Octobering

The past few days have been filled with a lot of joy and a lot of preparation for one of my very favorite days of the year, Halloween!  The days to come will hold just as much if not more of the same.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The fun began Friday with another outdoor excursion into the woods.  The weather was so lovely, it almost felt like a real autumn as opposed to a Texas autumn.

The next day, I joined my friend and fellow author Paula for Royse City’s annual Fun Fest, where we sold books and ate corn dogs and just had an old fashioned good time.  I even ended up running into some old friends!

I also got to explore the city a bit.

Yesterday was more low-key.  I lit a fall candle, curled up with a blanket, and read my very first RL Stine book.  I know, I know.  I’m a disgrace to my childhood and to my genre.  I love spooky things.  I don’t know how I went my entire kid life without reading one of his books.  But better late than never.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Books like his remind me of why I began writing in the first place.  Books are just pure exhilaration.  They’re limitless.  And I love them.

Speaking of which, if you’re a book blogger/reviewer and interested in receiving Review Copies of any of my books, please check out my new Review Copy Requests and Policies.

Later, Gators.

A Few Photos

So, I had a long-winded post planned out about the new Princess Diaries movie and why Michael Moscovitz needs to return and sweep Mia off her feet and marry her because he is her one true love and Chris Pine, while very, very hot, is simply not in the books.  Anyone who’s read the books knows that Mia belongs with the dreamy, intelligent, witty, medical entrepreneur that is Michael Moscovitz.  Mia and anyone else, even someone as aesthetically pleasing as Chris Pine, is just wrong.

But I’m feeling a bit lazy on a Friday night, so instead I’ll leave my argument at that and instead, share some new pictures I took yesterday at a nature reserve.

I also found a baby grasshopper and spider in my sunflower garden.

Exploring

Last week, one of my best friends and I drove up to Texoma to meet another of our best friends and her husband for a hike.  It was lovely.

We also stumbled upon an abandoned oil field. One of my goals for 2015 was to partake in more urban exploration.  I wanted to explore at least three run-down or abandoned places, but my real goal was to visit at least one a month.  I really thought January was going to pass me by, but the New Years Resolution Gods seem to be smiling down on me.

All Photographs Copyright © Jacqueline E. Smith 2015

Redwood Wanderings

When I planning my trip to California, my lifelong best friend Hannah asked me what I wanted to do once I got out there.  I had several things in mind, but something I really wanted was to spend more time with the redwoods.  I’d seen them once for about five minutes.  It was awesome, but it really wasn’t enough time at all.  

I love hiking and I love forests and the redwoods are nothing short of magical.  Just being there, you can sense how old they are, how long they’ve stood.  It’s almost eerie thinking about how much they’ve witnessed and how short our lifespans are in comparison.  

The redwoods are perfect for sparking the imagination.  I envisioned witches gathering in the groves and fairies flitting about through the sunbeams.  

We ended our time with the redwoods by driving to one of the neighboring beaches for a quick stroll.  It was lovely, but the entire time, I felt my thoughts drifting back to the forest.  Odd, since I love water and the beach probably more than just about anything. 

 

July Photo Album

I realized something last night. Amidst all this eye trouble I’ve been having (it is getting better, FINALLY!), I have been throwing myself a major pity party. Seriously, even though I had so much fun over the weekend, I spent most of it feeling sorry for myself because I haven’t been able to read clearly or wear my contacts. Granted, being able to read and write is a HUGE part of my life, but I can still do it. It’s just been a little off. So I apologize for being such a stick in the mud.

My Fourth of July weekend was incredible. Three of my friends and I took a day trip up to Texoma for some hiking, visiting camp, and all around lakeside shenanigans. It was one of the funnest days ever.

I love nature and I love hiking. I would take a day in the woods over a night in a club or a hotspot any day. During our hike, we went to the Cliffs, which are made entirely of sandstone.

We all carved our initials into the stone.

Several meters and three bottles of Gatorade later, we decided it was time to cool off at the lake.

Afterword, we were heading back up to the main camp and we stumbled across a turtle who was struggling on the side of a rocky hill.

So we took him to a shallow pool that feeds into the lake.

We also paid a visit to our friends, Darwin the Lizard and Killer the Ball Python.

Finally, we returned to the lake to enjoy the sunset.

The next day, my dad, my sister and I drove back up to Lake Texoma for a JB and the Moonshine Band concert. It was probably the most Texan thing I’ve ever done in my life.

The bar there was a boat. It was awesome.

Then the next day, two of my sunflowers bloomed!

I also saw a dragonfly.

Finally, the first review for Between Worlds is in and it is AWESOME!

That’s all, folks! How was your weekend?