Max Marathon

I used to only ever read self-help/spiritual books or the bible. A while back I realized that was the same with music. I used to only listen to Christian music. Secular/Non Secular call it whatever you want, but over the years I have realized it's all the same to me. That is my 2 cents worth about that topic, take it or leave it. It's funny when Moses and I talk about music because many of the bands of the 80's and 90's I have no recollection of because of this. He will say something like, "Don't you remember that song" to which I will respond " Nope never heard it" to which he will say, "Man where were you?" and I will think in my head I was in a bubble. I am glad in many ways to have bursted that bubble. Who did the bursting I am not exactly sure but all the same it has bursted wide open.
So anyway, that was a rabbit trail thanks for following back to the topic at hand... back in the day when I was inside the bubble my favorite author and still he is one of my favorites now is/was Max Lucado. I used to work at a Christian book store and every new release of his was quickly purchased, read through, and placed on my self at home. I just love the way this man writes in pictures. Well, since outside the bubble I haven't picked up any of his new releases and or read the old ones in a long time
SO.....(the whole point of this blog is coming.... wait for it... wait for it....)

I have decided over the course of the next few weeks of Christmas Break that I am going to go on a Max Lucado Marathon. While studying the shelves of books that my hubby so masterfully assembled from Ikea I realized that I have almost everyone of this man's titles(except new titles as stated above). After realizing it has been a while since I have dug deep into one of them I thought it's about time, so I am going on a Max marathon. His books always make me cry so I will make sure I have kleenex nearby.

The titles on the road map are as follows:

Next Door Savior

Just Like Jesus

And The Angels Were Silent


I will report back in a few weeks if I survive this marathon without a bucket load of tears and hopefully a good reminder or two.
Until then please enjoy some more new pictures.



The pics are of the Space Needle in Seattle, A butterfly that Landed on Sol's hand while in the Butterfly garden at PSC, and one from Sol's birthday party in October right before moving(seems so long ago now).



When I look at all the boys in that last photo my heart aches to think of the next time we will see them all. I sure do feel a case of homesickness coming on. Good thing this city has many distractions to hold me over until the next time we all are able to meet again.

Selah and Joy

The word Selah in the bible means to pause, stop and truly reflect. I am having that kind of day today where I am reflecting about the scripture in the bible that says, "Let the Joy of the Lord be your strength."

Last night our pipes froze. Moses woke up this morning to not having any running water for his shower before work. Thankfully, me and the kids had bathed the night before but all the same it made for a stressful morning.
Then the night before we heard from a friend that he is getting a divorce. It came as quite a shock and deeply saddened both Moses and I.


Today I received an email from a very close friend that her youngest is in the hospital and they are running tests to find out what might be the cause of some frightening symptoms.
Life and all its joys and sorrows comes in waves. These events have surely brought about a wave of sadness. The odd thing is that just today I was praying out loud with only the ears of my precious 5 year old around to hear me. I was walking around saying, "Thank you Father God for a happy healthy 5 year old named Isaiah, Thank you Father God for a happy healthy 8 year old named Solomon, Thank you Father God for a happy healthy 9 year old named Chloe, Thank you Father God for a happy healthy 11 year old named Emma, Thank you Father God for a happy healthy husband named Moses." I hadn't finished my list of things I was thankful for when Isaiah chimed in with, " And Thank you Father God for a happy healthy Mommy that's named Noel"



There are some things in life that can bring momentary happiness and this time of year the commercials are filled with those things, but something that brings true joy is to hear your 5 year old pray for you and to know that the Creator of Heaven and Earth heard that thanksgiving. There is nothing quite like that, and that, I believe will give me the strength and the true Joy the bible talks about.
Our pipes freezing in comparison to the emotional and physical trials of friends pales in comparison and puts it all back into perspective again for me. I am thankful for a healthy dose of perspective today and also for true joy.

-Pros and *Cons

In every life there are good and bad moments, pros and cons, sweet and sour... you get the idea.

Here is my list as of lately;


-I am feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude these days and it's not just cause it's that time of year. Of all the scenarios, and paths we could have taken after the biggest financial failure that we have ever experienced in our marriage, I still feel grateful.

*Because we live in the trees and by a lot of water there are flies in our house in the winter. Strange but true.

