Blog Hiatus

Hello everyone,

After much deliberation, I've decided to take a bit of a blog hiatus for the rest of May. This month has been really busy as it is, and it's only going to get worse. I have to finish up the Golden Claddagh Contest as both a coordinator and a judge, which is taking up a significant chunk of my time. On top of that, I am critiquing for my CPs and trying to work on my own stories. Plus, I'm trying to form a habit with the elliptical, which means I have to do it daily. All of that doesn't include my usual chores, like laundry, cooking, and cleaning.

For this reason, I'm taking a bit of a blog break. I will still read your blogs and comment, but I don't plan on posting anything on here until June 1st-- unless, of course, something big comes up and I want to share ;)  I will still be on Facebook and Twitter, and you can always reach me through email if you need anything.

Until then, I hope you guys have a wonderful two weeks!!

xox

Happy Mother's Day!

 Mum and I when I was little

I have no idea when this picture was taken, LOL!

Mum and I in Vancouver, BC on my Fiance Visa trip =)

June 2012

 Mum and I at my university graduation!

June 2012

And my favorite picture of us... Gee are we related?

Mum and I in Washington, DC at the RWA National Conference

July 2009

I'm sorry I can't be there this year, Mum. I love you and I miss you so much!

xoxoxoxo

The Paris Time Capsule Apartment

Hello all!

Normally I don't post on Saturdays, but my critique partner Jena Lang posted something on her blog that I think you'll find interesting: The Paris Time Capsule Apartment. If you love history--or a good mystery (hah that rhymed)-- then head on over to see what she's talking about! =)

Hope you have a nice weekend!

xox

Update: Week Eighteen!

Writing:

--Organized and sent out the entries for the Golden Claddagh contest hosted by the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. There have been a few hiccups with regards to email addresses and judges, so I've been trying to sort through that. Hopefully it'll be taken care of shortly!

--Along those same lines, I'm a judge for the historical category, so I should be receiving my entries very soon. =)

--Got the go ahead on Ch 1 and 2 from my Alpha, so I sent it to Jen =)

--I've been working on Ch 7, so I'm very happy. I should finish it today or tomorrow!!! Then it's off to my Alpha while I work on Ch 8!

--I decided to go through my Need To Read shelf (so named by my husband, who felt To Be Read didn't have the right zing to it), but the books kept falling flat for me. I think we'll be going to the used bookstore this weekend.

Personal:

--I have now done 27  miles since Monday. I can't express how happy I am with my progress. This was all about getting into shape and being healthier, and I believe I'm achieving that goal. I'm only weighing myself once a week now (because the weight isn't my goal--my overall health is the goal), so I can't say how much I've lost this week. However, I have noticed a significant difference in my legs. They are more toned and my pants are definitely looser =)

--Granny and Pawpaw were here over the weekend, so we spent lots of time with my in-laws. We had several family dinners, we played with the dogs in the backyard, and we just hung out.

--I got my hair trimmed on Tuesday.

--Last night I went out to dinner with my in-laws and then went and played putt-putt with my husband, my brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's girlfriend. It was lots of fun. After that we went and got ice cream =)

So there you have it! It doesn't look like a busy week on paper (or screen), but the Golden Claddagh and the elliptical have taken up a good portion of my time. Still, I'm happy with it. Things will calm down and even out soon enough =)

How was your week? Did you do anything exciting?

Busy!!

Hello all,

Normally I would do my weekly update post today, but I'm currently very busy getting my category ready for the Golden Claddagh contest. Since I'm on a tight deadline with that, I'm going to push my weekly post back to Friday!

Hope you guys are doing well!
xox

My Reoccurring Nightmare--What Does it Mean?

Over the past six or so months, I’ve had this dream. It’s more of a nightmare really. In it, there are no terrifying monsters, or evil bad guys, or end-of-the-world scenarios. No, no. I’m sad to say it’s far worse than that. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

My dream begins with me in high school or university (it seems to be interchangeable in my subconscious). I’m a good student with very high grades. Everything seems great, until I suddenly realize I’ve missed class for several weeks, or I’ve failed to do a huge assignment. The consequences are never small or insignificant.

