Guest Blogger

I am so excited to announce that today I am a guest blogger!!!

{pic}

Earlier this month Kimberly wrote a guest post for me. The post called "We all have a writing story" and she was kind enough to let me to guest blog for her. My post is My Journey Through Reading where I discuss some influential books in my life.

Six CommuTing Secrets

{Pic}
A green line train-looks more like trolley

Here in Boston we call the "subway" the T. 

For this semester I have an internship near Harvard Square, in Cambridge and I live on the western side of Boston (circled on map below) and if I drove I could probably be there in 20 minutes but since I don't drive and I am dependent on Boston's sometime erratic schedule I predict an hour of travel time.

{Pic}

With this I have been keeping a little list of commuting secrets. I am not a driver so these secrets are based for more train commuting people. 

1. Carry a snack-  always carry a little snack like a granola as long as it is easy to hold with one hand, because more than likely you will be holding on to a bar or something else with the other hand. Also it is nice that if you can throw your bag and you don't mind if it gets beaten up a bit.

{pic}

2. Bring entertainment- A book for me is ideal but sometimes hard to maneuver. Either the train is too packed or I have overloaded myself with bags. So bring back up. I think a smart phone or tablet is great for this you can have your music, games, and Facebook. I also like to use my phone "memo section" to write blog post. Most of this post was written on my phone as I was actually on the T, then when I have service I can send it to my email and transfer it easily to a post. But as a student sometimes I feel like my T time is the best time to get some homework done. 


3. Coffee mug should have handle. I don't know how many times I have held my mug by just my pinky. (This isn't really that insightful  just a good trick of the trade)

4. Wear comfortable shoes. I am always impressed by the girls who wear nice high heals on the T and are able to maintain their balance. But I believe in comfort. I mean most of us have seen Working Girl where Melanie Griffith changes from her sneakers to heels...until I was working full time I didn't understand it but now I do. I know now that this fashion trend is such a faux pas but the idea is still the same... be comfortable because you never know how long you will be standing.

{Pic} 

{Pic}

5. Bring big bag. I am personally trying to decide if it is better to have one big bag or lots of little bags. I like my purse it holds a lot which is good because I discover sometimes I have to pack for everything I am doing that day as I don't have time to go back home. I can slip a notebook and maybe a book in it... and I still get compliments on it being super cute.

6. Silver linings- some times you have to find a silver lining in your commute. Yeah being on a train for an hour or might suck but if you find something to enjoy it makes it a little better. Silver linings for me are when I get to the station just as the T is getting there so I don't have to wait, or getting a seat, but the biggest one for me is walking through Harvard yard, it is so pretty and when the church bells go off things seem to be at peace even in the hecticness of the commute.  

Well those are my commuting secrets if you have any other suggestions please let me know. 

We all have a writing story

Hello lovely readers,

I am happy to announce my second guest blogger. YEAH! Please welcome Kimberly from Here's What I think About That. She has an opinion on just about everything and is happy to share them with anyone that will listen (or read). 

{Pic}

I have so enjoyed this Blaire's blog. I’m so delighted to be a guest. As I thought about what I wanted to write, the thing that kept coming to me was I wanted to talk about writing. Specifically my writing story.

I used to journal writing intermittently in my adolescence.  I struggled with being “real” in my personal writing. I really wanted to avoid the angst filled teenage diary.  Not sure what that was about. Perhaps I was self censoring because of the thought that one day my diary would be discovered.

{Pic}

Also, there was a period of time that was so deeply sad that to write about it felt like a betrayal. And to write about anything else felt like a different betrayal.   –You know in sitcoms when a girlfriend tells the boyfriend something sad (like a couple their friends broke up). The girlfriend is clearly upset and wants to commiserate.  The boyfriend? Not so much. He’s like, are you gonna finish your pie? And she’s like: how can you think about food at a time like this?  It was like that.

