6 months already...

Can you believe this was me 6 months ago? Oh my! What a belly!

That's what a 22 inch baby looks like squished into a human tummy, I suppose!

I can't believe my baby girl is 6 months old today! (She spent a lot of her time in the nursery being tested, monitored, treated, etc. for some complications.) Thankfully, she was able to come home with us on time. I am just so obsessively in love with her. I can't get enough of my sweet baby! We ALL adore her. My boys and my husband are completely wrapped around her (very long, future piano playing) fingers.

How could we not adore her? Look at that beautiful face, and all that hair! She is such a sweetheart.

How come time flies by so quickly?
I can't believe the last 6 months have sped by so fast. It's gone faster than it did with either of my boys. They are all growing up too fast. I can't believe I have a 1st grader, and SonB is turning 3 in 2 weeks. Why is it that the things we want to hurry up and happen (*cough* a book deal *cough, cough*) take so long, and the things we want to slow down and cherish (my children growing up) flashes by in a blink of an eye?
She is such a light and joy in our family. This grin makes our day!

Sweet Baby Girl, I love you so much! 6 months... wow.

p.s. Time to do some professional portraits... Erin I'm looking at you! ;)

Wishing You and Yours...

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Flashback post #1 : 'Tis the Season...

From December 2010

Tis the Season...
To be way behind on everything. Including posting today. Whoops. Sorry about that!
(Ironic that this post is so relevant to me right now still! Our house got hit with the flu the last two days--well, just my boys, but trust me, it was a veritable body fluid fun fest. Blech. Anyway, the point is, I'm behind on everything again!)

I found this quote today, and it seemed an appropriate one for me. Maybe you will find it inspiring as well.

"There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will." - Epictetus

I have said it before, I tend to be a worrier. I used to worry that I worried too much. The older I am, and the more things I "get" to worry about (two children [3 now!], mortgages, bills, health, etc., etc.), I've slowly begun to learn not to worry so much. It was either that, or go insane. I can't control everything. In fact, there are very few things I can actually control at all. That are "within the power of my will." I have to focus on doing my best with the things I can control and have trust and faith that everything else will work out the way it is supposed to.

Even in writing, we have a lot we can control, but there is so much that we can't. Elana Johnson did a fabulous post about "luck" in the process of getting published and it really hit home for me, and probably a lot of you. We all have to keep working hard, honing our craft (no matter what stage we're at--querying agents, on submission with editors, or published author working on subsequent books), and moving forward. But there are always things we can't control that could cause us worry. Will this agent/editor love my writing enough to offer to represent me/buy it? Will my book sell well? Will I get another deal? Will I be able to write another book as good as my first one? There are always worries. But I'm trying to learn to let them go.

I've yet to read a study telling us how good worrying is for our mental or physical health. So I am consciously trying to worry less--to do what I can do, and let go of the rest. How about you? What are you worried about? And can you do anything about it or not?

Friday Five

1. Any of you watching "Once Upon a Time?" What do you think so far?
I actually really like it. BUT. After this last episode, I have to admit, I'm beginning to feel like I need SOMETHING good to happen soon or else... well, I don't know. I just need to feel like there is some sort of hope. Because right now? Not so much. What do you think Rumpelstiltskin is up to?

2. That got me thinking about writing... how much can you put your characters through before it's too much? How long can you keep a reader interested without offering hope? Just a thought.

3. I want to get my six-year-old some books for Christmas. Any suggestions of good chapter books that would interest him? Nothing too mature obviously, but not a picture book either. He's in this in between stage, so that I'm not quite sure what to get for him.

4. I'm in a strange place with my writing right now. I have a couple different ideas that I've started and then haven't been able to decide if I should continue with them or not. I really need to finish something again. It's been too long (almost a year) since I wrote an entire book from scratch. Edited, revised, started, plotted, sure. But start to finish complete a new book? Nope. Granted, I had a baby this year, and I have been busy working on books for my agent. But still, I feel this strange sense of dissatisfaction with myself right now that I know stems from not creating anything new for a while. Hopefully I can get down to it soon.

5. Thank you all for your very kind comments on my last post. I guess I'll just keep on keeping on.

Happy Friday--and Merry Christmas next week! For the next two weeks, I'm going to be posting some of my older (but [in my opinion] still great) posts. I'll be back with new posts in the New Year. (Unless inspiration strikes before then, of course.) Hope you all have a great finish to 2011!

Direction

I, like many other bloggers, am beginning to wonder what direction to take my blog. More of the same? Or something different?

Has that ever happened to you in life or in writing? You're going along, thinking everything is the same... until it's not. Tiny little changes along the way end up taking your story (or life) in a totally different direction than you were planning. What do you do? Stop and try and get back to the plan? Or do you go with the change, see where it leads?

As for my blog, I'm wondering what YOU would like more (or less) of? There are so many amazing blogs out there full of any advice I could ever give you, and blogs that are far more hysterical than I could hope to be, so I'm not quite sure where I fall. I suppose I'll just keep going along with whatever post inspires me for that day. But if you have thoughts or suggestions of what YOU like to read the most, what brings YOU back--let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to make this the best blog I possibly can.

Do you feel like the blogging world is changing? Or does it still feel the same to you?

Happy Wednesday!

Climb every mountain...

Yes, I do love The Sound of Music. Have I succeeded in getting my boys to watch it with me yet? No. But that isn't the point of this post.

What is the point?

Have you ever gone on a really hard, long hike? And you keep thinking, "this was supposed to be a fun little jaunt up the mountain, and I feel like I've been hiking forEVER!" And soon, the treeline has disappeared, and you're dragging your sorry butt across rock and shale with a frigid wind beating against you, and you start to feel like you're a pioneer trudging to unchattered lands and you might have to lay down and die right then and there?

NO? Really, was it just me?

Okay, I might have been twelve or thirteen, and we were hiking Table Rock (the second highest peak next to the Grand Teton in that range), and I might have had a flair for the dramatic. BUT. The point is that when I finally did make it to the very top (shockingly, still alive!), WOW. It was amazing. All my exhaustion and complaints disappeared, and I was left with a sense of accomplishment and peace and excitement to see the world from this new, incredible vantage point. And then my sisters and cousins and I ran all the way back down the mountain, our adrenaline pumping and our faces plastered with perma-grins.

