3 more days in 2010!

Wow, this year went by so incredibly fast. Looking back over the year, there have been so many things to be grateful for in my life and some, not so much. But that is life, right? It is a roller coaster. But it is never just good times or bad times. It is both at the same time. This chaos surrounds us daily; ups and downs, stressful times and relaxing times, times of sadness and times of great joy and laughter, making new friends and losing old friends, financial hardships and being rich with love for friends and family.

Everyday, we make choices. Some good and some bad. And with every situation, we choose how we will respond to situations we are faced with in our lives. So this next year, choose to live your best life.
Choose not to hold that grudge.
Choose not to judge a person by their mistakes.
Choose not to assume the worst.
Choose not to throw away a friend.
Choose not to allow the outside world determine your worth.
Choose not to give up on those who have offended you.
Choose not to be unforgiving, no one including you, is perfect!
Choose not to allow anger and pride control you.

I want to wish everyone a Bright and Happy New Year! May all your dreams come true!

Love Always,
Kris

6 days til Christmas!

I absolutely love this time of year....

The rain freshens the air, and the smell of fireplaces being used to warm the home. The crisp coolness on your face, and the thousands of twinkling lights that illuminate the evenings.

But most of all, I love spending the extra time with family, and the exchanging of gifts that give us the opportunity to tell people how much we care. It's never a matter of how much money is spent. Only that smile put on a loved ones face that says you brightened their day by remembering them.

This is also a time when we are reminded of our many blessings, and reminded to share our gifts of time and friendship with those who need our help.

SO count your blessings, and then do what you can to reach out to others. Call a friend you haven't spoken with in awhile, mail them a Christmas Card or friendly note, leave a plate of homemade cookies on a neighbors front porch. Just letting people know they are cared for is one of the most precious gifts you can give.

Love Always, and Merry Christmas!
Kris

Book Review: Perilous by Tamara Hart Heiner

Perilous (WiDo Publishing, fall 2010)

Jaci Rivera has plans for her sophomore year: go to regionals with the track team, make the honor roll, and eat too much pizza with her best friends, Callie and Sara. Her biggest concern is Amanda, the pushy girl who moved in a few months ago.

What she doesn't plan for is catching a robber red-handed, or being kidnapped. The desperate thief drags her and her friends 2,000 miles across the Canadian border. They escape from his lair, only to find that he has spies and agents watching their path home, waiting to intercept them and take them back.

Then Jaci finds something out about her family. Something which irrevocably connects her to their kidnapper, and makes her question their chances of escape.

Perilous is the debut novel for Tamara Hart Heiner. For a debut novel, this isn't a bad start for Tamara. I enjoyed the tenacity of the characters and the determination they show throughout their journey home. I'm not sure I could have survived as long as they do in the book. I found myself continuing to read to see what was going to happen next. However, there were some plot holes and areas that didn't seem real or plausible, and maybe even a little out there or too coincedental for me. But don't let that stop you from checking out this story.The book is a decent read, and though the book just seems to end without explanation, the sequel will hopefully plug the holes and resolve things for the girls. You can't help but root for them!
I would give this book a grade of:

B+, waiting patiently for the sequel.

Please take a minute to check out Tamara's blog and websites. She is holding some pretty cool contests! Also, you can find her Book Trailer on YouTube!

Thanks Guys for listening,
Love Always,
Kris

Getting back on track.

SO, I'm done with the Shakespeare class! Yay! But now my brain is mush. My plan is to try and sprint to the finish, but I only have 7 days left, one being Thanksgiving, and one being my son's B-day...so it is more like 5 days....I don't see 50,000 words in my future. BUT, I'm going to give it a try and just see how close I get...

I did not sign up for another class until January, so even though NANO ends Nov 30...I'm going to keep on going til the end of the year and see what I come up with.

I just joined a critique group which starts in January, and I need stuff for them to critique!

Anyways, I wanted to wish everyone and very Happy Thanksgiving, and remind everyone to reflect on what you are truly thankful for this holiday. Life is so short and can be gone in a blink of an eye. You never want to be left wondering if you ever told someone that you loved them. So Tell Them!

Let go of the grudges, the only person they hurt is you. Let go of the anger, and forgive. Tomorrow might be one day too late!

Love Always,
Kris

Nano update! I'm only at 3800 words, BUT I'm one week from finishing my Shakespeare class, and then it's nothing but WRITING! I'm going to have to sprint to the end if I'm going to make the 50,000 word mark.

Math Time....

3800 / 50000 =  7.6%

350 words per page (avg) = roughly 143 pages

I've written: 11 pages

11 / 143 = 7.6%

So, since it is about the same, I'm going to count pages. 143 pages seems ALOT less daunting than 50000 words...BUT I'm still behind...
It's OK, I will be able to do it! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

HELP!  LOL

NaNoWriMo has started!

OKay, so National Novel Writing Month has started and I took the plunged this year to write 50,000 words in one month. Nov 1 to 30th! Crazy I know, but I'm going to try. As of day 3 I'm at 1879! Yikes. I'm hoping to keep plugging along during the first half of the month while I'm finishing my Shakespeare Class. Too much reading and writing for class and it takes alot of time. But I'm done with the class as of Nov. 20th, and that will give me 10 days of literary abandon to fill in the words I'm short by that time. I think I can, I think I can , I hope I can! The power of positive thinking, right?

Update on my arm...MRI shows a bigger fracture than they thought and it hasn't healed like they thought either. So I have an appt with the Orthopedic Surgeon on Nov 12 to find out what my options include. I'm not looking forward to it at all...Could be surgery, could be casted..not sure, but either way it sucks!

So I'm stealing a writing tip today from another writing buddy, Tristi Pinkston, because she is always full of wisdom.....

Just sit down and write something, already!

Yes Ma'am!

Love Always.
Kris

Rain!

Rain, Rain, Don't go away
Falling, Falling, keep coming down
Take, Oh Take, the sorrow and pain
Melt, Melt, carry it away.

I LOVE the rain. The sounds, the smells, the calming rhythm. It just seems to surround me and help cleanse away all the bad and energize with the new...

Now, it's time to open a window, turn on the light tunes, grab the hot cocoa, and read a book, all wrapped up in my favorite Superman throw! The Best Afternoon coming right up!

Love Always,
Kris