tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48331760794420389382024-03-14T09:08:40.416-06:00The Girl with All the AnswersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-40707034492890058822017-12-31T15:07:00.000-07:002017-12-31T15:07:27.608-07:00What are your favorite memories of 2017?It would be strange if I didn't start off this post with some sort of explanation of where I've been for the past seven months. I didn't really mean to stop blogging. Life just happened and I got busy and I don't think I was mentally in the right place to share everything with the world.<br />
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I still wrote—I can't help doing that—but most of my writing was selfish. That is, I wrote for myself, for my own peace of mind, and as a way to process everything that was happening. It's been a busy year. I've moved four times (including moving into my tiny house), switched jobs twice, written and published another book, paid off more than $16,000 in debt, and visited fourteen states. All of that was awesome. When I look back on it now, I feel so blessed and grateful and proud of the progress I've made.<br />
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Life is good. And busy. And I haven't been blogging about it. Sorry about that. To be honest, I can't promise that I'm going to start posting again with any degree of regularity. But I wanted to write something today because it seemed like a good time to look back and recap some memories of 2017. Plus I'm home sick from church today so I've got some extra time on my hands and I'm feeling sentimental. It's the perfect combination for blogging. Hopefully this post will catch you all up a bit on what I've been doing because today I'm going to talk about a few of my favorite things.<br />
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Favorite book I read this year: <i>War and Peace </i><br />
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This will most likely also be my favorite book of 2018 because I'm only about a third of the way through. Actually, at the rate I'm going, it could even become my favorite book of 2019. But it's great. It's been awhile since I read a classic and I've missed them. I've also never actually finished one of these big Russian tomes, so I'm sure I'll feel super accomplished when I do.<br />
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Favorite podcast: The Dave Ramsey Show<br />
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Ten years from now, if I remember nothing else about 2017, I'll remember that it's the year I finally started budgeting and stuck to it. I'm such a nerd about my budget. I love it so much. It's ridiculous. But it's also amazing because it allows me to stay on track with my financial goals and still feel like I'm allowed to spend money on the things that matter to me. One of the highlights of the year was attending a recording of the show in Nashville and meeting Dave.<br />
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Favorite city I visited: New Orleans<br />
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Hands down the best food I ate this year was in the French Quarter. That place was so cool to walk around in, and I loved the music and the people and just the whole vibe.<br />
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Plus we saw alligators. And they were awesome.<br />
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Favorite Youtube channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG2c4aUF3EoLwskydOBrrUw">Knorpp and South</a><br />
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I know I've talked about these guys before, but I seriously love them. In case I haven't raved about them to you personally, they are a full-time traveling LDS family of eleven. They adopted five of their kids from China, and now they're traveling the world together, unschooling, and youtubing, and being amazing. What a dream life they have! And how awesome is it that they take all their viewers along for the ride! Love it!<br />
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Favorite thing about living in a tiny house: Everything<br />
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But really, I think I'd have to say that it's having a place to myself that is so reflective of my personality. Also, the fact that it's super easy to clean. And also how I'm constantly reminded that I can accomplish hard things and create a life that is unique and beautiful. And the views outside my windows. And how much natural light I get. And how I'm surrounded by all the things I love. Wait, I think I already said that. Okay, I'm officially rambling.<br />
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Favorite thing I bought this year: my bike<br />
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I don't have a picture of it, but my new bike is a pink beach cruiser, similar to the one I owned a couple of years ago. It lives at my parents' house because for one thing, they have a garage, and for another, they live in a flat neighborhood, which is a lot more beach cruiser friendly than where I live in my tiny house.<br />
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Favorite temple trip this year: Nashville!<br />
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I went with my cousins on the last night of my three-week trip to the East Coast and the South. It was really special to be there with them, and it was also just a nice time to reflect on all the cool places I'd been and on my goals for the future.<br />
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Honorable mention in this category goes to the gorgeous new Gilbert, AZ temple, where I attended the wedding of a good friend in February.<br />
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Favorite game I played: Up and Down the River<br />
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Oh, man. The best game night of the year was definitely the last night of girls' camp when all of the rappelling staff played cards in the lodge. We were so exhausted, but none of us wanted to go to bed because we'd had so much fun getting to know each other throughout the week and we finally had time to just goof off.<br />
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Favorite beach trip: Outer Banks, NC<br />
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I think this picture speaks for itself.<br />
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Honorable mentions to Corona del Mar and Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz. They're family favorites, so they're oldies but goodies, for sure.<br />
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And if we include lakes, then Lake Tahoe because these colors are just so pretty.<br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Favorite TV show of 2017: Fixer Upper<br />
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I LOVE Chip and Jo. Who doesn't, right? Their houses are beautiful and they are just awesome people who I admire and want to be more like. Honorable mention in this category goes to Parks & Rec, which I finally watched on Netflix. Ron Swanson is the best. End of discussion.<br />
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Favorite hiking spot: Las Trampas<br />
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I don't know why I like this place so much more than all of the other amazing regional parks in the area, but it's just a great place to feel like you're in the middle of nowhere and that you love the world and the world loves you back.<br />
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Favorite ramble of the year: This is a three-way tie between the walk I took in Washington, DC one evening; the time I spent wandering through the historic district in Savannah; and a walk around St. Petersburg, Florida with one of my best friends.<br />
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All in all, it's been a year of going on awesome adventures, working hard, learning a lot, trying new things, spending time with cool people, and reaching good goals. I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store, and I hope you all have a fun and happy New Year's Eve!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-41740017824328720592017-05-18T23:04:00.001-06:002017-05-18T23:05:02.241-06:00Why should you set goals?People, why is this even a question? Goals are the best. They're how I've made it this far in life, which, granted, doesn't always feel that far, but still.<br />
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Pretty much every good thing that has ever happened to me has happened because of a goal. Publish a novel? That was a goal. Buy a tiny house? That was a goal. Find a real job that will let me move back to California? That was a goal. Get out of debt. Still working on that one. But I have a plan and it's totally going to happen. I can see it.<br />
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Other things I can see in my future: more books (I want to write at least two more this year); more travel (after I get out of debt); more friends (yes, I even set goals about this kind of stuff). I'm such a huge fan of goal-setting.<br />
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But sometimes I am guilty of writing down my goals and promptly forgetting about them. I'm being real here because I want you to know that it happens to everyone.<br />
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When I was younger, especially in high school, I would come up with these grand, overarching reform plans for my whole life. I'd write myself a program or a regimen for how to overhaul my life. I was a weird kid, I know. Essentially, I was learning how to set goals. I was learning how to envision my future and work toward it. But because I was still a kid, I would often try to change too much too fast and when it didn't all happen according to my timeline, I'd get discouraged and then I'd give up. And that was when I'd start planning my next reform program.<br />
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As a result of my inability to live up to my unrealistic expectations of myself, I constantly thought of myself as a failure. I thought I was unmotivated, that I lacked discipline, and that I'd never be able to achieve my dream life because I couldn't put in the effort it would take me to get there.<br />
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Obviously, this wasn't a helpful line of thinking, and as I've gotten older I've learned how to forgive myself and keep going, even when I'm not perfect. Turns out I didn't lack discipline, and I have a great work ethic. Part of this has probably come from growing up a little more, but I think the basic behaviors were there all along.<br />
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Anyway, I'm going to stop my goal-setting informercial now in order to actually report on my 2017 goals. It's not quite the middle of the year yet, but it's getting close and I figured now was as good a time as any for a check-in.<br />
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So, what were my goals? I'm not going to post them all here because some are a little too personal, even for my blog, but here are the ones I feel comfortable sharing:<br />
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1. Make more friends in my new ward.<br />
2. Spend more time with my family.<br />
3. Write an LDS novel.<br />
4. Move into my tiny house.<br />
5. Go on long walks more frequently.<br />
6. Present at ACES.<br />
7. Change positions at work.<br />
8. Pay off my personal loan and possibly my car loan too.<br />
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And here's my mid-year progress report:<br />
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1. Yep!<br />
2. Kind of unavoidable when you live with them.<br />
3. I haven't even started this one yet. It might still happen. I did come up with a premise the other day. I just need to figure out when I could write. I used to write in the mornings before work but now that I'm working from home, I basically start work as soon as I wake up. I don't know. Maybe I'll start staying up later. I need to get into a better writing routine.<br />
4. I'm halfway there. I have my stuff in the house, I just haven't moved the house to somewhere I can live in it. It'll happen though.<br />
5. Despite all my instaspamming of pretty walking pics, I'll confess I have lots of room for improvement here. Maybe I should spend less time taking pictures and more time actually walking.<br />
6. Done!<br />
7. Also done! I recently switched from being an assessment editor to an assessment developer. I won't bore you trying to explain what that means but you should just know that I'm going to a lot more meetings now, I'm learning tons, and I'm really liking this new position.<br />
8. I'm super close to paying off my personal loan. Like tantalizingly close. It's so much fun watching the numbers go down as I pay each little bit. Also, I've become a way better budgeter this year than I ever have been in the past. I finally feel like I know what I'm doing with my money and I LOVE it.<br />
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So I'm sorry if this post is boring or weird or sadly not filled with pictures of my tiny house. I feel like my blog has been a little neglected and hodge-podge of late, but it's mostly because I've been super busy working extra side gigs in order to pay off my debt early.<br />
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In other news, I decided not to have a formal open house for my tiny house, but if you are interested in seeing it, please feel free to message me on Facebook or however you would normally get a hold of me. I'd be happy to arrange a time for you to come see it in Pleasanton before I take it to wherever it is I'm going next.<br />
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And that's the other thing I've been meaning to post on here. I thought I had my life figured out, but I'm being super indecisive about where to live next. I've basically given myself till the end of the summer to make up my mind. In the meantime, I'll just be hanging out in the backyard (and sometimes in the big house). Hope you're all as excited for summer as I am. BEST SEASON EVER!!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-10336554609782519482017-04-21T22:32:00.002-06:002017-04-21T22:32:59.862-06:00Are you living in your tiny house?Technically . . . no.<br />
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But I am blogging in my tiny house!!<br />
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The real answer to this question depends on your definition of "living."<br />
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My tiny house arrived here in the Bay Area on Wednesday afternoon, so about two days ago. The plan was to park it somewhere in Pleasanton temporarily and then move it to Sunol (about 15 mins. away) on Sunday. We were all pretty sure that my house would not fit in my parents' backyard. Well, we knew it would fit back here, but we didn't think we could get it around the side of the house in order to get it in place.<br />
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That's why I've been asking all around to see if someone would let me park my house on their land or in front of their house, even just for a couple of days until I could get it to my family friend's property in Sunol.<br />
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BUT when the house got here on Wednesday, it turned out that it DID fit around the side of the house. That was the first super awesome thing that happened this week.<br />
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The second super awesome thing that happened was when someone from the city came by to see if my house was in violation of city zoning codes. Yeah. Not even 24 hours after my tiny house arrived, the city was on it. Scary! And also a little bit big brother-ish. I mean, whatever. It's not like I'm trying to break the law but it does seem weird that they would come so soon. They said they got an "inquiry" about my tiny house.<br />
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I was working at the time, so my mom explained that yes, it was a tiny house. And then the nice man from the city said that since the house is on wheels it's actually considered a trailer and that it's perfectly legal to park a trailer in our yard, as long as it's at least three feet from the side fence and six feet from the back fence (it is) and not hooked up to any utilities (it isn't) and not being lived in.<br />
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So that's why I'm technically not "living in" my house. Technically, I am camping. I still shower in my parents' house and eat in there and watch TV in there, but I have started sleeping in my tiny house and working in it during the day and storing my things in it and spending lots of time in it because it makes me happy. I don't know if I'll sleep in it every night. I still have a bedroom in the main house that I can use. But like right now, while my brother and his family is in town for the weekend<br />
, it's nice to have a place of my own to hang out in so the main house isn't so crowded.<br />
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The third super awesome thing that happened this week is that I know for sure now that all of my things will fit in my tiny house. I was pretty certain that I could fit everything, but you never really know until you try. Turns out, I will be just fine. Honestly, I have way more storage than I need in here. It's awesome.<br />
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You guys, I love my house. And even though I can't technically live in it yet, it's still so great to have it here where I can spend time in it and enjoy so many of the perks of tiny living. I don't know for sure how long I'll keep my house here or where I'll go next with it, but I have absolutely no regrets about choosing to purchase a tiny house and I'm excited to finally be starting my tiny adventure.<br />
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Feel free to comment here or on Facebook if you have questions for me. I imagine there will be a few. I'll try to respond or I might decide to address your question in more detail in an upcoming post.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-32157466626014423362017-04-02T13:51:00.000-06:002017-04-02T13:51:34.223-06:00Should I have another tiny open house?Time for an update on my tiny house situation.<div>
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First the really good news: I found a place to park my tiny house! I can't wait to share pictures because it really is an ideal setting. It's up on a hill in Sunol with a million-dollar view and beautiful southern exposure, which means lots and lots of sun all year long! A family friend has offered to let me park on her land, which is so generous of her, and I'm really grateful for her help. The property has horses, an olive vineyard, a pool . . . . It's gorgeous. And it's also only about 10 minutes to downtown Pleasanton. Finding this spot means that I'll be living here in my tiny house for at least the next couple of years, and after three moves in three years, that sounds awesome. I love Pleasanton and the Bay Area and I can't wait to re-establish some roots here. I think it'll be the perfect place to officially start my tiny house adventure.</div>
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The bad news is, the property requires some improvements before I'll be able to actually live in my house there. I'll need to set up the utilities to connect to my house, like water, power, and internet. The spot where my house will go is mostly level, but not perfectly so. And there's a path leading to the spot, but in order to get the house there, I'll need to turn the path into something less like a path and more like a real road. All of that is going to take time and money to accomplish before I can move in. Right now I'm tentatively hoping I'll be moving in sometime this summer, but I can't say for sure.</div>
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The other bad news is that technically living in my house there won't be legal. It's actually not illegal. It's just not legal, according to the official zoning code. I know there will be people in my life, like my parents, for example, who will disapprove of my choice to live outside the law. But personally, I've made my peace with this issue. I've prayed about it. I've studied the codes and laws involved. I've done a lot of research, and ultimately I've decided that this is what's best for me right now. You can still feel free to comment on my choice, and I'd be happy to chat with you about more of the specifics when it comes to zoning laws, but you won't be changing my mind.</div>
