicking my shoes off as I walked. “For real though, I need some advice.”
“Ok?” I sighed in relief at how fast Julia’s tone changes. She can go from goofy to serious in a split second if she knows I need her to. “I’ve been realizing that I still have this fear inside me holding me back. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is and I finally realized that I’ve hidden so much of my pain and all I’ve gone through with Lyme disease from everyone except my closest family member and friends.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve hidden it for so long and somehow it feels wrong.” “How does it feel wrong?” “I’ve learned so much and having Lyme disease and being sick has changed me in so many ways and helped shape me into the person I am now. I know that I would have never been able to learn all I did from Lyme disease if it weren’t for my parents and all they helped me through and taught me...” “So you feel like you should maybe open up and share your struggles with the world?” Deep breath. “I don’t want to be ashamed of it. I want what I went through to help others when they go through a hard time.” I close my eyes and rub my forehead. “But how?” “Write a letter?” “A letter?” “Yes. Telling about this week. Why you went away. What you’re learning. Why it was hard.” “Who am I supposed to write this letter to?” I felt my forehead wrinkle. “To the world.” “How will they ever see it?” “Newspapers? Online magazines? It doesn’t matter what venue we choose to send it to, what matters is that you pour your heart into it and be completely open and honest.” “I’ll think about it.” “And I’ll be praying for you, Madds. Remember, you’re strong. And you’re going to win this.” “Thanks for having faith in me.” “Of course, dearie.” I turned water on for tea and then took a shower and changed into my pajamas. I needed some way to relax after an emotionally trying day so I spend the next ten minutes with my tea steeping and looking through the collection of old DVDs the cabin had on a bookshelf. At last I decided on Babe: The Pig, recalling somewhere in the back of my head that this story was a part of my childhood. It would hopefully do the trick of numbing my mind until sleep would take over. Ninety minutes later I put water in my mug, deciding to wait to wash it until the next morning and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. “One day down, six left.” I speak the words in the darkness and smile. “I just hope I can survive them without talking to myself too much.” As I drift off to sleep my last thought is No wonder old ladies get cats.
Julia’s words glide in and out of my head during the rest of the week. Sometimes I think I’ll take her up on her challenge, other times I wish I had never called her. At last the week ends and I pack up the car, ready to go home. I start the car, then sit there with the engine running. After ten minutes I turn the key and silence surrounds me. I pulled my notebook out of my backpack and chew on my pen for a minute before beginning to write:
Dear World,
People change a lot between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. That's how long I was sick. As much as I wanted to be better, being sick was now my comfort zone, I knew how to deal with it. I knew how to work around it. I knew how to make the most of it. Being healthy though... While that was what I longed for, I no longer could imagine it. I didn't know what it felt like. I wasn't even sure what my personality was like any more, because Lyme disease had made me somewhat of a loner... Or could that be my music? That was the way it was in so many different areas. I had no way of knowing. Plus, once I felt better, I knew I would realize again how much I'd missed out on during the years of being sick, and that was really hard on me.
And then of course I felt stupid, guilty and ashamed of being scared to get better. So it was a horrible cycle. I hated it. I dreaded knowing that I would once again be overwhelmed and feel powerless to shut out the mocking voices that assailed me.
I had to make a choice. A choice to get better. To re-program my mind for health. To remind myself of all the reasons I needed to be healthy. Getting healthy wasn't easy. It meant months of vitamins. Months of strict diets. It meant a lot of work on my part, bodily, emotionally and spiritually.
The Bible tells us: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8) That is one of the things I had to keep reminding myself, and still do to this day.
With all those thoughts swirling around in my head though, I knew I needed to get away and go through all my Lyme disease years in my head. A second trip to the doctor in April showed us that I was indeed on the track to health. "Why am I so tired though?" I asked. The doctor responded that it was because I've been pushing myself too hard and doing so much. I was like "Huh?" It wasn't until I went through my year at the cabin that I realized despite not feeling well, I really have been doing a good amount of stuff.
If you're wondering: I still don't feel the best. I still have a very limited amount of energy. I also know I'm on the right track and I'm no longer scared of being perfectly healed. Freaked out by some of the things? Yes. Scared? No. I'm on a pretty strict diet/lifestyle that I'm thoroughly enjoying. I'm thrilled to be where I am in life right now. Have the last three and a half years been hard? Yes. Have they helped shape me into the person I am now? Yes. Would I change the last three years into perfectly healthy ones if I could? No, because they really have helped me learn so much. Would I totally freak out if I had to go through three more years? By all means yes! Yet I would still believe that God could use them for His good.
