Making Plans

                I’ve been sticking to a theme of goals in my posts so far this month and I kind of like having an overall theme for the month, so I might try it again sometime. In this post, I will attempt to lay out a plan for the next few months on my blog. Disclaimer: Anything I assign here is subject to change or cancelation.

                I plan to continue participating in the Question of the Month on the first Monday and the Insecure Writers Support Group on the first Wednesday of each month. In April, I plan to participate in the A to Z Challenge for a second year. Besides April and the beginning of each month, my blog schedule is fairly open. As I stated last spring, the possibilities and directions I can go are endless! I do plan on mainly sticking to this blog’s roots of devotional content and life lessons God is teaching me. Since I am usually off work on Tuesdays, I plan to make Wednesday my regular post day each week after the QotM and IWSG. If my plans are hindered for some reason, I will most likely have a Throwback Thursday Photos post. I will probably include some extra Throwback Thursdays every once in a while. I may sign up for an occasional blog hop. I would also be open to guest posts or author tours. I’m not exactly sure how to conduct a guest post, so anyone who might be interested would be my guinea pig (or maybe I’m the guinea pig here, haha). 

                As for my ailment, I am still experiencing a bit of congestion, but the symptoms are becoming less severe. With that, my motivation seems to be increasing a little more. Thank you for your prayers! As I said in my last post, slowing down on the busyness for a couple weeks wasn’t too bad because I have been more diligently focused on my daily Bible reading and study. I have actually stayed caught up on a Bible reading in one year plan, but it has only been 20 days so far, we’ll see how the rest of the year goes :)

Unexpected Accomplishment

                So, the New Year came and I was almost feeling slightly motivated. Then, wham! I get hit with a sore throat on January 2^nd. Then, another hit the same day with a substitute pharmacist at work who was unfamiliar with our regular processes and with it being a New Year, just about everyone’s insurance changed and only half of them had a new card. And who had to fix all of the insurance problems and make the phone calls? Me! And I hate making phone calls! So, my sore throat turned into a raging fire by the end of that day and I think the stress was too much for my immune system because I have been having cold symptoms and congestion since then. Did you know that feeling ill is not very motivating? So, I have spent most of this year so far sleeping and resting when I wasn’t at work. As I stated before, this is part of the reason I don’t make resolutions, because you never know what’s going to hit next. At least I don’t have any failed promises to cause disappointment, but I still feel a bit unaccomplished since I haven’t really worked on any of my goals for the year yet. The other day as I was coughing and pitying myself, I realized that I was overlooking something. On my days off so far, I have been spending an extra hour sitting in my warm, cozy bed and reading the Bible and looking through some Bible study and devotional books. I still need to work on the mornings when I have to go to work, but I now have a plan laid out to start the day off right when I’ll be home all day. I used some of my downtime to write down lists of things I would like to accomplish in different areas of my life. I also took a Sunday afternoon nap the past two Sundays, which was nice and relaxing. I still have some congestion issues, but maybe God has used this slight ailment to help me slow down and really consider my goals and plans for the year. I may not be entirely motivated to conquer some of my goals yet, but breaking them down and making a more detailed plan has helped me see them as more manageable. At first, I didn’t think the year was starting out well, but when I look past the physical roadblock, I now see that spending more time with God and allowing Him to guide my plans is the greatest thing I could accomplish this year!

 

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (KJV)

P.S. I am trying to set up a more routine schedule for this blog and I hope to have something ready to present next Wednesday. Have a great week, everyone!
  

IWSG: Finding the Next Step

            Time for the first post of 2016 with the Insecure Writers Support Group, where writers can share their insecurities and encourage one another. IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh and we share our posts the first Wednesday of the month. The co-hosts for January are: L.G. Keltner, Denise Covey, Sheri Larsen, J.Q. Rose,  Chemist Ken,  and Michelle Wallace.