The point is that if we keep climbing, we will eventually reach the summit and find out what the view is like from up there. Even if it means going above the treeline and pushing on through wind, cold, and exhaustion.

What mountains are you climbing right now?

A Writer's Plea

In case you didn't click on the link in my last post, here is "A writer's plea" by K. Marie Criddle, for your Friday reading pleasure:
Awesome, right?

You've got to go read this

So, since I don't know if the author would care if I copied and pasted her awesome "plea" on my blog, I'm going to just post the link. Seriously, go read this. I LOVE it. So funny, and SO true!


http://kmcriddle.blogspot.com/2011/11/writers-plea.html

Happy Wednesday!

Tell the Truth Tuesday

Here are some of my truths today:

1- I'm scared of the dark. I hate having to get up at night and do anything because I always think there's someone hiding in the shadows, waiting to get me.

2- Nightmares stink. Unless they spur an idea for a book. Unfortunately, the nightmare I had last night didn't spur an idea for a book, it was just plain awful. Basically there were two gigantic snakes, and one of them ended up attacking my mom and trying to kill her. Yeah, not a good idea for a book.

3- I totally failed at NaNo this year. I kind of knew I shouldn't sign up, because there was just too much going on to dedicate myself to it, but I did anyway. And now I'm a failure. Bummer.

3- On the bright side, I did manage to run my Thanksgiving Day Human Race and get my Thanksgiving dinner on the table last week (I hosted my whole family). My 6-yr-old ended up running it with us (and my husband had to push the other two kids in the stroller because our babysitter bugged out on us at the last minute). But he did great! He actually would have placed 11th in his age division if we'd had a bib for him. I was a proud Mama.

4- Baby weight stinks to get rid of, not to mention what it does to the skin on your belly. In a totally unrelated thought, does anyone else think that Mariah Carey had a tummy tuck? Because I saw the picture of her saying, "look at how skinny I am now after twins" or something like that on the cover of People, and her belly button didn't look too natural anymore. I'm just sayin'...

5- When SHH is out of town for work, I have a hard time wanting to make "real" meals for dinner. Or breakfast. Or any meal for that matter. It's just so much work when I only seem to have a 50/50 chance that my kids will actually eat more than 3 bites. (Their appetites come and go faster than a Black Friday deal at Wal Mart.) But I'm actually making a full on meal today--the best chicken pot pie recipe ever, jello salad, dessert, the whole works. My truth is that it's not really for my family, it's for a neighbor. I'm just doubling the recipe for our dinner, because it would be really lame to make it for someone else and not get to eat it myself.

What are your truths today? Lay 'em on me -- success, failure, whatever it may be.

I love good books, like...

Remember the book I teased you about last week? The one that I loved? Well... here it is!

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

And the author graciously agreed to do an interview with me! C.J. Hill happens to be a friend of mine (and in a not so well guarded secret, is actually a pen name of a well known YA author). Do you know how she really is?


1. How did you come up with the idea for SLAYERS (for those who don't know yet)?

The idea for Slayers came from the various things. One of those things is my own clumsiness. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and find I have new scratches or bruises. I have no idea of where I got them. My husband is understandably perplexed by this phenomenon. He has often asked me, "Were you with your body all yesterday?" I got tired of trying to make excuses for my own clumsiness, so I told him that while he sleeps I live a double life and secretly fights dragons. And then, because I'm a writer, I began to wonder what it would be like to fight dragons. Who would fight dragons and why?

Another thing that contributed to the plot of Slayers, is cicadas. Some cicadas have a 17 year life cycle. They live dormant underneath the ground for most of those years, and only come out once every 17 years. This way, predators can't depend on them as a food source. I lived in Maryland during one of those years and thoughts the rise of the cicadas from the underworld was especially creepy. I wondered what other creatures might be lurking unknown in the ground, just waiting for the right time to emerge. I grew up on Godzilla movies so dinosaurs were high on that worry list.

Slayers doesn't have any dinosaurs, but dragons are even worse. Dragons not only breathe fire, they fly. My dragons also emit electromagnetic pulses which fry electronic components. Let's just say these aren't Eargon's dragons.

She's not kidding! No friendly dragons to be found here, but I loved the world she created. Isn't it crazy where our ideas for books can come from?

2. Who was your favorite character to write in the book, and why?

There were lots of fun characters to write about in Slayers. I loved Bess's sense of humor, and I loved Dirk's internal conflicts, but Tori was the funnest character to write. She is so out of place with the rest of the slayers that it makes for some funny scenes.

I was curious what your answer would be because there are so many great characters in this book.

3. When does the sequel come out?

Not soon enough for the fans that keep e-mailing me asking me when the next book is due. Let's just say I'm still working on the manuscript. I will say though, that we'll see a lot more of Ryker and Willow in the next story.

I can't wait! What do I need to do to bribe an advanced copy from you?? (I'm actually not kidding about that part...)

4. What's your favorite dessert?

I'm not picky when it comes to dessert. I love them all. Of course, I love desserts with chocolate the most. Suddenly I'm thinking of Almond Joys. Mmmm. My happy place.

Those are SHH's favorite, too!

5. How did you get to be so funny?

I think my inner child never grew up. I don't take a lot of things seriously. Sometimes in life you've got to either laugh or cry. I think it's better to laugh.

That's so true, and great advice, too.

Thanks so much for the interview! It was fun to find out some new things about SLAYERS and you!

If you haven't picked this book up yet, hurry and get a copy. You won't be disappointed!

P.S. Sarah Allen never claimed her prize (bummer)... but that means a new person is my lucky winner. This time the Random Number Generator picked:

Linda: Book Ninja!!

Congratulations! Please comment or email me your email address so I can get your ecopy of BECOME gifted to you! (sarablarson21 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Friday Four or Five: the late edition

1. First of all, Sarah Allen has yet to claim her prize (an ecopy of BECOME). If she doesn't email or comment with her email by Sunday night, I will pick a new winner and announce him/her on Monday.

2. Here's the deal. I love movies. I love movie soundtracks. I listen to original scores all the time while writing. I picture my books playing out like movies in my head at night (and when I'm writing, too). When I read, I visualize scenes like a movie in my mind. So, when people make books into movies, I'm all "yay!" Unless I see the movie and they destroy it. Ahem, HP6, ahem. (And many others...) But then, there are books that were just so, um,... yeah... to begin with, that the movie is all messed up before it ever had a chance.

