Top 11 AMAZING Facts About Me

First, let me say a hearty HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! to all my fellow mothers out there. We have a tough job, but the rewards are many and well worth it. I pray that God blesses each of you today. On to today's regularly scheduled program...


I don't know that there's that much AMAZING about me. But, well, here's some fun facts about me. I was going to wait until closer to my birthday to post something like this, but since Wives of Faith insisted…

1. I had surgery when I was 2 days old to remove a large tumor in my neck (think man’s fist in baby’s neck). The doc’s said there was a 95% chance I would be physically/mentally handicapped to the point of being unable to take care of myself. Other than a paralyzed shoulder that limits how much I can lift, I’m completely normal. Well, you know, as normal as I can be.

2. When I was little (like 6 or so), I tricked my sister into thinking a tomato cage was a Chinese trap. With her arms pinned to her side, she attempted to hop to my dad and fell flat on her face—result? Not good…she had to black eyes and a big goose egg on her forehead. Yeah, is it any wonder I still don’t like tomato cages?

3. I was published in the city-wide literary magazine when I was in the 3rd grade for a little piece on Martin Luther King, Jr.

4. I am the blessed mother of three darlings. I wouldn't trade this job for the world!

5. I’ve been to Disney World TWICE! I went with my high school band my junior year, and the school dance team my senior year. Fun times! I so intend to take my kids in a couple of years!

6. I’ve lived in 6 states (one state four times) and one foreign country.

7. I graduated Top 10 in my high school class.

8. I married the love of my life and he still surprises and delights me.

9. My first pregnancy/delivery was my hardest. I had diabetes and eclapsia by the time they induced labor. It took 20 hrs of labor and almost 2 hrs of pushing, but Alana was finally born. Both mother and daughter recovered from the experience nicely!

10. My passion is to share the extraordinary ways that God works in our lives through fiction writing.

11. I am human. I know, shocker. I make mistakes, but I am redeemed by a loving Savior and share an inheritance befitting a princess.

Now that you know a little more about me, what about you? Tell me something AMAZING about yourself.


Ralene’s BeachFest Trivia Question:
Alana starts Kindergarten this year—where is she going to school?

DON'T FORGET! Last night to enter a short 300 words on your best birthday for 30 points toward the grand prize package! Also, go back and leave a comment on Friday's post for a chance to win Exposure by Brandilyn Collins!

Top 11 Fun Things I"m Determined to DO in Hawaii!

Yesterday, one of my 11 reasons I love being a military wife is the opportunity to make the most of every place we go. Somehow, my husbanded landed a much coveted duty station—Hawaii! Now, while I wasn’t totally excited at first, I am loving it here. Due to some circumstances beyond our control, we haven’t actually been able to get out and do much, but boy do we have a list!

1. Island-hop. There are like 125 islands that make up the Hawaii chain. While I don’t intend to visit that many, I do want to visit Maui and the Big Island.

2. Spend a day out at Diamond-head.

3. Take a leisurely drive around the entire island (except for the one little part where there’s no roads).

4. Take in an official luau.

5. Visit the Polynesian Cultural Center.

6. Visit the Dole Plantation.

7. Have a weekend with my hubby at the Hale Koa.

8. Spend a day at Pearl Harbor.

9. Visit the zoo and the aquarium.

10. One day, when I have more stamina, I want to go on one of the several beautiful hikes.

11. This one I’m almost embarrassed to say I haven’t done yet—hit the Stadium Swap Meet!

There are several other things we plan to do while we’re here, but these are what I’m most excited about. We have 2 ½ years left here, so plenty of time to take it all in! What do you want to do where you are? (even if you’ve been there for years!)



Ralene’s BeachFest Trivia Question:
For what website am I the newborn/baby blogger? Hmm…
 
DON'T FORGET! Email me your best birthday in 300 words or less for a chance to win 30 points toward the grand prize package! (due tomorrow night)

Top 11 Reasons I LOVE Being an Army Wife!

Some people may be giving me that crazy look. You love what? Seriously? What meds are you taking? But I do. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I was raised in a military home, or maybe it’s just that I’m people-oriented—but I love being an Army wife.