            I took writing up as a sideline project nearly 20 years ago when I was in the 6^th grade. It usually took a backseat to school, friends, family, and work. It still does, minus the school. I want to write more and do more with my writings. I was going to call this post “Finding a Starting Point,” but I have already started. I wrote for many of my classes, I’ve journaled for years, I write for this blog, and I submitted a short story for the IWSG contest. It’s not a lot, but it is my two-decades-long point of entry into the field of writing, lol. I guess I find myself asking: Where do I go from here? I want to make my writing more than just another hobby and blogging on a more regular basis since April last year has helped me a lot. Joining this group has also been encouraging. I have read so many great posts full of writing advice and experiences from my fellow bloggers. With a New Year upon us, I am feeling slightly inspired and slightly scared to make new goals in my writing. As I said in my last post, I don’t really make resolutions because my circumstances could change and hinder me from completing them, but I will make some intentional goals to work on this year. My first goal is to set more time for writing, even if I don’t feel particularly inclined to do so, I think that just having a designated time each day for writing would help make it more of a habit. Another goal I have is to write more short stories. I really enjoyed creating the characters and setting in my story for the anthology contest, and I think it would be fun to write more stories of similar length. I also want to look into magazines or devotional journals that accept submissions and enter more contests. Finally, my last goal has been on my long-term list for quite some time now, but if I manage to get into a better writing habit, I think I can take my book ideas out of the brainstorming phase and actually write one! I will probably try a few more short stories first, though :)

 

 

January Question of the Month

The Question of the Month is a bloghop that occurs the first Monday of each month and it is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. Here is the question for January 2016:

What are some New Year’s resolutions you’ve had in the past?

I have not made many New Year’s resolutions for the past few years. I think it’s mainly because the words of my pastor come to mind. He often says that we should not vow to do something unless we plan to stick to it. When we make empty promises, it will only lead to disappointment. That being said, I still do use the New Year as an opportunity to rework my goals. In the past I have redone my budget, started new Bible studies, tried new healthy recipes, and started an exercise routine within the first two months of the year. I did resolve once in January and another year in July to read through my Bible in a year. I did not make it within the year-long deadline, but I did eventually finish both times. I think that goals can be made any time of year, but a New Year is a good time to wipe the slate clean. It’s like picking up an old book you only read halfway through, sometimes it is easier to just start over instead of trying to remember where you left off. If you have made resolutions this year, I hope you do well with keeping them. Don’t give up if you get off course for a few days, just dust yourself off and try again.

Happy New Year everyone! I will see you again Wednesday for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group post day.

 



The Joy of Christmas

 

                It’s time for the Christmas Joy Blog Hop! I’m excited to be hosting today and I would like to thank those of you who shared my sign-up post on your pages! I would also like to thank the participants, it wouldn’t be a blog hop without all of you and I look forward to reading your posts :)

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                Christmas was a very special time when I was a kid. I would get so excited about opening presents on Christmas Eve at home and then waking up early the next morning to drive two hours to Grandma’s house to open more presents. I did not realize the true value of those moments until after my grandma died. My mom, dad, brother, and I moved to Oklahoma about a year after Grandma passed away and the next few Christmases seemed very sad and lonely with just the four of us. I have longed for another big family Christmas since then. I cannot believe that this Christmas will mark 20 years since the last time my mother’s side of the family all gathered together at Grandma’s house. Over the years, I have realized that the presents were only a small part of the joy of spending the holiday with family, and my small family has started our own traditions to celebrate each year. We started using stockings at some point when I was in high school, we had a few Christmas dinners with friends from the church, my brother and I have taken care of Christmas dinner for the past couple years, and my dad likes to read the story of Christ’s birth from the Bible on Christmas day. Christmas has become special for me again, and it has nothing to do with what I receive. I enjoy seeing someone’s face light up when I finally find the right gift for him/her. I enjoy hearing about how God sent His son to the earth as a little baby in Bethlehem and all the beautiful songs about Him, like this one:
 

 

                Christmas, especially this year in light of recent world events, reminds me that we still have hope in Christ. When life looks bleak, I think of the genuine, innocent joy of a child watching Christmas lights. In the midst of bad news, I am grateful to find stories of good Samaritans who help the poor, weary, wounded, and brave. As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for mourning and sorrow, but there is also a time for joy and laughter. I find joy in Christmas when I seek time to fellowship with family and friends throughout the month of December.

