Book Review: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

I have never personally heard of this author or the series that has captivated my attention for the past month, I had Pinned a page entitled "If you like the Hunger Game series, then you'll love these books" or something like that. This was on the list and I decided to give it a try since the series I really wanted to read was not at my library.
 
Unwind is the 1st book in the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman. This series time frame is  about 50-70 years in the future - basically, you and me are old folks. There was a big war between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice people and the only way they could settle on an agreement to end the war was to ban abortion; however, if a parent felt as if their child was unfit for society or was better off not being born, between the ages of 13-18, a parent can sign an order to "unwind" their child.
 
Unwind means to send that child off to a Harvest Camp where his/her body would be "donated" to other people (regardless if the part is needed for injury purposes or personal purposes). However, according to the law, the child has to remain conscience during the entire process of unwinding, because that way it's not killing them outright. After the procedure, the doctors name this state the "undivided state" because you are not techincally dead, nor technically alive.

So you have a world that has all these parts from unwind children - there is no such thing has donors anymore because, in the book, about 20% of teenagers are unwind - meaning that if you wanted a new set of eyes, you'll get a perfect 20/20 vision set of eyeballs from a child who was unwind.

In Unwind, you'll mean three main characters:

Connor - a 16 year old boy who has gotten into minor trouble during his teenage years by stealing and getting into fights. His parents signed the unwind order and he found vacation tickets that didn't include him, and then he found the unwind order. The cops came to his house to collect Connor to send him to the Harvest Camp to get unwound.

Risa - another 16 year old who was raised in the State Home - these homes were built by the state because, since abortion was no longer legal, a mother who didn't want her baby could "Stork" her baby by placing the infant on a step of a house. When the owners found the baby on their doorstep, it is legally theirs. If that particilar couple or person didn't want to raise the baby, they could place the baby in the State Home. The State Homes were going through cut backs because too many babies were coming in and they needed to make room. Risa was chosen to be unwound and was sent onto a bus to go to the Harvest Camp.

Lev - a 13 year old Tithe. A Tithe was a child who was taught from the beginning that they were God's chosen child to be given back to Him- hence Tithe. Most tithes were unwound at the age of 13, and were taught from day one that their mission in life is to help others while being in the undivided state. So Lev was actually on his way to one of the Harvest Camps, anxiously anticipating his time to be unwound.

The three all meet up in one massive collision, where they find themselves running from the Juvenile Authority (also called the Juvie Cops). Lev comes to his senses soon enough and Connor and Risa get into a safe house for runaway unwinds where they are transported to a airport graveyard that is a safe haven until they turn 18 and are no longer under the unwind law. The graveyard is operated by a Navy Admiral, who actually goes by the name of The Admiral.

But trouble arises from the graveyard and hell breaks lose. Dead bodies are found and The Admira'ls reputation starts being questioned by a rough teenager named Roland. Soon enough, Connor, Risa and Roland find themselves in a Harvest Camp because Roland's plan backfired on him.

Roland gets unwound. Connor's next. But something happens - clappers. Clappers are teenagers who have injected their blood with explosives and all it takes is one clap to explode. When Connor enters the Chop Shop - the name given for where teenagers are unwound - two clappers explode themselves and Connor's life is spared - but he loses consciousness due to lost of blood and shock.

Connor becomes conscience in the hospital and when Risa visits him, she's in a wheelchair. She refused a spine from an unwind. Since Connor was not conscious, he had gotten a new arm and a new eye since the explosion took off one arm.

Lev - who was actually one of the clappers who did not clap because he came to his senses before doing so - is being held at a prison and arms spread wide to make sure he would not clap as the doctors detoxed his body from the explosive fluid coursing through his bloodstream.

My Take:

I really, really enjoyed this book! The twist and turns that Shusterman puts in his novel was well done! You get to explore the feelings behind these teenagers as their lives are in danger - from their parents. The three characters are from all sorts of backgrounds and unwinding means something differently to each one. Lev was convince that his life was meaningless if he did not follow what he believed God wanted, which was to be unwound. Risa never thought she would be unwound because she was not the typical trouble maker or any sort like the children who were usually unwound. She was the victim of government cuts. Connor made a few bad choices and his parents signed the contract to unwind him because instead of helping him, they gave up.

