Musings from Burley, Idaho

Right now I'm sitting in a hotel in Burley, Idaho. Nic is at work (this is a work trip), and Sam is hanging out with his grandpa and grandma in G-ville. We came here on Sunday and will be going home tomorrow. My parents are off for spring break and wanted Sam to come spend some time with them. I'm still trying to get over this cold and thought a little mommy vacation sounded nice. I think my parents got more than they bargained for! Little Sam is a ball of energy! He's my little Tasmanian angel. It sounds like they're having fun though. I'm so grateful for my wonderful family who are not only willing to take care of Sam for me, but also enjoy spending time with him. They are always so supportive and always there for me!
I love talking to Sam on the phone. He'll actually carry on a conversation with you. I have no idea what he's saying, but if you ask him questions, he'll tell you the wildest of stories! My mom says that they've been playing up a storm and that they're going to do Easter training--teach Sam how to search out eggs and what not. Nic and I miss having Sam with us, but I have to admit, that it has been nice to sleep in and just veg out for a couple of days. I think Nic is having a harder time than me! It doesn't help that last Sunday was Sam's first day in nursery. I missed having Sam with us for two hours and fretted about him, but Nic was practically whimpering in a corner! Sam loved nursery though. He was the only kid in nursery and so had the undivided attention of two very loving and sweet nursery leaders. He played with toys (the kitchen being his favorite), sang songs, colored (on the table more than his picture, but he's learning...), had snacks, and learned about Jesus. He didn't cry once and probably didn't even notice that Nic and I weren't there! So I think taking that big step and then leaving Sam at my parent's house on Sunday night, has been a little rough on Nic! (And I'll admit that I miss the little fella too!)

I have to admit that Burley, Idaho isn't the most exciting place on earth, but it has been relaxing. Yesterday I pretty much spent most of the day working on my on-line scrapbook for Sam. Sam's first year had to broken down into two volumes. Volume one covered my pregnancy and Sam's first seven months. It has 101 pages. Volume two will cover from July to December 2010. What can I say? I take a lot of pictures of that kid! I've got volume one done, and I'm now two months into volume two. I'm hoping to get caught up before the baby gets here, otherwise, I won't stand a chance! My goal is to do a general family scrapbook each year and an individual scrapbook for the first year for each child. I always hear how parents take lots of pictures of the first child, and then the next child and any other children get less and less. I'm hoping to keep up with things! I have my goals, but we'll have to see how things go!

Last night we went to the home of one of the lady's Nic works with. She and her husband were very hospitable and kind. The live clear out in the middle of nowhere. The two women who caught a ride with us, kept saying how they could never survive out there. Nic and I would love it! We ate hamburgers and fresh cut Idaho french fries. The french fries were seriously eight inches long! They grow some BIG potatoes out here!

I've treated today as a mini-writer's retreat for myself. I've got quite a few pages written for the novel I'm currently working on. This novel is a little difficult for me because it is a little too close to home for me. I just finished writing the first draft of a YA fantasy novel, and a lot of the writing that I do is fantasy and children's books. But I also really like memoir writing, writing about my life. Two of my favorite fictional characters are Jo March from Little Women and Anne from Anne of Green Gables. I think that the reason that I like Anne and Jo so much is because they are similar to me in some ways, and I want to be like them in others. Both are imaginative and both are writers. And both characters start out writing in these fantastical styles, both are told by men who love them to try to write from their heart, and both finally find their writing triumph when they humble themselves, search their hearts, and write from their lives. I wonder if my writing muse is trying to send me a message through these two characters. My sister and I jokingly call this story that I wrote when I was just a young pup (my first novel) "Reginald's Revenge" in honor of Anne's story, "Avril's Atonement". So I've been thinking about these things lately, and the idea for this new novel came to me one night as I was about to fall asleep. The story is about a girl learning how to be a friend to a mentally and physically handicapped girl amidst the pressures and drama of middle school. Basically, it is my coming of age story. Writing this book is forcing me re-visit many regrets and shame that I still have from middle school. But it is also helping me to come to terms with who I was then, the mistakes I made, and who I am now. It is hard to throw my young-self out there for the world to judge, but at the same time writing this book has really helped me to see how much I've grown and to find gratitude for those growing pains that have helped me to become the person that I am today. And I hope that this book will be able to reach out to other young adults and been a good influence for how we should treat others who are different from us. First, though, I need to get it written! So enough blogging! I better get back to my writing!