I promise to get more on the ball with this, life has been crazy lately.

However, I do have exciting news:
I just finished the first super - rough, but workable draft of my novel, "Coming Home."
Now I get to start playing with Scrivener, do the spell checking, add the missing bits, finish confirming my research and start putting it all together!

YAY!

Now that the .gif par-tay is over - off to try and re-understand the Scrivener tutorial!

Obligatory CampNano Bad Progress Post

I have been sooooo far behind. 

Right now I am 12,491/50,000 - still behind by 5,842 words - but I’ve written 4,708 words so far today, so I’m proud of that! My “Turkey in the Straw” Pandora station is helping a lot for my WPM, I have to say. It’s basically all instrumental Bluegrass (since I’m writing a sort of wild west inspired story), which has high BPM rates - so you type super fast :)

I’m really diggin’ my story too, which helps! For the first time in my life I actually have the drive and peace of mind to sit down and write this (besides random notes and dialogue that pops up into my brain) chronologically. Usually I just spew out random scenes and try to peice them together later, but this story is running SO smoothly. I hope I’ll get caught up really soon, as I’m not sure how much more I can write tonight. I’m getting a little sore and brain tired.

Plus, I don’t want to be up all night thinking about my story. I always sleep bad on Tuesday nights when I’ve spent the past 3 nights with my beau. I’m so used to him being there, when he’s not - ugh.

Anyway, feeling good about NaNo even if I am behind.

Hey any over 25year old’s that want to connect/talk about NaNo stuff? I’m feeling ~leOLD (and am the oldest ‘camper’ in my cabin - I’m 29 :))

In place of a real post

So the Beau and I are really in to Sherlock Holmes these days...

Here's one of those ye olde personality test thingies:

John Watson

You are John Watson. Let’s be honest, pretty much everyone loves you. Warm, patient and personable, you’re willing to put up with a great deal (possibly too much?) from those you care about and you are intractably loyal. You’re a bit of a thrill seeker and frequently rush headlong into danger, especially if it’s to protect someone important to you. You have a stubborn streak and maybe a possible psychosomatic injury or two, but you’re definitely the person all your friends want on their side in a fight.

I must be insane, truly.

I've can't seem to resist the lure of Camp Nano, so I'm going to participate...more or less. (Yes I realize that I work full time and take 15 credits at college)
I'm going to take my NaNo novel from last November, and continue that one. In order to not be coming off as a cheater, I'm going to attempt to write 50k in addition to the 10058 I wrote back in November.

Woo.

Clearly my sanity needs to be checked. (Even more so since I'm planning on doing the same sort of set up in August) 

If anyone should want to add me as a NaNo/Camp NaNo buddy my handle is "Sammie Marie"

I am so excited to announce this!

I HAVE MY OWN WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.livewritedreamadventurelove.com

Excuse me while I happy dance!

Today I don't want to be working in Travel or Hospitality.
I just want to work on my little deck garden, and write and write and write.
But that's not going to happen.
I'm going to take calls all day, then go to Grandma's and do laundry, and homework.

Today, I feel like a writer.

Usually I feel a little bit like a fraud when someone asks me my profession, and my answer is "I'm a writer!" I mean, I haven't been paid for anything, but I have done volunteer writing; and it is the profession I most dearly wish to be in. I just keep thinking, if I continue to say it, eventually it will really come true.

I'm not sure why today, of all days, I feel like a real writer.

Maybe it's because I spent all of Saturday laying in the sun at Green Lake reading my Poets & Writer's magazine (and highlighting all the various contests I could enter).
Maybe it's because I'm about to write my first ever Pantoum (I don't think I've ever sat down and attempted an actual 'form' poetry other than Haiku).
Maybe it's because I've been doing all this school work (I'm in the process of getting an AA and am doing a lot more writing because I have to) the last 5 months.
Maybe it's because I'm soon to launch my first ever writer's website, and am actually trying to find ways to break into the industry.

Whatever it is,

Today I feel like a Writer.

You're a Grand Ol' Flag

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

This is a sample of my Daddy’s fireworks. He’s in charge of the Fireworks over Vashon Island every year. They are always breathtaking. Independence Day was crazyyyy. My aunt’s car died at the ferry terminal. We ended up spending about 4 hours there! My (new) friend Michael and I ended up riding in the CAR to the parts department which was strapped to the top of the flat bed TOW TRUCK. 

“It’s legal in the State of Washington. Just buckle up your seatbelt” ~Ant, the grisly, older, very nice tow truck driver.” It was kind of a carnival ride, and only scary when it didn’t feel like we were going to stop, when dear old Ant had to SLAM THE BREAKS! Blah. Anyway, we made it on the 4:20pm ferry and made it to the beach with no further incident. The rest of the time was spent drinking Beer  Cream Soda and laughing, swapping stories. Nice night, but a little bitter sweet. I always tear up when I see the barge come around the corner, knowing my Dad is on it. 

