School...

So we had Open House/ Orientation for school tonight. Which was a disaster. Katie and I have home room and writing together, but that's it. I like most of my teachers though. :) So I guess that's good.

BUT...I have to get up at 5. AM. Before the sun's up. Before my parent's are up. See something wrong with that? I sure do. Btw, I'm in the 8th grade. Yeah.

So, now I have to go to bed at 9 instead of 9:30. Ugh. This sucks.

But my math teacher told me he was 'digging my hair'. lol. ;)

I guess I'm going to go. Sorry this wasn't as long guys. I don't have much more time. :(

I'll let you guys know how my first day goes...

Have a wonderful and blessed night.

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

P.S. Don't forget As You Wish by Jackson Pearce and Blood Promise by Richelle Mead comes out tomorrow!

Change is good...I think

Change is something that is inevitable. Inescapable. Something you must face. Right? So why do we detest change, and make it feel unwelcome?

Change is a word that has different weights to it. There're heavy changes, as well as light ones. Sometimes it's hard to determine which weight it is, because sometimes we're so blinded by the fact that something's changing. Change isn't always natural, sometimes it's awkward, and really uncomfortable--but inevitable it is.

Change has always been something I have a hard time coming to terms with. My mom died when I was three, and living in the last place she lived is sometimes hard. I know things need to be changed in the house-new carpets, floors, walls, furniture, ect.-but I hate to change the things that were here when she last was. Those are heavy changes to me, yet not the heaviest.

Changes aren't always so major for me. Like a haircut, that's an extremely light change. I got my hair cut today without a second thought. I don't mind that kind of change.

School starts Tuesday, and, although, we go back to school every year, it still feels like a big change. A new grade, new teachers, new classmates, and new schedules. And sometimes, a new school. My cousin, Katie, is coming to my school this year because she's moving in with her dad, my Uncle Kenny. This is a huge change for her. At her school she knew everybody, it was a very small school. But coming to my school, she won't know anyone-save for me, my brother, and my friends from book club. And to top it off, there are 400 kids in my grade, 800 in the school for 7th and 8th graders. But she seems excited about this change, and I'm happy for her. She seems really happy to be moving in with her dad and coming to my school. So Katie, I wish you luck--and I'm here if you need me.

Change is inevitable...so why do I detest it?

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Whirlwind....

What? It's August 20th? When...what...how...did that happen? (Do I sound like Kristen Stewart yet? ;) )

But seriously, how did it get to be already August 20th? It was just yesterday that it was my dad's birthday...This month has been a whirlwind! This whole summer has been a whirlwind!

I mean, it doesn't seem like I've been out of school long enough. This summer has flown by, and we've had wacky weather so it hasn't been like a real summer. My brother was telling me "You haven't really had much of a summer. You spent most of it in your room." I just looked at him and thought What is he talking about? I finished draft one of my novel. I have somewhat of a plan to try to publish whenever I'm ready. He's saying that's not much of a summer? He's taking that lightly? Brothers. Ugh.

So school starts in five days--WOW! I don't want to go back, but I want some sort of routine you know? I found out who my teachers are--I didn't get the ones I wanted, but God gave me these teachers for a reason I guess. But don't get me wrong--I can't wait until I can be a full time writer. Or hopefully can be. I know making in to be financially stable enough to be a full time writer is hard enough in itself. But keep the faith and push on.

So I was gone this week, hence the no new posts. We went to the lake (my grandparents, my brother, and I) and we had a blast. I got more of a tan those three days than I have all summer. lol. But we did have a blast. I did a little writing, but I just couldn't get into it for some reason or another. And it didn't help that I didn't look at my outline at all so I totally messed up chapter three. Chapter three is turning out to be pretty long--but it's a lot to get through. But I think I know how to finish it and hopefully be able to move on to chapter four! Yay!

