My Girls

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Bogart: I loved reading about some of your cooking experiences Thank You for sharring I will be back to catch up on your entries
Bogart: Thank You so much for the wonderful Pray you left aboiut bully Wonderfully heartfelt perfect
hrafn: love your latest blog entry btw ! I so agree with you :)
hrafn: thanks for dropping by ! Love your blog (I used to study agriculture actually ...) Have nice weekend !
Bogart: Thank You I meant to tell you in my last that I love love love your other blog as well & I am going to show my girls
Bogart: I am so glad I stopped over here! Congrats on the ! You are a true inspiration
Kerri: I just read your comment on the can you rest post on my journal and AMEN that you are a soul winner. I know from a very young age the Lord put it in my heart to witness for I didn't want anyone to go to hell and I still don't! AMEN
Kerri: Thank you so much for your comments - they have been a blessing and for the links to your two posts on space you mentioned. Gorgeous pictures. I love finding others online who love the Lord and want to worship and glorify HIM!
hrafn: congrats on jotw :)
Kerri: Hi, Congrats on winning JotW! It sounds like you and your family are close and that is neat. I can identify with what you were saying about house hunting. If you visit my page be sure and comment on the post - I'd be interested in a young person's opinion.
Alesia: Welcome to my personal blog! Leave a comment and let me know what you think! =)God Bless

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Thursday, November 19th 2009

10:19 PM

Here they are...ready to go!

Alrighty 

Chapters 1-4 are now available for your viewing. These are the only chapters that I am able to release, for copyright reasons.

If you would like to read it, you can find the first 4 chapters here.

Let me know what you think. Good or bad, all opinions are wanted!

The Extra-Ordinary
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Wednesday, November 18th 2009

8:30 PM

Yes, I'm a space freak, with a capitol F!

So we went to see 2012 last night (AWESOME MOVIE BTW!    ) and it got me thinking about space (though not much out there DOESN'T get me thinking about space )

So I spent a while on Google, looking at pics and facts and I thought I'd share it with you!


Sun

Over one million Earths can fit on the sun.
It is too Hot to get close to.
It is a Star.

Mercury

It is the closest planet to the sun.
It is too hot and dry to live on.
There is no air.

Venus

It is the second planet from the sun.
Almost the same size as Earth.
It has the same gravity as Earth.
And has deadly poisonous clouds (acid)

Earth

The third planet from the sun.
The Only planet that we know of that supports life.
It has gravity, air, water, etc.

Mars

It is the forth planet from the sun.
Its called the red planet.
It has red dust and ice (Actually, because of the mix of chemicals and gases, it's rust. Guess they didn't know that)

Jupiter

The fifth planet from the sun.
The Only planet with a big red spot (a very wide storm)
It is the Largest planet in the Solar System.

Saturn

The sixth planet from the sun.
Very cold
It has an outer ring around the planet.

Uranus

The seventh planet from the sun.
It is very cold.
It has an outer ring around the planet.
Unable to see stars because of storms of clouds.

Neptune

The eight planet from the sun.
It is very cold.
The planet is blue in color.

Pluto

The farthest planet from the sun.
It is the coldest planet.
It is very dark.
The sun looks very small from this planet.
You can see many stars from here.


To date, I have taken about 200 astronomy books out of the library. Something about outer space and the solar system simply fascinates me! Also knowing that God created it ALL! So breathtaking!

DID YOU KNOW: There are over 180,000,000,000 galaxies? We live in ONE galaxy, which means there are AT LEAST another 179,000,000,000!!! AMAZING OR WHAT?!

I love looking at pics of Solar Flares! They are so beautiful, no matter how deadly they can be, lol



Look how tiny earth is! AMAZING!



Look at that! ^^^ That is billions of galaxies. Our galaxy isn't even visible in that pic! I luv the Hubble Telescope!









That black hole is amazing!

One thing that those facts don't tell you, is how many moons each planet has. (this is amazing!)

Mercury and Venus actually have no moons.
As we know, Earth only has one moon. (Lunar)
Mars has 2, Jupiter has 60 and Saturn has 63!!!
Uranus has 21 and Neptune has 13.

Then there are the Dwarf planets. Even though it's so small, P
luto has 3 moons!! Eris has 1 moon, like Earth. And Ceres has none. Those are the moons to date. Scientists are sure that there are more that have not yet been discovered!

I could name most of the moons if you like? Here I go

Mars 2 moons are named Phobos and Deimos. Phobos is the larger of the two, and also circles closer to Mars.

Pluto has one large moon, Charon. The other moons are smaller, and haven't been named yet. I have some name suggestions for them. Minnie and Mickey

This, is Phobos. It looks nothing like Earths Moon. Earths moon is actually
the ONLY one that glows, giving our planet light. So though the other planets may get light from the sun. They would not be getting light from the moon. Making it completely black at night.



Here are the names of Neptune's moons.
1: Naiad 2: Thalassa 3: Despina 4: Galatea 5: Larissa
6:  Proteus 7:Triton 8: Nereid 9: Halimede 10: Sao
11: Laomedeia 12: Psamathe and 13: Neso

Do you think our days are long? Read this!

Length of time on other planets 

(Sorry, too long to post in here, lol )

And did you know, there is a volcano on mars? A volcano bigger then Mt.Everest? So big, it's visible from thousands of miles away!  (Yes, real picture below. Doesn't it look fake? Courtesy of the Hubble Telescope! )



I wish it were possible for me to go into space some day, but I know that is a dream that could never become a reality.

