Creation

I started a new job in November. It is based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Have you ever been to Salt Lake City? What a beautiful place. I might be a bit partial because you can see mountains everywhere you go. And I love me some mountains. Love. Them.

I was in Salt Lake a couple of weeks for training. Usually I despise traveling for work. However, I don't mind so much going out there. You know, the mountains are there :) The hotel my company uses has the best views of the mountains. This last time I was on the 14th floor. Did it ever offer a view.

I awoke early the first full day there for the sunrise. I just love how beautiful it is watching the city and the mountains come into view. When I pulled open the curtains and looked to my left, I gasped. The snowcapped mountains were breathtaking. Tears came to my eyes as I marveled at the artistry of God. That view reminded me to reconnect with Him. It reminded me to ask Him to let me see His work in the day to day mundane details of my life, as well as the special glorious moments like the one I was in.




This picture does no justice to seeing it in person!


God is the Creator of the universe. Every once in a while, He shows me in a big way. Like that morning. At other times, it's not a grand gesture but something simple like my daugher singing "Jesus Take The Wheel" when I start to verbalize a worry. Either way, He reminds me of His presence. I treasure that. Look for Him today. Ask Him to reveal Himself. He won't disappoint.

As always......Be Blessed

Mari

Ending the Year

Well, the last few minutes of 2010 are upon us. I was trying to decide what to write about as my last post of 2010. I thought I would leave you with two important things I want to take with me into 2011.

One: I need to watch my expectations when it comes to other people. I tend to set them pretty high. The problem with that is if they don't live up to those expectations, it is frustrating for me. That frustration invariably spills over into my relationship with them. It wouldn't be as bad if they know what those expectation were. They usually don't. And that's not fair to them.

So for 2011 - Watch my expectations of others

Two: God is bigger than any problem. He's already working on the problem. I need to be patient and wait for Him. Simple to say. Not always easy to live out. He's Lord of all. Period. My feelings do not equal His power over and in the situation.

So, for 2011 - Remember Jesus is Lord above all. Period.

Are there any lessons from 2010 you are taking into 2011?


Be safe and be blessed this New Years Eve and in 2011.

18 years and counting....

18 years ago, I walked down the aisle of the church I'd attended since I was a little girl and became Mrs. Ricky Taylor.

It was my privilege to serve as matron of honor in my brother's wedding yesterday. As a special gift to me, my brother and my husband arranged for a special anniversary dance at his reception. Rick and I danced to the same song we danced to at our own reception 18 years ago. What a wonderful surprise!

18 years, 1 move across country, 2 teenagers and we are still together.

"Ricky, I love you. God bless and keep you safe and with me. Thank you for 18 years. Here's to 18 more!"

See everyone here next year! Be blessed!




December 18, 2010



A Crying Mom

Let me state the obvious: Mothering teenagers is a tough job sometimes. I don't know about you, but sometimes I want to go to my room, close the door and cry. Wait. I don't just want to do that. I actually do it!

To read the rest, head on over to  WRAL. Leave me a comment if you'd like :)

Be blessed!

December Craziness

This year I am not going crazy over shopping that's not done. Oh no. That would be too easy. I have new challenges this year.

Since I have two daughters in high school now, I get a double dose of finals and the standardized End of Course (EOC) exams. Since their school is on block scheduling, they do a whole year's worth of a subject in one semester. So my oldest has two EOC exams and then two regular finals. My youngest has 3 finals and two mid-terms because her combined History and English class is actually a year long course. Let's not mention the number of projects they've had over the last couple of weeks. I know you are wondering what this has to do with me. I'm the "scorekeeper" so to speak. You know:

"Why is the TV on when you have a project to work on?"

"Did you verify the date when that project is due,

because I could swear it's tomorrow and not Friday"

"You have a test tomorrow too??"

"No I won't log onto the main computer account, use the homework account"

 (the one that has Facebook, Twitter, Formspring and Tumblr blocked,

because really, you're supposed to be doing homework LOL)

And if my girls are up, I'm up. Blame my mother. She never left me up doing homework. She was always awake to provide moral support, sharpen pencils, type while I wrote or fix a snack for energy. I do the same for my girls. Can I just tell you, we've had a lot of late nights! Momma is tired of projects, tests and quizzes that I'm not directly involved in. I can't wait until next Thursday when the last exam is over.

