Yes... I am a writer

Hello. My name is Debbie and I am a writer.

There. I said it. Out loud. It's really weird telling people you know that you're a writer. It brings a various set of reactions from excitement that I'm living my dreams all the way to anger that I'm not helping to provide for my family by getting a "real" job.

But honestly, a "real" job isn't in the cards for me right now. PTSD has made sure of that and, YES, I am still battling with PTSD. It's been over two years and I still wake in silent screams from nightmares of being shot, stabbed, murdered and a whole plethora of other unpleasant things. But that's a different story for a whole different post.

Ok, so writing. I am NOT published at this time, but I have started four different WIPs (meaning "works in progress") for full-length novels and two different short stories. Mostly I've been focusing on learning the craft and improving my writing. I've also been building an "official" online writing presence--a must for aspiring authors. Not only do publishers like to see it, but I've discovered that being a part of the writing community has taught me OODLES more than I ever could have learned on my own. The writers out there are AMAZING and I am blessed to know them. The journey has been incredible so far and I look forward to a lifetime of learning.

Some happy news that I wanted to share is that I placed in a mini writing contest. There were 83 entries and I made it into the top ten honorable mentions! I am ecstatic! I didn't win anything (besides a great critique), in case you are wondering. But it helped me see that I do have talent. So, if you're interested, pop over to ATONEMENTS on my writing blog to read my entry. It's the first 500 words from one of my novels. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for letting me share. :)  Feels good "admitting" to my new addiction and life long dream!

Chalkboard Wall of Awesome

So I've been earning a little bit of money via sewing and decided to put the cash to good use in creating my chalkboard wall of awesome. I needed something to help me with story boarding and this seemed just the ticket. Oh... and it's MAGNETIC! Yeppers. It's a whole wall of chalkboard, magnetic goodiness! So today, while it snows and blows outside, I'll be in my office enjoying my wall of awesome!

Story boarding.

You can see the magnets at work on the right.

One of my favorite parts... adding inspiration. Using a picture for inspiration, I free handed this on the wall. LOVE drawing with chalk!

* For pics taking you through the entire process, check out this post on my official writing blog (yes, I have another blog).

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Seems winter doesn't arrive around here until almost February. We had flurries for Christmas but all that snow I've been trying to hold off via prayers and voodoo (just kidding about the latter) has finally arrived. About 8 inches fell last night. I know, not a lot, but it was enough to close Maryland for the day. The upside is that Joe gets to stay home today! Woot! We may even take the dogs for a walk later. Maybe. We'll see if that really happens. I'm thinking it's time for me to get some winter boots. Flip flops and sneakers just aren't cutting it in this weather!

This is the path out of our front door. Well... now it's a tree outside our front door.

It really is beautiful!

This tree is normally hidden behind the side of the townhouse.

I'm amazed at how much bending it can do without breaking.

Birthday Bust

Joe's birthday was last Sunday and let's just say it was doomed from the start. Not only was it on a Sunday, but it was on stake conference Sunday and we were supposed to be participating in the stake choir (which meant no out-of-town trips). So Saturday evening we decided to sneak in a little celebration instead of attending the adult stake conference session. We went to Pei Wei (which is only a big deal because I HATE Pei Wei... but it was his birthday so I lovingly and graciously agreed... hehe). Then we tried to run a few places afterward while we were out and about. The time is 6:30pm.... Costco (for a rockband ottoman) closed, Library (for desired book) closed, Redbox (for desire movie that the internet said was available) movie gone, and finally back to home by 7pm to finish out the evening with a little WoW time.

Then Sunday arrives and with it a sore throat and fever for my beloved. So we missed stake conference anyway, spent the day sleeping or playing WoW, and had a rather uneventful time of things.

I usually try to make Joe's birthday super special... but this year it was a birthday bust. Sorry Joe! I promise to make up for it next year!

Random Puppy Pics

Don't ask me why I still call them puppies. They are full fledged (and super fat) adults now. But here are some recent pics of the dogs.

