Once again my oldest daughter has undertaken the task of walking for the cure of breast cancer. Last year she walked for 3 days in Boston, MA. This year she has decided to walk it in Washington, DC.
Here is her message:
Please support me as I take an amazing journey in the fight to end breast cancer! The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™ is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™ are invested in breast cancer research and community programs.
I did this walk last year in Boston, MA and instantly became addicted. Every ounce of sweat and every bit of hard work is worth it! After months of fundraising, training, and hard work, it was all paid off after finishing the 60 miles! I have never felt to accomplished and doing something so great for an amazing cause! I can't wait to share this experience with my friend Brian Flowers this year in Washington DC in September! Thanks for your support.
Last year I got past my goal of $2300 and hope to pass my goal this year of $3000! Please visit my personal page, check it out, and donate!
Donate Here
Thanks in advance! :)
Every little bit helps. We have all been touched in someway by this disease whether it be family or friends.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Writer's Block
What is writer’s block? Is it truly something that happens or is it merely something we talk ourselves into believing. Writer’s block has afflicted me lately. However, the more I think about it, the more I throw aside the idea of writer’s blocker.
My thoughts are blocked from what I want to write. I have a solid plot. I have run through different scenes in my mind while I’m driving. However, when I open up my laptop my mind shuts down from what I know needs to be typed. Is that writer’s block or simply a procrastination technique?
Life gets in the way. We all know that. Not one of us lives the life that we paint in our books. I know I have used life as an excuse many times to not put the fingers to the keyboard. Life will never change – there will be stressors, crises, changes. A writer writes through them.
So for now I sit at the keyboard and if I can put all the words I want out there, I write partial thoughts. They will blossom fully as the story unfolds. The excuse of writer’s block has been banned from my vocabulary.
What about you? Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how do you push through it?
My thoughts are blocked from what I want to write. I have a solid plot. I have run through different scenes in my mind while I’m driving. However, when I open up my laptop my mind shuts down from what I know needs to be typed. Is that writer’s block or simply a procrastination technique?
Life gets in the way. We all know that. Not one of us lives the life that we paint in our books. I know I have used life as an excuse many times to not put the fingers to the keyboard. Life will never change – there will be stressors, crises, changes. A writer writes through them.
So for now I sit at the keyboard and if I can put all the words I want out there, I write partial thoughts. They will blossom fully as the story unfolds. The excuse of writer’s block has been banned from my vocabulary.
What about you? Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how do you push through it?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Grandparents
I have written before about lives taking different stages. My husband and I are entering a new stage as we prepare to be grandparents for the first time. The gammet of emotions that we felt when we were first told -- from we're too young, to worry for our daughter, to excitement.
We had talked about being grandparents, yet had thought we had years to go before that thought became a reality. But as the days pass since being told, our excitement grows. My husband has decided he is too young for the title grandpa, and has researched names to be called, finally deciding upon Lolo. As for myself, I have looked, but haven't decided on what I would want to be called.
As you're children grow, you worry about them, but it is a totally different feeling to suddenly be worried about your grandchild. Although we are young, I look forward to fall when our new grandbaby arrives and we move into that next phase of life.
Feel free to let me know what you have called your parents, or if you are grandparents what you are called? Would love to hear the variety we have out there.
We had talked about being grandparents, yet had thought we had years to go before that thought became a reality. But as the days pass since being told, our excitement grows. My husband has decided he is too young for the title grandpa, and has researched names to be called, finally deciding upon Lolo. As for myself, I have looked, but haven't decided on what I would want to be called.
As you're children grow, you worry about them, but it is a totally different feeling to suddenly be worried about your grandchild. Although we are young, I look forward to fall when our new grandbaby arrives and we move into that next phase of life.
Feel free to let me know what you have called your parents, or if you are grandparents what you are called? Would love to hear the variety we have out there.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Trusting Your Instincts
Trusting your instincts. We all have gut instincts that tell us whether or not something feels right. Learning to trust those instincts can be difficult.
