Fearless.

I don't know what to write. I sit here, scrolling through my draft posts (and trust me, there's plenty), but I don't know what to write. I don't know what I want to write.

There's so much going on in my state and country and world this week, and as much as I feel like I should join in the barrage of coronavirus centered articles, I don't want to. I've talked about it with family and friends and co-workers until I'm tired of talking about. I've researched and analyzed until I drove myself crazy with it.

I'm tired of the fear and the panic and the chaos. I'm tired of the memes—even though some of them are...really funny. I'm tired of news articles—often contradicting each other. I'm tired of the arguments. I'm tired of the constant change in what is and isn't "allowed" as far as gatherings and events.

But here's the thing. I'm choosing to not be suffocated by the panic and alarm and frustration that surrounds this pandemic labeled "COVID-19." I specify labeled because, in my belief, the disease isn't the basis of the problem—fear is.

Yes, fear. That four-letter F-word that we don't like to think about.

So maybe that's what I'm really here to say. The panic, the hoarding, the chaos and confusion—it doesn't stem from a illness that's characterized by a fever and cough. It's created by the fear we allow to overtake us when we focus on the sickness instead of the Healer.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.   // 2 Timothy 1:7 kjv

As Christians, we shouldn't live burdened by fear. That's not how God intended for us to live our lives—before, during, or after COVID-19 has ran its course.

Things are crazy right now, I know. And I could be wrong, but I believe this won't last long. By the end of the year, we'll be able to look back on the month when stores were selling out of everything and remember the good aspects of these days instead of dwelling on the fear and turmoil.

If you're frightened by the events transpiring in the world over the past few days and weeks, that's totally understandable—it's a lot to take in at once. The important thing is to not allow that anxiety to control you.

Spend time with the Savior, and allow His presence and His word to remind you again and again that it's going to be okay. We serve a God that is so much greater than any pandemic, stock market dive, or nation in distress.

Through it all, life goes on, and we go on too. Tomorrow, the sun will rise and people will go to work (some of us, anyway). We'll talk and laugh and yawn and sneeze. We'll learn something new or reminisce about days gone by. We'll read books or watch television. We'll make jokes and remind our family members we love them.

And we'll be okay.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.   // Psalm 46:10 kjv 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.   // John 14:27 kjv

To sum it up—God's got this, so we have no need to fear. Wash your hands. Prayer for those effected. Use necessary precaution. By all means, quit hoarding toilet paper. And be fearless.

thoughts, good or bad? opinions, agreeing or not?

Life as of Now — 02.25.20

Instead of doing monthly recaps this year, I'm going to try doing this type of post every 6-8 weeks, sharing some random recent life stuff. *throws up a peace sign* we'll see how it goes. 

• Discovered that I've been saying the words chagrin and chasm wrong for my entire life. Like, WHAT. I heard them both on a TV show, a day or two apart, and I was honestly in denial for awhile. My life is in shambles. I've lived a lie for years. Such deception. What even is truth? (slightly kidding...maybe...)

• Bought too many books... Seriously, though, does anyone else use BookOutlet? Because I ADORE that site, y'all. It's my newest Achilles Heel.

• Appreciating this post by the epic Angela Watts. <33  And this post by...another Faith. ;)

• Reading loads of good books. Like, nearly twenty reads docked so far this year? Love it. I haven't read so much so quickly in over a year. It'll probably plummet soon, but for now, I'm on a roll, m'dudes.

• Ventured off to the big city of Atlanta for a work thing. *finger guns*

• Adoring Midway... Honestly, y'all, this movie. It's incredible. When my bestie came to see me last fall, we saw it twice in theaters. And I've watched it again since then. It's so so good. My new favorite film. It makes me want to rewrite War Tears, so that's definitely a good thing. 10/10

lemme just slip this hunk in here... *coughcough*

• Binge-watching Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. And then rewatching favorites. This show is so underrated, you guys. There's epic camaraderie, cases to solve, cute dudes, and sign language/deaf culture references. Was this show meant for me or what? I LOVE IT. Crash and Sparky are my dudes. <3333

• Drinking coffee. Always. Nothing new there, though.