So I guess Star Trek is the closest I'll ever get to seeing outer space

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Monday, November 16th 2009

10:22 PM

Not much to update, so I'll post another part of my book =)


Here is one of my favorite chapters in my book. It's very special to me, and took the longest to write. I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Beka.” a soft voice called my name. It sounded very distant. Almost as if it were summoning me from somewhere far off. My eyes flashed open. Not even realizing I had fallen asleep, I bolted into a sitting position. Erik was sitting close by. His eyes focused curiously on me. He had an odd smirk on his face.
“Did I fall asleep?” I asked, trying to clear the haze from my head.
Erik nodded. “Yes, you did. Quit quickly I might add. One minute we were talking, then you went silent. The only way I knew you were even alive at all was from the snoring you made,” he smirked again. His eyes danced mockingly at me.
“I do not snore!” I gasped in horror. Embarrassed at the though, but not completely convinced he was telling the truth. He just nodded, pressing his lips together. Trying to hide a smile, but it was clear in his eyes he thought it had been hilarious.
“Why did you not wake me up?” I asked. I felt embarrassed. Falling asleep right after he had poured out his fateful past.

“Well when someone falls asleep, it’s usually because they are tired,” he noted. “so I figured the climb tired you out, or you didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Well that’s very thoughtful of you,” I rose to my feet. Stretching the cramp out of my back. “but I really wasn’t all that tired.”
Erik laughed. “Sure didn’t look that way to me.” suddenly, he got an evil gleam in his eyes. “Seriously Beka, you snore so loud I thought you were going to shake the whole mountain loose from under us!”
Tempted to argue with him, I decided to keep my mouth shut. He appeared to enjoy humiliating me.

I glanced at me watch. “It’s almost three. Did you eat lunch?”
Erik shook his head, still smiling crookedly. “I didn’t want to go into your backpack unless you had private stuff in there.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Me? Private? Wow, you really don’t know me at all!”
Opening my backpack, I took two out sandwiches. I tossed one towards Erik. “I hope you don’t mind ham.”
He caught it easily. “My favorite.”
I sat down on a rock that jutted out, almost like a bench and crossed my legs. Erik remained standing while he ate. The ham was a bit dry, and the mayonnaise had soaked into the bread, making it soggy. It seemed to form into a big clump and stick in my throat. Remembering I brought water, I dug into my backpack and took out to water bottles. Erik eagerly took his. I wasn’t sure what he thought of the sandwiches. But if he found them rather dry, he was too polite to say anything.

Sitting there, I found myself gazing out towards the big house. Looking at it saddened me, now that I knew the events that had taken place within the walls. Erik followed my gaze towards the house.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked eagerly.
“Allot, I guess,” I replied, trying to sort through the jumble of thoughts in my mind.
“Okay, what are you mainly thinking about?” he rephrased.
“Well,” I wasn’t sure whether to continue or not. After all, he had already told me so much, but I still had so many questions. “Can I ask a question?”
His eyes widened in surprise. “You still have questions? After all I’ve already told you?”
“I know, but there are still several things that confuse me.”
“Okay, what are they?” he didn’t seem too eager at the thought of more questions.
“Do you have any siblings?” I blurted out.
He seemed to have mixed expressions when I asked him that. “Well, that’s kind of another story in it’s self. Not as long, but still something that cannot be merely answered with a yes or no.”
“Can you tell me?” I persisted stupidly. I knew I was pushing him too far, but I couldn’t help but be curious about his past. We were alike in the fact that neither of us had parents. Then our pasts were so different, we may as well have come from completely different worlds.
His eyes remained focused intently on the house in the distance as he started to speak. “I was the only child born to my parents. My Mother had always wanted many children, but my Father was stubborn about it. He insisted that one was enough. But my Mother was as persistent as my Father was stubborn.

“She eventually got her way, and got a second child, a son. Though he wasn’t born to her, my Mother loved him as if he had been. My adopted brother arrived when I was about eight. I didn’t care much for him, he was a rather stubborn, stuck up child. Much like my very own Father. He looked allot like my Father too. He almost seemed like my Father to me, only in the form of an innocent child and not an alcoholic man. After he came into our lives, things seemed to get slightly more tense in the house. My Father drank more, which began to irritate the heck out of my Mother.

“My brother got into allot of trouble. He was only a year younger then me, but we never got along very well. When my Father killed my Mother, my brother didn’t seem to think that anything was wrong. He acted like he didn’t even care that she had been killed. When my Father was arrested, we were moved to a foster home. We had been doing chores around the house a few months later and he had gone out to get some more wood for the fire, but he never came back.” Erik paused. He didn’t look upset as he recalled the distant memories, but he didn’t look happy either. He seemed undecided at how he felt about the past situation.

“What happened to him?” I watched Erik drop to the ground, crossing his legs. Sitting on the opposite side of the rock, his eyes seemed interestingly focused on something behind me. I turned around, but couldn’t see anything but the field that stretched out beneath us. Erik’s sat parked in the sun. I knew it would be like a sauna once we got inside. I turned back to Erik, was now staring right at me.
“He came back, about three days later. Hungry and cold.”
I felt confused. “If he came back? Then where is he now?”
Erik chuckled. “That’s the funny part. We’ve grown up together. I don’t feel any closer to him now then I did ten years ago.”
His reply didn’t help to clear the confusion from my mind. He could see that and chuckled again. “Roberts my brother Beka.”
I should have been surprised to hear that, but for some reason, I wasn’t.
“That doesn’t surprise you does it?” Erik asked curiously.
I half shook my head, and half nodded. “It does, sort of. I mean, I knew there had to be some reason you two still hung out. Considering you don’t seem to like him that much. I just couldn’t figure out what that reason was.”