I don't know what side Shusterman is on - if he sides with Pro-Life or Pro-Choice, but what I do find interesting is how he depicts the emotion of unwinding and the consequences of unwinding. In the book, you meet a kid who had part of his brain replaced from an unwound kid. His name is Cy-Fy and he developed memories of the places that the kid had and how eventually, the kid over takes Cy-Fy all together. Because the unwound kid had a bad habit of stealing, Cy-Fy stole like it was second nature - even though he didn't want to. When the unwound kid over takes Cy-Fy, you realize very quickly that the kid didn't know he had been unwound. And now Cy-Fy had to deal with a whole new traumatic experience because of unwinding.

I also liked how Shusterman deals with unwinding in the series by describing how easily accepted it was by people. People took advantage of it to the point of if a person didn't like the color eyes they had, all they had to do is get a new set of eyes. If someone wanted to play the guitar and didn't want to learn how, they just had to get a new set of arms from a kid who knew how to play the guitar. In the book, the muscles from unwind children still had muscle memory. It just goes to show how Americans are too lazy to do something on their own most of the time - unwind is a easy way out.

It also deals with the issue of dealing with rebellious teenagers to an extent - rather than showing love or discipline, parents sign a waiver to get rid of their kid, resting in the lying reassurance that their body parts will be used for the "greater good". It goes back to the American way of thinking - it's an easy way out. Don't deal with the trouble - just get it out of your life in whatever fashion that may be. It shows how easily a human heart can be turned from their own child. 

It's such a good book as far as the questions that Shusterman asks and how he starts developing the answers. So, yes, if you enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy, then you'll enjoy this book!

Here's a short film of the book Unwind: It's the take from the teenager who is becoming unwound. It's intense, but it gives you a sense of what this world that Connor, Risa, and Lev live in.

Guns and Art

I haven't posted in a few days and I just wanted to catch you up on my life. I volunteered a month ago to become the Point of Contact for a Arts and Crafts Club here on base for the spouses club. Yes, it's just one more thing to add on to my crazy life.

Last night was the kickoff to the club and even though only two ladies showed up, we had a good time painting, talking, drinking wine, and eating snacks. We had a lovely time and here is my lovely artwork:

I know it looks like a kid did it - don't judge

 Okay, so I'm not the best of all painters around. But hey, that is why it is called art and only in the eyes of the beholder does it look like a Vincent van Gogh work :)

This morning I was invited to my friend house to have breakfast with her, so I packed my dog and went on over. We had a lovely conversation, breakfast, and coffee. We started to talk about guns because my husband, Nathan, is a gun freak. My friend, Laurie, gets the bright idea to shoot guns in the back yard, since she leaves out in the kinda-country (it's about 5 or so miles outside of town). She invites her friend to come over and shoot with us.

We had a pellet gun and a .22 rifle to shoot with. So here I was in my pink plaid PJ pants and hoodie shooting, as seen below:

So there you have it: a girl shooting a gun in her PJs. Bet you've never seen anything like that, have you?

What have you done that is original and creative lately? Have you been out shooting in your PJs? Leave a comment below about your crazy life that you live :)

There is Hope

We have all had those days where it started out right, but ended horribly. You don't know how it happened, or maybe you do, but you wonder, How did we get to this place?! The next day, you feel drained, depressed, and sad.

Last night was one of those nights. The day started out great, full of promise, warmth, and closeness, but instead it ended with destruction, hurt, anger, and a feeling of hopelessness. The next day, which is today by the way, I'm feeling hurt, angry, and vulnerable. I knew from the moment I got up, I needed to spend time with God, just to pour out my heart and to cry to Him. I needed to ask for His forgiveness, and to humbly ask Him to help me forgive. Then I needed to ask Him to help me love.

Loving someone is so hard, espeically when they have hurt you and said horrible things that just cut you to the core. I don't know how we got here or how we are going to get out of it, but I know one thing: God is faithful and He always have been. He will not leave me nor forsake me especially as Satan battles for my very soul.

I know that this division is from Satan and sometimes, if not most, I feel like he's winning. I know he wants to see my happiness destroyed. He has already done that for a loved one and it breaks my heart. I know he's trying to break me too.

So this morning, I prayed that the chains of Satan would be broken and that God's mighty light will shine forth. I prayed that God would shed His peace, that He would cover my loved one. I keep remembering the verse that says, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11). I hold on to that promise because God's Word NEVER returns void and it will prosper!

I also remember these verses as well: "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:7) and "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37). 