In honor of Wives of Faith’s Blog Carnival, here is my Top 11 Reasons:

11. It teaches your independence and self-reliance. I’ve talked to some women who wouldn’t have a clue what to do if their toilets, mower, etc broke. I know other women who have complained about having their husbands gone for a weekend. Trust me, you learn quickly in the military.

10. An inside look on how the military works. I’m sure it looks a lot different to those on the outside not “in the know”, you know?

9. People are impressed when I tell them all the places I’ve been. Not that I’m trying to impress them, but you know. Hehehe…

8. Okay, I hope that I don’t sound greedy/selfish here, but I love the discounts. If you know anything about the military, you know we don’t get paid nearly as much as we should. *cough, cough* Although there are several other perks that we enjoy. Still, with the economy the way it is, every little bit helps. I am so grateful for the way that businesses treat their soldiers/military families.

7. My kids will have so many experiences that they would not likely have if we were settled in one place for the majority of their childhood. From learning how to make friends to learning how to let go, from interacting with different types of people to living in different cultures, from the importance of values to the importance of discipline—my children will grow in many ways just from living the military life.

6. Amazing opportunities to encourage and minister too other women. Programs like PWOC offer ways for military wives to fellowship and study the Bible together. Other volunteer positions in program like the FRG (Family Readiness Group) and Spouse groups offer chances to meet other women. Online, one can find a plethora of groups for the military spouse (like Wives of Faith!).

5. The most interesting places. No matter where the military sends us, our home is what we make of it. I wasn’t too happy about going to Hawaii and being secluded from the rest of my family. But now that I’m here—I still miss my family—but I’m making the most of it. The scenery is downright beautiful—we see rainbows on a daily basis around here. Yet even in the most mundane of places (like Ft. Leavenworth, KS), there’s still so much to see/do nearby.

4. Meeting new people! In the many travels of a military family, you run across all kinds of people from different races, religious, cultures. You realize just how diverse this world is and how connected we all are.

3. This one may sound a bit off, but I love being a military wife because it forces me to rely on God. Whether my husband is deployed, or safe at home, or I’m moving from my home state to a completely different culture, or I stress about normal, everyday things—I have to turn it all over to God or I’d completely use my sanity. God and I have done nothing but grow closer over the years.

2. The bonds we form with other military wives. I don’t remember where I saw/heard this, so I’m paraphrasing here. But as military wives get to know each other and go through the stuff that we do, our friends become our family. They become who we turn too when it all gets too much. They are the ones who know how to encourage us, who know what we need. It’s a very unique bond that I think little others know, especially because it can form so fast

1. The number one thing I love about being a military wife? The honor and pride in being married to a man not afraid to lay his life down for his family and his country.

As you can see, I enjoy many aspects of being a military wife, but I most cherish the relationships forged and the memories made. Join me tomorrow when the Wives of Faith Blog Tour subject is 11 Fun Things I want to See or Do in Hawaii!



Ralene’s BeachFest Trivia:
What genre do I write in?

Leave a comment about your favorite thing about being a ______ wife/husband to be entered to win a copy of Brandilyn Collins’ Exposure! Winner drawn Monday.

You Can Find Me...

...Still at the hospital. Yes, today (Wednesday) should be Connor's last day in the hospital. He has been doing wonderful--he's off IV fluid, his appetite is back, and he is getting sufficiently annoyed with the confining crib in his room. Too bad he has to be hooked up to a pulse oximeter or I'd just let him run.

You can also find me over at my good friend, Jill Kimerer's blog. She asked me five questions...I answered five questions. Go join in the conversation! :)

For all you military wives out there, you can find me over at Wives of Faith, I haven't posted anything in the past week, but you can look me up or just read some of the other great articles by fellow military wives.

Do you have any news to share? Any place around the web we should be looking for you?

Update on Connor

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you are probably already aware that my son is in the hospital. Let me catch you all up:

Connor has been sick since last Monday night. On Tues, the doc said it was a cold and gave us an inhaler to use when he had trouble breathing. During the day on Tues and Wed, he was fine except for a runny nose. But at night he had trouble breathing and was unable to sleep except when I was holding him upright on my shoulder.

