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Well, immediately following the quarantine, life was looking a little bleak. I mean, I work at a summer camp with little kids. We weren't even sure if that was going to open this year, which meant I would be out of a job. Fortunately it did. And my social life was also looking a little sad. Outside of not really getting to see my boyfriend, my friends were all afraid to leave their house for fear of catching the contagion! But at least I got to try some really good foods. Psyche! There are a lot of food chains missing in the little town that I go to college in. So whenever I go home, I can't help but indulge my cravings. But most of my favorite places had modified hours that conflicted with my work schedule. No good food for me.
However, I'm not here to only spout sad news. Because this summer, I got to do a little work for myself. I created some fabulous prints that are now available in the print shop. Click the SHOP button above to get there. And I got a whole lot of writing down. But like I said in my Recent Updates post, I won't putting out any written publications in 2020. But with all the progress I've made, keep a look out for some stuff early in 2021. Of course I'll make an announcement here and on all of my social medias so make sure to go follow me! On top of all that I've gotten to really take a look at myself. I had a chance to evaluate my goals in both my career and my life in general. What is it that I want? And how do I make that happen? Am I doing it for anyone other than myself? Despite the catastrophe at the beginning of the year, I would say that this summer has been an overall success. And with all of its success, I am very glad that I will beginning again in classes every soon. Next week in fact. Until next time, stay safe!
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I know quarantine has brought everything to a screeching halt. And one would think that would provide me with plenty of time to get writing down. Alas, that is not true. When everything shifting online, my workload doubled and I had to prioritize school ahead of writing. In turn, I am now three months behind schedule. So I am sorry to say that no books will be coming out this year, 2020. I'm sorry but I have to make time for work and school and maintaining my own well being. I hope that as everything begins to return to normal so will my work schedule. But as of now it looks as though there will be no printed publications. But if everything were to change, I will you all know immediately.
It's not all bad news though. I like to create digital art prints in my spare time. I don't have a lot of that so they're coming out slowing. But coming. So look out for those. As for the blogs, I will try to maintain a regular upload schedule of every Monday. I think that I can do that now with everything happening. I'll make sure to update everyone here, on the website, so keep a look out. But until then, stay healthy! As continuation of last week's workout! For this last week, I will take you through my personal daily workout routines. Let's push on! And don't forget to stretch!
As continuation of last week's workout! For the next two weeks, I will take you through my personal daily workout routines. Let's push on! And don't forget to stretch!
As continuation of last week's workout! For the next three weeks, I will take you through my personal daily workout routines. Let's push on! Please don't forget to stretch!
With everything that in going on, the COV-19, the quarantined, people are not feeling motivated to do things. Well, I suppose it's not really like we could. So no one is exercising. The most overly used claim is that the gym is closed so it's not possible. But people work out from home all the time. Me included. So I decided to to share my workouts with you! For the next four weeks, I will take you through my personal daily workout routines. Also please don't forget to stretch!
So this week, I actually had to cook for myself! Yeah, yeah, I know. It's really that big of a deal. But I've become accustomed to the on-campus dining and not having to do more than swipe my card and grab some food. But this week (because I decided to return to campus a week before it actually reopened) I had to cook everyday this week just to survive! But I made some pretty good food. Check it out. Monday, Jan 6 Jambalaya Spicy one-pot jambalaya. Andouille sausage, white rice, skinless chicken breasts, all in one big pot to create a blend of savory cajun flavor. Tuesday, Jan 7 BLTs Bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, and mustard. Along with homemade potato fries. Simple but delicious. Wednesday, Jan 8 Baked Tilapia Easy baked tilapia flavored with fresh lemon and Italian Garlic. Along with slow cooked wild rice and broccoli mac & cheese. One of my favorite dishes. Thursday, Jan 9 Spaghetti Thin noodle spaghetti with smoked sausage and savory tomato sauce. Served with a garden salad and cheesy biscuit cookies (namely because I messed up the recipe and it turned into a cookie more than a biscuit). Friday, Jan 10 movies I went to the movies. My boyfriend dragged me into watching a period piece called 1917. About a series of events of two British soldiers, Schofield and Blake, when they impossible orders to race against time. It was really good, to my surprise. But I eat at the movie. Had some nachos and gobs of popcorn. Saturday, Jan 11 Wings Half and half baked wings. Honey barbecue and buffalo baked in one tin and cooked alongside a cheese loaded baked potato. Sunday, Jan 12 Salmon Lemon and garlic buttered salmon seasoned with salt and pepper and baked with brussel sprouts. Served with slow cooked wild rice and salted tomato slices. ♪This Christmas, I gave♪ up my life!
