Miscellaneous

Hello out there in Blog-land! Welcome back to the Compass Rose Queen, where we celebrate the journeys of women (sometimes historical, others fictional, and sometimes my own journeys). Sorry it’s been so long! It’s not that I haven’t had ideas of things to write about. I’ve been finding lots of stories of amazing journeys of women that I would love to share with you. But a couple things have kept me from writing. Only one of them is a good excuse, but I’ll discuss them both here. Keep reading to get to the good stuff (actual writing about the journeys of women, including links to things I’ve written lately, and an announcement about my day job/career if you haven’t already seen it on Facebook!).

My first excuse category is about the writing process. I have too many ideas and don’t know where to start. Whose story is most compelling or timely? And then, how do I go about not just sounding like a Wikipedia page and insulting your intelligence because you could look her up yourself? If I have a book about her, how do I find the time to read it? Yeah, yeah, I told you they’re terrible excuses! But that’s what’s been going through my easily distracted and discouraged brain.

My second (and much more fun) excuse is that I have been writing for other forums. I’m on the blog team for my church, so about once every couple months I write an article for it. Also, I’ve had two written pieces published in the new online literary magazine Illumine: Collective Light. The last things I wrote for each of these forums were both focused on the journeys of women (one is about a friend of mine, and the other is my own personal journey of discovery), so I’ll post links to those here.

The first piece I’ll include is my blog post for church about a young friend of mine that I met while visiting my old church camp five years ago. She is an inspiration to me! The theme we were all writing about was adventures with God, and I thought of her because her camp name was Adventure when I met her! So yeah, not to be punny, but I wrote about Adventure in more ways than one.  http://www.citysalt.org/blog/2019/7/19adventuringwithgod-jj

The second piece is my latest work for Illumine: Collective Light, and is an unusual format for me. I normally write prose, either fiction or nonfiction. I haven’t written anything resembling poetry since I wrote a prayer/song years ago, and I certainly haven’t had any training in it. So please don’t judge it for any literary merit. Also, I have mixed feelings about sharing it, because I’m afraid it can come off like I’m bragging about the places I’ve been. That was not my intention when writing it. The theme was “Wonder” and when I sat down to write about the concept of wonder in my life, this is what came out. It’s about my journey of discovering that it’s not the amazing places but the people in our lives that are the best wonder of the world. It’s dedicated to a former student who was killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul last year, just one of the wonderful people I’ve met in my life’s journey. https://illumine.collectivelight.org/volume-3-wonder/what-a-wonderful-world/

That’s probably enough for one post for now. You’ll have to wait for the next post to find out about at least one of the awesome famous/historical women I’ve discovered. But I’ll post below  links to some of my other articles and blog posts in case you want to read more (and proof that I have been writing something!). Oh, and I promised you a job update! Most of you know that I’ve been teaching for the last several years at a military-style charter school. Well, I will miss it, but it was time for me to move on, so I’m happy to announce that I was recently hired to teach at a private school for students with special needs. I’m excited for this next step in my career! Many thanks to those who supported me through this, by being a reference, giving me advice, praying for me, and other ways.

Happy journeying!

My other submission to Illumine: Collective Light:  https://illumine.collectivelight.org/volume-2-stillness/stillness-that-elusive-gift/

Other blog posts I’ve written for my church:

http://www.citysalt.org/blog/2019/5/24perpetualcreativity-jj

http://www.citysalt.org/blog/2019/3/22beautyfromsuffering-jj

http://www.citysalt.org/blog/2019/2/1ahamoment-jj

http://www.citysalt.org/blog/2018/10/19tension-jj

http://www.citysalt.org/blog/2018/6/15interruptible-jj

I have a lot on my mind right now. For the last several years, I’ve mostly used this blog to share some of my journeys with you all. And even that has been very few and far-between. But I’ve been wanting to return to the original purpose of my blog, which is to highlight the journeys of women (other than myself!).

For the most part, the posts I’ve done with that theme have been mainly educational and encouraging. Maybe even inspirational. But today I want to do more. And this time, instead of a single woman’s journey, I want to share the horrific journey of an entire people group. Not because it will be fun. Because it is needed.