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This leads me to my real question of the day. Would anyone (in California) like to see my tiny house before I move into it?</div>
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I'm planning on moving the house up to my friend's property on April 23rd. That's a Sunday, but it's the day that works best for her. Right now, as you might remember, my house is still parked in Southern California. I'm making arrangements to get it up here, but I'm trying to decide if I should bring the house up a few days early so that people can see it.</div>
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Once I move it into place on the 23rd, I don't think I'll be inviting many people over to see the house. I'll take plenty of pictures for you all, but I won't be hosting big gatherings because I just won't have the space for it.</div>
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However, I know that in the past few months, several people have mentioned wanting to see my house in person. Is that still true? Specifically, if I had an open house on April 21st or 22nd, somewhere in Pleasanton, would you come?</div>
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There are a lot of logistics involved in moving a tiny house, so I just want to make sure it would be worth my while. I'd need try to figure out a place to have an open house, for one thing, and a place to park my house in between when it would arrive here and when I'd be taking it to my friend's place. I really am trying to gauge interest with this post, so please comment here or on Facebook if you'd come. If there aren't that many people interested, I won't worry about it. I'll probably still invite people over to see it one at a time, but I might wait a few months until I get things a little more settled.</div>
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Thanks for all your love and support during my tiny house journey so far! I'm really excited about how close I am to finally living in my house! </div>
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(And I'm excited about having my house closer to home so I can take some new pictures to share. These ones from the construction phase are a little outdated at this point.)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-53177611657597390772017-03-23T20:47:00.000-06:002017-03-23T20:47:34.697-06:00What is ACES?I told my coworker I would blog about this, so this one's for you, Camilla. <br />
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Let me just preface this post by saying that if you're the kind of person who has never been entirely sure what to do with a semicolon or which their/they're/there to use when you're writing, you might want to stop reading right now. We are about to dive deep into editing-land, and I want to save you from it. Consider this a trigger warning, of sorts. This post could cause extreme boredom, revulsion, and/or horrible flashbacks to English teachers and their red pens of pain that you have now spent years trying to forget.<br />
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For anyone still reading, welcome to the world of grammar geeks, style sticklers, and, of course, word nerds. This post is coming at you live from St. Petersburg, Florida, (enjoy the photos) where I have just spent the day reveling in the company of my particular tribe of nerds. That's because ACES stands for the American Copy Editors Society and I'm currently attending their annual conference.<br />
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This hotel is full of introverted, but unfailingly kind and knowledgeable folks, who are thrilled to be here listening to other knowledgeable folks talk about punctuation minutiae, explain how dictionaries are compiled, and recount hilarious anecdotes about misplaced modifiers. I kid you not. This is really happening.<br />
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For editors, this is a rare and exhilarating chance to hang out with people who get you. I've been to writers conferences and publishing conferences, but it's with my fellow editors that my loyalties will always <strike>lie?</strike> <strike>lay?</strike> reside.<br />
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Even though most of us walk around this conference in constant, quiet fear that someone will catch us committing a grammar faux pas, we love listening to the hum of quiet conversation about citation guidelines, style sheets, and word processing innovations.<br />
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Which brings me to my big news. Well, big if you're an editor who loves <i>The Chicago Manual of Style</i> (<i>CMOS</i>) as much as I do.<br />
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Today I attended a session presented by one of the main editors at the University of Chicago Press, which publishes said manual. The presenting editor's name is Carol Saller or Carol Fisher Saller if you're talking about her in an official author capacity. She is one of my editing heroes. When I rode the elevator upstairs with her yesterday I had to stop myself from gushing because that would have made us both uncomfortable, but she really is just that great.<br />
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Carol (as I like to call her, since that's how she introduced herself to me while we were waiting for the elevator yesterday), was there in the session this morning to talk about the brand newly announced forthcoming seventeenth edition of <i>CMOS</i> and a few of the changes and updates that have been made. <br />
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Knowing her audience was full of editors and journalists, Carol anticipated us wanting to share these updates with our fellow word nerd friends and only asked that in doing so, we did not offer our own personal interpretations of these new guidelines but simply pass them along, exactly as written. So that's what I'm doing. I took pictures of her slides, and here they are, complete with my terrible photography skills and some not-so-great conference room lighting.<br />
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I will say there are some changes that I'm super excited about. Some I'm ambivalent about. And others I think are a little bit of a misstep, but I also think that's to be expected, given the nature of the manual. I won't offer my personal thoughts and commentary here (mostly because I'm too tired right now to do anything but add pictures to this post and call it a night), but if any of you fellow word nerds want to chat in the comments or on Facebook, I would be happy to follow up with you there. Tomorrow. Or some other time when I'm not exhausted.<br />
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This hard-to-see picture is to illustrate the amount of red-lining that transpired during the writing of the type 2 singular <i>they </i>entry. Apparently the debate was "lively" but "extremely collegial."</div>
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And this concludes our terribly lit slideshow, people. I hope you appreciated it. I could go on and on about how much I'm loving this conference, but I am sure you all have better things to read on the internet or better things to do in general.<br />
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I do want to write a post sometime on the topic of accessible content, which topic I'm going to present on here at the conference on Saturday. But like I said, I'm too tired to write more right now.<br />
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In other news, there's a ship here that looks like a pirate ship and it was super impressive to me.<br />
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PS–Did I mention that I rode in an elevator with Carol Fisher Saller yesterday? Best. Elevator ride. Ever.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-50250780788904899342017-03-19T23:39:00.000-06:002017-03-19T23:39:03.564-06:00But what about today?I've been trying to write a blog post all day.<br />
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Actually, to be honest, I've been trying to blog for weeks now. I've considered lots of topics, but nothing has been pulling at me to write it. And so I've been putting it off in favor of other things: watching Netflix, going for walks, practicing the piano, working, hanging out with my family, trying to teach myself to make and stick to a budget. All good things, really. But not this. At times I've even wondered if maybe I'm done blogging, or if I should just take a sabbatical for awhile and come back to this when I'm in a better frame of mind.<br />
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I can't say that won't still happen, but I don't think it's happening quite yet. I still like my blog a lot. I just haven't been feeling super inspired to talk about anything.<br />
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I think part of that has to do with what I actually want to address in this post: For the past few months, I feel like I've been living too much in the future. I'm so excited about things that are coming up later this year, like moving into my tiny house and paying off loans and going on trips, that I've basically been ignoring my current day-to-day living.<br />
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This is probably not a surprise to people who know me well. I tend to live in the future a lot. I like to set goals. I like to make plans. I like thinking about how I could progress and become better. I really like change, and when I can see it coming, it makes me excited.<br />
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Those aren't bad qualities. Sometimes they're very good ones. The problem comes when I get so caught up in the future that my current life starts to feel empty by comparison. This is when I start to think things like, well, I'm not that happy now, but I will be soon. I'll be happier just as soon as I get my tiny house towed up here or just as soon as I can go on another trip or just as soon as this work project is complete.<br />
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But what about today?<br />
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The thing about living in tomorrow is that tomorrow never really comes. Or by the time it does, you're focused on the next thing. The thing that comes after whatever you just accomplished.<br />
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I'd rather not wait that long to be happy. And it's not just happiness that I'm talking about. I generally am fairly happy and optimistic, no matter what's going on. What I'm talking about really is more than happiness. It's a sense of peace and wellbeing that comes with knowing my life has purpose, like what I'm doing matters now and will continue to affect me as I move forward.<br />
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Those kinds of feelings are what I've really been putting off lately. Living in the future or in tomorrow means I start investing my future plans with that sense of purpose, rather than making my purpose something I can do something about right now. In some ways, it's convenient because it means I get to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while I wait for the future to come. In other ways, it's gutting. It makes me feel like there's no point in even getting out of bed in the morning because today is just one more day of pointless nothingness that needs to be ticked off a calendar before I can get to those better days I know are coming.<br />
<br />
That's what living in the future can do to you. That's the really dangerous part about it.<br />
<br />
Instead, I'd rather live in today. I don't want to have to wait until my life is perfectly put together before I start enjoying it. Because the truth is, my life is never going to be perfect, so I would be waiting for a really, really long time.<br />
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Unfortunately, I'm not as good at living in today as I am at living in the future. Today is messy. It's full of mistakes. I make them all the time. It's also full of other people who I have to interact with, and that can be a struggle for me. Today might be mundane. It might be mediocre. It might have moments of awesomeness, but it might also have moments of sadness, frustration, guilt, annoyance, fatigue, fear, uncertainty.<br />
<br />
Today is a little too real for me. Tomorrow is the stuff of fantasies. In today, you're forced to confront reality. In tomorrow, you can be anyone, do anything. In today, you're you. And that you is probably flawed, which is pretty frustrating.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I feel like I'm babbling a bit, but I hope you guys get what I'm trying to say. I'm also getting really tired, and that's not helping.<br />
<br />
I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to accomplish this whole transition from future to present living. If anyone has ideas on how to do that, I'd be happy to hear them.<br />
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Sometimes it helps me to get outside. Nature is fleeting. When you spend time outside on a regular basis, you start to pick up on how quickly things change, especially this time of year. There's so much growth and change that happens in spring: flowers bloom and then vanish quickly; trees bud and then the next time you see them, their buds have changed to full dark leaves. That's part of the reason I take so many pictures when I'm outside. I know that whatever I'm seeing in that moment won't happen quite the same way ever again. There are too many factors at play, like the weather and the light and the time of year. It's like Pocahontas says, "what I like best about rivers is, you can't step in the same river twice."<br />
<br />
If I can extend that fleeting feeling from nature into my interactions with people and the tasks I have to accomplish each day, I might start to feel more connected to today.<br />
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Another thing I might try to do more of is noticing my present surroundings, including the people and moments that made today special to me. I probably won't share them all on my blog because that would be exhausting and probably not all that interesting to read and would, frankly, belabor the point.<br />
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But to conclude this long and rambling post, I'll share a few little things I noticed today that made this day special to me:<br />
<br />
Sunday, March 19, 2017<br />
<br />
Today I walked into church and one of my good friends was sitting there and so instead of sitting alone, like I normally do, I sat with her. That was nice for me. I don't mind sitting alone (usually I prefer it) but today I felt like company, or at least I felt like having her company.<br />
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Today I played the piano and noticed that I'm getting better at it. I'm not very consistent about practicing, so my progress is slow, but it's still happening.<br />
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Today I had dinner with my family and it was yummy! The missionaries came over, and we had roast and potatoes and my mom made her famous crescent rolls. There are definitely some benefits to living at home, and this is one of them.<br />
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Today I drove through some beautiful green hills down 680 to San Jose for a fireside. The sun was setting and it had finally gotten low enough to break through the hazy cloud barrier that hung around for most of the day. The golden light on the wildflower-covered hills was lovely. I saw a rainbow. I love living here where I do. There's something about this place that just resonates with my soul. I love the Bay Area, and it loves me back.<br />
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Today I realized that I need to be better about studying the scriptures and strengthening my spirituality. I've been on auto-pilot a lot lately. I'll read, but I won't really think about what I'm reading. I'll pray but I won't really think about what I'm saying. Somewhere along the way, I stopped talking with God and started talking at Him. I can't imagine that's a very interesting conversation from His perspective.<br />
<br />
So there you go. That was my day. It wasn't wasted, and there were good moments in it. I just needed to take the time to notice them. I hope I can keep doing that. Because as much as I love the future, I think I could also learn to love today.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-56444084621923864052017-03-09T23:43:00.004-07:002017-03-09T23:43:30.236-07:00Guest Post: How do you go from good to great writing?Dear lovely blog readers,<br />
<br />
I know I've been a little . . . sporadic about posting lately. The truth is my life has been really busy with work, tiny house logistics, more work, moving, continuing to minimalize, attempting to put myself on a budget for the first time in like ever, and lots of other good things. But the sad fact is that my blog has gone slightly neglected. I can tell the weeds around here are getting a little high, and I'm sorry about that. I'm hoping to remedy the situation soon. Specifically, stay tuned for a tiny house update. Good things are coming! Yay!<br />
<br />
In the meantime, however, we have a super special treat today in the form of a guest post from one of my favorite people ever: Elodia Strain.<br />
<br />
To give you some back story, I've known Elodia for almost ten years now. (HOLY COW, I am OLD. She's not old. Just me.) When I first started working as an editor, lo those many years ago, Elodia was one of my very first authors that I worked with and I was so dazzled by her that I just about keeled over from the excitement. I kid you not. I was definitely fangirling the entire time I worked on her book. We've been friends ever since, and her writing has only gotten better!! It is not an exaggeration at all to say that I LOVE Elodia's books.<br />
<br />
In celebration of her newest book coming out, which you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dating-Experiment-Elodia-Strain/dp/1462119565">find here on Amazon</a>, by the way, Elodia's been on a blog tour and I'm super flattered that she took the time to make my blog one of her stops.<br />
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Since we're all about questions and answers around here, I asked Elodia to tell us how to take writing from good to great. (And by "us," I mostly mean <i>me</i> because I really need this advice. Seriously.)<br />