• To celebrate my being close to hitting 15k in Chasing a Dream (asjehkflpc !!), here's a snippet for you homies.

At this point, I'm not even sure this chick really knows Leah. She's probably an imposter who has my girl gagged in the back room.  

I finish my note to Leah, trying to ignore how aggravating the horrible red pencil is, fold the paper in half, and place the pencil on top of it. "Thank you, ma'am," I call across my shoulder on the way out the door.  

"Anytime."  

As I walk to the truck, I shoot a quick text to Leah. : Your roommate is a fruitcake. 

how's your 2020 going? 

Roadtrip + Late Nights || February Recap

I suppose I should be honest—always a good place to start, eh?

I hadn't thought a thing about this post. Then, tonight, I was thinking that I probably needed to write up a post for next week...and realized it was the last day of the month. xP

So here I am, writing a post instead of binging a TV show editing my forsaken novel. Feel special, dears. *wink*

|| All the House-Sitting

I had several house-sitting and pet-sitting stints this month, each time just for a day/night/day. Twice for a couple who live in the neighborhood and whom I've stayed for in the past. The only problem with that is, considering the number of times the dog(s) thinks he needs to go out, I end up getting 3-4 hours of sleep per night while there. :P

And once with my favorite "foster pup", who I got to pick up from the groomers and haul home one evening. She's such a doll. I mean, honestly, who can resist that face...  <3

Backpack, cinch bag, crossover, rain jacket, not-pictured stack of library books... I'm probably the only person who takes three bags + an extra jacket + snacks to be gone from home less than two days. xD

|| Spontaneous Roadtrip

My family took a bit of a spontaneous road trip earlier this week. Although we stayed in-state, we went a few hours away to visit some friends that we met for the first time on a missions trip last summer. From hiking and "playing tourists" to wander Main Street to blaring country music on the front porch until late—the two days spent with them was such fun. :D

|| Random

• The bro came over one night while I was house-sitting. We watched a movie, played cards, and drank wayyy too much coffee. As was evident by the wacko things coming out of our mouths...

*arguing about who's going to deal for a card game*
Me: I am, because you did last time. Deal with it.
Bro: *burst out laughing*
Me:...what?
Bro: get it? Deal with it?!

• A random selfie of me because I'd dressed cute for church and ended up running around in the rain to get in and out of the car, pump gas, grab lunch, and walk the dogs 284573 times. Approximately.

• I stayed up insanely late the majority of nights this month. Aside from while away from home, 1:00 and 2:00 am weren't uncommon, and after midnight became completely normal of me. I'm almost always up past 11:30 pm anyway, but it got a bit overboard here of late. Will I do better in March? Heh, probably not... I seem to be cursed with a brain that works best—especially creatively—at those hours.

• A random picture of my child that y'all obviously needed. That annoyed lil' side glance though...

|| Best Read

Hmmm... Beloved by Kaitlyn Krispense or Dark Horse by Dandi Daley Mackall. Beloved was an alpha-read of a friend's upcoming release and a fabulous standalone that deals with themes near to my heart. Dark Horse was the fourth and final book in the Starlight Animal Rescue series and, in my opinion, the best and strongest book of the series.

|| Worst Read

I didn't really read any "bad" books this month. I buzzed through one of the Boxcar Children books that I'd picked up for a buck at an used bookstore, just to count it toward my reading goal. So I guess that claims the title of "least favorite" of the month.

Total Reads: 8

|| Update 

Um, wow. Not sure how else to say this other than—I've felt more like a writer this month than I have in...well, a long time. I'm not even exaggerating. I've had such freedom to write here of late. Whatever comes to mind, whatever is spinning through my brain. So what if it's not what I'm "supposed to be" writing or not "good enough" for publication? It's still words, bleeding out onto the page. It's still characters and worlds and jumbled sentences that somehow correlate.

