I am thankful for my husband, who is supportive and loving and witty, and the *best* daddy out there.
I am thankful for my daughter, who is sweet and bright and adorably funny, and has the most thoughtful little heart.
I am thankful for both the family I was born into, and the family I married into. I am very lucky.
I am thankful for my friends, spread all around the world. Today, on a holiday meant to be spent with those we love, I am especially thankful for the friends I’ve made since moving to California! Can’t wait to celebrate Turkey Day with you!
I am thankful for a creative mind, and the opportunity to write every day.
I am thankful for books!
I am thankful for my CPs and beta readers and writer friends, who offer invaluable feedback, answer my fanatical emails, and email me just to check in. You all keep me sane.
I am thankful for the writing community, especially the YA writing community. I am thankful for the amazing people I’ve met through Twitter and this blog. I can’t describe how much your friendship and support have meant to me, especially in the last few weeks.
Critical
{Listening to (and eventually enjoying) Red, the new Taylor Swift album. (Yes, my child has a DiscMan, not an iPod. She’s five, and we’re old school.)}
Merriment {Hula hoop tossing at the local Fall Festival. I know we’re only a few months into the school year, but so far I’m impressed with the community atmosphere of my daughter’s elementary school. This Fall Festival was a really cool family event/PTA fundraiser that kiddos of all ages seemed to have a blast at.}
Yum
{If you’ve never had Biscoff, you’re missing out. It’s a gingerbread-tasting spread that’s similar in consistency (and calorie count) to peanut butter. You can find it at World Market, and it is yummy! I found an fantastic recipe for Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies at Eat, Live, Run, one of my favorite food blogs. If you’re looking for a unique new cookie recipe, give this one a try! It’s definitely one of my new go-tos.}
Beer {One-hundred ounces of Bud Light in preparation for the WSU vs. Standford football game that was awesome, despite a Cougar loss.}
*sigh* {Remember the one-hundred ounces of beer? This is the kind of lasting memory it produces.}
NaNoWriMo
{I’m plotting! A good thing, since NaNo beings TOMORROW! I’ve got my main characters and setting decided, along with my MC’s GMC and a loose plot outline. Tonight I hope to plot my first several scenes more specifically so I can hit the ground running tomorrow morning.}
Guts {Pumpkin guts, I mean. My husband was deployed during Halloween last year, so this year’s annual pumpkin carving evening was extra special. My daughter ADORES Halloween and everything that goes with it — even pumpkin guts! Today she gets to participate in a costume parade and Halloween party at school, and then, of course, there will be trick-or-treating tonight. Can’t wait!}
How are you celebrating Halloween?
(And if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, are you ready?)
First and most importantly, HUGE congratulations go out to my longtime blog friend Rebecca Behrens. Her debut novel When Audrey Met Alice is going to be published by Sourcebooks and I couldn’t be happier for her! Not only is Rebecca smart and sweet and generous, but her story sounds AMAZING. You can read more about it HERE, and you can read Rebecca’s official announcement HERE.
Opulent {My dad visited last week and we took him to visit Hearst Castle, the “ranch” once owned by William Randolph Hearst. The property and the house are gorgeous, and if you ever find yourself near San Simeon, CA, I definitely recommend checking it out. (Though, I don’t necessarily recommend driving down Highway 1, especially if you’re traveling with kiddos. My poor girlie had a bit of a carsickness episode about two miles from Hearst Castle, so that was fun to deal with. Oy.)}
Warm
{Indian Summer has arrived in Central California, and I’m SO HAPPY. I adore heat and sunshine and afternoons on the beach. :)}
Prettiness
{Like I said… I love the beach.}
Boo!
{My husband loves Rice Krispie Treats, so my girl and I decided to surprise him with a very festive jack-o-lantern version. Yum… Homemade Rice Krispie Treats are the best!}
Craftiness
{So, Dolly needed a bed. Rather than spend $150 on the American Girl version, my husband and father-in-law crafted her one from old banisters and crown molding, and I painted it. Then, I made Dolly linens from the somewhat garish peacock fabric my girlie picked out. All in all, it turned out pretty darn cute, and the final cost was a fraction of what American Girl was asking. Success!}
Gratuitous {Because my girlie and I like to get our pose on!}
Tell me: When’s the last time you were crafty? What did you make?
