The Men are Back Home :)

Today, my brother and dad came home from a week-long backpacking trip in the wilderness. It was an interesting week without them...I always took for granted the presence of a man around the house. But with both of them gone...we didn't feel complete. Oh, we had fun without them, going to movies, hanging out, and generally having a 'Girl's week', but we weren't complete. Coming home to a cold, empty house was a bit of a jar, when you're used to your dad waiting there for you.
And to top it all, my little baby brother came back a young man. AHH! I'm getting too old! Wow, I remembered when he was only a day old and I was holding him! It's so cool to watch him grow up...but bittersweet.
So glad they're back. :)

Bee Adventure :)

Today, my dad and I drove far up in the foothills to capture some bees. It was a beautiful drive, surrounded by orchards and vineyards and rolling hills...hardly any houses at all. When we finally arrived there, we found that the bees had made their hive inside a small stove in an old tin shack. The shack was something straight out of a Western...complete with a half-empty Jack Daniel's whiskey bottle on a rickety shelf, and a crooked mirror hung over a rusty sink. It inspired a short story...maybe I'll actually write this one! :)
It must have been 95 degrees out...and bee suits makes it feel like 950 degrees..but we survived, and have a small hive to show for it. On the way back, my dad and I slipped in Mumford & Sons, cranked up the volume, and rolled down the windows. Awake, my soul. Awake, my soul. For you were made to meet your Maker.

School and Life

Well, I have no illusions of still being in summer. All my classes have hit me, full-blast. And, amazingly, I'm not drowning. Well...not yet at least. :) I'm juggling the workload much better than I did last year, which is a relief. And I'm enjoying most of my classes as well! I think the most challenging one will be Chemistry...it has a lot of math, which isn't my strongest subject, but I will live through it.
Somehow, I'm managing to keep my writing schedule afloat during all this. Every night, I still write, whether only a paragraph, a scene, or - if I'm lucky enough to finish school early - a handful of pages. So the novel process has obviously slowed down, but it's still plodding along. Also, when I'm stuck, I indulge in writing a bit of fan fiction. It's really quite addicting...I didn't know how addicting until I actually couldn't put my pen down! Or, I guess I could have...but I would have had much trouble doing it. :)
Anyway, school has started, and I am coping quite well. Except for a few late nights with St. Augustine's Confessions and Chemistry homework, everything has been smooth. Let's see how it continues to go...

Novel Update, and other Updates :)

...Well...I didn't finish it before the deadline...*sigh*. Oh well. There were some circumstances beyond my control...such as a great idea that ended up causing major plot reconstruction and a few chapters edited and the whole beginning of my story nixed. Yeah, kinda drastic, but so worth it. I'm now enjoying my plot, because it doesn't seem so heavy. However, the scene I'm supposed to be writing isn't going as well...I'm procrastinating by writing fan fiction, any other scene besides that, and blogging. Oh well, this post is a result of that procrastination...so it can't be too bad, right?
I baby-sat some adorable kids tonight. It's so much easier when they're good kids. There was a slight thunderstorm, and they were enthralled by the booms and the lightning. It was so cute to see their faces whenever lighting split the sky.
School has finally started. I don't know whether to be happy or sad...summer was getting kinda boring, but now that I'm swamped with homework I'm really missing sleeping in and reading whatever whenever I want. Right now, I'm reading The Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon, Mirror Dance by Lois Mcmaster Bujold, and Sylvester by Georgette Heyer. Something from each of my favourite genres: fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. All of them are great books, and I'm enjoying each one :)
I'll write again when I have time to spare!!