H.A. Larson's Blog, page 34

I'm at a Crossroads

Photo courtesy of Dixon-Drone Photography. www.dixondrone.com

So much has happened in my life over the past couple of years that when I take a minute to reflect on it, I'm blown away by it all. In 2016, wanting to be more active and meet more like-minded people, I got involved in a couple of organizations that I felt passionate about. At that time, I could never have imagined just how far they would take me. And take me they have. To me, it's reminiscent of listening to Edvard Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King, where a quiet and slow start builds up into a loud and fast ending. While nothing has reached its prestissimo finale by any means, it's definitely reached a low crescendo. It's this crescendo that I'm looking at now and it's made me realize just how much my life has changed in two years. I'm standing at a crossroads now, and there are four roads surrounding me.
The road behind me is the one I've already traveled. 
I've known this road since I was a child. It's familiar, easy, and comfortable like an old friend, but it's also a dead end. What's done is done and cannot be undone. It's now a road of memories that run the gamut from happy, sad, angry, frustrated, and scared to everything in between. This road is filled with family vacations to my great uncle's house on a lake in Minnesota, my high school graduation, my first heartbreak, my first move away from my hometown, the birth of my children, writing my first book, and my first trip overseas. All of my weaknesses and strengths and all of my failures and triumphs are back there along this road.
The road in front of me is sure and steady.
This is the road I'm currently on. It's my job, my family, my home, my city, my friends, and the life I'm living. While changes do, and will, occur, it's a pretty steady life of living pretty much the same existence into the foreseeable future. It's safe, secure, acceptable, and fairly predictable. There's nothing wrong with staying on this road, but with my adventurous spirit, a never-ending desire for variety, and a passion to live life with more meaning, it's not exactly the road I want to stay on. In other words, while it's a good road where I can still carve out the life I want here and there, it wouldn't be satisfying for me long-term.

The road to my right is my writing career.
This road leads me to my preferred destination: a successful writing career. This is the road I want to take more than anything in this world. This is my dream, my passion, and my biggest hope. This road lets me make a career and a life out of doing what I love most while, at the same time, giving me the freedom to be my own boss, do what I want to do, and live the life I choose. I've been working hard and diligently for the last four years learning how to drive down this road and that won't change anytime soon. Currently, it runs parallel to the road in front of me, but I hope with all my heart that that changes.
The road to my left is one of the organizations I'm involved with.
I started with this organization, casually, in late 2016. By the spring of 2017, my involvement was more committed and we began planning a big event in earnest. Fast forward to last month when the event happened and it was everything we had hoped it would be and more. It was successful enough, in fact, that it's quickly becoming a viable career option for me. While this is fresh, exciting, and new, it also comes with risks - a fact that is not lost on me. The pay isn't great, no benefits, and there's the very real possibility the organization might not make it. If, however, the organization does become successful and grows with the momentum we've built, then I have a good position with great pay, numerous opportunities, regular travel all over the country, and a chance to make a difference in ways that are important to me. It's the adventure and excitement I crave all rolled into a career with meaning.

I'm standing at a crossroads.
I'm being pulled in three directions. One, my writing career, can be continued and done while I work - something that has been, and is, my reality for now. Until it becomes successful enough to support me, I have to work a real job. However, I'm not sure which job that should be. My regular job provides stability and benefits, but not much in the way of great pay or advancement. The organization doesn't provide stability nor benefits (at least not for now), but I've already advanced twice and it has the potential to be a great paying job if it becomes successful enough. My real dilemma then, is which job do I decide on? It's a conundrum that I've been struggling with for the past few weeks and will continue to struggle with until I can decide.


What do you think? What would you do if you were in my shoes? Let me know in the comments.

Surprise!

