Smith Family Photo Shoot

Yesterday my sister asked me to take some family photos for them.  We went to Pump House Park in Richmond (creepy park - but I still love it).  Here are some of the photos.

A General Update

I’m mad at Blogger for several reasons that I will currently put on the shelf, but I decided to just start blogging here again.  I like word press, but it shows my posts to strangers, and while I crave world fame via my blog, I felt too much pressure to keep writing what people liked before (mostly I wrote about writing – so I’ll keep that up- on WordPress, but I’ll keep blogging here for my friends & family). 

On to updates so we can continue with our lives as normal:

The big one – I didn’t run the half marathon this year!  Okay, the reason is the big update, I’m pregnant.  Currently I’m 14 weeks along.  I’m starting to feel better but I’m still throwing up every so often and I still get nauseous and I’m still worthless after the sun goes down.  I think last night I fell asleep around 8-8:30 and woke up at 6:45 this morning.  Granted, I wake up several times a night – just to ensure that I don’t get too much sleep…

I’m working on developing patience because apparently when you get pregnant, people are allowed to give you unsolicited advice and ask you super personal questions that involve body parts that have always been off limits for discussion. 

Other than that – things are going well.  I’m feeling better about my calling at church (with the young women in case you forgot or I never mentioned it).  We are planning some fun activities for next year and I’m continuing to get to know the girls…and then they’ll turn 16 and I’ll barely see them anymore.

We recently had our Night of Excellence – which I had to be reminded is a night when the girls display their achievements in Personal Progress.  Or their planned achievements, works currently in progress or ones they've even just conceptualized.  We did an Instagram theme, "Focus on your Innergram".  We had a photo booth and cute refreshments.

One of the girls made a parody video for her project.  I unfortunately am not in the video since I was throwing up the day they shot it, but here it is:

NOTE ABOUT THE RICE:  Apparently this man did a study on rice.  He had three jars, they all started the same but one jar he said positive things to each day, the second he said mean things, and the third he completely ignored.  After 30 days the first jar was still white rice, the second jar was brownish, the third was moldy.  So of course our YW President tried it out, got the same results, and used it in a lesson with the girls long before I came on to the scene.  Just thought I'd explain that because I was confused about the rice when I first saw this.

Last week, my group did heart attacking.  Which was made more fun because it was freezing cold!  We shivered in the dark, taping hearts to the door of one of the other  girls who can’t make it on Wednesday nights.   It was a lot of fun.  We are going to try to focus more on service (along with EVERYTHING else we need to focus on).

Over the past few months I was signed up for a CPCU class through work.  I hated being in class and stressed about passing the exam but last Friday I took the final exam and I passed!  I was really excited about this and I feel like I have my life back now, I can start reading for pleasure again and getting back in to my writing.

Speaking of writing – I had the opportunity to go to a Writers Conference mid-October.  I was really nervous because I don’t do well in situations where I’m surrounded by strangers, but I had two people from my writing group there so that helped and I made some new “friends” (I use the term friends loosely because I have already forgotten their names and MIGHT remember them if I saw them again).  The conference was both inspiring and yet, I kept thinking how far I have to go to be a good writer.  I was able to meet with one on one with an agent for a few minutes and pick her brain.  I should have been pitching my story but when I sat down I lost my nerve (didn’t help that I am in the process of rewriting the ending of my story – can’t pitch without the conclusion can you?).   I still asked her if I could submit it to her when I was ready and she said I could.  It’s no promise, but it’s hopeful because at least I can say, “we met” and get in the door a little bit.  That is, if I get to the point of submitting within twelve months.  

Okay – I think that’s it.  I don’t even know what I said the last time I wrote so I have no idea if I’m leaving things out.  But just know that things are going well and Chewy and I are preparing for a lot of changes soon.  Hopefully I’ll keep you more in the loop now.