Well, I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow to make it look "Alice-like" again. Saturday my friend Ben gets home so I can finally talk to him again. He's been taking a lot of 'vacations'. Also, I get those new text books Saturday and John is going to show us how to use them. So that's cool. Saturday is also my mom's friend's party/bonfire...which is kinda exciting. Sunday...I have no clue what I'm doing. Monday is open house at school. Then Tuesday, I get up at 5AM and go to school. BUT As You Wish by Jackson Pearce and Blood Promise by Richelle Mead come out on Tuesday as well! Yay! I can't wait.

Is this long enough for you? lol.

Have a wonderful and blessed day.

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired.

P.S. I may have came up with a new title for No Title....Acceptance. What do you think? Comment below!

Revisions...good or bad?

As I've said, I started revisions last Monday. But suddenly I'm just not feeling like it's the same feel for the novel. I have no clue why. The characters are the same, the character personalities, for the most part, are the same, but for some reason, it's just not "flowing". Which bugs the crap out of me.

I guess the real reason that it's not flowing as easily as it did the first draft is because I've grown a lot as a writer, but I've also changed the whole story line--so that could very well be it. Also, I'm only on chapter three, so I'm still trying to get everything set up. But when I'm re-reading the chapters I've re-written it doesn't sound like my writing--it sounds more amateur...and so I start wondering if I'm wasting my time and then I get all mad at myself. So I'd much rather tell you about happy stuff--Okay?

So first off, my adorable little sister just gave me a Cinderella sticker! Why is this so awesome for me? Because Cinderella is her favorite princess and she just offered it to me! How sweet!

Secondly, Jackson Pearce (one of my many role models and inspirations) has a book coming out on August 25th called As You Wish. She currently lives in Georgia, so on Saturday August 29th, she's having a celebration party at a local Barnes & Nobles. For more info visit her Website http://www.jacksonpearce.com/, subscribe to her on YouTube at www.youtube.com/JacksonAPearce, follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JacksonPearce. She's a really funny person, and I can't wait for her novels. But if you're going to be in Georgia that weekend, you should definitely stop by. You can meet her and snag a copy of her book. And I think she might be signing them...I'm not sure about that though. (Above is the invitation Miss Pearce posted on her Website. (which I do not own).

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Isn't it Ironic?

Okay, so I started revisions Monday and so far I've rewritten the preface, chapter one, and most of chapter two. I decided I needed to change Hallie's, my main character, last name. So I was searching the Web for surnames of British origin--because that's where Hallie's ancestors are from. So I found Pearson and I thought it sounded pretty good. Hallie Pearson. So then I went to one of my favorite Websites, http://www.houseofnames.com/ and searched "Pearson" (http://houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sId=&s=Pearson) It turns out the Pearson family originated in Berwickshire, England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Which I found interesting, because the Great Schism was the same year. Then I decided to search Hallie's lover's last name, Harris. So I typed in "Harris" (http://houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sId=&s=Harris) and it turns out that the Harris family originated in Britina, England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. How ironic is it that I totally chose both surnames at random and they happened to originate in England at the same time? On top of this, when I first chose the surname Harris, I had no clue it was of British origin. So, to me, it's really ironic. But, to me, it also means Hallie Pearson and Edward Harris are meant for each other. <3

Also, in another case of irony I was just thinking about the bone doctor I had in the first grade when I broke my leg and guess what? I saw him today! HEY DR. ROMAN! YOU ROCK! He asked me how I was, looking at my legs, and I looked down and was like "Fine." He asked me if I was having any more pain with my legs and I lied and said "no." No offence Dr. Roman, but I don't want to have to come back to your office any time soon. But if I ever break anything again, I want you as my doctor. No offence, Dr. True (the bone doctor I had when I broke my growth plate in my right foot in third grade). Dr. Roman is awesome though. He's super funny and jokes with you the whole time.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Swimming In Life

There has been so much going on the past few days, I feel like I'm swimming in life--if not drowning. I mean, I've realized that this is how it should be. I'll re-cap a little bit for you.