And there, in the messy chaos of a writer's authenticity... isn't that where all good stories start?

|| Snippet

“Why don’t you come to the tent revival tonight?”  

He shrugged, eyeing her. “Not really my thing.”  

“Nonsense. Starts at five. I’m gonna be miffed if you don't come.”  

“Why should I?”  

“Do I have to tell you everything?” Her brow wrinkled and she leaned closer, the flicker of a dare in her eyes. “Do something spontaneous for once, Ross. Do it just because.” 

Ross smiled to himself as she walked away. Maybe he would go. Maybe he didn’t need a reason. Maybe he’d go just because.  

Just because she’d asked.

|| Favorite Posts

Dancing in the Rain >> Where is Love

Paige's Pages >> Girl, Read Your Bible

Rebellious Writing >> Always Reading

More Precious Than Gold >> For Our Good and His Glory

Inside Out Designs >> Writers' Minds vs. Normal Minds

Ordinary Girl Extraordinary Father >> When Letting Go Hurts

Beautifully Broken >> Love is Scary

|| My Posts

Day One ~ Day Two ~ Day Three ~ Day Four ~ Day Five ~ Day Six

|| February Goals

• Read 8 books.       Scored.

• Edit 15 chapters.       Ehhh, no.

• Finish a short story.      Nope.

• Co-host a blog party with this gal.      #nailedit

|| March Goals 

• Read 8 books.

• Finish a short story. (or two?? I'm pathetically optimistic.)

• Blog weekly.

• Review 3 books.

how was your february? any thoughts or opinions on how I've been tweaking the recaps? 

Homemade Gravestone, Cover Reveal, & Christmas Comes Early || October Recap

Okay, yes, "click-bait" may have popped into my head when I titled this post. But since it's true...that's okay, right?

|| Life. ||

>> After not doing anything with it since spring, I got a couple inches of hair whacked off. It's still below my shoulders, but easier to manage. And cuter, in my opinion. xD

>> So I almost accidentally got two copies of the same book from the library and it wasn't even my fault...

I was reading the If I Live series by Terri Blackstock, (I'm still recovering, by the way. If you've read those, let's chat. Or maybe start a survivors club.) and I needed books #2 and #3. I'd placed #2 on hold, but when I get to the library, I checked the shelves to see if #3 had been returned. It hadn't been...but #2 was still on the shelf.

Faith's brain assumed that it was actually #3 that I had placed a hold on (honestly, who doesn't confuse those titles?!), so I nabbed #2 and went to the front desk. And when the librarian went to get my hold from behind the counter...it was #2 as well.

They'd literally brought another copy of the same book from a different location when there was a perfectly fine copy sitting on a shelf, only a few yards from the desk. I laughed all the way home.


>> The Potts family plowed potatoes! Yes, it was kinda late in the season to finally get around to it. And yes, that's a hand plow. Don't judge. We're traditional. ;P

>> Two girls who I've recently come to know through the blogging world, Maddy and Lillian, started a business to aid indie authors in getting reviews for their books! Stellae Books is an awesome—not to mention, beautiful—website. If you've been wanting to read Dandelion Dust, here's your chance to grab a free copy! Hop on over to their site for details. :)

>> The Potts family also cut and shipped out Christmas trees and I'm still in denial that it's already time for such shenanigans...

>> I spent a day last week wandering around cemeteries with my mom and great-aunt. And if that freaks you out, well, you don't know what you're missing. Check out these....

Isn't that just the best?! xD

Apparently homemade gravestones were a thing in the '80s....
Sorry I missed that fad. 

