January 2019 Book Haul

When shopping (especially at thrift stores), it is a truth universally acknowledged by all bibliophiles that it is impossible to walk away without purchasing at least ONE book.

Since I have a little girl who's growing and plowing through clothing like it went out of style (and size) yesterday, I find myself more and more at Goodwills and the like, looking through racks of little pink onesies and purple pants and polka dotted sleepers and frilly dresses. I love it. When you have a small wallet and your daughter outgrows everything so fast, I love finding those bargains at thrift stores/resale shops that only ask upwards of $2-3 for something your child will wear for about a month before it's too small.

BUT I'm a bibliophile to the core. So is my husband. Thus, when shopping for daughter clothes, we ALWAYS derail from our purpose and look through all the books for sale. My favorite thrift store in town (conveniently located about five minutes from my house) sells paperbacks for $.50. FIFTY CENTS! If that's not a steal, I don't know what is. And you can get a hardback for $1.00. And children's books for $.25. #musictomyears #needmorebookshelves

So, like every other bibliophile online, I've decided to brag, er, share my monthly finds with you. I may sometimes have a new book that I actually bought for reals, brand new (that doesn't happen often when you're a full-time parent working from home trying to pay off student loans), but typically any monthly book haul I post is going to be majorly thrift store/resale shop finds. I think I have an unhealthy addiction to secondhand books. You just never know what treasures you'll find on those Goodwill shelves, I'm telling you.

(Note: my iPad camera has terrible quality, and my daughter lost my phone, so please excuse the blurry pictures. I did the best that I could.)

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The Comedy of Errors // Shakespeare

I've been slowly adding to my collection of Shakespeare's works. Not that I've read many of them yet, but I've convinced myself I will -- once I've completed the collection.

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Streams to the River, River to the Sea // Scott O'Dell

I don't actually know that I've read anything by Scott O'Dell. He's a pretty famous writer, most notably of Island of the Blue Dolphins, which I'll read one day, I promise. This, however, is a historical novel about Sacajawea. I thought it looked cool.

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The Wishsong of Shannara 

The Druids of Shannara

The Elf Queen of Shannara

The Talismans of Shannara // Terry Brooks

Not one, not two, but FOUR Terry Brooks books. I read one of his Shannara trilogies, like, 10 years ago, and being the fantasy buff that I am, I need to change that. Especially since he's the guest of honor at this year's Realm Makers. #wishicouldgo

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Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Capture // Kathryn Lasky

I remember watching the film version of this a long time ago, and finding the paperback first volume, thought I'd give it a chance. Besides, the main character's/owl's name is Soren, and I really like that name.

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The Shakespeare Stealer // Gary L. Blackwood 

I know absolutely nothing about this book, but thought it looked too amazing to stay on the shelf. I mean, c'mon, someone who tries to STEAL from Shakespeare? If that's not a grabbing title, I don't know what is. (Update: Just looked this one up on Goodreads, and apparently, it's a trilogy.)

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The Outlaws of Sherwood // Robin McKinley

I've read Beauty by this author and enjoyed it. And since I'm gaining a bigger interest in the legends and retellings of Robin Hood, I decided I needed this one.

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The Count of Monte Cristo // Alexandre Dumas

This was probably my second most favorite find of the month! I've wanted to read this classic for AGES, but couldn't bring myself to jump into a library copy or *le gasp* an ebook version. There's just something wonderful about reading a thick book in physical form. Super stoked about this find. Wow.

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Elsie's Impossible Choice (A Life of Faith: Elsie Dinsmore) // Martha Finley

One of my absolute favorite series growing up. I read every Life of Faith book I could get my hands on. Upwards of five times (Mille, though, I probably read closer to ten times). This is one series I really want to share with my kids, and I was so happy to find this second book to sit companionably next to the first book on my shelf. #sixmoretofind

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The Prophet of Yonwood (Book of Ember) // Jeanne DuPrau 

My sisters and I got into the City of Ember books shortly after the film came out. I don't remember much of the books, but I'm looking forward to re-reading them one day.

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North! Or Be Eaten (Wingfeather Saga) // Andrew Peterson 

BEST FIND OF THE MONTH! I am forever grateful to the person who donated their Wingfeather books to my local thrift store. I found On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness there a few months ago, and lo and behold, there was the second waiting for me this month. I WAS SO FLOORED. I mean, who gets rid of these books??? I'm happy they did, but I still couldn't believe it. This is an amazing series. Can't gush enough.

