Self portraits

Do you remember the days when I used to write several blog posts a week, and I would write about anything that came into my head, whether the thoughts were deep, dark, crazy and too personal? No, you probably don’t. That was several years and blogs ago.

I’m beginning to itch for beauty in my life. I need poetry. I need passion. I need to share my thoughts. Don’t know how I’ll find the time, but maybe I’ll make time somehow.

The above picture is me, but it’s not a self portrait. Maybe I’ll post one soon.

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faith that things will get better

Life has been a little better for me lately, even though we have been experiencing a great deal of stress because of our living situation. We didn’t like the apartment we are living in from the first day we moved in, but we had to sign a lease from Arizona. We just didn’t know what we were getting into before we saw it. Not only is it not a place we enjoy living in (putting it mildly), it is starting to cause a significant drain on our finances.

We have secured for ourselves a new place to live that is $200 cheaper per month!! The new place also has awesome neighbors, while our current place definitely does not. The problem? Our lease at this current apartment is not up until July 25th, and we cannot bear to live here that long. Not to mention that the cheaper place cannot be held that long for us.

So we have been advertising our place for sub-leasers, and we are praying hard that things will work out. If you are a praying person, any prayer you offered on our behalf would be much appreciated! I am not exaggerating when I say that our mental health will drastically improve the day we get out of this place. For our sanity, we have to leave.  

And I have been working very hard on securing new and better writing jobs. My goal is to double my income by the end of the month. I know, it’s lofty and I may be setting myself up for failure, but the truth is that I’ve been more productive this week than ever before. And even if my income doesn’t double, I can at least be sure that I did everything in my power toward making that happen. And if not this month, then soon!

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bad mood day

Yesterday was a good day. I got a lot of work done, and I felt confident that freelance writing is still the career for me. Today I just feel tired. I woke up thinking that it was Saturday and was pretty bummed that it’s not.

It doesn’t help that I have to write four REALLY boring articles today, that I’m getting frustrated about some church stuff, and that I was offered a part-time job that pays a ridiculously low sum (but I’m considering taking anyway…I just don’t know!)

I’m tired of being poor. I’m tired of feeling like I’m working hard and getting nowhere. I’m just in a bad mood today, so I guess you should feel lucky you don’t have to interact with me anytime soon. 😦

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November recap

I have not been the best blogger the past few months. This writing for a living thing sure drains me. By the end of the day, I’m usually mentally exhausted! Which means I never feel like updating my blog. Today, though, I’d much rather write here than write the article I need to write about parrots. Bleh!

So I guess what I’ll do is a quick recap of November:

First, the not happy.

• I had a client tell me she didn’t like one of the articles I sent her. I know, freelance writers must develop a thick skin, but I don’t have one yet! In fact, I think my skin started out much thinner than most people’s, anyway (ask John!). So I’ve been a little down the past few days.

• I didn’t make as much money in November as I had hoped. Don’t count your freelance writing gigs before they’re hatched.

• We still haven’t decorated our house for the holidays. 😦

• I don’t want you to judge me for this, so be kind: I haven’t felt like doing dishes in over a week. So I haven’t. And nobody else has either. We are down to our last utensil.

The happy stuff!

• John and I basically get a three week vacation – one week together in Athens (dubbed Holli-Johnny week), one week in Arizona, and one week in Nevada, with a little Utah possibly thrown in. Yay! We definitely need the break.

• I’m making new friends. There are so many nice people in our church ward, and I finally feel like I’m getting to know some of them. It’s nice. I’m going to a friend’s house tomorrow for some crafting fun.

• I reconnected with old friends during Thanksgiving. John and I went to Rome, GA to see a couple of my college friends and their family. We played the James Bond game (I’m so opposed to it, but there I was, shooting the bad guys until my fingers hurt!) and had fun with the kids and cats. And we ate yummy food.

• I’m going to revamp my business model for the new year. I’m going to have a website and do things a little differently. I’ll show the site to you when it’s done. I know I can make the freelance thing work, but I’ll have to do it differently from the way I do it now.

• I have a wonderful husband who is so amazong and sweet. That’s not specific to the month of November, but I needed the happy stuff to outweigh the not so happy stuff!

Anyway, happy December! I hope your month is a good one.

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October recap

So October has been busy. I became a freelance writer, I babysat several kids, we flew to Arizona and back, I interviewed for a job I wanted but didn’t get, and I helped John with a Trunk-or-Treat party.

My first month as an official freelance writer went fairly well. I didn’t make as much as I had hoped to, but I did gain experience and more confidence in my writing. I received several compliments from clients that made me feel great.

The freelancing lifestyle requires a lot of work – first to find the jobs and then to actually do them. I feel like I’m constantly at the computer looking for writing gigs, researching, or writing. It can get a little tiring. But so far, it’s been worth it. And once a better income is coming in, it will definitely be worth it! Just because I’m so proud, I’ll recap the highlights of this month.