“Well then, you are allot more observant then I give you credit for.” he shot me a warm smile. I returned it.
“Are we done with the questions now then?” he asked eagerly.
I shook my head, and I could hear him sigh.
“Okay, what else do you want to know? You should also know, this is the last question you will get to ask for a long time.” he warned.
“Alright.” I agreed. “If you guys are brothers..”
“Step brothers,” Erik corrected me sharply.
“Step brothers,” I corrected. “ why don’t you live together?”
Erik roared with laughter. “Beka, we might be step brothers, but that doesn’t mean we have to put up with each other everyday, all day. Having to put up with him at school is bad enough!”
“Where’s he live then?”
“Ah! You used up your last question,” he smirked smugly.
“That’s not fair! This is still part of the first question!” I argued.
Erik shook his head, laughing. “Doesn’t matter, it’s still a question.”
I crossed my arms, folding them across my chest and sighing angrily. I looked away from his amused stare.
“Oh, are you going to give me the silent treatment now?” he asked, appearing amused at the idea.
“I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction!” I snapped. I tried to make myself sound irritated and mad, but it was hard. I never was much good at acting.
Erik chuckled, taking a sip of his water.

“So you think that if you stopped talking, that would please me?” he asked curiously.
“Probably, I do tend to talk too much.” I admitted.
Erik surprised me by shaking his head. “No, you don’t. But I can tell you someone who does.”
“Who?” I tried to think if it was possible for someone to talk more then I did.
“Your friend, Caitlin. She is a chatter box!” he dramatically slapped his forehead with his hand. “At school on Friday, all I asked was ‘how was your week’, and it felt like she was giving me her biography!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Caitlin does talk allot,” I admitted. “but she’s a good friend.”
“Better then your friends in Vancouver?” again with the interest in my life.
“What is your fascination with my life in Vancouver?” I asked, curious to hear what his response would be.
He shrugged. “I told you last week. You are a very interesting person.”
“Furthest from the truth, try something more believable.” I laughed.
He rolled his eyes. With the amount of times he rolled his eyes in a day, I was surprised they hadn’t fallen out.

“Honestly, you seem very interesting in my life. Why is that?”
“Look who talking!” he laughed. “Who’s the one that had me pour all my deepest and darkest secrets into their lap? I think I have the right to be slightly curious with your past. Seeing as how you now know anything and everything there is to know about me.” “Well, almost.”
“Almost?” I asked.
He stared at me. “Almost what?”
“You said that I know everything there is to know about you, ‘well almost’!”
I quoted.
“I didn’t say that Beka, maybe you are hearing things?” he stood up and walked towards the edge of the cliff.

I stood up and walked towards him. We stood side by side, staring down the steep Cliffside and into the valley. I had managed to hide my thoughts in the back of my mind, but now they were dragged back to the surface. I think I can read minds! I was almost deliciously thrilled at the idea. The advantages I could have with this! The fun! That now meant I had a secret. A secret I wanted so badly to share, but couldn’t. Not with Erik, not with Caitlin, and not with Carol. I had an amazing talent, but I had to keep it buried, and hidden away from the world. It was a depressing thought.

Erik seemed to sense something was wrong. “Everything alright?”
I snapped back into reality and looked up at him, squinting my eyes in the sun. “Ya, everything’s fine,” I lied, sighing. He looked away.

We sat on the mountain top for a while longer. I soaked up the sun, enjoying the warmth. I never did finish my sandwich, but I quickly drank my bottle of water. Erik ate both his sandwich and the extra I had brought. I wasn’t sure if he really liked them, or was trying really hard to be polite. I was eager to get back home, but I desperately wanted to watch the sunset. So I tried to pass the time, whether by laying on the rock. My eyes shut, thinking over aspects of my life. Or I would take a small piece of rock, and draw little pictures in the hard surface of the mountain. Erik watched curiously while I drew a picture of a man and woman on the rock. I tried my best to keep them from looking like stick figures with hair and clothing, but in the end, that’s what they looked like.

“You have a very interesting way of passing time,” he mused. I ignored him and continued with my drawing. I began to feel like a cave person. Drawing little pictures on the wall of caves to tell a story. Though my drawings didn’t have much of a story to them. Just a man and a woman. They had a little girl then died in an accident. The girl grew up in many different homes before moving into the home of an amazing woman. Then she moved to a new town. Made new friends and lived an ordinary life. Until she realized she could read minds. So much for that ordinary girl and her ordinary life.

“My turn to ask a deep question,” Erik suddenly blurted out. I set my pencil rock down and stood up. “What?” I wasn’t sure what type of question he would be asking, but I already didn’t like it.
“Your parents. What happened to them?” his voice was full of compassion, almost hypnotizing me into pouring out my past to him.
““Well, my story’s not as interesting as yours,” I told him. I almost hoped it would change his mind about wanting to hear it. No such luck.
“I would hope not!” he scowled.
“Alright, but if I start crying, no laughing!” I wagged my finger in his face.
Erik bit his lips together. No sign of a smirk or smile anywhere.