- The feeling of not being stressed about money or where it's going to come from, or how it's all going to work out, has FINALLY left the building. This building is stress free. This cabin is stress free from money issues. Our fireplace heats this place crazy good, we live on a septic tank for water, we have an endless supply of natural resources to live off of and finally the stress has left the building. It is good.

* We have a shoes off at the door policy now because of the mud that gets tracked through otherwise. Still, on a daily basis I have to shake the bathroom rug from dirt. THE BATHROOM RUG, not the rug at the door or even in the kitchen but the BATHROOM rug!! How is this possible?

- When I go to take kids to school in the morning around this time of year I expect to give some time for scrapping windows from morning frost. Not so here. Only a fresh morning dew or of course if it's raining then I have to put on the wipers. Still getting used to the weather here.

* I miss my peeps. There are so many things around here that I wish I could share with all my peeps but they are 700+ miles away and so that makes it kinda difficult.

-One of the above said "things" I can' wait to share with my peeps is the drive around Lake Sammamish that is right down the street from where we live, or Pikes Market Place, or the Thrift stores that have treasures beyond measure, or the hike in my backyard.

* Thanksgiving without my family was still good, but not the same. I missed our abundant supply of olives. I should have brought them myself but wasn't thinking.

- Moses now has a job that provides enough for me to do the job I love most; taking care of the home-front. So thankful for this. SO yes, that means I will be quitting the job at the preschool but not completely. They have so graciously made a place for me that fits just right.

* Not being able to meet my friends for coffee, or watch their kids play with mine, or have people that just drop by really sucks!! I miss this more than I can even express.

Overall, if I were to make a real list the Pros far outweigh the Cons but ya know what? That is because even though I have moved to Washington I am still the eternal optimist that I have always been and so in life I am determined to find more good than bad.

Pikes Market Place

The Scofield clan decided to finally venture into Seattle this weekend. We have only been here 3 weeks well almost a month, and so when I see the do list my family has made I have to remind myself that we are not on vacation and that we have plenty of time to get all these sight seeing adventures done.
One of the first places I wanted to go when we knew we were moving up to Washington was the famous Pikes Market place. I had heard about this place for many years. I have seen it on countless television shows( mostly cooking shows) and other movies and stuff but never got to visit when I came to Seattle 15 years ago. That's how long it has been since I have been back to Washington and let me tell you folks A LOT has changed, but that's a story for another time.

Anyway, my good friend Jentry Day told me she and her family were going to be headed into the city with even mom Sandy who was visiting from Tahoe on Sunday and so we decided to join forces. Jentry has twin baby girls, Bryn and Chloe so her and the girls, hubby Joe, mom Sandy, me and my 4 and of course the big man all walked through the booths of Pikes Market Place this past Sunday afternoon.
IT WAS AWESOME!! Seriously, all those that do plan to come up for a visit be sure to put this on your list of things to do and see. The smells, art, music, people, views, music, free entertainment from the fish market, did I mention the musicians around here that are off the hook good, colors, beautiful flowers, crafts, clothes, and food were all reasons why this place has become so famous.

Anyway, a good time was had by all and my kids finally got to try Turkish Delight. They have wanted to try this ever since the Narnia movies. There was a mom and pop shop that made everything from Baklava to Turkish Delight treats. They were oh so good. They had flavors like Rose, Orange, Lemon, Strawberry, Cherry, and Lime. I think the general consensus was that lemon was the best.


I love this city.
I have thoughts like, "HOLY CRAP, I can't believe I live here now!!" I suppose this is normal. Dunno.
Still feels like I am on vacation.
I will let you know when I no longer feel as though I am on vacation, just in case you might be wondering when that might happen, because I am wondering when that might happen??
I shouldn't be surprised by this feeling that is so strange and foreign because after all I did live in Nevada for 34 years. I feel like I am not ready to go back which I suppose is a good feeling since I am not going back until this summer. The scenery is exactly what my heart and soul needed at this moment in life.