I know God wants that same peace and mindset for my loved one, but it's up to them to deal with what's in their hearts. I know I need to focus on me and what I can do. You know what that is? Loving them in the state they are in and to forgive them even when I am hurt. And that is one of the hardest things to do.

But I know I cannot do it alone. I have to look to Christ and seek Him and call out to Him to help me. I know my battle is not over, in fact, it is FAR from over. But I know that with Jesus' help, I can be more than a conqueror, I have the peace of God within me, and His Word never comes back to Him void. I have to chose to look towards Christ and I have to chose to trust Him and I have to chose to give my frustration, hurt, anger, and pain up to Him. For He is the healer of all.

One song that always touches my heart and helps me to remember to give it ALL to Him is  "My Heart is Yours" by Kristian Stanfill. It brings chills to my skin as I praise and worship the One who promises to get me through the thick and thin. I hope that today you are encouraged. I know your battle is not over with, but with Jesus, He can bring you hope in a hopeless situation, He can bring you life when you feel dead, He will bring you comfort when you're hurt, and He wants you to have peace in the midst of your hell. 

Turn to Him and give it all. Pick up your cross and whatever the cost, give it all to Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Happy Fall Day!

Today is a BEAUTIFUL, feel good day here! It's about 66 degrees and it feels wonderful! Don't you just LOVE these days?

I want to make a shout out to ALL of you that have liked my Facebook Page! Today I have reached to 50 LIKES!!!!!! Thank you!!!!! I appreciate your help in building my page up AND supporting local (or not so local) artists and freelancers! Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!!!!!

To show my thanks, I took some ADORABLE pictures of my sweet babies for fall/halloween! I also wanted to show you how excited both Sassy and Casey are about reaching 50 Likes!

I have no idea why she looks so scared...

Only good one I could get. Apparently "Stay" means "Come to me" :/

Okay, maybe the only one excited about this wonderful day is me. Maybe my pets do not care. Do you have something exciting happening in your life? Or are you just enjoying the wonderful weather? I would love to hear your story!

Also, I have some exciting news coming up so stay tune! :D

Following the Irish Queen's Example

Ireland 2011 - A picture from our honeymoon

Once upon a time, in a land not so quite far away, there lived a king in the country of Ireland. This king was a pagan, worshipping many gods and the earth in  hopes of good harvest and peace. One day, this king married a beautiful woman, which was promised to him.

But soon after the wedding, the king began to notice something strange about his new wife. She would go out of the castle at night for an hour or two at a time, and come in just as humbly as she walked out.

Another man has the Queen’s attention!  The king thought bitterly. I shall find this man and show him what happens to those who play around with my bride! Then I’ll show her!

The king planned to sneak out of the castle and follow the queen to her lovers house. He garnished himself in a dark cloak and followed the queen, as planned, at a distance.

She did not go into the town like he thought she would lead him. Instead she walked deep into the woods that protected the castle like thistles, for that what was mostly there. 

Soon she led him to a cave. Startled and confused, he crept behind her and watched her go into the cave, where not far into it, she lit several candles. He quietly tip toed to the mouth of the cave and peered inside, expecting to see her lover standing there with her.

Instead, what he saw shocked him. In the middle of the cave stood a wooden cross. At the foot of the cross was the candles, flickering that way and this way, according to the drafts of the cave.

The king watched the queen bow down before the cross, her head bowed. Then she looked up and spoke. “My dear Jesus, I come here before You to ask for guidance for my husband, the king of Ireland. As You know, he is king to many and is a great lord to all those who are under his authority. Give my husband wisdom on how to lead. Give him the understanding on how to run this great nation!

“Bless him all the days of his reign. Bless his decisions. Bless his kingdom. Allow his kingdom that You have given him to prosper and be wealthy all the days of his life.”

And so the queen went on and on in her prayer, blessing her husband and asking the Lord to give him wisdom, understanding, and grace all the days of his reign.

 

This is a true Irish story, from what I understand. I chose to tell it in a story form so it wouldn’t bore you otherwise. The ending is sweet because the king later becomes a Christian and it was all because his wife prayed for him whenever he thought she was unfaithful. But she was the most faithful since she took time out of her day to speak blessings on a pagan husband.

There are lessons to be learned in this story, but I am going to stick with just one lesson. As you can tell, the queen did not nag the king to become a Christian. She didn’t preach to his face, or judged him. Instead, she prayed for him, believing that God would do the work on her behalf.