“Well, I don’t remember it well. At least, not in great detail like you do. All I remember about it that it was the day before my seventh birthday. My parents were going out to a friend birthday party. They had spent hours getting all dressed up and they hired my favorite babysitter to stay with me. I was upset at first, because we had made plans to go out that night, to celebrate my birthday early, because my Father would be working on my actually birthday.

“I cried when they left, but my Mother kissed me on the forehead and promised me that we would go out the next day. My babysitter stayed with me near the end of the driveway as I waved them off. I could see my Mother waving through the window as they disappeared around the corner. My babysitter took me inside, where we played games for a few hours. She sent me to bed around eight. Hoping my parents would be home soon, I changed into my nightgown and decided to stay awake.

“It was hours before I eventually drifted off. Still, I hadn’t been able to see them after arriving home. When I woke up, I hurried into my parents room, threw open the door and jumped into their bed. It was empty. They never came home. I hurried downstairs, searching every room for them, but I still couldn’t find them.

“My babysitter was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea when I walked into the kitchen. I asked her where my parents were, but she said she didn’t know. She made me breakfast then set it on the table for me. While I ate, she began making some phone calls. I don’t know who she called, but just after she hung up, the phone rang. I was excited, I thought it was my Mom and Dad saying they were on their way home,” I had to pause there. My breathing was getting quick and my head was beginning to spin. I quickly sat down before I could pass out. Erik focused his eyes intently on me. I could feel the hot, sticky tears begin to stream down the sides of my face. Eriks expression was as firm as a stone statue. Not even the smallest hint of a smile was seen.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The rocks bounced around as I recalled what happened next. “My babysitter was on the phone for a while. I can’t what she said, but I do remember the expression she had on her face. It was an expression of pure shock. She looked down at me, her eyes brimming with sympathy. I tugged on her shirt, eagerly asking her if it was my Mommy and Daddy. She talked for a few more minutes, then hung up. That’s when I noticed the tears in her eyes. She took me into my bedroom and sat down on the edge of my bed. Pulling me into her lap.

“She began to tell me that the police had just called. My parents had been in a serious accident. She never gave me the details, but I learned those later on, when I was older and strong enough to hear them.

“She told me that both of them had died instantly. Quick and painless. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t painless for me. I was young at the time, but I still understood exactly what she was saying. “My Mommy and Daddy are dead?” I asked her. She nodded solemnly and let my cry on her shoulder.”

I stopped again. This time because I could hardly speak through the tears. I cleared my throat and wiped the tears away. “I guess the saddest thing about death, is knowing that it had come so suddenly. My parents had made plans with me to celebrate my birthday, and they would never be kept. That wasn’t what upset me though. What upset me was knowing they had left a life behind. They had left me behind.

“After that, their funeral was arranged. I wasn’t allowed to see them, so I was kept far away from the front of the ceremony. I watched in horror as they were lowered into deep holes in the ground. I would have jumped in after them, but one of my parents friends had a firm grip on my hand. Before I knew it, they were being covered up in dirt. The tears filled my eyes as I watched them disappear beneath the earth. After the service, I could hear as relatives and friends bartered me of to each other. No one wanted me. Only my parents had, but they were gone. Buried under the ground.

“I was given over to child services and over the next five years, moved from home to home. Some were nice families. They made me feel welcomed and loved and helped make the pain of my loss easier. But then there were families who made me feel worthless, and that my parents were better off dead. As I moved from home to home, I piled up more and more baggage of my life. I eventually learned the details of my parents death.

“It had been midnight when they left the party. It was dark, except for the lights along the roadside. A drunk driver was driving out of control and going the wrong way down a one way street. He hit them head on. His big truck crushed their small van. When the police arrived, they had to have his truck pulled off the van. They said my parents died instantly, so they hadn’t suffered. But I can’t help but wonder what they had been thinking as they watched the truck rush towards them. No sign of stopping.

“So I was moved from home to home until I was twelve. Then Carol took me in. She had only planned on having me for a few months, but we almost seemed to bond instantly. She reminded me so much of my Mother, I began to think of her as one. She wasn’t able to have children of her own, and had never married, so she told me she was proud to call me her daughter. Then papers were signed and it was legal. I became Carols daughter, and she, my Mother.” I ended. My sad little story, over.

I wiped the tears away and hoped that Erik wouldn’t start laughing at me. He didn’t. Instead, his eyes were full of compassionate pain. Almost like he had gone through it all with me. I sat in silence, waiting, wondering what he would say about it.

“Beka,” he started. His voice almost a whisper, his eyes focused on the ground. “I’m really sorry for your loss. You defiantly lost more then I did.”
I didn’t know why he said that. His Mother had been murdered, by his Father. He had almost watched it happen. He had to watch as his Father buried his Mother in their back yard. “I don’t think that’s true,” I argued, trying to fight back the tears that tried to push their way up.
“It’s very true Beka.” he argued back. “Your loss could have been avoided. You had to watch as your parents were lowered into the ground. You bounced from home to home for years. And you have to walk around knowing that they both loved you, yet they never got to watch you grow up. Or see you make a life for yourself.” he stopped. His debate was over.
I didn’t say anything. When he said all that, it just caused another batch of tears to spill over.