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Well, that's it for January, folks! 13 books in total for me, if you don't include the odd stack of children's books that I'm collecting for my daughter. Also, kids' books are too much fun. I'm obsessed with board books, seriously.

Anyway, what books did you add to your shelves last month? Have you read any of the ones I listed above? Let me know in the comments!

God bless!

Books: 2018 Edition

Goodreads informs me that I did well on my 50 book reading challenge for 2018. I actually managed to read 56, which -- considering I had school, a new baby, a move, and all during that time -- is pretty good. I would say this year's challenge is higher, but I'm hoping to write more, not exactly read more.

I post basically all of my book reviews on KiriBeth, so if you'd like to keep up with my reviews more, I'd suggest popping on over there to see what I'm reading and what I think of it. However, I did feel that it was a good idea to post some of my favorites here, just to give a shout-out to some great books. So, here we are: 16 goodies that I read last year (and links to full reviews on KiriBeth when they exist), in the chronological order of having been read. And why 16? Because I couldn't whittle it down to 10, that's why.

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Last of the Mohicans // KiriBeth review

A big surprise. This was my first time reading James Fenimore Cooper, and I loved it! Yeah, it's old and wordy, but it's a classic for a reason! I really want to read the rest of his Leatherstocking tales now.

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A Faraway Island // KiriBeth review

The WHOLE reason I picked up this book was because of the author. Annika Thor. 1) Annika is my daughter's name, so I'm pretty drawn to it. 2) SWEDISH. Anyone who knows anything about me, knows I love Swede things. The concept of this book was extremely fascinating; the main character got on my nerves a little, but it was a really interesting read all the same. Also, I'm taking a moment to rant that there are four books in the series, and yet only two of them are translated into English. #firstworldproblems

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A Tale of Two Cities

Ahh, a delightful re-read. Second time through, and it did not disappoint. The more I read of Dickens, the more I fall in love with his work. Oddly, this was my first Dickens since finishing The Pickwick Papers in January of 2017.

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The Rise of Silas Lapham

Ha. THIS BOOK. I'm still shocked at how much I loved this. If you want something oldie and comedic THIS IS IT. I should have posted a full review on KiriBeth, but being in school I didn't (sorry, folks). It was simply the best. And absolutely hilarious!

~*~

DragonSong // KiriBeth review

My very first Anne McCaffrey. You'd think that after loving dragons for so many years, I would have discovered her before now. Really great trilogy here, as far as dragons go. I'm looking forward to reading some more of her books before too long.

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Tyra

Sweet Tyra. This was a short story, but well worth every moment. I love the world of the Ilyon Chronicles, and this was awesome.

~*~

The Great Hunt // KiriBeth review

So far, my favorite of the Wheel of Time series. There are some "ehhh" moments that make me hesitate to recommend this series to people, but overall, it's been a fun (and long!) suck-you-in kind of epic tale. My favorite character by far is Perrin.

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Dancing and Doughnuts // KiriBeth review

I just discovered Rachel Kovaciny's books this last year. WOW. I loved every bit of this book, western fairytale awesomeness that it was, and now I NEED all the others that she's written. If you need something that's not your traditional medieval fairytale shallow retelling, this is it!

~*~

Twisted Dreams // KiriBeth review

A pretty unique Sleeping Beauty retelling. I was pretty intrigued. It's hard to say if there's something I can compare this story to, but it was definitely something that was fun to read. This really isn't your typical Sleeping Beauty story.

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The Worth of a King // KiriBeth review

Still my favorite out of all of Kendra's works. I'm really excited to see where the next book goes, but yes... waiting. I need to learn some patience. I mean, this has all your epic elements of an epic tale? What more could you ask for? (Other than the sequel, I mean.)

~*~

The Beast of Talesend // KiriBeth review

HOW AM I JUST NOW READING KYLE ROBERT SHULTZ?? Not sure how this happened, but I am greatly indebted to a good friend for introducing me to this book. Fairytales upside down in the best way possible. And wait -- you say he's written more? My to-read list just got a whole lot longer.

