Ramblings, My Book, and 2014 in General

Hello world!

My last post was titled something like, "Welcome 2013!" and I said it was going to be a good year. 

I was right. In 2013 I married my best friend, we both got full-time employment, we found a place of our own to live, and we spent an entire year in blissful honeymooner's reverie. 

I normally don't like odd numbers, and have often found that the worst times in my life were during odd numbers. However, I believe the year 2013 broke that curse! 

Now it is 2014 and I am finally coming up for air. 

Not that things are going badly now! They most definitely are not. It's just that last year had a LOT of transitions and changes in it and we were newlyweds. So I didn't have much time for doing other things, such as blogging. 

Today, Hubby's at work, so between doing laundry, I thought I would write some things down. 

I am still working on my rough draft of my first ever complete young adult fantasy novel! I wrote the entire thing years ago in one month as part of NaNoWriMo when I was stressing out about being unemployed during (and because of) the recetion (apparently spelling this word SO wrong my computer doesn't know what I'm trying to say and can't help me out, so I'm leaving it). 

Writing that was exhilarating. But now I am STILL working on making it a bit more coherent. It was also my first attempt at doing what every good writer and my creative writing professor in college told me to do in the first place when writing fiction: write the first draft with abandon and in a mad rush, not stopping to edit or think about what is going onto the page. Just get it out as fast as you can without deliberating. And then, once it's all out, loud, proud, and a complete mess; then make lots of cups of tea and painstakingly iron out the first draft into more coherent 2nd and 3rd drafts, and then edit again. 

Of course, being the control freak that I am, I always refused to listen to this rule before and would work on my first draft as if I only had this one chance and would never be allowed to change something ever afterwards. This led to very slow work. What came out sounded nice, but about halfway through, it would dwindle and die. 

Now that I have tried the other way, I am definitely not going back, EVER! This way is much better. My story is awesome. I love it. And it's all there. However,  it is a mess. 

I'm currently between my 2nd and 3rd rough draft. This has got to be the toughest part. I'm in the middle of that marathon where there's still so much in front of me that I feel hopeless of finishing, but I refuse to give up because of all the ground that I have already covered. 

Solution: more tea!

I am determined to finish this. Especially because I have this idea that this story is legitimately good. 

I'm very excited about the world and the characters I created. 

This story is a two part series though, with the second part unwritten yet. That is the carrot at the end of the stick I'm chasing. 

I want to know what happens! 

I think one of my favorite characters is going to turn out to be the bad guy! I don't know yet, but it's a definite possibility. 

...and that will be the end of my rambling for now. 

Life is going well. Some things are hard, and of course nothing is perfect. I could complain about a lot of little things. 

However, the broad facts are: I live with my best friend, we love each other more now than when we started, we have a place of our own, I'm really good at my job and enjoy it most of the time, I'm writing again, and we have enough money for food, rent, bills, and sometimes a little left over for a movie once in a while. 

And Ryan's health is keeping up! Praise God! 

I think 2014 is going to be a good year as well. 

In Hospital

My husband has CF.

This weekend, we are in the hospital together, as his body tries to fight off a serious infection that has kept him feverish for a week now.

I got a temporary job as an adjunct college counselor at a local junior college and we found an affordable month-to-month studio apartment. I'm hoping to work so hard at this summer position that they decide to keep me permanently. We'll see.

My faith is in a constant flutter of hope and despair. God keeps bringing testimonies of His providence to me at my darkest moments. And He has blessed us both with wonderful families, who show their love through actions that often make me cry.

At the end of the day, I still get to say, "My husband..." And that is a major answer to prayer that I hold tightly to whenever I start to wonder if God can hear me anymore.

Thank You Jesus for Your constant care through times of immense stress and fear.

(For my blogs as a single girl, click here.)

First New Blog

Hello again world.

This is my first blog as a married woman.

(For my old blogs, go to: http://beautylikehennaministries.blogspot.com/) 

I haven't blogged in a while, due to the frantic pace of my life recently. In the past two years, I started graduate school, worked two internships, met the love of my life, married him, graduated from graduate school, and am now furiously looking for work in Southern California in Higher Education/Student Affairs/College Administration.

I have a Master of Science in College Counseling and Student Development. And I am having a difficult time obtaining interviews. I've worked full time as a Resident Director, twice. I've worked full time for years, hiring, training, and supervising college students. And yet I am still finding it difficult to get interviews.

Part of the issue is that I need to stay in Southern California.

That's where it seems every other Student Affairs professional in the world wants to work. Every job I apply to gets about one hundred applications.

I am trying as hard as I possibly can to do what I can and trust God that He has my life in His hands and will take care of my needs. I don't know why this is so hard for me, to be honest. God has proven Himself faithful in my life every step of the way. He has blessed me beyond reason in the midst of depression and heartache, when there was no way out that I could see.

Surely, getting my husband and me jobs isn't hard for Him! And yet the fear and defeat continues to fight its way into my thoughts on a daily basis.

Right now, this is my battle - to use my Shield of Faith as a blind to the firey darts of fear that the Enemy continues to shoot my way.

Hopefully, I can blog soon about how God triumphed for me and about the jobs my husband and I now have and love.