I was very moved and challenged tonight by my pastor’s message. I won’t try to explain it, because he dealt with some sensitive issues and was afraid of being misunderstood himself. But what I got out of it is being moved to action about something that has been on my heart for a while, but I didn’t know what to do about it. Plus, in my comfortable, privileged, middle class life, it’s too easy to ignore it and move on.

Unfortunately, those who are suffering can’t do that. But in my religion, we are given another privilege: that of suffering and sacrificing for our Lord’s sake. And by that I don’t mean a masochistic or meaningless suffering. Jesus said that what we do for those who are in need, we do for Him.

Let’s be realistic: no matter what I do, I can’t possibly be suffering in the same way as the people I want to help are. But I can still do something to help them; sacrifice a little. My time, my money, my comfort. Something. I’m tired of sitting by the sidelines feeling helpless.

The people I want to help right now are the Rohingya people. Most of them are refugees in Bangladesh now, because their home country of Myanmar has forced them out violently. They don’t even get counted as citizens there even though that’s where they’re from. Women were raped, and now are giving birth in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Now, supposedly safer in Bangladesh, teenage girls are being trafficked into the sex trade. These are not the heroic journeys of women that I like to write about. It breaks my heart. For more information, read an article written today on the United Nations Refugee Agency here:     http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/news/stories/2018/7/5b34ffb64/monsoon-rains-highlight-needs-rohingya-refugees.html      In light of the upcoming Independence Day holiday here, where we celebrate freedom, the last line of the article was especially poignant to me, where a Rohingya man said, “We want to go back to Myanmar as soon as possible, but only if we’re given full rights as citizens. We want to be free.”

My brain has been working this out ever since my pastor’s message tonight, so I am still fleshing this out. But I wanted to write this while my heart is still heavy. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m self-centered enough that tomorrow I could forget about it and go back to my comfortable life. But I’m determined to start something. Maybe it will grow to be something big. Maybe not. But at least it’s action, finally.

Here’s my plan. I’m going to find a good organization to donate money to, that will go directly to helping the refugees. So far I’ve found a way to donate through the UNHCR’s webpage. I also found a link that focuses on the children, through UNICEF (also a United Nations org.). And I know I’ve seen other organizations on Facebook. If you want to join me in this, find one that you feel comfortable donating to. No pressure from me.

Next, I’m going to do something that’s very hard for me to do, because I’m a wimp. I’ll let you figure out all the physical and cultural reasons I’m a wimp in this way. But here it is: I’m going to fast and pray this Wednesday. For the Rohingya refugees. And of course for Afghanistan, because things are very difficult there too, and that country will always be on my heart. But on Wednesday, I will not eat breakfast or lunch. I know it’s not much compared to the suffering of the refugees who do not have enough food or medical attention. But it will help me remember to pray for them. I will be praying that their current needs will be met, and that the Myanmar government figures out a way to ensure their citizenship and safety so they can go home.

Yes, I know that Wednesday is a holiday here in the USA. And that usually involves food (and fireworks, but that’s besides the point). But while the Rohingyas aren’t free in their own country, I can give up a little food on the day I celebrate freedom in my country. And if any of you want to join me on this, please feel welcome. In fact, anyone who lives in my current city (and with whom I feel safe and comfortable having over) is welcome to come over and pray with me sometime during the day (text me first so I know to expect you).

In case you’re wondering, yes, I know there are many suffering people here in the USA, as well. I will be praying for them as well, including the children being separated from their parents at the border. I’m not trying to be political here. I think we can all agree that the children are innocent and suffering in this situation.

Thank you all for listening. I hope that you will consider joining me in helping the Rohingyas in some way, whether donating, fasting, praying, or any other way you can think of. Please feel free to add your suggestions of ways to help them in the comments below, because I’d love to know them.

I had a Thanksgiving blog post half-written a week before Thanksgiving. Yes, I’m thankful for a lot this year! So much that I never finished writing that post. Oh, well. Keep moving forward. That’s what one of my students had written on something of his and shown to me. He struggles with motivation, so he was very proud of himself!

