Z is for Zebras and Zany personalities

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...

This may seem like a strange thing to be grateful for, but it isn't the zebra itself, but what the animal represents. Individuality. Uniqueness.

Although every zebra may look the same at first glance, no two zebras have the same stripes (something I learned from watching Madagascar with my kids). Each zebra is unique. Each zebra has its own identity.


Just like us. We are all unique. We are all special. At times we may try to compare ourselves to others. We may wonder why our hair is curly instead of straight, or why we can't sing as well as our friend, but the truth is, that doesn't matter. We've all been given talents and gifts with an expectation that we use them to reach our full potential.

This goes along with the fact that I LOVE zany personalities. I love to be around people who are fun and exciting, individual and unique. Who aren't afraid to be themselves, no matter what others think.

As I wrap up this last post for the A to Z Challenge, I am grateful for each of you. You are each unique, special, and have some of the coolest personalities ever! It's been so great to "meet" you and read your fantastic blogs! I look forward to seeing you around the blogosphere!

But for now, it's time to celebrate our survival of a month of continuous blogging! Can I get a Woo-Hoo?!

Ta-ta for now!! :)

Y is for Young Love

This month I am participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...


I'm thankful for young love.

There's something almost magical when you fall in love for the first time. Swiftly beating hearts, first kisses, nervous anticipation and excitement every time you see each other, and tender declarations of love.

I recently had a friend's fifteen-year-old daughter stay with me. She reminds me so much of myself at that age, which is fun to see since I don't have any daughters of my own. Slightly boy crazy with a crush on a cute boy, she was full of giddy excitement. I loved being in her confidence as she talked about this boy and the next time they would see each other (there is a little distance between them).

Talking with her, I realized how fun it is to be in love for the first time (not that she's in love right now, but someday she will be). What a great feeling it is to fall in love, to have someone love you back, and want to spend the rest of their life with you.

I'm also thankful that my own "young love" wasn't a brief, fleeting moment, but is one that will last a lifetime and continue on forever.

What do you think about young love? Have you met "the one" yet?

X is for maX

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...

This is maX. 

Oh maX, how do I love thee...Let me count the ways...

1. You are always there for me.
2. You clean while I write.
3. You diligently suck up crumbled crackers and goldfish.
4. You are patient with curious little fingers.
5. You clean without being asked.
6. After taking a break, you finish where you left off (if I could only teach my kids to do that).
7. You never talk back or complain.

Oh maX, what would I do without you?  


*Okay, so I might have cheated a little bit on this post...But, at least Max has an X in it!


**For those interested, Max is our Neato robotic vacuum. And yes, we really do call him Max! You can find more information about his uncles and cousins here...

W is for Washers

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...

What can I say? I'm grateful for washers. Any type of washers, really. Dishwashers. Washing machines. My husband when he washes the dishes by hand...

Where would I be without my washers? With the amount of laundry I do, I'd be up a creek without a paddle. I hope my washer knows how grateful I am each time I throw in a load of laundry. I truly do think at times how lucky I am to be living in a time of modern conveniences. Without my washing machine, this would be me....

Source

I look tired, hot, and very soapy. Yes, love my washer!

As for the dishes, gotta love my easy, convenient dishwasher that I pile my dishes into and Viola! They come out clean and sparkling (okay, maybe not sparkling, but you get my drift). Without my dishwasher, this would be me...

Source

Once again, I look tired, hot, and soapy! 

And what's not to love about a man who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty in the sink...

Source

What modern conveniences are you grateful for?

U is for Unlikely Heros

Photo Courtesy of Mission68.org

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...






I love the story of the underdog, or the unlikely hero that rises from the ashes. There are so many of these in our history and culture, and seen on television shows and in movies, but there were a few that came to mind that I wanted to highlight.

Think of David and Goliath. A small boy sent to kill the Philistine giant Goliath--we all know how things should have played out. But God intervened and gave David the strength of a thousand men. With a simple slingshot and stone, David killed Goliath and became the unlikely hero of the Israelites.

 

My all-time favorite story of the underdog comes in the form of the plump panda with an appetite for cookies--that same appetite which turns him into an incredible ninja warrior. I LOVE Poe in Kung Fu Panda. He is the epitome of the unlikely hero. Every one of the Furious Five expect him to fail (including Master Shifu), and they are astounded when the black and white furball is made of more than just layers of gooey goodness. He is fearless. He is AWESOME!

 

I even have my own unlikely hero that came in the form of a small boy on a hot, summer day. A boy who adamantly insisted that the workers fixing the road outside our house needed water and refused to listen when his mother tried to persuade him that they were fine. When we finally did bring water to the tired and hot men, we were thanked and even offered money because they had run out of water hours before and had been praying for a miracle. You never know when you might be the next unlikely hero!

