PHEW. You probably already know what I'm going to say, but I'm going to say it anyway. "Wow, was this month crazy." Maybe when I'm ninety-seven (and still posting on this blog for the hypothetical situation), I'll be able to say, "Wow, what a lovely month of rest and relaxation." Or not because I also still want to be livin' life to the fullest when I'm old. So... maybe it's a good thing that all my months are busy and crazy? It's a sign that I'm actually doing things?
A lot of those busy things were good things, though. Like..
- an amazing weekend youth retreat with mah youth group (so much fun and friendship <3)
- cleaning my room! (this is considered worthwhile mentioning since it's a very rare occurrence)
- lots of extrovert-ing and people-ing
- finding my chapstick (that I thought I lost for several months, and it was really just at the bottom of my bag. oops.)
- had the chance to babysit for the first time in a loooong time. I just really love small children. <3
- discovering a new awesome song (Hard Times by Paramore. it makes me want to dance xD)
- finishing up the second to last month of school!
- I had to make the unicorn frappuchino several million times and that was almost the end of me xD
- I'm finally getting better at consistently going to bed before 1am! Wahoo! (pathetic... but... #nightowl)
I read This Changes Everything by Jacquelle Crowe. It's a very fresh and inspiring perspective of the gospel and how that bleeds into our every day life -- especially as teens. She's super young herself, so I'm impressed at how dedicated and motivated she is. Definitely an inspiration. *nodnod*
So... not much to talk about in the bookish section. One more exciting thing, though -- Tricia Mingerink released her fourth (and last *sniff*) book, Deliver, in the Blades of Acktar series! If you like Christian fantasy, assassins, amazing characters, and pure epicness... go read those books.
Ahh, writing. Writing did go well this month... just not as well as I anticipated it going. I had a high goal of 75,000 set for NaNoWriMo, but I ran out of steam and ended with a little over 50k instead. And I'm okay with that.
Lately writing has been getting rather stressful with all these goals and wanting to write and edit and do allll the things, and focusing too much on that has started to take away the fun in writing. So I'm going to take a step back and take writing slowly in May. I'm not going to set any big goals for myself -- I just want to write because I enjoy it. Yes, I'm a writer, but I'm also a musician, a blogger, a reader, an artist, a sister, a friend, a barista,a procrastinator, a student... and I want to make sure that I'm allowing time to explore and enjoy other aspects of my life.
Lately writing has been getting rather stressful with all these goals and wanting to write and edit and do allll the things, and focusing too much on that has started to take away the fun in writing. So I'm going to take a step back and take writing slowly in May. I'm not going to set any big goals for myself -- I just want to write because I enjoy it. Yes, I'm a writer, but I'm also a musician, a blogger, a reader, an artist, a sister, a friend, a barista,
So I'll still be doing some writing (I don't think I could completely stop)... but just little amounts for the next month or so. :)
I unfortunately have no pretty image pictures because... ahem... I was lazy.
At the beginning of this month, I wrote about the fear and freedom of first drafts. If you want to see some aesthetically pleasing pictures and read words from my heart... that's the one to click on. ;)
I posted a lil NaNo themed flash fiction... "Beware the NaNo Beast." (mwahaha, how threatening. how scary.)
And last week I went the easy route and summarized my Camp NaNo progress. (And since that update, very little progress has been made. How lovely. :P)
Do you like writing flash fiction? Or maybe you've been wanting to give it a try? Rosalie is holding a flash fiction challenge, and a giveaway is involved! It'll be a lovely Camp NaNo wind-down exercise. :D
I related real hard to the Christine's post about the struggles of being an extroverted writer.
Aimee had this genius idea of listening to one new album a day this month, so I'm stalking alllll the music recommendations. xD
Since writing has become so exhausting and stressful, I'm taking May a bit slower and am going to catch up on beta reading, reading in general, and other art-ing things. (or maybe just napping. we'll see.) I'm not going to post on Saturday the 6th, but hopefully it'll work out so I can post the rest of the Saturdays. :D
I'm hoping to maaaybe give Nadine's #Walk30Days challenge a try, so if that happens, then I'll most likely do a wrap up of pictures (because I love pictures of nature <3).
I hope your month was amazing! Remember to rest. Eat some pizza. Buy a donut. (now I'm sitting here bemoaning the fact that I can't be spontaneous and buy a donut because it's 12am. Sigh. xD)
<3,
katie grace
<3,
katie grace
what are your plans for may?
what's your favorite kind of donut? (because this is OBVIOUSLY important knowledge)
Aaaah so lots of stuff happened to me this month! I was able to read around 7 books and I started writing again! *GASPS* I cranked out 29k in five days, but the whole story felt wrong so I started all over again. I'm writing a new first draft much slower because of life / procrastination / everything, but I'm pretty happy with it. I ALSO POSTED MY FIRST WRAP UP?!