So, what exactly did I do during my week? Other than getting extremely homesick at night, I went through things in my head. I read old journals and letters I had written during the time I had been sick. One of the side effects of my Lyme disease was a messed up sleep schedule where I would be awake until late (or early) just about every night, and then take naps during the day. That gave me a lot of quiet time to write down my feelings during the last three years.
I let myself remember how it hurt to be misunderstood, so that I could forgive. So that I could get over it. I let myself remember the deep, tear inducing feelings of aloneness when I had one of my best friends visiting and yet I felt so bad I just laid up in my bed in pain, crying. I let myself remember what it was like to feel an unbelievable magnitude of guilt and have no clue where it came from. (We later figured out that my thyroid would randomly skip from hypo to hyper and the effect would produce the same feeling I would get when I was guilty from something.) Those were some of the hardest moments. I let myself remember what it was like to long to go somewhere, to do something, yet not have energy. I let myself remember what it was like to feel like just existing was more work than I could manage.
I also allowed myself to remember the undying care of my family. The way people stood by me. The way I had learned to trust in God in a deeper way than ever before. The way I had cried out to God during those times when I felt like I had been forgotten.
And I played music. I played like never before. As I felt the hurt pouring out, I felt healing pouring in. Not physically, that had been coming for a while, but emotionally. I knew I needed the week to successfully close the chapter in my life, and goodness, with God's help, I am going to close it.
When I was done writing the letter I took my violin off of the seat next to me and slowly began playing the letter out in hushed tones. I closed my eyes and swayed to the music, letting myself go on a journey and find closure. I played the final chord and as the vibrations ended, the last page to that chapter in my life slid shut.
The End
September 24, 2015
Writing Update
This morning I'm at it again... Reading those first few chapters of my book for what seems like the ninetieth time. It always amazes me that I can still find areas to tweak and edit, but I think that will be the case no matter how many times I read those silly pages.
There is one place that has been giving me extra problems and I've spent time during this last week with re-writing and cutting and condensing and trying to figure out how to fix the issue. I'm still not sure if it's acceptable and I need to research it, but at least it's a lot better than it used to be.
See, I had a flashback in the first chapter of the book and that's one of those unacceptable things. So, therefore I had to change up stuff and try to figure out what information was vital to that part of the book and mix things around so I could spread a lot of the info without the flashback. Then I had to cut the flashback way down and edit the craziness out of it. Next I worked on rearranging it so that it has it's own chapter (which I'm still not sure if I'm happy with), and all that good kind of stuff.
One of the big problems is that this is the only (that I can remember) flashback in the whole book and I'm a bit nervous that if a prospective publisher looks at the first few chapters of the book and sees a flashback than they might think the whole book is full of them and that's frowned upon in today's writing world.
So. Yeah, that means there has been way too much work going on in those first few chapters, but it's been a good kind of work so I'm happy with how it's all gone down.
My life is pretty busy this week with my non-writing job, too, which makes me happy. I have so much fun with my co-workers and even though it's exhausting, I always look forward to these busy weeks.
Plus, I got to cut a lot of grass earlier this week. During July and August there wasn't a ton of rain and so I didn't have a lot of grass to cut. Now the grass is growing ferociously again and I'm a happy little grass-mower. (I've been cutting grass for the last seven years and I don't think there has been a single time that I haven't enjoyed the job.)
I don't want to scare anyone off by gushing about September too much, but Look at it! Do you see that picture ^? That is what my world looks like (I took it while cutting grass), and the air is chilly but not cold and we are eating soups and drinking hot beverages and oh, so many happy memories.
I hope y'all are having a great Thursday. Remember that tomorrow is when I'm going to be posting the very last segment of When Life Hands You Lymes. Craziness.
There is one place that has been giving me extra problems and I've spent time during this last week with re-writing and cutting and condensing and trying to figure out how to fix the issue. I'm still not sure if it's acceptable and I need to research it, but at least it's a lot better than it used to be.
See, I had a flashback in the first chapter of the book and that's one of those unacceptable things. So, therefore I had to change up stuff and try to figure out what information was vital to that part of the book and mix things around so I could spread a lot of the info without the flashback. Then I had to cut the flashback way down and edit the craziness out of it. Next I worked on rearranging it so that it has it's own chapter (which I'm still not sure if I'm happy with), and all that good kind of stuff.
One of the big problems is that this is the only (that I can remember) flashback in the whole book and I'm a bit nervous that if a prospective publisher looks at the first few chapters of the book and sees a flashback than they might think the whole book is full of them and that's frowned upon in today's writing world.
So. Yeah, that means there has been way too much work going on in those first few chapters, but it's been a good kind of work so I'm happy with how it's all gone down.
