Music Will Help Me Win!

What? It's the last day of November already?

Source

With all of NaNoWriMo going on ... I've kind of lost track of time. Especially this week since I was OUTRAGEOUSLY BEHIND on my novel and every spare moment has been dedicated to getting my word count up. Once tomorrow hits and I've won NaNoWriMo for the 5th year in a row (losing is not an option) I will be able to dedicate my "free time" to other things. Which include but are not exclusive to:

- Reading books vs. writing them. I learned while reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green... reading during NaNoWriMo is a poor life choice.The list of books I want to read had at least doubled this month.

- Working on Letters Not Sent, the newest project I'm heading up with Nate St. Pierre.

- Finishing decorating my apartment for Christmas and posting photos of said decorations on the blog.

- Actually writing legit blog posts. (Have several ideas for December. Yay!)

- Socializing with the outside world.

- Editing and revising the travesty that is my novel.

- Seeing ALL OF THE MOVIES that are coming out this holiday season,

In the meantime... I'm off to go write at least 4,000 more words. Here are the top 10 songs I've been listening to this month to keep me motivated:

I Just Realized, I have Plot Holes and My Writing Really Sucks

So... I'm super behind on NaNoWriMo. Instead of writing, I made a video about it last night. Cause you know... clearly that will get words onto the page.

I didn't get any writing done last night. Oops.

My Thanksgiving - Not Thanksgiving - Post

I feel like Thanksgiving has taken over the world.

Granted - it's in two days. Therefore, it should be taking over. Or at least it's been taking over my Facebook. (I don't think corporate America has gotten the memo that Thanksgiving happens BEFORE Christmas.) Every single day my timeline has been flooded with the daily statuses of thanks. Which is a good thing. It's been awesome to see people appreciating all that they have. I started to do this by linking up every week with my friend Rachel on her blog Life In the Moment.

That lasted about a week.

The truth is, I've been a brat. 

I know I have a lot to be thankful for this season. I have a wonderful family, a job, a roof over my head, food on the table (even if it is just mac and cheese sometimes), clothes on my back, fantastic friends, supportive co-workers, the best dog ever, etc. But to be honest I haven't been in a very thankful mood lately. 

There really is no explanation for it, other than I'm a brat. 

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I feel like I'm that annoying kid at the end of the school year who only shows up to class because their parents are forcing them to. 

I leave for Chicago in 16 hours. Not that I'm counting or anything.

All I can think about is how I'm going to be in Chicago, I'll see my family, eat turkey, hang out with some old friends I haven't seen in awhile, see Les Miserables at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, and basically... not be in Missouri.

Even then, I start to complain about how I have to drive six hours up there and how it's a major cut into my NaNoWriMo writing time. 

(Which even that I've been having a hard time focusing. I'm 2,032 words behind by the way. Although I am beginning to get out of my bad writing rut I've been in for the past week or so.) 

I'm just so... so... over it.

Longest Upload Time EVER

So... YouTube has been acting ridiculous lately.

It took like... 2+ hours for this to upload.

OVER TWO HOURS PEOPLE. 

And no, that is not an exaggeration.

But, it's okay. Because I hit 20,000 words in NaNoWriMo last night!!!!! (If you want my current word count, check out the button to the right of my blog page.)

I also give some tips about loving your story and how to stay motivated to write.

It took over two hours for this to load my friends. So it better get about a million views.

All Dogs Go to Heaven

If you were hanging out on Twitter this past Friday, you probably noticed that I wasn't in the greatest of moods. Which led to me tweeting:

Thankfully, some friends did cheer me up. One friend even asked if pictures of animals that weren't cute would help

Surprisingly, these did in fact make me feel better.

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you probably figured out what was putting me in such a sad mood on Friday night. 

My mom had texted me as I was driving to Port Cape (doing lights and sound for their most recent play, A Christmas Cactus. You can still come see it this weekend Thursday-Saturday!) that our family dog Josie had a stroke Thursday night and Friday they had to put her down.

With having to do the play, I did what anyone would do. Be an actress and pretend everything is okay. It didn't hit me until later that night after I was able to talk to my mom and hear the whole story. 