I looked out into the valley, staring at nothing in particular. Searching for someway to bury everything I had just uncovered. The sun was setting, and a red, purple and pink tint colored the sky. Beyond the tree tops, it looked as if flames were heading towards us. Consuming everything in its path. I didn’t look at my watch. I didn’t care what time it was, all I cared about was trying to clear my head. I had never talked so deeply with anyone before. Not even Carol. She knew my past, but only because she had been informed of it after adopting me. None of my friends had ever heard about my past, and I hardly ever spoke about my parents before this.

I glanced up at Erik. He was standing near the edge of the cliff again. His arms draped at his side. His face almost glowed in the bask in the color of the setting sun. The warmth radiated from the sun and soaked into the rock around it. It sent a chill down my spine as the warmth reached me. Not a cold chill, a chill of excitement almost. Though I wasn’t sure what excitement it was.

I watched the sun set. The colors began to extend further into the corners of the sky as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. The trees almost glowed pink, and the rocks were reflecting the many colors of the sky. Rays of sun leaked through the branches on the trees. Sending steaks of light across the open valley. The large house sat quietly in the array of color. The color almost seemed to make the house look more alive, and warm. A cool wind blew through the air. Whisking my hair gracefully across my face. I tucked the hair back behind me ears and stared into the distance.

The sun set soon ended. The rays of sun had been replaced with darkness. A blanket of stars replaced the rainbow of colors. It was dark, but still light enough so we could see where we were going. We slowly made our way down the cliff. Mistakenly, I placed my hand in the same hole as last time. Fortunately, nothing jumped out to bite me. We reached the car quickly and I slung my backpack into the back seat. I sat in silence as Erik backed the car around, and pointed it towards the dark, mysterious forest. Something about the look of the forest at night frightened me. During the day it was bright and cheerful. It looked inviting and warm. Then at night, it looked completely different. It was dark and intimidating. Thick with darkness, I pictured it as the perfect setting for a horror scene.

We made it onto the main road. I had gotten used to handling the bumps and was now a professional at gripping to the seat and planting myself firmly in it. Erik kept his eyes glued to the road, occasionally shooting a glance in my direction. He was soon pulling the car into my driveway. While I got my back together, he hurried around the car and opened my door for me.
“Thanks,” I smiled appreciatively and walked past him. He lightly shut the door and followed me up to the door. Automatically, the light flickered on. Which I didn’t know they could do. A dim light flooded over us and a small section of the walkway.

“I hope you had fun.” Erik smiled. I fumbled with the house key.
“I did, very much so.” I replied. I stuck the key into the key hole and turned. A tiny click could be heard as the door unlocked. I turned the knob and the door swung open.
“I’ll see you at school then,” he smiled one last time and turned away. He got to the door of his car and opened it up. “have a good night.”
“You too.” I called after him. He nodded and ducked inside the car. The headlights flashed on, almost blinding me. They made the dim house light seem even dimmer in comparison.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Are you on Facebook? If so, I'd love it if you joined my group! I post updates about book 2, and the progress of getting book 1 published. I'll even be posting 3 chapters of the book on there.

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Saturday, November 14th 2009

5:08 PM

♪ ♫ Tis The Season To Be Frustrated! ♪ ♫


Bonjour et accueillir de retour ! J'espère que vous appréciez votre visite ! 

Arg  I haven't been doing very well keeping up with this blog.....once again

So I shall post a quick update

House has NOT sold yet  and it's getting VERY frustrating!!  I'm just hoping  we move BEFORE I am 19!

Although, while I wait, I have plenty to keep me busy.

Nothing new here,  but writing has been very good at keeping my mind busy

Though it's hard,  trying to keep up with the demands of my readers

But I love having people to push me , other wise everything I start to write, would die

I also have my horses  to keep me busy   

Training when it's not raining  (I'm a poet!   and brushing them (just try to avoid the dirt that flies down your shirt!  

Christmas  is coming! AHH!!!   

Not that I don't LIKE  Christmas, I just don't like the time leading up to it.

All the dumb Christmas commercials  and all the weird Christmas stuff in the stores

I have to be honest,  the BEST part of Christmas for me,  is the shopping

I LOVE  the chaos  and rushing from store to store  looking for the best gifts for each person

When I hear "Only 41 days till Christmas," I almost freak!

IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS JUST ENDED FOR PETE"S SAKE!

Oh well, whether I like it or not  Christmas will soon be upon us  and when it is, I doubt I'll be complaining then

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Wednesday, November 11th 2009

4:02 PM

Look for God's Blessings!

Look for God’s blessing.

Look for His joy

And His love everlasting.


----------------------------------------------

Seek out God’s goodness

In a world of tears and sorrow.

Seek out His hope

In the dawn of tomorrow.


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Let His peace fill your heart,

Let His hand and word guide you.

Know that you are never alone

For He always walks beside you.


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Let His love be your strength,

His trustworthiness your shield.

Be courageous as He goes before you,

His victory to yield.


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Walk forward in faith,

Let the Lord work His ways.

His unfailing love is with you

For all of your days.

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Sunday, November 8th 2009

9:21 PM

For those who are curious....

Here is a part of the first chapter, of the book I am trying to get published. I would love your opinions, good or bad

the extra-ordinary

It only took a few days to get fully unpacked. Soon the boxes were gone, and furniture filled the rooms, giving it a homier feel. I didn’t get a chance to explore the town until a few days after we had arrived in Knots. While Carol went to the grocery store to get food, I walked the streets of the small town. It felt odd to be walking through such a small, slow paced town. There were other people out and about, but compared to what I was used to, I may as well have been the only person in the town.