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Here's what she had to say . . .<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Quest for Great Writing</span><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-0817df29-b6e0-9078-929b-2eb330fc4c7b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As part of the blog tour for my new book, I made sure I got to stop by this one, which is a personal favorite of mine. I admire the blogger as an editor, author, and person. So. Heidi posed me this question: “How do you go from good to great writing?” This is a question I seem to ask myself on a daily (sometimes minutely) basis. And as I’ve asked and worked toward the answer, I’ve come up with a few tried and true tactics that I seem to use over and over, book by book, page by page. Maybe they’ll spark something anew in your personal creative pursuits!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Number one, I think about the readers. A LOT. When I wrote my first book in 2005, I was writing the kind of book I looked for and couldn’t find a lot of—squeaky clean romantic comedies with a little sweet meat to them. Just like inventors talk about solving a problem, I was writing to fill a need. I still do that. Maybe someday I’ll write a super heavy literary masterpiece, but for now, I’m writing for the woman who is overwhelmed by life and needs a laugh, the woman who needs a little pick-me-up. I care about the people who read my books so much. I’m grateful to them, hopeful for them, and always, always aware of them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Second, I write when I’m not writing. When I start a book, I buy a bunch of yellow (or white, if my go-to store is closed) notepads, and put them all over the house. On the treadmill, next to the kitchen sink, in a basket by the bathtub. These are for my “relaxed brain” notes. Thing is, when I write, I often leave spaces if I can’t find the best words</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> For example, I’ll type: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ian drove (an old school Americana type of car.) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, while I’m doing dishes or painting my toenails, my “relaxed brain” will come up with: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A 1975 Ford truck</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For the sake of trees and cash, I’ve tried keeping my “relaxed brain” notes on my phone, but I always come back to my trusty notepads. (In fact, here is a picture of one week of notes taken while working on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dating Experiment.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciVelCGQkxju8P83fAMpky1aHYshRIAy_ye-zHaskG2HUftqQB0xkjBr8n6avCMhHBLJAXuakUP_ncyYg8JSIKDqbHGaGrP5EJAag1u6cCQq3ligJ-7NPSA1YDxD60SblVX-MHsxH8-M/s1600/Notes+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciVelCGQkxju8P83fAMpky1aHYshRIAy_ye-zHaskG2HUftqQB0xkjBr8n6avCMhHBLJAXuakUP_ncyYg8JSIKDqbHGaGrP5EJAag1u6cCQq3ligJ-7NPSA1YDxD60SblVX-MHsxH8-M/s320/Notes+Photo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Third, I try to make every word count. Early on, when I was first started writing, I would sometimes spend hours writing descriptions and backstory that was just kind of…lame to write. And then I had this serious Eureka! moment. I realized if it was drudgery to write, then it probably wouldn’t be a lot of fun to read. This has been one of the single most important lessons I learned as a writer. And it’s not to say that writing isn’t hard, and painful, and all those things, but you just kind of know when something is fun and when it</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">’</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">s not.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Which brings me to my last tactic. When it comes down to what words end up being put to paper or screen, I trust others’ opinions sometimes, my gut often, and God ALWAYS. This is true for all aspects of writing from plot to characters to setting. I have a whole lot of growing to do as a writer, but I have yet to regret following this pattern.</span></span></div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Wow. What awesome words of wisdom. Thanks so much for stopping by, Elodia! I loved your advice! And thanks to all you readers for your patience with me when life temporarily takes me away from blogging. I promise I'll always come back. And in the meantime, if you're looking for something to read, might I suggest checking out more of Elodia's awesome writing in <i>The Dating Experiment</i> or any of her books, available on Amazon and in bookstores all over. Hope you're all looking forward to a great weekend! I'll be back soon! —HD<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-85452180819303691402017-02-10T22:37:00.001-07:002017-02-11T00:35:13.404-07:00Should I buy this thing?Ever since I really committed to minimalism about a year and a half ago, I've been trying to figure out how to cope with the constant pressure to buy more. I do my best to stay away from the Youtube ads, the radio spots, and the billboards and signs all around me, but I am not immune. There are times when I impulsively think, "Yeah, I should really buy that new pair of jeans or fancy-smelling soap or book from the library that I started reading but didn't finish before I had to return it."<br />
<br />
I'm getting better at figuring out when that voice is a reasonable one because I legitimately do need something and when the voice is tempting me to purchase something I'll later regret. But it's a battle. Constantly.<br />
<br />
Of course this isn't a minimalists-only dilemma. I think it's something we're all familiar with to some degree. Most people I know don't make enough money to buy everything on their want lists and some people I know can't even afford everything on their need lists. But being a minimalist does mean that I tend to argue longer with that voice that says "you should just buy it."<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Me: Hey, I just ran out of this thing. We should probably buy some more.</i><br />
<i>Also Me: Hm. Is it food?</i><br />
<i>M: Yes.</i><br />
<i>AM: Is it in your budget?</i><br />
<i>M: Uh . . . maybe?</i><br />
<i>AM: Whatever, let's just buy it. </i><br />
<i>M: Really?</i><br />
<i>AM: Shrug. It'll be gone soon anyway.</i><br />
<br />
(Now you know why my food budget is always the first financial casualty of the budgeting month.)<br />
<br />
<i>M: Hey. Now I ran out of this other thing. We should probably buy more.</i><br />
<i>AM: Is this thing food?</i><br />
<i>M: No. This is a non-food thing.</i><br />
<i>AM: Oh. Bummer. Are you sure we need it?</i><br />
<i>M: Well . . .</i><br />
<i>AM: Is it toilet paper?</i><br />
<i>M: Yeah. </i><br />
<i>AM: . . . Are we out of Kleenex too?</i><br />
<i>M: . . . I'll check.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>M: Hey, so we're out of this other thing.</i><br />
<i>AM: Is it food?</i><br />
<i>M: No. It's not food.</i><br />
<i>AM: And you're sure we need it?</i><br />
<i>M: Pretty sure.</i><br />
<i>AM: Have you tried living without it for a week?</i><br />
<i>M: . . . </i><br />
<i>AM: And how did that week go?</i><br />
<i>M: Um. Fine? I guess?</i><br />
<i>AM: Great! Call me back in like six months if you still think we need the thing.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>M: So about this thing that we're out of . . . ?</i><br />
<i>AM: Right. If it's not in the budget, I think you're just going to have to find it for free somewhere. Or can you make it yourself or something? I really don't want to buy the thing.</i><br />
<i>M: I know you don't, but it would be so much easier! And that would make me happy.</i><br />
<i>AM: Happier than a vacation? Happier than getting out of debt? Happier than paying off your tiny house?</i><br />
<i>M: You're right. We don't need the thing.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>M: I think we might need to buy a thing.</i><br />
<i>AM: What now?</i><br />
<i>M: You know your favorite book? Well, I dropped it in a mud puddle and I had to throw it out. It was a mess.</i><br />
<i>AM: What?!!???!? We can't live without that! Quick! Grab the debit card! Find the Amazon page!! Buy the thing!!!!</i><br />
<i>M: Great! And while we're here on Amazon can I show you this other thing?</i><br />
<i>AM: Wait, did you </i>murder<i> one of my books just to get me on Amazon so you could try to trick me into buying another thing??</i><br />
<i>M: No comment.</i><br />
<br />
These kinds of conversations swirl around in my brain at least once or twice a day. Frankly I'm used to them now. They're almost comforting. Especially when I compare them to this unsettling paradox:<br />
<br />
<i>M: You know you're a minimalist, right?</i><br />
<i>AM: Obviously.</i><br />
<i>M: Well, then why do you still write books and hope people will buy them?</i><br />
<i>AM: What are you talking about?</i><br />
<i>M: Well, books are things.</i><br />
<i>AM: So?</i><br />
<i>M: I'm just saying, you're all anti-things now. "The endless production and consumption of pointless things is only hastening the impending demise of our planet." That's what you're always telling me.</i><br />
<i>AM: Yes. Right.</i><br />
<i>M: So . . . doesn't that mean you should stop producing your books?</i><br />
<i>AM: But I like writing my books!</i><br />
<i>M: But the books you write turn into things. That's what publishing is. Books get turned into things and a lot of those books are things that people don't want and don't need.</i><br />
<i>AM: I'm not listening to this! I don't want to stop writing books! It makes me happy.</i><br />
<i>M: But what if someone gives your book to some sweet unsuspecting person who doesn't want it and then your book just takes up room on a shelf somewhere and gets in the way of making that lovely person's life as simple and as minimalist as she might like it to be?</i><br />
<i>AM: Stop it! The guilt! It pains me!</i><br />
<i>M: . . . So are we like done writing books now? Because I can think of a lot of other things we could be doing with our time.</i><br />
<i>AM: No. We're not done. I still like writing books.</i><br />
<i>M: Fine. I'll just go talk to your friend Writer's Block.</i><br />
<i>AM: I wish you wouldn't do that. </i><br />
<i>M: Isn't that Writer's Block over there sitting next to Procrastination?</i><br />
<i>AM: No. That's Laziness. Writer's Block is the one hanging out with Netflix over there by Facebook and Instagram.</i><br />
<i>M: Oh yeah. I like those guys.</i><br />
<i>AM: Sigh. So much for that new novella I was plotting.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
In case you didn't follow all that, I'm still going to keep writing. In fact, I just got my contract for another year of Tiny Talks, so that's exciting! And in related news, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Was-Just-Like-Me/dp/1462119255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486790356&sr=8-1&keywords=jesus+was+just+like+me">this book</a> arrived in my publisher's warehouse last week! I love my board books! They're so cute and happy. I can't wait to see these illustrations in person!<br />
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I don't have my author copies yet because I've been too lazy/busy to call my publisher and ask for them, but when I do get my copies, I'll probably give as many as I can away to my blog readers. I think I'll be doing a lot more of that from now on—giving my books away to people who genuinely want them. It's what <a href="http://www.theminimalists.com/">some other minimalist writers I know</a> do, and it will help me resolve the cognitive dissonance I feel whenever I start to think of my books as things.<br />
<br />
I know it might sound extreme that I'm worrying about this, but to me it's a little like being a vegetarian who works in a meat-packing factory. The vegetarian doesn't believe that people should eat meat, but if everyone stopped eating meat, the vegetarian would be out of a job. So while I'd like people to stop buying things they don't need, if people stop buying my books, I won't get to publish them anymore, and that would be sad for me.<br />
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If any of you have thoughts on how to resolve this inner conflict (preferably thoughts that don't involve giving up on minimalism or my book writing), I'd be happy to hear them. For now, I'm just going to try not to think about it too much. And there's nothing better than a Netflix binge to help you stop thinking! I'm so glad Netflix is not a thing and that it doesn't have ads to pressure you into buying more things. If anyone needs me, I'll be watching the rest of <i>Call the Midwife</i>.<br />
<br />
Oh, and do check back soon if you want a free copy of <i>Jesus Was Just Like Me!</i> I should have some to give away in the next couple of weeks.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-41365443689221399002017-01-24T23:49:00.000-07:002017-01-24T23:49:00.733-07:00What's up with your tiny house?So here's what's going on: the place where I had planned to leave my tiny house for a few months and let it be rented out to people overnight has been shut down by the city. Boo. So much for that awesome plan.<br />
<br />
Now we're back to square . . . Well, I don't want to say square one because I'm definitely further along in the going-tiny process than I was a year ago. I mean, I still have a house. It's perfect for me. I designed it for exactly what I want and need. I've paid for it and borrowed money to do so. And that's all well and good, BUT . . . I don't have anywhere to put it. So maybe we're at square 1.5 or something.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've known about this for a couple weeks now but I've been avoiding talking about it on my blog or social media because I like to have a plan in place before I tell people about my problems. It helps me to feel like I have things under control. Like even if I haven't totally figured it out yet, I know where I'm going and I can probably get there on my own, thank you very much.<br />
<br />
This time, however, I really don't have a plan. And it's been a little rough. I've been questioning all sorts of things like, should I even go tiny anymore? Should I sell my house and pay off my debts and start over again? Should I try to find a place to live in my house now? Should I put in storage for awhile? And ultimately who am I if I'm not the tiny house girl, you know? Like where is my life going and what do I want to do with it and who do I want to be?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskTeLJOwHbSTHDgmoMw9Te8fNXdpJaj_Gu9MIDfX5O0PBklK8w9zO9rzzd1-waaSzs9kSSzW6Ey2Kv2l98c-DN3Bos8LJPIXxOaoQqinyNbzh-NB4LCJ63WvSoqAGIDH9JFWvTTtnWyA/s1600/IMG_1229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskTeLJOwHbSTHDgmoMw9Te8fNXdpJaj_Gu9MIDfX5O0PBklK8w9zO9rzzd1-waaSzs9kSSzW6Ey2Kv2l98c-DN3Bos8LJPIXxOaoQqinyNbzh-NB4LCJ63WvSoqAGIDH9JFWvTTtnWyA/s320/IMG_1229.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I tell ya, there is nothing like a lack of tiny house parking to bring on an existential crisis.<br />
<br />
But after all this questioning and avoiding and getting more and more frustrated, I've finally decided to start talking about this problem because I need help. I have tried my darndest to find a solution for where to put my tiny house, and it's just not working. Now maybe this means that it's a problem that's not meant to be fixed. That would be sad, but if that's the case, and it's really what Heavenly Father wants for me, I could accept that. I'd cry about it, but I'd be okay.<br />
<br />
But there is another possibility. Maybe the reason I haven't been able to find parking on my own is that I need to learn how to ask for help and rely on my community. So that's what I'm doing.<br />
<br />
I've been researching and researching the zoning laws in Alameda County and the surrounding areas, and as I suspected, there is just no way to legally live in a tiny house on wheels around here. (Except in an RV park, which is simultaneously too sketchy for my comfort zone and too expensive for my budget.) However, I have learned that it's legal to park an RV or tiny house on private property in a backyard or a side yard, as long as you don't live in it.<br />
<br />
I think that's what I'm looking for—at least for now. Not forever, obviously. I would like to live in my house eventually. But for now, I need to be realistic and admit that all I can afford is to put the thing in storage and wait until I've shifted some things around financially.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptFM8638EQ4607Zy9R0sw-pMju6g3uDMw0-LsNfsoJgP50RBbDsghTKJCewAu-vFt5aMJc-gPXwcfA_mqUUh92bZTnZuAhKXwzB34DAjJwZJlluw3OMd9WBVb6tytNY1ZUKid-573KSE/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptFM8638EQ4607Zy9R0sw-pMju6g3uDMw0-LsNfsoJgP50RBbDsghTKJCewAu-vFt5aMJc-gPXwcfA_mqUUh92bZTnZuAhKXwzB34DAjJwZJlluw3OMd9WBVb6tytNY1ZUKid-573KSE/s320/IMG_1418.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
The other option I'm considering, and this may still happen, is to move my house up to Clearlake and live in an RV park up there. That situation is within my budget and totally legal, it's just not in the best neighborhood and also I'd be living in the middle of nowhere, two hours from everything. Not ideal. I mean, great for writing a novel or something, but maybe not so great for my social life. I am an introvert, but this would be extreme.<br />
<br />
I guess I just needed to let you guys know what's happening in case I do decide to up and move somewhere again without much warning.<br />
<br />
It's all part of the adventure, right?<br />
<br />
But in the meantime, if you have (or someone you know has) some extra space in your backyard and you want a super cute playhouse for your grandkids or something, I've got just the thing. I might even be able to pay you to keep it there. You just can't sleep in it or use the kitchen or the bathroom or anything that might count as "living" in it.<br />
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<br />
The other possibility is that I might live somewhere "illegally" for awhile. And if that happens, I'm totally going to redo my blog to give it a ninja theme or maybe camouflage or James Bond or something. Ooh! Or pirates! I like this plan.<br />
<br />
In case you're unfamiliar with all the legal issues surrounding tiny house living, here's a good primer article:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://boneyardstudios.org/2015/05/14/are-tiny-houses-legal-yes/">Are Tiny Houses Legal? Yes.</a><br />
<br />
I have gone back and forth on how I feel about living "illegally" or a-legally, as I prefer to say. I don't like the idea of living outside the law. I am a total rule follower, anyone will tell you that. But in this case, I actually think the rules are kinda wrong. I don't want to get up on a soap box or anything, but it's really hard to find super small housing in America, and I think that's a shame. And to be honest, it has everything to do with the construction and building industries and a lot less to do with what people actually want and need.<br />
<br />
Obviously, I wish there were more options for fully-above-board tiny house living. That would be awesome for a lot of reasons. I will say that things are getting better. There are way more tiny house communities now than there ever were in the past. Someday, I'd like to try to join one or maybe even help start one. But as far as an immediate solution, I'm just not ready. And once again, there's the whole budget thing.<br />
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<br />
So for now it's either storage, Clearlake, or living a-legally. If you think you might know of another option or if you'd be interested in letting me store my house at your place, I'd love to chat with you. Also, if anyone has a truck (like a Ford F-150 or bigger) and wants to let me borrow it or earn some extra money for towing a tiny house around, I'd love to hear from you too.<br />
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If you want to rub it in my face, tell me I'm irresponsible for getting myself into this mess, or just say you told me so, you're totally welcome to do that too. I get it. Really, I do. And It's true. You did tell me so, and I don't know what I'm doing. I'm sure many of you (maybe most) won't understand why I'm so set on trying to do this really-hard-to-do thing. But that's okay. You don't have to understand. I may not know what I'm doing, but I do still know why I'm doing it. I guess right now that's all I've got.<br />
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Oh. And I've got a tiny house, and it's super cute. I suppose that's something.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-13713116868789169582016-12-28T16:34:00.003-07:002016-12-28T16:34:46.966-07:00Do you have a new Primary book out for 2017?Yes! I sure do. Thanks so much to everyone who's asked me about this.<br />
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<br />
My 2017 Primary book is called <i>Tiny Talks: Choose the Right</i><br />
<br />
You'll notice that this year we are back to the Tiny Talks title, but don't let that fool you. This book incorporates a lot of the same format that I used for 2016 in <i>Time to Share</i>. That means that in addition to talks for kids to give, you'll also find lessons, activities, videos, songs, and scriptures that go along with each week's theme. Plus, I've included a sample outline for your annual Primary program in Sacrament meeting.<br />
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It's kind of hard to tell from this small picture, but trust me, there is a LOT of stuff in this book. A lot more than I ever put into Tiny Talks.<br />
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I really appreciate everyone who helped me write this book, including so many of you who contributed names for me to use in the talks and stories. For your information, I used the following names in this book.<br />
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Abigail<br />
Ambree<br />
Ana<br />
Asher<br />
Audrey<br />
Baylee<br />
Bella<br />
Bennett<br />
Braver<br />
Charlee<br />
Claire<br />
Clark<br />
Daphne<br />
Elijah<br />
Ellis<br />
Emmalee<br />
Hannah<br />
James<br />
Jared<br />
Kaia<br />
Kaleb<br />
Kalli<br />
Kyle<br />
Lela<br />
Liam<br />
Logan<br />
Mckenzie<br />
Mia<br />
Michael<br />
Millie<br />
Naomi<br />
Nash<br />
Nathan<br />
Paisley<br />
Riley<br />
Ryan<br />
Savannah<br />
Sawyer<br />
Scarlett<br />
Sean<br />
Sierra<br />
Tanner<br />
Tessa<br />
Tevye<br />
Zachary<br />
<br />
Again, thank you so much to everyone who sent in names. I wanted to use them all, but there just wasn't enough room. If I missed your child's name this year, I'll definitely keep it in mind for next year. <br />