We spent all of last week visiting family in Washington. It was fantastic! So, because I really like Instagram and my girlie and my husband, I’d love to share some images from our trip…
Cutie pie waiting to board our flight…
One of my girlie’s favorite things to do with her Mimi (my mother-in-law, who has quite a green thumb!) is pick flowers. These are a sampling of what they collected from the garden.
We took our girl to the American Girl Store, which was amazing. She was absolutely delighted with all there was to see! She got to pick out matching jammies for herself and Dolly, and also a few books. We had a special lunch at Romano’s Macaroni Grill (YUM!) and tea/lemonade/coffee in the American Girl Bistro. All in all, it was a very fun day, and made for one tired kiddo!
Only on vacation, right? I had veggie, and it was delish!
My hometown is known nationwide for its fair, which happens over the course of two weeks in September. It’s a huge deal, and people come from far and wide to check it out. The Puyallup Fair is a big part of why we chose to visit Washington in September — my girlie has yet to miss a fair! This year’s experience didn’t disappoint; the weather was gorgeous, the food was abundantly greasy, and the rides were headache-inducing. What more can one ask for?
My husband is cute. ❤
We were lucky enough to enjoy not one but TWO adult evenings out during our trip (thank you, awesome in-laws who are always happy to baby-sit!), and we spent them both at the Puyallup Fair. Because it’s so much fun!
This sassy girl was so in her element. She had the full attention of her Mimi and Baba, plus she got to spend all kinds of time with her cousins, aunt, and uncles, who she adores. Obviously she’s not shy about hamming it up!
Bud Light, + Apple Crisp + Vanilla Ice Cream = A Perfect Autumn Treat
(Sadly, this treat was enjoyed while watching my beloved Cougs lose their Homecoming football game in its final minutes. Boo.)
Major highlight of the trip: TIM MCGRAW! This was the second time we’ve seen him live and, oh, he was so freaking good! My only complaint was that we somehow ended up sitting among a lot of old, lame people, which means my husband spent the bulk of the concert trying to convince me that I should sit down and stop fan-girling and flailing about. (He was unsuccessful.)
Airport Fun: An unexpected game of Where’s Waldo? How excited do you think this guy would be to know he’s found his way onto my blog? 😉
I’m curious about the last trip YOU took…
What were the highlights?
Pride {My mini-me and me, cheering our Cougs on to victory!}
Fandom
{Harry, Ron, and Hermione as interpreted by my five-year-old. Because you’re never too young to appreciate Harry Potter.}
Run
{Over the weekend, my hubby and I began the Upperman Running Club with a 12.5 mile inaugural jog. We also signed up for the Big Sur Half-Marathon. I’ve wanted to do a half for ages, and Big Sur is right in our neck of the woods. It’s also absolutely beautiful. Can’t wait for November 18th!}
Captivating
{We left for vacation on Monday! Of course I had to secure a shaken iced tea and a fantastic read before boarding the plane. So far, Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is unputdownable!}
I saw a fun “Currently…” blog idea last week in a post by Kate Hart (she snagged the idea from Amy Lukavics who picked it up here), and then I saw it again yesterday in a post by Jessica Love. So, I thought it’d be fun to jump on the “Currently…” band wagon and give you a little update as to what I’m up to…
Loving…
Fruit smoothies: A handful of frozen strawberries, a handful of frozen blueberries, half a banana, about a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and about a tablespoon of sugar-free, fat-free dry vanilla pudding mix, all combined with an immersion blender. Such a yummy, healthy breakfast!
Reading…
Ashfallby Mike Mullin… It’s a one of those nightmarish THIS COULD REALLY HAPPEN stories about the eruption of a super volcano and its aftermath.
Watching…
Breaking Bad. My husband and I are halfway through the third season (thank you, Netflix!) and head-over-heels in love. If you’re not watching, you should be. Best show on TV, hands down.
Thinking about…
My revision. Always. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel!
Anticipating…
The end of this revision round. Also, the trip to Washington I’m taking next week. I’m going to a Tim McGraw concert, guys. SO EXCITED!
Wishing…
That revisions were easier. Man… One tiny tweak in an early chapter has a funny way of snowballing into an avalanche of change that escalates with every chapter that follows. I guess the fact that this is challenging and all-consuming means I might be doing it well. Right? RIGHT?!
Making me happy…
My family, particularly these three adorable girls. Love them!
While I try to keep the tone of this blog generally upbeat, I’ve been feeling very blah lately. My blahs, I think, stem from a few different catalysts. May I elaborate?