It is not always easy at school. There’s teen drama, behavior issues, and lots of squirrelly-ness. Plus I’ve been on the hugest learning curve of my life with the new positions I have at the school. But we have our fun times, too. Tuesday was our first blood drive of the year. I was nervous because it was my first time coordinating one. But the kids did so great! They and two of the staff filled all the slots, and then even more kids wanted to donate! And for many of them, it was their first time. It was so neat to watch them go from nervousness beforehand to pride in themselves for enduring scary needles in order to help save lives. Can’t wait till the next one!

Then yesterday in my geography class, we did an activity that I’d found in the Facebook teacher group for this class. It went so well! The kids had a great time. I’ll include a couple of the links we used here:

http://greatlanguagegame.com/play/                                                                                                (I got 400 points on this one! See if you can beat me!)

And https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html?_r=1        The quiz wasn’t too far off from guessing where I’m from!

But the thing that cracked me up the most that day happened just before class. Earlier, at lunch, they had been brainstorming fundraising ideas, and asked us staff members if we’d be willing to get pies in the face. But it still took me a little while to figure out what was happening the next period, when one of the 11th grade girls announced, “Ma’am, you’re the smallest staff member here!” I politely informed her that no, Lieutenant _____   is shorter than me. “No, Ma’am, I mean that you’re the SMALLEST one.” I stared at her blankly some more, because I’m quite sure there are other staff members smaller than me (albeit not very many). “I mean, Ma’am, that you’d be the easiest one to tape to the wall!” More blank stares from me, until it dawned on me that I was being offered up as a sacrifice for a fundraiser. Yup, that’s exactly what was happening. I’m still not sure exactly what will happen after I’m taped to a wall. Wet sponges thrown at me? Pie? (better be pumpkin!) The things we do for kids… I’m grateful for these fun moments with my students.

But I’m also looking forward to Christmas break. I don’t have any grand travel plans for it (I did plenty of that this summer and never wrote about it on here; sorry!). Just relaxing and spending time with friends and family (and working some, I’ll admit). I am so grateful for all of them and for the community I have here. And for this beautiful area that looks different in every season. I can go hiking in woods with a five minute walk or drive! But living close to friends and family is still the best part of where I live.

So… that’s sort of my Thanksgiving post. Yes, there is much chaos and sadness in the world right now. Fires in California. Winter weather causing accidents in other parts of the country. War in so many places in the world. Depression. Cancer. Stress. But life still goes on. There is so much to live for, and I pray that my friends and students who struggle with depression can hold onto that hope, and learn to take joy in the present as well.

Keep moving forward, my friends. It’s worth it.

Okay, I gotta go on a mock rant. Today was crazy! It’s like the students know we’re close to the end of the year or something! They are so checked out. And then, last night, I was all pumped to grade papers while watching The Big Game (USA v. Mexico soccer in Mexico City), when I discovered that with all the TV channels I get with my internet package, I didn’t get the game! I thought I got Univision and could watch it in Spanish, but evidently I only get Telemundo (which had “How to Train Your Dragon” dubbed in Spanish on, and that’s cool, but not nearly as epic as The Big Game). First world probs! Seriously. I mean, the developing world probably had that game on the local networks on their TVs.  Because the REST OF THE WORLD knows that soccer is awesome. Oh, well. I got on the internet later and found out the game was a tie. Go USA! I mean Mexico! I mean USA!

Okay, so all this pent-up “anger” really just means that I am SO ready for school to be out! I love my students. But I need a break. And a massive change of scenery. And I’m going to get it! I’m going to be doing some different things at my school next year, and I’m excited for that. For one of those things, I’ll be getting trained in a couple weeks in Seattle, and stay with my grad school best friend. After that, I get to take my Southern Oregon best friend’s children home to where they live now in Montana and hang out with all of them there. So excited to be Road Trip Auntie for a couple days! I’ll stop for scenic vistas and roadside curiosities (okay, ice cream) and listen to cries of “Are we there yet?” and “He crossed the line!” from the back seat. Then I’ll get some time to relax (and prepare for the new classes/stuff for next year) at home and bum around Oregon for a couple weeks. And hang out with friends and family here. Later on, I’ll be driving Salem friends to a writer’s conference in Nevada and visiting my high school best friend there. And after that, who knows? The sky (okay, the budget and the calendar)’s the limit. Last but not least, I’ll visit friends in Madras and see the eclipse before returning to work. So ready for adventures! Plus, this summer I get to host my friend’s daughter and show her around her future college town. Super excited for that.

