Small World by Konnie Enos

I recently read a friend's post where they mentioned something about proving it's a small world. That’s easy.

I grew up in Pocatello, Idaho. (Pocky to residents.) It isn’t a big city.

We moved away from Pocky about 1977. Then in 1987, I decided to serve a mission for my church. I spent the first month in Utah for training.

A week after I’d arrived at the training center I met a girl who’d just arrived. I got into a conversation with her and learned she was from Pocky. No, she didn’t know me, or my sister.

She did, however, know another sister from Pocky was already in the mission I was going to. I mentioned once going to school with a boy with the same last name. I mentioned his first name and the school we attended. Turns out his little sister was the one serving in my mission.

Another day an older gentleman approached my companion and I, asking if one of us was a Westover.

Of course, I was.

He asked if I knew a Harold Westover.

Fortunately, I knew my Grandpa’s full name, which I told this gentleman while explaining he was my grandfather.  

He told me his mother was one of Great-Grandpa Westover’s sisters.

Another thing I ran into both in training and the mission field, at least three times, was people (also serving a mission) who were from the Pocky “area”.

Inevitably, we had the following conversation after I told them I’d grown up in Pocky.

Me: “Where about in Pocky do you live?”

Them: “Out past Chubbuck.”

Chubbuck is a small town adjacent to Pocky.

Me: “Where past Chubbuck?”

Them: “Past Tyhee Road.”

Anything past Tyhee Road is the reservation but they allow whites to live there.

Me: “How far past Tyhee?”

Them: “Ballard Road.”

They always lived on Ballard Road. The same road my mother’s parents lived on. Yes, they always knew my family.  

After I’d been in the mission field for a few months, they moved me to be companions with my old classmate’s sister. I told her I knew her brother. She wrote him and he remembered us. (Easy to do when they come in a pair.)

Now my companion would often talk about one of her former companions while she’d been in the training center. She only mentioned her last name but was always talking about this young lady knowing everyone, everywhere they went because she’d been a music major at BYU.

One day, the bishop’s wife was giving us a ride somewhere and my companion was telling her about her music major previous companion. This time my companion gave the young ladies first and last name.

I jumped. "I know her!"

My companion: "Everybody knows her."

"Yeah, but not everybody was Sugar-Salem High class ‘82." Yes, she remembered us.

Then, on my companion’s last day in that area, a friend of hers who'd served his mission in Pocky was passing through with his wife. The four of us went out to lunch.

All I knew about them was he was from Virginia and had served in Pocky, and she was from the Pocky “area”.

While this young man and my companion reminisced about his mission, I talked with his wife. Yes, I had the exact same results. I decided Ballard Road was longer than I thought.

I can name other events like this, but I think the funniest happened around the time I moved to my house.

One of the first people I meet at our local church meetings was a lady who, for some unexplainable reason, always had me envisioning a young woman in a cowgirl outfit, prancing by on a beautiful horse.

I asked her where she grew up and places she’d lived. No, I’ve never been to any of them. I could not figure it out.

Then one day, a couple of years after we met, my husband, and I were in her home and somehow the conversation got around to the Bicentennial. (Yes, the three of us are all old enough to remember it.)

This lady proceeded to tell us her Bicentennial story. She was spending some time visiting family. Her aunt, uncle, and cousins had entered their horses in the parade but had ended up one rider short. She was happy to help her family.

Of course, every city and town had parades, but the one she rode is was– you guessed it, Pocky’s.

Where was I for the Bicentennial parade in my hometown?

Watching the parade!

I’m positive I saw her prancing by.

Small world.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

NaNo Prep by Bonnie Le Hamilton

We have all heard the saying about the best-laid plans. We all know something will go wrong, so why do we bother making them? I had a plan for when I would work on my post, last Saturday – didn’t work. Other things got in the way. Unfortunately, I also didn’t work on it Sunday or Monday. Tuesday, I was going to work on it in the morning, before I went to work at the book scanning center – well that didn’t work.

I’d like to say that things that got in the way were important also, but most of the time, what happened was my ADD. I can honestly say that on Sunday, instead of working on my post, I did some brainstorming with Konnie about my hopeful NaNo project. Whereas yesterday morning, I didn’t get anything done because my brain refused to settle down and concentrate.

Last night I was going to work on it, right up until I realized my ADD made me forget to put my yogurt back in the fridge yesterday morning. Meaning I had to make a quick run to the store, and by the time I got back, I had a fatigue headache. I went to bed and now I am frantically writing hoping I have enough time before I need to get this up.

All I can say is, if this keeps up, I’m going to have a really tough time with NaNo this year. I do know, I’ll be able to take my computer with me and work on my writing while I’m volunteering at the Pocatello Visitor’s Center. The thing is, that’s only three hours a week, and I most certainly can’t do the same for the eight hours a week I work at the book scanning center since I am there to help with the work, not do my own thing.