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Adela's Curse

This was a sweet book I found on my kindle. I don't really remembering buying it, but the synopsis sparked some interest when I wanted something new to read on my downtime (i.e. when baby was napping). VERY fairytale-esque, and super sweet. I found myself sucked into it quite quickly.

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Fated: Cinderella's Story // KiriBeth review

This is the story to read if you're a Lunar Chronicles fan and you need more retellings like that. Here's Cinderella in a story like she's never been in before. I was pretty surprised, and I'd really like to get my hands on the rest of the series.

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Five Poisoned Apples // KiriBeth review

Ahhh, the anticipated end of the Rooglewood fairytale collections. This, astonishingly, is probably my favorite collection to date (since I've still to read the Sleeping Beauty one). The stories were absolutely unique and breath-taking, and I can't believe I'm saying that. Just way too much to love about this collection, even though Snow White has been (to date) one of my lesser-favorited fairytales.

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Spinning Silver

And I closed the year off with a Rumplstiltskin story. I need to write a review of this, because it wasn't at all what I was expecting. The first-person POV messed with me a lot, since it's first person told from like eight different people, so it was a little choppy and frustrating when you weren't sure which main character was speaking to you. BUT it incorporated every little detail from the original Rumplestiltskin story to pure genius. I still feel a little in awe of it, honestly. A bit on the darker side, true, but what else can you expect from Rumplestiltskin?

~*~

And that's all, folks! What are some of your favorite reads from last year? Or what books are you most looking forward to reading in 2019? Please let me know in a comment!

God bless!

That Little Thing Called Time

Still alive, I see. And finally coming back to post something.

2018 brought me a lot of things I had only ever dreamed of. It was amazing to see God act in every area of my life. It's still hard to recognize that 2018 is OVER. It's done. And we're not getting it back again.

Part of me believes that 2018 was my busiest year ever. Let's list a few things from those 365 days, shall we?
~ I completed my undergraduate degree and graduated college.
~ I gave birth to our first child.
~ We moved our family to a new (and bigger!) apartment to accommodate our growing family.
~ I stood as a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's/cousin's wedding.
~ We celebrated our first wedding anniversary.
~ I finished writing Spindle Dreams.
~ I won NaNo (again) by adding 54K words onto The Twelfth Kingdom.
~ I helped my parents move out-of-state over Christmas break.

Looking back, I feel like I accomplished a lot of things. I remember a lot of fun times with family and friends, rough days finishing up my degree while 9 months pregnant, long nights learning how to mommy, and sweet moments with my husband. I was busy. I got a lot done, right? Not enough.

I also remember all the lazy moments and wasted hours from 2018. I think one of the biggest things I learned last year was that being busy isn't the same thing as being productive. I had a lot of goals for myself at the beginning of 2018. I don't think I fulfilled even a quarter of them. Instead, I binged my way through postpartum recovery with episodes of Cake Boss, Counting On, Love It or List It, and House Hunters. I scrolled through hours of Pinterest instead of writing another 500 words on one of my WIPs. I read and reread Facebook posts by the dozen instead of putting a couple dozen words together for a blog post. Confession: Tasty videos are super addictive.

I wasted a lot of time.

Now, I'm not saying any of these things are bad. I don't consider TV shows and social media to be immoral; too many times throughout the day I found them extremely helpful when needing to contact someone or look up a recipe or look up baby information. I just don't have the greatest self-discipline when it comes to monitoring the time I spend on such sites.

Those wasted moments really come back to haunt you. Let me tell you. I'm sitting here in 2019, thinking of everything I'd wanted to get done but didn't in 2018 and wishing I'd used my time a little wiser. Time is something that, once it's gone, you can never recover. And I don't want to get to the end of 2019 and have the same regrets of wasted time that I had in 2019.

One of the things I'm learning currently is that being profitable doesn't have to mean big goals and time-consuming things. I think one of the biggest reasons why most people fail like 93.876% of their New Year's resolutions is because they set impossible tasks for themselves that are bigger than the state of Texas. Profitability can be writing 500 words a day on a WIP. It can be putting together a 250 word blog post. It can be editing one chapter of another WIP a week. It can be any number of small things; the most important thing is that YOU DO THEM.