So if I can just survive the next couple weeks (with no other parts falling off my new-ish car), I’m good to go. Next week we’ll have our last few days of classes and then our Iron Cadet and Iron Company competition, which are really fun. Then I’ll wish my students a wonderful summer, cry for the ones who have tough home lives and don’t look forward to summer, shake the hands of my seniors that are off to the world of adulthood whether they’re ready or not, and know that I’ll miss them all. But for now, I’ll just ask: Are we there yet?

What do Rosie the Riveter, Disney princesses, a spontaneous trip to Russia, and Marie Antoinette have in common? Okay, nothing really, but if I put them together, they almost sound like they belong in my journeys-of-women blog. But really, they’re just fun silly stories from recent weeks in my classroom. I had planned for my next blog post to be more literary/historical, but I’ve had all these fun little stories saving up lately, and I figure, why not?

So the first one. This one is from a several weeks ago, in the middle of studying WWII in my 10th grade history class. My school being a military-style (charter) school, we have strict dress code policies. Underneath our green uniform, we are supposed to wear a plain white or grey shirt, or our official school tee shirt. But one day I brought up WWII propaganda, and we’d been looking at the changes in society for women and African Americans, and I showed them the Rosie the Riveter sticker on my laptop. So one of the girls says something like “Hey, Ma’am! I have her, too!” and pulls up her uniform blouse to reveal a forbidden out-of-regulation tee shirt. With none other than Rosie the Riveter on the front! She happily posed for a photo (I told her I wouldn’t get her face in it or turn her in to Sergeant Major for dress-code violation; how could I with such perfect timing?). 

I’m sure I have more stories from the weeks after this, but the only ones I can remember now are from more recently. One day last week, most of my 11th grade U.S. Government class was out due to a field trip or sicknesses. Three boys remained. One of them commented that he has a hard time concentrating when it’s too quiet. So while they were working, I played my “writing music” playlist on itunes. This includes the Return of the King soundtrack. This spawned a Hobbit movie discussion, of course, but in the course of conversation about movie soundtracks, I also mentioned how Disney used classical music in its movies, such as Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet. The one 12th grade boy said he couldn’t wait to see the live action Beauty and the Beast, and the other two boys joined in a passionate discussion of Disney princess movies. For real. Teenagers crack me up.

The next one is from a few days ago. One of the boys in the other 10th grade history class came up to my desk when they were all working independently on an assignment. He pointed to my globe, and said “Okay Ma’am, I’m going to spin it, and wherever my finger lands, you have to go there next.” I responded with a resounding “I like this game!” And guess where he landed? Just west of the Ural Mountains. Russia, here I come!

The last story is from a couple days ago. I still owe my freshmen treats (pretzels or something) for this, for being good sports. During the government class, which is 2nd period, one of the boys glanced longingly at his backpack. “I can smell my banana bread, Ma’am!” He’d baked it himself  the night before, and couldn’t wait until lunchtime to eat it. I remarked that I wished I’d brought something like that for the following class, freshman Global Studies, to walk around the classroom with and torment them by the aroma. For the sake of demonstrating how the starving peasants felt about the extravagant lifestyles of the royalty during the French Revolution, of course. My boy gleefully offered a corner of his bread. “Anything to torture freshmen, Ma’am!” It worked. I had their full attention. And now I need to “Let them eat cake!” or at least some pretzels or crackers, as soon as I get to the grocery store.

