The silence has lasted for too long.

It’s like the deafening quiet during a slow snow fall where the air is still and crisp and a white wonderland blankets the landscape like in an asylum’s solitary confinement.

Winter was so bloody long this year that I seriously felt like I was in solitary confinement at a psych ward.

I could blame my silence on this excruciatingly painful winter, but honestly I haven’t been blogging because any ounce of free time I get I’ve been either editing my book or querying agents! Even these moments have been too infrequent for my taste, but it’s been a roller coaster of a ride to say the least!!

First, I want to catch you all up on what I’ve been up to…

Fine Arts took up the largest portion of these cold months. I helped 13 kids (2 separate groups) make it from the first round (sectionals) to the second round (districts).

One of the two groups then made it on to the final round: Nationals!! This is a huge and highly sought after achievement. Sadly, due to the high cost of a week long trip to Houston Texas, they won’t be able to go on further. Next year the competition ends in Florida, so here’s praying funding will be more achievable for these deserving teens!

We definitely had a ton of fun during our Fine Arts adventures! Especially during districts down in Hershey PA! 🙂

 

We hosted Easter again this year!

Our annual Easter egg hunt had to be conducted indoors for the first time. Ugh, have I mentioned how long this winter has been??

(Taken on April 5th)

In late April Andrew took me to see my favorite band from my teenage years; the Newsboys! And these weren’t just the Newsboys of today…my favorite guys Peter Fuller & Phil Joel came back for this tour!!!!! Ahhhh, I was geeking out so hard!!

The following weekend we visited Andrew’s best friend and his family down in Maryland. It is absolutely GORGEOUS down there and just the little family vacation we needed after our cold hibernation! Riker had a fun filled time with their 3 kids too which are all around his age. 🙂

Riker has also been having a blast this year at Preschool. He’s growing up so fast that I’m getting whiplash!

 

At Rock Solid Academy, I was a chaperone and a decorator at this year’s Prom! Our theme was “Enchanted Forest” and I’d say the kids had a blast, ALMOST as much as the chaperones! 😉

Oh yes, and I made the cupcakes: Chocolate Espresso with Peanut Butter Frosting & Lemon w/ Raspberry Preserve Filling and Raspberry Frosting.

Then, last weekend I held our annual Art Show!! HUGE success, especially since this year it was held at the same time as Rock Solid’s craft fair & talent show. Fantastic time and turnout despite the rainy weather. 🙂

(And yes, that is my Doctor Who bag in the upper right corner.)

I think Riker had fun too, lol…

Also through Rock Solid Academy, a friend of mine who also happens to be the kindergarten & first grade teacher, asked if I could illustrate a book that her students were writing. I jumped at the opportunity and now I’m considered a published illustrator!

Markers aren’t my usual medium, but I still had fun with it. 🙂

 

Although the winter has been long and cold it has been truly blessed. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that a select few know about. Hopefully I’ll be able to indulge into these deeper subjects in the next few months. In the meantime, I am grateful that spring is FINALLY here and that I was FINALLY able to share a few tidbits of my life with you all again!

I would love to hear from you as well, so don’t be shy in giving me a comment or shout out. Your messages fill me with joy every time!

I’m off now to pick up Riker from pre-school. This afternoon will be full of more editing of my novel and synopsis. I feel like I’m right around the corner from finally getting published. So look out for more updates on here and especially on my author’s page! Until next time; may you all be blessed!

 

P. S. I’ve also been hard at work on a full kitchen remodel. Look for my next post all on this project coming your way in a week or two! 🙂