1)  My dad cuts down trees and wrorks at the fire stashion and studies.  (He’s studying for his promotional exam)

2) My mom makes brakefaist and shuper and she is beitifull.

3) We all go to Gret wolf loj and go camping and sking.

Note: I’m glad he put in my important qualities…

Listening to: Majic 100 because I’ve missed Codi Jefferies

Eating: water. sad, I know.

Watching: Batman lego Wii

Reading: another Beverly Lewis book. Just finished “Incarceron” by Catherine Fisher. Pretty good. Should make a good movie.

We picked her out from a litter of 8 (she was the runt) and as we went to pick her up, she promptly ate a  Daisy. Because she’s a purebred, we had to give her the fancy name of “McGovern’s Dancing Night”. Cheesy isn’t it?

Regardless.

She is now eight and a half years old and weighs about 55 pounds.  She’s a black lab (of which for some reason, men like to argue she’s not a real lab as she is too small etc which takes everything in me to ask them if they would like to see her papers and maybe the reason they can’t tell she’s real is because their hunting mutts are just that? Mutts?) and she grew a white beard the day I got pregnant. I have absolutely no idea how she figured that out, but she did. And from that day on, miss goofy slobbery turkey head became growling bark at everybody kind of dog.

We used to live in the country and she’d sit at the back patio door, looking for deer. We couldn’t afford the decking yet, so it was a good 5′ drop. She’d see one and her whole butt would start vibrating while her tail cleaned the floor and we’d open the door quietly and WHOOSH! off she went. She’d chase them for about a kilometer then come back terribly proud of herself.

She’s very good at finding anything dead and rolling in it completely (especially dead snakes). She can find any puddle with 5 kilometers and lie down in it (same for rivers).  She can catch a ball, food (any size) and she can lick peanut butter off your toes or anything else that falls on the floor.

She hates thunderstorms.  She will come up in the middle of the night, slam into our room (smashing the doors open) and stare at me until I wake up. Do you know what it’s like waking up to two black eyes looking at you?

If you are sitting in a chair, she will try to rub herself underneath your legs like a cat.

She eats everything but olives and blueberries.

And for some insane reason, she loves bubbles. Not bubbles you blow, but bubbles in the bath.  She knows when I’m having a bubble bath (maybe it’s the scent?) and will whine outside the bathroom door until I let her in.

 Staring at bubbles. To make a point.

"You weell geeeve me da bubblez

stupid doorknobs

If I could write in white today, I would.

The world is covered by thick white snow. It started snowing 5 hours ago and it hasn’t stopped yet. I’ve already dragged the gaffer out for a walk in it. Soft, swirling fluffy flakes landing on everything that stands still.  I love these days. The Christmas lights were turned on early (did I mention our tree has been up since November?) and it’s beautiful.

The gaffer is downstairs focusing on Christmas cards for his schoolmates. And I?

I am thinking of Amish Romance again.

I met an old school chum this week as she bought a couple of books and she’s terribly creative and gifted. And as we chatted, I mentionned the change of book audience and she was surprised. We discussed giving up one’s … creativity for the sake of money. Basically, ‘selling-out’.

I have so many ideas for so many different books. I have a picture book idea in mind and I also have the plot line of my amish one.  While I will accept that I was given a pretty good gift of writing, I have no problem writing books I don’t enjoy tremendously on a personal level, provided it brings in money.

Now don’t sound so shocked. My man works two jobs. I work none. Therefore, if I can make enough money that he only needs to work one? Then I’ve done my part. The end.

My greatest joy writing is poetry. And I can do that anywhere at anytime. It only takes five minutes to purge out something fantastic (my opinion anyway) once you have a delicious phrase. And a true joy would be to have my poetry bound properly. I’ve always wanted that. Maybe one day when I have nothing to do with my time and I have the debt thing sorted out. Then I”ll print all of it on yellow paper.

Listening to: Christmas carols and our neighbour chopping wood

Eating: gluten-free pumpkin scones (not bad)

Watching: the gorgeous snow fall

Reading: Desecration and Karen Kingsbury’s book um… something about a line. or something.

Hi Jenn,

I am a mom to one girl in 4th grade and I recently brought home your book from Costco and tucked it away for Christmas or some other occasion.  The reason I bought it?  Well, first off, on the back it said you live in Ottawa and so do we; and second, your heart is in Hawaii and so is mine!  Haha…  We actually lived there for 3 years prior to moving to Ottawa a couple of years ago. 

Anyway, my daughter came home from school last week telling me that she needed to choose a book for a book report at school.  She loves to read (as do I), but couldn’t think of a book she wanted to do the report on, so I pulled out your book.  At first she thought it was going to be “too boyish”, but I said, “Just listen to the first chapter and then you can decide.”  Well, we were both hooked immediately!  Now when she takes it to school with her, I have to ask what chapters she’s read without me so that I am able to get caught up before we read that night.  I don’t want to miss a thing!

You know what is funny?  I read the last few entries on your blog, one being a review stating that there was no villian in the book, etc.  The thing is, that’s exactly the reason that my daughter and I love it so much!  Do you know how many books we have read half of and then had to stop because they’ve caused her to have nightmares?  Too many!  I love that this book is fun and entertaining, and also has a good moral foundation.  Just because a book doesn’t have a ‘bad guy’ doesn’t mean it’s not interesting.  We both look very foward to reading about Jackson’s adventure together every night, and we can’t wait to pick up your next book!!

Thanks for the great story!

Isn’t that awesome? Everyone should have a fan letter like that. I feel so good and lovely inside. Thank you!!!!

Reading: ‘I’m Number Four’, ‘Demons and Angels’, ‘Heaven’, ‘Soul Harvest’, November’s Issue of Vogue (I know, I know)

Eating: pizza. Oh I so regret it now!

Watching: the boys play Indiana Jones

Listening to : giggling.

It has been far too long.

Your words are just written

on the memories of our hearts.

Where have You been?

So many years of waiting

wondering

whether

You have forgotten

us.

A walk that never ends.

It has been far too dark

for far too long.

And lo’

You speak.

Your words are like the sun

the brightness shocking us

out of our slumber.

We rub our eyes

trying to figure out

if it’s real

or just another

100 years of darkness.

You send us a star.

The brightest

biggest

most magnificent star

ever created.

And we follow it

waiting for it

to take us

home.