October/November Highlights '17

  I had to skip last month due to my Indie Authors Week posts, but now that the end of November is upon us allow me to curl up in a corner and cry over my existential crisis at how quickly time is passing these days.

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  Okay, and now that I've had that, let's move into the happenings of the past two jam-packed months, shall we?

LIFE EVENTS

• NEW JOB//I got work in October as a nanny for 3 kids and though it's challenging, it's not a bad line of work overall. I'm mostly excited to finally be employed by someone who's not my dad. :P
• NEW CAR//Jonathan and I had to get a new vehicle after his was smashed and so we got a "new" silver Volkswagen that's pretty cool but the seat is stuck in a far back position so I haven't been able to drive it for a few weeks because the universe has conspired to keep me driving my crap car all the time no matter what forever.

• INTERNSHIP//I'm interning at my barn and so go out 2-3 times a week and work lesson horses, my mare, and some of the horses in training. It's been really cool and I've learned lots of new stuff and been on the backs of lots of horses even in the last couple months.
• IMAGINE DRAGONS//Jonathan and I went to Imagine Dragons in Calgary and it was SO SO GOOD. Even better than last time, I absolutely love Imagine Dragons concerts, guys. 

• CANADIAN THANKSGIVING//Being married/dating means that you get to have 2 Thanksgiving dinners, so that's always a bonus.
• CAMP//There have been a few rentals and camps these last couple months, including Boys Rocket Camp and MORE camp. Both of which were pretty fun, a lot of cleaning has been happening for sure.
• 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY//Jonathan and I celebrated being together for 3 years and honestly I don't understand where the time has gone at all. We took a walk and went to Value Village cause that's how extra we are.

• ATLA MARATHON PARTY//Having your own house lends all sorts of perks, like hosting a day-long marathon of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1. :DD
• STRANGER THINGS 2//Was finally back and I was not disappointed! AHHH!
• YOUTH GROUP HANDBALL TOURNEY//My old youth group vs. the one at my current church, I played for my old team and despite the fact that the majority of us were 13 year old girls, we really and truly slaughtered.
• MY SISTER'S 16th BIRTHDAY//I surprised her with some of our friends by going to West Edmonton Mall for the weekend, we stayed up late watching Buzzfeed Unsolved Mysteries and I got a new outfit and some new books. 'Twas pretty fun.

• PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS + PHOTOSHOOTS//My photography class is nearly done this term and though it has been hard it has also been really stretching and I'm really enjoying some of my new skills and abilities - as well as my new photos.

WRITING LIFE

  I've been working mainly on two different projects: rewriting draft 2 of Faithless and trying to finish up The Wandering: Part One by the end of the year/for NaNo. So far I've made quite a few improvements in Faithless that I think will work out really nicely, I'm beginning to be slightly proud of the travesty that it was when I first penned it. The Wandering is a slow process, despite me trying to move along for NaNo. I definitely won't be making my goal by today (the end of the month), but I got about six chapters done and that's quite a bit when it comes down to it. I'm currently at 19,600 words and hoping to write a couple thousand more today. I'm not convinced I can finish up by the time Jonathan and I leave on our trip and Christmas comes, but at least I've made a sizable dent.

READING LIFE

Fevre Dream by George RR Martin 5/5
I found this book while Jonathan and I were in Seattle on our honeymoon and when I sat down to read it, I found it super enjoyable, chilling, and full of thrills. George RR Martin is a very good writer, no matter what people may say about his subject matter at times, he really knows how to pull you into a story with fantastic world-building and totally believable characters.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass 3.5/5
Tbh, I was really drawn in by the cover of this book and its series. It is really popular and I feel like I would have quite enjoyed it when I was younger, but it wasn't a big sell for me. It was good, but not great. The best part was the sarcasm for sure.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill 5/5
My last read of the month, which I picked up at the aforementioned West Ed. I've read Kelly Barnhill before but I think that I like this one even better, the characters were quirky and cool and the story felt very whimsical and classic but still had serious, mature tones that made you really think. It reminded me of the tone of my novel! ;)

BLOGGING LIFE

  I was on top of all my posts these past two months, had a few that I quite liked, and got to go through my Indie Artists Week feature, which was super fun. I really enjoyed showcasing some awesome independent artist friends - I really hope you guys enjoyed reading about them!

  Also, I've gained a couple new followers, which is super exciting! :DD

GOALS

  Goals for October/November

• Finish Faithless rewrites // I technically finished a first (short) round of edits but I'm working through again and nearly done, but I'm much more satisfied this time around.
• Read 2 books // Look at me, surpassing this one with a measly 3 books. XD But hey, at least I met and surpassed my Goodreads Challenge!
• Promote Indie Artists Week // I did do this, probably not as well as I should have, but I did!

  Goals for December

• Attempt to finish The Wandering: Part One // Hopefully by the New Year so I can put it aside again and work on something else. 
• Read 2 books // I've been attempting to do this every month and since I've got a long couple of plane rides next month, I feel like I have a good opportunity to get more reading done.
• Attempt to finish Faithless rewrites // Hopefully I can do this, but I may set it aside til January so I can give it the proper attention and not be distracted by The Wandering. However, I will be on the lookout for betas soon! I know I keep saying that, lol.

  And that about wraps up these crazy past two months. It's been pretty good overall, though I'm still attempting to adjust to city life and married life. It's interesting, some bad, lots of good, but it's a learning process. 

  Also, who's excited for Christmas??? I know I am, although I'm stunned that this year flew by as fast as it did, it feels like we just had Christmas 2015 a couple months ago! Time is weird, especially when you become a boring busy adult with life responsibilities that make days and weeks fly by much quicker. 

  How has your October/November been? Do you have any special Christmas plans? Let me know below!