I first want to say that if you've never read "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, you should. That is what the title quote is from.
Secondly, I will say that this is mostly a rambling post, so beware.
This week has been long. It already feels like Friday. I think I'm just so excited about seeing our family next week for Thanksgiving. I can't wait!
I haven't been blogging very much. I sort of miss it actually. I've been writing on my novel for November writing month and I haven't been doing a whole lot else. I haven't been scrapbooking, keeping up with my pictures well or most of my other hobbies. I am finding success in the writing challenge though because I have written at least around 800 words everyday, most days much more than that. I'm really enjoying getting lost in my story and even found inspiration to lay foundation to another one. Who knows, maybe I will become a novelist after all. So far I have managed to write almost 25,000 words, which means I am almost halfway to my goal of 50,000. My concern is that with Thanksgiving coming up I won't have even as much time to write as I do now. I suppose I'll just have to buckle down a couple days to get the average up.
The only other thing I have made time for myself apart from my family is to read. I am reading Twilight: Breaking Dawn...again. Yeah, yeah, I know. It is so my guilty pleasure though. And the movie, part 1, is coming out in theaters this Friday and I can't wait to go. I started reading because of that and I just couldn't stop. I thought I would get the first half of the book read before seeing the movie this Friday and it turns out I am already almost finished with the entire thing.
Zoey is growing so much. She can now count to twelve, but a lot of times after ten she will say "liftoff!" She is talking very clearly and has so many words and phrases now. It is fun to talk with her now. Today, she used her stool to get a piece of candy (which we allow in moderation) and strolled into the living room. I asked where mine was, and you know what. She had two in her hand and immediately handed me one. I was impressed. She constantly surprises me with how much she understands and is able to do for herself.
One morning this week I asked her what she wanted for breakfast. She said eggs. She pointed them out even though they were in a different place. I set two aside for her and she cracked them in a bowl, scrambled them with a fork and then poured them into a pan. I was right beside her the entire time. She even scraped them in the pan some. I finished up the cooking part while she gathered her cup and got a plate for me. She ate both the eggs and enjoyed her special breakfast.
So that's probably enough rambling for now. I'm still here and even though I still have lots to talk about I'm focusing on my writing not blogging right now. Even this post is a good 600 words that aren't going to my story. So I will bid you farewell. But have a great day! And I will be back in full sometime soon.
NaNoWriMo Update:
Nov 15: 886
Nov 16: 1488
Total: 24,634
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
NaNoWriMo Update
I haven't written much on my blog the past week or so. I suppose I've been too busy doing and writing. I'm been meaning to put this update up for a while, but I'm doing fairly well in the NaNoWriMo challenge this month.
Here's my progress so far...
Total Words per day:
Nov 5...650
Nov 6...1134
Nov 7...1331
Nov 8...1172
Nov 9...772
Nov 10...2439
Nov 11...1148
Nov 12...801
Nov 13...3408
Nov 14...1594
My words total for the whole month is...22260!
Almost halfway through the month and halfway to my goal of 50,000 words!
Here's my progress so far...
Total Words per day:
Nov 5...650
Nov 6...1134
Nov 7...1331
Nov 8...1172
Nov 9...772
Nov 10...2439
Nov 11...1148
Nov 12...801
Nov 13...3408
Nov 14...1594
My words total for the whole month is...22260!
Almost halfway through the month and halfway to my goal of 50,000 words!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Zoey Playing Mommy
I believe that us taking care of our friend's daughter and meeting their new baby yesterday had an impact on Zoey too. This morning she woke up and kept asking, "Where's the baby?" It was the cutest thing. I tried to explain that they were at their house and reminded her how we went to see them last night. She seemed to understand that fairly well.
She went and found her baby doll and tried to but her in the crib. Zoey said "baby go night night." I got our boppy out so Zoey could lay her baby in it and cover her up with a blanket. Zoey gave her baby doll a kiss on the forehead and sang her a lullaby. She talked to her baby and held the little hand, and my heart melted. She is going to make a wonderful big sister when the time comes.
Of course, Zoey is still two and the baby doll is not real so inevitably she picked the baby doll up by the feet and inadvertently banged her head on the side of the crib, but hey, the sweet moments were priceless. And it's cool she understands the idea of a baby at least a little and she definitely knows how to have fun.
She went and found her baby doll and tried to but her in the crib. Zoey said "baby go night night." I got our boppy out so Zoey could lay her baby in it and cover her up with a blanket. Zoey gave her baby doll a kiss on the forehead and sang her a lullaby. She talked to her baby and held the little hand, and my heart melted. She is going to make a wonderful big sister when the time comes.