I felt so silly for being sad. Josie was old. I mean... REALLY old. We'd had her since I was nine years old. (I'm 26 now for those of you keeping count.) I hadn't even lived with her in the same house for years, and I have Bandit at my apartment. And she's a dog, it's not like my sister or something. 

But it still broke my heart. Especially after Mom told me how Dad cried when they put her in the car to take her to the vet one last time. 

It also made me want to watch All Dogs Go To Heaven.

When I go up to Chicago for Thanksgiving (in 9 days!!!!!!) she won't be there. Yeah, lately when I've visited my parents she didn't always see me and she would freak out whenever someone petted her because she had no idea what was going on, but she was the sweetest dog. Josie was the perfect dog for my family.

As a kid, since I was small and breakable, we didn't want a big/hyper/crazy dog that would jump on me and cause me to break my bones more than necessary. Josie was small (not as small as Bandit, but I don't think she grew to be over 10lbs) and calm as could be. Yes, she had her crazy dog and puppy moments as all dogs do, but generally she was very peaceful. The most wonderful little white fluffball.

What made me smile though, was how supportive people were. The French exchange student who lived with us for a year in high school told us how sorry she was that Josie was gone, and even she was sad about it. A couple of childhood friends shared with  me how sad they were to see Josie go because they knew her too. I texted another friend right away, the girl I've known my entire life, and she immediately texted my mom to see how she was doing. Although she understood, she lost her childhood dog not that long ago as well. Even the youth who met my dog during our mission trip this summer were shocked when I told them at youth group last night.

I feel a little silly - because Josie was a dog. But I don't feel as silly anymore. People who don't have pets may not get it, and that's okay. Fellow animal lovers though - they totally understand and have been so supportive! I mean, there's a reason we all cry during Marley and Me, and every other sad animal movie. Our pets are so special!

I'm sorry for the depressing post, but I do want to end on a happy note.

I kind of took a break from having people contribute to my blog - but that stops today! I'm combining two of my themes. Share with me your pet and family stories! Since pets are part of our families, and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I feel like it's a good time to hear about your pets and your families.

Share funny stories, pictures, traditions, your first pet, your current pet, - ANYTHING AND ANYONE about your family! The good, the bad, sad, ugly, hilarious - you name it I want to know. 

You can share in the comments and I'll post them up on the blog, or you can email them to me: lovewokemeupthismorning@gmail.com

Can't wait to hear your stories!

We miss you Josie! 1995-2012

13,880. Not Bad- BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH

I've been writing like a crazy person!

Kind of.

Here's my most recent update on NaNoWriMo:

A Prayer

Papa God,

This morning I woke up with a bad taste in my mouth. I've been dreading today for months now, and I kinda wish it never came.

But you haven't ended the world yet, so here it is. 

You know my heart, and you know my opinions. Since no one is ever 100% in line with your wishes, I pray that at least some of my heart is there with yours. My ballot is cast now though, and there is no turning back now. So I don't want to pray about that.

Original photo from here. Edited by me through PicMonkey.

Be with your people. Those who love you, and those who don't.

Remind us that no matter what happens today, you are in control.

Remind us that no matter what happens today, we are your children first.

We are your children before our political party, and even our country. 

Help us to see each other that way after the results have been declared.

For those whose vote wins - let them be happy, but also be gracious. Remembering that it is you who put that person/those people in office for a particular reason. Also to remember that those who did not vote that way still have a valid opinion, and hearts, and minds, that should be respected.

For those whose vote does not win - remind them that you are in control. Your plans are so much bigger than ours. While they may be sad, and it's okay to be sad, let them lose graciously. To not attack the party who did win, and to still honor those in office. 

For people like me who hate today, help us to be patient with others. To not snap every time someone reminds them to go vote. To not judge those who disagree with them. To get through without hurting anyone.

It's going to be a hard day, and I know I'm going to struggle with all of these things. 

So most of all - help me to be gracious, understanding, un-judging, loving, and to remember that I am your child before a political party.

I am your child before I am an American. 

In your name,

Amen