Thursday morning it didn't go away. In fact, it sounded a lot worse, he was literally sucking air. By the time my husband got home from work, I was frantic with worry b/c he had quit eating and just wanted to be held all afternoon.

After a little emotional breakdown on my part (after all, I hadn't slept much since Monday night and my son was really sick), hubby told me to take Connor to the acute care center on post. (Acute care center is kind of like an ER, but they aren't open 24/7 and they only handle small stuff...everything else they rush off to Tripler Army Medical Center or a closer ER).

They immediately took him back and started him on steroids and breathing treatments. After they got him a little more comfortable breathing-wise, they called an ambulance and took us up to Tripler. There we had various tests run, including chest x-rays. The diagnosis basically came back as some viral infection was causing his bronchial tubes and trache area to swell, causing strider (the sinking in of the chest on inhale), and use of accessory muscles to help with the extra strength to breathe.

We were admitted late Thurs night. Since then, he's been getting breathing treatments every 2-3 hours. They decided that he has a bad case of croup that is causing the swelling. Every time the doc thinks he's sounding better and starts to extend the time between treatments, he gets worse and his O2 stats drop.

Today he finally started coughing up mucous stuff and his O2 seems to have leveled off in the mid-90s (not great, but def better). Doc said that he will still need treatments for several hours, so he will be staying overnight again.

Hope against hope, and praying, Connor will get to go home tomorrow so we can celebrate Easter at home! So, please, keep praying that God will heal him. Thank you for all your love and support!

My Lil' Boy...

So, my plan for today was to post a reflection on Easter as it approaches in less than a week. However, this morning, all I can be is a worried mom.

My son woke up at about 3:45 this morning wheezing like crazy. I could hear him breathing from another room! It was very scary. I got dressed and rushed him to what I thought was a 24 hour urgent care (that's what we'd been told) on post. We were told they'd assess him real quick and if need be put him in an ambulance to rush to an ER. Yeah, it wasn't even open.

By this time, his breathing had returned to normal, so I turned around and went home. I figured I'd either take him to the urgent care when it opened at 6, or if Connor was doing better, I'd just make a same day appointment.

We got home and he pretty much went straight to sleep. I stayed with him just to listen to him breathe until I was sure he was fine. Then I went back to bed for an hour (days like this you wish the older kids would just sleep in).

Now, I find myself plagued with worry. My reflection on Easter has turned into a prayer for help and of thanks. Without the sacrifice made on the cross that day, and the fact that 3 days later, Jesus rose from the dead--I would not have the humble ability to go before my Savior and lift up my son.

When Connor woke up again, he sounded awful! Wheezing again, stuffy nose. Poor baby. He has an appointment in a little while. Hopefully we can find out what's wrong with him. I'll keep you all updated!

Get Real Friday

UPDATE: Yay! I'm a semi-finalist in the ACFW Genesis contest! We're going to party here on FHS next week. :) Schedules and a party? Do those even go together? lol...



Hey everyone--Happy Friday!

I don't know about you, but I am so excited the weekend is just about here. I need the break! So, a little update from me:

*Yes, the above photo is the actual picture of our washer and dryer. Aren't they pretty? lol... The piles of laundry are gone AT LAST!

*The Genesis contest semifinalists should be announced sometime today. Eek! I can't tell you what a ball of anxiousness I am. Originally, I thought I wouldn't care if I made it to the next round or not, I really just wanted some professional feeback. However, if I'm completely honest--getting cut in the first round still sucks.

*I have not been working on my 3in30 goals. I know, it's horrible. But since I've felt so good this week, my focus has been on finishing up my house. And this week was a review frenzy in my critique group, so most of my writing time has been reviewing my good friend Kurt's story.

*Connor started walking! Yes, it's very exciting. He doesn't go very far, only a few steps at the moment...but he's being very brave and letting go of the couch/table/hand. My hubby loaded a video on Facebook. You'll have to go to my page and check it out!