3. I may have seen Breaking Dawn last night. I might have laughed. A lot. Sometimes it was supposed to be funny (why can't her dad and Alice be in every scene??); sometimes... not so much. (There was this one scene with the wolf pack, and loud booming voices and laughter--except that part was coming from me and my sisters and my mom and my friends.) (Or that other part where a certain baby and wolf make eye contact and heavenly choirs begin to sing of imprinting and the whole theater was laughing.) But, don't take my word for it. Lots of people seemed to like the movie a lot. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.

4. Wanna know what movie based on a book looks like they nailed it? The Hunger Games. I've watched that preview multiple times, and it makes me get teary-eyed every time. "I volunteer!" Oh baby, I can't wait for that one! I was really hoping they'd show that preview last night, but alas...

5. I just read an awesome book this week, that you'll get to hear more about soon (maybe even on Monday). I love reading awesome books. Now, if only I could write one... Have I mentioned that NaNo isn't going so well? Sigh.

So, what's on your mind this week?

And the winner is...

The random number generator has spoken and the winner is...





Sarah Allen!!

*tosses confetti*

Congratulations!! Either comment or email me your email address (sarablarson21 [at] gmail [dot] com) so I can gift your ebook to you!

Thank you all for entering and supporting Ali and BECOME!

What will you BECOME...?

I am lucky enough to participate in a huge giveaway celebrating the release of the ever awesome, amazing, dojo master Ali Cross's book BECOME!!

(Find out all the details here on Elana's blog!)

Wanna know what it's about?

The Twitter version: (tell us about your book in 140 characters or less:) “The devil's daughter is sent to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she's always feared.”

The Long Version:

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared. When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

Sounds great, right?? I've read the first chapter of this book, and I can't wait for my copy to come so I can read the rest! And wow, isn't that cover incredible? I love it!

All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win your own e-copy of BECOME is leave a comment on today's post. That's it. :)

And stay tuned for your other 14 chances to win a copy!! Here is the schedule:

5 chances on blogs according to the following schedule:
Monday: Missed your chance...
Tuesday: Sara Larson (RIGHT NOW!)
Wednesday: Stacy Henrie
Thursday: LT Elliot
Friday: Nichole Giles

5 chances on twitter according to the following schedule:
Monday, November 14 - 11 am MST, 1 pm Eastern
Tuesday, November 15 - 7 pm MST, 9 pm Eastern
Wednesday, November 16 - 1 pm MST, 3 pm Eastern
Thursday, November 17 - 4 pm PST, 7 pm Eastern
Friday, November 18 - 3 pm MST, 5 pm Eastern

We'll be chatting with the hashtag #BECOME so join us for your chance to mix and mingle and win!

FIVE more chances by filling out this google form from the awesome Elana J's blog!

If you'd like to purchase a copy, you can do so HERE.

Good luck! I will announce the winner tomorrow morning!

Monday Motivation

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
-Aristotle

Wise words to start off this week, don't you think? What habits are you currently cultivating that will lead to excellence? Or what ones do you need to be cultivating?

Monday Motivation

NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month.)

I haven't ever done it before. I'm a pretty fast writer, so I've honestly never felt the need to try and force myself to get a book done in a month. When inspiration hits, I can whip out a book in 4-5 weeks. Not always, but sometimes.

But this time, I decided to bite the bullet and do it. Why? Because I'm in a bit of a slump. I have a new idea, but I'm having a hard time making myself find the time to write. Maybe it's because SHH is traveling so much, so I don't have help with the kids at night so I can write like I used to. And by the time I get them all to bed and could write, I am so worn out emotionally and physically from not getting a break, I can barely find the energy and motivation to get myself ready for bed and try to read a book, let alone write one.

But, my goal is for this to be a career. So I'm treating it like one, and making myself put in the time. Signing up for NaNo was my way of trying to get myself to do it this month. I got off to a good start, but had a crazy weekend and now I'm behind. I'll keep going though, and hopefully I'll at least hit the 50k, if not finish the entire novel.

How about you? Are you doing NaNo? How do you make yourself stay motivated and moving forward when you're overwhelmed and exhausted?

Good News... and even greater news!!

So... first, the good news. A recap of my race:

Here we are, sitting in a "heated tent" (it didn't feel heated for at least an hour after we got there), waiting for over three hours for our race to start. Some of us (and I think it's pretty easy to see who, although one is doing a good job of pretending) are wondering "how did I get dragged into this? And why did I pay money to get up at 4 am to get bussed up a canyon and freeze for hours before running 13.1 miles??"

They started the race in two waves, and we went with the second. The first few miles were awesome, I barely even felt like I was running. The canyon was gorgeous, it was just wonderful. Except that my sister and mom got lost behind my aunt and me somewhere. Then at mile 4 my aunt started slowing up a bit, but waved for me to keep my pace. I decided to keep going since we'd already lost my mom and sister miles before this point.

Then I hit mile 6 and oh. my. heck. (Yes, I'm from Utah.) I started having crazy pain in the weirdest places. The backs of my ankles and lower calves, my hip flexors--just random, strange places where I'd never had pain before. Ever. I'd never hurt so bad running before, and I have no idea why it happened to me on race day. My 10 mile run the week before had felt great, so I was not expecting this run to be so hard. At least, not at mile 6.


Here I am, pausing for a quick picture by stunning Bridal Veil Falls, more than half way through the race.

By mile 7 and 8 I was running out steam already. WHAT THE...?? This was NOT supposed to happen. I'd trained, I'd felt great on all of my long runs, I couldn't figure out what was going on. I kept going, forcing myself to keep running even though I was so tempted to walk. Especially when more and more people around me began walking instead of running. At mile 9 I texted my husband and told him I was completely out of energy. Somehow I kept going, thinking "I can do hard things" and finding good songs on my playlist to keep me motivated.

Then I hit mile 11. I was dying. The pain was horrible, my legs felt like someone had beat me with a sledgehammer, and I was beyond exhausted. I'd never had this hard of a time on a run, ever. Did I mention that already? Well, it's true. I thought to myself: I can either give up and switch off walking and running the rest of the way and at least I'll finish; or I can somehow find the energy to push through this and keep running. I wanted so badly to run the whole way. Then it hit me.