Yes, I know it's already a week to the end of January, but 2019 is still fresh! And as Anne likes to say, "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet." This is still a new year with no mistakes in it yet. The only mistake would be to waste it. Let's take it one day at a time, one small goal at a time, one step at a time, and make 2019 much more profitable than last year.

God bless!

It's That Time of Year, Again

Has anyone else noticed that it's November? Like October is GONE, and we're suddenly in the middle of NaNoWriMo?

My schedule didn't realize that.

My Little Writer, however, is happy since I'm currently NaNo-ing and plugging away on adding at least 50,000 words to my Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, The Twelfth Kingdom... which I've left sitting stagnate since, like, 2012. I had worked hard on it for about two months, written about 25,000 words, and then had gotten distracted with another story. Yeah, I had twelve very angry princesses waiting to pounce on me when I opened that dusty document.

To be honest, I toyed with the idea of starting a brand new novel for this year's NaNo, and my Little Writer immediately vetoed that. But I had a spark of new inspiration for this story, and I'm happy to jump back into it. I'm praying that this gives me the nudge I need to get the story out of being a "started-but-abandoned-draft" sitting in my documents folder.

And since I just hit 14K this morning, I thought I'd pop onto dear Blogger and give you all an update.

Firstly, I'm super excited to being doing NaNo again... FINALLY. With the last four years of my life being swallowed over in college and classes, I had absolutely no time to try to write 10K, let alone 50K. Now, I'm graduated and (metaphorically) pulling on my boxing gloves again. I'm also a wife and a mommy this time around, but so far keeping baby alive and trying to keep the house from falling down hasn't been too difficult to maneuver around.

My good friend, Christine of Musings of an Elf, is hosting a great writer's link-up for those of us participating in NaNo this year. This is the first of a three-part link-up, dedicated to NaNo enthusiasts knowing their novel. And I'm ignoring my Little Writer (who's demanding that this tag below is the October edition of the link-up, and I'm officially a month behind the times) and filling out the questions below for your enjoyment.

So there, Little Writer. I have to introduce my NaNo novel at some point, don't you know.

~*~

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

I believe it was actually first inspired by the film Barbie in the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I had just watched it for the fourth(teenth) time with my sisters and was wondering how one woman could have twelve daughters all so close in age without having multiple twins and triplets and quads, etc. I mean, come on. The story makes the most sense to have the girls fairly close in age. Fairytale age for a marriageable princess is typically 18 or 16; 12 daughters later, the youngest would have to be 6 or 4. Can you imagine a four-year-old dancing the night away? Uh, yeah. Me, too. If the oldest is 22, say, then the youngest (without multiples) has to be at most 10. Those ages could technically work with the story, but it still just didn't seem realistic to me.

So, I began brainstorming. And the thought struck me while I was doing the dishes (which just so happens to be my best brainstorming activity): What if the twelve princesses were adopted? They could all be super close in age that way, and the storyline would make more sense. The problem with that: What monarch would adopt twelve girls? And WHY?

Thus, The Twelfth Kingdom was born.

Mock cover for inspiration :)

2. Share a blurb!

Still pretty rough, but this is a scene from the beginning of the novel.

At last, J and B made it all the way to the iron fence. They pressed their faces to the bars and looked up, just as the crowd fell silent. 

“Thank You, Père,” B breathed. “We made it.”

The balcony doors opened and a man dressed in a crimson coat stepped out. He held a golden trumpet to his lips and blew a single note. 

“Why would he do that when he already has everyone's attention?” J whispered to B.

“Shh,” she waved her hand vaguely at her friend, not willing to look away from the balcony for one second. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, people of Tellorn, and all Findenland!” the man yelled. J was instantly glad that B had suggested they get closer. Otherwise, they would never have been able to hear him, and they would have to resign themselves to waiting for the gossip to reach them and learn the new princess's name. 

A real name. J licked her lips in anticipation. This was the part that excited her the most. Each of the orphan girls the king had adopted were given names suitable for princesses. The days of being labeled a solitary letter were over. Only people from the upper classes and royalty had real names. People of the street, like J, were not allowed to have names, only letter labels that they could use to refer to themselves.

“It gives me great pleasure,” the man continued, “to introduce you all to newest princess of Findenland, King Jakken's new daughter: Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelburna!” 