Many years ago, I went to see Anne Lamott speak about writing. [Side note: If you get the chance to see her speak, take it! ] I fell in love with her when I read “Operating Instructions” a story about the first year of her son’s life. I absolutely loved this book. It captured the sweetness and the raw emotions that are mothering. Anyway...I remember her saying that we should do two things in life:  1) Always eat dessert.  (Because life is short). And 2) write as though your family is already dead. –That seems a little harsh. I really wanted to paraphrase that to say “family will never read this”, but she really said “dead”. I suppose the writing would be different if you wrote as if they were dead. To be honest, I have not been able to do that. I can’t.  –So okay, although I’m a writer, I’m not an Anne Lamott writer.

Natalie Goldberg, in "Writing Down the Bones" says, “Go for the jugular”. Write about the thing that hurts.  And go all the way. Eeek. I don’t like this advice either.

So,  I SAY, “Write what you want to write”. And, if you don’t want to write about sad things...don’t. If you do want to write about sad things...do.

Many “how to write” writers say “if you can talk, you can write”. Everyone has the right to create. There are no special skills and no secret society that decides if you are worthy to be a writer. If you want to write and you write, then you are a writer.

My day job (career) is not writing but writing has helped me in everything I do. Writing has helped me formulate my ideas and be able to articulate them to others. {I write out my thoughts before a meeting so that I feel prepared.  –I don’t have to take the notes into the meeting...it is the writing that makes me confident that I understand the issues and can present my thoughts.}

Away from work, I always wrote letters (epic)! I wrote Newsletters: (Christmas Newsletters, Church News Letters, Book Club Newsletters). If I was participating in something I was always happy to be the scribe.

Then one day, someone asked me point blank: “Are you a writer”. Wow! That question was a turning point. Was I going to go public with it? “Yes”, I said, “yes I am”.

Since then I began to take my writing more seriously. I write more often and take advantage of more writing opportunities.  I even wrote for my employer's magazine. {That was exhilarating and scary at the same time. It was a slick magazine shared through out the entire company.}

I participated in the National Novel Writing Month. Yes, I completed a work of fiction. It is something I wouldn't share with anyone in its current state.  But I actually challenged myself and now have an IDEA {only an idea} of what it takes to write the first draft of a novel.  

Someone I knew once said, "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing badly." I thought I had misheard until he went on to explain: Many of us are frozen, afraid to do something poorly.  When, if it is really worth doing, it is worth doing regardless of the end result. First attempts are not supposed to be perfect. We miss a lot of life {and a lot of writing} by holding ourselves to high standards before we even begin. 

So I say to you:  Write Often and Write On!  What's more, I say: ENJOY the process.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I am excited to announce my first guest blogger.

Hi readers of A Journey Through Writing!  I’m Laura from Girl PlusEverything Else.

I like this picture because it makes me feel glamorous as if I was a celebrity being snapped by the paparazzi.  I am probably the least glamorous person I know so that picture is probably false advertising, haha!  I love reading what Blaire has to say on her blog and I was excited when she asked for some guest bloggers.  I tend to use my blog as a journal and write about what’s going on in my life and the things that interest me.  And I like to ramble.  So here is a little something that I have pulled from the nooks of my brain.

I never really had a clear career path.  I was jealous of those kids that knew they wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher.  That seemed so easy to me.  You would go to university, study for the set amount of years and then you would have a proper career at the end of it.  A job that is always in fashion.  And one that was always useful.

I remember a constant horrible panicky feeling in the back of my head that stayed with me from about 14 til 24.  Because I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up.  And you reach a stage in your life when people start asking you ALL THE TIME what you’re going to do after school and I didn’t have a response to that question.  I hated the way people would look at me, like I was wasting my parents’ time and money for sending me to a good school, like I was lazy because I couldn’t think of a job or that I was a lost cause. 

I discovered an old school book of mine a while back.  I was probably about eight at the time and we had to write a sentence or two on what we wanted to be when we grew up.  This is what I wrote.

“When I grow up, I would like to be a farmer’s wife.  Or a parrot trainer”

I really like that I didn’t want to be a farmer.  I wanted to be his wife!  I still have a very romantic view of farm life and is pretty much encapsulated in this picture.

 I imagine waking at the crack of dawn (and enjoying it!) and making fresh bread to be eaten at breakfast.  I imagine I would have had three strapping boys that would help their father on the farm.  I think I just liked that there would have been lots of animals around.  I would have dogs (to help with rounding up animals) and cats (to help keep the rats out of the barn).  I would probably have to feed baby lambs in the spring time. 

