Looking back

So, the sale on the house closes tomorrow and we turn over the keys to the new buyer. (Also, this just so happened to be the same day the lease house became ready so we have ONE day to move, but that's another story.)

I've been so busy with getting things ready and the rush of it all happening so fast that all I've been doing is looking forward. I'm VERY excited to be making this leap as my husband and I begin our preparation for buying the house that we want to spend the next 20+ years in.

Today it finally hit me that I only have a very short time left in the house that's been my home for the past 5+ years. I'm just really not sure what to feel right now, but I know part of me doesn't want to let it go.

We aren't moving because we don't like the house. I actually love it, and I've spent these past few years making it mine. It fit perfectly for a little bit, but the family is growing. Yes, it's a small house, but that's not the bad thing about it. It's the location. Unfortunately, we just aren't in the best school district for little boy and we want to make sure we give him the best start that we possibly can... So, we move.

But I'd like to take the time to look back, just for a little bit. I'll never forget the day I got the call we'd closed on the house. It was May 3rd, 2008. Jesse's and my wedding day.

Jesse and I got married in our apartment. I didn't want a big white wedding, just something small and intimate that only close family and friends could attend. I spent the morning hiding in the bedroom while Jesse and his brother arranged all the furniture into isles, so I didn't see the work they'd done until it was time. I didn't even get to see the preacher that morning until I walked out.

So there I was, anxiously waiting for the bridal march to start playing while my daughter stood ready to escort me out to my husband-to-be... and my phone rang.

I didn't answer it of course, but after we said our vows and danced barefoot to The One by Gary Allan, I found time to check my voice mail.

It was the Realtor, letting us know we had closed on the house and where we could go pick up the keys. After our little reception dinner, the whole family drove over to our new house, still in wedding attire. It was magical and one of the best days of my life.

So I'm truly sad to see it go, especially now that we've been unearthing all these memories while we've been digging out the closets and packing it all away. I still remember how weird it felt to sleep there that first night, and now tonight will be our last night there.

But, in the end, it's just a house and my home will always be with Jesse, wherever we are.  My life isn't perfect. Anyone who says that theirs is is lying. But I will say this. My life is everything I wanted, and much more than I expected. I can't say if there is or isn't a God out there somewhere, but I do feel truly blessed and, although I don't say it enough, I cherish it all.

Now that I got all that out, I only have one thing left to say... Goodbye, House. Thank you for all the wonderful memories. I will miss you.

Unscheduled Post!

Just a real quick, unscheduled post.

I recently met with Michael Garza over at Goodreads. He hosts a blog dedicated to some really creepy stuff called What Horror Looks Like, so all you horror buffs should swing by there and check it out. It's one of the blogs I follow regularly, and I have to admit some of the topics and books he posts about has made me squirm. It's good stuff.

He also does a few author interviews and I'm very pleased to announce that mine went live tonight! You can read the whole interview here.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and I'll be back next Thursday!

Stitches!

Oh my goodness, the stitches came out today! Now, for those of you that have ever had stitches before, this may not be a surprise. For me, however, when the Doc pulled them and I saw my skin open up and the... whatever beneath, I shoved my hand at him and told him to PUT THEM BACK IN!

I was just so not prepared for this whole ordeal. Not that I regret doing it, though. I'm glad I did and I'm nearly back to 100%. Typing, mouse clicks, lifting some things, but don't ask me to turn a door knob. For some reason, that motion still gets me.

Even though the pain has slowed me down a little, I've still managed to stay ahead of the game for NaNo, although not by much. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to my current trend for the rest of the month. 50k words added to The Phoenix Curse isn't bad! Keep in mind, my precious super fans, I'm already done with the first draft for After - Part Three! Rewrites are difficult though, but I'll be diving right into it once NaNo is finished.

Also, After - Part Three will have something very special that the first two releases lacked... an Editor!! That's right! I'm in the market for one right now, and both part one and part two will be worked over. The release of part two has pulled in enough extra income for me to be able to finally indulge in this important step of becoming a real author. Sooooo excited about this!

So that's my very fun news for the week! Remember, After - Part Two is finally available, and if you're just hopping on board, After - Part One is available for free!!

Happy Thursday!

Hello everyone!

Here's an update for the past week. We (hopefully) have a buyer for the house, so that's great news! Going to wait in the car in the Sonic parking lot while the house is being shown is getting really old. Of course, that means we'll be moving soon... like... quite possibly REALLY soon, but then all this hassle will be behind us for awhile.

Next up... the recovery! It's going. Some days are okay, some has more pain than others. I'm able to type for short periods of time, so I have been keeping up with my daily NaNo targets, but I've also been using Dragon to help me along. It's only been one week, so I hope I'll see some major improvement over the next few weeks. The good thing is, I was able to do something about this before my nerve damage got really bad and there's hardly any numbness in my fingers at all.

I'm still a wimp and can't open any of my drinks unless I get creative, and then I normally end up wet somewhere. Oh well. That'll pass soon, I'm sure.

Well, to end my short post, if you missed it, After - Part Two is available on Amazon now! Woot!

Now that's it's getting colder, you've got a nice book to cuddle up with, righto?  :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!! See ya next week!

Recovery and Nano

So, I made it through! WooHoo! I'm not exactly loving this, though.

Last Thursday, I had my carpal tunnel surgery. So far, other than I can't really used my right hand for much of anything yet, the hand hasn't bothered me. I did not have the best reaction to the anesthesia though. Ending up sleeping the rest of the day when I wasn't throwing up. Worst. Halloween. Ever.

But I'm a trooper. I still got up on Friday and went to work AND made it through the whole day. I didn't accomplish a whole lot, I will admit, but it was my last day at my old job anyway and I was just tying up some loose ends.

That was the first day of NaNo, and that night I busted out the old microphone and loaded up Dragon and got to work. I still haven't been able to pull ahead yet, but at least I'm keeping up. I will have the next two days all to myself, and I'm hoping I can really lay some tracks down. As I've fleeting mentioned in some of my past posts, we are selling our house. It went up on the market on Thursday (what a day!) and we've already got offers, so keep you fingers crossed! We might be moving soon.

That will cut into a lot of Nano time, but I'm a fighter. Not gonna let that stop me! The book is still set in the TPC world, so I'm eager to keep writing.

Also, I AM typing this right now. Amazing, huh?? I would post a pic of the incision, but it's pretty gruesome. When I took the bandage off, I was not mentally prepared to deal with the wound. Ugh, so creepy. Looked like a shriveled zombie hand. The stitches don't come out till the 14th, so the next couple weeks are going to be interesting. Hell, this whole month is going to be interesting.

LASTLY for today... If you missed it, After - Part Two is now available on Amazon. Help me spread the word! I am so thrilled!

I should be back to my regular posting schedule this week. Sorry I got off track for a bit there. :)