The doors opened again and this time a lithe figure wearing a pink gown and a silver necklace that caught the rays of the morning sun stepped out onto the balcony. For one silent moment, she stood nervously, as if unsure what to do. But the next moment, the crowd erupted. Cheers and shrill whistles rang out and echoed down the streets. J winced. The noise was deafening. Princess Zelburna blushed but waved as perfectly as one of her station should.

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

This story takes place in the completely fictional kingdom of Findenland. It is one of twelve kingdoms on a single continent, firstly inspired by (but not truly modeled after) the twelve tribes of Israel. This continent is actually where most of my stories take place, and Findenland is south of Secret of the Hazel Tree's Troisem.

Findenland is a mix somewhere between Denmark and Switzerland. While part of a large continent of twelve kingdoms, it is the only kingdom of the twelve to be completely landlocked, meaning their military advantage is handicapped due to not being able to have a navy like the other kingdoms. Instead, Findenland has to be creative with its trade and diplomatic relationships to remain stable. Diamond mining is their greatest asset, and they have plenty of lovely mountain views. While it is not as cold as Troisem, Findenland still boasts impressive winters, and one would be well-advised to not traipse alone through the mountains because wild cats run faster than humans.

4. Tell us about your protagonist.

J is a young girl living in the streets, trying to survive and take care of her best friend, B. That is, until they both get chosen to become the eleventh and twelfth orphan girls the king has adopted. While the opportunity seems like a miracle, it doesn't take J long to discover that being one of King Jakken's daughters isn't all it's made out to be.

J, to me, is a type of Esther Summerson. She's quiet, but she has a temper enough to speak her mind from time to time. She's compassionate, and she's got a good amount of courage that she keeps tucked in her back pocket. At the start of the story, J is about 15 or so years old.

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

This one is actually difficult to answer, because I'm not exactly sure. That's one of the things I'm fully discovering as I'm writing the novel. King Jakken would probably be the best answer, though. Although he is a father figure to the princesses, seeing as he saved them from the streets, he is incredibly selfish and only wants to use the girls he adopts to his own advantage. His patriotism probably runs deeper than it should, and he would do just about anything for his kingdom and his title.

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

Right now, a new pantsing exercise with a former minor character. What re-sparked my interest in writing this story was a minor character complaining that he wasn't getting enough attention. Although he had a big-ish role near the end of the novel, he insisted that he was big at the beginning, too. And then went on to prove it to me by trying to assassinate the king. I mean, if that doesn't grab the writer's attention, I don't know what will.

Then I realized that this was a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling... and I didn't have the soldier anywhere in the story. The soldier is probably one of the most iconic characters of the story, as it is he who discovers the princess's secret and exposes them. Of course, I had to have the soldier in the tale to make it as genuine as possible, and this guy who was supposed to be minor-ish was insisting that he was the soldier.

The only problem was he wasn't. He was the character of the soldier from the original fairytale, but he wasn't actually a soldier. He needed to have military experience to qualify for the job.

THAT'S when I saw political tensions creeping in from foreign parts, and then BOOM... I had another plot with a soldier that I hadn't ever planned on.

7. Is this going to be a series? Standalone? Something else?

Lord willing, standalone. It may be close to the near 200K Hazel Tree was, but that's how I like my fairytales. Thick, complicated, genuine, and chock full of gorgeous WORDS.

I have no idea what this pic is from, but -- all 12 girls right here. 

8. Are you plotting? Pantsing? Plansting?

Typically, I'm a total pantser (as made obvious with the answer to #6 above). However, I actually have most of this story planned out. I took the time to write down everything that should happen, and that's why my interest in this book died like it did. When I knew everything that was going to happen, why did I need to write the story?

Now, I've decided to use my six-page outline as more of a guideline of what might happen, rather than a specific roadmap dictating what exactly needs to happen. And things are a lot more exciting.

9. Name a few things that makes this story unique.

Twelve adopted princesses with backstories that don't leave them as 2D characters.

A law stating that commoners aren't allowed real names, only letter labels.

An assassin-turned-soldier serving under the very king he was trying to kill.

No magic.

10. Share a fun “extra” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

I do have a map I've created of the Twelve Kingdoms, but as it includes private author notes and was made with the amateur-ish Windows Paint software, I'm not super ready to share it with the world.