Other than that I managed to make a daily scheduel thing, to try to insert something other than SLOTH in my life. I also am considering going Ovo-Lacto-Pescatarian for the next 3-6 months, and see if that helps my digestion issues. We’ll see how it goes.

Off to go watch one of the German movies from the Library (I have 4 to watch before Saturday!). Later!

So, an update...right.

My car broke down just after Mother's Day and due to a series of unfortunate events, it is still broken.  I can make it to both the Walgreens and Sara, B's and Chel's house (and back) with out incident (not in the same trip, mind you). Due to this and a few other things family and job wise going on, I have felt more keenly my depression than I have in some time - and therefore am consistently inhaling everything in sight. Normally that wouldn't effect me so much, and after a while I'd reign it in and feel fine, but this time it just seems different. For one, I can actually feel the difference. I've always been able to tell if I've gained even 5lbs because of my energy level and all, but this time I just actually feel all...squodgy. I can't really get to WW because of the car situation, and truth be told I was not satisfied with the results I was getting this time around either. To be fair, I was not working the plan to it's full extent, and was being rather slackass about the whole thing...but come on, an avocado cannot be THAT many points. Anyway...because I'm on the monthly plan, I'm still getting  a monthly charge (that I like to refer to as  a"Fat Tax") to my account until I get my car up and running.

Here's the thing: I LOVE THIS PLAN. I have always, always, always, even in my most slack ass of slackassery LOST WEIGHT ON WW. 

Therefore, I am not ready to give it up yet.
What I'm going to do is dig around and see if I still have my old Points Slider, and work on the old plan. I may actually go Core/Filling Foods, just because I don't actually know how much I weigh at this point.

I also need to find more time in my day. Lately I have been so bored/depressed etc (and more so because someone very special to me is out of the country currently. I swear, you do not realize how much you care about someone, or how much that person affects your every day life until they aren't there.), that I literally just zone out and play the Sims2 (or find some other mindless task) forever ...bad bad habit. Changes to be made.

 With summer starting up and Independence Day tomorrow, I've been thinking often about my Dad - and an idea came to me. Ever since I was a kid, I've not been the best self starter where it comes to my own life - and I suddenly remembered my Dad's Lists. Dad used to professionally print up lists for me when I was a kid. The two I remember the most were the "Getting Ready for School" list and the "Cleaning Your Room" list. Very simple, just a list of things I needed to complete. In remembering this I realized, I still list. I always have a To-Do list going on. In my journal I have lists of books I've read, a list of movies I've watched , a list of kitchen supplies I want, a list of things for my apartment  I want to get , a Bucket List, and Reasons I Want to Get To A Healthy Weight/Size List. I want to basically make myself a list of things I want to accomplish in a day. Everything from flossing to studying my Bible to writing and studying German. From this list I want to make a basic schedule. I just want to take better control of my life, because I just don't think God wants me sitting around playing Sims on my off time.

As for this weekend, it's been pretty nice. I did sloth around quite a bit on Friday.  Yesterday I spent the day with Sara, Brittany and Chelsea. Sara and I went to the Library (its becoming a Saturday tradition, because we HAVE to turn in the movies we rented the week before, and we get the Sunday paper -nothing like getting a leg up on the cupins! (coupons, I know, but it's WAY more fun to say cupins!). I got to spend some time with Jakey Pancakey and Misty -lots of laughs, and more toe-bruises on my upper thigh from Jakey (we have a game where he stands on my legs and we do this "EaARrTH SsHhAaKkEe!" and he tries not to fall over. When he digs his toes in, I usually get a bruise. Not a game we play for very long!). Later in the day Brittany, Issac, Sara and I BBQ'd. I love these people so much, they really are family to me. I never feel like I have to pretend to be someone with them. They know me, I know them and we accept each other wholeheartedly. I love them, forever I love them! <3

Today I've got a bit of the sniffles, so (after doing a quick scrub of the house) I've been kind of laying around reading the 5th Harry Potter book. I'm trying to get them all read before the 15th. Being I'm nearly done with this, there is no doubt in  my mind I'll make it. I also have a stack of German movies to watch this week too. It seems all my library holds came in at once.
Tomorrow I'll be hanging out with Aunt Syl and Lisa where we're going to sit on a beach on the Island and watch my Daddy's company's professional firework show. I am looking foreword to this immensely.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and a Happy and Safe Independence Day!

Blah...I have a lot to talk about ...but not alot of time. I'm going to try to do a real update tonight after work at some point. Going to also make this more of an every day life type thing too. Thanks for hanging with me!