I dedicated this race to Josh and Megan, and was I going to give up now, when I was this close?

I'd gone and visited him the night before my race at the cancer institute to celebrate his 24th birthday. I thought of him up there, fighting cancer, strong and brave and so positive, and I told myself, "if he can fight this cancer, I can run this race!" And suddenly, I could. I had tears in my eyes, but I was able to push through and found reserves of energy I didn't know I had. For the last 2.1 miles whenever the exhaustion and pain crept back in, I thought of Josh, and I told myself, "he's going to beat this cancer, and I'm going to run this race!"

And I did.



This is such a goofy picture of me, but it shows the energy I somehow found for the end of the race. The finish was just ahead, and I caught sight of my beautiful little family cheering for me, and I was cheering back and waving. SonA came running to me, grabbed my hand, and ran the rest of the way to the finish with me.

It was amazing, and such an incredibly touching experience. Josh, somehow you got me through this race. Your courage and strength inspired me, and pushed me on. I ran for you.





After the finish with my awesome new medal. I finished in 2:27:37, averaging an 11:17 mile. I know that's not too impressive to all my running friends (I'm looking at you Ally-Miss-7:30-minute-mile! Dang, girl!), but for me, I was so happy with this time for my first race, 4 months and one day after having my baby girl. I've only been running for a year and three months, and nine of the months I was pregnant. ;)

Afterwards, with all of us (my bro-in-law rode up with us and ran it, too, but he's speedy and went in the first group). Only after the race did my Aunt tell us she'd also run the race for Josh. You may notice her shoes are off, and if you look closely, her socks are soaked in blood. She had to run with her shoes off the last mile, with every toe bleeding to finish the race. Later, she and my parents went up to Huntsmans where she gave Josh her medal, and told him next year, he's running it with us. It was a very emotional and amazing day.

And here's the even greater news:

(Friday night at Huntsmans with Josh and Megan, celebrating his birthday.)

On Friday, Josh was supposed to do another round of chemo. Instead, he spiked yet another fever, and the doctor's decided they needed to do another PET scan and bone marrow biopsy. They believed his cancer was progressing even faster than they thought and that's what was causing the fevers. In a complete miracle, Josh found out on Saturday, after we ran our race, that instead of progressing, his cancer is getting the *&$% beat out of it!! ALL of his tumors are gone. COMPLETELY GONE. He still has some cancer cells, but they believe after he finishes his chemo treatments, and does his bone marrow transplant, that the cancer will be completely eradicated.

Miracles happen. We are witnessing one right now. I know all of the prayers and faith of those surrounding him and Megan are being answered.

Remember my last post? How I said, "we can do hard things"? Well, we did.

I'm gonna love you through it...

Wanna know a secret? Sometimes "Life" isn't fair. Sometimes we have to do hard things. Sometimes we choose to do hard things, and sometimes we don't get a choice.

I am running a half marathon (my first ever) on Saturday morning. One day after Baby Girl turns 4 months old. It has been an intense goal to meet in such a short time after her birth, and I've spent quite a few runs repeating my mantra in my mind: "I can do hard things."

But now it's here, and I can't wait. I may not be the fastest, or in the best shape, but I am determined to finish. Isn't that what really counts in the end? To run a good race--and to finish the race?

I have pursued publication for years. Has it been hard? Yes. Have I had some blows that were so rough that I could barely drag myself back up? Yes. Am I still going, working, dreaming, actively pursuing my goal--my lifelong dream of being published? Yes, I am. Because I can do hard things.

But suddenly, none of these things matter that much when a truly HARD thing hits someone you love. Something they have no control over, that they had no choice in having to deal with. I chose to sign up for this race, I chose to pursue publication. My beautiful cousin and her husband DID NOT CHOOSE to have to do something this hard. I'd like you to meet Megan and Josh:
This was their gorgeous wedding day, two years ago. A beautiful young couple, full of hope and life and promise and joy.

This is them just last March (and my sister and her DH as well).

Just before they went to Mexico to celebrate their 2nd anniversary recently. they discovered a lump in Josh's throat. They (and their doctor) believed it to be a brachial cleft cyst, because I'd had one just like it when I was a teenager and that is what it ended up being. He'd been training for an intense cycling race called Lotoja, and so it was decided they'd wait to operate until he did his race. After they got back from Mexico, Josh completed his race. He did great the first two legs, but by the end of the third one he was extremely sick and exhausted. However, after riding a bike for hundreds of miles, who could blame him? Or so they thought... until another lump showed up in his collarbone area.

The doctors immediately decided it was probably cancer and that they needed to operate and biopsy it to find out.

Fast forward a month and a half... and he is in a fight for his life. He has a very rare form of lymphoma. It is stage IV and has spread to his bones already. He's getting an aggressive form of chemo every other week. This last week was especially hard, as he's been violently ill with terrifyingly high fevers. They even did an appendectomy and it still didn't help. He's finally doing a bit better again, and will be able to continue his chemo this week. Once he finished chemo, he is going to need a bone marrow transplant and will spend at least a month in the hospital, most likely over the holidays.

Suddenly, the things I thought were hard? Not so much. I love these two so much. They are amazing people. They have shown nothing but courage, faith, love, and graciousness in the face of devastating and frightening blow after blow.

Can we do hard things? Yes, we can. Can he beat this cancer? YES HE CAN. Megan posted this video on FB last night, and it moved me to tears. Even though it's about women with cancer, it obviously can be switched around, as Megan is the one loving Josh through this.

I am now dedicating my race to Megan and Josh. No matter how hard it is, how my body aches, how tired I feel, I am going to push through it with a prayer of gratitude for a healthy body that can take me through all 13.1 miles.

Josh, I know you are going to beat this. We are all praying for you, cheering for you, here for you. Day or night. And I hope that all my followers will be willing to add their own faith and prayers to all those who are already rooting for you.

We're ALL going to love you and Megan through this... because we can all do hard things.

Can we go back?

We went down to St. George for a quick family trip... it didn't last long enough. It was so beautiful. Can we go back??