Instead, how about a look at Pinterest?

~*~

And there you have it! Now, if you'll excuse me, folks, I have a novel to write.

God bless!

News on Spindle Dreams

For those of you have been chomping at the bit wondering what in the world I'm doing with the latest novella that I said was coming out this fall...

Or for those of you who completely forgot I'd promised Amazon another book...

I'm still working on it. We hit a couple of snags in the publishing process, namely that of the cover, and I regret to announce that I'm gonna have to push the release date back. My goal was to have it available by the end of October, but we're looking at a date closer to the end of the year now. I haven't been able to nail down an exact date yet, but Spindle Dreams is coming! I will let you all know once the release date is set.

In the meantime, please think about participating in my cover reveal (TBA; once I have the final cover), and have a snippet to sample.

~*~

Obstinate as always, Samson refused to move.

“Come on, Samson.”

The horse snorted and tossed his head for good measure.

Felix groaned. “You’re not going to be stubborn now, are you? Please move.” He was certain Samson was pretending not to hear him. He dug his heels in again. “You definitely know how to try my patience.” 

The horse’s ears went up.

“Now I know you can hear me…”

Samson bolted. Caught unaware, Felix lost his hold and, with a yell, toppled out of the saddle. He hit the ground hard and rolled. When he finally managed to regain his feet, the rough forest floor had rewarded him with several painful scrapes and bruises for his trouble.

“Samson!”

The horse was gone.

Felix resisted the urge to shiver, even though the wind had picked up a little. He would have to walk back to the palace. “Look on the bright side of things,” he said aloud. “You could have fallen in the river again. At least your clothes are still dry.” He turned to follow the river out and froze.

There, standing on the river’s opposite bank and only a few yards away from him, was a woman. 

~*~

God bless!

Joy in Brokenness?

How do you deal with feeling broken? 

When your health always seems to get the better of you, is there any joy to be found?

I used to be a really healthy kid. You know -- the kind that could walk into a dentist's office and walk out again without any cavities. Staying healthy was easy. And other than your average cold during the wet season, I was hardly ever laid up in bed or stuck on the couch.

It's amazing how quickly something like that can change, though. In 2007, my family moved to a new house which was surrounded by fields on three sides. Those fields got liberally sprayed with pesticides and all sorts of chemical nastiness every spring, and my family never realized how dangerous that situation could be. In 2011, I suffered a pretty severe case of bronchitis -- after which I was quickly diagnosed with asthma and multiple allergies. I won't bog you down with the entire list of allergies, but besides being allergic to half of outside, I couldn't eat chocolate, soy, buckwheat, fish, and walnuts.

After being so free for so many years, it was a huge blow. I couldn't run around and play outside like I used to. I couldn't eat whatever I wanted. In fact, there were several restaurants that I couldn't eat at period. Seriously, have you tried to eat out with a soy allergy? Forget Chinese.

I'd never had health restrictions before. I couldn't understand why God gave them to me.

To be honest, I got rather bitter about it. My body had basically been poisoned. In addition to the allergies and asthma, I contracted mono (ebstein barr virus) in the next few years. The changes to my body also put me at a high risk for cancer and infertility. For years, I worried that, if God did lead me to marry someone, I would never be able to have kids.

Infertility was really hard to accept because most of my life I've wanted the chance to be a mom. And taking the step to dating my to-be husband, Jed, only made it worse. I knew how much he wanted a family; we both wanted a large family. But considering that I was a carrier of mono, I'd probably pass the virus onto Jed after we were married, and there was a pretty good chance I'd pass it onto any children that we might have together.

I felt utterly broken and useless. 

Jed really was a true blessing sent from the Lord. In those low emotional moments (which happened more often than I'd care to admit), he would always point me back to God. Every time I complained about feeling broken, he was quick to assure me that I wasn't. True, my body may have been limited physically, but that didn't mean I was broken. There was still joy I could embrace while avoiding eating chocolate and contemplating a future with no children.

My joy doesn't come from being complete and unbroken. My joy doesn't come from a healthy body without dietary and physical limitations. My joy doesn't come from ten robust children running around in a big farmhouse. My joy doesn't even come from my practically perfect husband/then boyfriend.

My joy comes from the Lord. 