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I also need to give a big shout-out to all my amazing friends and colleagues at Cedar Fort, especially Shawnda, McKell, and Chelsea who worked so hard on this book. I love the collaborative partnership I have with you guys. It's great to still feel so involved in the publishing process even though I don't work at Cedar Fort anymore. Thanks for bringing my ideas to life, ladies!<br />
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Finally thanks so much to each one of you who read my blog and use my books. I really hope my books are helpful to you. I love writing these Primary books, and I feel so grateful each year that I'm able to do this. Thanks for all your support!<br />
<br />
And to show you how thankful I am to all you blog readers, I'm going to give away five copies of this brand new book to you folks. All you need to do is share a link to this blog post on Facebook and tag me in it or message me to show me that you did it. Super easy, right?<br />
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If you're one of the first five I'll send you a private message on Facebook so I can arrange to send or deliver your book to you.<br />
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I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season and that you're looking forward to a happy and exciting new year ahead. Yay for 2017!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-60619141726538005532016-12-20T21:11:00.001-07:002016-12-20T21:28:30.255-07:00What's it like to be a minimalist at Christmastime?It's the most wonderful time of the year, folks! I hope you're enjoying your holiday festivities so far.<br />
<br />
Christmas is awesome for so many reasons, but in the past couple of years as I've really started embracing minimalism, there have certainly been challenges around this time of year. I've tried to figure out how to do Christmas as a minimalist, but I'll admit it's been a struggle. I have high hopes for this year, though. I think I've finally figured it out, or at least I'm getting pretty close.<br />
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Part of that has to do with the passage of time: most of my friends and family have now gotten used to not giving me things. And part of it has to do with really focusing my philosophy of minimalism in the past year: what minimalism means to me, how I practice it, and how much more I enjoy giving things away than getting them.<br />
<br />
But first, a look at Christmases past. As a child I remember loving Christmas. I loved the anticipation, wondering what Santa would bring. I loved decorating the tree and laying underneath it, looking up at the lights. I loved the music and the treats and spending time with my family.<br />
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But I will confess, I didn't always love my actual gifts. I'd pretend to like them because I knew that people who loved me had spent a lot of time picking things out for me and had spent money they didn't always have to make my Christmas special. I always felt so guilty when I didn't genuinely like a gift. It felt like a burden to have this thing that I didn't want, didn't know what to do with, and had to keep because I couldn't bear the thought of offending the person who'd given it to me.<br />
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After ten years or so of this, I started to realize what was happening. Before then, I wasn't sure how to process the feelings of post-Christmas let-down. It soon became clear that I'd have to make Christmas about more than the presents or I'd continue to be disappointed. Luckily, this realization coincided with me starting to enjoy singing in choirs. Suddenly there was a new reason to love Christmas—all the caroling and choir practices with friends helped me look forward to the season. That got me through to college, when Christmas became all about the joy of traveling home to California, spending time with my family and enjoying the comparatively warm weather and the break from school between semesters.<br />
<br />
Yet still there was that nagging guilt of not liking all my presents and of feeling frustrated by the consumerism, the busy-ness, and the burnout that often come along with the Christmas season. Christmas is a hard time to say no to things. You want to make the most of it and keeping adding more and more to your traditional celebrating. It seems like the right thing to do.<br />
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Simplifying can seem Scrooge-y. You're supposed to want more presents and you're supposed to enjoy picking out the perfect thing for each of your beloved friends and family members. You're not supposed to think about the money gifts will cost you and the fact that so many of these decorations end up in the trash or wasting away in the garage for the other 11 months of the year.<br />
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Christmas is supposed to be about more, not less.<br />
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But it doesn't have to be that way. As I've discovered in the past couple of years, Christmas can be about experiences instead of things and spending precious time with family and friends. Even at Christmastime, less can be more. A lot more, in fact.<br />
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It's all in how you approach the holiday. If you're like me and your childhood Christmases were focused on physical presents, it's going to take a little adjusting to get into the minimalist mindset. Instead of making a list of things you want to receive or keeping your eyes out for that perfect gift for someone on your list, think about all the time you could save not shopping and how that time could be spent creating memories with your family. Maybe you could try making a list of fun things you want to do with the people you love in the coming weeks or months.<br />
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Another important part of a minimalist Christmas is learning to say no to invitations to do more. It's going to take some work and conscious effort, but you really don't have to participate in that cookie exchange or attend your coworker's brother's holiday bash, even if you've been doing these things for years. Instead, focus on creating quiet moments to reflect on the beauty of the season. And do say yes to the invitations you really care about. Just remember that burnout is real and it's very important to know your own limits.<br />
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One idea that can be really fun is deciding not to spend any money on holiday decorations. I did this a couple of years ago, and it was super fun. I used paper and craft supplies that I already had around my house, plus some used lights and a mini-Christmas tree that were re-gifted from a family member. I made snowflakes and paper chains to hang up in my windows. Then when Christmas was over, I was able to throw most of my decorations away and not have to store anything for next year. I like all-white Christmas lights because you can use them all year, not just at Christmastime. When you have a tiny house, it's hard to justify storing things you only use 1/12th of the time, so stuff like that is important.<br />
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I'm not saying that it's bad to buy presents or that you should deprive yourself of the joys that come with this time of year. I just want to point out that there are other ways to celebrate Christmas. I used to get a lot of joy out of giving physical gifts to my friends and family. These days, I get a lot of joy out of giving them experiences and spending time with them. Instead of feeling entitled to boxes of presents, I've found myself feeling excited about donating to causes I care about.<br />
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Before you get the wrong idea, I want to point out that I'm not some sort of Christmas saint. I'm not perfect at this stuff. I still feel the pull to do and buy and be more, but I know that in the end, I'm happier with less. Minimalism is not the only way to focus yourself on the true spirit of Christmas, but it's working really well for me.<br />
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Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your holidays are completely magical whether you go minimalist or maximalist this year. Here's to a wonderful Christmas season and a brand new year to come!<br />
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Oh, and speaking of a new year, if you're looking for help with Primary this coming year, I've got a few extra copies of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Talks-Heidi-Doxey/dp/1462119484/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482293465&sr=8-1&keywords=tiny+talks+heidi">this book</a> that I'd be happy to give you. Just leave me a comment here or on Facebook and I'll see what I can do!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-60362494329250023232016-11-14T23:17:00.002-07:002016-11-14T23:17:39.581-07:00Why aren't you moving into your house? (And where are you moving next?)Oh, guys. I have so much to say on this topic and I want to make sure I say it all the right way. That's a lot of pressure for a post, or at least a lot more pressure than I normally feel. That's why I've been putting off posting about this. But now that my house is done and settling into its temporary home, it feels like it's time to address this.<br />
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Again.<br />
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Does anyone else feel like I've already talked about this? Because I feel like I have. And I'll likely have to talk about it again. That's how my life is going to go now. I'll spend a lot of time explaining my unusual choices to people for the rest of forever. Good thing I like to write.<br />
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So to answer the immediate question . . . I'm not moving into my house yet because I'm not ready to move into my house yet. And there are a few reasons why that's the case, but most of them come down to my finances.<br />
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I know money isn't the most exciting thing to talk about (or read about) so I'll try to make this part quick. Basically I've never been a fan of debt, and I've had to take on a lot of it in order to build this house. I had always planned to rent a space to park my house, but when I switched my plans from living in Utah to living in California, I realized that it was going to cost me a lot more to park/rent land here than there, not to mention the added expense of towing the house to California and paying higher taxes on it here.<br />
<br />Don't get me wrong; I'm totally glad I moved back to California. That was always in my long-term plans, as was working remotely. So I'm super glad that I'm now doing both of those things. But because I made those major life changes (moving and transitioning to working remotely), I decided I didn't want to change all that at once, plus move into my tiny house, and have to worry about all of these bills at the same time.<br />
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I needed some breathing room and I needed time to make sure I didn't overwhelm myself. Once upon a time in my 20s, I'm sure I would've jumped into all of this willy-nilly. But now as a wise, old 30-something, I have learned that as much as I love change, even I have my limits.<br />
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So I decided to plan for some transition time. At first I was considering putting my house in storage temporarily. That would be cheaper than renting a space where I could live in it. But then I found an even better solution: a tiny house bed and breakfast where they rent out tiny homes on Airbnb. This means that instead of costing me money, my house has now become an investment property and will make me money.<br />
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I don't know exactly how much money it will end up making me, but anything is better than the alternative: paying to have it sit in storage.<br />
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Um . . . let's see. Were there other reasons I wanted to mention? I talked about finances; I talked about not changing everything all at once. What else? Oh! Right! The whole parking situation.<br />
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So there are very few places in the Bay Area where you can legally park a tiny home. I don't want to get into a long discussion about zoning laws because that's even more boring to talk about than finances. To sum up: the best options are usually RV parks and some of those are really sketchy and if they're anywhere close to civilization, they're out of my price range. The funny thing is, my parents' house has plenty of parking space for a boat or RV. My tiny house would totally fit in our backyard. But the zoning codes prohibit it. You're not even allowed to store an RV there, let alone live in it.<br />
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What I will most likely end up doing, once I'm financially ready for this, is move my house to a tiny-house-friendly RV park somewhere on the West Coast either in Portland, southern Oregon, or Northern California. When will that be? I don't know for sure. But definitely not earlier than May 2017. And possibly as late as May 2018. Somewhere in that range.<br />
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Of course, I would like it to be sooner. I bought this house because I want to live in it. But I also want to be smart about this whole process and not end up moving in and then having to sell my house immediately because I can't afford to pay for it.<br />
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If anyone is actually interested in the full financial picture here, I would be happy to lay it all out for you. I am super open about my money and how I work through all that. But I'm omitting it here because I don't want to bore anyone to death.<br />
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In the meantime, until I can afford to actually live in my house, I am staying with my parents temporarily and I might start looking for another place to live with friends in the Bay Area. Or I might move to Arizona.<br />
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What?! Arizona?!<br />
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Yes.<br />
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Want to know why? Because yesterday I made a whole list of places that I've always wanted to live/visit/see. And then I categorized them according to how long I think I'd want to stay there.<br />
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(Side note: It's kind of mind-boggling to me that I've finally reached the point where I can make plans like this. I've always wanted to create a flexible life where I could move as often as I wanted to without disrupting anything major. Now that I've got a mobile job, a mobile house, and a slimmed down minimalist lifestyle, I can really do it. It's so great!)<br />
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Anyway, there were only eight places that made the list of locations where I'd like to stay for a year or more. And one of them was Arizona. I know it's a big state, but I haven't narrowed it down any more than that yet. Probably somewhere close-ish to Phoenix, though. Or Tucson maybe.<br />
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I also might move to Eureka. That was on the list.<br />
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Or Santa Cruz. Or San Luis Obispo. Or Monterrey.<br />
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Are you seeing the trend? Most of the other seven places are in California. And a lot of them are locations where I would like to park my tiny house someday. But Arizona stuck out to me as a place where I wouldn't necessarily want to live in a tiny house, mostly because with a tiny house, outdoor living becomes super important and in Arizona the outdoors are sometimes inhospitable what with the extreme heat and all.<br />
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The way I see it, the next six months to eighteen months are like my last chance to live with friends or experiment with living situations that are not so tiny before I settle into my little house permanently. Or at least for a long time.<br />
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Speaking of the long term, this listing-places activity that I did yesterday also helped me to map out my plans for the next five-ish years. They look like this:<br />
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2017: Rent out my tiny house, live at home/in the Bay Area, or move somewhere like Arizona.<br />
2018: Move into my tiny house in an RV park in Portland, Eureka, the Delta, or maybe central California or southern Oregon.<br />
2019: Take a West Coast trip with my tiny house. Start near Seattle. Stay in RV parks for a few weeks at time. Work my way down to the San Diego area.<br />
2020: Do the same thing on the East Coast. Start in Maine. End up in the South. Maybe head to Texas on my way back West.<br />
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So there you have it, folks, my entire life plan for the next five years. I know it would be more exciting if I were quitting my job and doing all of this cool traveling and tiny living right now, but not only would that be unrealistic financially, it would also just be too much for me. That kind of life makes for awesome television, but the drama is only sustainable for so long before you burn out and wind up selling your tiny house and moving right back into regular old traditional housing.<br />
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I don't want to do that. I want to experience my tiny house journey in a way that makes sense for me, even if that means waiting and being patient and doing things slowly. <br />
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Of course, no one really knows what the future holds. My list of places where I'd like to live might change dramatically before I ever get a chance to take my tiny house on the road. Who knows? I might even get married and that could change everything. But I feel pretty good about the fact that I have a plan for now. And I'm really excited that my tiny house is done and that it will be waiting for me whenever I'm ready to move into it.<br />
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Sorry this post was so boring and informative. I'll finish it off with a picture I took at the beach yesterday because life is lovely and when you have less stuff and less money you have more time to enjoy all the beautiful things around you that don't cost a thing.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-87346026896785774492016-10-30T10:08:00.000-06:002016-10-30T10:08:03.614-06:00What should I write for NaNoWriMo?I know this will sound strange, but sometimes I forget that I write books. I'm not one of those authors that diligently pulls out my laptop every day and hammers out a thousand words before breakfast. And because most of the books I've written have been short or on supertight deadlines, I can usually get them done in a month or less and then go on my merry way and not worry about writing again for awhile.<br />
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But occasionally something does happen that makes me remember. This week it was getting the interior illustrations for a board book I wrote awhile back. It looks so cute! To be honest, I'd almost forgotten all about this book in the midst of tiny house building and moving and everything else that's been going on lately.<br />
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I feel sort of bad. Like I've been neglecting my authorial duties by not devoting more time and energy to this project. But the truth is that there's a lot of waiting time when you're an author. You submit an idea weeks or months before you hear back about it and then it often takes over a year before it really becomes a book. So I guess the only difference with this book is that I haven't been sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I've been busy with other life things.<br />
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Anyway, all of this is to say that while I can't show you the interior pictures, I do have a cover I've been meaning to reveal for awhile.<br />
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Isn't it cute?<br />
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This book comes out in February and is already <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Was-Just-Like-Me/dp/1462119255/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1477841622&sr=8-6&keywords=jesus+was+just+like+me">available for pre-order on Amazon</a>, so if you're interested, feel free to check it out there.<br />
