My Own Little Pony - Take Two!

I was curious about how the rest of Terence's family might appear in this style, too. A little experimenting never hurt!

My Own Little Pony

Just my little take on what Terence might look like if he were part of Friendship is Magic.

Two Books a Month

Good writing goes hand in hand with good reading. And, I regret to say, it's been quite some time since I read a book from cover to cover. Now that we're in a new month, I got to thinking: I should read two books a month, at the very least.

Here and now, I resolve to fill my brain with good words, and then put those good words to my own ends.

This month, I shall dive into:

(One of my old high school teachers said that everyone must read this book at least once in their lives.)

(I've already read this book several times, and I doubt I'll ever get sick of it.)

One-Year Anniversary

Hard to believe it's already been a year since I wore that cap and gown and took that big walk. It's also bittersweet because that was one of the last few major events I spent with my dad. Who'd'a thunk that Dad would be gone just a month later? Not me.

My Upcoming Series

As just about everyone who knows me knows, I've got a fantasy series in the works, a series that (believe it or not) dates all the way back to 2005. Because it continues to thrill me to this very day, that must be a sign that it's meant to be put on paper.

Terence is the main hero, and I think it's safe to say he is one of the best characters (if not the best) I ever invented or will ever invent again. He's already quite popular on my deviantART and Fanfiction accounts, and he's even got a Facebook page all his own (which I plan to revive as well). I think the reason people like him so much is because he's very human, even before he becomes human. He skirts the line between childhood and adulthood; he's not a kid anymore, but he still has a great deal to learn. He knows how to have fun, and he knows how to be serious (maybe a little too serious).

Besides Terence, there are so many other fascinating characters, both good and evil, that I'm steadily warming up to myself. Don't know how many stories I'll write in total...and I'll need to train myself to focus on one adventure at a time. 

Today, I managed to pull off a little harmless April Fool's prank by telling everybody that my first book was ready for public viewing, and when they clicked on the link I gave them, they got this:

A few people actually fell for it, too. Goes to show how eager they are to read my stuff, which is most heartening.

But when I do land a book deal for this sucker (for real), this will most definitely warrant a mega-huge announcement, as well as some kind of personal reward. At any rate, here's hoping I can make this story sound half as good as it does in my imagination.

Provo City Center Temple

Today, I played a little part in Church history. What I mean by that is I got to participate in the dedication of the Provo City Center Temple. This building used to be a historic tabernacle for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, going at least 100 years back. Many well-known people gathered and spoke at this place over the years. Elder M. Russell Ballard, one of today's speakers, mentioned that a few of his own ancestors came and spoke there from time to time.

Then, five years ago, there was a devastating fire that left almost nothing and broke so many hearts. Now this place has been rebuilt and converted into a House of the Lord; people have compared it to "a phoenix rising from the ashes." Some of the "pioneer bricks" are even included in the outer walls.

With our friend, Kayalauna Kuhn, my mom and siblings and I went to the noon dedication at our Stake Center. In fact, I was the primary motive; Mom wasn't planning on going at all, but when she saw that I wanted to go and had even obtained a recommend from Bishop Kippen, that convinced her to get one for herself and for the other kids.

You couldn't have asked for a better day for a temple dedication. Today was the first official day of spring, and the weather was nothing short of perfect. You could say it was a reflection of everyone's joy and gratitude for this new temple.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks was the one to dedicate the temple, and as I said, Elder Ballard was also there, along with at least two members of the Seventy and Sister Linda Reeves from the Relief Society Presidency. There were some very memorable talks. Probably the one that stood out to me the most was the story of Sister Reeves's teenage daughter who died in a tragic accident, and her family had been planning to do her temple work within the next six months but at least three or four people received very distinct impressions that she needed her temple work done now. Sister Reeves also mentioned a former home teacher who was about to undergo surgery, and everyone was positive of his chances for recovery, but he wanted to make sure he had a current temple recommend since he didn't want to take the chance of facing Heavenly Father without one. So he asked Sister Reeves's husband to give him an interview at his own home right before the surgery. As it turned out, the surgery was a success but he soon died anyway.

It seemed almost a shame to leave when the dedication was over. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to go to this temple, since it's a fair distance from where I live. But I would like to try to go to a temple more often; with all the things I've been dealing with this last year, the things I'm dealing with right now, I'd say the temple's one of the very few places where I can really feel better.

Just look at that. Isn't it amazing? A real masterpiece, a mansion truly worthy of a king. 

Planning a Comeback

I'm a little ashamed at how neglected this blog has been lately. Then again, with all the crazy things that have been going on right and left, I can't be too hard on myself, either.

Come April 1, 2016, I will most definitely be back, full-time. I'll try to post no less than twice a month.

And just for the record, I've won NaNoWriMo for the second year running! Okay, so there's no actual prize involved, but winning is always nice, right?

Also, I'm an aunt for the fourth time. Say hello to Lucas Barclay Heath: