Craving the Supernatural

Reader Beware: this is a recurring theme. :-D The more I pray and seek God's will, the more I pray that I can learn to be flexible (a dangerous prayer in its own right), the more I see the hand of God moving. And it blesses me to realize how very active our God truly is. You hear often that we need to stop and smell the roses...what about concentrating on the ever-present activity of the Lord?

See, I've known that God is working in my life, but I always had a detached sense about it. Now, I wonder if I ever truly believed it. Kinda like one of those things where you say, "sure, sure." so everyone will leave you alone. Ya know?

Now, today, I see him moving ever so gently and rearranging sooooooo many aspects of my life. Lisa Crayton of Spirit Led Writer told me last year that part of the reason God had been able to work in my life was because I had a pliable heart. I'm not sure she'll ever realize how much that affected me. Ever since , I've *actively* prayed that I would always have a pliable heart, that my heart and life would remain open to God's leading. (THANK YOU, LISA!!)

Sometimes, changes are powerful and life-altering like earthquakes. A death in the family. A huge disappointment. But more often than not, it's the subtle ones that catch us by surprise. Sometimes, we don't even notice it's happening--sometimes it takes another person to mention it. When I met up with some friends for a youth groupreunion, one of my friends commented, "You've really changed." I hadn't noticed. He did.

One signficant change in my life recently has been a wonderful prayer team. It shocked and humbled me that I was invited to participate, but it was such a brilliant and beautiful idea--and a need that I did not realize I had. We've been a team for a few weeks now and already my life has so dramatically changed. (Thank you, ladies!!)

Of course...admid the changes, are the rock-solid friendships that will never change. This last year or so, God placed a handful of friends in my life that I will forever be grateful for. Those are the beams that anchor us to the dock of life, the ones who save our rears when it's needed. I will forever be grateful to my very dear friends for all you've given and done for me this past year. My life is fuller, greater than ever before.

And one last change...has been in my marriage. I've always been committed to my mariage, but...I don't know. Maybe I became complacent about it. Not sure. It's been interesting as Brian tests out of the for FBI...God has moved on my heart three times to make changes that are require "energy" (not sure how else to say that LOL) of me. Things like getting up at oh-dark-thirty to work out with my hubby, going to the track with him to help him on his timed runs...and ya know, those little changes have brought a deepening to my marriage, tied the knot stronger or something. I'm so proud of my hubby. You rock my world, Dude!!

So, what's God doing in your life? Earthquake changes? Subtle ones? We're to share the burden, so share your heart...

Well, I've delved into the Deep...got into the zone...THE MIDNIGHT ZONE this weekend. for those who don't know, that's the title of my latest WIP. The seedgerm of this idea hit me last year while I was preparing for the 2005 ACFW conference. But I never really got terribly serious about it--until this last month. It's a rockin' story, set in the Deep Ocean--a layer called the Bathypelagic or Midnight Zone. I didn't get any writing done at all on Saturday, but on Sunday, I burrowed in and wrote from about 3pm until just before midnight (no pun intended)--and got a LOT done. I wrote over 12,000 words, bringing my word count to just below 75k, which was my goal for this weekend. WOO-HOO!!! (can you hear the star wars fighter pilot saying in monotone, stay on target...stay on target...almost there...) My goal of finishing this story by the end of the month doesn't feel so far out of reach now. I've already read through portions of what I wrote yesterday and was duly impressed, if I do say so myself. :-D Of course, I still hold my own personal record for writing Brand & Bound in roughly thirty days--and it was a fairly clean write (save typos and stuff like that). Yeah, that still tickles me. ;-)

On Saturday, I went wtih my hubby to the "spousal interview," which was very deceptively worded. LOL No, seriously--it was NOT an interview, but more of an information session in which the special agent made it VERY clear that being in that meeting did not guarantee the applicant (Brian) would be going to Quantico. All that, she said, was dependent on the polygraph results and the background investigation. It was quite fascinating though. We watched an hour-long documentary on the making of a G-man. One thing that became very clear to me--God creates each one of us very differently. I also saw that my husband, if he makes it to quantico, will need a very thick covering of prayer. That academy is GRUELING!!! Me, Ronie, I'd never make it. The agent asked when it was over (speaking to the applicants of course) asked if anyone was discouraged. I looked at Brian and said, "Well, I'm not going." :-D

I hope everyone has a great week and the blessings of God are made real to you!!

Who besides me cringes when they hear, "It's all in God's timing." Well, I used to cringe BIG time--cuz God's timing felt light years away. And don' t get me wrong--I still flinch when I hear that sometimes, but now...now...WOW! I am so excited to see what is going to come of all the little nuggets God has been planting in my life. He's stripped me bare of superficial and external affirmations, both things I had made the mistake of allowing to carry me through, from one to the next. God has made it plain that ONLY HIM is where I need to get what I need for each day. And you know, I can honestly say I've grown LEAPS in the last two months in that area. It's such a beautiful place. Yeah, I have moments, but God's right there for me. I'm so at peace. No, no, there aren't any promises of publication or agenting looming on the horizon that now enable me to "suddenly" have hope. Nope. I know what God has said to me, and that's it. I cried out the other night to him and said, I want to have hope. And as steady and fast as a heartbeat, he said "I am your hope." Then I realized the words filtering through my headphones was Kutless' "I Lift My Eyes Up":

I've just had the blessing of a lifetime. My first interview!! Gina Conroy interviewed me for her blog, http://portraitofawriter.blogspot.com Zip on over there and take a gander at what I rambled about. LOL

Thank you, Gina, for honoring me on your blog. YOU are an incredible woman of God. I am so glad to have met you!

Okay, remember the *old* version of Willie Wonka? Where they're in that gondola-looking boat run by the Oompa-Loompas?? All the psychedelic pinwheels and radical colors bursting in chaos? And there's Willie singing that psycho song with his eyes bulging...well, that's about how my life has felt lately.

Then, I came here to check my blog (I got lost, it'd been so long since I'd visited! LOL). EEK! It'd been nearly three weeks. BAD RONIE! BAD RONIE!

Okay, enough of that. I'm trying to be encouraging here.



Bitterness. A simple word with two syllables and a whole lotta bad stuff wadded up inside. Things haven't exactly been peachy for me lately, and I was getting a bit too real about it. Allowing THINGS to get me down, when the CREATOR was right there all along. Amazing how easy it is to ignore the voice of God when you're in a pity party, huh? Got the music of self-pity blaring, the drugs of depression weighing you down, and the tonic of life-loathing mixing into a volatile cocktail. Down a couple of those, and you put the seeds of bitterness into an accelerated growth period. That's almost what happened to me. It's like you're trying to land your fighter jet on a carrier, but you're coming in a bit cock-eyed from that powerful cocktail. "Wave off! Wave off!" If you don't obey those orders, you're dead.

Well, how about "Look up! Look up!" when you're in that pity-party. If you don't pull up and look up, you're as good as dead. The seed will sprout and dig its roots deep, squelching growth and happiness.

God warned me off this past week. Showed me the seed (thankfully before I watered it with my selfishness). Yeah, I know, this isn't exactly the flowery stuff I've posted before. But I'm determined to get on top of this thing before it buries me in an oak box six-thousand feet under. Wave off from the doubts plaguing you. WHO is TRUTH? Jesus. So, if you're listening to stuff that is contrary to what **HE** has said, LOOK UP!! Veer around and attempt a better landing. Line up your life and heart with His will, His way, and His blessings will be yours!! Get mad. This is warfare, people. We're rocking this world for Another!

I'm elated to announce my kewl friend (aka: LOUD ASIAN CHICK with a kick of Wasabi) got a three-book contract with Zondervan for her Asian Chick-lit. And I have to tell you -- those stories are kick-butt hilarious!! Camy has a strong voice. Y'all are going to totally love this series. And since Camy is now rich and living high off the hog with her advance, I'm just letting y'all know you have to hit her up now for help on getting to the conference...oh, she has to buy her hubby his two-thousand dollar espresso machine first (oh--um, we hope to test that out this summer, BTW, Camy). After he has his new toy, I'm sure with her ultra-generous heart, she'll be glad to help everyone. LOLOLOLOL

(I am sooo dead. LOL)

CONGRATULATIONS, CAMY!! I am soooo thrilled for you!!!!

It's been ten years since I got the fateful call from my brother informing me that our mother, who was lying in a hospital in Dublin, Ireland, had passed on. She'd returned to ireland to spend the holidays with her family, but the day after Christmas was admitted to the terminal ward of St. Vincent's Hospital. I spent three weeks with her when she first fell ill from non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The staff *promised* to call if she got worse. They never called. I wasn't there when my mom took her last breath. Part of me is glad, because my mother died what I considera violent death--vomitting blood since the cancer had eaten through her G.I. tract. Anyway, she was an amazing woman--loved God with all her heart, and was working toward her degree so that she could work with special needs children.

My mother was born in London, England to an Irish carpenter and a very proper English mother. Shortly after her birth, the family returned to Dublin, and there she was raised. There were a total of seven children in her family, and my mother was the eldest girl. My aunts and uncles tell me my mom was like a second mother to them. Just recently, I learned the reason my mother never finished her schooling in Ireland--she had to drop out to get a job and help support her family. The one thing my mother loved very much about her homeland was the ocean. that's one thing she always spoke about with great fondness--but, interestingly, she could not swim. :-D

Having been crushed by a man she was engaged to, my mother made what I know was a very difficult decision--she emigrated from Ireland as a governess to family who lived in Boston. Here is my mother then with her charge, Colin. Soon, the family who sponsored Tina returned to Ireland, but my mother opted to stay. She began nightschool to get her education, and there she met my father. They were married in 1965. My brother was born the same year. Five years later, I was born--while my parents were livign in Germany and trying to adopt a baby girl. My mom always called me her miracle baby...then she started calling me her Little Butterball because I had a golden tan and was chunky!! Well, some things just don't change. *grins*

It's incredible to believe an entire decade has passed without her. I remember being so frightened--I'd never been without my mother. When I was a teen, my mom told me a story--she had gone home during one of my father's TDY assignments and spent time with her family. She placed me in a playpen at the top of the stairs (I know--let's NOT even talk about that safety issue, okay?)--and my mother stepped otu of view, and apparently I shrieked. My Nana nearly had a heart attack, and when she asked, What on earth is wrong with the child? SIGH My mother said, Nothing, she just can't see me. Yeah, I know. Tragic. Imagine how I felt when she died--imagine grapplying--truly grappling with mortality and the afterlife. I wanted, no DEMANDED to know exactly where Heaven was. Anyway...I've moved beyond that. LOL But I miss her dreadfully. My mother had a heart for children, and sometimes, it's just too much for me knowing she never got to see any of my children save my then-2-year-old daughter, Ciara (who was her Nana's Little Irish Girl).

Always missed. Always loved. Always in my heart.

Okay, gotta admit. I'm not one that normally looks for signs, but this morning, when I read the title of my devotional, I nearly did a back flip--I said NEARLY (envision a balled fist jerked down in a firm *YES!*)--when the title of the devotional read: NOW IS THE ACCEPTABLE TIME. Yeah, I know. Fleece, like the stuff lining your pillows and jackets. But hey, two nights before I'd try to write on the sequel to my space opera, but I felt like God put a hand on my shoulder and said, WAIT.

HUH??? Wait? SIGH. Fine. So, I waited. The next day I fasted. Then, this morning, I wake up with THAT as my devotional. Needless to say, I embraced it heartily. *insert boogie dance* Now, I naturally realize that God's NOW is different from mine. Look at Abraham and Sarah. Look at the children of Israel (ew, ew, ew, do we have to go there??). But still, I KNOW what God has told me. I KNOW where the space opera is going. It's really not that hard at all (anymore) to trust God. I'm at peace. Don't get me wrong. My humanity sometimes whacks me upside my head, and I start bawling, wondering why I haven't received THE CALL. But it's kewl. As my daughter says, I'm good.

Well, at crit group last night, I made a horrific discovery. My Genesis entry--somehow--unbelievably--has two POV errors. As soon as my eyes danced over the fateful lines, I saw them. My stomach ROILED! ARGGGGHHHHH!!!!! They're minor, but they are still glitches. so, alas, my entry is NOT perfect (*presses hand to brow and swoons*). I'm so disgusted. Don't ask me how they got past me in the first place. I KNOW better. There goes first place and $500 *cheeky grin*. OH...and any day now, I'm expecting a rejection from that agent I queried at the end of January with this space opera.

Okay...enough rambling. I'm not feeling up to par, and y'all are probably bored by now.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have an awesome weekend. As for me? I'll be packing...we move in 3.5 weeks. EEGADS. His grace is sufficient for me...His grace is sufficient for me...His grace is sufficient...

How are you doing? Anything great happening in your sphere? Drop a line.

This morning I went to take one of my college tests. For me, the drive affords me a thirty-minute reprieve from the chaos of homeschoolnig four children. LOL So, Ishut off the radio and in between my yelling at Texas drivers who are either driving 20 mph or 80mph in the rain, I prayed. Naturally, during the course of this quasi-quiet time, I prayed about my writing. My proctor's assistant had mentioned something again about God's timing...why do they always say that?? Yes. I Know my getting published is in **HIS** timing...but I was wrestling with it. And then I got to wondering why we wrestle. So, I prayed and asked God to...and I cringed right about here...help me embrace this.

Okay, so now I'm wondering, How exactly does one embrace something like this? For me, I'm going to start with realizing that even though this is NOT happening in the order I'd like it to happen--cuz most likely, I'd skip the trials and head straight to the rewards (anyone with me on that?? LOL)--I will focus on the excitment that it IS going to happen. I mean, think about it. You prepare and work and get ready for conferences and seminars...you build your excitment that it's coming, but do you get depressed that it's not here right now? No. You concentrate on the fact that each click (oops...slipped into my space opera there) that passes brings you one closer to the reward.

So that might seem cheesy to some, but it will help me focus on the PROMISE, not the temporal disappointment.

What are you embracing?

I had a breakthrough this week. Well, at least I thought I did. LOL Monday we drove up to Plano (about 45 minutes north east of where we live now) to look at a rental home. It's a pretty home--not GREAT, but would definitely meet our needs...and that's the thing. We NEED to move. HAVE to move--our lease is up soon and the owner of this home wants to sell. SIGH.

Well, I was none too happy about it because there are so many factors to consider...like our homeschool enrichment classes and me commuting twice a week, the boys' speech therapy, Brian if he gets into the FBI (which means another move within the next year). Anyway, on the way there, I was telling my hunky hubby about this breakthrough--how I'd gotten to the place with God's help and grace, that I really truly believed the promise He gave me--that I'd be published. That I could move beyond the despair of rejections (yeah, yeah, I hear you laughing). Really, I do much better with rejections...

Well, doncha know I've been tested beyond belief since then. Wicklow Gang got rejected because we are four unpubbed authors. The publisher said we had an incredible story cooncept, the writing was great...sigh. So, there it is. THEN! I find out that publisher I had been waiting on with another story lost my proposal. That's in addition to the agent that had a similar thing happen last week.

So, you're sitting there wondering what a Screen door on a submarine has to do with all this, right? Well...that's about how I've been feeling in life, in writing, with my friends, with my familiy. You might call it a pity part, but I won't. LOL I seriously feel useless. I keep wondering...what's the point. but I know better than this line of thinking. I really do. Back in the 90's brilliant singer/songwriter Rich Mullins had a song called Screen Door. I had the distinct privilege (Okay, yes--it was a major blast of a job!!) of coordinating concert tickets for a large bookstore chain back then, so I got to meet and hang out with Rich at one of his in-stores. He was truly a very incredible man--if he could've just learned to Buckle up! Anyway, the chorus went something like this:

It's about as useless as

A screen door on a submarine

Faith without works babe

It just ain't happenin'

One is your left hand

One is your right

It'll take two strong arms

To hold on tight

Two strong arms....to hold on tight. Tight to what? Faith? God? YES.

Brandilyn Collins, notorious expert of writing thrilling/chilling suspense books, let my crit bud Dineen Miller into her creepy little world. LOL Seriously...it's a great interview. You should check it out.