In these dreams, I’m forced to drop a class, fail an entire semester, or sometimes I’m even kicked out of university. The panic becomes so real that I actually wake up on the verge of tears. It’ll take me several minutes to calm down enough to realize that it was just a nightmare. I was a top student in both high school and university. I didn’t fail or drop out of either. Everything’s okay. And yet, the panic remains long after the dream ends.

The funny thing is, when I was in school I never had these nightmares. Not once.  So why now? What’s changed? What is my subconscious trying to tell me?

After having the dream on Saturday night, I really stopped to ponder these questions. I’ve always been worried about letting people down. I can’t fail—I simply can’t. If you knew my family, you’d understand why.* You can never do anything correctly. It’s a never-ending cycle of negativity. I’m sad to say I’ve based a lot of my decisions on how to prove to those people that I can succeed at anything I set my mind to. While the concept is fine, I know I put too much pressure on myself.  I’ve been called a workaholic before, and I suppose in some ways it’s true. I do know how to relax and do nothing, but when I do get up to get stuff done I power through my list like there’s no tomorrow.

To me, I think the nightmares represent my fear of failure. Right now I’m focusing on my marriage (which has been wonderful so far), my new health regime, and my writing. The last two fell to the wayside when I was finishing up school, so I’m really trying to work on those. It’s a lot of pressure, but I’m not sure how else to accomplish things. I have learned new tricks to slow down and take my time with things, but I fear I'll always be a bit of a workaholic that way.

Do you guys ever have nightmares like this? What do you think they mean? If you don’t agree with what I said, or if you think my nightmare might mean something else, feel free to share! I’d love to hear from you!

*This is my extended family, not my parents or my husband’s family. They’re both supportive.

*Picture is The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli

Update: Week Seventeen!

Writing:

--Did another chapter critique for my CP, Jena Lang. Her story is awesome so far =)

--I received a critique back on my CH 2. There's not as much work as I thought. In fact, she's asking for more detail on a few things. Since I adore detail, this is like telling me to eat more cheesecake without feeling guilty. I'm very excited.

--I worked on the revisions for CH2 and sent them off to my Alpha. Hopefully I hear back soon, then I can pass them back to Jen!

--I'm currently working on CH7. I didn't get to write much this weekend, but I'm kicking butt this week! I really like what I have so far =)

--I've also been super busy with the Golden Claddagh contest. Everyone waited until the last minute to get me their entries so it's been a bit crazy!

--I tried to read a few more books on my Kindle, but they were duds. I did sneak in one novella though, so that was nice =)

Personal:

--Went up to Staunton for the weekend to visit with Granny and Pawpaw

--Played frisbee, chase, and fetch with Powell nearly the whole time I was away. That part was lots of fun =)

--Went to a birthday party for my cousin-in-law. He turned seven, so it was great fun to watch all of the little kids run around (and to play with his new baby puppy!)

--My mother-in-law brought me to Dress Barn. I got six tops =)

--While I was gone, my husband picked up our new elliptical and set it up for me. I've been using it all week and it's been kicking my ass, but I LOVE it so far. I highly recommend.  For those interested, I've now run 10 miles in five days. That might not be a lot to some of you, but that's huge for me!!

--Along the same lines... I've lost 3.2 pounds* (ahh, I just double checked and this number is actually 4 pounds now! 3.2 was yesterday) since Monday. I can't believe how quickly I'm seeing progress. I'm very happy =)

--Also while I was away, my husband vacuumed and mopped for me! He's a keeper ;)

--Last night the husband and I went out on a date. We went to Panera for dinner, then we hung out at B&N for a bit (I got two books, heheh). After that, we went and saw the new Iron Man movie! It was amazing!!! We really liked it. =)

So how has your week been? Do you plan on seeing the new Iron Man movie?? Who is your favorite superhero?