Let's be real for a minute. We all know that I'm an author. I write books, it's what I do. Being a writer is a creative process that I don't always have control over. What I mean by that, is that oftentimes - no matter my best efforts to keep some kind of order in my writing process - I am beholden to my subconscious. It's my subconscious that says, "Oh, that's what you want to do? Well, too bad! We're doing this instead." For the first handful of years that I was writing, it was this battle between my logical, organized side and my creative side that would cause me grief. Now, several years in, I gladly go where my creative side takes me because that's when I write my best work.
It's no great surprise to me, then, that after working on my Houses of Hades (HoH) trilogy in a diligent manner for a while, my creative mind took a different turn. Instead of being all into The House of Vermilion , I'm back into Vanished . For those of you who are new here, or just don't remember, Vanished was the book I began after I finished The Box . I wrote a few great chapters and then, my creative drive for it disappeared. Instead, I started thinking about the fantasy/mythos trilogy idea I had conjured up previously and ran with it. 
Similar to what happened about 2/3 of the way through The Box , I got the backstory laid out and a good start on the first book of HoH when my mind started drifting back towards  Vanished . I went back in, read through what I wrote, and was pleased with what I saw. The wheels started turning, so once again, I'm back writing Vanished. Only this time, it has (like my already completed work) a new cover. Here's the cover reveal:




What do you think?
Now, granted, my life is pretty busy and hectic outside of my writing career, so I'm not writing at the speed with which I used to, and that's okay. What's important is that my creative drive for weaving tales is like a burning ember at the bottom of a fire: always there and difficult to put out. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an excerpt.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so comment below!

My Weekend Routine

Ahh, the weekend. There's nothing quite like a couple of days off after a long week of work. While I don't structure my weekends in any rigid kind of sense, I do have a bit of a routine. In my life, my weekends begin on Friday night.

After a long week of work, writing, meetings, and taking care of household tasks; I love nothing better than to sit back and relax on a Friday night. I need to be "on" during the week so I rarely drink, but Friday evenings I drink some beer, listen to music, and stay off of social media for the most part.

During the work week, I wake up between 4:30 - 5:00 a.m., but on Saturdays, I sleep in a little bit. While I still tend to wake up around 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, it's still a few hours later than I would normally get to sleep but still early enough for me to have the house to myself. My family doesn't tend to wake up until after 9:00 a.m. so this gives me a few peaceful hours alone. I make a pot of coffee and pick up the house while it's brewing. Then, I sit down at my computer with a cup of my fresh brew and work on my writing stuff. Somewhere around noon, I shut down my computer, shower, and do something. Depending on the weather, or my mood, I will either hike, go to some event, visit friends, or sit around and relax. In the evenings, I usually have a good time with friends either at my house or theirs and occasionally will go out.

On Sundays, I usually sleep later than any other day of the week. I try to stay in bed until 9, but sometimes I don't. I have a similar morning routine on Sunday as I do on Saturday in that I make coffee and spend a bit of time at my computer, but I typically work on things related to the organization I'm involved with. After a couple of hours or so, I start working on chores that I need to get done. I'll work on laundry, clean house, prep food for the week, clean my makeup brushes, and maybe run some errands. Again, depending on the weather, I might also get outside for a walk or a hike, or visit with friends.

While my weekends usually go like this most of the time, sometimes they don't, and I think that's true of anyone. I think what I strive for every weekend are those amazingly wonderful, peaceful, few hours in the mornings where I can relax. I can stay in my pajamas, drink coffee at my leisure, and not have to rush around getting ready to go anywhere. The work week is all about rigid structure so having that quiet, unhampered downtime does wonders for my mental health.

How about you? What is your weekend routine like? Let me know in the comments.

Healthy Life: Some Things I've Learned

I've been working on a healthy life for quite some time now, and during this ride, I've traversed up the mountains and down into the valleys. It's hard to break old habits, do things the right way, and work against yourself when you've been doing things the same way forever. I'm finally on the right track towards getting my health where it should be and I've learned some things along the way. Today, then, I'm going to share what I've learned on my journey so far.

1. Getting healthy is hard.
No doubt about it, getting healthy is a battle, and the battle is with yourself. You are your own worst enemy when it comes to getting healthy. Start small and work your way up.

2. Over-eating is an addiction.

Constantly over-eating is an addiction, much like smoking and alcohol abuse. No matter the root cause, you have to deal with it whether that's mentally with yourself or if you need to seek the advice of a professional.

3. It's okay if you eat too much once in a while.
Denying yourself indulgences doesn't serve any good purpose. If you never indulge you're more likely to fail. So, if you want to eat a bunch one day once in awhile, go for it. Just don't make it a habit.