More Pics of Redmond

More Pics of Redmond for you Non-Facebookers

An Update and Some Late night Ramblings

So here I sit after countless hours of unpacking and work work, school work, driving, kids school work, traffic, more traffic (did I mention the traffic up here?) and I am finally able to update my blog. What a whirlwind this adventure of moving 700+ miles has been. I still feel like I am on vacation, even though I have a job and my kids are in school it still feels as though at some point I will have to head back to Nevada.
I was telling Moses the other day that I honestly believed that although I have always loved the Northwest area I didn't ever think I would get to live here until I was an old lady and not even able to enjoy it. I now realize how silly that was to think that way. He thought I still had some kind of weird leftover Catholic guilt that wouldn't allow for me to be happy.
I can honestly say that although this cabin is ever so humble there is no place like home.
It feels like home to me.
It's not because the surroundings are familiar, they aren't. Let me give you a list here of the unfamiliar things; It's wet. It's green. It's wet and green two things Nevada was not. There are so many trees and plants, and things growing around me that I am in utter amazement about. Our neighbor has plants growing on their roof, on the ROOF people!! Oh and it rains a lot. Did I mention that? Seems silly to mention that as being something that is unfamiliar but have you ever tried driving in the rain in lots of traffic, that is something a person has to ease into. There is a little water creek that runs outside my front door. The sound of running water makes me want to do two things, go pee and take a deep breath. Let me also mention the unfamiliar aspects of this cabin. Pitched roof and windows everywhere, beautiful but my home decor is not so much for this kind of house. We gave away almost every piece of furniture we owned so even that is unfamiliar(except our Bed-thanks be to Jesus and the Judy's that feels familiar) No dishwasher, garbage disposal because we are on a septic tank.
No, nothing here is familiar... still it feels like home.
I think it has more to do with the fact that I have dreamed of this being a reality for so long that now that it is a reality it seems vaguely familiar. Does that make sense?
I was talking to a longtime friend the other day about moving up here and she reminded me that I talked about moving up here so long ago but that back then I would say, "God won't ever let me go there. I will probably dry up and die in this desert" When I heard her say this it made me feel kind of silly for thinking like that. God doesn't make us do things like stay in a state we don't really want to live in, we do that to ourselves. And it wasn't really that I chose the state as much as the people. Despite the fact that the people were not easy to walk away from the state that I was in however was.
So here's to moving out of whatever state(whether it physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional) you are in, and not blaming God for your own choices to live out YOUR truth.

7 Days

To Do List:

Finish packing closet
Finish packing shoes
Pack underneath sinks in the house
Move as many boxes out to the garage as possible
Call Lockes about table

BREATHE

Drop off at Savers
Put some stuff on CraigsList
Paper due tomorrow
Get ahead on quizzes for the move
Store run for plastic tubs

BREATHE

Make Appointment for Bella to get stitches out and cone head off :)
Take Bella to said appointment
Get medical records from Dr. Zucker's office, find out if he knows a pediatrician as amazing as he is in WA
Get thank you cards/gifts for kids teachers
Transfer wireless internet to WA so it's there for online classes when I arrive


BREATHE

Finish packing kitchen
Use and eat as much food as possible
Shut off Electricity, Garbage, Water, Internet, and box up cable stuff
Reserve U Haul Truck
Call Gores

BREATHE

Pack up pantry
Pack up Fridge
Pack up Lamps we are still using
Pack up Toiletries and Towels still using
Pack up Jackets, Sweaters, Hats, Scarfs- still using


Travel bags for 6 people
Clean and make ready the Fordster
Figure out what my kids are going to dress up like for Halloween and get costumes
Maintain a sense of normalcy and composure so as not to frighten the children with my holiday costume this year;
Frantic Mom moving 700 miles away from the only home she has ever known

Whoops, I forgot to BREATHE in there somewhere I just know it!!

Venting

* So I am pretty sure when your dog attacks another persons dog causing $500 worth of damages the proper response would be to apologize profusely and offer to pay for any damages.
Apparently my dog attackers owners didn't get that memo. They just cussed me out for the second time just because I asked if they removed the dog yet. If my children were not there within ear shot... I would have had some choice words for them as well.

* Also don't you think if a dog has only been living in a neighborhood for a month and there have already been two attacks that should be enough for Animal Control to step in and stop this vicious animal. Again, apparently Animal Control didn't get that memo either.