My cousin, Katie, flew in from Florida on Thursday. I had never met her and she hadn't been home in ten years. So we had a small get-together Thursday night to celebrate her home-coming. Friday morning I went to the new outlet mall that just opened (I'm totally a small-town girl, right?), and then Friday night we had hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken wings at my grandma's just to celebrate that Katie was in town and my Great Uncle and his family had flown in too. Saturday, my Uncle had his birthday party and my friend went with me. From teasing my family, to walking the nature trail, to trowing the Frisbee, it was a lot of fun. (Even if I do have multiple bug bites!) This afternoon I took a break from everything and just lounged in the pool. Tonight, we're going to my grandma's again for tacos--which my uncle will be happy about. ;) I'm not sure what we're doing Monday night, but I'm sure we'll do something because Katie's not leaving until Tuesday.

Also, on top of all of this, the news and excitement that's came with me finishing my first draft and getting ready for revisions, has really added to the feeling of "swimming in life".

This is the way summer is supposed to be. Simple and fun. I think a lot of us forget that--I know I do sometimes. Especially recently.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Srsly?!? You're cleaning AGAIN?!?

Yes, I'm cleaning again. My friend is spending the night tonight and I haven't had her over all summer, so I'm super excited for her to come over! I have a lot of stuff that we can do. Play Sims on my computer, I have a Twilight board game we can play...and that kind of stuff. She's going to my Uncle's birthday party with my family and I, so we should have a blast!

I had some awesome ideas to improve draft one last night, so now I'm even more eager to start revisions! I've been working on my outlining, but that's not going so great. I know I need to do it, but I'd rather just start writing again. Especially before school starts.

On August 17th-20th I'm going camping/boating with my grandparents, so I'm looking forward to that! (Above is a picture of me on the tube last year) Every time we go boating we take a tube to pull behind the boat. I love that tube. I like to go really fast, but my brother likes to go slow. But I doubt we'll both fit in the tube this year. It's a one person tube. :)

Well, I must continue cleaning. My friend will be here in an hour and a half!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Book Club Bridge Fell Down, please take a detour

So, after I spent all that time reading that stupid book, no offense Laura Brodie, I had to cancel book club. Only two out of the five people read the book, myself and Katie. And only three people were coming. Then Katie couldn't come, so that'd leave me with a person who had not read the book. So I had to cancel. But that means I get to go to a party tonight, so I'm happy about that!

I made more pictues on http://www.faceinhole.com/ (above is a new one.) :) Also, below I posted a video of all of the FaceInHoles I've made of Rob and I. Enjoy!

I have to go. My friend Carly just asked me to co-write her book with her! How cool is that? Of course I said yes. :) Thanks Carly!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Global Geek Week--late!

So this week is Global Geek Week. I've been meaning to post this since the beginning of the week, but have just now found the time. I finished reading through draft 1, which I think I've already said, but I also finished book club book today. So now, all I have to do to be ready for tomorrow's meeting is clean my room and figure out how to look geeky tomorrow! Why you may ask, I'll tell you.

In honor of Global Geek Week, the Bookers are celebrating being a "Geek". A lot of people consider us Geeks because we like to read, and we have a club (through the summer) to read, and some of us write. So to show that we don't care what other people think we're dressing like Geeks and wearing geeky clothes! Sounds fun, right? I thought so too!

I'll be doing a review of The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie soon on my YouTube page, so watch out for it.

I guess I have nothing else to talk abou--

OH YES I DO! AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT! TWO THINGS ACTUALLY!

1) My friend Emily has read all of No Title, and yesterday she sent me an email that I would consider "fan-mail". She told me how much she loved the story and get this! She wants a signed copy of the first draft! She said it would mean the world to her! Ahhh! How cool is that?

2) My somehow related cousin, Joyce, has a friend who has a friend who works for a publishing company. Joyce told my grandma at the family reunion that when I get my book all done and edited and am ready to try to publish she'll talk to her friend's friend and send her No Title and we'll see what happens! That's pretty far down the road, but still it's amazing to even begin thinking about it! So...REVISIONS START MONDAY! YAY!

So now I have nothing else to talk about...

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Bed rest...