4. Dieting is temporary.

Dieting is temporary but being healthy lasts forever. Stop dieting and re-train yourself to be a healthier version of you.

5. Consumption of alcohol should be kept to a minimum.

Whenever I drink too much, I'm in terrible physical shape the next day. I find it hard to get any exercise and most often will just skip it. On top of that, I find myself feeling super-hungry and will turn back to all my old eating habits. Lastly, drinking alcohol just adds plenty of excess calories.

6. Getting a good night's rest is vital.

Not getting enough sleep does the same number on my body as the day after drinking, just not quite as pronounced. It also throws your entire bodily clock out of whack.

7. Discipline is key.
My secret weapon to getting healthy? Discipline. I have to be my own coach, guide, cheerleader, and drill sergeant. If I'm not disciplined, I find that I fail.

8. Nothing beats diet and exercise.
The key to long-term success is eating a well-balanced diet and getting regular exercise. All the fads, pills, and crazy diet infomercials cannot compete with treating your body correctly. Your body needs a healthy balance of foods that provide it with sustenance and regular exercise to keep your heart and lungs functioning healthily. This mindset doesn't stop when you've reached your goal. This is your goal...for life!

9. Avoid stress if at all possible.
Last, but not least, stress should be avoided if at all possible. Stress is a trigger and having good mental health is just as important as physical health. Avoid stressful situations and try to make time to decompress from everyday stressors.

And, that, my friends, are some of the things I've learned on my path to a healthy life. As for myself, here's my progress thus far:

I'm now down a total of 90 pounds from my heaviest. While I still have days where I indulge a bit more than I should (and that's okay), I typically eat three regular-sized meals and skip snacks. I walked/hiked 119.01 miles in the month of May, and am 15.67 miles up for June so far. I've dropped a total of three sizes from my heaviest and I finally bought some new clothes. Last year I bought a swimsuit off of Amazon that I couldn't get past my stomach, but when I tried the other day it fit perfectly! I bought a swimsuit coverup to go with it and am attending my first ever pool party in a few weeks.While I'm proud of my achievements so far, I still have a ways to go. Even so, I'm finally happy with myself and how I look. Having come as far as I have - combined with conquering some of my food/exercise demons - has been a great boost to my mental health as well.
Are you working towards a healthy life? If so, what are some of the things you've learned? Let me know in the comments.

The Write Life: Finish that Story!

When I was writing my first book, I had a friend who was working on their first book as well. Five years later, I have seven books under my belt and three more underway. My friend? Still hasn't finished that first book. Is my friend unique in this? Absolutely not. I've talked to several people over the years who, upon hearing that I'm an author, will tell me that they're working on a book. A book that sadly will never materialize. Chances are good that you know someone in this predicament as well, or you might even be that person yourself. For you, and for them, I say, "Finish that story!"
Look, I get it. As someone who's published a few books, I can say with all honesty that finishing a book is hard. Really hard. Writing the beginning is pretty easy. You have the idea, you start writing, things are going well, and then: bam...you hit the middle of the book. I call it the Mid-Story Crisis, or MSC. The middle of every book is like a reaching the base of a mountain during a strenuous hike. You've done pretty well, you're feeling good, but you pause at the base as you stare up the side of the mountain and think about all that will have to happen in order to reach the top. You know when you reach the top that it will all be downhill from there - albeit a few snags - but the real problem is scaling the mountain.
That, my friends, is the middle of every book. You will get to the top, but you have to keep going, even if it means going slower. Hitting the middle of each of my books has been a challenge and I combat those challenges in various ways: 
I'll write at least (AT LEAST) one sentence a day. It's not much, but it keeps you moving in the right direction and it keeps your feet firmly planted in your story. Both important.I'll sit down and write a few sentences that describe how I want the next few chapters to go. It keeps me thinking about the story and it gives me a guideline to work from.I'll watch videos and read articles/books that are of the same topic as my book. This, again, helps me stay planted in my own story and gives me inspiration for my own. Now, you're not trying to copy anyone else's work, you're just trying to keep your mindset in your story.I have a dedicated time, or two, that I reserve just for writing. This gives me some discipline and a routine. It's easier for me to stay focused if I have a work schedule.
There are other ways, I'm sure, to combat the dreaded MSC, but these are the main tactics I use to help me reach the summit of my story. You can use these or other methods, but either way, finish that story! It can be hard, but it's the most rewarding thing you can do if you want to be a writer. Being a writer is more than actually writing, it's putting out your finished product. Good luck.