Monday Motivation

"Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. "

- Louisa May Alcott

Isn't that a lovely quote? I think so. There is so much beauty in this world. Yesterday, we took a drive to see the fall leaves; the colors are truly spectacular this year. So much beauty surrounding us, but how often do we stop and look?

Sometimes my aspirations do seem as impossible to reach as the sun, but I am determined to continue to look up, reach for them, enjoy the beauty of my life, and see where it leads.

Friday Four or Five

1. Ben and Jerry's Fro-yo Phish Food is just as good as the ice-cream version IMO. And I am so tired that when I was posting about it on FB and Twitter last night, I didn't even spell it right. Whoops. So, in case any of you were wondering I was not eating fish food. I'll continue to just give that to Cougar (our beta fish [who happens to be blue, for all you local college football fans]) and Goldie (the goldfish) (names courtesy of SonA). But when it comes to PHISH food, I will gladly ingest as much of that as possible. Now, whether or not it was a good idea to eat half a pint of it the night before running 8 or 9 miles remains to be seen.


2. It's been a long week, as evidenced by #1. I'm not one to eat ice cream (or frozen yogurt as the case may be) straight out of the container. Ever. But I did last night.


3. I just had the opportunity to read a friend's manuscript (that is being published), and let me tell you guys -- it was AH-MAZ-ING. I can't wait for everyone to get to read her book. Love. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell anyone I read it, so that's why I'm being mysterious about who it was. But trust me, when the time comes, I will be shouting from the rooftops about this one.


4. You know how you write a book, and revise it, and revise it, and then revise it some more? And then you revise it with your agent, and then again, and again. And you think it's as clean and tight and awesome as it can be? And then you wait a year and go back to it... and find out there's always more you can do to make it better? Yeah. That.


How about you? What's on your mind today? Hope you all have a great weekend!

Monday Inspiration

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

- Albert Einstein

I personally believe in miracles. I have seen miracles in my life. I am always in awe at how sometimes my hardest trials have also reaped the greatest blessings.

I hope I can always look for the miracles in my life, and keep my vision up, bright, and full of gratitude even when it's hard. Even when I don't know the why's or why not's.

How about you?

Friday Four or Five

1. We are NOT enjoying the cold weather over here. To go from 85 degrees to 35 and snowing in two days? Not cool Mother Nature. Well, actually it is literally cool--or cold, rather--but I think you know what I mean.

2. We are (almost) all sick now. SonB got croup first, and a week later (and many desperate attempts to keep Baby Girl away from him) she and I are both sick, too. All of my kids have had croup before, but never as young as her. It's a little nerve-wracking.

3. I'm supposed to be going on a long run tomorrow (8-9 miles) in preparation for my race in three weeks. That should be an adventure. Maybe the cold air and exercise will help me feel better...? Hey, just trying to think positive.

4. Speaking of the race, I got my costume for it (it's a Halloween Half, and most runners dress up) and I'm really excited about it! Now I just have to convince my sister to dress up too. I think everyone else we're running with us is planning on it. Maybe I'll even post a picture of us all dressed up. But only if I get one pre-race. I don't sweat pretty.

5. Random fact: I hate being scared. I don't do scary movies, or horror stories. I'm already scared of the dark as it is.

How about you? Do you like being scared or not? Any fun Halloween parties (or races) you're going to? Hope you all have a good weekend!

Friday Four or Five

1. Baby Girl is three months old now. How did that happen? She's such a sweet, happy baby. And she's been sleeping through the night for about a month now. Huzzah!

2. For some reason I'm still exhausted almost all the time. Huh.

3. SHH has been gone all week in Florida, but he finally gets home tonight. I. Can't. Wait.

4. I got a new idea for a book yesterday, and I'm really excited about it... except I'm only on page three and I'm already questioning if it's any good, or if I started in the right place, or or or... Yeah. I think I need to turn off the internal editor. And grow some confidence (which I'll be honest and admit is lacking right now). Wish me luck.

What's on your mind today?

CLOCKWISE book launch, review, and contest!

My sweet friend Elle Strauss is launching her first book CLOCKWISE this week! I am so excited for her. I had the opportunity to read it, and let me tell you -- you're in for a treat!

Isn't she gorgeous? What an amazing headshot.

Here's the twitter hook:
“A teen time traveler accidentally takes her secret crush back in time. Awkward.”
Intrigued yet?


From Amazon.com:

Boy watching with her best friend would be enough excitement for fifteen year old Casey Donavan. She doesn't even mind life at the bottom of the Cambridge High social ladder, if only she didn’t have this other much bigger problem. Unscheduled trips to the nineteenth century!

When Casey gets talked into going to the Fall Dance, the unthinkable happens--she accidentally takes Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just ‘brotherly’ protectiveness?

When they return to the present things go back to the way they were before: Casey at the bottom of the social totem pole and Nate practically the flag flying from the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her little brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again.

Which, of course, she does.

CLOCKWISE is launching electronically this week and it’s only 2.99 on Amazon , £2.17 on Amazon.co.uk! To celebrate, Elle Strauss is giving away five debut books by authors that you can meet on her blog tour which is happening now.


LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden
THE CLEARING by Anne Riley
THE SECRET OF SPRUCE KNOLL by Heather McCorkle
PERILOUS by Tamara Hart Heiner
THE HATING GAME by Talli Roland


How to win? Sign up for Elle’s newsletter to enter. For extra entries just comment on any blog in the tour. The more blogs you visit and comment on the more chances you have to win.

Five books, five days, five winners! Hurry and enter!

CLOCKWISE is a really fun read. I love Casey's voice throughout the story, she's a fabulous narrator. I love how Elle weaved the normal teenage angst with the abnormal stress of time travel, and even historical events into the story. This is one worth reading, especially for only $2.99!

Congrats Elle on the release of CLOCKWISE! I wish you tons of success!

Thoughts about September 23rd

Today is a special day. It is the day I married my sweetheart, my SHH (Super Hot Hubby, for any newer followers of the blog), eight years ago. So much has happened since then. So many highs, and so many lows. Trials, blessings, joy, and pain. Together, all the events have created our life as we know it so far. The beauty of new life that we've created together, the loss of life that we have mourned, the struggle to survive, the happiness of living, it's all there bundled up together.