Because of her faithfulness to her Father in heaven and her prayers, the king became a Christian. His heart was so touched by what she did in secret that his heart was turned to the Light.

How many of us can say the same thing? How many of us have compared our husband – out loud - to other husbands or men? How many of us have nag our husbands on why they couldn’t come to church this morning or how they couldn’t take out the trash? “Just that one simple chore and you couldn’t do it!” You might say. Or you might not, but what does your husband hear?

Ladies, I’m speaking for myself, but there is one thing I am learning and it’s this:

WE CANNOT CHANGE OUR HUSBANDS. THAT IS NOT OUR JOB.

If you want your husband to change, then change yourself. Change your heart for him. Pray for him. Ask God’s blessing to be on his head. Pursue your husband. Befriend him. Love him. Respect him.

The change begins with me, not him. God is more concerned about you and how you handle situations rather than how you nag your husband to handle a situation. Plus you’re taking God’s place when you try to change your husband.

I am learning to go before God to complain to Him about my husband. Just the other day, my husband made me mad, I fumed for hours and cried. The next day, I told God how mad and upset I was at him. I raged and said some choice words, which was not spiritual, or mature, of me to do.

Afterwards though, I asked God to help me forgive him. Help me love my husband where he is today. Help me to see my husband through God’s eyes so that I may love him more.

I felt lighter and freer. I felt like I could truly let my anger go. Oh, believe me, when my husband came home, I had thoughts reminding me of how he made me cry the day before run through my head. I knew it was Satan and I just thought, “I can’t think like that now.”

I was free to forgive and to love on my husband. If I had stayed angry, the night would have been cold and unforgiving, which is what Satan wanted.

I heard once that a person gets to where they are because someone prayed for them. Are you your husband’s prayer warrior? Are you praying for God’s blessings on him today? Are you willing to tell Satan, “Get away from me!” so you can pray for your husband? Are you praying for protection throughout the day for your husband, so God can protect his mind and heart against the evil one? If not, then why not?

The queen in the story above prayed for her husband and blessings upon him. The Irish queen set us an example. Let’s live it today so we can bless our husbands through prayer and words of encouragement!

You did not marry the Man of your Dreams

Our Wedding Day 03/2011

Today I want to do something out of the ordinary. I want to sit here and talk to you about marriage. Why? Because, at the ripe age of 25, I have learned many things about marriage that most women will not learn until later in life. 

Last year, I started a journey that changed my life forever. The way I looked at marriage a year ago has changed so dramatically that I wish I would have been taught this after we were first married. Last year, my church ladies decided to do a book entitled Passion Pursuit: What Kind of Love are You Making? by Linda Dillow and Juli Slattery. It was a book about God, marriage, and sex. Since I'm young, I thought that I had every thing covered.

Boy was I wrong! We finished the book in about 10 weeks and boy, was it life changing! Then the same group of ladies decided to do Linda Dillow's book, What's it like to be married to me? That was a roller coaster of God showing me things in my life that needed to change. I learned some hard lessons and knew that I had to give myself up to God, because only He can work in my husband's life. 

Now, a year later, I am blessed to help lead the same Passion Pursuit Bible study with my friend Lisa. I am honored and nervous that she chose me to help lead the study. And since I am leading it, that means I get to go through the book all over again. I am excited because some issues I have been questioning, the book dives right into and it's helping me better understand how to use my power as a woman for God's glory and to build my husband up.

Here's something I read on page 14 that I cannot believe I didn't catch the first time I read it:

"A woman never marries the man of her dreams. She helps the man she married to become the man of HIS dreams."

That STUMPED me! 

My duty as a wife is to help him become the man of HIS dreams. WHOA.

God has called me, little ole me, to help my husband become a man bigger and better than what I even think he could become. God is asking me to do something huge: to help my husband, the man I said "I do" to, to become a man of HIS dreams. My job isn't to make sure my dreams comes true (but I do believe that God will help me get there), but I am needed to help Nathan achieve what he has always dream that he could be.

Now it's time to ask the gut wrenching question: Am I helping my husband become the man of HIS dreams? Am I building him up or am I tearing him down?

Whoa. 

I fail, ladies. I have fallen far from this destiny that God called me to partake in. I have hurt Nathan, said things to him I should have never said, and torn him down. Yes, it has created walls and barriers. But I am reminded that God's mercies are made new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) and with His help, I can become the wife who can help her husband be the man that he always wanted to become.