Who is your favorite unlikely hero?

T is for Trees

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and

posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...




Have you ever noticed how majestic trees are? I used to not, until I married my husband. To me, they were just trees, offering shade from the hot, summer sun, and pretty leaves to look at during the fall. But my husband, a lover of trees, brought to my attention that trees are beautiful. Some have peeling bark, some have thick trunks and large, sweeping branches, while others might have gnarled and twisted branches. Each tree is unique.

A few years ago, on a family camping trip to the mountains bordering Tennessee and North Carolina, we came across a magnificent tree. Large and majestic, this tree stood out in the forest as we hiked. Of course, my husband had to get a picture of it...

Now, this tree is nothing in comparison to the Redwood Forest, of which my poor husband has yet to experience. Can you imagine the look on his face when he sees one of these...

Source

Better get your camera ready, because when he sees a tree like this, you don't want to miss it!

So, in a way, I'm grateful for trees, for their timeless beauty, and for the child-like excitement they instill in my husband!

S is for Savior, Jesus Christ

This month I am participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...

I am a firm believer in my Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't know where I would be today without His love, example, and atoning sacrifice. I know He died for me and each one of us, and took upon Him every pain, every burden, every sin, every sickness, every temptation, every sadness, every moment of despair that we go through in this mortal life.

He wants us to believe in Him. He wants us to come unto Him. He paid the ultimate price by giving His life. All we need to do is have faith that what He did will lead us back to live with Him and our Father in Heaven. 

Source

I didn't fully understand what the atonement was until I had to exercise it as a lost, heart-broken and humbled teenager. By searching the scriptures, I gained an understanding unlike any other. I gained a firm testimony that Christ loves me. Not only does He love me, but He KNOWS me, probably better than I know myself. 

I will be eternally grateful to my Savior who broke the bands of death and gave me a way to return to live with my Heavenly Father again.

If you have a moment, this is a beautiful video of images and scenes depicting the life and ministry of Jesus Christ with one of my favorite songs as background music.

R is for "Rivah"

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...




There is a place near and dear to my heart. It's off the beaten path, a tiny town on the banks of the Rappahanock River overlooking the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Locals call it "The Rivah." This place also happens to be the inspiration for my current work in progress, a contemporary romance novel set in Deltaville, Virginia.

I grew up visiting "The Rivah" every summer as my grandparents owned a cottage set back a hundred feet from the white, sandy beach and deep blue waters. It was my second home. It's where I learned to water ski, fish, catch frogs, find tadpoles, roast marshmallows, and count constellations.

It is the place that houses warm memories for myself as a child, and now for my children as they learn and explore at the cottage. Here are some of their favorite activities:

• Find soft shell crabs and put in the crab pots to catch the regular hard shell.
• Kayak out to the fishing nets to see the stingrays.
• Go tubing behind granddaddy's boat and try to stay on while he swerves the boat and makes them go over the wake.
• Swim out to the sandbar to play in the knee-deep water and try to avoid getting stung by jelly fish. 
• Ride the double-bike down Snake Road. 
• Go jumping down the sandy, clay cliffs, not caring how dirty they get.
• Roast marshmallows around the roaring bonfire. 
• Watch for porpoises from the sun porch.

There's truly no other place like it on earth....And it's mine, all mine, I tell you!! *insert evil laugh*

On a side note, this week is our Spring Break, and since I'll be spending the week with my family, I may not have the opportunity to visit blogs and make comments as much as I'd like. But, I will try to visit you soon!

Do you have a place near and dear to your heart?

Q is for Questionable Query Toughness

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...

So, I'm grateful for queries...Haha...NOT!

I wish I could say that I enjoy writing queries or that I love the query process, but that would be a lie. However, I AM grateful for what this whole query process has taught me about myself.

I'm tougher than I thought.

When I received my first rejection from an agent, admittedly, I MIGHT have
shed a few tears. But now, I've developed tougher skin. I don't take it personally. I look to other famous authors who have trudged through the query trenches and sent out dozens upon dozens of queries until there was an agent who was finally willing to take their project on.

For example, did you know that bestselling author Meg Cabot received a mail bag full of rejection letters from agents and 17 rejections from publishers before her first novel, Where Roses Grow Wild, was published? All in all, it took her three years of sending out queries to agents before she got an agent, and then one year for her agent to find a publisher willing to take on her project. Now that is dedication!

Also, J.K. Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter series, received 12 rejections from publishers before her agent was able to secure a deal with Bloomsbury Publishing. I bet all those publishers are kicking themselves now!