Today was a nice Friday. My Cold War intro lecture wrapped up early, so I showed the sophomores some of my Berlin Wall photos and have a little free time at the end. In Government, we finished taking notes on foreign policy early too, so I let them hang out for the last part of the class or catch up on missing work, which led to many fun conversations with them. I need to do that more often. It’s amazing what they’ll tell you when they don’t feel that they have to tell you anything. My home company 11th grade kids generously donated to a pizza party surprise for my NCO (teaching partner, whose last day is next week). One of them took back a bit of his money to give to another student so he could buy his new corporal hat (he just got promoted in our awards ceremony yesterday). They don’t always make the best choices, but my kiddos are precious!

Hello friends and faithful readers! Trying to do better at writing more often this year. So I’m writing to you about my amazing adventures this week. Okay, so they’re not super epic. But I’m writing anyway.

For context, let’s recount the spring breaks I’ve had as a licensed teacher:

• 2014: Kabul Stay-cation. Stayed on the compound with my friend the English teacher, my friend the PE teacher’s parents, and some of our administration.
• 2015: Willamette Valley Stay-cation. I had just gotten the job here at the military school, so I stayed home to make lesson plans, and settle in a bit to life back in the States.
• 2016: Madras Vacation. I got to visit/house-sit for friends there, and travel the area and beyond.

Which brings us to 2017: Staying here in my hometown where I now live in the Willamette Valley. I didn’t really go anywhere winter break, but I’ll be traveling a lot this summer, so I looked forward to just staying and catching up with life. I’ve been working on projects in my apartment, like framing artwork and maps I’ve picked up in my travels. Mom and I were tourists in Eugene for a day by touring the Cascades Raptor Center. It was fun to see Peregrine falcons and Red-tailed hawks and other beautiful birds! On Wednesday I got to spend time with my cousin and her adorable kids. And of course I’ve been catching up on all the normal life stuff that gets put off during school weeks, and getting out in the sunshine by foot or bike pedal on every sun break. So it’s been a nice relaxing week.

But best of all, I got a cat. I got it approved with the property managers, and I picked her out at the pet shelter yesterday. She’s a very pretty little girl cat. Sweet but playful, which is what I need.

I named her Arwen. I’m not entirely sure why. Her name at the shelter was Fiona, which I assumed was after the princess in Shrek. She’s mostly white but with black patches, including on her head and back. So that combined with her princess name reminded me of Arwen from LOTR for some reason. Then I had fun with it and gave her a bunch more princess names that start with A, in the manner of princesses in books by authors like Gail Carson Levine. So she is now Arwen Avarella Aminatu Ariana Mielle. I almost added Eilonwy, too. I may yet. But for short, I call her Arwen the Adorable, or Miss Mielle (after a character from a book I’m currently reading). Yeah, I know I’m a nerd!

She was a bit shy when I brought her home, hiding under the bed a lot. But she has been coming out and exploring a lot more today. She loves to flop over for a tummy rub, as well as walk by where I’m sitting and get her incredibly fluffy tail in my face.

Yes, she’ll be a great little friend to sit with me as I write (or grade papers).

That’s my Spring Break 2017! Yeah, I know it’s not the most epic ever, but it’s what I needed. And who knows? There’s two more days of it, most of which will be spent grading and planning, but there’s just enough time to have a mini-adventure if one comes along.

Be watching for a return to my more literary blog posts, where I recount the adventures and journeys of women (historical or fictional).

Arwen the Adorable

Uriel the Red-tailed hawk

Hello, friends!

Well, now that I’m back in the United States, I’m hoping to get back to the literary side of my blog: chronicling the journeys of women (historical or literary ones). So for this edition of the Compass Rose Queen, I’m very excited to introduce a novel written by my friend, Diana! It will be coming out soon, and for now, the cover of the book has been officially released by the publisher.

Several years ago, I was lucky enough to join a critique group of four women who are professional writers (and later added another friend of mine). We would meet once a month to read ten pages of our writing and have it critiqued by the group. I learned a lot from them. And got to read their novels, ten pages at a time! The group is still going, though I have moved on to other locations. But they are still one of the most encouraging groups of ladies I know. I really enjoyed getting to know Diana through her writing and her friendship. I’ll let the author bio below tell you more about her.