God is my Sustainer and the source of all my joy. To step beyond the feeling of brokenness, I had to change my perspective. God didn't allow the multiple health issues because He wanted me to have a hard life. He gave all of this to me as a gift because He knew I could handle it. Even in the moments when it feels most overwhelming, I have to keep that outlook. I can handle the hard stuff because I have an Everlasting Rock in my Creator. And that will never change.

It is still difficult to accept the health challenges. I think God used the allergies and other things to get my attention. I was focused so much on myself and my perfect future that I didn't think about what future God might have planned out for me. I had to let go of my own dreams and learn to willingly follow God wherever He might lead.

Today, I am happy to say that the mono is more under control, and I am the very proud mother of a healthy 5-month-old baby girl. As an added bonus, during my pregnancy, I discovered that some of my allergies cleared up, specifically the food intolerances to chocolate and soy.

I don't know if my kids will experience the mono virus. I don't know if God's plan for my life could be flare-ups of mono and a battle with cancer in the future. I don't know that my allergies will return, or if the laundry list of ones I still have will ever go away.

But I do know that Christ is sufficient. Whatever He gives me He knows I can manage it. 

And I think that's been the most helpful thing of all. If I can change my attitude towards my circumstance and find a way to praise God in it, the problems almost melt away. Yes, they're still there, but they don't feel as consuming anymore.

If I have the body that God intended me to have, health problems and all, I can rejoice because I'm living inside His plan for me. If I only ever have one child instead of ten, that's the best thing ever. If I can't walk outside in the spring without my inhaler, so be it. It's so comforting to know that God is still in control. And even if He never allows me the perfect future I envisioned for myself, it's okay because He has an even better plan for my life. I just have to keep stepping up in faith and trust Him to lead me.

There is joy in brokenness. 

God bless!

Happy Palindrome Week!

Because of my synesthesia, cool numbers always fascinate me. When the stars line up and the colors just scream at me, I can't help but admire them. But it's not always the colors; sometimes the technical, analytical aspect is just too awesome to ignore. Although I'm not a huge math person, I enjoy seeing things line up perfectly. I guess you could say I have a bit of synesthetic OCD.

Lately (this week, in fact), the internet has been blowing up celebrating an odd occurrence known as "Palindrome Week." For those of you who don't know, this week (or so) of August is the only week this year that is the same forwards and backwards. See below.

*Image not mine; found via Google search.

Isn't that so cool?? Every date is the same backwards AND forwards. The little synesthete in me is just so happy with this. Yes, this sort of thing has happened more than just this year, and technically Palindrome Week this year (2018) extends from August 10th to Augusth 19th (longer than the picture above acknowledges). That's 10 days in a row that can be read the same backwards and forwards!

August 11th happens to be my birthday and, on top of celebrating with a free pizza from a local restaurant and my hubby surprising me with a special date to get ice cream, I got to celebrate my birthday as being part of Palindrome Week! (Yes, I'm a nerd.)

Palindromes are one of those number things that fascinate me. So do consecutive numbers. And to help celebrate this week of cool numbers, I have another "week" of cool numbers that I'd like to share with you all in a short, nerdy post. These are not palindrome dates, bur rather consecutive dates that fell so perfectly that it would be a shame not to share during this week of weeks.

Ready?

June 20, 2015

I found out that Jed was interested in me. 

April 21, 2018

I gave birth to our first baby -- a little girl named Annika. 

April 22, 2017

Jed and I got engaged. 

April 23, 2018

Little Annika's duedate.

June 24, 2017

Jed and I were married. 

August 25, 2017

Jed and I found out that we were going to be parents. 

April 26, 2015

I severely friend-zoned Jed and told him we'd never be anything more than friends. 

It alternatively boggles and fascinates me that the the days of the "20s" are so key to every big step that Jed and I have made together. Please note that these events did not all happen in the same year. This has been a four-year process; though, I never thought that in just four years I'd go from friend-zoning a guy to giving birth to our first child.

Isn't it cool how God works things out according to His plan? I'm so glad for this four-year, consecutive-date plan. Of course, now I'm going to be pretty alert for big changes anytime another consecutive date rolls around.

How about you? Any special consecutive dates in your life? How are you celebrating Palindrome Week?

God bless!