The other day at work we were discussing safety. What to do in case of certain situations, etc. During this discussion, my boss mentioned she is the only one allowed to scare us when she sneaks up on us (as she loves to and is prone to do). 

However, Paula wasn't having any of that. She quickly spoke up and voiced her discontent. 

I love that the people I work with know her well enough to say, "Ok, fine, and Paula, too." 

Having Paula around grants me certain privileges and I love it.

Anyway, short entry this week, I still have alot of work on Madamn that I would like to accomplish before the day is out and I have a family dinner tonight with my in laws.

Side note, can I just tell you how much I love my in laws?

It's a rare thing I hear, but I feel so lucky to not only have such a great husband, but I love his family, too. So I am looking forward to this dinner. Not to mention my cats also stay with my MIL, so I get to snuggle my kitties.

However, it does limit my time a bit today because I have also decided I need to place a higher priority on my health, so I took 30 minutes for a quick workout. 

But I did get to find all the books I needed as gifts for the next Reader's Escape (aaaaaand maybe a few more for me. And since my husband came with, he found a few as well...)

If you are wondering, we do have a full library between us with 1051 books that I have scanned into my tracker app and a few more that I haven't scanned. That is also a project I'm working on.

But enough procrastinating! On to Madamn so you can see just how cool this woman really is!

Work, Work, Work, Work, Work

It's late, but it is still Saturday! This week was another one of those weeks where I had something scheduled every single day after long days at work, but I survived to tell the tale and am better off for all that hard work. 

I don't often do them, but having published 4 books and counting, I often get asked a ton of questions, to which I often simply refer them to my book Hard Earned Lessons Learned: A Guide On What I Wish I'd Known When Self-Publishing. It basically covers most things I know about publishing.

However, when asked nicely and people are willing to pay me for my time, I'm willing to answer questions one on one. I've had some great calls with people, so I continue to do them, thought I don't advertise them. 

I also have a writer's circle that I'm a part of as I continue to work on Madamn. I've made some huge progress and have started working with an editor one on one in addition to these weekly meetings. They have really helped to keep me on track and I adore the women I meet with every week. 

I do make some time for myself and have indulged in a crochet course with another friend who is teaching me the basics. I'm loving this and in addition to my ever present book obsession, I now have a thing for yarn. 

As late as it is, I do have some updates to make to my novel for my writing group and lots to do in between, so I'll keep this short and sweet this week!

Hope yours is wonderful!

Crunch Time!

Hey friends, sorry I'm late again! This past week and this coming week have been so intense. It's been productive, but there has just been a lot. 

Over the weekend, I went to Salt Lake to be with several friends and run a few errands. It was a quick 24 hour trip, then I came home to do dishes and laundry and a few other things around the house before starting the work week. 

The sad part is, I know I had big exciting things to share and that there was a funny TS story or two, but it's all gotten lost in the shuffle. 

This week isn't shaping up to be much better, I have appointments every night this week and while it is all super exciting, I'll have to give a better breakdown once I've had a chance to breathe. 

In the meantime, I hope your week is awesome and I'll update when I can.

Kintsugi & Paula's Antics This Week

Hey there friends!

I have been thinking a lot about Paula lately and how all of this got started. The blog, the books, and especially the lessons I've learned. You see, I've been invited at work to speak on a panel they are calling "Pride in Disability."

So I'm going back to the basics for people who don't know me or my story at all. I only have about 15 minutes to cover a topic I could speak on for at least an hour. 

The funny part is that Paula gave me some new stories to share this week. She is obviously also quite excited. 

Take for example yesterday at work. It was a little slower as we are getting to the end of the day and my boss made a comment that another coworker pretended to be offended by. My boss responded by saying she is the funniest person in this building. At which point, of course, Paula had to chime in, loud and argumentatively. 

So my boss continued, "Except for Paula!"

Because she really is. I know that I have been so lucky with my particular version of Tourette syndrome and not everyone has an alter ego with such great comedic timing and personality. 

Then again, that's not really the point. The point is more about utilizing experiences for your benefit, regardless of the experience itself. 

Experiences happen. Sometimes they are pleasant, sometimes they are not, but the point is that we are always made better for them if we can figure out how to utilize the experience. 

It's like the Japanese art of Kintsugi (sometimes called Kintsukuori). When a ceramic piece is dropped and broken, it was often put back together with gold, making it more valuable for the experience.

Take for example this beautiful pot that I got for my plants. I came home and didn't even have it inside before the handle on my bag broke, thereby breaking it. 

My sweet husband glued it back together before I could investigate a kintsugi kit (there are some available for purchase!), so to get the right effect, I painted over the cracks in gold paint. 

The first photo is the first coat, the following two after multiple coats and the overall finished effect.

This is absolutely how I approach life as a direct result of my Tourette syndrome.