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And in related news, I'm pretty sure I'm going to do National Novel Writing Month again, or at least attempt it. For those who've never heard of it NaNoWriMo happens every year in November and you have to write 50,000 words in a month. I've attempted it off and on for five-ish years now, but I only won for the first time last year.<br />
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I like it as an exercise in writing discipline, which, as mentioned above, is not something I usually have. It doesn't necessarily translate into a finished product because you're writing so quickly, but it's definitely a start and it's just fun to write with lots of other people in this big group-writing event.<br />
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My problem with doing it this year is that I've been really indecisive about what to write. I have tons of ideas, but I can't seem to settle on any particular one. That's why I need your help. I'm going to list my ideas below and I would love it if you would vote here in the comments or on Facebook if you have an opinion about which one I should write for NaNo.<br />
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1. LDS romance, characters would probably be just out of college or a late 20s, set in DC, California, or maybe New York.<br />
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2. The third book in the Jane Journals series. (The second one has been done for awhile; it just needs more polishing, which I've been putting off until after I finished my tiny house.)<br />
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3. Middle-grade light fantasy about a family with five kids who find another world in the woods, set in summertime.<br />
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4. Historical/contemporary story with two plotlines, one in the past and one in the present. Both tied to a specific place. Probably early 1900s for the historical story. Not totally sure yet what would happen in either story. Most likely would involve some drama and romance. Possibly LDS.<br />
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5. Rewrite of my first novel that I never published. YA. Set in contemporary San Francisco about a school for psychics. First in a series. Or I could rewrite it to be a standalone.<br />
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6. Fairytale retelling, probably Hansel and Gretel. Maybe Cinderella. In either a completely new setting or else in a historical setting. I'm not sure. I've just always thought it would be fun to try one of these.<br />
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I may also decide to go into it with absolutely no forethought and just start typing and see what happens. That could be interesting. But I feel like that might just result in something completely unsalvageable. I don't know. I tend to use NaNoWriMo as a time to experiment with a new genre or flex my writing muscles with a point of view or a tense that I don't normally write. But maybe I want to go easy on myself this year. After all, I did just move and build a house.<br />
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Which brings me to some unrelated news: I am officially back in California and it feels so good! My house will be done this week and will be delivered to <a href="http://www.thehideawayramona.com/">The Hideaway Ramona</a>, which is where it will stay for at least the next six months to a year while I figure out where to put it/pay off more of the loans it took me to build it/trade my little car in for a truck that can pull my house. I'll be heading down there next weekend to make sure it's all settled in place. I'm not entirely sure when I'll be moving in and actually living tiny, but for now I'm just excited to be a tiny house owner if not a tiny house dweller (yet).<br />
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This whole process of going tiny has taken me years to execute, so I figure what's a few more months or another year in the grand scheme of things? Besides, I have some really fun plans for trips and things coming up to fill my time while I'm waiting. Now that I'm working from home I feel like I have a lot more flexibility both for traveling and for life in general, which I definitely want to take advantage of.<br />
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So stay tuned for more updates. And if you've got an opinion about what I should write or another idea you think I should consider, feel free to comment here or on Facebook. I'm looking forward to getting started on another book!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-42457987008291567712016-10-09T10:24:00.000-06:002016-10-09T10:24:06.672-06:00When are you moving?That is such a good question! And I really wish I could give you a specific answer. In fact, I'm pretty sure I care a lot more about the answer to that question than any of you do right now. But . . . I don't know for sure because the answer to the question of when I am moving is: when my house is done.<br />
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And when will that be? I don't know.<br />
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Last time I saw my tiny house it was two framed walls, not connected to a trailer.<br />
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And as far as I know, it still looks like that. However, that was four days ago, so there's a possibility that my builder has made some progress since then. On the other hand, he is also working on three other houses right now. Here's some pictures of one house that's about the same size mine will be.<br />
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One thing that has caused a little bit of delay is that there was some trouble with the way my trailer was registered. When you buy a tiny house, you can have it registered as a travel trailer, a park model RV, or a standard utility trailer. The trailer for my house was registered as a utility trailer, which is not ideal because that makes it harder to get the right kind of insurance for my house and to park it at an RV park, should I ever want to do that, which I very well might.<br />
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So. There's that. The house in the pictures above was actually built on the trailer that mine would have been built on, if it had been registered the right way.<br />
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I'm trying to be as patient as possible through all this. I keep reminding myself that I have waited a whole year to make this tiny house dream happen (not to mention the four years before then when I was seriously considering it as a future possibility). So a few more weeks won't hurt anything. But on the other hand, I am so excited to get back to California that any delay at this point just feels like torture.<br />
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The good news is that Friday was my last day working in the office, so now I am totally ready to move from a work standpoint. I'm really excited about working full-time remote. I know there will be some challenges and things to adjust to, but I'm just so grateful to have a job with the kind of flexibility that allows me to go wherever I need to in order to live the life that I really want to live—in a tiny house, in California. </div>
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I will keep you all posted on the progress of my house, but right now it's looking like I won't be moving until the 22nd or 29th of October. And for Utah people, I'm still planning to hold a tiny open house before then, so I'll let you know when that might be happening too. Although, with everything so up in the air it'll probably be a really last-minute invite, like, "Hey! Who wants to come see my tiny house TONIGHT! For one night only!" I'm sorry in advance about that.</div>
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Another good thing that's come of me building this house (even though it's tiny and even though I'm not actually building it) is that this process has definitely taught me a few lessons in how to be flexible and patient. I generally think of myself as very easy-going and chill, but even I have my limits, and I think it's good for me to be tested on those limits every once in awhile.</div>
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It's just really hard to be patient when life is about to get a million times more awesome!!!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-46747681317123371782016-09-28T19:37:00.000-06:002016-09-28T19:47:19.659-06:00Would you like some help decluttering?<div class="p1">
If you had told me when I started this blog that I would become the tidy, minimalist person I am today, I would’ve laughed in your face. Ask my parents; ask my siblings. They will tell you that I have never been a tidy person. I didn’t care if my bed was made. I didn’t care how long I let the dishes sit out on the counter. I didn’t care how much stuff I had stuffed in my closet. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a total slob, but I definitely was under the impression that my creative, whimsical nature couldn’t be bothered with the organization and maintenance of all my many boxes of random things.</div>
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<span class="s1">Well, folks, I have changed. And at this point, nearly 18 months into my new tidy lifestyle, I think it’s safe to say that the change is a permanent one.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm_uFydxGwM-hV4YNaQal1BnonYmSyIQHQAkwP27SakD9yjp7Zu_jZt2F7XaCKQ1W2XPQiibyqsE67_nGeNDvWln23AvCDjosR4OMfEUnERNTmYvKD1aYHF8fpmQXxtojUa7YOMPavY0/s1600/IMG_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm_uFydxGwM-hV4YNaQal1BnonYmSyIQHQAkwP27SakD9yjp7Zu_jZt2F7XaCKQ1W2XPQiibyqsE67_nGeNDvWln23AvCDjosR4OMfEUnERNTmYvKD1aYHF8fpmQXxtojUa7YOMPavY0/s320/IMG_0118.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Turns out I actually really like tidying. I do it automatically now. All of my things have a place and for the most part, they all stay in those places. I won’t say that my cleanliness is perfect. My bathroom counter tends to stay a bit messy and my jeans sometimes sit on the floor overnight, but that’s a far cry from the giant piles of dirty laundry that used to creep into the corners of my room and the endless array of knickknacks that once cluttered up my bookshelves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHThbeU7IR7IkQk6NTdW31XOSwT66KZSQPQo_l_8l0q1lai0xZly8EhjpNrdN_MQuQHLYjyDdaFd7nF6-Y9JRBg5CkVevi7rq0penFavbPd7ohv2_aLwk-e5b6URbGgOwkPmN5DJyN8c/s1600/IMG_0433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHThbeU7IR7IkQk6NTdW31XOSwT66KZSQPQo_l_8l0q1lai0xZly8EhjpNrdN_MQuQHLYjyDdaFd7nF6-Y9JRBg5CkVevi7rq0penFavbPd7ohv2_aLwk-e5b6URbGgOwkPmN5DJyN8c/s320/IMG_0433.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">The thing is, now that I’ve dramatically downsized my possessions, I’m finding that my love of tidying has outgrown the actual amount of tidying that I can do. That is to say that I’ve physically run out of things to tidy. There are, after all, only so many ways you can rearrange your closet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0yC35SHgDuyJg6henLVzcAHeV_dDgRoIHTflO2CFhuwWUdZ_u_GnN0oTVlDUIhhDBBFXdgOxosxblUro5MI9FC9iYgpAR2rQgFvCMjk54ko45qmOUunw0A8iaAsAC9bG72PdsALnacA/s1600/IMG_1207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0yC35SHgDuyJg6henLVzcAHeV_dDgRoIHTflO2CFhuwWUdZ_u_GnN0oTVlDUIhhDBBFXdgOxosxblUro5MI9FC9iYgpAR2rQgFvCMjk54ko45qmOUunw0A8iaAsAC9bG72PdsALnacA/s320/IMG_1207.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">So with that in mind, I’ve decided to look elsewhere for decluttering opportunities to satisfy this new urge. And this is where you all come in. If you have a tidying/decluttering/organizing project that you need a little extra help tackling, would you be willing to let me try helping you? I’m definitely not a professional organizer and I don’t have any kind of certifications in this area. </span>I don’t know if the approach I used will work for everyone, but it has certainly worked for me. And I would love to tell you more about how I made this lifestyle change and hopefully help you change your life too. Just think of me as a tidying mentor/coach person.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2sBXLMJWUAkZu-WJmQBchakP9Av_WEcFrEPKSkuR5-XqkbDN47gYZm1zBeQrVXKG29wm6TMN8i9RsfXaUUXS5VWQZGYBS9xzMkwr8VlHYF_dU6Qii6ZJ9-3kBVY4m0yvLM0gMeOqp0w/s1600/IMG_1216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2sBXLMJWUAkZu-WJmQBchakP9Av_WEcFrEPKSkuR5-XqkbDN47gYZm1zBeQrVXKG29wm6TMN8i9RsfXaUUXS5VWQZGYBS9xzMkwr8VlHYF_dU6Qii6ZJ9-3kBVY4m0yvLM0gMeOqp0w/s320/IMG_1216.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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For now I just want to dip my toes in the water and see if this tidying stuff is as much fun when I’m helping other people as it is when I’m doing it for myself. Eventually, if I like doing it, I might try to earn some type of certification and turn it into a side business or something. But that’s a little farther down the road. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VSWdZ9L3HqdwVkEkx66PI18JQj-xvB09ZmNzH4tnEqgLNMPVfCL6bKMZ3HS8G_H2O04sY4lM1uxEK6UULOnYLkhMG8yi0faljLI323m4NRFlQDseUEIDGGTyOcNs_XyEmDdyXEe8N0Y/s1600/IMG_0114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VSWdZ9L3HqdwVkEkx66PI18JQj-xvB09ZmNzH4tnEqgLNMPVfCL6bKMZ3HS8G_H2O04sY4lM1uxEK6UULOnYLkhMG8yi0faljLI323m4NRFlQDseUEIDGGTyOcNs_XyEmDdyXEe8N0Y/s320/IMG_0114.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Also, I have no idea what to charge for my services in this area, so I’m just going to leave that up to you. Propose a project to me and if you have money and want to pay me for it, that’d be cool. I can tell you that anything I earn from this will go directly toward paying off my tiny house (since I had to borrow money to build it). But if you don’t have money to spend on this, and you just need help, that’s fine too. I am here for you, and I'm just looking for some experience.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjje6ulCnFrhHWA49-_NvLF7PpPTXbcyqFTgJi5u28sUpeskO5WpA316fO1AH1uuDimyq_-hoyOOLiWrCMW_d8YJja0gYnbgE8Jg_iF8TrXDLiwbphcpDz4QG2iDsPrZgcvnafAak_EwBM/s1600/IMG_0113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjje6ulCnFrhHWA49-_NvLF7PpPTXbcyqFTgJi5u28sUpeskO5WpA316fO1AH1uuDimyq_-hoyOOLiWrCMW_d8YJja0gYnbgE8Jg_iF8TrXDLiwbphcpDz4QG2iDsPrZgcvnafAak_EwBM/s320/IMG_0113.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">A few final notes: </span></div>
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<span class="s1">1. This offer is primarily for Bay Area people, but if you live somewhere else and have an extra room I could sleep in for a week or so (or even just a couch I could crash on for a few nights), I’m open to that idea too, depending on who you are, where you live, how well I know, how annoying your kids are (kidding, mostly), and what kind of project we’re talking about. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">2. I am not sure how soon I'd be able to get started, since I still don't know the exact date of my upcoming move to California. But I figured I'd post about this now to let you all think about it and so that we can start setting up tidying sessions for future dates. I'm guessing I'll be settled in from the move and ready to get started working at the beginning of November, but I could possibly do something earlier than that if you're up against a deadline (like you need your house to look good before the neighborhood Halloween party).</span></div>
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<span class="s1">3. If you are interested, send me a message on Facebook or comment on this post. I'd love to schedule a time to chat with you about your needs and figure out if I'd be a good fit for your project.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">4. I am generally a nice person and I would never force you to give up anything you truly love.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Final disclaimer: I very much dislike this sell-y type stuff. I am genuinely doing this because I think it will be fun. That's how much I'm into tidying these days. But I hope no one reading this will feel put off by it. And the most important point I want to make about all this is that <b>I don't think you're a bad person if your house is not tidy</b>. This blog is a no-judgment zone. If you are happy with your current level of tidiness, that's awesome. More power to you. But if you're unhappy with your house/room/apartment or how much time it takes you to keep it clean and organized, I think I might be able to help you with that. And I think I would enjoy helping.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-68079203416405769172016-09-17T09:18:00.001-06:002016-09-17T09:44:57.931-06:00No more TV?That's right, people. I am currently living through a dearth of television. Ever since my mom failed to renew our family Netflix account a few weeks ago, all I've been able to watch is Youtube. That means no movies, no shows, nothing but vlogs and late night comedy sketches.<br />
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It's been . . . interesting. If I weren't about to move home to my parents' house where they have an actual television with an actual DVR, I'd be seriously looking into my online subscription options. I don't want to own a large television myself or pay for cable. But in spite of my ultra minimalist lifestyle, I'm not a total Mennonite. Not yet, anyway. And I still want my TV shows. (No offense, to actual Mennonites, of course. I really admire many things about your lifestyle.)<br />
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Granted, there is some great stuff on Youtube. And I have definitely enjoyed the extra time to live my life without the temptation to binge rewatch <i>Stranger Things</i>. So I wouldn't say that the loss has been entirely a bad one. But I will definitely be happy when I can get back to my regularly scheduled programming, as it were.<br />
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What am I doing to in the meantime to make life bearable?<br />
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1. The New York Times Crossword Puzzle.<br />
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I treated myself to a one-month subscription to their app, and I've been loving it. I'm even getting the Sunday puzzles done, which is really saying something. Of course, it helps that you can reveal letters and words and check your answers. And Google helps a lot too. But I try to do as much as I can on my own before relying on cheats.<br />
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Though I will admit to some heavy cheating <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/crosswords/trapped.html">this past Thursday when the puzzle clues were all anagrams</a>. It was a nightmare. And I <i>like</i> anagrams.<br />
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2. <a href="http://knorppandsouth.com/">Knorpp and South</a><br />
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You guys, I am obsessed with this family. You HAVE to check them out. They have nine kids, five of whom they adopted from China. They're LDS. And they're currently traveling around the country in an RV. They are basically the coolest people ever, and I want to be just like them when I grow up. Plus their kids are totally adorable! They post videos as they go, and it's so fun to follow their adventures. Big Youtube score.<br />
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3. Good, old-fashioned reading<br />
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I started rereading <i>Little Women</i> the other day and fell back in love with it. Such a classic. I also reread Louisa May Alcott's lesser-known first novel, <i>The Inheritance</i>. She wrote it when she was seventeen and it's fun as a writer myself to see her learning to put a story together. It's like hanging out with the real Jo for an afternoon.<br />
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4. Getting outside!<br />
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It's early fall here and that means that the temperature and weather are perfect for spending hours and hours outdoors. Lately when I leave the office for my lunch break, I've been having a really hard time convincing myself to come back indoors to finish working in the afternoons.<br />
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And of course, our sunsets are always gorgeous. That's one thing I'll definitely miss when I move to California.<br />
