Update

(The girls were flower girls in my good friend and college roommates wedding last weekend.)


Happy Friday!

I apologize that this month's update is coming about kind of late. It slipped my mind that I hadn't posted one yet. That's ok, just more to tell, right?

Well, if you don't already know, my husband received orders last month. We're moving to Hawaii! We are very excited. I am a little sad to be leaving my friends and fellow writers here in Kansas, but military life is a transiate one, and I'm used to it. It's how I end up with friends all over the country.

The move is a quick one. We'll be leaving here the beginning of December, taking about thirty days to visit family, and then arrive in Hawaii either the end of Dec/beginning Jan. You all may think I'm crazy, but I'm going to miss the snow. Yes, I love snow.

The kids are doing fabulous. We started homeschooling in September. If you saw my post the other day, you know that so far it is going pretty well. It's taking me some time to figure out how to get organized for each week and each day, but it hasn't been discouraging. The girls love it though. And they are so smart!

Connor is getting huge! He's in 6-9 month clothing. He's not big by any means, he's just long for his age. A little wiggler, too. He is squealing, cooing, smiling--so entertaining. I think he might be starting to teeth, too. Not sure I'm ready for that. He's starting to grasp toys and play with them. It's fun to watch and interact with him. He has his four month appointment on th 17th. I can hardly believe he's already four months.

Due to life in general, not much writing has taken place over the last month. I don't have time during the day to focus, so editing is kind of out of the question. But, by the time the kids are all in bed, I'm too exhausted to do much of anything. I don't know, though, if I'm going to call myself a writer, I need to start kicking myself in the pants.

My goal for this month is to edit another ten chapters. I know that's not a lot, but it's more than nothing.

What are your goals for October? Oh, and who's going to participate in NaNoWriMo?

A Little Discouraged

On Wednesdays, I like to blog about something that comes under the umbrella of "hope". Today, I am not feeling that hope. In fact, I'm the one in need of hope.

Normally, I don't show the world my more pessimistic side. I would not classify myself as a pessimist, however, there are certain aspects of my life that I tend to view in a more hopeless light. My health is one of those areas.

If you've known me for very long, you know I suffer from several ailments--diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, and severe allergies. Most of the time, all of these (except the allergies) are managed quite well and I don't have many side effects.

Lately, though, my health has been out of control. My blood sugars are insane (even after the doc switched my meds), I've been having several asthma attacks a week, and though I have no proof, the shiny little spider-web thingies I see ever now and then tells me my blood pressure probably isn't doing all that great either.

And I'm discouraged.

I know that part of the problem (maybe most of it) lies in my diet and exercise (read: not following my diet, and the exercise I get is cleaning the house). Doc said I needed to lose the rest of my baby weight and that would help a lot.

This is my dilemma. I WANT to lose weight. I WANT to change my diet and start exercising more. I WANT to be healthy. I even go so far as to plan stuff out so that these things are included. I started planning my meals for the week so that I would buy the right groceries and always know what I was making so I wouldn't be tempted to go out to eat or make something less-than-healthy for me.

But then I always fail. Always.

I've even tried praying that God would imbue me with the continuing motivation to do this.

Then the morning comes and my blood sugar is insanely high (this morning, my fasting was 183 and it's supposed to be under 100) or my allergies are at their peak--and I just don't do it. I'll be too tired to exercise. I'll be too tired to make that salad for lunch. You can see the downward spiral.

I don't know what to do, so I'm coming to you all for help. I need prayer, lots of prayer. I need to turn my life around. I have the know-how, just not the energy/continuing motivation.

Enough about me. I think sometimes I can be too self-focused. What about you? Is there anything you are struggling with that you would like me to pray for?

Life and Goals

Happy September everyone!

We're in a new month again and you know what that means: GOALS! If you read my post on Wednesday, you know I've seen the dangers of overscheduling, but as my good friend Annie said, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have goals for ourselves. I totally agree! If you've been following me long, you also know I'm all about those goals.

I didn't accomplish as much in August as I would have liked to where my writing is concerned. Yes, I started to blog regularly, which is awesome! I have so much fun interacting with everyone on here. When it came to my novel, though, pfft. The month started with a kick, I revised the first 9 chapters in only a few days. However, then my husband left and my writing time went from bunches to almost nil.

As Connor is getting bigger, he is not sleeping as much. In fact, I think he hardly napped yesterday. He took like 5 mini-naps instead of two longer ones. On the up side, he did actually sleep through the night for the first time last night! Praise the Lord!

Then the last two weeks of the month, everyone in the house was sick. So, even after hubby got home, very little work was accomplished. I think I managed to revise one more chapter.

Needless to say, I didn't meet my goal of finishing my edits by the end of August so I could send them off to an editor friend, but no worries. I just have to realize that two preschoolers, a baby, and no husband means I need to be much more purposeful with what little time I have.

I would still like to finish edits by the end of September. I would like to enter Dividing Spirits into the CWG Operation First Novel Contest, but if it doesn't happen, I won't be too crushed. I do, however, want to get it submitted to a few agents/editors before the end of the year. I think that's plausible.

Now...who wants to see some pictures of my precious little ones?




All three kids!




We've discovered that he loves his highchair...even though he's not being fed yet, he likes to sit in it with us at the table.