Robin Miller is interviewing agents who have expressed an interest in representing clients who write for the inspirational market. Run over to Robin' s blog and see what's happening in her world.

Well, it's been a dull week here...a strange head flu has boggled my brain and left me for dead. I'm on the mend, but I'm also trying to catch up on college work and crits.

In my Bible study today, there was one of those lines that grips you by the back of your collar and dumps you on your deriere (however you spell that LOL). It said "Fear causes you to question what God has clearly told you to do." (Experiencing God by David Blackaby). I sat back and suddenly realized how many times I started second-guessing. 'What if God didn't tell me to send it to that agent?" "What if God said to send it to X-Y-Z and I didn't--have I screwed up His will for my life???" Well, I think I'm giving myself too much credit--after all, as long as I'm actively working to seek God and His will, then He's going to guide me and protect me--even from my own stupidity. *grins* Can you tell I have a bit of experience with that? LOL

Anyway...I'm still not 100% from this head flu, so I won' t bore y'all with my rambling drivel--THIS TIME. bwahahahahaha

Oh--I did get one more proposal for my space opera, Brand & Band, emailed off and will be mailing another in the next day or so. Robin asked me if I have my Genesis entry ready...um, yeah...about that...

What are y'all doing?

See ya on the flip side...

Ever notice excitement and stress sometimes go hand in hand? Well, they did this last Friday. The Fantastic Four's four-in-one series, Saving Wicklow, got an invite to submit more information to the publisher we pitched at the ACFW conference last September!! We were stunned--and not because we didn't believe in our writing (cuz lemme tell ya--those are some AWESOME stories *wink*). The shock was birthed out of the fact that several people told us it would never get published. Why? Well, because none of us are book published. It's unheard of, they said. No publisher will do it. Fortunately for us, a publisher is smart enough to see the potential of this family-based series. Here's praying God's best for the FANTASTIC FOUR on the Saving Wicklow Series (check our websites for story synops: Robin, Neen, Ronie--ahem, uh, well Ron doesn't have a website yet--but you can harass him about it on his blog).

Well, I'm learning at a jet's pace that God likes to defy the odds. LOL So, this last weekend, we kicked it into high gear getting everything ready. Frank, the man who first influenced me in a professional writing-mentor sort of way, told me this week: enjoy the journey.

It's easy to lose sight of the journey when you're on it...getting caught up in the "I have to get this done," and "I'm already overwhelmed," that we forget God is already ahead of us. He's not going to give us anything we can't handle. You're probably quoting Mother Teresa right now, Sometimes I just wish He didn't trust me so much. *grins* Oh, don't I know it!! I started caving, with teh pressure of this extended proposal, college work that I got behind on to focus on the proposal and helping my AWESOME crit partners, homeschooling, teaching creative writing...but then I remembered: God already knows. He knows what's coming. He's already prepared us. already prepared the way. That gives me peace; it stills the torrents.

So...is there a storm--a squall, perhaps--that is overtaking you? Rest in his arms.

...see ya on the flip side, y'all...

Last year, while New Orleans Mayor Nagin worked to prepare for prepared for Hurricane Rita, reporters badgered him about what went wrong during Hurricane Katrina, and how they could have better prepared, and how to prevent another Katrina. Anxoius to get on with the mobilization, General Russell Honore said he wouldn't answer those questions and then told them, "don't get stuck on stupid."

That's one of my favorite phrases now because I do that in life. I get stuck on things that aren't important--that are just plain STOOPID! For instance, lately I have been battling battles that is not battle-able (Okay, so that's not a word, but you get the point!!). Homeschooling is one. It's absolutely exhausting. The kids are constantly in my face with their books, asking for MORE help. At times, I want out. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my treasures...but homeschooling drains me faster than a broken dam. But God called me to do this. He closed the other doors to public school and led me into this. Another case: writing. there I am, banging my fists and feet on the floor, thrashing against God's timing like an idiot? Like I can forward the hands of His clock? Don't think so. If Abraham couldn't hurry up the conception of Isaac, how can I expect to speed up the birth of my first contract??? HELLO!