* One more final thought on the matter. Do you think the solution to this monster of a dog is to place it in a home with little children running all over and then just hope and pray for the best? Well.... that would be what these women think is the solution to this scenario.
What is the saying; "The elevator doesn't go all the way to the top on that one" yep, that would be appropriate in regards to these idiots who are placing there whole family in danger for the sake of a four legged monster of a dog!!

The icing on the cake to this scenario is that I get to see these lovely women/dog owners every school day until I move because our children go to the same school.
Needless to say, this is now one reason I am happy I am moving!!

My Reality 3 weeks from D-day!!

The hugs are a little bit longer now.
The times are a little more special.
My living room looks a little barren.
My heart is exploding with emotions.
The strange sensation to apologize has taken a hold of me.
The thought that I have made the wrong decision has reared it's ugly head.
My hopes are that I didn't.
My days are becoming very dream like.
The mountains that surround this area suddenly look so beautiful.
The time is getting short.
My eyes have taken to tearing up all day long for random reasons.
My soul still knows peace that surpasses all understanding.

A Perfect Fall Day

Today was an absolute perfect Fall day here in Northern Nevada. I love this time of year so much that I when it starts coming around my heart almost skips a beat in anticipation.
I am not sure if it is the smell of pumpkin candles, the candy corns that are one of my favorites, or just the amazing colors that the trees turn that takes my breath away. Whatever the reason, every year I think I fall more and more in love with this season.
Today I had the thought that I might miss the falls here as compared to the fall season in Washington. It's so hard not knowing exactly what to expect. I am sure there will be slight differences but I am expecting that it will be just as grand as it is here. One thing I have to give credit to Nevada for, and that I have always loved about Northern NV is that we do get a full dose of every single season. Sometimes they are extreme but for the most part they are the typical seasons protocol. I wonder if that will be the same in Washington? It's not that I want it to be the same in Washington it's just some things kind of anchor you as a person. You get used to things being a certain way.
I have never felt more ready in my life for this big change, but now that it is finally here, I am a bit weepy about it all. Strange, but true.
I feel prepared but at the same time overwhelmed if that is at all possible to feel together.
I asked Moses the other day if he was getting excited about getting up there and his response was perfect; "Yeah, that's one of the emotions that is in there."

Okay so here is the song that comes to mind with this thought process

Lyrics go like this;

Seasons change...
People change...

You guess the rest??

Pictures were taken last fall underneath my tree. I would say that I might miss that tree but where I am going is tree country and I will have 5 acres of them :) to enjoy.

Foreclosures

My neighbors across the street from me left yesterday. With the U haul hitched to the back of their truck they were relocating to Texas where they will be starting over after losing their home of 20 years. I remember when my neighbor came over some months ago and told me with tears in her eyes that they would probably be losing the home. This was due to bad financial decisions that their son who owned many Dominoes franchises had made and it some how involved them. I remember thinking then how sad that not only this son has the guilt of this on his shoulders, but now this couple that should be settling in for retirement has to uproot and relocate. I can't imagine my parents having to do this.
20 years is a really long time. It's longer than I have been married to my husband. It's longer than I have been out of high school. It's longer than any of my children have been alive or even my younger brother for that matter.
They drove away from 20 years of memories and hard work on that house. They were really good gardeners and always kept their yard in perfect condition. They would go out early in the morning and trim the rose bushes that surrounded their front yard. It's going to be sad to see the lawn begin to die and the roses go unkempt.

It put into perspective the loss of our home in comparison to theirs. It makes me grateful for a whole lot of stuff, but one of them being that this was never our forever home. We knew when we bought this house that more than likely it would not be our forever home. Don't get me wrong we had many plans for the place and even accomplished some of those plans but we never thought we would be here forever.
We will leave behind only 4 and half years of memories here in this home which in comparison to 20 seems like nothing. When we leave, it leaves this neighborhood in a sorry, scary position. There are several foreclosures and auctions all over this neighborhood now and it makes me wonder, what in the world is going on?
These homes are being auctioned for pennies on the dollar, and still people aren't even buying them. It is really just so sad. I sure hope that the state of Nevada puts some laws in place so that this kind of thing can never happen again here.

My neighbors had some parting pearls of wisdom before they left though, "It's just four walls and a roof over your head and as long as you have each other you can find that anywhere"
Here's to Doug and Donna, yet another family who is making lemonade with the lemons they have been given!!

