Some Things Never Change

I realized something today. I have pretty much been the same person from the day I was born to the millisecond in time I spend finding the words to mean "right now."

I will still look at you funny if I don't know you.

I will still make a fuss if I'm hungry, but be totally silent if upset.

I still love stories and the people who tell them.

I still want to travel, learn languages, hit the lottery (and my backup plan is still to become an even more professional bum).

I'm still writing. I write stuff. But there's a pattern, you know, to what happens when I decide to be brave and share.

When I start sharing my words, I write more and more. I write chapter after chapter, notes upon notes, and I even want to blog.

I've been writing and sharing some stories. If you're interested in those stories, join me over at Storybird where I'm sharing something old that I keep going back to and something new, but bittersweet. Although I can't exactly say I'm "back from the dead," I am writing again. So you might hear from me more often than you have in the past year. That's for sure. Exciting things are happening for me. I'm moving to another country for a year, learning languages, and old enough to play the lotto. Plan A might be working out for me after all.

Plan B don't sound too bad, though, to be honest.

Soez.

Just keep swimming,
Deserae

Looking Ahead...

I'm eighteen now. No biggie--- nothing new. But the knowledge that I'm an adult entering a new year makes me look back at how productive I've been before now and how productive I want to be in the future.

I was an ambitious teen. I AM an ambitious teen, you know. By thirteen I'd written my first "book," fifteen, I was already looking into the publishing world, sixteen I finished my third manuscript, seventeen I was crazier than ever...

But now I'm eighteen. And 2011? It was a good year. But good can be surpassed. Good can be upgraded. I'm looking for great in my life. The Lord knows my needs, but it's okay to sometimes tell him what I want. And this is it:

For School...
As usual, I just want to get through it. Look. I LOVE to learn. I WANT to get my degree in English Literature and a second one in Classic Lit. But school is not where I want to be forever. Some people say they wish they could go back, but if things were in my favor, my deepest wish is that I could have a life where I learned via experience. The things I want to do--- the things that are on my heart (see the "For Myself" section below)--- don't require a degree! They require action. Taking a chance. They require... gumption, Baby. But because I'm a practical person, I know school is a must so Heavenly Father, just help me get through it.

For My Family...
My big goal is to make an effort to get along with the fambam and to visit them on a regular. I am very close to my sisters but I honestly want to start calling my dad more, and things of that nature. And I wish them every happiness. Seriously. Every happiness, Mom, Dad, Freda, Ziza, Fred... Kia, my love, and Christian, Chris, Derrick, and Ellie, too. I wish you every happiness, even though it may not seem like I do on my grumpy days.

For My Blogs...
My Ticket Home and My Ticket Elsewhere are going to get makeovers some time soon. Elsewhere, though, is the priority and I can't wait to tell you why. I realize that the online world is a world in which I am very loved and very welcome. So I am determined to return the love, and to do a better job of keeping in touch with you guys.

For Myself...
I want to learn a new language. And yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm learning Ancient Greek (which is pretty freaking awesome, just in case you wanted to know), but I gave up on Spanish and I gave up on Hebrew... I want to learn a language that is still spoken, yeah-huh.

I also want to write and edit two books this year. That's doable. So doable.

I want to get out of Cali at least once. There are going to be opportunities--- book conventions, author signings, concerts--- I just want to buck up the courage and go. Which probably means I should start thinking about getting my license. Or, at least, a job so I can pay for airfare.

What are some of your resolutions? I'd love to hear them!

Hearts and hugs,
Deserae

Commenting on Comments:

Sonal: Thanks, Dear! Happy New Year to you as well, and of course I can't wait to see what you bring to the blogosphere in 2012. :)

Maya: Thanks a million! Mini Z and Z are both doing well. Happy New Year, Love, and take care.

Prerna: You're a Whovian?!?! My love for you has just spanned across oceans. I LOVED the Christmas special. I cried... At least fifteen times. Happy New Year!

Zabrinah: Thanks so much! Take care, and happy new year!

Monday Mayhem #4: Good Things are Happening

Do you ever wake up (especially on a Monday) thinking that today is going to be the worst day in the world, but when you actually get through it, you realize it wasn't as bad as it could've been?

Yeah. That's me today. In fact, I'm going to go as far as to say that today was actually nice. And that's mayhem! Especially since (as you can see) it's a Monday!

Aren't Mondays supposed to be horrible? Aren't they supposed to be like evil creatures from the heavens above?  Mondays, though, have been very kind to me lately. So maybe this is a sign that I shouldn't assume things are going to be horrible before I even give them a try. This goes for people, foods, events, and, now, Mondays.

But I also think this is a sign that good things are happening. I'm really big on signs, because they're fun to look for and meant to keep us hopeful or aware. So I feel like this the Lord's way of telling me that things are never as bad as they seem. And that maybe, they're getting better. And that maybe, they're getting--- good!

I feel like things are getting gooder than good. Real great-like, even. So now I want to spread some goodness to you guys. I'm going to gabble about a giveaway I heard about! And if I remember to, I'll do this more often.

Today's giveaway gabble is featured at PJ Hoover's blog Roots in Myth for a book called Glow.

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.


PJ Hoover is an Indie author who is being represented by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency's Laura Rennert. Her newest e-book, Solstice, is an ecclectic mix of dystopian and mythology so be sure to check her out, too, while you're over there. 

   

If you guys like the giveaway gabble, let me know and I'll keep doing it. Until later (because I might post again today! Yay for maybes and mights!)...

Love,

Deserae

Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow

TODAY is a Thursday.
YESTERDAY wasn't.
TOMORROW will be Friday. I'm kind of excited.
TODAY I'll be reading.
YESTERDAY I didn't.
TOMORROW I won't be either because I have some writing to do for myself.
TODAY feels amazing.
YESTERDAY was alright.
TOMORROW holds the possibility of being even better than the day that came before it.
TODAY hasn't ended yet.
YESTERDAY has.
TOMORROW hasn't come. I feel like it's avoiding me.
TODAY hasn't been so productive yet.
YESTERDAY wasn't productive at all.
TOMORROW can be whatever I want it to be, but sometimes I wonder if I rely on it being there too much.
TODAY I've been listening to music.
YESTERDAY I hung out with a friend.
TOMORROW promises me nothing except maybes and mysteries.
TODAY is mine.
YESTERDAY was too.
TOMORROW is someones, but isn't guaranteed for us all.
TODAY is like a game of roulette.
YESTERDAY I must have lucked out.
but TOMORROW isn't in the cards for all of us.

Live right today. Love your yesterdays. Long for tomorrow. And do so in order.
Deserae McGlothen
P.S. John 3:16

Another Day

Agh! It's Monday! I used to be happy about Mondays because Switched at Birth would come on and I could do more Sean Berdy swooning and what-not, but NOW?! NOW The Lying Games has taken its place! And Mondays have become Glumdays once more. Who needs Mondays anyway?

But more to the point, I am just glad to have woken up to another beautiful day. The fact is, I am always grateful to wake to see the sun. To hear my mom yelling. To feel the carpet under my toes when I finally lug myself out of bed. It's a good thing to be able to have your health. To find yourself a member of a new day. To have the luxuries of a computer screen nearby and food in the fridge.

Sometimes, I feel like even the bad things are worth it. I know... that's when you KNOW your grateful, right? But if I didn't know a little hardship, I wouldn't be able to appreciate days like this. Even if they are Mondays. And even if all I have to do is type, type away hoping someone else is thankful for this new day, too.

Love,
Deserae