ReplyDeleteMay will be full of writing for me and another trip abroad! This time I'll be going to New Zealand. Also it will be my last month of summer *sobs*
And I love Krispy Kreme's glazed donuts <3 I'm very happy you found your chapstick, haha!
- Andrea at A Surge of Thunder
OH MY GOODNESS ANDREA! ARE YOU HUMAN??? I'm so impressed, even if you had to start over. (ugh, how discouraging is that?) BUT YOU GOT THIS! (also, by the way, I loved your wrap up <3)
DeleteOh my goodness, New Zealand? #jealous Hopefully you'll be posting pictures on your blog?
KRISY KREME GLAZED DONUTS ARE MY FAVORITE TOOOOO. *happy sigh* Still mourning the fact that my favorite Krispy Kreme store turned into a vitamin shop. xD
Haha, I get second comment. I feel special now. 😜 I legit just finished reading Unwind by Neal Shusterman tonight and now I'm dying of the feels. Planning to start Unwolly tomorrow if I can...we'll see.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with doing all the things!
Oh and I just like donuts in general. But Krispy Kreme's is definitely the best.
DeleteOh mah goodness, I just made those brownies in a mug that you posted about a while back and they are sooo good. 😁
Delete*awards you a special prize*
DeleteOH MY GOODNESS THE UNWIND SERIES. *heartbreak* Wow. That series. Basically all of Neal's books will give you major feels. Eep, keep me updated!!
KRISPY KREMES. <3 Do you like plain ones or ones with flavors?
Ahhh did you?? That makes me so happy. :D I actually haven't made one since I wrote that post... I think I need to do that again. o.o Thanks for the reminder. ;)
YAS I just posted a really long flaily comment on Aimee's blog about Unwind, you should read it. I told her I'd keep her updated, so i will for you too.
DeleteThe plain ones are best, but flavored is good too.
YAS I DID AND THEY WERE WONDERFUL AND GLORIOUS.
*accepts my special prize* I would like to thank...
DeleteHonestly though, life has gone really super busy. But that's okay. Because -as you said- living life to the fullest does take time and energy and I love it.
ReplyDeleteAll the writing stuff happened this month. I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE LAST BOOK OF MY TRILOGYYYY. *flails* And my cabin was great, again, so that was super cool. Lots of pizza and confetti. XD
May, I'm actually really excited for a homeschool weekend camp that we're going to that's beside the beach and it's going to be SO. MUCH. FUN. *shrieks and simply can't wait*
Also hopefully finishing my edits on book #1 of my trilogy and sending it out to some wonderful alpha readers. So I'm SUPER excited for that as well.
Exactly! ^.^
DeleteI'M SOOOO PROUD OF YOUUUU. *throws more confetti and pizza into the air because there can never be enough* How many words did it end up being? (excuse me if I've already asked this but... #memoryofasnail #ifsnailshavebadmemoriesthatis #whyamitypinginhashtags xD)
Ooh, the beach? How relaxing. <3 I hope you enjoy!
AH HOW AWESOME! Sending your book to other readers is terrifying but so rewarding. Go you!
EEP. So yes. It ended up at 68k so a nice length that I'm pretty happy with. *nods*
DeleteYESSSS. *flails*
This month was the month I discovered I could hate coffee but still like Starbucks. xD AND IT'S THE UNICORN FRAPPUCHINO'S FAULT LOL. -goodbye any loose change that I had previous to April 2017-
ReplyDeleteI READ THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING ALSO. It's one of my new favorite books and I'm supposed to be working on my review but instead I'm here reading your blog?? (guess who's also a procrastinator? pfftt no don't look at me)
MWAHAHAHAH join the Starbucks club. I hated coffee when I was hired and also had never gone to a Starbucks before, but they soon converted me. xD
DeleteYESS so fabulous. And ha, I'm cool with any procrastination over on my blog... *ahem* :P Can't wait to read your review!
I hope I learn how to drive in May. I also want to get a job, read a lot more, write a lot more and continue learning languages. It is oh so hard to be consistent at times.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite type of doughnut is the jam doughnut. Yum Yum. Though I only need to eat them occasionally because I'm diabetic but the downside is they're not there when I have a really low blood sugar :(
What's your fave?