Pre Qualifications for My New Friends :)

Here is my thought, are you allowed to have pre-qualifications for new friends? My good friends Marie and Lolita said tonight that we do indeed do this anyway, but my thought was more of like and interview process. Not the civil once over we give people before we decide whether or not they are worth our time.

When I get to Washington can I just ask as I am being introduced to someone; "So tell me do you like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Billy Holiday's music because if you don't we should just end this conversation right now?"
Or can I say, " Oh you don't appreciate the beauty and novelty of old VW bugs, that's too bad!" SLAM DOOR!!
"You have never seen the movie What About Bob? Well, come back and talk to me when you do"


I realize that this is not at all something I would be ballsy enough to actually do and that more than likely my best friend for quite some time will be my GPS- Gloria Paige(Thank you Jeni) still I would like to think I could be this brave or colorful at some point in my life.

I lead a rich fantasy life.

IT hit me today and IT hurt...real bad

It really hit me square in the jaw today what I will be leaving;

*(I say square in the jaw not literally, but figuratively of course because it hurt so bad it made me cry as though I had been hit hard, like square in the jaw hard, not that I have ever been hit like that but you get the idea)

-Family (Not just any kind of family but the kind that you choose as friends)
-Blue Sky Country
- Friends( Not just any kind of friends but the kind you consider to be family)
-Support (Sewn together as tight as a quilt that you can blanket it around yourself whenever life gets too cold)
-Children at Little Lites (That I love and have already become so attached to and don't want to stop being their teacher)
- VW Slo-Going Club
-Knowing a City so well that I don't need a GPS to navigate me(Which I would like to ask all those reading to be thinking of a name for my GPS girl voice, she will I am sure become a beloved new friend... also if I start talking about her too much in future blogs after I have moved please call my mom Ellen with concern :)
- My Children's Friends (all of which I adore and who's sadness makes it so hard to be happy)
- Nevada Day and the Parade that I love oh so much!! (That's right people I will miss this tradition with my Mom and kids)
- Being only 3 classes away from my degree (only to have to start all over again. I am being a bit dramatic with that because I am sure some classes will transfer it's just it never ENDS. Well, here's to me for trying!!)
-The community of people at Hillside, really good... no great people who have been nothing but supportive and generous with me and my family.
-Granite Counter Tops(wondered if Mo could take those also? just kidding!!)
-My Neighbors( I have really great neighbors, even mean old guy next door has been nice lately, prolly cause he's happy he will have a little peace and quiet now)
-My brother coming over to use our garage every so often
-People who come over unannounced(this is truly, truly something I will miss because it means people not only know where you live but that you love them)
-My new found Gym instructor who kicks butt and takes names, Shalisa
-2 bathrooms( at least I got to have this luxury for a little while)
- The group of newly tattooed people who kept my family a float this summer with their purchases of new ink


I walk slowly away from all of this and so much more, knowing that what the future holds is promising, but the past can't be replaced.

Some Places that Victoria Traveled this summer

I have yet to find anything blog worthy these days so I am reduced to posting more summertime pics.

ENJOY!

Life is running..

Life and all it's events has a way of creeping up on me.

Before I go any further, let me point out that it wasn't always this way for me. There was a time I vaguely remember about 11 years ago, yes 11 years ago exactly, I remember that life came and went at the normal, natural speed that a human being can keep up with. But, since a certain life changing event that happened 11 years ago on May 28th, 1998, I have not been able to catch back up with life.

I feel like life is running so fast and even if I screamed at the top of my lungs, "LIFE SLOW DOWN WOULD YA, I CAN'T KEEP UP!!" it still wouldn't matter.

So because life is a runner, not a jogger or fast walker, but a full blown runner I am finding it essential that I get in better shape so that I don't get left behind.

Some things... about cleaning... and Me

Some things I hate cleaning...

The Inside of a Microwave when something has exploded.

The underbelly of a Toilet.

The remnants of any and all excretions from my Dog.

Any and all dusting.

The inside of my junk drawers.

The corners of my kitchen floor.

Food that has been left to forever change the shape of a dish.




Some things I enjoy cleaning....

(Pshh, who am I trying to kid you all know I hate to clean!! )

Still there are a few things I don't mind cleaning...