I was trying hard to adjust, but it was hard. Carol seemed to take to the small town living almost instantly, but it was going to take me more time to adjust. Everyone was friendly, but despite their welcoming attitude to both me and Carol, I still felt unwelcome in the small town. I glanced around as I walked down the street, mesmerized by everything. The small buildings, the lack of people and the small amount of traffic that drove past. When Carol was done shopping, I met her at the small café for a snack. I went to claim one of the vacant tables while she made her way to the line to place our orders.

“So,” Carol sat down, placing her coffee on the table and handing me a bran muffin. “what do you think of the town?” I hesitated for a short moment before replying.
“It’s small,” I replied flatly, my voice lacking the enthusiasm I could tell she had hoped for.
She nodded. “Yes, it’s a big change from Vancouver. But I think we will adjust quickly,” she paused. “oh, we should stop by the school later to sign you up for school.”
I stopped mid-bite. “School?” I asked, quickly swallowing the bite of muffin. I had completely forgotten about school. We’d been living in Knots for three days now, and not once had it crossed my mind.
Carol nodded. “Spring break starts on Monday, but school won’ t be starting until the week after. So you still have over a week to get ready. I felt slightly relieved at the thought. I wasn’t ready to dive into school just yet. I still had to get settled into our new house first.

We stopped at the school on our way home from town later that afternoon and I quickly followed Carol inside. I shouldn’t have been surprised at the size of the school, but I was. Less then half the size of my other school, and only one floor. The doors opened up into a long hallway. No more then a few dozen students walked passed me. I was pleased to see that none of them gave me a second glance. Rows of dull, gray lockers covered the walls on either side of the hallway. School had just finished before we arrived, so the halls were somewhat full of students hurrying to collect their things before leaving. We pushed our way through the crowd of teens, and into the main office. I followed closely behind Carol as she walked towards a large desk. A woman, who looked to be in her mid fifties, sat behind it.
“Hello, I’m Carol Marshal,” she introduced to the woman. The woman looked up at Carol through the thick lenses of her glasses, smiling slightly.
“Hello. How can I help you?” she asked, setting down the pen she had been using, and folding her hands neatly on the desk in front of her. I could see a small smile tugging at the corner of her pale, withered mouth, but then it vanished. Her wrinkled face had a powder look to it and her short grey hair looked course and firm in the bun she had it one up in. A little plaque on the desk had her name engrave into it. “Ms. Harris” it read.
“I’d like to sign my daughter up to start school next week,” Carol pulled me over, almost like she were proving the reason for her visit.
“Alright, I have some paperwork for you to fill out, and a few things to go over with you,” Ms. Harris looked past Carol and to me. “you may go look around if you like. This won’t take long.” the friendly gesture sounded rather cold to me. Carol turned to me. ‘I’ll meet you in the hall when I’m finished.” I just nodded and left the room.

I found it odd that I didn’t have to be there, since I was the one being signed up, but I didn’t argue about it. I stood against the wall, watching the crowds of teens hurry past. None of them seemed to notice me, which was a relief. I wasn’t ready to stick out, not yet anyways. As I watched the students move through the halls, laughing and chattering happily to their friends, I suddenly felt a pang of homesickness. My friends had proved to me before I left, that I obviously wasn’t as important to them as they had been to me. But still, I missed my old life. I stood silently against the wall for a little while, watching everyone go about their day as they always did. I almost felt excited for the day school would start. Maybe it would be easier to fit in then I had expected?

After almost half an hour of waiting, Carol still hadn’t come out of the office. Quietly, I opened the door, just a crack, and peered inside. Carol was seated in a chair across the desk from Ms. Harris, who was flipping through the pages of a pamphlet, reading something to Carol. I shut the door and leaned back against the wall. The small crowds of students was beginning to thin out, only a few remained left in the halls. One student in particular caught my eye. A guy, a bit taller then myself, walked past me slowly. He wore a pair of dark shades, and his black hair was slicked back neatly. A black leather jacket covered the upper part of his body, and his finely chiseled face turned slightly towards he as he passed. He glanced at me, not smiling but not frowning either. He stared at me for only a moment, before turning and disappearing outside. That bizarre stare was exactly what I had been dreading.

Finally, Carol stepped out of the office, thanking Ms. Harris for her assistance. I hurried ahead as Carol walked slowly behind. Once in the van, she dropped a stack of papers and some books on to my lap.
“There is a map of the school, and a list of the classes you will be taking. And those are the books you will be needing.”
Setting the books on the floor by my feet, I began to sift through the papers, quickly scanning over each one.
“You start next Monday at eight thirty, so be sure to get up with plenty of time to get ready and eat breakfast,” Carol informed me. “also, make sure you bring sweatpants and a t-shirt for PE.”
I nodded. “I’ll make a mental list of that.”
Carol started the car and slowly backed out of the small parking lot. “Maybe you should write it down, I don’t want you to forget.”
I sighed. “I won’t, I’ve got a good memory.” I tapped my head with my index finger.
“Yes,” Carol agreed. “when you want.”
I faked a laugh, still scanning over the stack of papers.

When we got home, I hurried up to my room to put my school papers and books away. Just to prove to Carol that I could remember things, I started packing my school things several days in advance. I went to the store a few times to buy school essentials, such as paper, pencils, erasers and sharpeners. Carol hung around the house most of the time, trying to find the exact spot for everything. Having had the house unpacked so quickly, it left more time for exploring the town, and getting to know everyone. Or at least the people at the grocery store and library. I often went to the library to get away from the silence that seemed to loom around the house. The library was small, but carried many of my favorite books. I never seemed to see many of the teenagers around town, which surprised me. Back in Vancouver, teenagers were always hanging out on the streets, or partying all the time. Was it really possible that this town was that perfect?