Diana’s book is an historical novel, about a girl for whom everything changes all at once. She has a new family, a new home (if I remember right- it’s been a while since I first joined the critique group!), and must embark on a journey of faith as she discovers people on a secret sojourn next door. Here is the official blurb for the book:

After her mother’s Mennonite church-arranged marriage to her recently deceased father’s bitter brother, thirteen-year-old Susanna Stutzman faces a crisis of faith. Everything seems to be going wrong in her life. As if her new father’s nasty temper isn’t enough, Cousin Mary, now her stepsister, hates her, as does her new teacher. When Susanna’s discovery of a strange nighttime visitor at her mysterious neighbor’s home leads to the unveiling of secrets, Susanna is forced to make a choice between her conscience and her community. 

And here is the official author bio (I believe both the blurb and the author bio can be found on LEAP’s website):

Diana has been a voracious reader since age nine when she discovered The Chronicles of Narnia after a librarian handed her the first book in the series. She didn’t really want to read it, but she took it to be polite and then couldn’t put it down. She always has three or four books on her bedside table and a sizable stack waiting to be read in her home library. She collects Newbery and Caldecott award-winning books and is running out of bookshelf space in her home.

She credits hay fever for her interest in writing stories. Unable to play outside without misery from the age of ten, she spent half of every summer vacation inside reading and writing stories until the pollen count dwindled. Her stories always included a nice girl, a mean girl, and a love interest. She was less interested in story-telling than she was in living vicariously through her protagonist, who always put the mean girl in her place and got the guy.

During the school year, Diana serves as a high school English teacher and academic support coordinator. She originally chose to teach older students because she thought they would be able to manage their own bodily fluids better than little kids would. She’s discovered she was mostly right about that, and as a bonus, she finds teenagers a blast to spend her days with.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Alan and youngest son Isaac. Her adult son Mitchell lives only a four-hour drive away, but Diana wishes it was four minutes instead. She has two cats. Her Maine Coon named Mister Mistoffelees weighs twenty pounds. He is as sweet as he is huge. The other is a feisty Siamese-mix named Sabrina. 

If you want to know more about the book or Diana’s writing, here is her website: dianablackstone.com

And now what you’ve been waiting for: the official cover, revealed!

When Sparrows Fall

Hello, my faithful (but probably few!) readers! My poor blog has been very neglected lately. I’ve been working on my fiction, gearing up for National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo (yup, that means I won’t be blogging next month either) and applying for overseas teaching jobs. Sorry! But in honor of NaNoWriMo, I read one last novel before the craziness begins, and now I’ll review that deeply engrossing book for you. And promptly resume neglecting my blog.

Description:

Cate Miller is one tough Amish girl. She has to be. From raising her sweet baby sister Betsy to enduring the taunts of the community because of her fiery temper, Cate has learned how to depend on herself. But after her father’s edict declaring that she must marry before Betsy can, and after having her heart broken for the second time, Cate must decide if she can learn to trust again.

My review:

Fantastic! I couldn’t put it down. It was very well written, and the characters felt so real that I just couldn’t stop reading until I knew they’d be okay. Cate’s personality was witty, gritty, and fun, and even though she was sharp-tongued, she was a very likeable character. I’d have been sharp-tongued too, if I’d experienced what she had. And yet she accepted her personal journey with a growing grace.  The handsome, determined, and fun hero Pete added to the page-turning effect the book had on me.

This book was a new genre for me. I’m not into romance or Amish fiction. And up until a couple years ago, had sworn off inspirational fiction ever since reading one too many cheesy prairie romance in high school.

But then I read Leslie Gould’s novel “Scrap Everything.” It wasn’t a romance. Wasn’t an historical novel. And definitely wasn’t cheesy. It was a modern story of deep friendship and faith, the kind of friendship we all need. It was one of the few books I’ve ever read that made me cry. I knew that whatever she wrote would be excellent. So I jumped at the chance to read and review it.