Of course, Zoey is still two and the baby doll is not real so inevitably she picked the baby doll up by the feet and inadvertently banged her head on the side of the crib, but hey, the sweet moments were priceless. And it's cool she understands the idea of a baby at least a little and she definitely knows how to have fun.
Zoey Playing Mommy with her Baby doll
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| Giving Baby a kiss |
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| Tucking Baby in |
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| Singing Baby a lullaby |
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| Playing Pat-a-cake with Baby |
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| Cuddling with Baby in the crib |
Thursday, November 3, 2011
What a Surreal Day.
Today was crazy. It actually started just after midnight.
I had just laid down to go to sleep. It was actually perfect timing though because I hadn't actually gotten comfortable yet. My phone rings. No alarm, this is an expected call. My friend is in labor. Yaaaaayyyy! Wait, it's midnight? I am called to go watch their older daughter while my friend is at the birthing place. I do this willingly and with much joy because I love this family very much. So I get there, talk a little before they leave, and then read before going to bed. No problem, this is my kind of babysitting.
I wake up out of no where this morning an hour before the baby does. I couldn't go back to sleep. I think my subconscious woke me up with thoughts of how mommy and unborn baby are doing. After writing some during my unexpected free time, I get a phone call from the daddy and baby wakes up. It is good news to hear mommy and unborn baby are good, but we are still waiting on baby's arrival. In other good news, baby is in a good mood and takes good early nap (yay more writing time!).
During these morning hours and even more so as the day went on, I couldn't ignore how much I missed Zoey. She stayed home with Daddy today, soaking in lots and lots of daddy time. I realize I don't get much away time from Zoey, nor do I want any. But then when I am away from her, especially waking up away from her, it felt empty somehow. I really did miss her.
Thankfully, after no further word from expecting mommy and daddy, baby and I head over to my house to hang out with Zoey and Stephen. We had a blast. The girls got along great, mostly (normal toddler banter.) I was really glad to see Zoey and Stephen and it was great fun to play with baby all day.
The strangest thing was the day felt like it was immune to time. It didn't feel like part of the week. Probably because it did not follow our normal routine. It has been a long time since a day has been absolutely unpredictable and completely go with the flow. It was kind of nice to step away from the everyday mundane and even chores to really live in the moment while we waited for a baby to be born.
Finally we got the call. Baby was born once brand new mommy and daddy were settled at home we headed over to give older child back and to meet the baby. I was actually really excited to meet new baby. I felt really special that we were able to see him so soon. I suppose it's the benefit tokidnapping watching their daughter for the day. (She's such a good girl that it was truly a blessing to hang out with her for the day.)
Seeing newborn baby was...sigh. There are no words. Talk about increasing baby fever. He was so amazing. His skin is so new, his face so sweet and those teeny tiny hands. Oh, I could have sat and watched that little baby all night. It just made me feel so much...joy.
So to top off that amazing and surreal day, I have another friend asked about some pictures of a mutual friend that passed away. I have always been the picture lately so naturally I have tons. I look through this one box decorated in wrapping paper that my mom brought to me. It was from high school, I knew, but what I had found was a treasure mine. I found my scrapbooking box from high school. I am an avid scrapbooker now, but I was just getting started back in those days. I had pages, materials, tickets and lots of pictures.
Looking through those pictures took me back to another lifetime. I was looking for specific ones of our friend who died and surreal can barely describe the feelings that stirred at looking at these old pictures. I found pictures of prom, pictures from bad, pictures of an old girlfriend that he may or may not even remember, but the craziest ones were none of these. The most surreal pictures are the ones when no one is looking at the camera, the ones where you can see the easy smile and light in his eyes. He had a great smile. It is mind boggling to see these carefree pictures of a person, a man, that no longer walks on the earth. It is a powerful thing to miss our friends.
In this box, I also found many other groups of pictures. I found pictures of my dancing days, my grandfather, old friends and several trips we went on. Then I found pictures of my first boyfriend. There is something about your first boy friend (or girlfriend) isn't there? It's not something you can easily forget. I remember how we felt all those years ago when we were both so young. I can say, the love I have for my husband far outweighs what I ever felt for a first boyfriend. However, I also can't deny that what I felt then was love. It's a different sort of love, but still true.
So I am running on not very much sleep and really tired and worn out from a really great day. So if this post only half made sense, it's because I'm too tired to think coherently. However, I am trying to download the day and I feel almost as if it is too much to take. It's not of high emotions or stress, it's the opposite, it's a day full of love. Love for family and friends. I am thankful for the miracle of a new baby to love, and I am thankful for loving who I was many years ago. I actually think about that time and the people I knew and loved back then often. I don't really talk to many of them anymore, over the years we have lost touch. I wonder if they remember me or all the awesome adventures we had together.