Despite the huge difference in the population, I was surprised to find myself feeling, almost at home in Knots. The slower pace of life was much more relaxing, and I felt less pressured to live up to the expectations that were placed on me in the city. Maybe moving hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

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Thursday, November 5th 2009

8:26 PM

Hmmmmmm.......

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Not much to post about today.  I could post what I all did, though it would be a very short list, but here I go....

Woke up

Fed Horses

Tidied Up The Kitchen

Worked On Chapter 3

Watched A TV Show (Can't Remember Which One)

Cleaned The Kitchen So My Dad Could Make Dinner

Made My Bed

Ate Dinner

Cleaned The Dinner Mess Up

Watched icarly

Came Online And Finished Chapter 3 And Chatted With A Friend

So ya, not a lot was done today,

Maybe tomorrow will be more eventful.




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Wednesday, November 4th 2009

8:22 PM

Another day....another mile in the road of life.

Today wasn't very eventful. I got up and fed the horses, as I do every morning, then cleaned out the barn. We were out of hay, so that meant it was time to clean the barn spotlessly.  Get every little thing off the floor and make room for the load of 50 plus bales of hay.

My brother and dad go to pick up the hay while I clean the barn. Then they come back (it usually takes 2 loads) and it's time to unload. We have this system going. My brother throws the hay out of the trailer and my dad throws it to me (and at this point I might have to jump and dodge the 60+ lb' bales of hay, ) Then I pick them up (no easy task mind you) and throw them into neat, stacked piles.

We organize them by type. 1'st cut in one pile, 2'nd cut in another.
Once the piles start to get high, I have to make a step-like pile of hay so I can reach the top easier.

By the time we are finished, my lungs are full of hay and I can hardly breath. But seeing the horses run around excitedly as they watch us unload their food, makes it all worth while

Then my dad toss's (yes, toss's) the 50 lb bags of feed to me. I catch them, and put them in the barn. The horses really go wild when they see their grain being unloaded!

So by the time all that was finished, it was only lunch time. Talk about a long morning!

Then the rest of the usual event happened. My mom did school with my sisters while I flipped through the local phone book.  I had to change the last names of the characters in my book. And what better way to give them new names, then by spending hours flipping through the phone book?

After that, I tidied the kitchen, did a bit of this
and a bit of that and voila. Here I am. Working frantically to get this posted and get as much of chapter 3 done as I can before my brother kicks me off of here.


Once I get online, it's basically the same routine each day. Google "Book Publishers" and log into facebook to chat with my friend. Work on book 2 while also writing in here, AND trying to go through the dozens of emails in my inbox  I really need to stop multitasking!

Good news: I have now contacted about a dozen publishers. I have already heard back from 4. All of whom have requested to view my manuscript!

And after this, I shall go feed 5 hungry horses their new feed and hay. Then go to bed and fall asleep half way through a movie. 
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Tuesday, November 3rd 2009

8:16 PM

♪ ♫ Just keep moving ♪ ♫ Just keep moving..... ♪ ♫

What happens when life hits a dead spot? And it just feels like you can't move. If you take a step in either direction, left, right, forward or back, you hit a wall.

Sometimes I hit those walls, but more recently then ever before. I know that just because our house wont sell is a reason to hit the stop button on my life, but it sometimes feels like that, until we move, my life will continue to be on hold.

Sometimes the question pops into my mind "Is all this really worth it? The three years of waiting? One showing after another and still no one buys the house? The stress? Is it all worth it?" and each time I decide "Yes! It is!"

I have been told before that I need to be "realistic" with my life, and stop waiting to move, which might not even happen (I know for many people, they believe it WILL never happen and I hope to prove them wrong! )

Some people believe it is stupid for me to h old off on finding a boyfriend, or getting my drivers license and all the other things a girl my age should, and is doing. But I think it's smart.

What would happen if I were to get sick of waiting, and go hitch up with a guy just because it's "what all the other girls are doing." and then the next week, our house sells and we are suddenly moving across Canada.

Then I am stuck. I am on one side of Canada, and my boyfriend is on the other side. Then what?  I'm not moving back, and I doubt he would move out there.


And the same goes with my drivers license, except it's sort of different while still being the same. If I get my learners license, which I would then have to keep for two years, and we move within those two years. I have my learners yes, but it's no good over there. And I have to pay to retake the test AGAIN! Well these goes hard earned money!


I struggle with patience. And each time we get a call for a showing, I get stressed and I want to scream. But I don't. I try (the best I can) to hold that in and think positive thoughts. "Just think, these could be the buyers!"

My relationship with God has also been tested through these past few years. Sometimes I blame Him for not moving us sooner. I think things like "If God can make a donkey talk. And He created the earth in just seven days. Why the heck can't He sell this house?!   "

Then I calm down, ask for forgiveness for blaming God and ask for His help in selling. I mean, there must be a reason we have been kept here so long? Right? Everything God does, or doesn't do is for a reason.

So though it is hard, and tough, and trying. I have to just keep moving with my life. Keep my finger on the play button and don't let anyone get in my way and drag me down. Making me think that we wont ever move. Because I know God has big plans for my family. Plans that can't be destroyed by someone else saying "Be realistic!" when discussing our moving plans.  
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Monday, November 2nd 2009

3:58 PM

Clearing my own path in life...