So, I realize and confess with a heaving sigh: I got STUCK ON STUPID! Is there somewhere in your life you need to let go, to stop being STUCK ON STUPID and move on? We have a limited number of days on this earth, so live them to the fullest with God's best!

See ya on the flip side...

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Oh, and a shameless promotion here: STORY SENSEI totally rocks! If you hate the s-word (synopsis) as much as me, you need to hire Camy Tang (aka: Bossy, Loud Asian Chick) to kick your synopsis and/or proposal into shape. The girl is a genius!! SHEER GENIUS!! For $40 she does a high-level structural critique of a 2-page single-spaced synopsis and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of your manuscript. Really, you can't afford NOT to have her help.

My space opera Brand & Bound is my pride and joy right now. LOL I'm proud of the fact I wrote the 100k piece in roughly thirty days. I'm proud that it's probably my strongest writing yet. Yet for half the time that I was writing it, I mourned the ending. I'd crafted a character ruled by honor, and in the end, he HAD to do the HONORABLE thing. So, it ended a bit tragically. The reaction I am getting as my dear friends critique this story is...well, volatile. LOL Granted, the piece needed an epilogue (I know, I know, Robin...it did! LOL)--so I finally wrote one. But the story ended the only way that Marco could have to retain his honor and integrity. No, it's not a happy slappy ending...but there is a book 2.

My point? Things in our lives so often do not happen the way we want them to. Case in point: getting a contract. If I'd had it *my* way, the thing would have been signed, sealed, and delivered, and I'd have money in the bank. God saw differently. And I'm so glad at least HE knows and guides my future, cuz if Ronie was in charge, I'd be in one heck of a mess.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"It will happen in God's timing." Yes, I know that's the truth. I know God has a plan for me and my writing. I KNOW this. So you would think it would be settled within me. Well, there's this little route from my head to my heart that seems...less traveled. LOL I struggle. Last week when I was doing my morning quiet time, I read 2 Cor 12:9-10 where Paul is talking about the thorn in his flesh. Do you know verse 9 says, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me." And in that instant, I heard God impress upon me that I'd been spending too much time at the wailing wall. He basically told me to stop asking Him to "fix things" and seek His grace to accept things and continue on. YEE-OUCH!! (I'm from Texas, y'all--I have a license to talk like that LOL). I realized I have been struggling against the very life God has ordained for me to have. The struggles are there to teach me. I no longer assume the bad times are an attack (although there have been plenty of those lately). I am confident my God knows the future. He has GOOD things planned for me. I'm not saying I have this "mastered." I don't. It's a day by day, minute-by-minute battle. I am learning to Let go, and let God.

So...I' keep writing. Whether I FEEL like it or not, I write. And besides getting Brand & Bound drafted into a proposal, I'm going to finish Midnight Zone. There. I said it. In public, even! LOL I'm even going to put a little ticker thing on the right hand side (as soon as I can figure out HOW. *grin*)

I challenge you to look at your life and ask yourself what things you're battling against that maybe God wants you to accept and move on. And what is there in your life that you're wanting changed, that maybe God has put there to teach you something? Are you like me--guilty of 2 Cor 12:9?? Accepting things...that brings The Serenity Prayer (and no, I'm not talking about the movie) to mind:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

See ya on the flip side....

Doncha love it?? I am THRILLED with this new look for my blog. And who do I have to thank?? None other than Heather Diane Tipton, friend extraordinaire and partner of Out There Author Services. The poor girl thought this would be an easy makeover. TSK. TSK. Doesn't she know how picky...er, particular I am. LOL I did tell her I wanted something "otherworldly." Of course, we won't mention how many things I asked her to change, or how, for hours on end, she would say, Here ya go. Anything else? And I'd say, Now that you mention it....

Then finally...voilà! My madeover blog. Not bad, eh???Actually, it's SUPERB!! I totally love it (what's that, the UMPTEENTH time I've said that now, Heather?). *grins* So, anyway, check out the OTAS page and get her to jazz up your blog.