If I didn't mention before, Connor had his two month appointment on August 18th. Our suspisions were confirmed. He's a BIG boy. 99th percentile for his weight, 95th percentile for his height. So, while he is nicely proportioned, he's still BIG for his age. No wonder my arms and back hurt. lol... He's healthy and happy though, and that's what really matters. You should see him smile and coo...awwww!

Anyway, enough about me. What's new with you? What are your goals for September? Let's come together to support each other!

Update on Me

It's Friday, ya'll! Bring on the weekend!

Yesterday, Connor turned seven weeks old. That's right...lets hear that collective "Aw...". He's becoming such a big boy. Last time I attempted to weigh him on my scale (I stood on it first without him, then with him), he was almost twelve pounds. Quite a little chunky monkey--but so incredibly cute. His head is more steady now when he holds it up to look around, or right at me. He also has more control over his smile and has the biggest grin!

We're still getting up once or twice a night to feed him. It isn't so bad--except when hubby is gone and I have to do it every night, all night. Yeah, that can really wear me out.

My oldest daughter is warming up to Connor, finally. She atually held him for a little while the other day, and she started talking to him. Yay! My younger daughter still wants to be a little mommy, but Connor is almost too big for her to hold! Still, she is good about throwing away diapers and helping to feed him.

In other news, the editing process is coming along...slow but steady. I'm moving into Chapter 10 sometime today (I hope). I've done some rearranging of scenes to smooth out the timeline, added in more setting (one of my weak points), and actually rewrote a couple scenes. Other than that, the majority of the editing is basic stuff-grammar, word choice, sentence structure-the little things that tighten up the writing.

So, what's going on with you? What news do you have to share?

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!

May Update!

Welcome my friends!

This week has been an especially trying week for me. Hubby is off on another business trip, so of course, everything has to go wrong. Right? It's the military wife curse.

On Thursday, I had an OB appointment. It was supposed to be an easy one--in and out. However, the doctor had a hard time getting a consistent heartbeat from baby Connor. So, after several tries and a stint on the NST machine, she sent me to the hospital (45 mins away!) for observation. She freaked me out by asking if there was anyone to pick up the girls (who are with me b/c I don't really have a babysitter at the moment) and mentioning she didn't "think" I'd need to stay overnight. Eek!

I get down there and the nurse hooks me up to another NST machine and starts asking all the normal questions. Finally the doctor comes in to listen to Connor's heartbeat. Connor's heartbeat was irregular. *big gulp* The doctor leaves to confir with my high risk pregnancy doctor from another clinic. At this point, I'm praying with all my might and really trying not to panic. I was terrified and felt very alone.

A few minutes later, the doctor comes back in. Apparently, he felt that Connor had some condition that, while not normal, was not unusual either. I can't remember what he called it, but he said that it usually resolves itself before the baby is born. Relief just washed over me. Something not to worry about. Just a small hump to get over. But what if...

Now, we all know one shouldn't play the what if game, b/c we can worry ourselves into a frenzied panic, but sometimes you just can't help it. I realized I'd made arrangements for if something happened a little later in the pregnancy, but not now. What if something happened now? My husband was gone. My family is hours away. I haven't found a babysitter since my old one moved away. What would happen to me and my girls?

This is where the sound, comforting voice of my own mother comes in handy. She's great at helping me calm down. She offered some advice, but just with a calmer mind, I realized one of my friends (a teacher) was in her last week of work until next fall. She readily agreed to help out if needed. My other friend, though more pregnant than I am, also offered whatever help she could. If push came to shove, I can also call the Family Readiness Group leader for my husband's unit for help. My worries began to ease, and I realized (for the millionth time) how very blessed I am.

They released me from the hospital with warnings not to have any caffeine or cold medicine. My high risk doctor said they'd do an echo and another bio at my appointment this week, just to follow up.

I am so grateful for my friends and family, but especially for my Lord. God is the one thing that kept me from outright panic at the situation I faced. He is definitely my strength and my peace. Praise the Lord!

Mid-February Already?

Where did the time go?

I just glanced at the last entry and realized it was on January 2nd! Craziness! If you want a recap of the past couple of months of my life, you can visit Call to Love to find out.

With all the morning sickness of the last couple of months, I did manage to get some reading done. Not a lot...sleep just seemed so much more important. But, I did read Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, and let me just say that is potentially a life-changing book (if you haven't read it). The 3rd Person Omni. POV took a little getting used to, but overall, I was very impressed at how he portrays spiritual warfare, both in the every day and in the things that seem so small. I also read Shade by John B. Olson. ANOTHER fabulous book. Both kept me up, and not just because I couldn't put them down. Eek!

I started reading Fire in Fiction by Donald Maas like I said in my previous post, but then my girls lost the book. I found it last week under the entertainment center. Kids. In the meantime, though, I started on Jeff Gerke's The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. I highly recommend this book, even if you aren't a Christian writer, because Jeff touches on a lot of ideas/principles that will help any writer at any level.

The icing on the cake over the last month, though, was that I had a friend who read through all the chapters I currently have for Dividing Spirits. Being that he is not a Christian, but does like supernatural thrillers, I was anxious to hear his thoughts. And...other than his knack for picking out my favorite words, and a couple of small holes (Dude...where'd her purse go? where'd her car go?), he actually enjoyed the story and is anxious for me to finish. Yay! That may just be enough motivation for me to return to my writing routine asap. What do you think?

I hope you all are doing well so far this year...and that goes double for your resolutions. Keep working hard!