Ooh, that would be exciting! Do you have any places in mind where you might get a job?
DeleteAww, that's hard. :/ I usually go with just the plain glazed donuts. I don't really like jam donuts for some reason? Never been a fan, though they do look pretty. :P
What's my favorite donut? you ask?
ReplyDelete*sigh* I am gluten-free and therefore all the joy has been sucked out of my life. XD
NOOOOOOOOOOOO. That is not okay. I need to go drive around the country until I find an amazing gluten-free donut shop and then somehow find your house and deliver the (probably several day old) donut to you. xD
DeleteYES!! Children are the best! I work in childcare at church once a week (with all the 2 year old chublets) and I just love it! <3
ReplyDeleteThe unicorn frappé.... my friend had that and when I heard it changes color and flavor I was like - what the heck. How. O_O XD
I totally understand what you're saying about making time for other things. It's so hard to find a balance, isn't it?
DONUTS!!! YOU JUST MENTIONED MY MOST FAVORITE FOOD EVER AND I SHALL GLADLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION - Krispy Kreme Original Glazed. Oh my gosh I can almost feel it melting in my mouth right now. I need this in my life. *cries* XD
I don't think I really have plans for May yet... I have a 2-day craft fair and my brother and sister in-law are coming down at the end of the month which is always great! :)
I hope you have a productive month and get more sleep! ;D
~Jaclynn~
Aww that's so much fun! I love working in the Church nursery as well. <3
DeleteYEAH IT'S SO WEIRD. There was this blue syrup on the inside of the cup, so when you swirled it with the pink frappuchino it kind of turned to purple, and kind of tasted a little bit more sour. But... it really wasn't that impressive. xD
YESS I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. There aren't any Krispy Kremes in my state anymore *sob* and I want one so badlyyy.
Oooh, what will you do at the craft fair? Do you make anything for it?
THAT IS SO WEIRD! XD To quote Samwise Gamgee; "It ain't natural, none of it." XD
DeleteYou poor little thing!! Come down here and we can have Krispy Kreme and Starbucks and write together! ;D XD
Yes, I crochet costumes and clothes for American Girl Dolls! Unfortunately, though, I'm sick and won't be able to go on the last day. *sobs*
~Jaclynn~
Ack, April was crazy for me, too. *dead*
ReplyDeleteBUT GOOD JOB ON CAMP. 50k is still a lot. O.o
*dead together* :P
DeleteTHANK YOUU. How much did you write? I tried to search Camp for your username but it didn't come up. :/
My camp username is EmilyJoyDrown. :) My goal was 30k, and I *may* have stayed up until midnight on the very last day in order to reach it. ;)
DeleteAH YES GO YOU! *jumps up and down* Ahh, and there you are. I was searching for your name with spaces. :P Congratulations!! :D
DeleteLol, my bad, I think it is with spaces. :P Emily-Joy-Drown. I don't know. xD
DeleteI'M SO EXCITED TO HEAR MORE ABOUT WTaRR!
April was fun/hard/crazy and may will be too gah.
ReplyDeleteHave you made a dragon frappuccino yet?
I feel the feel. :P
Delete...Dragon frappuccino? I haven't heard of that. It's not an official drink, at least. Huh. What is it?
I PROBABLY LIKE CHOCOLATE GLAZED DONUTS THE BEST.
ReplyDeleteAnd yay! 50K is still awesome! I won, but only with 15K. XD Aiming for 20K today and tomorrow! (Probably not gonna happen.) And whaaaaat? You call "people-ing" a good thing??? XD To extroverts, yes. To introverts like moi... A NIGHTMARE.
May @ Forever and Everly
AHH YES those are good too. o.O
DeleteAH YOU GOT THIS!!! Did you do it?
Heh, yup. I'm that oddball extrovert writer. :P People are so lovely, though! xD
Glad you had a good month, even if it was busy! What is the big deal with the unicorn frappe anyway?
ReplyDelete50K is a very respectable amount for a NaNo event. *nods*
My plans for May are to survive finals, then chill and write . . . and now that I know about Nadine's challenge, I may give that a shot as well. I certainly need to walk more. (The Freshman 15 is real, let me tell you.)
Oh, and my favorite kind of donut is either chocolate cake or blueberry cake. Though I love any kind of cake donut.
