The Adventures of a Broken Housewife: Alaska

Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts

Monday, May 27, 2013

WHAT'S HAPPENING? JUST STUFF!

My kids actually made liars out of me this morning. In my last blog I said they wouldn't let me sleep in and that they would wake up between 7 and 8 every morning. Well, this morning they didn't wake up until 8:35 and that is only because the trash trucks came and woke them up. Damn trash trucks!!!

Well, we had a lot happen over the last week some good, some bad. Of course you all know that the oldest graduated a week ago, on Thursday The Hubs had to go to the doctor - the man who never gets sick was sick as hell, on Friday the other kids had their last day of school for the year and on Saturday, I developed the coughing crud that everyone else has had over the last month and a half and something else exciting happened and I can't remember what...Crap, what was that?...hmmm, it's coming back to me...I completed something I think....oh yeah, I FINISHED MY SECOND BOOK! Book 2 in my series is done (except for editing of course) I read through it yesterday and loved it. I have a couple of small additions to make and then it is sent off to editing. When that is done, well it will be on 'shelves' for you to'grab' and read.

This is book two and I still feel as accomplished as I did with book one. I wonder if it will always be this way. I sure hope so, I love this feeling! It is so addicting. I just wish the hubs hadn't been so sick. It is hard to be excited about something when the one you love is so sick they can't rejoice with you. Really guys, I have never seen his so sick - Severe sinus infection, cough, high fever, body aches, shakes and shivers, sleeping whenever the need hit him. That just isn't how it's supposed to be for my love. He is healthy and strong a majority of the time. He was so bad they made him take three days off work. He is back there now and I hope he is doing well, I think he should have had another two days or so to rest, but I'm not a doctor. He is gradually getting better and was even joking with me yesterday. I just hate seeing my romance hero ready to go to sleep at 7 p.m. (How are we supposed to act our my scenes if he's asleep?!) Umm I mean, how is he supposed to help me beta read my book if he's asleep...yeah, yeah, that's what I meant ;)

Until Next Time...When your loved one can't help you celebrate, it really sucks. You have to learn to live with it and still be happy. It can be done, it's just not as fun!!! :)

PREVIEW OF ALASKAN AMBUSH

Check out 11 excerpts on http://www.writerjjellis.com

“…I still love you.”

A two year relationship that ended because of a difference in lifestyle left Olivia Mannon and Alex Paige missing each other. Though they still loved each other, they lost all contact.

A sprinkling of matchmaking dust, a cruise to Alaska, and a floatplane tour of Misty Fjord National Monument brings them back into each other’s lives; for better or for worse.

Can Olivia change her ‘suite at a five star resort’ lifestyle to agree with Alex’s ‘camping outdoors’ way of life, or will they lose each other again? This time forever…

ON SALE JUNE 2013

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

MOVING ON? MAYBE, SOME DAY!

First a quick update. It did snow here...a lot. (The pictures are about eight hours before the storm ended so we had more than what is pictured) Over a foot I'm sure. And visibility was awful off and on throughout the storm. And the local school district did...NOT call off school. Every other district in the area did. I think I've just about had it. I think I'm done. Not only does the district not care about people's safety, the city of Casper doesn't either. Ya'll should come see how wonderfully and safely the roads are plowed. Oh my! I am one seething mama right now. I kept my kids home (although the Senior decided to go ahead and get a ride with her boyfriend). I was not risking my life or that of my two youngest to get the older ones to and from school on a day where everyone else in this part of the state didn't have to go. Today they had to go back though and The Shooter was back to work so I had to take them out and about. I thought for sure it would be easy because there had been plenty of time to plow the roads. Yeah right! I forgot this is Casper we're talking about. :/ Make sure to read the blog before this one if you want to find out all about our wonderful school district. Spring should be back soon right? We are expecting snow over the next couple of days. Sigh....Spring wherefore art thou.

So on with today's show.

Are you happy with where you live? I was happy in Nevada, except I wasn't healthy. I was happy in Evanston, but the money and providing for our larger family called us elsewhere, and unfortunately that turned out to be a bust. So now we are stuck here. I want out, off and on, depending on what is happening in my life and the world. Right now I am in one of those major I want the hell out of here stages. This time though I'm afraid it might not go away. Now, let me make a note that when it does go away it doesn't mean I enjoy living here, it just means that I have accepted how things are and am somewhat content.