It's All so Bittersweet

While there are still a couple of days before May is officially over, the month is pretty well wrapped up. This is a bittersweet reality for me as May has proven to be the busiest, hardest, craziest, most productive, and most incredible month for me. Many great things happened:

A small, but wonderful, convention happened the first weekend. I got to connect with many old and new friends.I hosted a large planning meeting the next weekend.Mother's Day was also the second weekend and I took a fun Day Trip Adventure with my husband and kids.The third weekend saw a huge milestone: The Teen graduated high school! I hosted family and friends from near and far. It was a lot of work, but I couldn't be more proud of him and happy for his future.Then, the last weekend (this past weekend) saw the fruit of a year and a half of hard work and planning come together with a large convention that I was intimately involved with. While it had its snags, it was more successful than I could have imagined and I will live with these memories for the rest of my life.In between all of these things I had several meetings each week, I worked a full-time job, I blogged here and wrote a short story for a series of newsletters, I kept up a house, and I was involved in my usual organizations & obligations. 
Now that I'm a couple of days removed from everything - and don't have a single meeting or other obligation this week - I've been sitting around processing everything. Last night was probably the first night in quite some time that I got a decent amount of sleep. My brain just refuses to be quiet long enough for me to get a full eight hours yet, but the six I got was the best I've gotten in a few weeks. I anticipate that in a few more days, I should be back to my regular daily routine.
I'm now looking forward to a few weeks of decidedly quiet days where I can just relax, decompress, and unwind. After that, I have a family vacation planned and a book to work diligently on. I'm looking forward to all of it. 
While I am exhausted, I am exhilarated. While I'm looking forward to some rest, I'm excited about all that has come to pass. I'm sad in some ways that it's all over, but I'm also energized and revitalized. It is bittersweet for sure.

Basic Financial Fitness: Investing in the Future

In this edition of BFF, I'd like to talk about investing. Now, when I say investing, I'm talking about the various ways that one can save money for the future, particularly retirement. Considering my age, I'm relatively new to investing, and, because I'm late to the game, I'm working hard to catch up. Right now, my investing goals are focused on two things:
1. an emergency fund 2. retirement savings
I've talked about the importance of saving before, particularly as it relates to emergency situations, so that's nothing new. To read my posts about saving for emergency situations, click here, and for using credit cards for emergencies, click here. 
In regards to Goal #1, I save money from each paycheck in case of an emergency. Now, mind you, it's not much as I don't make much money, but every little bit counts, and eventually I should reach my goal. My goal is to have the equivalent of three months worth of salary saved up to help me get by if tragedy should strike. Three months worth of salary would go a long way in helping me out in many a bad scenario, and should, I feel, get me on my feet again. 
Goal #2 is more of a new thing for me. Well, not entirely new as I have thought about it a lot over the past several years and have made some decent headway over the last few years. Back in 2008, I worked for a Fortune 500 company that offered me a retirement plan option (via a Roth IRA through Vanguard) and a stock share option (via Fidelity) right from the beginning of my employment there. I only worked there for a short period of time as I decided to go back to school and quit. At that time, I had invested in both options via small deductions from my check each pay period. When I quit, both the Roth IRA and stock option were both less than $200.00. I proceeded to forget all about both of them and went on with my life. 
Flash forward to a couple of years ago when I thought about those long-forgotten investments and set about getting back in touch with them. I had forgotten what my usernames and passwords were, so after a few phone calls to both Vanguard and Fidelity, I was able to get back into my old accounts. Imagine my surprise when I saw that my Vanguard Roth had actually increased, but imagine my bigger surprise when I realized my Fidelity stock share had increased 10-fold. That was my first lesson in the stock market: it's a long-term investment .
I have mentioned a few times before how I saved a nice chunk of change throughout my 30s by saving as little as $5.00 a paycheck. Well, I decided to take all that money and split it up between the Vanguard and the Fidelity accounts. I bought a Traditional IRA through Vanguard and set it up to reinvest the dividends into Index Funds. How did I decide on this course of action? I read an interview with Warren Buffett and that's what he recommended. I figured if one of the wealthiest men in the world (who happens to live in my city) recommended it, then it must have some merit. 
This last point is significant because I've talked before about how saving a small amount of money isn't much, but it is. I saved up a little bit for years and then invested it in something that will grow at a more accelerated pace as I move towards retirement. It all goes back to what I've said about how saving is not only important but necessary. 
Going back to Goal #1, it's important and necessary to build up an emergency fund as well. Even if you have to save $5.00 for each one every paycheck, you're still putting your money to good use. If you won't miss $5.00, chances are you won't really miss $10.00 either. If you haven't started saving money yet, start with your next paycheck. I recommend opening an online account that has automatic savings, like Capital One 360, as you can set your online account to automatically withdraw money each paycheck from your regular bank. When you open the online account, open up both a checking and a savings account. Designate one as your Emergency Fund and the other as your Retirement Fund and start those automatic withdrawals of $5.00/paycheck for each one. Of course, save more than that if you can.
You can turn around and use your retirement fund to open up an account with a place like Vanguard or Fidelity. Make sure to read up on your employers retirement plan as well and take advantage of it if you can.