In my life I have found myself doubting my instincts, and then regretting, later finding out if I had gone with my gut instinct things would have been different, and better. Through the years after not trusting my instinct, I started doubting my judgment period. Wanting to put that behind me, I have resolved to start trusting my instincts. How can you start trusting instincts when past has proven you as not a good judge of what's right and wrong?
Hindsight is 20/20 they say and how true that is. Now entering a new phase in my life, I wonder if I can trust my instincts. I want to trust them when I feel that my life is getting better and better and I have to let down the walls and learn to trust others again. Is it that easy though? Not at all.
In my first manuscript, trusting someone with her heart, my heroine found was most difficult. After writing The End, I realized that allowing her to begin to trust the hero of the story, I found myself letting go of pieces of the walls surrounding my heart. As it was shattered in the near past, I realized that sometimes you don't trust your instincts and it brings more pain than is bearable.
So as I enter this new phase in my life, walls built up high around my heart, yet not letting go of the love of my life, I wonder if I can trust again. Can I allow those walls to crash down and can I allow my hero to help repair those shattered pieces. My instinct says yes. How well can I trust that instinct if in the past I have ignored it and regretted it.
If we can write happily ever after, why can't we live it? No, we can't write the hero to do exactly as we want, but can we write our life to be as free as conflict as possible and allow ourselves to be strong and instinctive. As parents we are instinctive on how to protect our children, yet with ourselves we don't always trust our instincts and instead shut ourselves away, or hurt people we love just to get the first hurt in thinking it will save us from being hurt. In the end it only hurts us more deeply than we could have imagined.
In my life I have found myself doubting my instincts, and then regretting, later finding out if I had gone with my gut instinct things would have been different, and better. Through the years after not trusting my instinct, I started doubting my judgment period. Wanting to put that behind me, I have resolved to start trusting my instincts. How can you start trusting instincts when past has proven you as not a good judge of what's right and wrong?
Hindsight is 20/20 they say and how true that is. Now entering a new phase in my life, I wonder if I can trust my instincts. I want to trust them when I feel that my life is getting better and better and I have to let down the walls and learn to trust others again. Is it that easy though? Not at all.
In my first manuscript, trusting someone with her heart, my heroine found was most difficult. After writing The End, I realized that allowing her to begin to trust the hero of the story, I found myself letting go of pieces of the walls surrounding my heart. As it was shattered in the near past, I realized that sometimes you don't trust your instincts and it brings more pain than is bearable.
So as I enter this new phase in my life, walls built up high around my heart, yet not letting go of the love of my life, I wonder if I can trust again. Can I allow those walls to crash down and can I allow my hero to help repair those shattered pieces. My instinct says yes. How well can I trust that instinct if in the past I have ignored it and regretted it.
If we can write happily ever after, why can't we live it? No, we can't write the hero to do exactly as we want, but can we write our life to be as free as conflict as possible and allow ourselves to be strong and instinctive. As parents we are instinctive on how to protect our children, yet with ourselves we don't always trust our instincts and instead shut ourselves away, or hurt people we love just to get the first hurt in thinking it will save us from being hurt. In the end it only hurts us more deeply than we could have imagined.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Renewed Goals
I just finished the Winter Writing Festival from the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. It was a fabulous time with writing sprints, supportive writers and meeting new friends. Participating in a writing festival like this pushed me to get on my writing again, setting new goals and working towards them.
I find setting monthly goals more workable than the yearly goals. Short term goals have a light at the end, easier (for me) to fulfill, which in turn brings me a renewed sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Upon finishing the WWF at the end of February, I was able to jump in with some writing friends to do an informal March Madness. Keeping each other accountable during these monthly goals/sprints makes me more aware of my goals and somehow the competitiveness in my kicks in and the writing pours out.
So my goal for March -- finish my current novel Mirrored Deception. I have already started the process of editing with my critique group, which also gives me a push to finish it as they want to know more of what is going on, and what will happen next.
What are you March goals -- writing or just life related?