My life is pretty busy this week with my non-writing job, too, which makes me happy. I have so much fun with my co-workers and even though it's exhausting, I always look forward to these busy weeks.
Plus, I got to cut a lot of grass earlier this week. During July and August there wasn't a ton of rain and so I didn't have a lot of grass to cut. Now the grass is growing ferociously again and I'm a happy little grass-mower. (I've been cutting grass for the last seven years and I don't think there has been a single time that I haven't enjoyed the job.)
I don't want to scare anyone off by gushing about September too much, but Look at it! Do you see that picture ^? That is what my world looks like (I took it while cutting grass), and the air is chilly but not cold and we are eating soups and drinking hot beverages and oh, so many happy memories.
I hope y'all are having a great Thursday. Remember that tomorrow is when I'm going to be posting the very last segment of When Life Hands You Lymes. Craziness.
September 23, 2015
The First Day of Autumn
It has arrived at long last.Today marks the beginning of Autumn. Oh glorious, happy, wonderful and beautiful season.
I'm wearing sparkly socks and my leaf necklace to celebrate. I put my Berrylicious candle away and lit the Vanilla Chai one. I brewed some peppermint tea and ran around my office straightening it so I could sit down and drink my tea and blog in peace.
This is the season of memories and coziness. Of breathtaking beauty and brilliant colors. Of long walks and quiet moments. This is the season of dancing in the falling leaves and running with the wind. Of curling up to read a book and of star gazing. Of apple cider and soups. This is the season my heart. Where I want to hug the entire world and share joy and happiness with everyone. This is my season and I'll be forever thankful that I was raised in a location where autumn is so glorious.
This is also the last week before my birthday and I've been scrambling around trying to finish my goals and challenges that I set for my twenty-second year. I'm pretty happy though, because my biggest challenge I still have to work on is writing four more book reviews. That normally wouldn't be hard, but this is a huge week at my non-writing related job, as well as a pretty big one with my writing. That means I have two big time-takers slurping up my hours.
I've also been working on finishing up the last of my five baby blankets and researching crisis pregnancy centers to send them to. I love getting to work on these blankets and thinking of the adorable little babies who will be wrapped up in them. It's thrilling to know that I can make a difference in the life of an overwhelmed mother and her little one.
I'm hoping to make at least twelve blankets during this next year and possibly seeing if I can volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Every life is precious and beautiful and I'm no longer okay with sitting back and doing nothing. I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these very real people.
I'm still coming up with the rest of my challenges for my 24 before 24 challenge, so if you have any ideas please comment with them over here . I've been delighted with y'alls ideas so far and need to compile them into a list along with the ones I've come up with. I really feel like my 23 before 23 challenge helped my year be more productive and fulfilling, so I'm excited to see what I accomplish before I turn 24.
What about you? What is your favorite season? And, what is your favorite thing about Autumn?
I'm wearing sparkly socks and my leaf necklace to celebrate. I put my Berrylicious candle away and lit the Vanilla Chai one. I brewed some peppermint tea and ran around my office straightening it so I could sit down and drink my tea and blog in peace.
This is the season of memories and coziness. Of breathtaking beauty and brilliant colors. Of long walks and quiet moments. This is the season of dancing in the falling leaves and running with the wind. Of curling up to read a book and of star gazing. Of apple cider and soups. This is the season my heart. Where I want to hug the entire world and share joy and happiness with everyone. This is my season and I'll be forever thankful that I was raised in a location where autumn is so glorious.
This is also the last week before my birthday and I've been scrambling around trying to finish my goals and challenges that I set for my twenty-second year. I'm pretty happy though, because my biggest challenge I still have to work on is writing four more book reviews. That normally wouldn't be hard, but this is a huge week at my non-writing related job, as well as a pretty big one with my writing. That means I have two big time-takers slurping up my hours.
I've also been working on finishing up the last of my five baby blankets and researching crisis pregnancy centers to send them to. I love getting to work on these blankets and thinking of the adorable little babies who will be wrapped up in them. It's thrilling to know that I can make a difference in the life of an overwhelmed mother and her little one.
I'm hoping to make at least twelve blankets during this next year and possibly seeing if I can volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Every life is precious and beautiful and I'm no longer okay with sitting back and doing nothing. I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these very real people.
I'm still coming up with the rest of my challenges for my 24 before 24 challenge, so if you have any ideas please comment with them over here . I've been delighted with y'alls ideas so far and need to compile them into a list along with the ones I've come up with. I really feel like my 23 before 23 challenge helped my year be more productive and fulfilling, so I'm excited to see what I accomplish before I turn 24.