This Christmas, was the first year I actually had to grown up, being 20 now. So, not only did I have to spend actual money that I don't have (although, I suppose that is the expectation), I had to book my own flight, I had to work and still I spent a lot of time by myself. That first week, December 8th through the 14th. A lot of people left campus. It was supposed to be finals week but nearly everyone got there's done early and by the end of the day Tuesday, everyone I knew had gone home. I spent that week, doing and redoing my hair, working out, writing, doing some volunteer work, oh, and watching an abundance of NetFlix. But for the most part, I spent nearly 8 hours by myself everyday. And don't get me wrong. I don't mind being alone. I can get a lot work done when my boyfriend isn't singing at the top of his lungs, or when my friends are pushing me to go out with them. But I was kind of used to it. And I quickly got pretty lonely... If I had known it was going to be so empty up here, I would have scheduled flight for earlier. But if I had, I would had to leave my car at the airport and spend upwards of $200 on parking. But because I decided to wait, my boyfriend's father was back in town - from Missouri where they went to see his sister graduate - and said I could leave my car at his place. His father also said that I could stay the night before the flight, in my boyfriend's old room, so I don't have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to get there on time. His parents are so nice. I ended up getting them Christmas presents. His father is a lot like him with all the jokes and goofiness, so I got him a gag mug with yo mama jokes on it. For his mother, who LOVES to cook, I got her a cutting board. Or a cheese platter. I could be interpreted a couple ways. But I got her name inscribed into it so that it was personalized. But when I got it back, they just cut her name into it, which left gaps that food and bacteria could get stuck in. So I choose to fill it in, sand it down smooth, and add a waterproof sealant on it so that she could actually used it. It was process that took about four days, but it filled my week. I hoped they liked them. The morning of December 16th, my boyfriend's father dropped me off at the airport to catch my 9:38am flight. But when I got on the plane, it was delayed. And delayed again. And delayed some more. I spent probably two hours on that plane, just sitting in the runway. Apparently, the guys they got to come check it were not qualified and didn't fill out the proper paperwork. They checked off a few random boxes and they had to have someone else come in and really check the plane. The plane wasn't at all qualified for takeoff! So, they made us get off and get on a different plane that left at 12. But by that point we were flying into a snow storm and I was definitely going to miss my connecting flight. So I rescheduled it 6:30, which then meant that I wasn't going to get to North Carolina until 9:30. But finally, I was back with my mom. That first week wasn't eventful. My brother was still in school and my mother was still working. So, again, I spent a lot of time at home alone. I thought about maybe going out and exploring but I din't have my car. So I resorted to walking around the neighborhood. It was nice. North Carolina is a lot more humid than Arizona but at least t wasn't cold. Small victories. The next week, my mom had off and we did a couple of different things. We went to the Christmas light, had a mini Christmas party. And I finally had a crab boil! Yum! I loved it. And, we went to Jumanji 2: Next Level.I was told repeatedly not to see it but my love of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson pulled me! And I loved it. Which is why I often ignore the opinion of other people. Well, for that and a mix of other reasons. And on Christmas morning... I slept in until noon. My brother as well. But my mom had gotten up. When I finally a woke she and I made a last minute trip to WalMart for some crab legs. Yep, we had a seafood boil for Christmas dinner! It was so delicious. Just thinking about it now is making my mouth water. Boy, I wish I took leftovers. But after dinner we finally opened the presents around 6:30. My dad got me calligraphy pen! Oh my goodness, it's so beautiful! I love it so much! And my mom got me a, well needed, printer. Let me tell you how many times I have been late to class trying to print something off last minute at the library. Now I can be later for trying to print something off last minute in my room. BABY STEPS! I got my brother a toilet light for his 3am bathroom runs. The kid seems to never sleep. And I got my mom a personalized necklace. It was a good day. I had a lot of fun. But I would be remiss not to mention that I was immensely happy to be back in Arizona, in the arms of my boyfriend, the next day. Yep, my flight back to the AZ was the next day. There were a series of miscommunications and I left a