I can do this by speaking words of life, letting him know that he may feel like a disappointment, but he's not a disappointment to me. He's a great husband who thinks about me all the time and fixes me coffee every morning (ok, it's for him, but he makes enough for both of us). He's a hard worker, he provides for me, he gets up every morning and goes to work just so we can have what we need. He is allowing me to pursue my dreams of becoming a freelance writer. 

I need to voice these encouraging, thankful words. I need to let him know that he is forever my knight in shining armor. He's my love and I will never betray that. I chose him and I care so much about him. 

I am very bad at voicing these things. Oh I can say "I love you" all day long, but when Nathan needs to hear "you're not a disappointment to me, ever, and you're the best!", I have trouble saying it. Why? It feels awkward. But isn't that Satan trying to keep me away from allowing my husband to become a better man through my power as a woman?

I once heard that if a man has a wife that encourages him, lifts him up, respects him, and loves him unconditionally, the world can throw anything at his face and he is unfazed. You know why? Because his wife is his safe house, his refreshing spring of life, his trust. I want to be that woman behind that man. I want to become the woman who is my husband's safe zone, his trust, his refreshing spring of love, his encourager, and his life.

I want to show him Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." And that is hard to do 99% of the time. I have to remind myself that God loves, forgives, and is tenderhearted towards me whenever I am an awful human being.

God has called me to show compassion, love, grace, mercy, devotion, and sweet, sappy romance onto Nathan. Because that is some ways to build him up - to help him become the man of his dreams. I am here to out serve Nathan because that is what I am called to do as a wife and as a child of God.

I want to end with this thought to you: are you helping your spouse become the man or woman of his or her dreams? Are you striving to make sure your spouse is reaching their full potential with your words and actions? Or are you killing those dreams for your own dreams or using words that are destroying your relationship? 

I pray that as you seek God on how you can become a better servant to your spouse, that you will find that God can and will restore whatever damage you have done. He cares for you and He loves you and your relationship deeply. 

I also want to encourage every woman to get the book and start a Bible study with your lady friends to grow and learn on what God has to say about marriage, love, and sex. This book is a life changing study and I highly recommend every married woman, from newly wed to 40 years, to participate in this study.

To buy, click here

Inspiration

Friday was a free Writer’s Workshop where Caswell talked about different writing structures for essays, short stories, and flash fiction. He gave us structure examples in pictures to describe how complex - or not so complex – a story can be. Afterwards, he let us work on the different structures ourselves and asked for volunteers willing to share what they have wrote.

I never shared because I soon realize that I am not as detailed as everyone else was. But that’s okay because that is the wisdom and understanding I learned from the brave souls who shared what they took from Caswell’s examples.

The next speaker, Ernest Cline, was an energetic and vibrant guy who talked about his geekness (is that a word?) and how he got into the writing world. He talked about his love for science fiction and how that drove him to write many screen plays. One day, one of those screen plays became a movie that we now know as Fan Boys.

He then turned to novel writing because he didn’t enjoy the experience of screen writing. Cline thought he wasn’t going to get published, but it did, and became a New York’s best selling. The book is known as Ready Player One.

His main topic was about writing what you know and what you love. He loves Star Wars and he grew up in the 80s, and with that combination and his life experiences, he came up with the stories.

Saturday was called “Between Readers and Writers.” Kurt Caswell was the first speaker and talked about his experiences in publishing, for he wrote non-fiction. He even read some of his manuscript to us and it was nice hearing how he viewed the world and the words he used to describe imagery.

Ernest Cline got on stage talking mostly about how he wrote from his heart and how that changed his path in life. He wrote what he knew and what he loved, and with the opportunities and connections he had, became quite successful.

Both were very good speakers and I enjoyed them very much. Kurt Caswell is a Literature teacher in Texas, so he was much more scholarly as well as thought provoking in his presentation. There were inspirations he shared with us and I would like to share them with you too:

Writing is about discovering what you don’t know – it’s the journey to finding out.

Writing is not a formula, but familiarity.

Writing isn’t about inspiration, it’s just work.

You have to love the process of writing rather than the product.

I loved how he viewed his writing. He was practical and sensible. He knew that we may not always want to write, because that is unrealistic, we work without inspiration because that’s a writer’s life. But we find discoveries like

figuring out language, imagery, words to use for our masterpiece.