Also side note, a farmer’s wife is not a career option.   It’s just what occurs if you happen to marry a man who is also a farmer!

Option two… Parrot trainer, I have no idea where that sprang from!  Nowadays I can’t think of anything worse.  Parrots sqwak all the time, they have to be constantly mentally stimulated and they have giant beaks that do an awful lot of damage.  No thanks!

I think that what eight year old Laura was trying to say was that she wanted to do something that made her happy and that was with animals.  I’m now in a new career as a veterinary nurse and I finally feel like I’ve landed on my feet.  I wish I could go back in time and tell my old self not to worry because it all works out in the end.

Thoughts on Thursday

Kelly over at Fly with me is having a personal challenge to read the bible in 365 day and to stay motivated she is posting about the life lessons she is learning on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. If you have been reading my blog, this semester I have most of Thursdays off so I like to sleep in get some good bible time in, work on my blog and basically relax. Today in Boston we are continuing on with our second snow storm, that started yesterday. It hasn't really accumulated to anything just a mix of rain and snow. So it was a good day to lay around and really do nothing or as my step-day would put it "burning day light."

Personally I am going through the old testament. I started with 1st and 2nd Samuel and now 1st Kings (so I thought it was cool that Kelly is also going through 1st Kings). I have never been good at reading the Old Testament. I have read the "poetry" books and some of the prophets but sadly not much of the history. It didn't really seem applicable. But the more I read it the more I realize I am like the people of Israel. Israel, rejects God by worshiping other gods. I may not worship the idols of golden calves but I put other things before God. Then like the Israelites I call on God when I need help. But once I am settled and good, I put God on the back burner and I fall again. It is a sad cycle. 

Pic

Today I read 1 Kings 17 about Elijah and in the time of famine he is fed first by ravens and then he is taken care of by a widow. She is at first worried that she will run out of food but because she follows God's command she never runs out of food. It is amazing how much God provides for us. While I am not being fed by ravens, God constantly provides for me. Whenever I lose my way I must remember that God will always provide for me. He has provided so much for me. I read out of the Life Application NIV Study Bible and it has insight into the key players of the Bible. In Elijah's little biography states "all that happened in Elijah's life began with the same miracle that is available to us-he responded to the miracle of being able to know God." And in what I call the cliff notes of the Bible it states "Faith is the step between promise and assurance. Miracles see so out of of reach for our feeble faith. But every miracle, large or small, begins with an act of obedience. We not see the solution until we take the first step."

I can look back and see the miracles in my life but sometimes it is hard to see the miracle in the moment.  I don't know if that is normal or if it is because I am not focused enough on God. 

This song was recommended to me through YouTube and I really liked it.  

Hope you had a good day. 

I'm a blogger (part 2)

Pic

In August I started really getting into this blog. And I wrote a post about how I had become a blogger.  I wrote to my favorite blogger Sarah at Desirous of Everything about asking for advice on how to be a better blogger. And she gave me some advice, some I followed right away others has taken me some time.

1. Blog Design.- I immediately put my blog under construction and started re-vamping it but I have continuously changed it over time. Sarah actually recommended paying money to get a blog designer. I didn't thin that was necessary then but now I am working with Annie from Wattlebird who does blog design for a range of prices. We are working through a few drafts but I can't wait till my new blog design is live. 

2. Try to post every day or more- I wrote furiously in August. But I wasn't always happy with my blogging. And I wrestle with quantity over quality. While I can see posting a lot good, unfortunately I don't think I have that interesting life to post something everyday. Also in my Blogging Ponderment, post I wrote about how posting so much made me feel very self adsorbed. So I am not following that advice to a T but I am trying to get better at my post.


3. Follow other blogs. Before Valentines day I joined a comment love challenge sponsored by Desirous of Everything. I did not do as many comments as I would have liked but I did discover some great blogs and I think I made some blogger friends. That feels nice. Now I need to get more serious about making thoughtful comments.