My Bed, love the smell of clean sheets

Ironing, love the smell and warmth (I have shared this before but thought it deserved mentioning since my list is so short)

The outside of a dishwasher, oven, refrigerator and microwave.

My Car.


Some people that make all cleaning tolerable for me ...

Dean Martin

Frank Sinatra

Billy Holiday

and ... Louie Armstrong

Optimism and Me

Despite the fact that there has been a whole lot of negative things that have been happening all around I am determined to be The Eternal Optimist.

I found this quote today on a quotes page that I often visit;

"The point of living and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe the best is yet to come." Peter Ustinov

It's true that optimism might be foolish but better to be a fool and happy than be right but you are all alone and miserable. I will be the fool that continually looks for and hopes in the best.

Now, don't get me wrong I am grateful, very grateful for the pessimists or realists or whatever you want to call them, in my life. They keep my feet on the ground and when their truth is spoken in love I can handle it. It might take me a while to get on board but thats just because it's not in my nature to be that way. A balance would be nice but then what fun is there in that ? I have noticed though when I slip out of optimism(very rarely but it does happen) suddenly those around me no longer carry their pessimistic traits. It's the strangest thing but when you want to hear the voice of optimism you can hear it.

So despite the fact that there is the possibly of looming bad things right around the corner I say, Here's to Looking Up!!

Picture is of the Redwood forest, taken last Fall.

And So I Start Again...

I like the idea of new beginnings.

I am amazed by the fact that our bodies no matter where we are in life can respond to starting over with exercise and eating right.
I have for several months not done a single thing in the exercise department. It is an area of great frustration for me how inconsistent I have always been with all things physical.
In January of this year I set out as all New Year's Optimistic people do to finally be consistent in this area. I lasted until the time change occurred in March and since then have not lifted a finger or a muscle I should say.
About a month ago my sister encouraged me by signing me up for a new gym. I was on my way to getting around to do this myself, but I can procrastinate like it's nobodies business when it comes to something I don't want to do. Don't even get me started about my upcoming, pressing need to register for a math class in the fall!!

Anyway, back to new beginnings. I am back at it again and have been going strong with the weekly workouts for over a month now. I am hopeful that it will last and I will finally be consistent in this area. I am hopeful that I won't come up with excuses or reasons why I can't do something that should be as important to me as bread, water and air.

I like the fact that God is a God who supports new beginnings. In fact He is all about new beginnings. His middle name could be NEW BEGINNING. I love how His motto is NOT- "Oh you screwed up forget it. You are a loser and you will never get it right but rather Grace and Mercy triumph over Judgement. That is His way. I think that is why He made us so that even our bodies respond so well with new beginnings.

Okay now for the random song in this blog;

This all reminds me of that old 80's song or maybe it was 90's...ya know how pretty much everything can remind me of a song right?

"Here I go again on my own,
Going down the only road I've ever known"

Okay all you song trivia people out there who sings it and what are the rest of the words??

Some favorites from the Johnson Wedding

For those of you who aren't on Facebook...ahem Shontell

Finding A Literary Agent

I have found my searching for a literary agent to be quite difficult. As difficult as getting published, (ahem... by a legit publisher that is) will be I am sure. It is a more agonizing process than I thought it would be. The ability to be rejected several times without taking it personal is not an easy one to come by. I am sure this is a skill that comes over time. I haven't acquired it yet. It's not as though I am devastated every time a rejection email comes back, it's just each time I see an agent has written me back, I let the letter sit for 2.5 seconds before opening it with the high hopes that this might be the person who wants to read more of my work. So far, I haven't got that hopeful letter back YET!!

Every agent requires that you send them a query letter. Basically, it's like a resume for your book. Some require if you have illustrations to send those and some won't even open your email if there are attachments. IF you don't follow their specifications to a T (yes that is a capital T folks) they won't even consider your work. All of these things I didn't even know before entering this wonderful world of publishing.