What about you? What is your favorite season? And, what is your favorite thing about Autumn?
September 22, 2015
Synopsis, Author Bio and Questions, Oh My!
Writing is crawling along, slowly. Very slowly. The synopsis for When Life Hands You Lymes has been one of my focuses and so far I've not completely freaked out, so that's a good sign. And when I say "not completely" that means I have freaked out about one half to two thirds of the way.
See, the synopsis was going well and I was researching how to write one and felt overwhelmed but at least as if I had everything under control. I glanced through my book, thought about the different plot points and wrote down a quick outline of what all is in the book. After that I typed out a basic (and very, very rough) synopsis. About this time I started feeling pretty good about the synopsis. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.
Then the thought hit me. This is what is going to sell my book. Gulp. Not the killer first line (haha, that's a pun since this is the first line: I always go to bed with my room spotless, my hair braided and my pajamas clean; I have a phobia of being found dead in a dirty room.), not the first three pages. Not even the first chapter. I mean, yes, those things will help, but I'm pretty sure the "people" out there read the synopsis first.
And that's when I began freaking out and had to remind myself to just breath calmly and keep going because without the synopsis they aren't going to be seeing the first line of the book and without the first line they aren't going to see the second line and without the second line... Y'all get the point.
So. The synopsis. I would post it on here for y'all to see, but I don't want to give away the whole book and when writing a synopsis you're supposed to tell all the "punch lines", therefore I decided not to share it with y'all. I still need to do tweaking and I need some people to help me with critiquing it and I'm trying to polish it up so it glows like a bright little candle in the depths of a dark cave. That will attract notice, right?
And while on the subject of being noticed by a publisher, I was wondering if y'all would help me with my author bio. I wanted to include something about Lyme disease in the bio I use to pitch When Life Hands You Lymes. I have two different author bio's to choose from and I was hoping y'all could help me out by voting for which one you think is better. Thanks!
#1. Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something author who spent her teenage years reading and writing late at night while fighting Lyme disease. She enjoys hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking road trips across Europe and exploring caves. Lydia grew up in a barn, is an enthusiastic writer of Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction and has three published books: Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl, Action Kids' Club, and Cool Critters of the Ice Age. She blogs regularly at Noveltea.
Or
#2. Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something Lyme disease survivor who is partial to hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking road trips across Europe and exploring caves. Lydia grew up in a barn, is an enthusiastic writer of Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction and has three published books: Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl, Action Kids' Club, and Cool Critters of the Ice Age. She blogs regularly at Noveltea.
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See, the synopsis was going well and I was researching how to write one and felt overwhelmed but at least as if I had everything under control. I glanced through my book, thought about the different plot points and wrote down a quick outline of what all is in the book. After that I typed out a basic (and very, very rough) synopsis. About this time I started feeling pretty good about the synopsis. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.
Then the thought hit me. This is what is going to sell my book. Gulp. Not the killer first line (haha, that's a pun since this is the first line: I always go to bed with my room spotless, my hair braided and my pajamas clean; I have a phobia of being found dead in a dirty room.), not the first three pages. Not even the first chapter. I mean, yes, those things will help, but I'm pretty sure the "people" out there read the synopsis first.
And that's when I began freaking out and had to remind myself to just breath calmly and keep going because without the synopsis they aren't going to be seeing the first line of the book and without the first line they aren't going to see the second line and without the second line... Y'all get the point.
So. The synopsis. I would post it on here for y'all to see, but I don't want to give away the whole book and when writing a synopsis you're supposed to tell all the "punch lines", therefore I decided not to share it with y'all. I still need to do tweaking and I need some people to help me with critiquing it and I'm trying to polish it up so it glows like a bright little candle in the depths of a dark cave. That will attract notice, right?
And while on the subject of being noticed by a publisher, I was wondering if y'all would help me with my author bio. I wanted to include something about Lyme disease in the bio I use to pitch When Life Hands You Lymes. I have two different author bio's to choose from and I was hoping y'all could help me out by voting for which one you think is better. Thanks!
#1. Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something author who spent her teenage years reading and writing late at night while fighting Lyme disease. She enjoys hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking road trips across Europe and exploring caves. Lydia grew up in a barn, is an enthusiastic writer of Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction and has three published books: Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl, Action Kids' Club, and Cool Critters of the Ice Age. She blogs regularly at Noveltea.
Or
#2. Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something Lyme disease survivor who is partial to hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking road trips across Europe and exploring caves. Lydia grew up in a barn, is an enthusiastic writer of Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction and has three published books: Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl, Action Kids' Club, and Cool Critters of the Ice Age. She blogs regularly at Noveltea.
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