4. Blog about whatever you want- Oh I do. I blog about movies, books, TV shows, my friends, my obsessions and most importantly my faith. While I might lose some readers when I talk about my faith, I am okay with that because my faith is the most important thing in my life and if I don't write about it then I wouldn't be true to myself. This is my journey and it is full of random stuff.

This is my computer background and a good representation of my life.

5. Sponsor blogs you like- I need to do this. I am not sure how to make buttons for my blogs? If any one has suggestions for a non computer person to make buttons please let me know. 

5a. Collaborate and guest post with others. In my Blogging Ponderment post I wrote how I was seeking guest bloggers. Well I still am... I am not sure the best way to spread the word.

Contact me 

6. Start a Facebook page- done. You can find me at Delightful Scribbles it is more than just my blog it is articles I find interesting and pictures. I guess I had kind of magically hope that when I created that page it would take off but it has been a slow process and I have sometimes thought about getting rid of it. But as soon as I think about getting rid of it a friend join it and it makes me so happy that people are looking at it. I have also started a twitter account, I am still trying to understand, all this social media.

My Facebook page 

7. Sending emails- I have not done this actively. Because I don't want to bug people too much. Though when I wrote my Christmas letter, blog post I did email it to my family and that was the largest number of reads for one post. So maybe I should do that again. Sorry friends and family you might get annoyed at all my blog post emails. 

8. In her P.S. Sarah wrote suggested that instead of being at blogspot.com I buy my URL. It is is only $10 dollars a year. I finally did that at the beginning of this month. So now instead of being blaire-awannabewriter.blogspot.com I am http://www.journeythroughwriting.com/. 

There are more bloggers out there with ideas on how to grow your blogger. Sometimes I think about being a bigger blogger but I as much fun as that would be I like my little blog. My new blogging friend Laura at Girl Plus Everything Else wrote to me once and said "I don't know if blogs like ours will ever have the huge numbers that fashion blogs do but I have decided that that's ok. I think that by sharing a part of yourself, you can inspire people." And that is the most important thing I want to do. I want to inspire people, rather it be a small group of people or a large group.

After I emailed Sarah she wrote a blog post about it, here is the link...

What I have learned about blogging this year

Other blogger's suggestions...

Tips to Grow your blog

Grow your blog series

Back in August I wrote about how I am blogger and I am happy to say I am still in love with this blog and sharing my hopes, struggles, and my laughs along the way. I am still on the journey of figuring it all out. So thank you loyal readers for staying with me on this journey. 

Since this has been a rather long post, I thought I would treat you to a song... "Walking the Dog" by Fun.

Thursdays are my Saturdays

It is only 11:40 AM and I feel I have so much to post. So this will be a long one...

First I want to post a video from Mindy Gledhill in my countdown to Valentine's day. I like this song because I feel this way when I have a crush on a guy. (Yes I am 25 and still say crush.)

The point of these music videos wasn't really just to share love songs but new performers I am discovering. I used to think that people who spent time on YouTube had too much time on their hands but as I am trying to add music to this blog I am discovering some cool music through YouTube and Spotify. It is adding a great mix to my music. So hope you enjoy the music too. I am always willing to take suggestions so please feel free to contact me.

Second a few weeks ago I entered a giveaway contest at Live.Laugh.Rowe

She was having a guest writer, LA Kuehlke, who was writing about her passion in life. Here is a little snippet...

I have many things in life of which I am proud and with which I am fulfilled. I am a wife, a mother, and an experienced teacher who still enjoys what she does. The one thing I hadn’t done, though, was something that I’d always said I’d do “one day”. For some reason, “one day” just never seemed to arrive.

What was this thing? you ask.

Oh, to write a novel, I answer.

While I am not a mother or a teacher, I know the feeling of "one day" I want to write a novel so I really loved this post. She talks about her passion being writing and how she pursued that passion (click here to read more). I was moved by her post that I entered the give away to win a coy of her book... and guess what I did. So I guess I have more books to add to my list. 