He Needs a Haircut... He REALLY Needs a Haircut

So Joe had a little cancer spot on his head that had to be removed a couple months ago. Because it was on his scalp we couldn't bandage it and we had to be SUPER careful with washing, brushing, CLIPPING, or touching his hair/head. So he went FOREVER without a haircut. And it shows. Finally, right before New Years, he gave me an AWESOME gift by letting me cut his hair (back on 12/29/10). This may not seem like a big deal, but he let me trim it about 3 months into our marriage, I messed up, and he hasn't let me touch his hair since. Almost TEN years! I was nervous, excited, scared, excited and nervous. I finally understood how my sister felt when she cut my hair. I was so worried about whether or not he would like the final product! It took me about an hour (ya, I'm slow), but I think the final result was worth it. There is definitely room for improvement, but I was happy with the result. Best part... he agreed to let me cut it again!!!

I have to thank my sister, Suzanne, for teaching me how to cut guys hair. She is AMAZING in her trade and I feel so grateful for the time she took teaching me. Thank you, Suz-Q! You are so incredibly talented and I appreciate that you would share your gift with me! I still miss having you to cut my hair. I haven't found anyone as good as you! (And thank you to Jon for being my Guinea pig when Joe refused, hehe).

Some pics of the before and after... notice the small animal I was able to sweep up after the hair cut.

1/1/11... why does that just tickle me pink?

I think humans are funny creatures, myself more than included. There is something about patterns that make most of us giddy. Like posting today so that I could have a post on 1-1-11... because it will be a century before that happens again (but only 11 years and some change until 2-2-22!). I find it interesting that we get so excited about little, insignificant moments like this and yet many of us are quick to overlook the more significant moments of the present--the here and now--because we don't see the novelty in it.

Like the smile Joe gave me today when I told him part of me says "FU" (literally... "F" and "U") to his assumptions that my OCD-ness is learned and not genetic, because I felt he was invalidating me. Silly, I know. But it marked huge progress for me and displayed once again how lucky I am to be married to a man who understands my needs better than I do. He was actually proud of me for speaking up. I'll see his smile again, but that moment will never be repeated... not even in a century.

Or the moment he nonchalantly said he'd clean the toilet before we go to bed tonight. That one may be repeated in another decade, but today it meant the world to me. It's been my job to clean the toilet since I was 7. Literally. That gives me more than 20 years on-the-job training and experience. Yet today, Joe saw my need and took over, even though he already has so much on his plate.

Or the moment we sat at the computer together, figuring how much paint & magnetic additive I would need to create a magno-wall in my office. Holding hands, reading descriptions, calculating square footage. Just the two us... free from everything else in the world... for just a few minutes.

I could list the hugs, the winks, the kisses, the words, and the acts that each carry their own moment of awesomeness and wonder yet lack the appeal of a 1-1-11 tag. Moments I need to record and remember. Moments that speak of love and tenderness and the thrill of becoming closer as a couple or as a family. If the truth were to be made known, Joe is my 1-1-11... or better, my 2-2-2222. He is special, unique, never to be duplicated. He makes me giddy just thinking about him and makes me want to write about his awesomeness. He is my pattern for "getting it right" or just getting it at all. He's always something to look forward to, whether I'm waking up or waiting for him to get home from work. And he's always something to remember with joy.

I thought this post would be about our Candy Land Showdown or Yahtzee World Cup from last night, but it turns out it's about that man who makes this moment and every moment more special than 1-1-11. Thank you Joe. I hope you know how much I love you and how important you are to me. And yes, babe, I even love the moment you got more excited than a kid on Christmas because I said I'd play World of Warcraft with you. Especially that moment, because I could finally do something that brought YOU joy.

Love you with all my heart.

Best wishes to all our friends and family for 2011! I hope you'll look for the "1-1-11" in each moment throughout the year.

And just in case you wanted them, here are the pics from last night! (I totally kicked his trash in Candy Land!)

The board has changed, but the tension hasn't! So much riding on little deck of cards!



Poor guy got sent back to the ginger man's square TWICE!

Joe's game winning Yahtzee!

At least I got a Full House.

He was right... I am totally addicted to Goblins!

Gotta LOVE the Mohawk!