One, news I’ve been anxiously awaiting pretty much the entire summer finally trickled in and… it was not great. Two, I’m smack in the middle of a revision that, while necessary (and awesome), is giving me more than its fair share of fits. Three, my daughter is in school now, all day, every day, and despite the much-needed additional work time, I’m a little lonely. Four, I can’t for the life of me get into a book. I’ve been picking up and putting down the same two for a week-and-a-half, and neither of them will hold my attention. And five, the winding down of summer… Eh. I’m a fun-in-the-sun girl, and I always feel a little down when the weather starts to turn.
Transition and change and the unpredictable can be tough, and lately I feel like I’m seeing A LOT of all three.
So, yeah. Boo hoo.
The good news is: I’m not alone! Posts throughout the blogosphere have cemented that over the last week, particularly this one from Caroline Richmond, and this one from Christa Desir. My writing friends make me feel normal, and for that I’m grateful.
In that spirit, I invite you to join my pity party. It’s right here, right now, and since you can’t bring brownies or Bud Light, I welcome you to leave a gripe (big or small, important or insignificant) in the comments . We can all take a few moments to wallow together, and then we can let our crap go and move onward, toward a better week. A happier week!
So, what are you bringing to my pity party?
Admittedly, it’s hard to be *too* grouchy when I get to spend afternoons laughing with this girlie.
Smart and supportive and sweet. Endlessly funny. He balances my obsessive anxiety with his carefree, cheerful way. He makes me smile even when there’s not a lot to smile about. He believes in me and my dream of selling a book. He believes in our daughter and encourages her, whatever her aspiration of the day may be. He’s not above playing Barbies on the floor or pretending to be a gorilla just to earn a belly laugh. He’s the world’s most loving daddy.
♥ He’s the world’s best husband. ♥
Today is our ninth wedding anniversary. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have snagged this guy.
My, it’s been a busy few days! Thanks to this final phase of the move, I’ve barely had time to breathe, much less blog. My family and I have been slowly making our way down the coast to our new hometown. We’ve finally arrived! Our furniture and household goods will be delivered tomorrow (yay!), and then we get to unpack. I can’t wait to be settled and back into some semblance of a routine. We’ve had a great time traveling, but I am such a creature of habit. All of these transitions and the constant roaming about is starting to wear me out. Plus, doesn’t it just figure that when I’m feeling truly inspired to write (the people watching! the music! the landscapes! the alone time to think while driving!), I don’t have the time to sit down and ACTUALLY WRITE? Such is life.
Anywho, for today’s Blog Me MAYbe post, I’d love to give you a few of the highlights of our road trip, starting with the song I’ve had on repeat pretty much the entire drive:
It’s a YA story waiting, to happen, right? I adore Lady Antebellum, and ‘Dancin’ Away With My Heart’ is definitely a new favorite.
Admittedly, I haven’t had tons of reading time over the last week, but I have been leisurely working my way through This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (June 19, 2012). Um… It’s awesome.
From Goodreads: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
And, lastly, I’d love to share a few photos from our trip (I took dozens; this is merely a sampling!). If you use Instagram, you can view all of the photos I posted under the hashtag #CAHereWeCome, or you can check out my Instagrid.
Heading out… Can you tell how much my husband appreciates the way I commemorate EVERYTHING with a photograph?
My girls and me in front of Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR.
Sea star!
My girlie took this photo… Pretty good for a four-year-old, I think!
Gorgeous beach sunset…
Ice cream at the Tillamook Cheese Factory… Yummy!
Post-picnic hiking, mid-Oregon.
Gosh, McDonald’s is fun!
Is it too soon to call ourselves California girls? (Somewhere outside Crescent City, CA)
That, my friends, is one big tree! (He’s called Grandfather Redwood, which totally makes me wonder if he’s married to Grandmother Willow from Disney’s Pocahontas. :))
Big Foot = Scary
And, FINALLY, home sweet home.
Tell me: What’s the best road trip you’ve been on?
What’s one thing you have not done, but really want to do? What’s holding you back?
{I really want to run a half marathon. What’s holding me back? Time. Lifestyle. Random inconveniences. I’m certain I can run 13 consecutive miles, but I’ve yet to come across an organized half marathon that’s local and works with my schedule. That’s a pitiful excuse, isn’t it? So… I’m going to sign up for the Big Sur Half Marathon! It’s being held November 18, 2012, and it runs very close to my new hometown in California. Yay!}
Run
Katy Upperman ~ Author 