What happens if this feeling doesn't go away? I will either have to do something about it or be unhappy. Well, ever since I started writing and publishing I have been extremely happy and I'm not giving that up! So I guess I will have to do something about it right? It wouldn't be easy leaving here because I would be leaving the Senior behind with her friends and her college, but she's growing up and would be fine on her own if it came down to that. Now, the question would be, where to move to and how long would it take to save the money to move. I guess a lot depends on the amounts of our yearly tax refunds, the amount of money my books make (after repaying initial investment) and what is going on with the hubby's job. Ideally the thing to do would be for him to stay with the same company he's with (even though in my opinion they leave a lot to be desired) and transfer within the company.

As for finding a place to live, I have a few ideas but don't know if we could afford to live in any of those places. We have it good here in Wyoming as far as cost of living goes. We are some of the luckiest in the country when it comes to that.

There is a lot to think about when it comes to moving. Do you hire movers or move yourself (I can't drive distances so it is really hard for us to rent a truck and move ourselves without the help of another driver.) You need to find a house to either rent or buy (when our credit was messed up because our business caught fire it has taken us a long time to come out of it. It still isn't great but it is getting better every day!) There are a lot of initial start up fees to think about too; hooking up utilities, deposits, school fees, etc. So how much money would be needed to move? I have no flippin clue and it is hard to estimate, but i'm guessing somewhere between 7 and 10,000 for our family.

So okay, it might be a long ass time before we can move, but believe me dreaming about it helps! If it takes us 2 years or 5 years to get the hell out of here, I can always plan and dream and plan some more...and then dream even more. I've been doing it for the last 4.5 years so why not so it some more right? FYI choices of places to move right at this moment - Seattle area, Ketchikan, AK, Sequim, WA. I guess we will see what the future will bring. Someday you may be getting blogs from Alaska, Washington, or somewhere totally surprising! They say the grass isn't always greener in a new place, but it sure might be happier. I might never get to move away from here, but until I know for sure I will make the best of living here and I will try my hardest to make it a happy life for me and my family. If I do get to move, that is just icing on the cake :D

Until Next Time...IF you aren't happy then you have to be willing to at least TRY to do something about it. You might not always be able to afford or to manage making a change in your life, but as long as you acknowledge it and make the best of what you
already have, you will be happy.

Monday, February 25, 2013

I DID IT!!!

So, guess what I did on Friday? Yep! I finished the romance novel I was writing. I think the only thing I've ever been that thrilled about in my life was getting married and giving birth. If my hips hadn't been hurting, I think I could have done some sort of end zone dance or maybe jumped off the roof in joy. But I just kinda danced around the house and got a lot of hugs from my kids.

These kids (characters in my book) were conceived eight years ago and I just now finally gave birth! Now we are in the editing stage right now. The senior is an aspiring English teacher so she is doing all of the punctuation/grammar editing and then I and my friend will do content editing. Someday, hopefully, I will be able to hire someone to do the editing because I hate hate hate doing it myself. Layout is pretty much set (and I must say the interior is going to be pretty), we just have to plug in the finished project when I type in all of the changes. Sigh....Someday I will hire a typist. I used to love to type, but I just can't sit and do it like I want to, because of my hips.

So what's next? Well, I have to decide on a cover. I never thought this part of the project would be so hard! I want it to be super special though because I can't afford to buy rights to a lustful couple picture to put on there. I have three options right now that I love, but I JUST CAN'T DECIDE! I have been asking for opinions and it still doesn't make it any easier, because once my friends chose one, I find another style I like. So, my point with this? It might take another eight years to publish because I can't chose a damn cover! Haha!

So, after the cover is picked we will wrap up all loose ends and it will be time to publish. I am so excited I can't even concentrate sometimes. lol It looks like the book will be 5 x 8 and about 313 pages or so (not counting title, copyright etc. pages) I thought I was going to be lucky to get 200 pages out of it. So that was a pleasant surprise. This book has a little bit of everything; drama, love, passion, heartbreak, comedy, fun and SEX, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how long it is.

So, would you all like to read the synopsis that will appear on the back of my book? Okay, here it is: VIRGIN VOYAGE

Example of interior layout

"I've waited a lifetime to touch you like this"

Mari Mannon and Graham Blake always loved each other, but life kept getting in the way. An Alaskan cruise vacation might be just the place to overcome their demons and rebuild the love they once had--to discover a passion they’ve never known. But first, Mari must cast aside her inhibitions to become the independent, carefree woman she once was. And Graham must learn to believe in love again. Can they find their way, or will everything fall apart for good?