few days earlier than I originally intended. But I did have a lot of fun. I hung out with my boyfriend and ALL of his extended family. I won't say that that it was a tad overwhelming. I will say that it was very overwhelming to meet all of his family all at once having that ask me what I was doing with my life and what I was planning. They were very nice and probably didn't have any idea how I was feeling but boy was I drained by the end of the day. That night was fun though. We had a massive dinner and played a plethora of Christmas games and made many jokes at the expense of my boyfriend. It was a good time and I'm glad I went. The very next Monday, though, I had to leave my boyfriend again. I had to go back to the summer camp to work. Or winter camp as it were. It was just for a week, and oh so fun. I had a lot of the same kids I had over the summer and some new ones. It was just two of us working at any given time and a lot of times just me, with ten sometimes fifteen kids but they were well behaved. They just wanted to play and talk and I did too so the week ran smoothly. Most of the time. The day after New Years, where all the kids stayed up the night before, was kind of hard. They were cranky and tired and a little hard to manage but after lunch they regained their energy. And the snowy fun resumed. When that week ended, I decided to drive back up to campus on January 4th. I thought I had to be a work that next Monday (today) at the elementary school and I kind of wanted the Sunday to get settled in. But turns out I had another two weeks to settle in. So I stayed a few more days and left today. Now I'm back on campus. And my boyfriend decided to come up with me. But there is no one up here but us and a few other students. Classes don't resume until next week. So maybe I'll get some work done though. Maybe flesh out the cover of my next book. Hehehe! I will say though, I did have a lot of fun in the chaos. But I'm ready to get back to a routine! Also, I'm sorry that my post frequency has slowed down. When the last semester began, I didn't really have time to write a lot. But I'm hoping to be better this semester. Happy New Years everyone! I think I know myself pretty well. I have had 19 (nearly 20) years to study, after all. And I know I have a fragile heart. I know when I fall, I crash. But my heart is like the last domino in the line. So many things have to fall into place within me before all of me goes crashing down. I mean, I have myself guarded up tighter than Fort Knox.
So these words have always been so hard for me to say. When I meant it anyway. When I didn't it just kind a rolled off my tongue. "Oh girl, I love you!" "I love you! You're so funny!" But in the context in which I'm opening my heart, it always making me nauseous. Not because I didn't mean it or didn't want to say it. It's the fact that I'm actually exposing myself. It's like your teeth. You munch and munch on them all day without a care. Then you get a cavity. At first it doesn't hurt so much. Just with sugary foods. Then with all foods. Then whenever you move your jaw. But by that point the nerve ending is exposed and you start to favor the other side of your mouth. Or if you are hygienically wise, you go to the dentist before it gets that bad. It's the same way for me with those words. As they become more real, the harder they are to say. So I start saying other things that imply or allude to what I'm trying to say and still get the job done. Backwards, I know. But now I've come to like it. In this way, I know it's real. I mean, I still have trouble telling my mom I love her and I've been doing it for nearly twenty years. It just feels weird in my mouth. So when I feel this nausea - as scary as it is - I'm more incline to just say it. Because it's true. I've got only one life and it's a pretty short one so I'm not gonna waste my time not telling my truth, not telling my feelings. Yes. It is just one phrase. Three simple words, I know. But to me it is the second most important phrase a person can say. When it's true. To Him
I am a delicate little bird Not to be pushed Or I might fall Carefully protected by his guard To Him I am as fragile as thin glass Not to be dropped Or I might shattered Safely carried in his embrace To Him I am as sensitive as creaky wood Not to be jumped on Or I might splinter Polished by him regularly To Him I am a gentle warm breeze Not to be ignored Or one might miss it Laying in my comfort To Him I am a soft blanket Not to be tugged Or I might rip Shared only with him But to Me He is the delicate little bird. Fighting against the winds of a stereotype To be a man, To protect at night, To provide at day. But I can see through His chirpings of fake laughs. His songs of forged reassurance. Oh, delicate little bird. I will sing for you. I will house you within my nest. I will swaddle you in my warmth. Oh, delicate little bird. I will protect you. |
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