Well.....actually I don't get a break then either. We're heading to Chicago to attend a family wedding. We just found out about it 2 months ago so this is a brand new wrinkle in our December schedule. My husband and I will also celebrate our 18th anniversary while we're there. Why? Because I refuse to deal with airport security on my anniversary. I'm just saying.  Then we'll head back and spend the 3 days we'll have left getting ourselves ready for Christmas.

I'm finding it harder to find a hiding place for my husband's main gift than actually shopping. He's told me he searches for it when I leave the house. Really honey?? How old are you? It helped a lot to do some of this year's shopping online (free shipping is my new BFF). But then I have to act like a stalker, waiting for the UPS guy. After all, I need to grab the box so no labels are seen. All I have to say about that is.....Really family?? Wait until Christmas!!

Did I mention that I'm a little over a month on a brand new job. I'm learning a ton but still, with all this other stuff going on, I'm a bit overwhelmed. Just a tad. Okay a couple of tads.

Anyway, how is your December coming along? All done shopping? Any wrinkles in your holiday schedule?

I have to go check on a child working on yet another project, so I'll leave you with this...

Be Blessed!!! And be a blessing!

Introducing....Dallas Woodburn

Today I am pleased to introduce you to a fabulously accomplished young woman, Dallas Woodburn. Here's a short bio so you can get an idea of all Dallas has accomplished in her twenty-some years!

BIO:

Dallas Woodburn, is the author of two collections of short stories and a forthcoming novel. Dallas wrote her first book at the tender age of ten. She has written more than 80 articles for national publications including Family Circle, Writer’s Digest, CO-ED, Justine, and The Los Angeles Times, and she writes a regular column for Listen magazine. Dallas is the founder of the nonprofit organization “Write On! For Literacy” that has donated nearly 11,000 new books to disadvantaged children. Her latest endeavor is starting a publishing company, Write On! Books, that publishes the work of young writers. In addition, she hosts frequent writing contests, teaches writing camps for kids, and is coordinator of the Young Writers Program at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. Dallas graduated summa cum laude last May from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Entrepreneurship. Dallas has received the Jackie Kennedy Onassis/Jefferson Award, a Congressional Award Gold Medal, and a “Best of You” Award from Glamour Magazine.

I may have about twenty years on her, but Dallas has been very active, giving back to the writing community as well as educating and entertaining readers with her words! Now I'd like to let Dallas tell you a bit more about herself. She's really someone we all need to know.

What drove you to start writing—and publishing—at such a young age?

I feel so blessed that I discovered what I love to do at such a young age. I have been writing for as long as I can remember and I published my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple on My Nose, when I was in fifth grade. Pimple is proof that with a lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance, and a lot of support, a small idea can snowball into something bigger than you ever dreamed. My snowball began as a snowflake when I applied for and received a $50 grant from my elementary school to write, publish and sell a collection of my short stories and poems. I proposed using the profits to repay my grant, so the school could offer an extra one the following year. My first printing, done at a Kinkos copy shop, was modest: twenty-five staple-bound forty-page books. Actually, they were more like thick pamphlets, but no matter – to me, they were the most beautiful books I had ever laid eyes upon. I swear, J.K. Rowling wasn’t more proud of her first Harry Potter hardcover edition.

My fellow students and teachers acted as if Pimple was at the top of the New York Times Best-Seller List. The first twenty-five copies promptly sold in a couple of days. Can you imagine what a turbo-boost this was to a fifth-grader’s self-esteem? I was pursuing my dream, but I wasn’t pursuing it alone – my family and friends and teachers were right there with me. So I went back to Kinkos, ordered twenty-five more books – and soon sold all those as well. After three more trips to Kinkos, I searched out a publishing business and ordered a few hundred glossy-covered, glue-bound, professional-looking Pimples. My little forty-page dream evolved from a snowball into a blizzard, with newspaper and radio interviews; appearances at literacy events all around California; even a “Dallas Woodburn Day” at the Santa Barbara Book Fair. I still have to pinch myself, but Pimple has sold more than 2,600 copies, enabling me to repay two school grants and found Write On! For Literacy.