So even though I'm NOT thankful for the query process in and of itself, I'm thankful it has made me stronger. Rejections may come, but they aren't gonna stop me from reaching my goal. And THAT is something to be grateful for. 

P is for Poems and Paths

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...








Long before I began writing novels, I wrote poems. As a kid, I wrote every type of poem you could imagine. Lyric, limerick, acrostic, haiku, and ballads (just to name a few). When I was in middle school, I enrolled in a couple writing classes, mostly focusing on poetry. It was in this poetry class at the local community college that I was
introduced to one of my all-time favorite poems....


The Road Not Taken                     

Photo courtesy of Lisabryne.me

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;



Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,



And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.



I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.


~~Robert Frost



This poem now has important significance to me as it describes a moment in my life when two paths were placed before me and I had to make a choice. After I graduated from high school, I thought I had my life planned out. I would attend a well-known college in Virginia with two of my closest friends, I would be near my bad boy boyfriend, I would major in broadcast journalism....


But another path was placed before me. The opportunity to attend college 2,000 miles away, to leave friends, family, and a boyfriend behind. It was a difficult choice. And after much thought and prayer, I decided to take the path "less traveled". I left my friends, my close-knit family, and my destructive relationship boyfriend behind. It turned out to be the best thing I've ever done in my life. It put me on a new road with a new journey and destination. When I look back, I can only imagine what my life would have been like if I'd chosen the other path. Trust me, it isn't pretty. It would have involved a lot of heartache and too many tears.


I took the road less traveled by, and that, my friends, has made ALL the difference.

O is for Opportunities

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...



I'm thankful for the opportunities I've been given. When I look back on my life (however short it's been thus far), I feel blessed to have been surrounded by kind, loving people. Every opportunity I've had, whether it be performing in Disney World, or attending college out west, or even writing a novel, has been an amazing part of my life.

When opportunities knock, I want to seize them. But not just that. I want to create my own opportunities so I have no regrets at the end of this life.

Of course, there are some opportunities that I still dream of. Here are a few:

• The opportunity to become a published author.
• The opportunity to have a book signing for MY book.
• The opportunity to read positive reviews of my book.
• The opportunity to go on a girls' trip with dear friends (okay, that one is more of an indulgence, but what the heck).

Here's a great quote I found by Orison Swett Marden. Pretty much sums up my way of thinking...

What opportunities are you thankful for?

N is for Naples

This month I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge and posting every day in April (except Sundays) with the corresponding letter of the day. The theme I chose for this year is 26 Days of Gratitude. I'll be posting about people, places, things, and events in my life I'm grateful for. Today is the letter...

No, I'm not talking about Italy, sorry to disappoint you. Rather, I wanted to highlight another Naples, probably a little less well-known. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the southern, west coast of Florida--Naples in particular--but it is a beautiful place to visit. We are blessed that my husband's parents live there which makes for a nice vacation when we go down to see them.

Naples is located on the Gulf of Mexico with beautiful, clear, turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, and an abundance of palm trees. If you're looking for large waves for the kids to run and play in, then Naples beaches probably aren't the place to be. The water is calm and warm, and my kids have fun snorkeling for starfish, sand dollars, and my personal favorite, conch shells.

Photo courtesy of tourismnewsinfo.com

I'm a conch shell junkie. Every year we go to visit and come home with a bucket of conch shells (no inhabitable creatures inside, of course). I think I enjoy looking for the shells more than my kids do! You have to be careful though. Sometimes, the shells have a "smell", especially the larger ones.

A couple years ago when I was pregnant with our last child, we went down to Naples for Spring Break. We rented a pontoon boat and drove to a small island where there was an abundance of conch shells in the waters just off the beach. It was amazing. We found several LARGE shells, about 10 inches in diameter. I was so excited! We packed them up and took them back to my in-laws house.

Once we were driving in the car and away from the salty sea air, I noticed the awful smell. Like something had died. My husband said there was no way we were bringing them back to North Carolina with us, a twelve hour drive, but I was adamant. There was no way I was leaving those shells behind. We washed them and cleaned them, but it didn't help. We quadruple bagged them, but still, not much help. But, it was better than nothing.

Needless to say, we endured the twelve hour trip with those stanky shells. I think my kids only complained about half the time, and I tried not to barf in the front seat (being pregnant and all). Once home, we bleached them (a couple times), set them in the sun to dry, and viola! They were good as new! Now my son has these awesome shells in his surfer-themed room, and we only had to endure a little discomfort...okay, maybe a lot...but it was worth it!

My mother-in-law showing off one of the large conch shells.