That was a really long thought process. But I feel like there is a little more room in my brain and in my heart now. Writing has always been my way to sort through my thoughts. Today is one of those days where you just take a step back from life and go...WOW. What a surreal day. It is a good day to count all of my blessings past, present and future.
Oh, and by the way... NaNoWriMo Progress:
Nov 3
Starting word count: 22,421
Ending word count: 25,054
Total words for day: 2,633
Total words for month: 6,811
I had just laid down to go to sleep. It was actually perfect timing though because I hadn't actually gotten comfortable yet. My phone rings. No alarm, this is an expected call. My friend is in labor. Yaaaaayyyy! Wait, it's midnight? I am called to go watch their older daughter while my friend is at the birthing place. I do this willingly and with much joy because I love this family very much. So I get there, talk a little before they leave, and then read before going to bed. No problem, this is my kind of babysitting.
I wake up out of no where this morning an hour before the baby does. I couldn't go back to sleep. I think my subconscious woke me up with thoughts of how mommy and unborn baby are doing. After writing some during my unexpected free time, I get a phone call from the daddy and baby wakes up. It is good news to hear mommy and unborn baby are good, but we are still waiting on baby's arrival. In other good news, baby is in a good mood and takes good early nap (yay more writing time!).
During these morning hours and even more so as the day went on, I couldn't ignore how much I missed Zoey. She stayed home with Daddy today, soaking in lots and lots of daddy time. I realize I don't get much away time from Zoey, nor do I want any. But then when I am away from her, especially waking up away from her, it felt empty somehow. I really did miss her.
Thankfully, after no further word from expecting mommy and daddy, baby and I head over to my house to hang out with Zoey and Stephen. We had a blast. The girls got along great, mostly (normal toddler banter.) I was really glad to see Zoey and Stephen and it was great fun to play with baby all day.
The strangest thing was the day felt like it was immune to time. It didn't feel like part of the week. Probably because it did not follow our normal routine. It has been a long time since a day has been absolutely unpredictable and completely go with the flow. It was kind of nice to step away from the everyday mundane and even chores to really live in the moment while we waited for a baby to be born.
Finally we got the call. Baby was born once brand new mommy and daddy were settled at home we headed over to give older child back and to meet the baby. I was actually really excited to meet new baby. I felt really special that we were able to see him so soon. I suppose it's the benefit to
Seeing newborn baby was...sigh. There are no words. Talk about increasing baby fever. He was so amazing. His skin is so new, his face so sweet and those teeny tiny hands. Oh, I could have sat and watched that little baby all night. It just made me feel so much...joy.
So to top off that amazing and surreal day, I have another friend asked about some pictures of a mutual friend that passed away. I have always been the picture lately so naturally I have tons. I look through this one box decorated in wrapping paper that my mom brought to me. It was from high school, I knew, but what I had found was a treasure mine. I found my scrapbooking box from high school. I am an avid scrapbooker now, but I was just getting started back in those days. I had pages, materials, tickets and lots of pictures.
Looking through those pictures took me back to another lifetime. I was looking for specific ones of our friend who died and surreal can barely describe the feelings that stirred at looking at these old pictures. I found pictures of prom, pictures from bad, pictures of an old girlfriend that he may or may not even remember, but the craziest ones were none of these. The most surreal pictures are the ones when no one is looking at the camera, the ones where you can see the easy smile and light in his eyes. He had a great smile. It is mind boggling to see these carefree pictures of a person, a man, that no longer walks on the earth. It is a powerful thing to miss our friends.
In this box, I also found many other groups of pictures. I found pictures of my dancing days, my grandfather, old friends and several trips we went on. Then I found pictures of my first boyfriend. There is something about your first boy friend (or girlfriend) isn't there? It's not something you can easily forget. I remember how we felt all those years ago when we were both so young. I can say, the love I have for my husband far outweighs what I ever felt for a first boyfriend. However, I also can't deny that what I felt then was love. It's a different sort of love, but still true.
So I am running on not very much sleep and really tired and worn out from a really great day. So if this post only half made sense, it's because I'm too tired to think coherently. However, I am trying to download the day and I feel almost as if it is too much to take. It's not of high emotions or stress, it's the opposite, it's a day full of love. Love for family and friends. I am thankful for the miracle of a new baby to love, and I am thankful for loving who I was many years ago. I actually think about that time and the people I knew and loved back then often. I don't really talk to many of them anymore, over the years we have lost touch. I wonder if they remember me or all the awesome adventures we had together.