>> I listened to oodles of songs on repeat this month. In particular, Burn the Ships and God Only Knows by For King & Country, Stuck on Me + You by Emily Ann Roberts, Die from a Broken Heart by Maddie & Tae, I'm Listening by Tenth Avenue North, and Olivia Mae by Brett Young. Someone flail over these gems with me. <33

|| Books. ||

// Reads

If I Run by Terri Blackstock -- 5 stars
Falling for You by Becky Wade -- 3.5 stars -- Review
The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner -- 3 stars
If I'm Found by Terri Blackstock -- 5 stars
The Christmas Child by Max Lucado -- 3 stars
Surprise Island by Gertrude Chandler Warner -- 3 stars
Mystery Ranch by Gertrude Chandler Warner -- 3 stars
The Waltons: The Accident by Virginia McDonnell -- 4 stars
If I Live by Terri Blackstock -- 5 stars
Plot Bunny to Novel by Kellyn Roth -- 4 stars
Never Fear Anything by Robert Terkla -- 3.5 stars
The Christmas Prayer by Wanda Brunstetter -- 2.5 stars
Kate's Dilemma by Sarah Holman -- 4 stars
The View from the Lighthouse by Melody Carlson -- 3.5 stars
In the Dark Streets Shineth by David McCullough -- 5 stars

// Short Stories

Heritage of Praise by Rebekah A. Morris -- 5 stars

True Love by R.A. Rooney -- 4 stars

A Change of Heart by Anika Walkes -- 5 stars

Unto Him by Rebekah A. Morris -- 4 stars

One December Night by Melissa Tagg -- 5 stars

The Christmas Robe by Jennifer Lamont Leo -- 4 stars

So, yeah, I kinda read a ton this month.... I also bought a ton of books. :P Eleven from a used book store and these three lovelies from a CBD sale!

|| Writing. ||

Unlike with recent previous months, I actually have something to say in this section, without rambling for 7.4 minutes, boring y'all to tears, and getting no where.

First off, I finished the final story in Behold and got the collection off to betas. Betas finished a week or so ago, and I applied their edits and then got the manuscript sent to my editor.  The December 7th deadline is quickly approaching! Meanwhile, I'm diving into editing War Tears, until it's time to do the final edit and format. :)

Another fabulous happenings this month... I got Behold's cover! Sarah Grace from Estetico Designs did an amazing job and I'm so happy with how it turned out. :D

|| Blogging. ||

// Favorite Posts 

More Precious than Gold ~ Turn to God

A Purpose and a Promise ~ Let There Be Light

Having a Heart Like His ~ You Have a Purposeful Calling

Loved Before Time ~ What is Surrender?

Twilight to Dawn ~ Give Up Ideals

Important Nothings ~ Maybe Love

Showers of Blessings ~ Words to Live By

// My Posts 

Day One ~ Day Two ~ Day Three ~ Day Four ~ Day Five ~ Day Six

|| Goals. || 

~ October Goals

>> Read 8 books.     Several times over, yes...

>> Start working full-time.      Ha, no. Long story there. But soon. xP

>> Send Behold to betas and apply feedback.      Yup! It's in the hands of a fabulous editor. ;)

>> Edit pt.1 of War Tears.      Um, no? Behold took too much of my time. Hopefully this month I'll get into that. xD

>> Take part in the Five Fall Favorites party.      YESSS!

~ November Goals 

>> Read 8 books.

>> Do the final edit of Behold, get it formatted, and order proof.

>> Edit pt.1 of War Tears.

>> Post weekly on both blogs.

How was your October? Can you believe the holiday season is creeping up on us so quickly? What's one of your goals for the month? If you're doing NaNo, I might be jealous.
~Faith

Calling All Wanna-Be ASL Learners! {Classes for Homeschoolers}

Greetings, readers! I'm dropping in for just a moment to let y'all know about an amazing opportunity—geared toward homeschoolers! 

As some of you already know, I'm studying American Sign Language as a high school elective. This is my second year, and I'm planning to take a third this fall. (Who knows—maybe I'll end up an interpreter or ASL teacher myself. ;))

I have greatly enjoyed the experience, and I have to say that a lot of the credit for that goes to the amazing teacher I've been blessed with. He's fun in the classroom, making the online class sessions entertaining and interactive.