Happy Saving.


Disclaimer: I'm no money expert, but I am a woman who's had to learn to live below her means and save for future goals on a small, paycheck-to-paycheck existence. I've learned a few other things along the way, and you can find my basic money advice in my Basic Financial Fitness series. Questions? Comment below.

I'm a Walking Fool

As you've undoubtedly seen from a recent post or two, I've been hiking and walking like nobody's business since the snow finally went away and temperatures picked up. I've been clocking in an average of 4 miles a day, in fact, and taking at least one 3-5 mile hike on the weekends. As of Monday, May 21st, I've walked a whopping 72.58 miles, and the month isn't even over yet.


I have actually slept, haha, I just don't wear my fitness tracker to bed.
All this walking has resulted in me getting faster, stronger, and more toned, as well as helping me lose weight and feel great. My walk to work in the morning is almost entirely uphill, and I can't tell you how many times I have huffed & puffed slowly to work before. These days, I barely need to catch my breath and it's awesome. I digress, however, as it won't be long before the weather turns unbearably hot and walking won't be an option anymore. Despite the pending heat, I am determined to walk as long as I possibly can before the sweltering heat melts off my makeup and covers me with sweat on my way to work.

Walking has also been good for my psyche and my motivation. Walking solo gives me time to ponder about things or come up with ideas and triggers my body to release endorphins. These endorphins elevate moods and reduce stress, something I can attest to after 72.58 miles. I've also noticed that all this walking, overall, has really given me the energy I've been lacking and I find myself getting a lot more things done lately. So, if you would like to get some exercise and want more energy, you can't get much easier than starting some kind of walking routine. All you need is a pair of sneakers and a comfortable outfit, that's it. Let me know how it goes.

A Mother's Day Adventure

About six years ago, we took the kids on a day trip adventure to Sioux City, Iowa. Only a short 90-mile-drive north from Omaha, it's a good place to spend a day. On that trip, we went to the Sergeant Floyd Monument, the Sergeant Floyd River Museum (which is housed in an old steamboat), and the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center/Betty Strong Encounter Center. While we had a good time, we haven't been back to Sioux City since then. That changed when I was thinking about a day trip adventure for Mother's Day. I didn't want to do the same things and go to the same places that we tend to frequent often, so I do what I usually do in these instances and pull up a map.

I looked at Sioux City and thought, "I wonder what we could do there?" I did a quick search for activities in Sioux City and found a handful of free things to do that I hadn't done before.


Nature Girl made me a plate of tiny pancakes for Mother's Day. So sweet.
So, after eating a proper Mother's Day breakfast made for me by Nature Girl and packing up a picnic lunch, we hit the road.