What's the number one question kids are asked these days? "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I've had that question stuck in my head for years, up until four years ago when I got my first horse. (who is no longer with me now )

It was at that point that I realized that I have a strong, unbreakable passion for horses. Whether it's training, riding, breeding, rescuing or just sitting and watching them be..well..horses!

So after that, my mind went sort of..haywire. Did I want to breed? Compete? Raise? Train? Riding lessons? What did I want to do with horses that I could make a living from?

While I was trying to straighten that mess out, I began to fall in love with writing. Any type of writing.

I won my first poetry contest at 11. Then I was the first runner up in a Canada wide poetry contest and a horse magazine had been holding. I was 16 then.

But I really sucked at rhyming, and I moved to short stories. Though I have been writing short stories since I was about 8. And please don't ask to read any of them, because they were really awful

I started out with small stories, mostly about girls and their horses. The time line was always around the 1800's. I actually thought I would stink at writing things with a modern time line.

Then my mom told me to at least try it. And I haven't written an old fashioned story since

My stories always vary in style and story line. From a story being told from a Mother horse to her baby, to a story being told front he point of view of a wild stallion who guards his herd.

I wrote stories about girls and horses for several years before forcing myself to try something new yet again.

Now one thing to keep in mind is, by this time, I had never finished a book. Honestly, I'd never gotten past chapter 5 in a book before. They always seemed to die. The flame I had for writing them, had fizzled into nothing.

So when I started my new novel last January, I hoped that this one would be different. It was definitely different then any other novel I had writing. Without even mentioning the word "horse" in the book, it was unlike any other story I had written.

Unfortunately, that book soon died after only 3 chapters, thus continuing my "never-finished-a-book" streak. So for about five months I went book-less.

But by that time, I had already been writing for a horse magazine for almost a year, and been paid for an article on foaling and the first few hours.

I worked on several other books int he few months in my spare time, but each seemed to die faster then the previous.

It was really beginning to annoy me that I couldn't even finish one book.
It didn't have to be anything long. Just a good story that people would actually want to read!

But at east I was able to build up my career in the horse area while I waited for my next idea. I was writing a monthly article, and even getting emails from a reader with questions they had about their horse.

I was happy to help them, and get updates of their horses progress. I also began working more with the horses under saddle. Taking Raiah out as often as I could, I jumped with her.

Scary at first, I soon adjusted and we were flying over the jumps together. Now at 2'6", I am ready for our first competition, possibly next year. When I give Raiah a day off, I take Mina out and work with her. She is now at 1'3".

Lacey is also being trained to jump. But since I cannot ride her yet. I lounge her over jumps. But when she was only 3 months old, she already proved to be a born jumper. Mina as well. They both cleared out 4'6" fence one night and didn't even get a scratch.

So just picture a small, 9hh (4 inches per hand, so 9X4=36 inches) jumping over a 4'6" fence. Something I wish I had seen!

That cleared it all up for me. I HAD to get into horse training. So I started taking online courses, and reading all I could.

Which has set a path for me. Once our house sells, I am going to get more into horse training and become certified. But since I can't be out riding young, unbroken horses when I'm pregnant, I will be giving riding lessons.

I would LOVE to apprentice under Ian Millar and learn as much about horse training as I can from him. And also learn how he is able to jump 6' and not fall off

I am also going to get into real estate. I hope to buy my first rental home next year and invest in it. Then as the years go, eventually sell the house and move up to something bigger.

But another thing I REALLY want to do in my life, is publish a book. That is why I was thrilled when I finished my very first novel last month.
"the extra-ordinary" is a book better then I could have ever hoped for. I've had people read it and compliment me on the story and style writing.

People have even suggested I publish it which I hadn't given a whole lot of thought to until recently.

So looking online I found a website for Dorrance Publishing Company. One of the biggest and oldest publishing company's around.

I sent them a small preview of my manuscript, and held my breath, waiting to hear back.

Then today, when I wen to check my email, I saw an email from Dorrance Publishers!

It said the following:

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in Dorrance Publishing!  I just wanted to touch base with you and thank you for requesting information on Dorrance.  We recently emailed our publishing guide to you, which contains more information on our programs and on our publishing process.  If you have any questions on this material, please feel free to contact me.

If your manuscript is complete and you are ready to do so, I would like to invite you to submit your finished manuscript for our consideration.  You can either mail your manuscript through regular postal mail or just hit reply and send it as an email attachment.  The review process will take about 2-4 weeks.  You will then receive by mail our publication decision and additional publishing information.

Please let me know if I can offer further assistance!  I am easily reached by email and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Heather Curley

So you can imagine how thrilled I am that a publishing company as big as them, wants to read MY book!!

Of course my stomach is flip flopping with the fear that they won't like it and I'll be back to thinking I can never get published!

The book is just the first of a series, and I am currently working on the sequel, which I think will be even better then the first.

I have so many dreams that I want to reach and accomplish in my life. And just when I thought I had to pick just one of them, things begin to happen and I am doing them all!

I am becoming known for my advice articles in the horse magazines

I have written a book and I'll be emailing the manuscript to a publishing company to review

And I am training horses, which was my main goal.

Just when I think I have nothing to show for my 18 years of existence, something amazing happens and God slaps me over the head and shows me everything that I have done!

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