Who even knows. -.- I didn't even like it that much. xD
DeleteYOU CAN DO THIS. And you should totally do the walking challenge! I haven't taken a walk in a million years, so it'll be good for me. :P
Oooh, I don't think I've ever tried a donut like that. Sounds good. o.o
Oh. My. Goodness. I'd forgotten about the dang Unicorn Frappe thing. I took my brothers on a surprise trip to Starbucks two days after they'd released it, but turns out they ran out of the thing the night before. -.- I guess I'll never know what that odd frappe tasted like for myself. XD
ReplyDeleteI plan to rock my play in May (oh look I'm a poet) and then move on with my life. (finally) Edit Sparrow Singing with beta's suggestions, drawing, endlessly google and research web hosting... Fun times. XD
Also. I like chocolate cake donuts or blueberry cake donuts, but donuts make me feel sick. so. *sadness* XD
jeniquablog.wordpress.com
UGH RIGHT. It was supposed to be a five day limited time Frappuccino, but our store ran out of supplies after only a day and a half. It was insanity and I made wayyy too many of those things. xD
Delete(wow, such a fab poet xD). YESSS. Wow. So many things to do, but you got this!! I can't wait to hear about your play. <3
What's with the chocolate cake and blueberry cake donuts that everyone likes?? I've never tried one of these?? I need to, now. o.o
Nuuu, that is really sad. :P
YEES. Chocolate and blueberry cake donuts are the best. I don't really know why. They're just so... rich. And donuty. and cakey?
DeleteAfter making so many Unicorn things, I'm curious: Did you actually like the drink yourself? Or was it nasty?
Huh. Sounds like I need to get my hands on one. xD
DeleteEhhhh? I don't know, it was fun trying, but I definitely wouldn't have spent any money on it. It wasn't nasty... just unusually sour for a frappuchino. I don't think I could've had more than a sample size. *shrug*
I've been seeing the unicorn frappucino thing everywhere and it's driving me crazy and I don't even work at Starbucks, so it must be awful for you! Lol. My big plan for May is to graduate! (eep! You know, if I survive this week's finals...)
ReplyDeleteHailey
www.haileyhudson.wordpress.com
Well, it's over now, so as long as it doesn't come back... we're good. xD
DeleteYOU CAN DO THIS!! How exciting!
Glam Doll Donuts. Open until 1am. Problem solved!
ReplyDeleteYESSS! Thank you. :P
DeleteI can't belieeeve it's almost May. o.o It's kinda bittersweet because this time last year I was getting ready for my graduation. I feel so old knowing that was a year ago. xD
ReplyDeleteI haven't even thought about plans for May, honestly. xD Writing's not been a thing at all recently, so while I'd like to say I plan on getting back to that, I have no idea if that'll happen. I do want to read more, though, because I've not been reading nearly as much as I'd like to. Thanks, work. :P
Ooh, my favorite donut would probably either be custard-filled or these really delicious chocolate frosted chocolate donuts I get at the store. Now I really want donuts. xD
Awww, memories. <3
DeleteReading is crucial for writing, though, so that's also a good thing. *nod* What are some books on your TBR?
CHOCOLATE FROSTED DONUTS. Ugh, I really want to go get donuts as well. So hungryyy. xD
Oh, gosh, so many books. xD I have three new Melanie Dickerson books, one of which I'm reading currently, and also the last book of the Farwalker trilogy which I'm excited to read. I also have, like, the whole Wizard of Oz set, and I haven't touched it yet. I'm kind of afraid to. It's so big. xD
Delete50k is still an awesome achievement for writing. Even 100 words would be a step in the right direction and progress. So you've done fantastically!!!! Great news about finding your chap stick, it's the little things that always seem to brighten up a day.
ReplyDeleteArabella
Thank you so much, Arabella! <3
DeleteIsn't that true? Watch - I'll lose it in a couple of days. Seems to be the unfortunate cycle. xD
I guess I'm not the only exhausted writer :P I was busy busy busy blogging/beta reading/organizing beta reader feedback up until last week, and intended to keep up to speed while on vacation. But I CRASHED real hard and now I intend to do my rewrite SLOWLY. I hoping this will be a final draft before I sent it to an editor, so I want be thorough in fixing my novel :P
ReplyDeleteOkay, that thirty day walk challenge is literally the best thing in the world. I'll try to convince my mom to do it with me ;)
I hope you have a great (slower ;) May! <3
audrey caylin
I think every NaNo-er is quite exhausted at this point. xD
DeleteTHAT WAS ME IN FEBRUARY. I intended to keep editing throughout vacation, but... #nope
DO IT! My mom is doing it too! We're basically twins, I tell ya. xD
Busy and full months are the best, I absolutely agree! I mean, it's definitely good to have relaxation time, but having TOO much free time isn't always that great. Lol. And it looks like you did some awesomeness in May! :D
ReplyDeleteGirl, writing 50k in a month (and a busy month at that) is AMAZING!!! You should be so proud of your achievements! But I toootally understand getting stressed with writing. I love it but...it takes a lot of energy and time. I think it's good you're going to take May slower with writing to recharge. We all need that now and again. ^_^
MEEP. Thank you for linking to my post! It actually made me think about YOU. Because you're like the only other extroverted writer I know. XD #ExtrovertedWritersUnite
I do so hope you have a wonderful and restful May! ^_^
Exactly! You understand. xD
DeleteEEP THANK YOUU. And your post was so awesome. We can be extroverted writer buddies together. xD
Dude, 50k is a pretty awesome amount of writing. I'm so glad you had a nice month! April has been crazy for everyone. I'm graduating next month, so preparing for that/the summer/the fall semester has been my main focus. I hope your May is aMAYzing (ugh, I regret that already).
