School Returns, Art Fun and More....

Holy smokes, to be blunt. 

What a crazy month it's been! I've barely found the time to sit down and actually think, let alone update my blog or do much of anything else.

The school year has finally started, and Son has been loving his new classroom, new teachers and new TAs. He has reconnected with a friend from Preschool that attended the other feeder school that also ends at grade 5, and they are very close. We even saw her and her family (her mom and I have remained pals all through the years) at the Afterglow Art Festival this past weekend, and it was great to see all of them. 

Son has been sick on and off. He had a cold the second week of school that knocked him flat and he has a lingering cough from it. He was so bad this week that he didn't feel like doing math. Yeah, that's *bad*.... He's on medication for it now, thanks to a fast trip to our amazing family doctor, and he's not coughing as much. He's only been on this medicine for two days. It's powerful stuff. Thank heavens. When he is at school, he's doing wonderfully, and has transitioned quite well at the moment. He literally blew away his new math teacher by showing off how fast his mind is when he's doing mental math... It was freaking awesome to hear that. His math skills are a lot higher than Grade 6... More like borderline senior high already. Well, he comes by that honestly, considering my brother and myself are both strong in mathematics, and both of us were well ahead of our peers in a lot of things math related too, even all through high school.

 AFTERGLOW ART FESTIVAL

Saturday September 24, 2016 was the fifth annual Afterglow Art Festival in Bridgewater, NS, and of course we went to it. 

Talk about FUN!!! We watched our longtime friend (and Son's favorite artist) create a few new spray paint pieces right in front of us (we purchased 2 more of his works that night!), saw a lot of people we knew including a number of Son's friends from school, lots of amazing art, and plenty of awesome street performers. I also had some amazing Thai style chicken curry, it was out of this world yummy. I hope that booth is there again next year... 

WRITING UPDATE:

I've been at work trying to get character descriptions updated and figure out a few things related to the companion story for one of my finished manuscripts... So far, it's slow going but it IS going for now.

I've also played around with things in regards to the one manuscript... Just what, only a few people know right now, but I will say what it was publicly in time. I know exactly when I'll say so, if that ever happens. 

Got you wondering, haven't I? *looks innocent* 

It's a good thing, so no worries on that. My best friend and a few other pals who know what's going on loved the idea. 

I'm also trying to get up to date on what publishers accept what and who doesn't require an author having an agent. I think I found a few that will fit either story, and may even take both... Tee hee..... *tries to hide the horns with a tarnished halo* 

One rejection at a time... And hopefully I'll be able to scream "ACCEPTED AND CONTRACT SIGNED!!" sometime in the future, preferably the near one... 

I leave you with some photos from AFTERGLOW... Have a great weekend everyone!

In our driveway, all ready to go...

Kyle O making magic with spray paint.

Fire dancers on the parkade.

A musical act on the bandstand's gazebo.

A view of the Lahave River and more art fun.

Facing northwards on King Street, toward the Veteran's Memorial Bridge.

One of the many uber talented acts playing that night, shadow puppetry and music. An awesome show.

Kyle O making more magic with his paints.

An interactive video game next to Kyle O's booth.

Having a blast at the festival! 

Milestone!

One year ago today was the first day of my new life.
July 18, 2014: After 2 weeks of being on Champix (Chantix in the States, it's a stop smoking prescription medication) I woke up and started my first smoke free day.

It was a lot of jitters, grouchiness, grumbling, panic attacks, soooooooooo many cravings including a few that had me in tears, and just pure HELL that first day.

It was tough and touch and go for that first bit, but I managed to get myself through the day and get into bed without begging my husband to buy me a pack of cigarettes.

That was my first smoke free day in over a decade. The last time I had tried to quit, I was pregnant with my son and lasted about 10 weeks before I caved in and started smoking again.

So this has really been the longest I was smoke free since my preteens. I had my first cigarette at the age of 12 years old, and smoked once in a while until I hit high school at 15, then it escalated to me being addicted and finally smoking constantly at the age of 18.

I smoked for the next 22 years. The last going off, I was up to 60 cigarettes or more a day. That's 3 twenty packs or as we east coast Canadians prefer, 2 1/2 packs of 25 cigs a day.

As of today, I reached my ONE YEAR SMOKE FREE anniversary.

Look, I never thought I'd last a week, let alone 52 weeks. I was seriously addicted. Everything took a back burner to my addiction, even my writing some days. Everything had to wait until *after* I had one more cigarette, one more drag.

A year later, I no longer have that problem. I'm not even using the nicotine free vapor sticks. I haven't had one of those in over 3 months.

I've even written a full manuscript draft in the last year, my first as a non smoker.

Speaking of which, "Hearts Remembering" is now back in stasis and will be sent to the beta team sometime next month. It's as done as I can get it, and now I'm just waiting for word that I can start sending it out to the gang. I'm now in the process of trying to come up with a great short and longer synopsis for it.

My health is slowly improving... I'm feeling more and more like my old self, even if things are not completely balanced yet. It's a slow process but I'm hoping to be more "normal" for me by the time the new year rolls around.

And lastly, new glasses!! My new condition requires me to see my optometrist every 2 years, and well, something amazingly weird happened to me last month. My eyes IMPROVED to almost what they were back in 2007. I was wearing the glasses from that time period for a while because my prescription from 2013 was too strong for me... I am happy that I always keep old glasses as a backup, cause I wouldn't have been able to drive myself to a local hospital for an information session/workshop if I had.

My new glasses are even similar to the 07 prescription... Silver half rims, but wider lenses this time.

Me in 2011, with the 2007 prescription.

Here's what the present glasses look like...

Current glasses, almost identical in looks and in strength.

All that's really different is the fact the new glasses are a little bigger in the lenses and it's slightly stronger.

Hubby likes them, and my best pal Heather helped me pick them out.

Yeah, I think I'm doing okay, considering.

Have a great weekend everyone! :)