Flannelgraph Faith

It was a day like every other day, a night like every Wednesday night, yet heaven reached down to earth that day – January 19, 1994. 

I was a giddy eight year old attending my local AWANA club with my Bible memory book in hand and my little red Sparky vest ironed and buttoned neatly, bedecked with all the crowns and jewels that I had earned over the previous two years.  In fact, I had just turned eight two weeks before, and my dad was to turn thirty-seven the very next day.  Even so, the evening had been like many others.  I arrived just before 6 o’clock and played with my friends until the whistle blew.  I had recited the Bible verses to my leader, Mrs. Campbell, which I had memorized the previous week.  Now I sat eagerly, awaiting the beginning of “Council Time," as we called it.

Mrs. Peggy, as she insisted on being called, rather than Mrs. Berry, was like a grandmother to all of us.  She was our favorite leader, and it was her time to share the lesson tonight.  We cheerfully heard the news and quieted down, sitting up straight with our legs crossed.  We were arranged on colored strips of Velcro by on our color team.  I sat on the blue line, hands folded, as Mrs. Peggy approached the front of room.  She smiled and greeted us, encouraging us to jump up and join her in singing “Father Abraham.”  The entire room echoed, as we sang as loudly as we could, then as softly as we could, left arm and right foot in, turning around, and finally sitting down, laughing and smiling.  That’s when she retrieved the felt board from behind the podium and propped it up beside her stool.

Noontime Nachos

Delightedly munching on another cheesy chip, fingers covered in nacho sauce, I reached for a sip of my ice cold Dr. Pepper. It was Friday and that meant that my mom had given me a respite from ham sandwiches and carrots; instead, giving me two dollars and fifty cents with which to purchase my lunch. I don't know what she expected me to buy. Perhaps she envisioned a cafeteria-made lunch such as meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas, but those little white trays always looked gross, and the smell in the cafeteria often kept me from desiring to enter it. From time to time I would enjoy the French bread pizza or burritos that they kept stocked under the heat lamps, and I loved it when McDonald’s came to campus, but that was usually on Thursdays when I would walk by some of my peers standing in line for those coveted yellow wrapped burgers, while the rest of us walked by with our brown paper bags. Today, however, was Friday.

Rest for the Weary: A Pre-Lenten Retreat at Hilltop Renewal Center

O GOD of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength; By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This past weekend Clint and I went on a Pre-Lenten spiritual retreat to Idyllwild, where we stayed at a beautiful cabin called Hilltop Renewal Center.  According to their website http://hilltoprenewalcenter.org/, the renewal center beckons “the weary for a rest, the reader a quiet spot among nature, and the one seeking prayer a place to converse with God in His beauty,” and that was no false advertising! 

It's a Wonderful Life: 2011 in Summary

Even without a novel to write, it appears that December has flown by.  Mind you, we had multiple parties and outings this month, but it always surprises me to see another month, especially another year, come to a close.  It is that sentimental feeling, remembering the great times that I have had this year, accompanied by both a pang of sadness that those days are over, and that sense of excitement, imagining the unknown that awaits, the glorious joys that will fill the pages of 2012.

When the year began I had no idea what it would hold, but in reflection, here is what I see -

2011 in Summary
*In January I rang in the New Year with my boyfriend in San Francisco and celebrated my 25th birthday with my first surprise party.
*In February my charming Clinton Perry proposed to me with our dear families witnessing at Crystal Cove and I bought my wedding dress.

Goal Accomplished!!!

It has been a long month, and a perilous journey, but I have reached the once distant 50,000 word mark!!  I still have a bit that I want to add before I type, "The End," but I have reached the goal!  I have accomplished the seemingly impossible!  Hurray!!!  And a special thanks to my honey for helping me celebrate!  I have the official winner's badge!

An Excerpt from The Fall

Hello friends!  I am still writing like the wind, nearing the twenty thousand word mark, but I have heard your pleas to read for a sample, just a little taste of what I'm working on, and I have decided that it is time to let you have it by posting the beginning of my novel.  Enjoy!

An Excerpt from The Fall

Chapter 1 – The Pumpkin Patch

“That one’s good for nothing – it’s all bruised!” Madelyn laughed with a wink.

“Well, I think it’s rather cute and would be perfect for pumpkin carving.  Just think – it already has plenty of attitude and spunk!” Evelyn replied with a grin.

“Yes, just like you.  You two would be an unbeatable combination at the contest.  I’m sure you’ll come up with a splendid design again this year.  What sort of face are you considering making?”

The Fall: A Synopsis

Hello, blog world!  It has been 3 days of NaNoWriMo and I'm staying on track, so that's good.  Well, I am not sure if I want to share an excerpt yet, but below is the synopsis that I just drafted.  I'm afraid it sounds a little cheesy, but hey, it's my first novel, and I'm writing the excerpt after only having written 5,000 of the 50,000 words, so here you go:



Madelyn Campbell is a fun-loving twenty-seven year old, studying Medieval literature and living with her quirky best friend and artist Evelyn in Fullerton.  The story picks up with the girls hunting for pumpkins for a Halloween party in their local pumpkin patch, at which party Madelyn delightedly discovers that her crush, Spencer Moore,  is in attendance.  Progressing through their awkward first date (or is it just a hang out with just the two of them?) Madelyn discovers that despite her desire to be perfect, life is full of bumps and bruises, yet these very bumps, although painful at the moment, may lead to her greatest joy.

Happy writing!!