That was a really long thought process. But I feel like there is a little more room in my brain and in my heart now. Writing has always been my way to sort through my thoughts. Today is one of those days where you just take a step back from life and go...WOW. What a surreal day. It is a good day to count all of my blessings past, present and future.
Oh, and by the way... NaNoWriMo Progress:
Nov 3
Starting word count: 22,421
Ending word count: 25,054
Total words for day: 2,633
Total words for month: 6,811
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
NaNoWriMo Progress Day 2
I'm really excited about writing. I am loving my story, even though I know I have many details to flush out, I love the characters. I hope others with fall in love with them too. I don't really have much to summarize yet, so I'll leave my description simple, a love story. Okay maybe that is too simple. But my favorite stories to read are ones where people fall in love and overcome everyday challenges. I believe there is a beauty in the everyday and I don't think hope I am not alone.
I also figured out that the NaNoWriMo goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I think that is actually pretty doable. That is actually 1667 words per day, but I choose to work more on averages to obtain my goal. So far I'm doing alright. However, I don't want this to end up being all about word count and not about quality, so I'll keep that check in mind as well as the month goes on. So far, I have many thoughts and scenes in my head that just need to be written down.
Don't worry, I won't bore you everyday with the details. But writing is what I do, so I am loving this.
NaNoWriMo Progess:
Nov 2
word count start: 20,263
word count end: 22,421
word total for the day: 2,158
word total for the month: 4,178
I also figured out that the NaNoWriMo goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I think that is actually pretty doable. That is actually 1667 words per day, but I choose to work more on averages to obtain my goal. So far I'm doing alright. However, I don't want this to end up being all about word count and not about quality, so I'll keep that check in mind as well as the month goes on. So far, I have many thoughts and scenes in my head that just need to be written down.
Don't worry, I won't bore you everyday with the details. But writing is what I do, so I am loving this.
NaNoWriMo Progess:
Nov 2
word count start: 20,263
word count end: 22,421
word total for the day: 2,158
word total for the month: 4,178
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
NaNoWriMo
November 1 marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short. Stephen and I have decided to join in the fun. The idea is to write an entire first draft of a novel in 30 days. Sounds fun right? I thought so. I don't know if we will remain that ambitious, but our goal is to write at least 1,000 words a day. That is a goal that we can definitely obtain, in theory, if we keep at it. That way we would have at least 30,000 words, which is a pretty good start to a novel. It is at least more than either of us have ever had before.
I have always wanted to write a novel. And for once I feel like I can actually complete that goal. I have been working on my rough draft for about a month already, not writing everyday, but keeping the thoughts flowing. Before today I had 18,243 words. Generally speaking I've ready you want to have at least 200,000 for a solid 300-ish page novel. That seems like a daunting task. However, 18 hundred words towards the same novel idea is already a record for me.
The point is, I'm excited. This is a challenge to not only keep thoughts flowing, but to write a good chunk everyday to keep the novel moving forward. Hopefully by this time next year, I will be talking about how to publish a novel instead of writing one.
There is a website dedicated to this particular challenge: http://www.nanowrimo.org. It is a cool place for writers to get local inspiration and encouragement as well as editor support and a general kick in the butt to start writing.
If any other writers are already doing this challenge or any who want to start, I would love to encourage each other. As it is, I'm not planning on boring you with too much writing jargon, but I am going to use my blog as a sort of record as to how I'm progressing for this month.
NaNoWriMo Progress:
Nov 1
starting count: 18,243
end count: 20,263
Total words added today: 2020
Goal MET!
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| [photo credit] |
I have always wanted to write a novel. And for once I feel like I can actually complete that goal. I have been working on my rough draft for about a month already, not writing everyday, but keeping the thoughts flowing. Before today I had 18,243 words. Generally speaking I've ready you want to have at least 200,000 for a solid 300-ish page novel. That seems like a daunting task. However, 18 hundred words towards the same novel idea is already a record for me.
The point is, I'm excited. This is a challenge to not only keep thoughts flowing, but to write a good chunk everyday to keep the novel moving forward. Hopefully by this time next year, I will be talking about how to publish a novel instead of writing one.
There is a website dedicated to this particular challenge: http://www.nanowrimo.org. It is a cool place for writers to get local inspiration and encouragement as well as editor support and a general kick in the butt to start writing.
If any other writers are already doing this challenge or any who want to start, I would love to encourage each other. As it is, I'm not planning on boring you with too much writing jargon, but I am going to use my blog as a sort of record as to how I'm progressing for this month.
NaNoWriMo Progress:
Nov 1
starting count: 18,243
end count: 20,263
Total words added today: 2020
Goal MET!
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