Our wedding day was spectacular (as you can see from these pictures). It was a truly perfect day.

The best part of being married to my best friend is knowing that no matter what is thrown at us, that we have each other, that we're on this journey together. He supports me, believes in my dreams, urges me to keep going if I want to give up. And I hope I do the same for him.

It is also the day that our dear friends welcomed their beautiful twin girls into the world. Today they turn six. For them, this is a day of celebration for the lives they've welcomed into their family.

But this day is not just a day of joy. It is also a day that someone I know (not closely) lost her very young son in a drowning incident. Though I don't know her well, my heart still aches for her when I think of what September 23rd means in her life. Heartache instead of joy, pain instead of happiness.

And now it is also the day that marks the beginning of a fight. The fight my cousin's dear husband is waging against cancer. They are a gorgeous, young couple, full of life and love. They have only been married for two years. He competed in Lotoja (a local insanely difficult bike race) and found out he had cancer just a few days later. The lump in his neck was not a brachial cleft cyst like I had when I was 14 (that they thought he had as well). It is stage four Alk-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma that has already spread throughout his neck, hip and possibly his bones. Today was his first chemo treatment. September 23rd for my cousin and her husband will be the day that marked the fight for his life -- the fight for their life together here on earth.

September 23rd is just another day on a calendar for many of you, I'm sure. But it means so many more things to me. A day of joy and remembrance, of pain, of endurance, of loss, and life, and those that have passed on and that which is still to come.

Most other days are just that to me, dates on a calendar. But to someone, somewhere it means much more than that. I guess I need to remember that more often if a stranger seems rude, or jubilant, sad or full of smiles.

So to my cousin and her husband: we love you. We know you can beat this. You are strong, and young, and full of faith and hope, and God will bless you, I know it.

To the mom who is mourning the loss of her baby three years ago (though I doubt she reads this blog): though I barely know you, our prayers are with you. I can't imagine your pain or how you stay so kind and sweet to everyone around you, from what I've seen the few times I've been near you since then. God will bless you as well, I know it.

And to my husband: Thank you. For being you. For loving me. For giving me the last eight years, and for all the years yet to come. I love you.

Monday Motivation

"Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks. "
- Johann Gottfried Von Herder

So tell me, how do you create the sparks to ignite your 'fuel?'

EVERNEATH blog tour!

I am SO excited that I got to be a part of the EVERNEATH blog tour. I adore Brodi, she is so genuine, funny, talented, funny, nice... well, basically she rocks. She has worked so hard to get to this point, and I am so so happy for her. I first met her when she was requerying agents after deciding things weren't working out with her first agent. Talk about a hard decision. But obviously it was the right one, because now her book is almost here! If don't already follow her blog, you are missing out. So go rectify that RIGHT NOW. I'll wait.


....



Okay, done? Good. Now, on to her book.

First of all. OH MY HECK, am I the only one drooling over that cover? I just want to stare at it. Can't wait until it's on my shelf!

Here's the synopsis (from goodreads):

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists. Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

So, what did I think of it? Well, here's what I wrote on Goodreads (I gave it 5 stars btw):

"I don't give stars anymore, but I absolutely had to on this one because HOLY CRIMINY it deserved it! BRODI!! I LOVED it. If this isn't on your TBR list yet, you'd better add it. Now. Couldn't put it down (which is saying a lot with a 3 week old). Dark, beautiful, hopeful, devastating, fabulous, refreshing and new. I won't say more so you can experience it for yourself in January. Way to go, Bro."

Can you get any higher of a recommendation than the fact that I had a 3 week old baby, and I stayed up until 2 am trying to finish it?? Yeah, I don't think so either. I have a total book-crush on Jack. My only complaint is that I have to wait so long to read the sequel! :)

Be sure to check back to Brodi's blog for more links as the blog tour continues, and mark your calendars for January 3rd when you can get your hot little hands on this gem.

Monday Inspiration

Here's a great quote to start off this new week:

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will." - Vince Lombardi

I have oodles of will, so I should be good to go, right? How about you?

Looking for joy along the path

I don't know about you, but there are times when I'm so focused on my goals (aka the "end results"), that I lose sight of the joy in where I'm at right now. I've made a conscious effort to find more happiness in the journey in the last few months, and it has made a big difference. I don't beat myself up as much for not getting everything done as fast as possible. I take more time to breath, to see, to listen, to feel.

As I was running with my mom and sister last weekend (6 miles, woot woot!), we came upon this beautiful sight. It was a perfect moment--a nice cool breeze, we were all feeling really good, the sun was just coming up... it was lovely. I dare say it was the best run I've ever had to this point.

Isn't the fog weaving through the river bottoms just beautiful? We thought so, too.

But not all runs are this wonderful. My sister and I ran on the same path last night and nearly every step was a struggle. She had a blister that was bleeding, I was exhausted, but we pushed through and did our 4 miles. And we were still able to find the joy in the run, even if it was harder than the previous time.

Life is like that - sometimes it's easy to see the beauty and joy in our path, other times it takes a lot more effort. With running, with trying to get published, with being a mom, with all aspects of my life, this is true.

How about you, do you find it easy or hard to find joy in your journey?

And... DONE!

Whoa. It's been an intense couple of weeks. SHH started traveling for work again (rather suddenly), so I had to start flying solo with all three kids day and night before I knew it. I had this major revision I needed to get done for my agent, I had to try and figure out how to go running without SHH there to help with the kids (his mom came over and watched them so I could go once), and yeah. Just busy, busy, busy.

I didn't get much sleep, but I did get my revision done last Thursday. YAY! That was such a big relief and weight off my chest. Of course, now I'm sick, so I may be wearing myself out a little bit, but oh well. What can you do?

That's the thing, when you want something bad enough, you make sacrifices. You endure, and fight, and keep going. Whether it be running a hard race, writing your book (or revising it as the case may be), or any other goal you have. Life doesn't get any easier, nor does time just magically appear so you can "finally get around" to that thing you've been wanting to do. For me right now, I'm trying to keep balance in my life. I am cherishing my baby girl and my boys as much as possible, because I don't want to have any regrets when they get older. So that means sacrificing sleep to pursue my goals - staying up late to write and getting up early to run (when SHH is here anyway). Normally I would keep working on a new book or some other writing project after finishing one project, but this time, I think I might take a break for a week and enjoy an extra couple hours of sleep--or time cuddling Baby Girl. :)

How about you, what do you sacrifice to meet your goals? What have you been doing these last couple of weeks?