*I've been participating in the Bible in 90 days challenge and I'm keeping up with that fairly well. It's an interesting goal, one I've never attempted before. Still, reading through the OT now, I am enjoying those old Bible stories.

So my first week of April has been productive, though not necessarily as much as I would like. Any progress is better than none! What about you? Do you have any news to share? Spill it!

Happy Birthday, Alana!

Today, my oldest child turns 5!

I know, right? It seems like just yesterday--ok, not really. It actually feels like so long ago. It's hard to remember life before kids. The kids are sucking out my brain!!!!

Okay, I'm better now.

As I was saying, Alana is 5 today! I remember it all very clearly (except for about 12 hours during/after delivery). We had just moved to Fort Hood. We'd been in temporary housing for 3 weeks and had JUST got our house. It went like this: Friday, sign for housing; Monday, household goods arrived; Tuesday, go in for blood pressure check and get admitted to the hospital immediately.

Yeah, you can imagine the thoughts zooming through my head as the nurse wheeled me (in a wheelchair--as if I couldn't walk!) from the Women's Care Clinic upstairs to Labor and Delivery. I finally called my husband and somehow amidst my blubbering, he figured out that he needed to get to the hospital ASAP! Talk about freaked out! I could hardly think straight. It was my first child, we were on a new post where we knew no one, we had just got a house and nothing was unpacked.

Then my doctor comes and tells us that they aren't going to induce labor right now, but they are admitting me to the hospital, hopefully for two and a half weeks. Um...but my house isn't unpacked!

Well, that didn't last. Two days later, due to complications, they induced labor.

I won't go into the horrors of the labor/delivery, it might scare some people. Let's just say 21 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing, Alana finally made her appearance! At 5 lbs 11 oz, she was a tiny bundle of joy!

Groggy mommy didn't notice much for the next few hours as she came off of some meds and some shock effects to her body.

Today, she is a super smart pre-schooler who loves to learn and draw. When she's not curled up with her pencils/crayons, she likes to play dressup with her sister and running around outside!

Happy Birthday, Alley Cat! (it's what my dad nicknamed her b/c of how she sounded when she was born)

Sunday Night Done Right

I don't watch a lot of TV anymore. I just can't get into a lot of shows. However, Lifetime does Sunday night up right.

Last Sunday (not yesterday, but the week before), Army Wives premiered with it's fifth season. It's a promising season that has me on pins and needles! Yay!

Premiering along with Army Wives was a new show called Coming Home. You know all those videos of soldiers coming home you've seen haunting the web--well the made a tv show out of it. I was kind of skeptical of how they would sustain a show like this, but after two episodes, I can see it has staying power. It's like America's Funniest Videos meets One Last Wish foundation. People send in videos of their homecomings to share with all of us (and make us cry). But the show also sets up a big homecoming for a lucky fammily. The first week it was for a father and son who loved sword fighting. Yesterday it was uniting a single father with his violin-playing daughter at a symphony. Can I hear the collective "Aw..."? lol...

So, what do I do on Sunday nights? I pop some popcorn, grab a Diet Coke and box of tissues, and settle down (usually in my bedroom) in some comfy PJs. Two hours of tear-jerkers...

Boxes, Boxes...What's a Tsunami?

Okay, contrary to the title, I do know what a tsunami is. It's that thing that drowned New York in the move "The Day After Tomorrow". It's also the thing that hit Hawaii really early this morning. Guess what?

I slept through it.

I know, it's bad to say, but I did. We're far enough inland and up high enough that we were unaffected by the waves. The coastal areas were hit, but so far no major damage...at least not compared to the coast of Japan.

I awoke this morning, not thinking about much. I set the kids up with some cartoons and turn on the computer. I started to contemplate breakfast as I pulled up Facebook. Voila...a bunch of posts on my wall expressing concern and prayers. Um...did I miss something? Oh wait, there was supposed to be a tsunami last night. (Yes, sometimes I'm a little slow in the morning)I rushed to find my phone--sure enough, voicemails and texts. Oy! Darn that time difference!