Have a FABULOUS New Year's, Everyone! Oh, and leave a comment. It gets lonely in cyberspace sometimes. *grins*

Wow, Thursdays come fast, don't they? At least they do for me, since I avoid them. LOL Especially this time with me being in AR again for the weekend/Christmas. It was quite odd not having Grandma there for the holidays this time. Christmas morning, one of the twins woke me up with his moaning. I looked across the hotel room and saw him rubbing his belly. I shouted for him to get to the bathroom. He made it just time to hurl. Lovely, right? Merry Christmas, dear. Well, by the time we get home Monday, hubby is ill and stays in bed ALL DAY LONG. Poor guy. Then...it hits ME the next morning. GREAT. Just what I don't need. But do you think **I** get to stay in bed all day long? WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?? *grins* Between yesterday and today, I've had a package of saltines. I'm going to get adventurous tonight and attempt the bowl of chicken noodle soup (no, unlike Robin & Shannon, it's NOT homemade--sorry. I'm good, but not THAT good) I made last night and couldn't eat.

So, I have these crit partners and they're really into this goal thing. And I'm sitting here wondering if this is what they're talking about:

Probably not, huh? Sigh. Well, fine. But why do they have to drag me into New Year's Goals/Resolutions?? These blogs are cursed with tags (beware!). The thing is, I am constantly making goals and pinning catch phrases to my computer that keep me focused and on task. Besides, when you have crit partners like Ron, Neen & Robin, you won't be off-track very long, at least not in your writing. After the ACFW conference, Ron sent us all a bumper sticker that I've taped permanently to my monitor. It says, "CRITICISM: it's not for the weak." And trust me, if you've ever had a crit by those three...you realize real quick whether you're weak or strong ! LOL

All right, all right. I'll list some goals...things I hope to achieve. But like Robin said in her blog, there are things that you just can't control. So, with that in mind, I make these goals/hopes known:

General Goals:

1. To finish my BS in Psychology (only two semesters!! Woo-hoo). My new mantra here: D is for Diploma. D is for diploma. :-)

2. To be the mother I want to be and homeschool with enthusiasm (is that really possible? Anyone know?? LOL *just kidding*)

3. To do everything I can to improve and grow in my writing

4. To write EVERY day (I do this already, but I have to stay on top of it, especially when the semester starts--doubt I'll win any more word-count contests with ACFW for a while LOL) .

5. To pray daily for my hubby and his career opportunities

6. To pray daily for my CP's, their families, and their writing

7. To be the best friend that I can possibly be

8. To get a contract by an agent and/or an editor

Date-specific goals for Writing:

1. To finish Midnight Zone by February 30 (I know, I know--there is NO 30th...what's your point?)

2. To clean up my space opera Brand & Bound (which I wrote in 30 days--yes, I'm proud of myself!!) by January 30 and get a proposal ready on it.

On Camy's blog, she mentioned that she has a "word" for next year (hers is perseverance). When I read that, the word that hit me? CHANGE. Oh, geezy peas! Lord, what ARE you doing? Remember...when you can't see what the hand of God is doing, trust His heart.

Okay, so I created my last post as a way to honor Grandma Kendig. Then I realized Christmas is only two days away...and I'm only supposed to blog once a week (this is my vain attempt at being disciplined LOL). But I can't become a Blog Scrooge and not honor the holiday that celebrates our Savior's birth.

There are so many intelligent and insightful blogs about this time of year. In light of Grandma's passing, and the fiesty woman that she was, along with her insatiable humor...I thought I'd post some funnies from the writer's Christmas party I attended earlier this year.

Answers are provided beneath the question and written backwards.