And yeah, I know plenty of people have full-time jobs and or are students and still manage to complete the NaNo challenge. I actually applaud all such writers, but I have never before had to worry about finding enough time to write! This will be my first year where I have to work my writing time around work. Yeah, I know it isn’t even twelve hours a week, and three of those, I can work on my novel, except when someone comes into the center.

Of course, there is also all the time I spend with my sister-in-law and all the other club meetings I attend. Then again, two of my clubs are writing clubs, so I don’t really have a problem there, they’d clearly understand. The other one is the knitting group, and my sister-in-law attends that with me. Since she doesn’t participate in NaNo, I’m not sure she’ll understand that I might not be up to attending during November.

Then again, she knows I write, and about NaNo, so maybe she will.

But all in all, I think I finally have an understanding of what Konnie goes through, and frankly every other person with more on their plate than I usually have, when it comes to finding writing time.
In the past, my problem was always just balancing my time between writing and chores. This is clearly a lot harder when I’ve promised some of my time to other people. And the hardest part is the biggest chunk of my time I no longer have for writing I promised not to other people but to my Savior. My work at the book scanning center is my service mission for my church. As I said, I can write at the visitor’s center, and everything else is just stuff I’d like to do, but don’t have to, except taking my sister-in-law to her appointments.

And that’s something I’ve had to deal with for several years now, except the years I didn’t have a car.
I have a car now.

Actually, having a car now is why I’m so busy, and having a cat again is why I’m so far behind on my chores, because he’s an active kitten, and he’s knocked things down or tore apart bags which had other things in it, scattering those other things all over the house.

Yeah, my house is a mess, and I’m not sure I’m going to have time to deal with all of this before November, which I’d really like to do, so I didn’t have to worry about it during NaNo. Then again, I’ll still have to do dishes, feed the cat, clean the litter box, and pay my bills.

Life goes on, but at least I do have an inkling of an idea for NaNo now!

How about you? What are you doing for NaNo?

Happy writing everyone!

Sleepy Babblings by Konnie Enos

I spent so much of the last three days reading and editing my sister’s current WIP that, though I had ideas for it, I didn’t set down to write my post until after ten last night.

I wasn’t worried about the hour because I felt I could get something typed and scheduled before I fell asleep, probably around midnight. However, as usual, the best-laid plans go awry.

I was never able to type even one letter for my blog before one of my children requested my attention. The issue was sufficient that I was awake with said child until three. I was unable to do any typing during this time.

When I was finally able to return to my room and bed, I decided it was better I attempt to get at least some sleep before I attempt to write my blog. I also remembered family members, me included, have appointments this morning so I had to do my blog sooner than later.

Therefore, I find myself attempting to produce something that is coherent and succinct with only a few hours’ sleep. This is not an easy task.

It’s hard to think when you have a pounding, I need sleep, headache, in a dark room with someone curled up next to you snoring.

So all my ideas about the season and or the passing years have gone out the window due to my tired brain and body. I can do little beyond remember today is my niece’s birthday and that Friday is my oldest child’s birthday.

Any attempts to wax nostalgic about my niece arriving a full nine weeks early (Yes, she was once a very tiny preemie) and two days before my daughter, who was full-term are lost in my sleep-addled brain. (By the way, Happy Birthday to Michelle and Clarissa.)

Considering October is now half over, I’m sure everyone reading this has things to do in order to prepare for the coming holidays or major events you have in the next three months.

So go fix those costumes, prepare your treats, make shopping lists for groceries and gifts, or outline that fantastic story you’re going to write in Nano, I’m finished prattling.

Goodnight one and all.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

NaNo Prep by Bonnie Le Hamilton

National Novel Writer’s month is less than a month away and I’m still editing. I wanted to be done with this round long before now, so I could prepare for NaNo. The problem is, I lost my manuscript. By some accident, which I still haven’t figured out, I lost what was the most up-to-date version of my WIP.

That isn’t to say I lost it entirely. I’d sent a version to Konnie. The trouble was I’d started edits and tweaks before she sent it back with her critique. I was to chapter sixteen with those changes when I lost it. So, I had to start all over, using a copy of her critique as my WIP, fixing, then deleting her comments.

Now I’m to chapter twenty-one out of thirty. Though I’d really like to be thinking about what I will write next month.

On top of that, I now have a copy of “Save the Cat Writes a Novel” and I got lesson in this method of outlining at the writer’s conference Konnie and I recently attended; I’d really like a chance to study it some more and possibly utilize it this year, if I have time.

But, as always, time isn’t on my side. I’ve had one issue after another the last couple of weeks, that has me way behind on all household chores, and every time I try to catch up, something else happens to put me behind, again.

I must prioritize, just like any other writer. Are the chores more important than writing? Not really, I need clean dishes and clothes. But other things can wait a little longer, I guess.

The big problem is that it is October, and I was going to make Christmas presents this year. Well, the time is gone, I doubt I have time anymore. I can try, but well, what is more important? NaNo or Christmas.

To me both are important. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, particularly because it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. (For those of you don’t know, I have a rather large collection of Nativities. Way more than I have Eagles and flags, but Independence Day is my second favorite holiday. Eagles, flags, red, white, and blue, and over a hundred Nativities describe my front room.)