First thing I did after that was call my mom.

Since then, I've been trying to update everyone. I hate that I made everyone worry so much. I wish I had been up earlier so that I could have assured everyone I was okay.

Now, though, my prayers go up for all the people in Japan who suffered, not only a earthquake with hours of aftershocks, but also a 23-foot tsunami.

At some point, I'll get back to unpacking. :)

Boxes, Boxes...Where'd the Baby Go?

Just kidding!

We didn't lose the baby. I don't think. Wait...where'd he go? *big grin*

So, yes, today we are knee-deep in boxes, well, more like chest-deep. They are stacked in every corner, by every piece of furniture. Whereever you turn...there they are. I'm imagining a Stephen King novel called "Attack of the Cardboard Boxes". Yeah, pretty scary stuff.

For now, NO ONE is allowed to touch them. No one but ME! That's right. I prefer to do the unpacking all by myself. That way everything goes where it needs to go and not just thrown around. Hubby doesn't argue because he hates moving/unpacking. He takes the kids to the park, to the store, out for dinner...and I get set up house. LOVE IT!

It's amazing to me that our whole lives are packed into all these boxes. Each one a small snapshot of our lives. From a vox of DVDs to a tub of toys, what do they say about us? I'm sure I'm being too philisophical for a mid-week blog post, and it's probably because I'm too tired. Maybe once the insanity recides, I can see more clearly and turn this paragraph into a more formal post.

I'll keep this short for now. These boxes aren't going to unpack themselves. Although, how cool would that be? In the meantime, how do you feel about moving--love it, hate it? Any good moving stories out there? Let's dish!

Anticipation

The long awaited day arrives tomorrow.

My family finally gets to move into our very own house!

I cannot tell you how we have counted down the days, hours, and minutes. It has been a long, frustrating road. Let me give you just a peek at the past few months.

On December 6th, 2010, movers came to pack our stuff up and haul it off to be shipped to Hawaii.

On December 13th, hubby and I dropped the van off in St. Louis for it's long trip overseas. Then proceeded to take our 30 day vacation (a little less than 30 days).

On January 9th, we began the 14 hour trip from St. Louis, to LAX, and finally to our home state for the next few years...Hawaii. We check into the nice little inn on post.

February 8th was our original move in date, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we lost the house. A new move-in date was set for a different house--March 4th. Did that happen? Nope.

Here it is--tomorrow is March 8th and we'll finally be in our new digs.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




On just as happy of a note, my youngest daughter celebrates her 4th birthday today! Unfortunately, we don't get to celebrate quite as fully as we normally like to, as we are hurriedly packing up the room so we can move tomorrow. However, we plan to throw a family party on Tuesday evening.

Four years ago, I lay in hospital room surrounded by my mom and two sisters (husband was deployed at the time...he has a knack for arranging that when I'm pregnant). Labor was induced at about 8 in the morning, and Kyra arrived 8 1/2 hours later with only a few issues.

Today, she is a excitable drama queen with lots of energy. She's rarely without a smile and she loves to be the center of attention. Her favorite color is pink and she is obsessed with princesses. That's what she is...our lil' princess.

Happy Birthday, darling!

Patience is...

Patience is what keeps me from marching over to the housing office and ripping off some heads.

Whew! Glad I got that out of my system.

No, I don't have violent tendancies, though sometimes life in the military may lend toward that. lol... The content filter at the hotel where we're staying keeps blocking out Blogger. It's very frustrating and annoying. I can't communicate with all my lovely blogging buddies, nor can I keep up with my obligations to you, the readers, here or over at Encourage. Empower. Extend. and that just makes me miss you all so much more!

For now, though, the filter is letting me through and I'm taking full advantage! If I don't respond to comments, though, you'll know why. The evil content filter has struck again!

Because of my other obligations, I am making a couple of changes here at Faith, Hope, and Suspense. I'm going to cut down my posts to Monday, Wednesday, Friday, which will help me maintain my sanity. I'm also going to open my blog to guest bloggers!

