The Writing Retreat

This spring I came to my beloved Writing Group with a plan. I wanted a Summer Writing Retreat.

My thought process was something like:

Ooh, it's going to be amazing! There will be time to work all the kinks out of my manuscript and interact with some of my favorite people! 

Can you tell I've never been to one of these before?

Sometimes it's best to create your own plan instead of following someone's tried and true method. (Plus tried and true sounds boring, while my plan centered around writing, playing, good food, a bit of shopping, and laughter. Lots of laughter.)

So, the ladies and I reserved a hotel near Park City, UT and began to plan. I'm mid-edit on Book Two and my goal was to make it much closer to the end. And hey, getting in several quiet hours of writing was very productive.

To my way of thinking, there have to be some givens in holding/attending a Writing Retreat:

Come to work. Bring your project(s) and have a personal goal in mind. (In case you're wondering, my goal was to make progress on my WIP and not to make everyone crazy.) If you don't think you can engage that long, have a back up plan like blogging, editing, world building, character development, etc.

Be prepared for distractions. My lovely friend Jo Ann Schneider informed me early on that she'd be bringing earplugs. She knows me way too well...but hey, I was quiet and well-behaved for so long! (For the Chatty Patties like me, bring earbuds so you can block out the other humans in the room you desperately need to chat up. For example, I edited to Glee on Netflix for two days.)

Leave time for fun. This may not seem important when you're on a business trip, but when you hit your goal--whether it's a time goal or a word count--you need to hit the town, hit the restaurant, or hey, hit the sack. I don't know about you, but I need a brain break after a long day of intense focusing.

If the above picture doesn't express how well our weekend went, I don't know what will. We had an amazing time! It may not have been the most productive I've ever been--traveling all over for several weeks takes a toll--but I'm proud of the work I did. It's set me firmly on the path to polishing up Book Two for publishing later this year. And we're already thinking of what we want to do next year.

Bear Lake for Writing Retreat 2017, anyone? Don't forget to pack your swimsuits and be ready for a Raspberry Shake break. Because that's totally happening.

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What are your thoughts? What type of Writing Retreats have you attended? Thanks for dropping by!

California Dreams: Just Breathe

When I planned my trip to California, I didn't care what happened or didn't happen as long as I got my beach day.

Beach day selfie. (Not excited at all!)

In June alone I finished the school year (i.e. testing five-year-olds, something akin to teaching cats the polka), spent several days cleaning my classroom, flew to California for a whirlwind trip, and returned for an arts training, a roadtrip, birthday party planning for a friend, and finalizing the details for our upcoming Writing Retreat.

That's a recipe for a big girl tizzy fit right there. Unless you figure a brain break into the scenario.

With the understanding that many of you are also dealing with your share of life's craziness, I invite you along on an afternoon trip to the California Coast.

Happy place reached!

Our journey starts with a meandering trip down coast-hugging Highway 1. Only the daring--and those not prone to motion sickness--will follow it that far. 

But if you do, this is what you'll find:

Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach is a public beach in Northern California. But because it's located well off the beaten path, it's rarely teaming with crowds. Feel free to dip your toes in the water, sit on the rocks, sunbathe, or simply drink in its beauty.

Breathe in the peace, quiet, and joy. And just relax.

 It's not only a physical vacation, but a mental break a well. Couldn't we all use that?

No shoes required.

There's nothing but the smiling faces and pleasant greetings of other explorers disguised as daytrippers. (And they won't pass judgement if you walk around with your flip-flops in hand.)

The gentle push and pull of the ocean as it rushes up and hurries off.

Whether you're in inland beach girl or and outdoorsy introvert, no one will judge you for excessive selfies, taking pictures of your feet, or just perching on the rocks and matching your breath to that of the ocean.

Just breathe.

Remember that no matter how ridiculous or stressful life becomes, we are a part of something bigger, grander, and more beautiful than we can comprehend. Because of that, we can survive all the ridiculous nonsense life throws at us. And live in quiet moments like these.

I'm an inland beach girl. However that works...

Headed anywhere wonderful this year? I'd love to hear all about it. Leave me a message. And feel free to share what helps you live in the moment.

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Would you like to read more of my travels?
Sun, Surf, & Solace
Unexpected Sweetness
Author on Vacation

Author On Vacation

On the airport shuttle a couple asked if anyone was headed anywhere amazing. My exuberant “Baltimore!”earned me some funny looks and chuckles, not to mention ribbing from the driver later. But when I've been to Maryland in the past it's meant trips to DC to see fireworks, historical sites, and everything all over the Mall, or poking into itty bitty adorable shops in Frederick, exploring cool pastoral scenes, and doing lots of laughing with my best friend Misty Pulsipher and her family. I'll be honest, I really just come for her. This year was more low-key, but we had a wonderful time together.

Hamming it up with the hooligans. Girls are dorks. Own it. I know I do! I laughed way too much with these silly girls, which was just what I needed.

Kissing cows. (It's a country girl thing.) My bestie is super obsessed with cows. And she does the duck face. A lot. It may be an indication of an actual medical condition.

Wine and paint! Even though we don't drink, we did get a little punchy. But don't cheese and grapes feel elegant, even when they're served with sparkling cider?

And celebrating Misty's birthday. Yep. We're fabulous. The cake was amazing (because my many skills include cake whispering). Chocolate Dr Pepper cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting is pretty fantastic. 