And the good news? There will be four more books in the series. One about each of the Mannon Children - Next up is Alaskan Ambush! If you want to read excerpts of Virgin Voyage visit my other site http://www.writerjjellis.com

Coming soon: Sneak peek at the cover! (If I ever chose one :/)

Until next time...Follow your dreams no matter how long it takes. Keep at it, and no matter what, you have to work hard!

Friday, January 11, 2013

HOME MEANS NEVADA

I know many people who move to a new place and it becomes home - there is no other place they would rather be. My mother and my in-laws are prime examples of this. My in-laws moved from the DC/Maryland area to Southern Nevada and we moved there from Florida/Oregon (although my parents had lived there before). I'm not entirely sure about the in-laws, but I am pretty sure you couldn't give my mom 10 million dollars to move away.

Southern Nevada

I have lived in Wyoming for almost 9 years now and I still get heart-achingly homesick for the beautiful, fresh Southern Nevada desert. I should be happy with where my family is and the place we will probably end up staying for a long long time (if not the rest of our lives) and on the surface I am. Deep down inside I would give almost anything to move back to the Las Vegas area. It isn't just because a huge part of my family is there and it isn't because as many people have told me 'the desert gets in your soul and you never want to leave it'. I really don't know what it is, but no matter where I go and no matter how much I love the places I go, Nevada is my HOME and always will be.

When someone asks me where home is I always have to stop myself from saying 'Nevada'. After all, home is now technically Casper, Wyoming. Doesn't the saying go "Home is where the heart is"? Well, my heart is split. Part of it is in Southern Nevada and the other part is with my family in Wyoming. A lot of people tell me I should move back. Oh my how I would love to, but I just can't. The reason we left was because the heat and allergies bothered me to the point of sickness. I just can't do that to my family or myself. They might not have me in many physical ways, but they do have me in many other ways that count heavily. If I were to add more sickness to everything they wouldn't have me at all and I wouldn't have myself either. I would be nothing.

Now this is not to say that I am unhappy, because I really am not. I have a decent home great husband,aand kids that I adore. I can't really ask for more. There will just be a part of me that feels like I am not living at home. But if all else is good, I think I can live with that.

My hometown, Overton, NV

Is there any other place on earth that could make me that happy? Maybe, you never know what could happen. If any place could do it, I think Alaska could (it is my happy place after all), but if I never live there I will be just fine because I once knew a place that I called home. A place that I will always love with all my heart. My Home is Nevada, the place I live happily with my family is Wyoming (for the moment, you never know what the future brings.)

Until next time...love deeply and keep that love in your heart. If you do that, no matter what circumstances you face, you can always be happy with who YOU are. And of course, that is what counts the most.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

PICTURE POST - ALASKA AND WYOMING 2002/2003

Well, I am fresh out of pictures from my most recent trip to Alaska but I do have a few old ones from our first trip in 2003 and from our 'pick a place to live' trip to Wyoming in 2002. The picture quality is pretty bad because I used mostly disposable cameras and then they had to be scanned into the computer. Yeah I was super tech savvy back then ;p They are still beautiful so enjoy!!!

In Sitka at the Raptor Center - Awesome place!

Inside passage cruise day 1

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Big guy at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Ketchikan, AK Awesome place :)

Ketchikan, AK We kinda want to live here

View from Mt. Roberts

Same tree carving we saw in 2012

Mt Roberts Scenery

Scenery from the White Pass and Yukon railway tour

Squirrel - click to make pic larger and look closely at the tree trunk

View from White Pass and Yukon Railway tour

Fort Bridger State Historical Site, WY

Buffalo Bill Dam, Cody, WY

Ft. Bridger SHS, So very historic and wonderful to see.

Ft. Bridger SHS

Mor Ft. Bridger - Authentic old buildings

A lake in Grand Teton NP

Ft. Bridger sometimes had guides in period costumes

The Senior and The Freshman in Grand Teton

Somewhere in Cody, WY. That is a lot of antlers!!!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

BEAUTIFUL ALASKA PT 5

Time for a Tuesday picture blog even if it is Christmas :) This is the last in the Alaska cruise picture series. These pictures were taken in Victoria British Columbia from our tour of Craigderroch Castle and Butchart Gardens. Enjoy!