That's right...I'm going to let others use my blog to have their voice heard...whatever they want to say about writing or faith, I'm up for it. Well, not "whatever", but you know what I mean. If you're interested, you can email me at raleneburke (at) yahoo (dot) com and we'll see what we can work out. This will usually be on Wednesdays, offset by interviews, I hope.

10 Top 10 in 2010

10 Top 10 in 2010

Welcome to my opportunity to throw out some link love to friends and websites that have made a difference in my life. As well as give you a few other lists that I want to share. Most of these lists are in no particular order.

Top 10 Favorite Websites

1. Facebook – Yes, I’m addicted.
2. Writing.Com – If you didn’t catch my post on it, read it here.
3. Wives of Faith – One of my new favs, this website is a support and encouragement for military wives.
4. Twitter – Yes, I’m addicted.
5. Cafemom – a great place to meet other mothers. I use it when I find out I’m PCSing to make some friends ahead of time.
6. Swagbucks – a new place for me, I’m trying to earn Amazon gift cards!
7. ACFW – a wealth of information for the Christian fiction writer
8. GA Peach Homeschool – a great resource for homeschoolers on a budget!
9. Brightly Beaming Resources – A homeschool website for tots to Kindergarten, we are using their Letter of the Week curriculum this year.
10. Faith Writers – Kind of like Writing.Com but specifically for Christian writers.

Top 10 Websites I Visit Almost Every Day (not including blogs)

1. Yahoo Mail
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. Writing.com
5. Wives of Faith
6. Weather.com
7. My bank website
8. Swagbucks
9. Amazon – I have a very long wish list.
10. Cafemom

Top 10 Favorite Blogs

1. Word Vessel – blog of my ACFW critique partner. She’s a darling and does fab reviews/giveaways.
2. Confessions of a Homeschooler (homeschool)
3. The Writers Alley (writing)
4. Tuckers Take Tennessee (homeschool)
5. The Kill Zone (writing)
6. Building His Body (Christian)
7. Jill Kimerer (writing)
8. The New Author Fellowship (writing--but a good mix of other stuff too)
9. SM Blooding and Crew (mostly writing)
10. Chasing Dreams (one woman's tale of her writing journey)

Top 10 Favorite Authors

1. Frank Peretti
2. John B. Olson
3. Karen Kingsbury
4. Ted Dekker
5. C.S. Lewis
6. Luanne Rice
7. Mary Higgins Clark
8. Mary Connealy
9. Cathy Bryant
10. Alex Lidell

Top 10 Childhood Authors

1. Shel Silverstein (Children’s Poetry)
2. Lois Duncan
3. Beverly Cleary (Ramona and others)
4. Lurlene McDaniels (Six Months to Live Series and others)
5. Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew)
6. Lois Lowery (The Giver and Number the Stars)
7. Scott O’Dell (Island of the Blue Dolphins, Black Star Bright Dawn)
8. Francine Pascal (Sweet Valley Series)
9. Carolyn Cooney (Face on the Milk Carton Series and others)
10. Gertrude Chandler Warner (The Box Car Children)


Top 10 Places I Want to Visit

1. Italy
2. Australia
3. Israel
4. Disney World (ok, I’ve already been, but am so excited to take the kids)
5. Niagra Falls
6. San Francisco
7. Hawaii (oh, wait, I’m going to be doing that soon!)
8. Aspen
9. Caribbean
10. Egypt

Top 10 People Who Influenced Who I am Today

1. Mom – She was a wonderful mother and I can only hope to be half the woman she is.
2. Dad – He did his part to serve our country and taught me about standing up for what I believe in.
3. Ms. Melodie Pooler and Mrs. Kirby – English teachers I had growing up that encouraged me to write.
4. Shel Silverstein – He is who inspired me to write at such a young age.
5. Beth Moore – Helped me evolve in my relationship with God.
6. My husband – Taught me to follow my heart and not give up.
7. My kids – Taught me to ease up and enjoy life.
8. My aunt – She got me to go back to church after several years.
9. Helen Keller – has been a role model for me since childhood.
10. A certain Sunday School teacher who tried to teach me that it was okay to be a Christian and be different from the rest of the world—although that wouldn’t stick for years to come.

