Gratitude, Nature, Quotes

Natural Beauty

It seems I've been blessed with the beauty of nature everywhere I go lately. I wanted to share some of the serenity with my blogging peeps. Have a cup of tea/coffee, put your feet up, and let yourself be mentally transported to the great outdoors, surrounded by peace, chirping birds, a gentle wind, and the fresh… Continue reading Natural Beauty

Life Lessons, Quotes, Writing

Finding the Lesson in the Mistake

As I posted last week, my book Shear Madness was released. Yes, great news, but now for the not so great. When I was reading my Kindle version after it went live, I learned an extremely important lesson: ALWAYS read the manuscript, after the editor is done, and not just the parts that were edited, but the entire… Continue reading Finding the Lesson in the Mistake

Fun, Quotes, Writing

Shear Madness is now Available!

My second book, Shear Madness, is now available!  **Doing a little happy dance** Melanie Hogan is anything but your average beauty salon owner. She’s created a life for herself that’s an exact contradiction to that of her wanderlust, absentee mother who bailed on her when Melanie was four years old. She has gone above and… Continue reading Shear Madness is now Available!

Faith and Spirituality, Fun, Gratitude, Life Lessons

Everyday Heroes

I've had the good fortune this week of crossing paths with several every day heroes, or angels, if you will. Average, run-of-the-mill people who are motivated by the desire to make a difference in the lives of others. And at a time when we celebrate commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July… Continue reading Everyday Heroes

Faith and Spirituality, Gratitude, Nature

Morning Glory

This brilliant sunrise is what greeted me on my morning run. What a glorious way to start the day!   And this mama bird protecting her babies, still unhatched, as I marveled at the maternal instinct of all God's creatures. Seize this day with gusto, my friends! Life is a gift. 🙂  

Advocacy, Faith and Spirituality, Fun, Life Lessons

Prayer in Numbers

It started, as my ideas usually do, on a morning run. Typically I like to listen to music or audio books when I'm running, but there are times I enjoy simply basking in the sounds of nature or beautiful silence. And there are times I go on a prayer run. This was one of those mornings.… Continue reading Prayer in Numbers

Advocacy, Alcoholism, Faith and Spirituality, Family, Gratitude, Writing

Birthday Blessings

I've heard people talk about 50 as being "over the hill," "half of a century old," "on the downward slide," etc. When I woke up this morning, having turned 50 myself, the first thing that came to mind was: I AM SO BLESSED! I got out of bed, got dressed and headed out the door for an… Continue reading Birthday Blessings

Fun, Nature, Writing

A Little of This, A Little of That

My novel, Shear Madness, Book One in The Melanie Hogan Mystery Series, gets shipped off for a final edit this week. The planned release is in July. 🙂 The rest of this month I'm going to focus on the revision of Book Two, Shear Deception. And then July 1st it's off to Camp again for Camp… Continue reading A Little of This, A Little of That

Faith and Spirituality, Life Lessons, Nature, Quotes, Writing

Running is Cheaper Than Therapy

I've posted in the past that running is my therapy. And a whole lot cheaper! Running in the early morning is when my mind churns out ideas for my novels or short stories, or brings to light an answer to something I've been praying for. However, that being said, this typically only happens when I'm running outside in nature,… Continue reading Running is Cheaper Than Therapy