For some reason, my right leg is killing me! It hurts right where my leg and hip meet on the side, so any time I move it hurts! I think I bruised it, but it hurts because like I said, I have to move it to walk. I get occasional spasms in my hip for some reason. That's what happened when I lifted my leg to get an airbrush tattoo yesterday (picture above) at the butterfly festival. I didn't put my leg down automatically, like I should've, and so I think that's how I bruised it--somehow.

So this means I'm basically on 'bed rest'. I spent the morning downstairs reading my novel, and watching the history channel, and I managed to finish it! Yay! Now I can focus on The Widow's Season. Which I haven't read any of today yet. So that's what I'll be doing tonight. I still get this nagging feeling like "You should be writing", but that's silly because I finished draft 1 and I haven't started revisions yet. So I just need to let it go and focus on book club book.

I don't think I really have anything else to talk about...but I did figure out what to get my dad for his birthday. If it ever comes, it'll be late, but if it does come he'll love it, I'm sure. :)

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With love and blessings,

Officially Inspired

Reading + Guilt + Birthdays + Excitement = Confusion

So I've been reading a lot the past few days (mainly today), and that's a good thing. But the problem is I'm reading my story, not my book club book. Which I have to finish by Friday. But if I read 6 more pages today, I will have read 20 pages total today. If I read 20 more pages tomorrow I will have finished. I'll take some time off before starting revisions, which I hope to start before school starts back, and that'll give me some time to read The Widow's Season and finish it by Friday. I hope.

+

But I'm feeling guilty. Not only am I procrastinating with reading NT and TWS by goofing off and making pictures on http://www.faceinhole.com/ (the best one I've made is the picture above), I am also not spending too much time with my family. Which I feel super guilty about. I've been trying to spend more time downstairs with my family and less time in my room, but it doesn't always work so well. I've tried reading downstairs, but having a two-year-old sister who is addicted to Cinderella and therefore takes over the living room, doesn't make for the best reading/concentrating conditions. But if I'm not reading then I feel guilty because I know I could be reading.

+

My dad's 48th birthday is this week. It's Tuesday. So I've been racking my brain for anything of sentimental value I could give him this year, but nothing's coming to me. I hate being a bad gift giver, so I always try to give someone that means something to them, our relationship, or something that will make them laugh, or smile, or even cry. You know? My dad's super hard to shop for though. He doesn't tell us what he wants, so we're left to decipher what to get him. We've already gotten him something, but I like to give him something from just me. Wish me luck. *rolls eyes*

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But the last few days have been exciting as well! I found out that my cousin Katie (http://www.smalltown-bigworld.blogspot.com/) has been allowed to move in with her dad and come to my school! Yay! I'm super excited about that. But I'm also nervous for Katie. Also, I'm very close to finishing reading through my novel, so that's exciting for me. On top of that, my family bought these new books that are supposed to help you with homework and school work all the way through college so, being the dork I am, I'm excited about that! Also, a year ago today Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer came out! I went to a release party from 9:30PM (August 1st)-12:01AM(August 2nd) and dressed as Bella and everything! It was so much fun! *Btw, I officially bought BD at 12:10AM on August 2nd, 2008--nine minutes after it came out!! How cool is that? It was amazing and I can't believe it's already been a year! Oh my gosh! But it's exciting for me to remember that day and to think that maybe one day they'll be having mid-night release parties for my books. Okay maybe 'think' was the wrong word--maybe I should've used 'fantasize'. So excitement's definitely been present these last few days!

=

So all of this equals confusion. How you ask? Simple. I find myself feeling confused because I have so much reading to do that I've no clue how I'm going to finish it all on time. That leads me to feeling guilty because I'm not spending much time with my family. Which is pretty important because it's my dad's birthday week. But then I feel happy because I have some excitement in my life. So how can I be guilty and yet so happy? That's where I get confused. See, so it makes sense kinda. I mean it makes sense as to how I'm confused. But I've no clue what to do about it.

Anyway, have a wonderful and blessed day.

With love and blessings,

Officially Inspired