1. If Santa were to drive a motorcycle, what would it be?
nosdivaD ylloH

2. What do you call a cat on a beach at Christmastime?

swalC ydnaS

3. Why do elves get a bit depressed during the holidays?

meetse-fle wol evah yeht esuaceb

4. What kind of cereal does Santa eat?

sioreehC detsorF ro sekalF detsorF

5. What did the Gingerbread man put on his bed?

teehs eikooc a

6. What is Santa's favorite snack?

s'oh-oh

7. What do elves learn in school?

teba-fle eht

8. What nationality was Santa?

hsi-eloP htroN

9. Why did Santa spell Christmas N-O-E?

.L oN , dias legna het esuaceb

10. What do you call people who are afraid of Santa?

cibohportsualC

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

Corny title? Not if you're Marco, a Kynigos--a hunter who has heightened olfactory senses. Did you ever hear the phrase, "he can smell fear"? Well, I took that to task and that's exactly what Marco can do. And that got me wondering...what if he could smell every emotion and through them, determine what danger lurked in masked faces. See, only God can judge the heart, so I tried to stay within biblical boundaries and away from divination. With this, I stay eau-natural. :-D

My point? What kind of scent are you creating? On the 16th of this month, my husband's grandmother died. Clara Robbie Robertson Kendig was probably the most godly woman I've ever encountered. Grandma Kendig showed me the first taste of unconditional love the day she met me for the first time--BEFORE I married her grandson--and embraced me as if I were a long lost relative, then announced, "I shore luv you, honey!" Burying her was NOT easy for the Kendig Family, she was the pillar of the family. Everyone loved Grandma Kendig. If you met her, you'd love her. I mean, consider the fact that even her postman attended her funeral. The environment she lived in was populated by people who GENUINELY cared. It's a world that is rapidly disappearing. And it really got me thinking about my life, my genuineness, my openness toward others...my SCENT in life.

Think about it for a second--Scents reveal so much to us. If you walk into a sewer, the scent that greets you is most likely going to tell you to turn and go back. Ocean air is invigorating, to some poor tortured souls (Sorry, Robin--I do love you!) the smell of bleach is pleasing (which I can understand--cuz it smells CLEAN LOL). Roses stir the romantic in most people.Did you also know that scents can trigger memories? That's according to memory research (I learned this through writing Midnight Zone). For me, every time I smell cinnamons rolls, I am reminded of my mother the day she made homemade cinnamon rolls with my then-two year old daughter.

Scents are a very important part of life and trigger emotions and memories. People are important part of life. Here are a few more of my friends who have left impressions on my life.

Frank Ball - He who would **always** give me a nugget of gold to carry me through, to help me keep writing and not give up. Frank is a very intelligent and kind soul. He taught me the value of tightening words and the resulting beauty therein. If you live in D/FW and are looking for a writer's group, Frank has three!! If I were to say that Frank had a particular scent, I would most likely suggest something strong, like oak or pine.

Patricia Carroll - A dear, sweet woman of God who is one of the most caring and encouraging women I've ever met. Your scent would be like lavender, soothing and relaxing.

Lena Nelson Dooley - Sweet! Sweet! SWEET! That's what Lena is. I grew leaps and bounds when I joined her in-home crit group last January. I would say Lena leaves a rose scent for those around her. (Oh, and Lena, I'm still waiting for the rest of your story with the guy trying to save the veep! I think for Lena, it would be delicate scent of roses.

Pamela Griffin - Beautiful and gentle, loving and sweet, she helped me understand so many tricky aspects of writing. And oh, my! Have you heard this woman's voice? When she reads, her voice is soo soothing--you relax right into her stories, which have the same soothing sensation. For Pamela, I'd definitely suggest something like jasmine.

Al Speegle - Dude! You are so hilarious. This guy writes satire like you wouldn't believe. He truly has a gift. With his humor, he's bound to have a tart scent. *grins*

Steve Miller - God often sends tools to sharpen us, and that's what Steve has been in my life. At times, our personalities collided, but we were both mature enough to work through it. LOL For Steve's scent, I'd suggest something maple-ish--strong and sometimes sweet, but not syrupy. ;-)

Colleen Coble - Wow, what a woman! Kind, encouraging, helpful, brilliant with words...no wonder she keeps winning mentor of the year! For COOL-LEEN (ha ha) I'd suggest something strong and hardy like a magnolia, but she has a bit of spice to her--maybe cinnamon? *grins*

...My crit buddies have their own unique scents too...Neen with gardenia, Robin with chocolate, Ron with...he's a guy, so I gotta say something masculine, right...Old Spice? ROTFL.

Okay--so sound off? If you were a scent, what kind would you be?