If you're considering studying ASL, I would wholeheartedly recommend looking into Mr. Dally's classes. With ASLYouCanDo, he offers live classes in ASL 1, ASL 2, and ASL 3. He also offers JumpStart tutoring sessions and conversational classes. There's so many options!

You find all the information by clicking on the image below. :)

Is your student a visual learner? Struggles with spoken foreign language? Looking for a sign language class? A satisfied parent says this about learning ASL with Mr. Dally:

"Mr. Dally's ASL classes are superb! My child learned so much during her ASL 1 class--vocabulary, grammar, conversational ASL, deaf culture, and much more. She especially enjoyed the breakout sessions with other students that enabled her to practice her signing while also learning about her fellow peers. My daughter's interest in ASL grew throughout the year and she can't wait for ASL 2 with Mr. Dally next year."

Have any of y'all studied sign language? 

~Faith

Christmas, a Laptop, and a Blog Party // December Recap

Y'all...2017 is coming to an end. And I'm kinda excited for next year and I kinda don't want this year to end. But I'll save all that for my next post and just get on with this one. xD

\\ Life. \\ 

>> The bro and I took pictures of each other with the creepy lil' Santa to celebrate December.

>> I slept in. A lot.

Me: *wakes up* Oh great, it's probably something insane like 9 o'clock.

Me: *sits up* *sees clock* 9:04?! Darn it!

But, ya know, maybe I needed the sleep because I sent this to a certain person the night before... 

>> There was sparks flying out our chimney one night. No big deal, right? Yeah, that's what I thought...until Dad sent Tucker for the water hose. (Spoiler: We all survived.) 

>> I fell down the stairs to the basement and was sore for a week. I'm not even kidding. 

>> I was crowned the Queen of Christmas. 

>> I decorated my bookshelves with Christmas lights. Allllll the heart eyes. <33

>> I discussed Christmas contemporary music with Dad. 

*Drummer Boy by fK&C comes on*

D: I'm not sure about this group just yet

Me...I like that song.  

>> We got like 13-14 inches of snow. And had apparently been indoors too long by Sunday afternoon. 

Dad: How much tree has our water drunk?

Mom: *replies without even catching it*

Dad:....I think I said that wrong.

Me: *chokes on coffee*

>> I acted like an immature little human over a cup of bad coke. 

In the car on the way home from Wednesday night church....
Tucker: I'd kill for something to drink right now.
Me: *looks down at cup holder* oooh, I have coke from Chick-Fil-A! *grabs it*
Tucker: *glares at me*
Me: *smirks* would you share with me?
Tucker: *doesnt even bother answering*
Me: *drinks coke and eyes him* see, I have this sudden, really bad cold. *coughs harshly*
Tucker: I'll drink without the straw.
Me: *pulls up lid and coughs into cup*
Tucker: I'll drink from the other side.
Me: *pulls lid all the way off and continues fake-coughing* I'll even lick it. *licks the rim*
Mom: *rolling her eyes at her supposedly-almost-adult-daughter*
Tucker: I'll drink from the other end of the straw.
Me: *pulls straw out and licks the other end*
Tucker: ....I'd still drink it.
Me: *takes another sip* it's actually watered down from the ice and not very good.

End of matter? No one drank the rest of it. 

>> Christmas happened! Which meant lots of epicness including a Christmas play at church, a blog party (more on that in a sec), and a laptop from my parents. O.O Yeah, they're kind of awesome. 

>> Another moment of craziness... 

Mom: Where's *youth leader* tonight? 

Tucker: He has an absent tooth.

Me: Abscessed. 

Tucker: That too.

\\ Books. \\ 

So...I kinda read a ton of books this month except they were mostly more like short-stories, but I'm still counting them because I can. #logic

When I Fall in Love by Melissa Storm -- 2 stars 

The Art of Thankfulness by R.A. Rooney -- 4 stars 

Christmas by the Sea by Beth Wiseman -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.