Pic

Speaking of my book list I have finished The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. It is 465 pages and I think I found it my biggest but fastest read. I mean I have read bigger books than this but I was surprised how  fast I got through the book. Even though it was big I found it easy to read on the T. A lot of bloggers I saw this that mentioned this book called it a good read as we wait for season 2 of Downton Abbey to begin and interestingly enough the main characters name is Cora. Like Lady Grantham in Downton Abbey, Cora Cash,  is an American Heiress who marries for a title. But Downton lovers this is not a prequel to Downton Abbey, it is just a good book to get lost in the world of English Aristocracy. I should say you can like this book with out having ever seen Downton Abbey. 

Pic

This clip comes Single Minded Women

Be careful what you wish for. Cora makes a dazzling impression on English society—followed by a brilliant match—but finds that the chill in the air of magnificent ancestral homes comes from more than the lack of central heating. As she gradually learns that old-world aristocrats are governed by obscure codes of conduct and loyalty that can betray even the most charming, accomplished outsider, Cora must grow from a spoiled young rich girl into a woman of substance. 

That is a good description of the book. Cora while she is not as eager to marry a title as her mother is, she wants freedom from her pushy and over bearing mother and sadly it doesn't seem like English society is a good place to find freedom. She seems more surrounded by rules, servants who don't obey her and every one is waiting to gossip on her failures. Her mother in law despises her, her "best friend" is plotting for her ruin, and I personally had a hate love relationship with her husband who though wanted to embrace her "new world behavior" turned cold at any mistake she made. Aw to British.  With my little insight into Vanderbilt world this seemed like a good fictitious story of Consuelo Vanderbilt. 

Consuelo Vanderbilt

Pic

If you like getting lost in the world of the "Gilded Age" I also recommend the book Alva. That Vanderbilt-Belmont Woman. A fictionalized biography of Alva Vanderbilt-Belmont (Consuelo's mother) and the builder of the Marble house in New Port, RI.

Pic

I could not help but imagine Marble House as Cora Cash's house, where the story starts off in New Port. Of I course I couldn't get Downton Abbey AKA Highclere Castle out of my head when I imagined Cora Cash's house when I thought of her new dwellings as Duchess of Wareham.

Pic

Now that I am done with The American Heiress I have four new books to read as I listed in my Button and Books post (click here). I will be reading Beth Moore's Praying God's Word recommended to me by Colleen at Soundtrack to I do.While I love fiction I think I can get easily swept up and lost in that world. I need to come back to earth every once and awhile. Plus I want this year to be full of new books, though I love re-reading books, I am going to read new books... good thing  have a good list ahead of me.

Pic

I am glad I will have lots of time on the T to get some reading done.

Pic

This is my favorite view of Boston so I am glad I have more excuses to see it. 

My thoughts from Thursday

For the most part I like my Thursday. 

I got to sleep in and then I started the second season of Gilmore Girls. 

I own all the seasons and I go through them frequently

One of my favorite episodes

I worked on my blog and still figuring out Twitter.

I also thanks to a challenge I am in I have found new bloggers. 

I did a little bit of redecorating. 

A few days ago my Audrey Hepburn poster fell down. 

As much as I love Audrey Hepburn I am not sure I want it up anymore. 

It just seemed kind of high schooly to me... and I want to look more grown up.

Before with the hole where the poster used to be. 

After with some rearranging

Then sadly I had to go to class. 

It is my evaluation class... and I feel it is inspiring as Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller.

Pic

I know you are not suppose to judge a book by its cover. 

But I think it with my text book for the class... I think you can do this.

This is my word photo for the challenge

The book looks boring... and guess what is... and with no pictures in it. 

But while I was in class a friend of mine, who loves a very indie feel of music,

and he sent my a Facebook message with two songs her likes.

He is determined to get us main stream people into indie music.

Song: A Punk

By: Vampire Weekend

I liked this song. 

That was my Thursday hope your day was good. 

I found this picture at a new blog I am following Girl plus everything else. 

It follows my blogging goals so I thought I would give it a try. 

Blogger question

pic

Hello Lovely Readers,

I have a question should I get a twitter account to promote this blog. A lot of bloggers I follow and when they suggest ways of growing their blog they recommend twitter. I don't have a twitter account but I could really use advice bloggers and twitter users. 

Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks,

Blaire