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I also managed to squeeze in one last summer roadtrip to Colorado a couple of weeks ago with one of my very best friends. That was a blast. I should've taken more pictures because we drove through some really pretty scenery, but here are just a few.</div>
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5. And of course, lots and lots of writing <i>Tiny Talks 2017</i>.<br />
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As much as I enjoy writing these books every year, I'm always so relieved when they're done. I will freely admit that one of the reasons I love having a deadline is that I know that once it's passed, I'll get to go back to being lazy and only writing when I feel like it.<br />
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Speaking of Tiny Talks, though, I actually do have a proof I'm supposed to be going through this weekend, so I should probably get to work on that.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-69417366008906519412016-09-11T22:10:00.001-06:002016-09-11T22:10:44.263-06:00Are you getting rid of EVERYTHING?Blog! I missed you! I've been so busy writing Tiny Talks 2017 that I haven't had a spare minute for my blog in weeks. But the manuscript is done now (as of last night around 8:00 pm) and that means I'm going back to my normal reality.<br />
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And <i>that</i> means I'm getting ready to move to California, finally build a tiny house, start working remotely, and figure out what's coming next in my life.<br />
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In case you haven't heard yet or you were a little confused about the details, I'm currently planning to move from Utah to the San Francisco Bay Area at the end of September or beginning of October. The exact timing of the move depends on a couple of things. One is my tiny house, which I'll talk more about in a minute, and the other is a personal history project I've been working on with my grandma (not my history—hers). I've been helping her put together a book with some of her writings and photos and I'd like to get it at least mostly done if not completely done before I move.<br />
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To be clear, I am SUPER excited about this move. If I could, I would move tomorrow. But I also want to make sure that I act like a responsible adult and take care of the things that I need to take care of here before I go.<br />
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Now about my house. I am well aware that there are many people who would really love to know exactly when my house will be done and exactly what it will look like and how big it will be and all of that stuff. And let me just say, I am also one of those people. Heh.<br />
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I don't know for sure when the house will be done. The builder that I'm working with has had some unfortunate setbacks recently, and since I'm not on a tight schedule, I've just decided to go with the flow and let him take the time that he needs. For one thing, it's not like I have much of a choice. There's nothing I can do to make him go faster. And for another, this gives me more time to save up money to put down on the house, which ultimately will mean getting out of debt faster and that's a good thing.<br />
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As far as the design, I went through several rounds of changes and ultimately came back to my original idea, which will look something like <a href="http://www.fourlightshouses.com/products/weller">this house</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0190/6652/products/Weller-Web_1024x1024.jpg?v=1411702599" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0190/6652/products/Weller-Web_1024x1024.jpg?v=1411702599" height="320" width="302" /></a></div>
I'm really excited about seeing how it all turns out, and I'll definitely post more updates and pictures as the build progresses.<br />
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I'm also really excited about sending it to <a href="http://www.thehideawayramona.com/">The Hideaway in Ramona, California</a>, for the first few months that I own it. The more I consider this plan, the better I feel about my decision. I think it'll be a great way to own a tiny house and have that security of knowing that I own something without having to worry about what to do with it in my immediate, still uncertain future.<br />
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In the meantime, I've been trying my best to prepare for the move and for my eventual transition to tiny living by downsizing some more. You would think that by now I'd have gotten rid of everything except the bare essentials, but you'd be wrong. I still have lots more books than I need, for one thing. However I have almost entirely eliminated the unnecessary craft supplies, bathroom products, and miscellaneous items. My clothes at least are close to being done. I'm actually down to three pairs of shoes at the moment after giving away a couple pairs of sandals last week. But I'll likely invest in another pair soonish. Four seems to be a good number: one pair of running/walking shoes, one pair of flats for church, flip-flops, and something casual like a pair of slip-ons. Right now I'm missing that last one.<br />
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In the photo above, you can see almost all of the clothes I currently own. I roll up my skirts and dresses and keep a drawer full of shirts, one drawer with socks and stuff, and another drawer for PJs and workout clothes. One of the nice things about working from home is that I'll be able to dress more casually (except when I need to be on a video conference call) so it'll be nice to be able to get rid of some more clothes when I don't have to dress up for work every day.<br />
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Since I didn't really answer the blog post title question yet, I guess I'll clarify that I'm not planning to get rid of EVERYTHING. But I honestly feel like there's a minimizing cycle where the more you get rid of, the more you realize you don't need all the things you've kept, and so that prompts you to get rid of more and re-evaluate again. I'm sure there will come a point at which I'll have to stop eliminating things, but I haven't quite reached it yet, and I'm not going to stop before then. It's really a great feeling knowing that things are just things and I don't need to plan my life around how much stuff I have.<br />
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Anyway, I could go on and on about how much I love getting rid of things, but I'll save that for another day. Like I said I'll keep you all posted about the house and everything. For people in Utah, I'm hoping to have a "tiny" open house sometime before I move away, so once I figure out the feasibility and date for that, I'll make some sort of announcement on social media.<br />
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And for people in California, I'm excited to see you all soon!<br />
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Hope you guys had a great Sunday and you're looking forward to a good week ahead like I am.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-54858361467365877952016-08-13T11:48:00.001-06:002016-08-13T11:48:06.627-06:00What's next? (part II)Well, I was planning a lot longer post to announce this, but then this morning I found out that the Primary theme for 2017 was announced and now suddenly all my writing time needs to go to Tiny Talks instead of to my blog.<br />
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So I'll just give you the short version of this and fill you in more later.<br />
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I have three kinds of news: good news, bad news, and great news.<br />
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The good news is that I found a place to park my tiny house. (Finally!)<br />
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The bad news is that it's not a place where I can live in it. That means I won't be moving into my tiny house when my it's completed in two to three weeks.<br />
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Here's where my house is going:<br />
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<a href="http://www.thehideawayramona.com/">http://www.thehideawayramona.com/</a><br />
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It's a tiny house hotel and farm! And it's totally adorable. It's also in Southern California, near San Diego, so if you live around there and you're curious about tiny houses, you should totally check it out.<br />
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I would be way more disappointed about not moving into my house if it weren't for the great news, which is that in order find a more permanent spot for my house my boss has said that it's okay for me to move out of state and work remotely, which means that at the end of September, I'll be moving HOME!!<br />
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I have seriously missed the Bay Area and I could not be more excited about returning to live there. I'm not sure at this point how long I'll stay in the area, but I'll keep you all posted as I figure out more of my immediate and future life plans.<br />
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In the meantime, I have a book to write and tiny house things to finalize and a move to arrange and all sorts of details to deal with that I'm sure you guys wouldn't want to hear about even if I had all day to blog.<br />
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So instead I'll leave you with this picture of the beach. California here I come!!!!! (In seven weeks! Can't wait!)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-90282050126406389632016-07-31T12:18:00.003-06:002016-07-31T12:18:34.593-06:00Glasses? Really?I've been putting this off for almost a year now, and to be honest, I'll probably keep putting it off another month or two, but I think the time has come to accept my fate: I will soon need glasses.<div>
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I have no trouble seeing up close, but distances have become fuzzy and bright lights at night when I'm driving are especially bothersome.</div>
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So if anyone reading this is a glasses-wearer can you please tell me what I should expect? I've only had my eyes checked professionally once, when I was a child, and I don't remember loving the experience. But I also don't remember it being that traumatic. Is it awful? Will they poke things into my eyes? Will it hurt?</div>
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Speaking of poking things into my eyes, I get really squeamish about that idea. I have a hard time with eye drops and I don't think I'll ever be able to handle contacts. Luckily I don't mind glasses, and sometimes when I've tried other people's on, I actually think they make me look cool. What's so great about contacts anyway? I don't get it. But then again, I've never really had to consider all this before. So if you want to chime in about glasses vs. contacts, feel free. </div>
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Oh, and here's another question: how do you find an eye doctor? Is it basically like finding a dentist? Is it super expensive? Do you have to keep going back often? I don't know any of this stuff.</div>
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Aside from all of my questions and fears about this unknown world of optometry, I've also been putting off getting glasses for another reason: because it makes me feel old. I know I'm not really that old, but lately I've started to feel like my body is breaking down and now any little thing that comes up is just one more item to add to the list of ways in which I'm falling apart.</div>
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The latest was a knee injury that's had me limping for the past two weeks. The sad part is that I don't even have a good story to tell. I was at church (of all places) and I just twisted it the wrong way and there was a pop like a dislocating shoulder and then a second later it popped back into place, but it got all swollen up and stiff for the next few days and it's still a bit sore and hard to bend in certain ways. Luckily there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage. But it still makes me feel like I'll never be quite the same again. </div>
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I know that I'm blessed to have a (mostly) functioning body. I suppose when things like this happen, it should make me more grateful for the times when I'm completely well and healthy. But I will admit that my typically optimistic, Pollyanna-esque nature tends to break down in the face of illness or injury. When I don't feel well, I'm much more inclined to plop myself in bed for a week of Netflix and pity parties than I am to try to find some kind of silver lining. </div>
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Tangent: I was looking for a different photo to add to this post when I suddenly realized how obsessed I've become with photographing clouds and sunsets. I blame living up here on a hill where you can see the clouds for miles all across the valley.</div>
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Though that doesn't explain why I took this photo of clouds in Stockholm.<br />
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Anyway, speaking of silver linings, the only good part about this knee experience is that it's given me a perfect excuse to not go for any long walks in the 100 degree weather we've been having. I love summer, but I wish it would cool off a bit more here at night. I also feel like I might walk more if my neighborhood weren't on a steep hill. I can walk for miles on a flat surface, but inclines are a different story.</div>
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Man, I am just a wealth of complaints today. </div>
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I guess I could also complain about one more thing while I'm at it. I've been having a really hard time finding parking for my tiny house. I wish that people would get back to me when I call or email them. It's the professional thing to do, especially if you are offering a service and someone wants to take you up on that offer. Sigh.</div>
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Because of my increasingly tight timeline, I've basically given myself a week and a half to keep looking around here before I have to pursue other options. I've also told my builder that I may need a little more time, and I'm lucky that my grandparents aren't kicking me out or anything, but it's definitely frustrating. So yeah. My timeline says 30 days till tiny today, but it may need to be adjusted again. This makes me sad, but I know that I'll still get there someday soon. </div>
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One way or another, this will all work out for the best. I just need to keep doing everything I can do and then leave the rest up to the Lord. I'm sure He has a plan. I just wish I knew what it was.</div>
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I'm guessing that's a sentiment most people can relate to for one reason or another. So since it's Sunday, I'll leave you with a scripture that's been bringing me comfort amid my complaints and uncertainty. I hope it helps with whatever you are currently unsure of or complaining about.</div>
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"Search dilligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another." —D&C 90:24</div>
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And if you need a little more encouragement and comfort, you might want to try listening to this talk from Sister Tanner. </div>
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Happy Sunday, everyone!</div>
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I'll be sure to keep you posted about my house and what ends up happening with that. And in the meantime, if you have any advice about acquiring or wearing glasses, I'd love to hear it!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-24084220532783308862016-06-08T16:09:00.000-06:002016-06-13T09:33:15.478-06:00Anybody want some free books?<i>UPDATE: All of my free books have now found homes except for one copy of the </i>What Do You Believe?<i> journal. Let me know if you're interested in that one. And thanks to everyone who took books! My offer below still stands for severely discounted books. Just comment on this post or send me a message on Facebook to let me know what you're interested in purchasing.</i><br />
<br />
Dear readers,<br />
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You knew this day was coming. You probably saw it on the horizon long before I did. And you were right. The fact of the matter is that I have too many books to fit into my tiny house. Ah, the curse of being an author.<br />
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However, in my defense, I would like to point out that there are many ways in which being an author and living in a tiny house work perfectly together.<br />
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1. Authors don't make much money. Tiny houses don't cost much money.<br />
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2. For the most part, writing is a very minimalist-friendly hobby. All you really need is a laptop, and you were probably planning to own that anyway.<br />
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3. Living in a tiny house means less area to clean, which is great for all those times when you're so frantically writing that you don't even notice you've been wearing the same clothes for three days and there is clutter on every single flat surface in your house (and some of the not-so-flat surfaces too).<br />
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4. Or in other words, less time spent on house maintenance means more time for writing and other fun stuff!<br />
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5. Many authors like to travel around so that they can write authentically from perspectives that are unlike their own. Tiny houses can be mobile, so you can move often and more easily.<br />
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But, as you might suspect, there are also some ways in which being an author and living in a tiny house just don't work out.<br />
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And this is one of those moments. Just look at this mess!<br />
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In preparation for my upcoming move into a tiny house, I have been minimizing (again) and organizing and letting things go. You would think that I'd be done with this by now. I got rid of a TON of stuff before I moved to Salt Lake last year. And I kept getting rid of things for months as my tiny house move-in date inched closer and closer.<br />
<br />
However, there some things you just can't in good conscience give to DI or Goodwill. And I draw the line at my own books. I'll give other people's books away, no problem. But my own? The ones I wrote myself? I worked hard on those! I can't just send them off into the abyss to be sold for fifty cents or less!! Even if it is for a good cause.<br />
<br />
So instead, I have decided to give my extra books to you all. And I won't even ask you to pay me fifty cents (unless you want to).<br />
<br />
Currently I have . . .<br />
<br />
11 copies of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/1-2-3-Nephi-Me/dp/1462116361/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8"><i>1, 2, 3 with Nephi and Me!</i></a><br />
9 copies of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Jane-Journals-Pemberley-Prep/dp/1462116825"><i>Liam Darcy, I Loathe You</i></a><br />
3 copies of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Time-Share-52-Weeks-Primary/dp/1462117031/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8"><i>Time to Share</i></a><br />
2 copies of <a href="http://www.byubookstore.com/ePOS/form=robots/item.html&item_number=9781599554631&store=439&design=439"><i>What Do You Believe?</i></a> teen journal<br />
2 copies of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Talks-14-Heidi-Doxey/dp/1462113575?ie=UTF8&keywords=heidi%20doxey&qid=1465423436&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1"><i>Tiny Talks vol. 14</i></a><br />
1 copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Talks-15-Heidi-Doxey/dp/146211511X?ie=UTF8&keywords=heidi%20doxey&qid=1465423436&ref_=sr_1_9&sr=8-9"><i>Tiny Talks vol. 15</i></a><br />
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If you or someone you know would like to claim one (or several) of these, let me know either on Facebook or by commenting below.<br />
