Note 62: Things I Have Accomplished

Half of the year is gone. Just like that, gone. Time waits for no man (or blogger!). So I started thinking, what have I done in the last six months that I'm proud of? Since I'm a fan of lists, I give you Things I Have Accomplished in '09:

• Started a magazine.
• Learned to work with Wordpress software.
• Released three free Blogger Templates.
• Wrote 10,000 words on one novel before giving up.
• Wrote 10,000 words on another novel. Still working on it.
• Focused on networking and marketing myself.

That's all of the things I could think of for now. I've already written the list of things I want to accomplish in the next 6 months. Seven things. Some of them are short term, some of them are long term.

A lot of people spend so much time talking about when they're going to start living, when they're going to start chasing their dreams. I decided a long time ago, I didn't want to be one of those people. I want to be a 'now' person.

I can't write a novel over the weekend but I can write one page 'now'. I can take one tiny step toward each goal 'now'. And all of those 'nows' add up. Did you read my list of accomplishments?

They all started as simple 'now's. I didn't have the time to code an entire template sometimes, but I took small steps, adding a background, tweaking a font color.

One page here and one page there slowly made 10,000 words. A few pages here and a few pages there will eventually add another 40,000 words. I hope.

My point is this, you can't wait to start living. Life waits for no one.

Note 61: Twilight Stickers

...Because I am that obsessed.

Note 60: Variables

I helped a friend edit her blogger template recently. She's moving from Xanga to Blogger (w00t!) while I helped her I came away with a new appreciation for variables. The problem was she wanted her post area background and sidebar area background to be different colors than the page background.

I wasn't sure it could be done but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it could. So I kept working until I figured it out. But leaving her to find six digit HTML codes and risk changing the wrong ones didn't exactly appeal to me. Besides what can be simplified should be, right?

So, I played around with variables until I got it right which means I can now open up a ton of customizing options for the templates I put out. Just another way, I can bring visitors more value : - )

Note 59: Happy Birthday, Judi!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUDI!

Note 58: Memorial Day

I'm so thankful I live in a free country but this country is not free by accident. It is free because thousands of women and men put their lives on the line everyday...and some of them do not return home.

Memorial Day "is about coming together to honor those who gave their all" (source). Some people forget that. I don't want to, which is why I'm spending the day praying for those who have served and their families. Will you?

Note 57: My Retirement Check

Earlier this week, I saw my retirement check at Wal-Mart. It was a tall stack of heavy boxes that were leaning toward the left. Faster than you can say "million dollar lawsuit", I was headed over there prepared to stand underneath the load and kick it hard.

Unfortunately, I think a nearby employee read my mind. Before I could stand close to the boxes, the employee moved the boxes thereby destroying my retirement check. Blast. I'll have to keep my eyes open for more opportunities in the future...

Note 56: Summer Fun

Favorite Taste of Summer: Strawberries! I <3 strawberries.
Favorite Smell of Summer: The Atlantic Ocean. That's probably my favorite scent ever.
Favorite Touch of Summer: Sand between my toes.
Favorite Sound of Summer: The air conditioner. Ahhh...
Favorite Sight of Summer: Blooming flowers.

Note 55: Speaking My Language

As my sibs and I continue to train influence our parents, I see subtle changes in them daily. For instance my mom was looking at a Twilight poster and said she didn't like the 'bad vamps' in it.

Then my sibs call each other minion (as in henchmen) and my dad used the word today in referencing us. So we're definitely expanding their vocabulary. Now if we could just get mom to be thankful we use the word crap and not one that starts with s...

Note 54: Happy Birthday, Ashley!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASHLEY!

Note 53: New Ideas

I love the hum and the flow of new ideas. They often take me by surprise, catching me when I'm starting to think about how much fun I just had or how great that event was. I start thinking, Hmmm...how could I turn this into an idea or use this in one of my novels?

But these two new projects are different. They're both humor. I've been told I have a good sense of humor, and have always wanted to try and write something humorous for teenagers. I've just been waiting for the right idea to come along.

It's nonfiction on top of being humorous but I love a challenge! I'm looking forward to writing this book and if this goes well, other books like it. Unfortunately, I can't share the idea quite yet because I'm still working on fleshing it out.

Note 52: Tough Topics

I interviewed three different people this past week. Different careers, different lifestyles, different personalities but each interview had something in common. In each interview, we talked about tough topics like suicide, depression, self-injury, beauty, modesty and more.

In one interview in particular I asked about the church's role in enabling secrecy. I love my church. I love the body of Christ as a whole, I think it's beautiful.

But just like in real life, there are always a few relatives who'd rather not talk about the BIG stuff. They'd rather deny that anything is wrong at all. Sometimes the church is like that.

There is a part of me that understands this hesitancy to talk about taboo topics like depression, self-injury and other things yet there is a bigger part of me that needs to know.

But I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know. I wasn't sure my editor wanted to know. I wasn't even sure my editor was going to like my next question. But I gulped. I asked it anyway.

How are we as a church enabling this secrecy and how can we bring things out in the open?

My source acknowledged the secrecy that can sometimes go in on a church, the white elephants people long to hide behind.

While both the interviewee and the interviewer acknowledged these BIG issues, we also knew we didn't have to face them on our own or even in our own strength. And it is in acknowledging these issues that we can begin to step toward healing and freedom found in Jesus Christ. ♥

There is hope for the helpless

Rest for the weary

Love for the broken heart

There is grace and forgiveness

Mercy and healing

He'll meet you wherever you are

Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

~ Cry Out to Jesus, Third Day

Note 51: Spring's Arrival

Spring has come here to my corner of the East Coast. It's so beautiful too. Sunny and warm. The perfect weather to splash in mud puddles or go to the beach or get sunburned and well, basically get sunburned.

I never tan and don't really care about that fact (hello, skin cancer?!) but come on, a sunburn? The pasty white girl who believes UV rays are evil?! The sun surely has it out for me.

In other news, I'm stuck a little over 11,000 words in my novel. I'm considering divorcing my current novel and running away with a younger, easier to write novel.

I've been thinking of something set in the deep south. Something about writing about a small town has always appealed to me. So maybe I'll try that for a little while.

I updated my template today as you can see. I had this template a while back but changed it for a Christmastime theme and lost the link to this one. So I had to go find it again. Also, I promise to update waaaay more (think a couple of times a week instead of a year).

~Debs