Looking back, I was fortunate to dive into this career at such an early age because I wasn't afraid or self-conscious about my writing. I think as we get older, we tend to lose that child-like pride and confidence in ourselves and our work. But I wasn't afraid of rejection, so I sent my book out to anyone and everyone I thought might read it. Sure, I didn't hear back from a lot of them. But I did score reviews in The Los Angeles Times, Girls' Life Magazine, Cosmo Girl Magazine, and others. Many terrific doors were opened for me because I wasn't afraid to hear the word "no."


Tell us about how your early experiences shaped your writing.

 It’s funny, but looking back it’s difficult for me to remember a time before I loved to write! I learned to read when I was four years old, and I gobbled up books. Like many kids, I made up stories; I was compelled to write my stories down. I think this was largely due to the fact that my dad is a writer. Every night, my parents would read me bedtime stories, and every morning I would come downstairs and see my dad writing. As a result, I was very aware that someone had written the books I so loved to read. And I decided that I wanted to be someone who writes books for other people to enjoy.

My dad is the first person who reads my work – his feedback and encouragement are invaluable. I remember when I was little, he would let me type out stories on his computer once he had filed his column for the day – how special that was! I am incredibly blessed that my parents and teachers were so encouraging of my love of writing from a very young age. Also, when I was in the first and second grade I was lucky to have an amazing teacher, Diane Sather, who encouraged my love for writing. I remember she had me read one of my stories to the class. I got such a burst of joy from sharing what I had written with others. It never crossed my mind to just write for myself.


What are your aspirations as an author? Where would you like your writing to go?

 My dream career is to be a novelist, short-story writer, professor of Creative Writing at a university, and to continue expanding Write On! For Literacy. I hope to never stop growing and challenging myself, as a writer and as a person. This August I am beginning the M.F.A. program in Fiction Writing at Purdue University, and I know I will learn and grow a lot during my three years there. Right now, I have one completed novel manuscript and I have started to write another novel, which I’m in the early exciting stages of – writing and waiting to see where the story will lead me. I’m having fun working on play scripts and submitting them to festivals. I hope with my writing I can inspire people and make them think. I love to hear from people who have read my work and been touched by something I have written. I believe writing can connect people and foster understanding, and that is what I hope to do in my career.


What is special to your writing process? Is there something unique you do to get the juices flowing?

 I try to write every single day – I am most productive and happy when I have an established routine. Even if I don’t feel like writing, I tell myself to write for just fifteen or twenty minutes, and usually by the end of that time I am in the groove and write for longer. My goal is to write 1,000 words every day. I am a night owl, so it is not unusual to find me at my computer writing after midnight, when the world is quiet and I am alone with my thoughts.

 Do you ever experience blocks, or are you one of those lucky people who never have them? If you do get stuck sometimes, what do you do to get out of it?

 One of the best things for me to do when I am facing writer’s block is to step back from the story and get away from the computer a bit. I love to go volunteer at schools and teach writing activities to kids. This is one of my favorite activities – it gives me great joy and fulfillment. Whenever I am feeling discouraged or creatively drained, going to schools and speaking to students inevitably recharges my batteries and gets me excited about writing again. So much energy and enthusiasm! It’s contagious!


I also frequently post tips for busting through writer’s block on my blog, http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com.


What are the negative aspects of the writing life, if any?


Rejection is something that ever author has to deal with. As a writer, I joke that I could wallpaper all four of my bedroom walls with all the rejection letters I have received from editors! The important thing is not to take it personally. For whatever reason, you or your writing just wasn’t a right fit for that publication at this specific time. That doesn’t mean that they won’t love the next piece you send to them! When I get a rejection letter, I first read the comments to see if there is any advice I can glean or ways I can improve for next time. Then, I submit my story or essay or article somewhere else. It took me more than a year to find my literary agent. A year of rejection, rejection, rejection – until finally, I found my perfect match. My agent understands my writing and has faith in my career. I just had to have the patience and perseverance to find her!


What is the one piece of advice you’d give writers just starting out?


Write every day, read as much as you can, and enjoy the process! As John Wooden says, “The journey is better than the inn.” In addition, publishing my books has taught me not to be afraid to take risks, and to take the initiative when you have an idea and make it happen yourself rather than letting fear and doubt make you wait. Because, why wait? Take small steps towards your dreams, and small steps can snowball into amazingly big opportunities!