<br />
As much as I love my books, I have accumulated far too many extras from various author events and now I just need to get them out of my storage and into the hands of people who will enjoy them.<br />
<br />
(Plus how many copies of a book do I really need? Even if they are my own books! Don't worry, though. I am keeping one archive copy of each book for myself. I think that's plenty.)<br />
<br />
So anyway, if you live in Salt Lake City or near it, I'd be happy to deliver your books or arrange a time to meet you somewhere. You don't have to pay me anything, but if you want to make a small donation to my tiny house fund in exchange for the books, I won't necessarily say no to that.<br />
<br />
If you don't live nearby, I would love to send the books to you! However, in that case, I would appreciate a donation to cover the cost of postage. (Usually no more than five dollars, depending on how many books we're talking about.) And if you want to donate more than the cost of postage, that money will go directly into my tiny house fund.<br />
<br />
Thank you all for your interest in my books! And thank you for supporting me in my tiny house dreams! Only 67 days to go!<br />
<br />
Heidi<br />
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PS–I'll give away the free books listed above on a first-come first-served basis, but if I run out of something you really want, let me know and I might be able to get some more copies for you at a very discounted rate, with any sales proceeds going to my tiny house fund.<br />
<br />
PPS–On the off chance that someone wants to donate to my tiny house fund but doesn't want any books, I would just like to say thank you sooo much. That is really, really generous of you! However, I am not currently accepting donations of that nature because I feel like that would cross an uncomfortable line for me. I want to be able to say that I bought this house myself and that I am a financially independent adult. So if you want to donate, you'll need to take at least one book off my hands. That way I'll feel better about accepting your money.<br />
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PPPS–Ugh. Enough of that. "Gentlemen, I dislike all this money talk. It isn't refined." Name that movie line!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-47015187222928226642016-05-13T16:30:00.000-06:002016-05-18T13:11:39.680-06:00Remember how I write books sometimes?Heh. Yeah. About that . . . Have you been wondering what's going on with me and my authorial career? You're not the only one.<br />
<br />
I do have news. And it's good news!<br />
<br />
But I also have some thoughts on my life lately. And that part is not as good. Not that it's necessarily <i>bad.</i> It just . . . IS, I guess.<br />
<br />
Let's start with the good news. I'm teaching a class at a BYU summer writing camp for teens. I did this last year too and it was so fun! I'm really looking forward to doing it again. I know classes like this are supposed to be for the students, but they end up inspiring me too. So that's good.<br />
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I'm also very lazily dragging my feet through the self-publishing process for book 2 of The Jane Journals series. It's pretty much written. It just needs some revising. And a cover. And a printer/distributor. And some other things. Sorry if you're waiting for it (all 2 of you). I promise it'll get done sometime before the end of the year. And I promise to keep you posted about my progress.<br />
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But what's even better? I have a new cover!!!!! And I love it!!!!!<br />
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Isn't it the cutest? I think I have the best illustrator and the best cover designer ever.<br />
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Seriously. Love it! This book is scheduled to come out in November and it will follow along with the Primary theme for 2017. If all goes well, I should be writing it later in the summer/early fall.<br />
<br />
And now we get to the more contemplative portion of the post.<br />
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Here's the thing about my writing: sometimes the words come and sometimes they don't. And I know that I could make them come more often if I were more disciplined. Really, I know that.<br />
<br />
I know plenty of authors who push themselves and are so inspiringly prolific. They write every day all day long and in their sleep they dream about their manuscripts so that when they wake up in the morning they've already written another eight thousand words that they just need to download from their brains onto the page. And they write in the shower with their incredible waterproof laptops. And they write while they're driving, in total disregard for the safety of everyone else on the road. They write while they're waiting in line at the post office and they write at airports and in Mexican restaurants and on street corners, and I know all this because I've done it myself.<br />
<br />
Okay, I'm exaggerating a little bit. I don't often write while driving. I try to pull over first.<br />
<br />
But yeah, some authors write a lot all the time. Some write a little every once in awhile. Some fall somewhere in between.<br />
<br />
As with everything else in life, it's not worth it to compare yourself with anybody because there will always be someone who writes more or better than you. Always. Always. I promise. And that's totally okay.<br />
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What I'm actually trying to say is that, as you may have noticed from the lack of posts on my blog lately, I'm currently living through a dearth of words. I just don't feel like writing. And I don't feel like forcing myself to write against my will.<br />
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I do have several theories about why my life is off-balance like this.<br />
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(For most people not writing is the norm, but for a writer it's like a constant feeling of vertigo. You don't really know why it's there, you just know that it's messing everything up. And you really do feel off-balance, especially if you've been writing routinely for years at a time.)<br />
<br />
But I don't feel like positing a bunch of probably true theories right now about my lack of words. Because, as mentioned, I don't really feel like writing. Even this post has taken me several days of talking myself into it before I managed to type anything.<br />
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I don't even write in my journal as much these days. It's weird. I don't like it.<br />
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I'm also sure it will all go away someday—probably sooner than I expect.<br />
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And if you happen to be my publisher and you're reading this, don't worry. I know I will have the words when there's a deadline hanging over my head. I can always find them then.<br />
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In the meantime, this is one of those problems that's not really a problem and that I don't really feel like trying to cure. I don't want helpful advice. I guess I just want to see what it's like to live a wordless life for a little while. There's something liberating in it. Like taking a break from social media or going undercover as a totally different person. Who ever said I have to be a writer anyway? Maybe that's just not who I am right now.<br />
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Final note: to save myself the trouble of trying to write another whole post, I'll just mention here that if you're wondering what's going on with my tiny house, I've been waiting to finalize a few things before I announce them online. But things are on track. And I'm still excited. The countdown is currently at 93 days.<br />
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I'm sure the words will come back before then. Probably.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-57737337484386735632016-04-16T11:19:00.000-06:002016-04-16T13:19:06.899-06:00Why don't you date?So this morning I woke up from a dream in which I was having a conversation with a good guy friend. And in our conversation, I was asking my friend why he doesn't date more. I think in my dream mind I was a little bit mad at him (as girls sometimes get with guys) because it seems like guys should be dating no matter what. They're the ones who should be initiating things, and so this guy's perpetual single-ness was making me upset. It was an affront to all the single girls out there who are waiting for the men to get a clue.<br />
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I should clarify that in real life, I am not actually upset with this guy about this nor am I upset with guys in general over this issue. (Unless my subconscious knows something I don't.) But just to be safe, I'm not going to use the guy's name. Also, it would be weird if I did because in my dream we were a lot better friends than we actually are in real life.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this guy had no real response to the question, so then I started telling him all the reasons I suspected he wasn't dating much—things like fear and laziness. As you can imagine, the conversation became more and more tense because no one likes to be told with so much candor how irrational their choices are. That's why it's a very good thing this conversation happened in a dream instead of in real life.<br />
<br />
But then something happened that I wasn't expecting. All of a sudden, my guy friend turned to me and said, "Well, why aren't <i>you</i> dating?"<br />
<br />
Oh. . . Um . . .<br />
<br />
And that's when I woke up.<br />
<br />
With the kind of clarity that I only get first thing in the morning, I realized: all of my excuses for not making dating a priority in my life are actually pretty hollow or based on assumptions that are just not true.<br />
<br />
And even if I'm not mad at my guy friend about this in real life, it's not fair of me to get mad (as I sometimes do) with guys for their lack of dating, when I'm not dating either. I mean, yes, I still fundamentally believe that guys should take the initiative. I don't believe that they always need to do the asking. I have asked guys out before and I'll probably do it again. But I think that it should be their call about whether or not to pursue a deeper relationship. And I don't plan to take the responsibility for that part of dating.<br />
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But there are still things I could be doing to make dating a priority in my life. And those things are not about losing weight and wearing more makeup. They're more about honestly assessing what my reservations are and learning to see things clearly and push myself past my fears.<br />
<br />
I assume there will be people reading this who are single like me and they might relate to some of the things I'm about to say. Others of you reading have likely been married for years. If that's you, maybe you'll want to keep reading so that you understand what it's really like to be single and a woman and LDS and almost 31 and a half years old. I can't say that my personal list of reasons or excuses is universal. We all have our own. But I think that the married folks out there could still gain some insight from this.<br />
<br />
So what are my reservations? What are my excuses?<br />
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Well, I came up with a list. In no particular order, except the order that I thought of them, here are the . . .<br />
<br />
<b>Top Ten Reasons I Don't Date:</b><br />
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1. I don't want to get involved with someone from Utah when I know I don't want to stay here forever.<br />
2. No one is going to want to date me as I currently look (cue the body image issues).<br />
3. It will be hard to find someone who shares my values. It goes without saying that I'm looking for someone who shares my religious beliefs, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about someone who values things like minimalism, simplicity, and living within my means. It also includes the worry that no one will want to date me when they find out I'm about to be living in a tiny house.<br />
4. Speaking of my tiny house, I'm really focused on that right now. Once I get that done, then I'll start worrying about dating.<br />
5. I haven't met anyone that I'm attracted to in a long time.<br />
6. Dating can be expensive and I'm on a budget.<br />
7. I'm busy with work right now.<br />
8. I'm afraid of being rejected.<br />
9. I lack the social skills necessary to date.<br />
10. It often seems like dating only brings negative energy into my life and I don't want to be burdened with that. I'd rather just be happy being alone, which I am most of the time.<br />
<br />
These are valid concerns—well, a lot of them are. Some are not. But I know that in the past they have held me back. So now I want to take the opportunity to refute them a little bit. Just like that dream conversation I was having with my friend, I'm about to have a conversation with myself (and, by extension, with all of you) about why I don't date more.<br />
<br />
<b>1. I don't want to get involved with someone from Utah when I know I don't want to stay here forever.</b><br />
So don't date people who want to stay in Utah forever. If this is really that important to you, ask this question early in the process of getting to know someone and use it to weed through the prospects. But just because a man lives in Utah now doesn't mean he wants to forever. Remember, Heidi, you yourself are currently living in Utah. Also, this is a good reason to try online dating again—so that you meet people from all over. (More about this later.)<br />
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<b>2. No one is going to want to date me as I currently look (cue the body image issues). </b><br />
I don't have time to get into all this today. Yes, it's important to be healthy, and I know that's something you want to work on more in the future. And it's also true that there are guys out there who will rule you out because of how you look. That's a shame. It really is. But there are also guys who wouldn't care one bit, and right now you're not even giving them the chance to decide for themselves. You're just stereotyping an entire gender, which is really uncool. Whether or not a guy wants to date you should be his choice. After all, you get really upset when a guy you like assumes that no one is into him and then just ignores any attempts you might make to prove otherwise. So how exactly can you justify doing the same thing to all the guys in the whole world? That just makes no sense.<br />
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<b>3. It will be hard to find someone who shares my values, like minimalism, simplicity, and living within my means. And no one will want to date me when they find out I'm about to be living in a tiny house.</b><br />
Yes. It will be hard to find someone who values all the same things you do. But it's not impossible. And the good news is that none of these "values" are really deal breakers for you. That is, just because you feel strongly about them doesn't mean that you hold others to that same standard. You don't expect or need people to agree with you. And you would be fine living one way while your boyfriend/fiance/spouse lived another way. Even the tiny house could fit into a future with the right person. As long as you're both mutually respectful of each other's values—and as long as you still agree on the gospel fundamentals (because those really are deal breakers)—you'll be just fine.<br />
<br />
<b>4. But why can't I just wait until I move into a tiny house? I need to focus on that right now.</b><br />
I can see why it would be tempting to wait. But here's the thing: once you move into the house, there will be something else that you're really close to accomplishing, like writing another book or some other major life project that you decide to take on. That's just the kind of person you are. You're driven and you like to constantly keep moving. But that means that if you keep waiting until after you finish the next big thing, you will never. get. there. There will always be something else big on the horizon, some reason to put off dating a little longer.<br />
I think you know deep down that this excuse is just a way to keep putting off the potential for pain a little bit longer. <i>You're pretending to yourself that you're preparing when you're really just procrastinating.</i><br />
<br />
<b>5. I haven't met anyone that I'm attracted to in a long time.</b><br />
Yes, which makes perfect sense because you rarely meet new people at all these days. But trust me, when you do, you're just as attracted to certain types of guys as you have always been. Remember all the cute guys you saw when you stopped by that older singles ward last week? I rest my case. The problem is not with the selection of single guys. It's with your lack of exposure to them. And that's something you can fix.<br />
<br />
<b>6. Dating can be expensive and I'm on a budget.</b><br />
It can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. You can date on a budget. Also—and I'm sorry to say this, but it's kind of true—this is one area where being the girl really works to your advantage. If anything, going on more dates and having guys pay for you once in awhile could actually help your budget.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>7. I'm busy with work right now.</b><br />
This would be a good excuse if it were true. But it sooooo isn't. You and I both know (because we're the same person) that work is <i>not</i> busy right now and that in fact you work for a great company that encourages you to have a life outside of work by keeping your work load manageable. This is not a real concern for you.<br />
<br />
<b>8. I'm afraid of being rejected.</b><br />
Okay. This one is real. But I'd like to remind you that you've lived through rejection before and you survived it just fine, after awhile. Plus, as a writer and just a well-rounded human being, part of your job is to experience things so that you can write about them authentically and relate to others when they go through them. Even things like heartbreak. In fact, maybe especially the painful things that no one likes to feel or talk about. Sometimes those are the very things that people need to read about and relate to most. I'm not saying you need to go into it with the goal of getting hurt, but you can't let that fear keep you from experiencing the full spectrum of what life has to offer.<br />
<br />
<b>9. I lack the social skills necessary to date.</b><br />
Dude. Your social skills are just fine. You may not be the world's best flirt, but you can carry on a conversation. You're funny and genuine and thoughtful. That's all you really need. The rest of it is just timing and circumstance. And a little patience doesn't hurt either.<br />
<br />
<b>10. Dating only brings negative energy into my life and I don't want to be burdened with that. I'd rather just learn to be happy being alone.</b><br />
Yeah, I know that's been true for you a lot in the past. You have been dating for years, and you're still not married, which means that overall the experience can feel negative. But I don't think that means that it <i>has</i> to be that way. Just like with any other life experience, dating isn't inherently positive or negative. It's neutral. It's just dating. And it's up to you to frame the experience however you want to.<br />
In the past, you may have chosen more negative framing than you should have. But that doesn't mean you have to keep choosing to see things that way in the future. You can still choose to focus on the positive aspects of dating. And you know that you can always choose to be happy. You're actually really good at that. Trust in your abilities as an optimist, and if you can feel yourself getting off track and starting to focus too much on the negatives, step back, take a deep breath, reread this post, and then get back out there and enjoy all the fun parts.<br />
<br />
The thing about dating is that you may or may not find someone you want to get serious with, but your chances will be a lot better out there in the real world (or online) than they will be if you just keep sitting here, alone in your room or griping with your girlfriends about how guys are the problem. Even if that were true, that's outside your control. And you will be a lot happier if you learn to focus on what you<i> can</i> control.<br />
<br />
