** Day One of the Writer/Retreat **

Good Morning! Brrrr...it is COLD here in Des Moines. Of course, I knew it would be, but somehow it's still always a shock when you actually FEEL it! Temp last night was below zero-something. Temp right now is 4 degrees, with the ever popular "feels like" -8! High for today a whopping 15 with low tonite -5. We are just so grateful that it's dry, though....no snow, sleet, ice...all that lovely precipitation. There are still piles of snow everywhere, from the blizzard that came through about a week ago and with these temps, they won't be melting any time soon.

I say it's Day One today, but we really began last night from 6:30 to 9:00pm. So far, I'm really glad I came. A couple of things were said in the first few minutes of the presentation that were so "coincidental" that I felt as if I was truly meant to be here. More on that later.......

One not-so-good thing: The Hotel. It's clean and convenient.....right next door to the meeting place (another blog about that later, too) but, not the best service and there aren't enough electrical plugs in our room!! We had to unplug a lamp, to plug in my laptop....And we had to move the microwave onto the bathroom sink for a few seconds while I warmed up something to eat! Ewwww!! Oh well.....we aren't complaining....yet!

Okay...Gotta get going. We had a writing assignment last night that I still need to go over! More later!

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection." - Anais Nin

** Tomorrow is the Big Day **

(photo courtesy of transitionsabroad.com)

Tomorrow, Thursday January 28th, I'll be on my way to Des Moines, Iowa. My fabulous husband is taking a couple of days off, to drive me to a women's writer retreat/workshop! He is such a great guy!

I've listed some of the information below. The line that really got me is the sentence below, in blue ink. Doesn't that sound fantastic? I'm sure I'll be blogging about it!

Coming Home: Writing From the Soul

Presented by: Joyce Rupp and Mary Kay Shanley

A Winter Retreat for Women

(Thursday evening through Sunday noon)

Visualize being with a group of vibrant women who are tending their souls in a light-filled, cozy room with a fireplace glowing on a clear winter’s day. Add to this, the development of writing skills that help express what is hidden within the deeper self. All this awaits you on this retreat, plus the joy of relating to others equally intent on greater discovery and celebration of their purpose and direction in life.

Joyce Rupp offers her extensive experience of spiritual growth through creative ritual and reflective conferences. Mary Kay Shanley brings her respected skills of teaching at the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival and other national writing workshops to lead the group through inventive processes that develop and hone writing abilities.

Limited to 30 Participants.

"A writer never has a vacation. For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing." -- Eugene Ionesco

** Various Thoughts on a Cold Tuesday Night **

* I've had some really strange dreams lately. I seem to go through stages of consecutive nights of dreams that just wear me out & I wake up exhausted! And that's not good, considering I only sleep about 5 hours most of the time. These dreams aren't nightmares by any means, they just consist of weird events which semi -pertain to my past or present life; with people that I know or have known, etc. The strangest part about the last two nights' dreams is that they were kind of connected.......a "to be continued" kind of dream. I'm almost afraid to go to sleep tonight! Maybe I'll blog a little longer and then get back to writing my book...and see how long I can stay awake!

* Yesterday in the midst of doing a few errands, I realized I was getting a flat tire. I had to drive to the nearest tire place and get it patched. Although I was slightly aggravated for the time I lost, I was so grateful it didn't go completely flat somewhere in traffic! It was so cold and windy, it would've been quite ghastly, dahhhhling!

* My brother and sister-in-law live in northern Iowa and have been having a brutal winter....worse than usual, which is pretty bad! I received an e-mail from Alice today, saying that she and my brother were both off work today due to the weather. They live in a very small town and many things are within walking distance, but they've had snow, blowing winds, a bit of a thaw, and then refreezing, so many places were closed for the day. She said they read the funniest, most ironic piece of news on their local cable channel: "The Cabin Fever Open House at The Library is Cancelled."

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." -- Herm Albright

** A Day of Weather Potpourri **

Weather Today: A Lovely Medley

Today's weather consisted of quite a variety of conditions. When I first got up, there was a dusting of snow on our deck. It was the odd, tiny pellet, weightless kind. Off and on during the morning, the sun peaked out and then hid behind clouds, all the while, large snow flurries swirled in every direction. The wind was cold and sharp and almost took my breath away a time or two when I let Tiger out the patio door. By afternoon, the snow had melted from the deck, the sun was out in all its brilliance, and Tiger layed outside on the driveway, but for just a little while though, because the temperature was still way too low.

All of this reminded me of the picture I took of her last year, basking in a sun ray. Her body was on the family room carpet, and her nose was on the kitchen floor. Voile' Here is that picture! It was taken almost exactly a year ago, and certainly fits right in with today's blog.

“Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it” -- Ninon de Lenclos

(photo taken by Becky from front porch)
What's that I saw in the evening sky yesterday around 5:00pm???
Why, it was a blue sky, with a few little clouds here and there, and the beginnng of a pretty sunset!! The dark and dreary gloom that surrounded us for so many days finally lifted! It may not last, but I joyfully accepted the here-and-now of it, and I sang "Oh Happy Day"! (see song 158 in play list below!)

After going through my copy of "Time to Write" again yesterday, I have another, new burst of writing energy, thus the reason I am up and at my laptop at 1:00 am Monday morning! Now, back to my writing!! I hope everyone has a happy Monday!

Oh Happy Day.....oh happy day.... ♫♪♪♫

"Light tomorrow with today!" -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

*The Contest Winner Is...Drum Roll Please...JANEL

Hey Everyone! Thanks so much for all the entries in my First Ever Blog Contest! I've jotted down all the book suggestions on one of my many pieces of scrap paper, and hope to get around to reading them someday! (By the way, I will list the names later!)

Janel is the Big Winner and has chosen to receive "Thinking Write", by Kelly L. Stone. I will contact Kelly and have her autograph a bookplate for Janel, and her book will be shipped asap!!

(Photo of book cover courtesy of Kelly L.Stone)

I really appreciate all of you that took the time to enter and I plan on having different contests fairly often, so please don't forget to stop by often, and tell your friends!

“You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” -- Paul Sweeney

** It's Saturday Jan 23rd -- My Contest Ends Tonight at Midnight **

Hey Everyone!

There's still time to enter my First Blog Contest. Just read the instructions and rules posted last Saturday, January 16th. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced tomorrow morning sometime!

This has been really fun and interesting for me and I hope for all of you as well.


"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

- Douglas Adams

** It's Friday....and... "There Ain't No Sunshine...♫♪.."

Well.....it was another lovely day of no sunshine here in this part of the country. The forecast was for at least partial sun, but alas the meteorologists were wrong again....Now, we may possibly catch a glimpse of that beautiful golden ball by NEXT TUESDAY. Awww...I said I'd quit complaining about the weather, but it's kind of hard sometimes! If I wanted to live in this kind of climate, I wouldn't be living in the Midwest, I'd be living in the Seattle/Tacoma area! And, I have lived there before.....and it really was depressing. I must've lived there at least a month before I knew Mt. Rainier could be seen right outside my apartment window! It took that long for the clouds to move on, the rain and fog to disappear, and the skies to clear up!

Oh well, the last I heard we'll be getting colder temps and snow flurries later next week.....and I'll be in Iowa for a Women's Writing Retreat, so I could be in the middle of a blizzard there! 

No sense complaining about the weather....It could always be worse.

“There will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting” -- George Carlin