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And now, here is a quick list of a few of my favorite things:

Christmas food: decorated sugar cookies

Beverage: Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks

Decoration: My snow globe collection

Songs: O Come, O Come Emmanuel and What Child is This?

Tradition: driving or walking through Christmas light displays

Party: my church’s young adult Christmas party is usually the most fun

TV Episode: Garfield's Christmas Special

Movie: White Christmas

Speaking of a white Christmas, I also really enjoy seeing snow on the ground on Christmas day and I hope to see some this year.
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!



 

I will be taking a break from posting for the rest of the month, so I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! If you would like some more Christmas cheer, please visit the other participants below. The sign-up will remain open until 11:59pm CST if anyone else wants to join in!
 

Christmas Joy Blog Hop Participants:

 

1. Liz's Random Ponderings

2. A Bench with a View

3. Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh

4. Pile of Smiles

5. Writing in Wonderland

6. Susan Says

7. Tamara Narayan

8. Writing Off the Edge

9. Star Trek Sci Fi Blog

10. Birgit

11. Abba's Lap

12. My Holiday Decorating

13. Getting Back the Meaning of Christmas

14. Stacey @ a little bit of me

 

December Question of the Month

                The Question of the Month is a bloghop that occurs the first Monday of each month and it is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined.

December’s question is: Which one social convention would you get rid of?

                This feels like a follow-up to last month’s question about whether you are introverted or extroverted. As an introvert, there are many social conventions I don’t understand, some I feel awkward with, and probably more I don’t even know about. I narrowed them down to small talk, which in and of itself is hard for me, but it is even harder when I feel obligated to chat with either some person I’ve only met once or twice (i.e. a customer at work), or someone I have not seen or kept in touch with for years (i.e. a high school classmate). I feel like I have a somewhat awkward grasp of a few things, but there are only so many weather-related things I can discuss before I start sounding nerdy:



Small Talker: How about this weather?
Me (contemplating): Did you think those clouds after the snow were cirrocumulus or altostratus?
Small Talker (look of bewilderment): Huh?

I know it’s the polite thing to do, but it would be easier and less awkward if mere acquaintances could just avoid eye contact and move along our way unless we have something significant to discuss.

 

http://xkcd.com/222/

 

Do you understand the art of small talk? What social conventions would you rather do without?

December IWSG

            Time for another posting with the Insecure Writers Support Group, where writers can share their insecurities and encourage one another. IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh and we share our posts the first Wednesday of the month. The co-hosts for December are: Sandra Hoover, Mark Koopmans, Doreen McGettigan, Megan Morgan, and Melodie Campbell.

            There have been a few note-worthy milestones and accomplishments for me the last couple months:

·         I wrote and submitted my first 5000 word short story to the IWSG Anthology Contest

·         I actually have a potential follow-up and/or extension in mind for my short story

·         I shared an excerpt from one of my potential books on November 2

·         I published my 100th blog post on November 18th

·         To celebrate 100 posts, I created a Facebook fan page for my blog and writings, and someday I hope to change it to an author page

·         I also decided to host a blog hop!

Those last two points lead me to my insecurities. I feel like my promotional efforts are a bit inadequate. I am not always the most prompt, reliable commenter with my fellow bloggers. My pharmacy job (another insecurity I will not bring up here) has kept me busy and on edge for the past few months and I don’t always feel motivated to read and comment on the blogs I follow and those who leave comments on my posts. I eventually get around to many of you, especially those who visit, but I feel like I’m so late sometimes :( I apologize for my tardiness and I really do appreciate those of you who continue to follow my blog or visit and leave a comment. One day, I will find that window to escape my current job and embrace writing on a more full-time basis, but until then, I will still have those “off” weeks once in a while.

 

                I hope that I can still have a good turnout for my blog hop, so if you have some Christmas memories you would like to share on December 14, please feel free to sign up. I am reposting the linky list sign-up below. It’s called the Christmas Joy Blog Hop. Share your favorite Christmas memories and what makes Christmas special for you. We even have a nice badge that my brother made :) For more information visit my previous post. 

 

Have you ever had insecurities with staying connected?