That way, after you've cheerfully done all things that lie in your power, you can "stand still, with the utmost assurance to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed" (D&C 123:17).<br />
<br />
So that's the conversation I had with myself this morning. I hope some part of it has been helpful to you. I can't say that I'm going to dive head first into dating up a storm tomorrow. But I am posting this as a challenge to myself to put myself out there more. And I hope that putting this online will help me to hold myself more accountable to that.<br />
<br />
For more on this topic, I can recommend <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/2016/04/young-adults/taking-the-fear-out-of-dating?lang=eng">this excellent article</a> from the April <i>Ensign</i>. And I can also recommend sitting down with yourself sometime to mull over these issues. You don't have to actually talk to yourself like I did. But I think that whatever it is that you're trying to achieve, whether it's dating or some other life goal, it's worth examining your own hangups and excuses and trying to work through them rationally, rather than letting your fears and feelings keep you from what you ultimately want.<br />
<br />
Good luck out there, everyone! And have a wonderful weekend!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-10323539583279317282016-03-20T22:47:00.002-06:002016-03-20T22:47:47.517-06:00Are you feeling homesick?I hope I don't sound too preachy or too whiny in this post, but this is how I'm feeling tonight.<br />
<br />
I really shouldn't be homesick. I was home just a week ago. But I don't know . . . maybe that's what triggered it.<br />
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I'll admit there are frequently times when I just really miss hiking in the hills around my hometown and all the friends I have there and the proximity to the beach.<br />
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I miss being able to spend time with my family doing nothing. We're great at sitting around the house doing nothing. It's arguably our best collective family talent.<br />
<br />
But tonight I think I'm feeling extra homesick for a few different reasons. For one thing, it's coming up on two years since I moved back here to Utah. Thinking about that time when I had to say goodbye to everyone and uproot my whole life rather quickly always makes me a bit blue.<br />
<br />
(Also, can you believe it's been two whole years?? That's so crazy to me! The little kids I nannied while I lived there have practically become adults now. So weird.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm also missing home at the moment because I really loved performing in The Lamb of God at Easter. The choir there had their first performance tonight and in honor of that, I decided to listen to the entire oratorio today. It was wonderful. And I'm glad I did it. But it wasn't the same as attending it live, and it definitely wasn't the same as performing in it in a cool cathedral in San Francisco like the one where I took these photos.<br />
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I know my life is here now, and it's not like I spend every day wishing I were there. If I did, I'd move back. And there are lots of cool perks to living in Utah, like being able to attend the Provo City Center Temple dedication today and getting to spend more time with my cousins than I have in the past. There's a great writing community here that I enjoy participating in. But as happy as I usually am here . . . I just don't think I'll ever love Utah the way I love California. I've really tried. I've given it a decent shot. It's just not home to me.<br />
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Thinking about all this made me try to remember why I moved here in the first place. I was actually reading <a href="http://girlwithalltheanswers.blogspot.com/2014/04/where-are-you-right-now.html">this post the other day from right after I moved</a>. I'm glad those feelings didn't last too long. Overall, I'm really happy with how my life has turned out over the past two years. I know I've grown a lot, professionally and personally, and that's comforting at a time like this.<br />
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But I'll admit there's still a big part of me that wonders what I'm doing here or why I needed to move back. I know that it was the right thing to do, but I still don't really know why.<br />
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It would be nice if I actually had all the answers. It would be nice if everyone had all the answers in life, but that's not how it works. Instead we get the comfort of faith in the fact that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. I'm so glad to know that as long as I'm following His plan for me, everything will work out as it should. <br />
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That's what I remembered as I was listening to the Lamb of God tonight. There's one song toward the end that has always been one of my favorites, but I think I needed to hear it more than ever right now.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CK4dlFggdk">You can listen to it here.</a><br />
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Someday this will all make sense. The answers won't come on my timeline, but they'll come. I just need to stick to the plan and one day I'll understand. In the meantime, I'm going to do my best to enjoy every season of life, no matter how far away from home I need to be. Because I know that if I keep following the plan God has for me, one day I'll get to experience the best homecoming of all.<br />
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Right before I moved here, I was reading my scriptures in the temple one day when I came across these verses in 1 Peter.<br />
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Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. . . . But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (6–7, 10)</blockquote>
These verses have since become some of my favorites. I think of them as a promise from my Heavenly Father that He knows what He's doing and that He will help me become settled in my life and in His gospel. And that's an especially comforting thought when you feel like your happiness and home are two states away from you.<br />
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I hope no matter how you're feeling when you read this, you can take comfort in the thought that Christ has experienced your pains and sorrows. He knows how to comfort you because He's been there. He's felt homesick, just like I do right now. He's felt sad and tired and worn thin. He knows exactly what it's like. And He will help you through it. That's something I know for sure.<br />
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Happy almost-Easter, everyone. And to all my friends and family in California, thank you for posting pictures and updates. I love seeing them and keeping in touch with you all! If I can't be at the beach myself, the next best thing is having beach pictures all over my social media pages!<br />
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And don't worry, I'll come visit again soon. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-57239968625918316622016-03-10T22:09:00.000-07:002016-03-11T06:58:43.320-07:00Do you have an announcement to make?I do! And it's a good one!<br />
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But first I just want to say that I'm so glad it's Thursday. I've been in training meetings at work for the past few days and while I feel really good about the meetings we had, I'm exhausted. Basically, this has been a great week but also a tiring one and I'm glad it's almost over.<br />
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I'm also super glad to be flying home tomorrow to see my little sister Ali who has been on a mission in the Netherlands for the past eighteen months. I got to talk to her on the phone tonight and that was great, but I'm really excited to see her in person. And I'm excited to be in California, even if it's just for the weekend because it's already springtime for reals there.<br />
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So yes. There are many reasons that this has been a great week. But one of the really good ones is that I got another book signed by Cedar Fort. It's going to be a board book like <i>1, 2, 3 with Nephi and Me! </i>and it's tentatively titled <i>Jesus Was Just Like Me!</i> As you can probably surmise from the title, it's meant to help children learn about and relate to the Savior.<br />
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I'm really excited about this! And I've been dying to tell you guys about it, but I wanted to wait until it was officially official. I don't have an illustrator on the project yet, but I can't wait to see what he or she comes up with.<br />
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Board books are just so much fun. They're something I never thought I would write, but they turn out so cute that it's hard to resist!<br />
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Anyway, I will keep you all posted as I learn more details about this project. Like when it will be released, for instance. Right now all I can say is that it will most likely be in the next year, which is exciting because it means that my niece and nephew might still be at least mildly interested in board books by the time it comes out.<br />
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I will also, of course, let you know when I have a cover and all that other fun stuff. For now, I just want to enjoy the feeling of happy anticipation that comes right between worrying that the book won't be signed and worrying about deadlines and production details as the book is going into production.<br />
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The funny thing is, I used to dread this lull time. So much of being a writer involves the hurry-up-and-wait game. But the longer I do this, the more I find myself enjoying this phase. It's peaceful and anticipatory. It's like the calm between two storms.<br />
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Hope you all have a great weekend! Get some sleep if you're exhausted. Take advantage of your weekend to have an adventure. And don't be afraid to enjoy the lull times when you get them.<br />
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Okay, that's all the advice I've got. I don't know how to end this post.<br />
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Um . . . books are fun to write.<br />
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The end.<br />
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PS—I told you I was exhausted.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423647049139544747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833176079442038938.post-91268616230392993882016-02-21T18:12:00.001-07:002016-02-21T18:12:48.829-07:00Why don't you wear your hair up?<div class="p1">
This story starts a long time ago. In the fall of 2008, I was finishing my last semester of college.</div>
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Up to that point I had thought college was the worst thing I would ever have to go through in my life. I frequently skipped class and spent my days reading in the on-campus bookstore. I battled depression, especially in the winter months. And my introverted self was not the best at striking up conversations with random people on campus or attending social functions in order to meet men and get married, which any girl who has attended BYU will tell you is one of those things you’re “supposed” to do while you’re there. I had a few really good close friends I liked to hang out with, and for the most part, I also had great roommates. But yeah, college was hard for me.</div>
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So you can see why that fall I was so ready to graduate and be done. I was super pumped at the thought of moving out of Utah and moving on with my life. Of course, that’s not exactly what happened. I did graduate, barely, but I got offered a job at Cedar Fort a few weeks before my last day of class that fall semester, and I took the job. That meant staying in Utah.</div>
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And that’s when things started to get a little crazy. Over the course of the next year, I . . .</div>
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<li class="li1">Graduated</li>
<li class="li1">Started a new job</li>
<li class="li1">Moved twice</li>
<li class="li1">Bought a house with my parents</li>
<li class="li1">Went through the temple</li>
<li class="li1">Gained a sister-in-law</li>
<li class="li1">Tried to renovate my house on a very limited budget</li>
<li class="li1">Became a landlord</li>
<li class="li1">Joined a new ward</li>
<li class="li1">And worried about money and my life and my future all the time!</li>
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This is right after we bought the house.</div>
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Looking back on it now, I kind of wish I could tell my younger self to slow down. That was a lot to take on in one year. I was basically twenty-four going on thirty-four, but without all the life experiences to put things into proper perspective. As you might imagine, it ended up wreaking havoc on my physical health, my mental health, my emotions, and my hormones.</div>
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Kitchen renovation in progress</div>
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I was crazy stressed out a lot of the time. And going from walking around campus to sitting at a desk every day meant that I gained weight very quickly. That in turn caused additional health problems, some of which have had lasting effects. Eventually, I went in to see a doctor and things settled down and I mostly got back to normal. But as I said, a few of these health problems persisted.</div>
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At this point I need to mention that I’ve always had very unusual skin. For one thing, it’s really dry. I’ve never had a pimple; that’s how dry my skin is. But it also means that I get dandruff really easily. My <a href="http://girlwithalltheanswers.blogspot.com/2014/04/why-is-your-face-all-red.html">red face</a> and the bumps all over my skin (keratosis pelaris) aren’t entirely caused by my dry skin, but those things aren’t helped by it either.</div>
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I also need to mention that I love my dad. He’s the kind of guy who always wants to fix people’s problems. Which is an awesome thing to have in a dad because any time I mention something to him, he just jumps in and takes care of it.</div>
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And because my dad loves me and because he sometimes sees my skin as a potential problem, he periodically drags me kicking and screaming to the dermatologist’s office to see if there’s a cure yet. It’s sweet. And I should probably be nicer about it. But the thing is, I pretty much already know what they’re going to say: “Your skin is dry. Put this stuff on it every day or twice a day.” The “stuff” varies from doctor to doctor but it isn’t usually any more effective than regular lotion you can buy at a grocery store and that costs way less than anything they’ll prescribe you at a doctor’s office.</div>
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Sorry. That was a long aside. All of this information is to get you to the next part of the story. Because a few years after the house-buying and landlording and new-job-stressing, I found myself once again at the dermatologist’s office in order to appease my dad, who was worried about my dandruff and my dry skin, and the red face.</div>
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The weird thing was, this doctor had something new to say: your hair is really thin. It wasn’t a revelation to me. I had noticed. But suddenly I found myself thinking back to that time right after college and remembering the amount of hair I would find in the bathtub every time I showered. I remembered the sinking dread that this would keep happening and the twinging thoughts that it wasn’t normal. But in the midst of all my other stresses, at the time I didn’t feel like I had any bandwidth to deal with it.</div>
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And of course I just assumed my hair would grow back. As soon as I got my life and my hormones back in order, everything would go back to normal.</div>
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But it didn’t. I stopped losing large amounts of hair, which was good.</div>
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But now the dermatologist was telling me that my hair wasn’t going to grow back again. Ever. She said that my hair follicles were permanently scarred. I would never have my hair back and there was nothing that could be done about it.</div>
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After the initial surprise, I felt triumphant. I know that sounds weird, but I did. I said, “I told you so” to my dad for thinking that there was some miraculous cure at the dermatologist’s office. And because I really love who I am, regardless of how I look, the hair thing genuinely didn’t bother me for a long time.</div>
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Most of the time, it still doesn’t . . . except when I try to wear my hair up.</div>
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Because this is what happens.</div>
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Without much hair, you can see straight through to my dandruff-y scalp. And it just looks . . . weird. Weird enough that I’ve often felt self-conscious doing it, and so I haven’t lately. Instead I wear my hair down or pulled back in a low bun or ponytail. But there are times when you really want to wear your hair up! I took these pictures right after jogging on the treadmill. That’s one of those times when you just have to get the hair off your neck.</div>
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So why am I bringing this up now? Because I’m tired of trying to hide it all the time. And because I’m thinking about cutting my hair really short and I’m not sure if that would help the problem or make it worse. What do you guys think? Would short hair help anything?</div>
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I obviously don’t go around looking at the back of my head all the time, so maybe the efforts at hiding it haven’t been working anyway and I don’t even know.</div>
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I guess I just wanted to put this out there so that I can be honest about the fact that it does bother me sometimes. There are days when I look at girls with long, thick hair and think, I wish I could do that. But then there are other days when I remember how grateful I am that it takes me less than ten minutes to straighten my hair and that because my hair is curly it still has a lot of volume, even though there isn’t that much of it.</div>
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It’s like the dry skin thing and never having had acne. I try to focus on the positives. Plus, I like that no one I know is friends with me because they think I’m beautiful. They’re friends with me because they like who I am on the inside. I think that’s really cool that I can say that.</div>
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But what really inspired me to share this story was watching this video of a girl I so admire. I was one of her counselors one year at girl’s camp (several years ago now) and I just think she’s amazing. I didn’t ask her if I could share this video. In fact, I haven’t talked to her in years, but I’ve watched it several times since she put it online, and I just feel like it’s awesome that she’s being so open about this.</div>
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Honestly, I think all of us have things about ourselves that challenge us. Some people struggle with physical limitations. Some people are hurting on the inside. And a lot of the time we’re afraid to admit that we’re not perfect.</div>
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But no one is perfect. Well, no mortal person, anyway.</div>
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The important thing is to be honest with yourself and others, to keep trying, and to trust that God has a plan for you. He doesn’t make mistakes. He loves you no matter what you look like or how badly you mess up. He looks at your heart and sees your efforts to be better. And He’s always there to help you move forward.</div>
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Happy Sunday, everybody! I hope you’ve had a lovely one.</div>
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