I believe that Ernest Cline demonstrated just that for us. He talked about his struggle to write and how it took him nearly 10 years to finish his Fan Boys screen play. Then he took a year off from work to write his novel, but that was even a struggle. He had times where he only wrote a few sentences.

Yes the destination was a great turnout, but the process was a journey, taking him to getting published and a film. But he learned and discovered who he was along the way. I found the speakers to be complementary, even if the speakers themselves didn’t think so.

Afterwards there were book signings and my friend and I got a picture with Ernest Cline. Here is Ernest and me:

My inspirations that I gathered from the speakers were this:

• Caswell wrote about his travels in Iceland and other continents in his book that is coming out soon. I lived and traveled Europe for over two years and have more than enough stories to share. I want to start writing travel stories from my time in Europe and perhaps publish them in a magazine, blog, website, or book form (if I write many of them).
• Caswell told us that he always keeps a little notepad and pen in his shirt pocket to write down people that he meets and the times he met them, memorial moments, inspirations, and other daily discoveries. Anything can be used as a story. I want to start doing this so I can find the story within my everyday life. Who knows, maybe that’ll be a hit someday!
• I talked to a lady who was informing me about the LCCC Literary magazine that they publish through the college. I was sharing that I was a Freelance Writer and we were discussing inspirations. She said that when she gets stuck, she has an Idea Jar. Inside this jar are little pieces of paper with adjectives, words, phases, and ideas to help jumpstart her creativity. I am going to have me a Idea Jar for those times when my head is thick and I need a little extra buzz to help my creativity start flowing better.
• Finally, write what I know and write what I love.

What are your inspirations? What makes your creativity flow? And where do you find your inspiration? Please share with a comment below because I would love to know!

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my FIRST blog and thank you so much for checking out my website! I am glad you are here and have found a comfortable place to be!

As you may already know, my name is Monica and I am the founder and business owner of Monica Writes. I am a Freelance Writer who loves to figure out ways to say something more creative. I have enjoyed writing articles as I have been doing so for the past three years now. I have been published in newsletters, blogs, and newspapers, with topics ranging from human interests stories to productivity blogs. I have also enjoyed working on flyers, newsletters, and brochures. As of right now, I am a general author in terms of what I write, but I hope as I learn and grow in my skills, my specialties will change and grow narrower.

So why freelance writing? I have always had the dream of staying at home and writing. I never once envisioned myself at a 9-5 job, working, picking up kids from school and events, and then coming home to cook supper. That has never been something I personally wanted to do. I knew one could make a living freelancing on the internet and I had planned to do that someday.

I am in Wyoming now and thanks to my previous job at Big Brothers Big Sisters, I have met fantastic people who I can network with. I was in a position where I met so many people in clubs, rotaries, networking groups, and commercial retail, that I have a good networking system in which I am confident in launching my freelance career. I am hoping to get involved with a professional networking group in my area that works with the Chambers of Commerce which help expose young professionals, much like myself.

Why have I chosen to start now? Good question. I really wished I would have started sooner, but, I didn’t. Writing has been one of my loves for a very long time. I wrote for The Kaiserslautern American, a newspaper at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, to gain experience in writing in print.

After arriving in Wyoming and gaining my position at Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), in which they gave me some writing assignments that included a Letter to the Editor for National Mentoring Day and a small paragraph that was published in Traders calling out for more volunteers. Plus I wrote on Helium Network online and then starting interning with The Productivity Experts, writing blogs and newsletters for the website. All of this experience gave me the confidence I needed to want to launch my own business. Not to mention the networking I have found through my position.

Then everything started to happen at once in August 2014. My active duty Air Force husband decided to get out to join the Reserves, my contract with BBBS ended in August, we decided we wanted to buy a house and came under contract at the beginning of August, and so I thought, “Why not start my own business now?”

Another reason I wanted to get started now is because I want to be stable with work whenever we decide to have children. We have been married 3 ½ years, with the brand new house, our next natural step is children. I want to make sure that my freelancing is providing income so I can stay at home and raise my precious babies, much like my mom did with my siblings and I when we were children.

But for now, we have a 4 bedroom house; one room is an office, one is our bedroom, and two are just spaces to store items we don’t feel like unpacking right now. We have one old farty dog named Casey and a kitten named Sassy, who just loves going outside. We love our new home, our church, and the area we are in. I, for one, am grateful that God placed us here and that I am able to launch my dream business!

Until next time, write on my friends!