A key sculpture outside the main entrance of the Sioux City Arts Center.
Our first stop was at the Sioux City Art Center. I wasn't expecting much, honestly, when we walked into the Arts Center, but it wasn't long before I found myself impressed.

A gallery inside the Sioux City Arts Center.
Small, but mighty, it houses many great displays over three floors, a fun & interactive kids area, and even has instruction rooms. It was Sunday when we were there but a painting class was happening in one of those rooms.

Amy Thompson, "Alpas" 2017

The Grant Wood mural has it's own gallery.
One of the neatest things there, besides a Kaneko sculpture, was this salvaged mural made by Grant Wood, an Iowa artist most famous for "American Gothic". Commissioned by Omaha businessman Eugene Eppley, it was papered over then later saved. It's on permanent display now at the Art Center.

An old Bekin's Furniture delivery truck from way back when.
After the Arts Center, we walked a little over a block to reach the Sioux City Public Museum. This museum used to be in an old mansion but was moved to a modern, new site built in 2011. What a treasure! This place is really cool, expansive, and houses all kinds of things to see and do. Color me impressed again!

Fossilized trees were just one of the many pieces in the fossils/gems collection at the Sioux City Public Museum.
One of the rooms in the museum houses a large collection of fossils, including ammonite, geodes of all sizes, and these petrified trees. It was really neat.



Nature Girl digs for fossils.
The museum even has a fossil "digging" room for the kids, which Nature Girl thought was the best. The whole museum is a walk through Sioux City's history from the beginning of time, basically, until modern day. It is also free to get in the museum and I would recommend spending a few hours here if you're ever in Sioux City.

One of the many sets of stairs that are located throughout the trails at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
The third place we made it to was the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center. Located on the edge of Stone State Park, and nestled in the Loess Hills (yay, Iowa Mountains), this place has hiking trails, a kid's area, and an informative Nature Center.


Inside the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.


A view of the Loess Hills from a scenic overlook at Stone State Park.
The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center closes at 4:30 p.m. so we left then and headed just a half a mile or so down the road into Stone State Park. We had our picnic lunch and then checked out one of the scenic overlooks.

Overlook Trail at Stone State Park.
We finished our trip by hiking the trail at the overlook we were at for just a little bit. Nestled in the Iowa Mountains, it was a nice way to end our little adventure.

Overall, I had a fantastic Mother's Day and I look forward to going back to Dorothy Pecaut one nice Saturday to explore the hiking trails further. I was really impressed with how far little Sioux City has come over the years and I would highly recommend checking out a few of the places mentioned here if you ever find yourself with a day in Sioux City. 

Life is an Experience

I'm a person who likes to live life with adventure. I want to live life to the fullest and have new experiences. I want my mind and my senses to be challenged. I want to learn something new and have fun. I'm hardwired this way, and I revel in it.

While I enjoy a relaxing day at home here and there, I much prefer to get out and find new experiences to take in. While everyone has their own preferences and ways to enjoy their time, I prefer to move with my life and not just watch it pass me by.

It's not always feasible to take trips far and wide, but, as my faithful readers can attest to, I find trips to take that are near my home and can be done in a day. I call them Day Trip Adventures (DTAs) and I've been doing them for years.

I'm not going to get into the logistics of my DTAs, but rather impart why adventures lead to experiences, and experiences lead to broader minds. When you experience something new in a new place - or something new in a familiar place - you're seeing it for the first time. It's not familiar to you and so you learn something new. Learning new things in different places opens you up to other places, peoples, and cultures. These experiences expand your knowledge and your mind and open you up to even bigger and better experiences. They become adventures and you have fun.

Having seen more of the world, no matter how far from home, prepares you for the outside world as well. If you're used to going to new places and seeing new things, going outside your little world of home becomes less daunting and normal. When you do finally travel far and wide, then, it's not as big of a shock and you're completely ready to embrace the experience. You're ready for the adventure.

We had a new adventure this last weekend, having a ton of fun in the process and enjoying the new experience. I'll be sharing that with you this Saturday, but, until then, what's your next adventure? What adventures have you had? Let me know in the comments.