If the author was the first reason I read this book, then the second one was the inspiration. Courting Cate is a modern update of The Taming of the Shrew. I love Shakespeare! And I love modern updates of timeless tales (hence my NaNoWriMo books being updated fairy tales-they never grow old). I was interested to read an Amish take on the story. And loved it. There were a few similarities to the surprisingly intelligent teeny-bopper movie “10 Things I Hate About You”, but it was definitely its own story. This was the first version of The Taming of the Shrew I’d experienced that was from the heroine’s point of view (okay, I can’t remember whose point of view the Moonlighting episode version is from). Leslie Gould’s Cate is a winsome protagonist, drawing the reader into the story from page one.

Now it’s your turn to read it! And comment below to share about your favorite Shakespeare updates and versions.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book so I could be an influencer. This is my honest review of it.

Apologies to my readers! I started a new series of posts a few weeks ago about the highways of the West, and then didn’t write again. One weekend I spent interviewing for a teaching position in Eastern Oregon (which would have led to more views on highways!), and the next weekend was too hot to accomplish much of anything (I managed laundry and getting my oil changed.

So here we are, in August.

My favorite month.

Why is August my favorite month? The sun. The heat. The festivals. This weekend I’ll head up to Salem for the OCW writer’s conference. So on my way up, I’ll stop in Junction City for the Scandinavian Festival, of course! Ah, abelskivers. I’m skipping out on the Douglas County Fair, but later this month will be Pioneer Days in Canyonville. So much to do; so little time! And then the grand finale, my birthday at the end of the month!

So I apologize again for not writing much lately. I have actually been working a bit more on my novel, and this weekend I’ll be writing the rough draft of the first newsletter of District 6’s Diversity Committee (which I’m on at work). And of course, I’ll be applying for more teaching jobs. I miss teaching!

I really will pick up my Highways of the West series eventually. But for now, I’ll be making sure I enjoy summer and not pass up other opportunities. And I’ll try to post on here a bit to capture the rest of summer. Be sure to get out there and enjoy summer yourselves!

By the way, I’ll be fixing my last post a bit to include my favorite sight along I-5: the Enchanted Forest! Can’t believe I forgot it.

All right. So in my last post, I’d decided to broaden my theme to nearly everything, hoping I’ll post more regularly. But then I attended Nicole Miller’s social media class at an OCW writer’s conference. In addressing blogs, she noted that it’s important to stick to a theme (see her own recent blog revamp at http://www.nicolemillerbooks.com/2012/05/16/going-through-some-changes/  )

So I’ve been racking my brain to figure out what I could write consistently about. I do still want to share the epic journeys of women. But I can’t consistently and frequently write about that (it takes more research than I have time for on a weekly basis). I looked up the blogs of the most famous writers of my genre (Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, Donita K. Paul, Jill Williamson, Patricia Wrede, Gail Carson Levine, etc.) They all write either about their books (I’ve written one first draft and it’s nowhere near ready to talk about constantly) or writing itself (and I’m still a beginner so I wouldn’t dream of giving public advice on that).

That left me still wondering what to write about. Then I joined one of the other arenas Nicole discussed: PInterest. I’ve had a blast creating boards and pinning things (mostly pictures I’ve taken). It’s like creating scrapbook pages, where all the elements on a page revolve around a theme. And I realized something.

All but one of my current boards is about places. Places I’ve been, places I want to go, waterfalls, places having to do with fairy tales and fantasy, and more. Travel obviously an important theme to me (just check out my scrapbooks). Then I made another connection. All my story ideas are about journeys.

Maybe not lengthy journeys, but my protagonists always find themselves in some kind of culture or world that is new to them. They see this place through new eyes. They struggle to adapt, or to retain their own identity in the new world.

The journey changes them. As any journey changes any of us.

So I’ll be writing about the places that have affected my life. They’ve been my sanctuary. My inspiration. Brought new friendships. A deeper connection with my Maker. And so much more.

I’ll continue every so often to post about the heroic journeys of women, because I am fascinated by that. Thank you for going on this journey with me!

*Update 8/4/2024: I do not have Pinterest anymore so I took down the link to it from this post. But I am still writing about travel and adventure and the journeys of life.