10 Things about Me

1. I had surgery to remove a tumor in my neck when I was two days old.
2. I was a military brat growing up, and then I married back into the military. Sheesh—you think I’d try to get out of it.
3. I was published in a city-wide literary magazine when I was in the third grade for a paragraph on Martin Luther King. Hehehe… Go me! Does that count as a publishing credit?
4. I was in 4-H for several years, and was bummed to have to drop it when we moved to KY and they didn’t have the program for high school students.
5. My favorite movie is Enchanted, followed closely by the LotR and Star Wars trilogies. Yes, I am very eclectic in my tastes.
6. Right now, my family all live in different states. My parents in VA, one sister in KY, one in NV, and me in KS (soon to be HI). I know, that was random.
7. I have always had series health issues.
8. I just recently started blogging for Wives of Faith.
9. All my kids’ names are Celtic in origin b/c my husband is part Irish.
10. I graduated in the Top 10 in my class—and I don’t think I remember anything outside of English.

10 Things I Love

1. My family
2. My friends
3. Rainy days when I can curl up with a good book/movie
4. Snow (I’m an oddball)
5. Disney movies
6. Pizza and Lasagna
7. The color purple
8. Teaching my children
9. WRITING!
10. Social Media (horrible, I know)

10 Things I Despise

1. Beans and Fish
2. Diabetes
3. Crude humor
4. Politics
5. People who are fake
6. People who disrespect the military
7. Spiders and small, dark places
8. Doing the dishes
9. Gratuitous sex/violence/cursing in books and movies
10. Speed Limits—hehehe…

A Personal Q&A

What's your greatest fear?

Well, on the surface, it would seem that spiders are my greatest fear. Yes, I am very arachnophobic. I can still remember my sister chasing me around with Daddy Longlegs and screaming my head off.

If you look deeper, though, you’ll see my greatest fear is linked to my greatest desire—to make a difference. My fear is that I will not make a difference, that I will be ineffectual.

What was the most dangerous thing you ever did?

Most dangerous? Oh, I am so not a risk-taker like that. Sleeping on a dock with nothing to keep me from rolling into the water is the only thing that comes to mind. Well, that, and getting pregnant in spite of all my health issues.

What's your dream?

Besides becoming a published author and making a difference? My dream is to raise my wonderful children to be considerate, loving adults who trust in God the same way I do now.

How many manuscripts do you have under your belt?

Technically, I’ve written four novels. Two of which will probably never see the light of day if I have my way. One which I wrote, revised, and pitched—but then put on the back burner. My current WIP is completed and in the editing process.

Name the top 10 people you would most like to meet in the world, in order of preference?

Number one would be Alex Lidell. She is one of my favorite writing partners and although we’ve conversed for about three years online, we’ve never met. The rest are in no particular order:

2. Beth Moore—her Bible studies are the main “human” reason I am where I am in my relationship with my Savior.

3. John B. Olson—I loved his novel, Shade, and look forward to reading Powers. He writes in the same genre as I would like to.

4. Dawne Dominique—A lady who has been so supportive and encouraging as I explore this crazy world of writing and publishing.

5. Annie and Jay—Part of the East Coast Trio (including Alex Lidell), these two are great writers, fab reviewers, and well, just all-around good people to know.

6. Ren Black—Another critique partner, her and I both hope to be published by the same publisher one day. We also have a lot in common when it comes to our lifestyles—from writing to homeschooling.

7. The Ladies of The Writer’s Alley—One of my favorite blogs, each woman is so unique and fun, I’d just love a chance to meet them all one day.

8. Sandra Byrd—My mentor in the Christian Writers Guild Apprenticeship program, she has helped me grow so much over the last couple of years. I’d love to meet her one day and give her a great big hug!

9. Sara Horn—Founder of Wives of Faith, a ministry focused on supporting and encouraging military wives. I’ve always had a heart for women, but recently found God leading me to encourage those who are just like me, which is why I’ve been so blessed to be a blogger for Wives of Faith.