And, well, NaNo is writing; writing is my life. That is who I am. I’ve failed to win just two NaNo’s in all the times I’ve done it, and one of those I just had technical problems and didn’t get my win certified. The other time was the year I ended up with a concussion, and couldn’t finish. Needless to say, from the time I heard about NaNo over a decade ago until now, I have always participated, and generally finished.

How do I prioritize things that mean so much to me?

Writing is my life; Christmas is the bedrock of my religion. Family – roots are part of my religion too. Choosing isn’t easy.

I also have the added challenge this year that I am volunteering four hours a week at the local visitor’s center and another eight hours a week is dedicated to my service mission call for my church. Meaning I have fewer hours to write this year than I’ve had in years past, but those things are important too. And I did give my word I would do them.

What sort of things seem to be standing in your way of writing?

I know for a lot of people, Konnie included, it would be scheduling time. Though with Konnie, even if she scheduled time, her family would interrupt. I’m sure she enjoyed all the time she got for writing when she here visiting me.

However, I was surprised the time I came back from my mission service and found she had my TV on. Konnie doesn’t watch a lot of TV, as in hardly ever. I observed her concentrating more on her computer screen than the TV. “Why do you have the TV on?”

“It was too quiet.”

Okay, that’s funny. Konnie is always complaining about all the noise at her house, and how it makes it hard to get any writing done, then when she’s here, she has to turn on the TV to have some noise!
Me? I generally can’t write with the TV on; I’m used to quiet. I actually find I can’t get any writing done while at her place because it's too noisy and busy. It’s useless for me to even try. So, it really is funny that for Konnie to get any writing done at my place, she has to turn on the TV!

Our lives are so different.

Anyway, what are your best tips for getting your writing done or participating in NaNo?

Happy writing everyone!

Schedules and Stress by Konnie Enos

It’s Wednesday morning again and I haven’t written my post yet. I don’t have any ideas to write, and I can only blame it on my poor planning.

Some months ago, I learned about a writer’s conference in Idaho Falls, Idaho. At the time, being stressed at home, I felt this was the perfect excuse for me to get away.

I bought the ticket and booked my flight.

I told my sister so she could expect me and go to the conference with me.

I didn’t concern myself with how long I’d be gone or that it was over my daughter’s birthday. I didn’t even worry about the fact I’d be gone the last ten days of the month. (I wanted to see family too.)

I planned for my daughter’s birthday and made sure family members knew where I’d hidden her gift.

I figured I’d be home for the first of the month madness of getting bills and such taken care of.

I told my family, multiple times, how long I’d be gone.

Things didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped.

While I was gone, multiple family members were asking each other when I was due back. Apparently, they couldn’t remember I’d told them when I was returning. In addition, before I even got back several family members were asking me about the family schedules for this month. Information I did not have yet. Not one of them, all adults, had given me their personal schedules for October. Leaving me with no clue on who needed to be where when.

They’ve also asked me, more than once, how much money we have left and when am I going to the store. How am I supposed to know if I haven’t been home and haven’t done the grocery shopping for the last ten days? I still have to figure out how much money my daughter spent and if we have anything left. (I’m sure I do because said daughter is good with money.)

I also haven’t done this month’s budget yet, because you know, not home for ten days right at the end of the month.

So far, I’ve managed to get one daughter’s schedule, thus far, for the month. A schedule that included two appointments yesterday. So instead of sitting at home on my computer figuring out our budget or writing my post, I was driving her around.

I also found out I have multiple calls to make. I have to reschedule an appointment because of conflicts. I have to call one company about our service because of issues and I need to call at least one healthcare provider to make appointments. I’m also sure there’s something else needing done which I’m forgetting.

Then there is also the monthly issue of getting our bills paid and doing our monthly major shopping trips. All of which I still have to figure everything out. I haven’t even made a shopping list yet.

I’ve managed to go through the stack of mail that had piled up as I was gone which, apparently, my husband had gathered and just set aside without looking at anything beyond the two appointment reminder cards he’d received. This is when I learned he hadn’t even read who the mail was too. One of the articles received was for our neighbor (i.e.: miss-delivered). Two were for our youngest son. One of which was his new debit card which he needed because his old one expired.

He came into me rattled because he hadn’t received it yet and his old one was already expired. Luckily, I’d already gone through the mail by then and knew he had some, one of which could easily be his card. Yes, it was there, and my son had panicked over its absence for well over a week because nobody bothered to actually read the mail.

Now I have to spend the next few days updating our financial information, paying bills, and figuring out what we can and cannot cover this month.

On top of that, it’s already October. Leaving me with less than two months to get the rest of my Christmas shopping done. (I prefer to be done before Thanksgiving so I can relax for the holidays.) I’m behind because I simply can’t think of appropriate gifts for some family members. Men can be so hard to shop for. Yes, most of the gifts I still need to buy are for the males in my family including my son-in-law.

So, taking that trip to relieve some stress only made things at home well, more stressful. Are we having fun yet?

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.