A Blessed Month

What a month it has been! I keep wanting to say so busy, but I’ve developed a dislike for the word busy ever since reading that one article that pointed out it is basically a cop-out and we should actually tell people what we’ve been up to instead of sounding self-important by covering it all under the one word “busy”. And the author is right – I mean, everyone is busy. Saying you are busy isn’t exactly special. So, I am trying to get out of the habit of using the word – I think I’ve managed to limit its use to like once a week now. Maybe. So, with that in mind, here’s what I’ve been up to:

1. May 26 – 28: Attending graduation festivities in North Carolina for my cousin
   • It was a lot of fun – I haven’t seen that particular aunt, uncle, and cousin in years, and we went to a strawberry farm, where they had the most luscious looking strawberries I’ve ever seen, excellent food, and amazing ice cream. In addition, my grandparents and parents were there, so I randomly got to visit with them as well!
2. May 28 – June 1: Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in different part of North Carolina
   • Oh, my goodness. I was so busy blessed by all the workshops and people! I got up in the mornings, did a quick workout, breakfast, then sessions until lunch, then sessions until dinner, and half the time there were things going on after dinner as well. I am actually quite pleased I stuck to my decision not to pitch, despite more than one person telling me I should at least try. It took so much pressure off my shoulders, and I was able to sit at faculty tables and random and just talk without the thought of sales in my mind, and got to know so many people I otherwise wouldn’t have! Daniel was, as ever, the emotional support husband, and kept laughter rolling at all the meals.
   • In addition, I dressed up as a pioneer woman for genre night and carried my stuffed bison, Hercules, around with me – I think people might have liked Hercules even more than Daniel. I also won third place in one of the categories for the Foundation Awards! I was completely stunned.
3. June 1 – June 13: Visited friends in South Carolina
   • Daniel is friends with the husband from college and his wife and I bonded over writing last year and have been exchanging e-mails ever since! What a blessing it was to be able to actually visit in person and talk writing to our heart’s content. We met their adorable children, admired their gorgeous house (TWO BALCONIES!), played board games, painted (okay, so Lindsey showed me how to paint some lovely ocean pictures, literally walking me through it step-by-step, and fixing the moon when I proved I couldn’t draw any type of spherical shape), and Daniel and I learned the joy of keeping iced coffee on hand at all times. And, yes, now we too own an iced coffee container, and Daniel has mentioned moving to South Carolina more than once.
4. June 14 – 20: Visited friends in Arizona
   • This was really more like a resort stay. The friend I was visiting had just moved to a house with the most gorgeous back yard pool/patio area I”ve ever seen, and she spoiled me endlessly. I got a facial, we went to a speakeasy (so cool!), got manicure/pedicures, went out to eat a lot (one of my favorite activities ever, WENT TO THE GRAND CANYON ON A TRAIN!!, and in general had lots of heart-felt discussions, laughter, and visiting. Truly a soul visit.
5. Since then:
   • Dinner with friends and family a couple times
   • Two podcast recordings – and if you haven’t listened to my latest, you can find them here:
     • The Young Soul is Ever Winged Part One
     • The Young Soul is Ever Winged Part Two
     • The Past is Present Every Day
   • Stayed at a sailboat AirBnB for Daniel’s birthday, including trekking to the Wallops Space Facility, Assateague Beach, and Chincoteague (the town area).
   • Lots of trying to catch up on things in between and prep for surgery tomorrow!

And, yes, I am having oral surgery tomorrow. A tooth extraction that has enough attached complications, my dentist is sending me to a specialized surgery center for it and I’ve requested to be put under. So that’s going to be fun.

So all in all, it has been a blessed month, and God is good. Oh, and I’ve managed to devour 18 books in the last month as well. Those kept me grounded when I needed a mental place to retreat. Thank goodness for audio books!

Anyway, see below for some pictures from the month!