Summer is drawing to a close...

If you wonder where I've been, here's a snapshot...

Cherishing my time with this little one. (Or trying to anyway, in between the hectic life of taking care of two young boys and my house and the revision I'm trying to work on for my agent and the half marathon I'm training for [which I signed up for in October in an apparent moment if insanity, but I'm excited to accomplish something that hard], and yeah. Oh, and SHH just found out he's going to be traveling for work again a whole bunch. Yikes. Busy much? Oh my. So if I'm still sporadic with blogging for a while, you'll know why. I am reading your blogs as much as I can, I just don't have any extra time to comment very often, so I apologize for that. But I honestly don't know how I'm going to do it all and still be the kind of mom I want to be. I'm just taking it one day at a time.

However I did sneak out for Kiersten White's signing for SUPERNATURALLY--another NY Times Bestseller! Woohoo! Congrats Kiersten, I'm so happy for you.

So what are you doing these last few weeks of summer?

Not quite back yet...

Yeah, still in survival mode over here a bit. I actually showered, got dressed, AND had make up on before 10 am today -- with all three kids here and no help. That's probably a pathetic thing to get excited about, but for me, it was a victorious moment.

As for my writing? Um, pretty much nonexistant right now. But hey, she's only 3 weeks old as of yesterday, and most people take off 6 weeks from their jobs right? So the fact that I'm getting anything done is putting me ahead of the game. Or at least that's what I'm going to tell myself.

In the meantime, I have friends with great news and fun stuff happening:

Natalie Whipple got a book deal!!! WOOHOO!!! I'm so so SO happy for her. She has worked harder than you can imagine for this moment to happen. If you haven't already, make sure to go wish her well!

My friend Stacey's book blog My Pile of Books is celebrating its blogiversary, and she's going to be doing some great giveaways, so make sure and check it out!

There's more, but baby girl just started crying, so my time is up. :)

She's here!

Wanna know why my belly got this huge?

(38 weeks, whoa BABY!)

Well, here she is!

Our beautiful daughter!

9 lbs 7 oz

22 inches

We spent a lot of time in the nursery with her because she had some complications. Luckily she was doing well enough to come home with us on time.

Curly hair like her Mama ;)

SonA and SonB both adore her.

My beautiful little firecracker.

So that's why I'll be MIA for a while. :-) Hope you are all doing great. Keep me posted on the rest of the world...

One day more

Only one more day until we meet our little girl! Because of my low blood pressure issues, I am being induced tomorrow morning (if she doesn't decide to surprise us in the next few hours, that is). I. Can't. Wait.

Yes, I know this means I am going to be having sleepless nights. But at least they'll be sleepless because I'm taking care of my baby instead of being woken up by acid reflux, or my heart racing because my BP is dropping again.

Yes, I know it means taking care of three kids, which is going to be an adjustment. But at least I will be able to walk around, and run and jump and play and drive a car and do anything I want to instead of being stuck in bed all day and night.

Yes, I know it means my writing time will become even harder to find. But at least I know I've made it work in the past with a newborn and I know I can and will make it work again.

I am beyond thrilled to NOT be pregnant, to NOT be on bed rest, and to hold my baby girl in my arms. Wish us luck!

What are your big plans this week?

(and p.s. anyone know how to make blogger give me back my followers widget thingy? It's been missing for a couple of weeks now...)

Random: it's the best I can do right now

Random thoughts for your general amusement and entertainment, courtesy of being stuck laying on my left side almost 24/7 for days and days and days...

When you can't do anything except lay there, you'd think you wouldn't get as hungry anymore or as often as when you were very active. You'd be wrong.

Also, you have a lot of time to contemplate what exactly you are craving and how badly you want (need) it right then. With no way of accomplishing the goal of getting it. Unless a very nice someone (generally SHH) acquiesces and gets it for you.

I can't wait to meet my baby girl!!

Running out of books that you haven't read yet when you can't go to the store or library for more = bad.

Did you know you can spend hours contemplating the merits and downfalls (literally) of taking a shower? "I'd really like to take a shower, but if I do, I might pass out. That would be bad. Not to mention embarrassing, who wants to be found drenched and naked, unconscious in their shower? But on the bright side, I haven't passed out yet, so I'd probably be okay. And then I'd be clean. Which is nice." I have scintillating conversations like these with myself all the time these days. It's what happens when you have no one else to talk to the majority of the time.

I keep daydreaming about being able to use my new double jogging stroller. Of course, by the time I can use it, it'll probably FINALLY be super hot. Hence making it miserable to try and go for walks or runs. But dream of it I still do. Going from working out an hour a day most days, and running crazy taking care of my kids, family, work, etc. to being completely sedentary 24/7 is not the easiest thing for me.

The angle of your open blinds really makes a difference on how hot your bedroom gets throughout the day. Also, it is not a good idea to open your window for fresh air when there is no screen on it, and your window is level with the ground. Glancing up to see a ginormous red spider running across the wall towards you does not equate with me continuing to lay on my side.

I can't wait to meet my baby girl!!

Yep, these and other exciting thoughts brought to you by The Days of Sara's Bedrest. Stay tuned for another gripping episode... whenever she decides she's bored enough to write another post like this. Unless the series gets cancelled (aka she has her baby), in which case we can all rejoice.

Friday Five: Bedrest edition

Here's my limited observations and thoughts from a week of being stuck in bed:

1. Thank heavens for good books to distract me. This week was brought to you by Holly Black (RED GLOVE), Simone Elkeles (PERFECT CHEMISTRY), and I'm currently reading LOCK and KEY by Sarah Dessen.

2. Trying to work on revision notes while lying on your left side is really hard.

3. Typing while lying on your left side is really hard. Hence, I've been reading everyone's blogs, but unfortunately not always commenting if I've already been typing a lot on my mss that day.

4. Never, ever eat an entire Iceberg shake by yourself. I don't think I've consumed that much ice cream in the last two years combined. It was amazing, but yikes. I'm not feeling so good right now...