*I finished my first writing project
*I sent my first invoice ever!
*I wrote some articles about flower gardening (I am now an expert!)
*I received my first ever paycheck from writing!
*I am writing some personal development articles for someone’s blog
*I wrote articles about bankruptcy (and now know more than I care to about how companies prey on the financially weak)

That’s mostly what I’ve been up to. And I’ve been serving as secretary of the women’s organization (Relief Society) of my church. That’s a lot of work too, but I love helping women and being involved, so the secretary thing has been good.

And life is just plain good.

*****

Check out my other blog: Evolving Blueprint

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freelance writer

I’ve been dying to share this news all week but have been too busy to post. (Me, busy?! Doing what?)

Well, I’ll tell you. I landed my first freelance writing gig last Friday. Yes, you read right. I am a freelance writer! I get paid to write. I have a job. I get to work from home. I was beyond excited when I got the job. And then I jumped right in and started on Monday. What I’m doing right now is creating web content for school websites in Arizona. And the pay isn’t bad, not to mention that I am building my portfolio.

I’m working to find more clients, though, because I have officially decided to pursue a freelance writing career and make it a profitable business for me. (So if you know of anyone looking for a freelance writer, let me know.) I’ve been working on this for the past couple of months, trying to make it a realistic thing. I think it can be. Our finances aren’t awesome right now because I don’t have a full-time salary, but John has been more than wonderful in his support and encouragement. (He’s the best!)

I’m not at all sure about the legal and ‘business’ aspects of this, like whether I need to register my business, how the taxes thing is going to work, how to get myself some health insurance – you know, just the important stuff! But I’m trying to educate myself as I go along.

I’ll try not to bore you too much with this new freelance writing thing (I’m still so excited to be able to call myself a freelance writer), but writing has always been my passion. And now it’s my job, too.
……………………….
My other blog: Evolving Blueprint

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I found my passion

The upside of being unemployed is that you have copious amounts of time available to you. My former self would have wasted the time feeling sorry for myself. But this time I’m taking advantage of it and doing what I’ve always wanted to do – write.

I started my blog Evolving Blueprint, (which many of you have supported – thanks!) and I’ve also been writing more than I’ve written in a long time. It seems that the more I write, the more I have to say!

I also sent in writing samples for two freelance writing jobs yesterday. I was very proud of myself for that, because up until recently, I was too scared to try it. But if I don’t try, I’ll never achieve my dream. So I’m going to continue to write and send out samples.

I know I’ve found my passion, though, because I write every day and I never get tired of it. I love it, and I’m excited about it. I do wish I had a full-time job so that we could have more income, but I’m so thankful I’ve had this time to discover my passion. That makes it all worth it.

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My new blog

Okay, it’s time that I finally share my new writing endeavors with you. I’ve been scared to share it with friends and those I actually know because you know me, and you might hate it! But I would love to hear feedback from you and see what you think, so I’m unveiling my new blog:

Evolving Blueprint

This blog is basically a personal development site that I am hoping to fill with useful content. It’s in its beginning stages, without a lot of readers yet, but I’d like to make that change very soon.

You can help me out if you like it. (I have trouble asking for help, but you’re my friends, so love me and don’t be offended by this shameless plug!) If you find my blog useful, you can help me by commenting on the blog, linking to it, subscribing to the feed, sharing it with others, ‘Digg‘ing it, posting it to del.icio.us, and you can also share with me any constructive feedback you might have.

Thanks, guys! You’re the best. Picture me hugging you.

p.s. If you decide to help me in any of the ways mentioned above, let me know so I can thank you! 🙂

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Craft Tutorials writer

Okay, lately I’ve been trying to use my creativity and do crafty things as well as do more writing. So I became a co-writer for the blog Craft Tutorials. I haven’t posted much there yet, but I plan to. It’s a fun outlet for me. Check it out if you’re a crafty person.

Along with that, I joined the crochet-along sponsored by Craft Tutorials. We’re doing amigurumi right now (Japanese art of crocheting small stuffed animals and dolls). You should join if you’re so inclined…

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littlest bird joins the wordpress masses

Hello. Here I am at my new blog (I imported my old blog, though). This is my first post, so bear with me as I learn how to use WordPress. If it’s as cool as everyone says it is, I may stay around a while.

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why not make several moves at once?

I’m thinking about moving my blog over to wordpress. Now that I see what it can do, I’m not sure why I didn’t choose it instead of blogger in the first place. I’m still thinking it over, because I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle. Plus, I don’t want the few of you who do read this blog to stop because I move.

But I’m leaning more and more toward wordpress by the minute…

Stay tuned.

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i write.

I am a writer. Why am I telling you this? Because I finally feel as though I am reaching for my dreams rather than just wishing for them. I have always wanted to be a writer (and I always have been — I’ve kept a diary since I was five years old.)

But lately I’ve felt the pull to make my writing dreams a reality. Some of you have asked what exactly I’m writing, so I’ll tell you. I’ve been polishing my poetry and getting it ready to send out, planning and writing posts for a new blog with a different focus, brainstorming my novel. I’ve been writing. And this is a good thing.

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