What else do you do?



I love to run, hike, cook, travel, and spend time with my family and friends. I also founded a nonprofit organization called "Write On! For Literacy" in 2001 to encourage kids to discover confidence, joy, a means of self-expression and connection through reading and writing. I spend a lot of time volunteering, teaching writing workshops in schools and working with young writers. My website www.writeonbooks.org features writing contests, book reviews, fun writing prompts, and more. I also hold an annual Holiday Book Drive to collect and distribute new books to disadvantaged kids who don’t have many, if any, books of their own. We’ve donated more than 11,000 books the past eight years.

Every year I teach a Summer Writing Camp in my hometown of Ventura, California, for kids ages 8-18. The goal is for students to have FUN while also learning how to improve central components of their writing, including dialogue, characterization, plot and setting, through various writing exercises. Many students are initially intimidated about writing and shy to share their work, but by the end of camp they are much more confident in not only their writing skills, but in all aspects of themselves. I look forward to Summer Writing Camp all year long! The students blow me away with their creativity, wisdom, and respect for each other. I am fortunate to have a handful of students who have been with me since the inaugural camp three years ago and have come back ever summer, and it has been such a joy to watch them grow.

I have found that often when students are more receptive to exploring the world through reading and writing, they become more passionate about learning as a whole. Throughout the year, I frequently volunteer at schools to teach writing activities to kids. This is one of the most fulfilling things to me. Whenever I am feeling discouraged or creatively drained, going to schools and speaking to students inevitably recharges my batteries and gets me excited about writing again. So much energy and enthusiasm! It’s contagious!




 
See, I told you Dallas was someone we all should know! I am privileged to introduce her to you all. To learn more about Dallas, visit the links below.

Tomorrow, be sure to stop by Robert Medak's blog to learn more about another busy and prodcutive author, Kevin McNamee
Dallas Woodburn Links:



I would love to hear from readers –email me at dallaswoodburn@aol.com. I also have a blog, where I frequently post writing tips, advice, inspiration, interviews, contests, and more: http://dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com/. And the Write On! website is http://www.writeonbooks.org/

My second collection of short stories, 3 a.m., is available on Amazon.com: 3 AM


Follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/DallasWoodburn and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/writerdallas/. Join the Write On! Facebook group at Write On! Facebook Group Page

My New Normal

This week marks the start of my "new normal".  I resigned from my old job 5 weeks ago. I flew out to Salt Lake City, Utah for new hire training for my new job. My mom flew out here to help my husband with the girls while I was gone. Sorry, but he's just not a good homework taskmaster. My mom is a master at it! I learned from the best. And he won't cook two dinners every night either to accommodate our vegetarian daughter. But mom would.

When I returned from new hire training, my mom, my husband and I setup my "office". You see, I'm now working from home everyday. Mom stuck around for a week to ease my transition. Let me tell you, I loved not having to cook or clean for a week. Well actually it was two weeks if you include my week in Salt Lake! I love that woman. I wonder if she'll let me rent her out? My friends keep begging me! LOL

Mom left on Saturday. And so began my new normal. This is my first week working from home with no one else in the house during the day. It was kinda weird today. Working from home is quite different than I expected. But I enjoy it. I do miss all my friends from the old job. Thank goodness for IM and Skype! I'll have to make time to join them for lunch very soon.

I've had to start leaving notes downstairs that read, "Quiet, I'm on a conference call!" so the girls don't walk in and yell, "MOOOOM!". My girls love having me physically here when they get home. I think I'm like Linus' safety blanket to them. You know what? I'm good with that.

I'm rediscovering working while listening to music, because my house is just too quiet during the day. I'm used to loud laughter, loud conference calls and well you know, noise! I used to only listen when I was upset or frustrated and needed something to soothe my nerves. Now I listen for fun and comfort.

Despite the adjustments I have to make, I don't think I'd trade this for the world. I love the new company.  It differs greatly from my old company. Thank goodness! The new company has high expectations of me but you know what? I'm okay with it. They aren't unrealistic expectations.

I'm looking forward to adapting to the new normal that is now my life. I don't always love change. It's often difficult and scary. But sometimes change is good. In my life, this time around, change is great!