10. Oh, and I guess I want to meet Kurt Chambers too. He’s a rockin’ MG writer and a fantabulous friend.

Those are my answers to your questions. Now you know me just a little bit better. I’ll meander in a few times today, so if you think of anything else you want to know…leave a comment!

Gimme Your Best Shot!

Last Friday I left an open post. Ask me any question you've always wanted to know, and I'd answer that for tomorrow's Get to Know psot. So far, only one person stopped by to comment and leave a question (or three). Now, that isn't going to make the best kind of interview.

So, for today, I say the same. Leave a comment with your burning questions and we'll see what tomorrow's post will look like!

In the meantime, Happy Monday!

Get to Know: ME

Well, I've been immersed in this blogging world for a couple of years now (off and on, different blogs), but I don't think I've ever given my followers the chance to get to know me.

I mean, you all know the basics. I'm a Christian, and a SAHM with three kids--2 girls and a boy. I married an Army soldier and we're about to move to Hawaii. :)

But what else do you want to know?

Post your questions here today and on Tuesday for my normal "Get to Know:" post, I'll answer them. Be creative, silly, funny...or serious.

Oh goodness, what am I getting myself into?

I am a Promise

With my husband gone a lot, when the girls go to bed, I have a lot of time to think. Sometimes, this is a good thing. Lately, though, it’s been kind of oppressing—even bordering on depressing.

Baby number three is on the way and will probably make his appearance sometime in mid-June. Baby #3! What was I thinking? I have enough trouble with a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old, how am I going to handle a newborn baby?

I’ve never been the best housekeeper, but with a newborn, the time and energy I’ll have to clean will diminish even more. But I need to make sure the house is clean for the girls and for the baby.

On top of all that, what about my writing? When will I have time to write? When will I have the energy to even WANT to write? Will I make my goal to have an agent by the time I’m thirty?

Yes, these are probably all completely normal worries—and typically, I’m not much of a worrier. But lately, these things have just seemed so much bigger than I can handle (even if they’re really not).

A couple of days ago, I was pouring out my heart to God on the subject of feeling overwhelmed. While I was praying a song I used to sing in children’s choir came to mind. “I am a promise. I am a possibility...And I am learning to hear God’s voice and I am learning to make the right choices.”

Those words are only a small portion of the chorus, but as I prayed they spoke volumes to me. I was reminded of the Bible verse Phil. 1:6, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I am still a work in progress. I am not perfect (well, duh). But by God’s grace, He will give me everything I need to balance my life. I have to keep myself open to His leading and train myself to listen for his voice. If I rely on Him, He will not fail me. He will give me the strength, patience, etc. that I need to move through this big change in my life.

God has plans to prosper me, not to harm me (Jer 33:11), and I know He won’t give me more than I can handle. So what is the use of worrying? Yes, my priorities may change. Writing may have to take a back seat for a few months. The girls and hubby may have to step up for a couple of months and help with the cleaning more than they usually do.

The best news of all is that this precious baby boy is a gift from God. He would not have given him to us if we were not prepared to take on the challenge. Praise the Lord!

Good news!

We're going to have another little addition to our family. This morning I took a home pregnancy test--it was positive! I'm going to have a baby!

My husband and I are both very excited. Hubby especially because he is praying for a little boy. We already have two girls. I told him we could give it one more try, but that's it. lol!

According to the online due date calculator thingie, the baby is due on July 4th. Isn't that fun? Granted, my babies have been early so far, so we probably won't last that long.

Of course, none of that is quite official yet. On Monday morning, I'll go to the post clinic and get an actual test. Then they'll give me a referral to find an off post OB. Fun stuff.

In all the excitment, there's a tad bit of apprehension. This pregnancy is high risk from the start as I have diabetes and high blood pressure. It's going to mean taking extra good care of myself--watching what I eat, making sure my dosages are good, tracking everything.

But God is with me on this. He knows my body, He knows my strengths and weaknesses, and I trust that He will help me. The Lord is faithful, and His plans are to prosper me, so what right do I have to fear, right? Praise the Lord for His goodness!

Eek! I'm having a baby!