The Christmas Star by Ace Collins -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.

The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans -- 3 stars 

As in Olden Days by Jesseca Wheaton -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.

The Proposal by Becky Wade -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.

Ephesians -- 5 stars 

Christmas Smiles by Rebekah Morris -- 4 stars -- Review HERE.
The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.
Red Boots by Kate Willis -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.
Titus -- 5 stars 
Esther Ashton's New Dress by Kelly Roth -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.
Haywire Christmas by Jenni Hunt -- 4 stars 
Mistletoe Mistake by Lynette Sowell -- 3.5 stars 
The 12 Cats of Christmas by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick -- 3.5 stars 
Christmas Eve at the Backdoor by Rebekah A. Morris -- 5 stars -- Review HERE.
Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber -- 3.5 stars 
Shooting at the Stars by John Hendrix -- 4 stars 

Sooo...I got some books for Christmas, and I bought some books myself. (And only one was from a Black Friday sale. Mwahaha, look at me being all smart and responsible.)

\\ Writing. \\ 

I wrote a little over 3,000 words this month...which sounds super lame, but then I remember that I wrote like 28+ blog posts....I don't feel so bad. xD

I also started a new story/book, a sort of sequel to "A Soldier's Freedom", which is fun and sweet and adorable and YAS. ^-^

\\ Music & Movies. \\ 

I watched lots of Christmas-y ness! And some not. xD

Love's Christmas Journey 

Silent Night 

Waltons Christmas (S5)

Sweet Nothing in My Ear

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Lost Without You, Higher Ground, and Home Again)

Dashing Though the Snow

WCTH Christmas: The Wishing Tree

Christmas in Canaan & Christmas Comes Home to Canaan

It's a Wonderful Life

\\ Blogging. \\ 

>> The 12 Days of Christmas blog party happened! It was sooo much fun. :D Find all the goodness here. 

~ Favorite Posts of the Month ~

*Not including 12DoC posts*

Living for the Other Side // You Can't Be Everyone's Favorite Sauce

Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors // Her Son, Her Savior & The Faith of the Carpenter

More Precious Than Gold // Seasons of Life: Winter

Ivie Writes // For When You Feel Run Down

Apples of Gold // I came. I saw. I judged.

\\ Goals. \\ 

~ December Goals 

>> Read 12 books.      Nailed it xD

>> Edit through chapter 25 of War Tears.      *dramatic coughing* Erm, no. I didn't even touch that messy ol' book this month.

>> Finish writing the second Christmas story, edit the first.     I edited the one (and let y'all read it!), but I still haven't finished the other.

>> Stay caught up with emails.     Pretty much. ;D

>> Host the 12DoC blog party.       Yup!!

>> Participate in Liv's Little Women Read-Along.       ...no. I'm still only 1/4 through the book, but I still plan to finish.

>> Have a very, Merry Christmas!      Yup! :)


~ January Goals 

>> Read 8 books.

>> Finish editing part one of War Tears, start part two, and send part one to my alphas.

>> Stay caught up with emails.

>> Survive school.

>> Rewrite/edit a short story from last year to, hopefully, publish soon. (By the way, anyone interested in beta-reading that in a few weeks? :P)

>> Write 1-2 short stories for a contest.

>> Finish a beta-reading project.

>> Take a break from blogging. (Yup, that's right. Other than a few posts next week, I'm taking January off from blogging. I'll be back with a recap around the end of the month. ;))

>> Host a bookstagram challenge! (This is gonna be a lot of fun, y'all. :D Also, for anyone who doesn't have Instagram, I'm going to be adding my pictures to a page on this blog sporadically. ;))

How was y'all's Christmas season/December? :D Any thoughts on what I should add to/take away from these monthly wrap-ups in the new year? 

~Faith