ONE YEAR!!!

August marked the one year birthday of my blog. 

*EXCITED SQUEAL!*
 

Ahem. Where has the time gone?!

It has been a life changing year full of blessings, beauty, and surprises. It's been insane. In a good way. Well, mostly good, at least.

It has been a very, very crazy ride. And I owe lots of people lots of thanks.

Number One Thanks: JESUS! Because You rock my world. Thank You for holding me always, through both peace and turmoil.

Number Two: My parents! Thank you, Dad, for encouraging me to do things out of my comfort zone. Thank you for pushing me to greatness. Mom, thank you for always being there for me to cry or laugh or whatever with. Thank you for choosing to give me life. Thank you for your love and support.

Number Three: My absolutely beautiful, amazing cousin, Alex. You are wise beyond your years, girlfriend. Thank you for every time you've held me when I've cried and listened to me blubber over the phone. Thank you for laughing with me and staying up until. . .well, let's just say, very late. . .to listen and talk to me. Thank you for all the help you did in creating this blog--it seriously wouldn't have been posible without you. You're doing great things, love, and you are going to do so many more. To infinity and beyond!

Number Four: A very special thanks goes to Jen Wagner (http://writtenenvogue.wordpress.com/). Jen, you are so talented in absolutely everything you do. I'm so, so blest that you are a part of my life. Thank you for telling me which books to read and which books not to. Thanks for telling me to start the blog in the first place. Thank you for always being there for me to rant to and for being excited with me about every little writing milestone. I can't wait to put your book on my shelf someday!

Number Five: Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, to Faith Hough (http://faithehough.blogspot.com/

 )! Faith, I have looked up to you since day one. Thank you for your critiques of my writing. I value your opinion so very much. Thank you for reading what I write and for letting me peek into the mind of a creative genius. You seriously inspire me to no end. Every time I see your name pop up in my inbox, it makes me smile. Thank you=)

Number Six: Jeannette Smejkal (www.folioroad.com), you are ULTRA-AMAZING. Thank you for being the first to read my WIP and being honest with me about every single aspect of it. I've been so blest to work with you. You are a huge inspiration to me. I cannot believe how crazy talented you are. Thank you for keeping me writing.

Number Seven: Linda Kemper, who is probably the most giving person ever. Kempy, thank you for reading all my blog posts and always asking about my writing. Thank you for always being there for me. Words cannot express how grateful I am for you.

Number Eight: YOU! I have interacted with some of the most amazing readers/writers/whatever-ers on the planet. I have been so blest by each and every one of you guys. I have learned so much from all the blog posts I've read by you and the comments you've posted. I'm just so in awe of you all.

I'm so very blest to be on this writing journey with all of you guys. I love love love y'all!!!

Here's to another year of reading and writing!

My Dad

My dad was always filming us when we were little. We have so many family videos that are pretty hilarious to watch. When I was little, I loved to get my face in the camera. Seriously, I was always talking. My mom would probably tell you that I am still always talking, but I like to think that I've become slightly more reflective than talkative over the years.

I have always loved to tell stories. It didn't matter if the stories were ones I made up or something that had happened to me, I loved to share them with everybody, especially the camera.

It's really my dad's fault that I started writing. He was the one who encouraged me to write down my crazy little stories. He, along with my beautiful mom, were the ones who listened to my constant ramblings. Fine, they still do. My dad is always expressing desire to know what I am working on. He constantly asks questions about plot struggles and characters. My mom (my faithful editor) reads every single one of my blog posts before I publish.

When we were little, my dad told us so many stories. Usually, it was at bedtime or on long car trips. I don't remember ever hearing the same story twice, which bugged me. I wished that he would write down his stories. I told him this, and he would always say the same thing-- "Someday."

My dad is always making up extremely ridiculous songs on the guitar, usually at the worst times. For example, when I'm trying to read and he's singing about me, it gets kind of hard to concentrate. Or when someone's in a bad mood, they get a full six-verse song complete with a refrain. That isn't the worst, though. The absolute worst is when he begins to belt out a song about me and whatever random guy he thinks I like. Yeah, those moments usually aren't my most virtuous. . . .

My point is, my dad is incredibly creative. He will try absolutely everything. One year, my mom got him a violin for Christmas (actually, he got himself a violin for Christmas and said it was from Mom) and he played around with it for months. Sure, it was really, really, really annoying, but I admired his determination. He always is eager to learn whatever my siblings' or my favorite song is on guitar so that we can sing it together. He is always providing opportunities for us, whether it be taking me to a cafe to write, paying for a Catholic school education, piano lessons, guitar lessons, and numerous other things.

As many of you may know, my family is moving. My dad was recently hired as the Secretariat Leader for Evangelization and Parish Life in the Diocese of Toledo. He began his job yesterday and moved on Friday. I just wanted to take this opportunity to share how much he has inspired me-- in my writing, yes, but in pretty much every aspect of my life. I am so proud of him and so blest to be his daughter.