5. I am so grateful to my family and friends who have stepped in (and up) to help me during this time: taking care of my kids, cleaning, cooking, taking my BP, you name it. I can't thank you all enough. It's hard feeling like such a burden when I'm used to just pushing through and doing it all myself. Thank you, thank you.

So, tell me, how was your week? Any fun plans for the weekend? I'm hoping to have a baby, but we'll see how well that works out. ;)

Elana Johnson's signing!

I was lucky enough to attend the book launch/signing for Elana Johnson's POSSESSION last week at The King's English in Salt Lake City. Since I ended up in the ER the next day, and on bedrest since then (see last post), the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

Elana and me before her speech

I can't believe the crowd that was there--it was astounding! But then again, I shouldn't be surprised, since she is so amazing, and so well loved. It was a triumphant wonderful night for her, and I couldn't be happier for my friend!

Me and Natalie Whipple

I also got to see so many author friends, like Natalie It was such a fun night. :)

Stacey (MyPileofBooks) and me

Congrats again Elana! Wishing you tons of success in the months and years to come. :)

Friday... gratitude and I had no clue

So, yesterday was an, um, interesting day.

The "I had no clue" part: that you can have a blood pressure of 50/26 and still be alive. Did you know that? I even worked in the medical field and so does my mom, and she didn't really think you could be either.

The gratitude part: I am so grateful that I and my baby girl are both alive and healthy right now.

I spent the day in the ER because I was having chest pain yesterday morning. My doctor told me to go in to make sure it wasn't a blood clot. After quite a few tests, they found out there was no clot. But it was an absolute miracle that I was in the hospital at that time, because I ended up losing consciousness about midday and my blood pressure dropped to the aforementioned 50/27.

I started feeling weird, then it kept progressing until I felt like something was really wrong. Lightheaded, my limbs all felt heavy and shaky, I was out of breath, intense hot flashes (but was cold to the touch), etc. At the worst point, when my vision was going black and I could barely breathe, I heard my ER dr yell, "We're going to need help in here!" and then I don't remember much.

Another thing you don't want to see/hear (which I didn't, but SHH did, since I wasn't coherent) is one of the many doctors in the room pointing at the monitor above me and saying, "Is that real?" (Asking about the blood pressure reading.)

The great news is that I did revive, the baby was fine during the whole episode (her heart rate dropped a little bit but nothing significant), and I am back home on bed rest for now--on my left side. The only thing they could guess had happened is that reclining on my back or my right side (the two positions I was in before it happened) put the baby on my vena cava and cut off my blood return.

So here's my tie in to writing: Sometimes things happen in our books that we don't anticipate or want. A plot hole opens up it's gaping jaws. A character falls flat. The stack of cards we assemble collapse. We get frustrated, we get anxious, we have to figure out what went wrong and try to fix it. But sometimes, these problems end up being a blessing in disguise. Maybe they unmask a deeper problem with our manuscript that, once fixed, truly makes our story shine.

Did that tie in work? Sort of? Well, anyway, whether it did or not, I am glad to be okay. Let's hope I stay that way. Today was scary enough to last me a long time. I'm ready for a nice, smooth labor sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. Sounds good? I think so!

Why am I sharing this? Well, to get sympathy of course! No, just kidding. Actually, it's to let you all know that I may be more sporadic with my blogging until the baby gets here (when I'll be taking a break for a couple weeks). Between the bedrest while taking care of two young boys, trying to finish the revision I'm working on for my agent before the baby comes, and everything else, I'm a little overwhelmed. Also, it's much more difficult to type when you're forced to lay on your left side all the time than you might think. I'll do my best to keep up my schedule, but if I miss a time or two, I hope you'll understand.

So, did you all have a great week? I hope so. Happy weekend to everyone! I'll be wishing us all nice, normal blood pressures! ;)

Possession!

I'm sure you already know and adore Elana Johnson. She's everywhere--she does so much for so many people. Her blog=amazing. Her accomplishments (querytracker, writeoncon, etc.)= astounding. And her book POSSESSION is finally here! WOOHOO!

I am so excited for you Elana, and just want to take the time to say

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You rock and deserve all the good things coming your way.

Control or be controlled? That's the question! To find out, go out and get your copy today! I can't wait for the launch party tonight.

Vampires vs. Wizards

So, tell me, which one are you more excited about?



OR



I'm excited for both, but I know which one I'm dying to see! To give you a hint... it's the one that comes out right after I'm having a baby so I can't go to the midnight show. I'm way bummed about that. Hopefully she's a good baby so we can sneak her in to see it on opening weekend or something! I can't wait!

What about you?

Friday Five

Well, I'm back! Did you miss me? I missed keeping up with all of you. What happened while I was on my vacation? Fill me in! Here's a few things on my mind today:

1. This is a shot I took of my boys on Memorial Day at Manhattan Beach.

I want to go back. Really bad.

2. Also, I really love my boys. I am one lucky girl.

3. I have 4 weeks left at most until my little girl makes her big debut. I'm hoping it'll be closer to two weeks, but we'll see. Both of my boys came early, so there is a chance...

4. I finished DIVERGENT today and holy wow. SO good people. Go. Buy it. Read it. Call me so we can discuss.

5. I just realized I'm having a baby in less than a month. I'd better hurry and get some major writing time in before she comes, because I have a feeling it'll be slim pickin's for a few weeks at least. You never know though, those midnight feedings... maybe I can hold her in one arm and try to type with one hand? Ha ha.

What's on your mind today? Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Friday... time for a getaway!

Instead of a friday five, I'm just going to do a short post today. I'm crazy busy getting ready to go on a trip. By the time you read this, I'll be on the road to Cali for a Memorial Day getaway with my family before baby girl arrives. Woohoo!

Yes, I am super pregnant, and yes, that is a LOOONG drive for us. But I will get through it so that I can enjoy the feel of sand between my toes, the sound of the ocean crashing on the shore, the cry of seagulls overhead... Ah... I can't wait! We are staying in a condo right on the beach. My kids are so excited, SonB (who is 2) has been saying, "Mommy, I'm so essited [excited] to go to California! I'm essited to take my shovel and bucket to the BEACH!" all week.

We'll be gone until Wednesday, so until then, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend (for those in the U.S.), and a great start to your week. Catch you on the flip side!