I set out originally to find someone local. Much to my surprise, (I am being totally sarcastic here in case you didn't notice) there is no one in the Reno/Sparks area or even Northern Nevada area for that matter.
I did however get in touch with an agent in the San Francisco area, who referred me to this very helpful website;

agentquery.com

When I went to that website I then began to realize that I am a very small fish in an ocean of talented writers who were much more educated about this process than I was. I was scared. I was discouraged. I felt grossly underqualified to even be considering my work as something that should go public. My first query letters I was embarrassed by now. I did exactly what they said NOT to do before learning what a query letter even is or was. I didn't know that there are agents who specialize in certain genres of books and that I should be looking for those agents to even consider reading my query letter, let alone my books.

Then I remembered why I started this process in the first place. I regrouped and thought; some lucky agent is going to GET to be my agent, is going to GET to help me publish my book, and is going to GET to reap the Harvest of promises I have awaiting me.
So, once I realized all of this, I did some refining on my query letter, made a list of the agents that I wanted to pursue, and started sending away those queries via email. I have been rejected several times. I only have 12 more agents to pursue on that list that was 23 agents long.

I KNOW one of them will be the lucky winner.

Laugh Insanely, Love Truly, and Forgive Quickly!!

laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly!

I liked this version of live, laugh, love. Not sure why I liked it but here is an insight to my thought process on this one.

I feel as though my laugh is insane. Many people have told me it's loud that's for sure. But how would you know if your laugh was insane? I know I find myself often times being the only one who is laughing. That might be considered insane. I know I often get looks of shock for my laugh. Now that I am thinking about it, I am not sure it's a good thing to have an insane laugh.

I know I love truly because I am not sure I have ever loved falsely. How would you know if your love wasn't true? Maybe it's someone who is a phony or insincere. Although I not sure you would know what that would look like if you were a phony.

I forgive quick enough I think. I mean right now as I am sitting here thinking if there is anyone I need to forgive and I can't think of anyone. Nope not a single person do I have an offense with that needs to be forgiven so yeah, I think...

I GOT THIS!!

Just Thoughts

Three weeks left of summer break. I need to get this family back to real life time instead of island time. We have successfully once again thrown away the clocks for the summer and I fear we will go into shock if we went cold-turkey back into school schedule time. So really, I am thinking we only have two weeks left of break and the week before school starts is always busy with school stuff and getting back into the groove.

Emma has really taken to baking and cooking things in the kitchen. Tonight it's cinnamon cupcakes with creme cheese frosting. Mmm...mmm good!!

Moses marinated a steak for this evenings dinner that I am pretty excited about.

I am not going with the first publishing company that offered to publish my book. There was some things in the contract that just didn't sit well with me and so I decided not only did I have no business looking at a 10 page legal document but that it was time to look for an agent. Looking for an agent has been interesting to say the least. More on that later.

My neighbors down the street are getting ready for the big Burn. They are coming into town at their usual speed for this time of year. Always provides for some free entertainment. They are all so nice and very excited that you can't help pick up on that energy. Hope they don't get rained out this year.

My other neighbors have been unusually nice lately. Bringing over all kinds of fruits and vegetations. These are not the usual nice neighbors.

We still haven't heard any news back from our bank lenders about getting "Help for Homeowners". They said it would be 30 to 90 days before we heard anything. It's been 37.5 days so there is still some time I guess before we have to start packing.

Picture of my Dad and Isaiah at Savy's 2nd b-day.

Full Moon Poem

It is a full moon tonight.
I am sitting outside on this beautiful summer evening and I am thinking about all the many things I have to be thankful for.
Here is a silly poetic list

The Moon,
The Breeze,
The sound of the wind through the trees.

The Love
The Joy
The sound of my girls and all three of my boys.

My House
My Cars
My Dogs who sometimes I wished lived on Planet Mars.

My Family
My Friends
My Neighbors who are always giving without end.

The Creator
My Savior
Without which what is this life for?
But with whom all blessings come from and so much more.

Ramirez and Ortiz

There will always be a special place in my heart for these two boys and one other Johnny Damon who brought the Red Sox to the play offs in 2003.
It makes me sad however in recent news to hear that they both have been in the press for alledgedly using drugs to enhance their abilities as ball players. Nothing of course has been proven about Ortiz but Ramirez being suspended in May, even if for another team, was a bit sad to me.
I am not sure how I feel about the use of steroids mostly because I am not that knowledable about what exactly it does to a person. I do however know that it's not something they are allowed to do when in contract with these ball clubs and that should be enough for them to not do it, right?

Happy Birthday Isaiah