We may not have seen amazing historical sites or done anything flashy on this trip, but isn't being with cool people the best part of vacationing? My brain is already forming a game plan for Book Two (gotta get that puppy submitted!) and images, scenes, and character sketches for Book Three. That's what a good vacation does--get the juices flowing!

There will definitely be more adventures this summer. I'll keep you posted! By the way, here's a look as last year's adventures in California:

Sun, Surf, and Solace: roadtripping it to California!
Unexpected Sweetness: getting lost at Golden Gate Park.

It's Playtime: my obsession with live theater takes center stage! 

Gotta play, people. What are you doing this summer? Leave me a comment and tell me about it!

Its Playtime!

As a teacher I have to rationalize why much of what we do in kindergarten--building with blocks, doing puzzles, and dramatizing stories--looks like play. My professional response is:

Play fulfills a wide variety of purposes in the life of the child. On a very simple level it promotes the development of sensorimotor skills, or skills that require the coordination of movement with senses, such as using eye-hand coordination to stack blocks (Frost et al., 2005; Morrison, 2004). 

But what I'd really like to say is:

Adults need playtime as much as children.  With all the hubbub of adult responsibilities, we lose who we are beyond our professional and family roles.

For this reason, my summer break is sacred. A summer full of deadlines (self-imposed and otherwise), family drama, and more schedule than I'm accustomed to, wasn't exactly what I hoped for. Luckily, I reserved plenty of time for playtime. And when I say playtime, I mean actual plays. As an escape, I scheduled four plays within three weeks at the end of the summer.That's right, I'm a genius! 

This summer, I attended Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, Austen's Sense & Sensibility, Mary Poppins, and Wicked. Between SuperCaliFragilIsTicsExpiAlidocious and Shakespeare my soul was fed, my heart was touched, my funny bone was tickled, and my imagination was set free. 

Play is important.  As adults, we need to spare a moment to nurture the child within each of us.   Finding time to do what we love reminds us of who we are, lightens our hearts, and keeps us going.  If you need an excuse, tell your significant other, boss, or children that your kindergarten teacher said to do it.  I'd be pleased to take the blame.  

What activities keep your mind fresh? I'd love to hear about them. Leave me a comment!

For more on my summer of fun, read Sun, Surf, & Solace and Unexpected Sweetness.  Thanks for stopping in and go forth and play, my friends! 

Unexpected Sweetness

We'd taken longer than usual to arrive at Golden Gate Park. Alright, I had missed the exit and instead of heading toward it, we were speeding away from it. After a detour along surface roads, a full-blown debate about whether I'd be able to cross four lanes of barely moving traffic, and an ongoing prayer that my Utah licence plate would grant everyone patience with my non-Californian driving skills, and there I was proudly maneuvering my way back to the correct highway. Only one more moment of tension involving my stick shift and a lengthy San Francisco hill dotted with traffic lights, and we made it.

Only to find that the Conservatory of Flowers is closed on Mondays. Delightful. We wandered around, snapped photos of the partially-bloomed Dahlia garden, and realized something: cats can be vindictive. In this case, old slightly neurotic cats can knock expensive cameras onto the floor because said cats feel they're being ignored.  The result of this particular cat disaster was that my cousin's camera wasn't functioning correctly. While she worked on the camera, we piled back into the car to explore other parts of the park . A hazy memory of lush rose beds drove me onward, but they were nowhere to be found. A small sign designating the Shakespeare Garden caught my attention and parking the car, my mom and I made our way back to it. 

The Shakespeare Garden was small but charming. After perusing the old fashioned flowers and the collection of quotations from Shakespearean plays, we retraced our steps. A message from my cousin revealed that at last the camera was repaired--old neurotic cat had done nothing more than flip a tiny switch.  Cindy's relief was palpable, which was only understandable, she's a photographer.

In the meantime, we learned that the Rose Garden was only a few minutes away. Taking the right streets this time and feeling like a queen for finding a nearby parking spot, we arrived at last. 

Roses in June couldn't be more glorious, the garden in full bloom and awash with lovely smells was exactly as I remembered it. Names like Hot Cocoa and Honey Perfume dotted the beds and with an irrepressible grin on my face, I perused each and every one at my leisure.

At the end of a somewhat tense day, discovering something sweet was like a tender mercy extended from above, a balm to all our souls.  Isn't finding unexpected loveliness at journey's end always like that?

Dear friends, I'd love to hear of your adventures and unexpected discoveries.  Feel free to comment below.
For more on my ongoing search for beauty and inspiration, revisit Hope Grows In A... or Sun, Surf, & Solace. 

Sun, Surf, & Solace

Greetings all! The author is currently roadtripping all over the Bay Area (northern California) with her seventy-two-year-old mother.

Like that's not a recipe for adventure...

Here we are stopping for a selfie while Geeves brings the car around. That's how we roll in Reno.

My favorite so far has been Beach Day. You can play Spot the Tourist by seeing who braves the water this time of year. 

There I am, and yes, the water is cold. But it doesn't matter.  It's my happy place. 

When life turns nasty, my mind heads to the beach and conjures up the sound of waves rolling onto the shore and pulling out afterward.  Like a great sigh or the rhythmic breathing of a large animal, that sound calms me more than anything else.  

As I told my cousin, for a girl who lives so far inland, I am strangely enamored with the ocean.  Simple pleasures, my friends, simple pleasures. Sun, surf, sand, good friends, and solace.

As always, thanks for stopping in.  Words of wisdom and/or utter silliness will resume when I return to my beloved Utah.  Happy summer!