I find setting monthly goals more workable than the yearly goals. Short term goals have a light at the end, easier (for me) to fulfill, which in turn brings me a renewed sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Upon finishing the WWF at the end of February, I was able to jump in with some writing friends to do an informal March Madness. Keeping each other accountable during these monthly goals/sprints makes me more aware of my goals and somehow the competitiveness in my kicks in and the writing pours out.
So my goal for March -- finish my current novel Mirrored Deception. I have already started the process of editing with my critique group, which also gives me a push to finish it as they want to know more of what is going on, and what will happen next.
What are you March goals -- writing or just life related?
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Cabin Fever
I have lived in New England all my life and yet winter is not my favorite season. In fact, I absolutely hate the snow. I'm not an outdoor person, especially in winter, and do everything I can to avoid going out in the terrible white stuff.
This winter we have been bombarded with snowstorms, week after week. Awakening this morning to yet another snowstorm, I am starting to feel the walls close in on me. The driveway gets narrower and narrower with no place to put the newly fallen snow. I can't even get to my front door with the amount of snow we have.
I long to get away to someplace warm and tropical. A beach to lie on, soaking up the sun. Instead I sit inside and try to write. At least my characters can enjoy the sun and ocean, the warmth of a summer season, or the crispness of fall.
I long for the feel of warm sand under my feet as I listen to the waves lapping the beach. A few years ago my kids gave me a picture of the ocean, that when turned on has the sound of waves. This picture soothes my cabin fever.
Do you have a favorite season? Or a season that makes you just want to climb the walls?
This winter we have been bombarded with snowstorms, week after week. Awakening this morning to yet another snowstorm, I am starting to feel the walls close in on me. The driveway gets narrower and narrower with no place to put the newly fallen snow. I can't even get to my front door with the amount of snow we have.
I long to get away to someplace warm and tropical. A beach to lie on, soaking up the sun. Instead I sit inside and try to write. At least my characters can enjoy the sun and ocean, the warmth of a summer season, or the crispness of fall.
I long for the feel of warm sand under my feet as I listen to the waves lapping the beach. A few years ago my kids gave me a picture of the ocean, that when turned on has the sound of waves. This picture soothes my cabin fever.
Do you have a favorite season? Or a season that makes you just want to climb the walls?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Moving Forward
Changes in our lives come in many ways. I sit here this morning thinking about some changes my son is going through. He just played his last basketball season of his middle school life. They were undefeated through the season and the tournament, taking first place. His love of basketball is amazing for me to watch. He has spent years perfecting the game, spending hours at practice, open gym and outside in our yard shooting -- even in the middle of winter. He works hard at this love he has and it shows. As he transitions to high school and looks forward to his high school basketball career I notice the similarities we have.
As a new writer, I started with taking classes to learn the profession. The rights, the wrongs and the in between. As my writing progressed, the more I was compelled to "practice" and increased my efforts to learn the craft. Rejection after rejection spurred me on to perfect my love. When the email came that my first novel had sold, it projected me into a new phase of this profession. Continuing to write, working with critique partners, moving more in to social media and getting my name out there with a web page took on new meaning.
Our lives change daily. Decisions we make change us. Circumstances in our lives change us. I look at the changes I have been through, some with awe that I made it through and some with regret of the choices I made, but I look at the course my life is taking with excitement and a renewed love for my writing.
Welcome the changes in your life and enjoy the ride.
As a new writer, I started with taking classes to learn the profession. The rights, the wrongs and the in between. As my writing progressed, the more I was compelled to "practice" and increased my efforts to learn the craft. Rejection after rejection spurred me on to perfect my love. When the email came that my first novel had sold, it projected me into a new phase of this profession. Continuing to write, working with critique partners, moving more in to social media and getting my name out there with a web page took on new meaning.
Our lives change daily. Decisions we make change us. Circumstances in our lives change us. I look at the changes I have been through, some with awe that I made it through and some with regret of the choices I made, but I look at the course my life is taking with excitement and a renewed love for my writing.
Welcome the changes in your life and enjoy the ride.
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