ReplyDeleteYeah, whoever thought that April would be a good month for Camp NaNo... they're wrong. :P
DeleteOh my goodness, wow. Are you excited about graduating? Or maybe a little terrified as well?
HAHAHA. Eheh. I just totally giggled out loud. I really want to use that one someone now. xD
Honestly, I don't really have a lot of feelings about graduating. I'm still going to have classes until June, so that kind of takes the excitement out of it. I'm also nervous, but I'm just not going to think about that haha.
DeleteXD How was the barista life with the unicorn frappuchino taking over the world? I was quite curious about the whole situation.
ReplyDeleteYour productivity never ceases to amaze me.
IT WAS HORRIBLE. xD I've never been that busy and had to make so many unicorn frappuchinos. So stressful. xD
DeleteYOU NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME. <3
May plan = FINISHING KILLING SNOW. I wrote half of it in April, and I INTEND to get it done in May. Perhaps I shall die in the process, but if I never do a May Highlights post, at least you'll know what happened to me xD.
ReplyDeleteALSO, just gotta mention that one of my best April-things was buying A Time To Rise as a 'finishing Camp prize'. THAT BOOK. It didn't get put in my Monthly Highlights because I read it after the post was ready to be posted but, I CAN'T WORD ABOUT IT. ALL THE EPICNESS. OUT OF TIME IS AMAZING *flails*.
(btw, I wanted to ask if I'm joining your cabin for July Camp? I'm not even sure if you're doing July Camp, but I wanted to ask now because some of my friends invited me to join their July cabin - but I wanted to see if I'm joining yours first because we've tried for THREE MONTHS to be in the same cabin and something has always come up xD. No offense taken whatsoever if not, but I wanted to ask before jumping into another cabin xD)
I hope you have an epic May, Katie! Good luck with #Walk30Days!
~ Savannah
scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com
YESS YOU CAN DO THIS SAVANNAH! FINISH THE BEAST! CONQUER IT! DO THE THING! GO GO GO!!
DeleteAWH! *melts with happiness* That book though. I just gave it to my sister to read and it deserves to be loved by everyone. (even that first line... o.o)
(AH YES TOTALLY! My Camp NaNo mail is still being stupid. -.- But you're totally welcome! I'll make sure to invite you once I'm able. :D)
Thank you! I hope May is awesome for you, Savannah. <3
Hi Katie Grace (: Would you be interested in doing a small writing tag?
ReplyDeleteLaura @ flowersinmybasket.blogspot.com
Is it on your blog? You can send me a link, but I can't make any promises. I don't usually do tags unless they're especially interesting. :)
DeleteCool post! I haven't yet read This Changes Everything, but I've heard a lot of good things about it. Hopefully I can check it out!
ReplyDeletehttps://tizziestidbits.wordpress.com
Yaas you should totally read it! I can't wait to hear what you think. :D
DeleteWow! You have been busy!
ReplyDeleteMy plans for May:
Finish writing the next Kate's Case Files book and publish a short story
My Favorite kind of Donut is chocolate covered.
Eep, you can do this! I'm always astonished by how quickly you can go through publishing books. o.O
DeleteMmm... chocolate. <3
Wow...sounds like you had a lot going on in April!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I tagged you for the Liebster Award: http://catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com/2017/05/liebster-blog-award.html
Catherine
catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete*Squeals* I think I just found an awesome blog. Just started reading but you'll be seeing me around.Have you published books? Just interested in checking out the titles...
ReplyDeleteAnd favorite kind of doughnut? Coconut vanilla, yumm.
http://aworldthroughherheart.blogspot.com/