Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S., a day many of us gather with family and friends and remember to be thankful. While this has been a challenging year, I have so very much to be thankful for. And topping my list is all of YOU who visit this blog. Thank you, friends, for all your support and friendship this year. I’m truly grateful and honored. You’ve really helped me through a rough time.

I’m always thankful for my family. And in March, we will welcome our first grandson! Wizard and I are ecstatic about becoming grandparents. In addition our middle son is engaged to a wonderful woman and just bought his first house. And Youngest Son has been making extra time to hang out with us on Saturdays and provide a little extra support/reassurance as we adjust to having a foster dog. Which brings me to my last thing for today:

I’m thankful for this girl!

Today (assuming nothing comes up that delays the appointment) we are officially adopting her! Her name is Maggie May Apodaca. For the first time, I’m happy to “fail” at something. A Foster Fail is someone who falls in love with their foster pet and adopts them That’s me! (And Wizard!) This dog has captured our hearts. Trust me, pictures just don’t do her justice. When you see her in person, her sweet, gentle spirit shines through. She’s still a mommy’s girl, but she’s expanding her horizons each day. Maggie fills our days with smiles, laughter, love and companionship.

If you all have a minute, share something you’re thankful for. And to everyone in the U.S. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends, and for everyone outside the states, Happy Wednesday!

P.S. I probably won’t have time to post on Friday, so have a great weekend too!

What a weekend! It was the typical whirlwind, but all good. Friday, we took Maggie to the vet for a well check and she’s in great shape. She did really well. It was doubly fun as the veterinarian was a romance fan and had read my books She wanted to know when I’ll have more Wing Slayer books out, which made me smile. I’m trying to get my health and life back on track, and I’m making progress! One example is I was notified that my medication was approved for delivery on Tuesday. That’s huge! Wizard and I are a little cautious, but if it shows up and everything is as promised, things are definitely improving with my new doctor!

Saturday we took Maggie to meet middle son’s and fiance’s dog. Jett’s a big loveable sweetheart who wants to play with any dog he meets. Maggie’s reaction was mixed, and poor Jett didn’t understand. I tried to explain to him that girls are complicated

After that, we went to see Middle son and his fiance’s very first house. They just bought it and refused to tell us a thing until they could show us. We love the house! It also has a beautiful yard and it’s great to see them excited and happy. It’s a big milestone, Wizard and I are so proud of them. Once we got home, youngest son was here waiting for us, and by us, I mean Maggie Friday and Saturday were pretty much a nonstop blur.

Sunday was my catch up day and I finally rewrote my first scene the required 1,001 times and sent it to my critique partner to beg for another read. It’s the plot and emotional arc set-up I have to get right before I can revise the rest of the book. I think I’m much closer to the mark now, or at least I hope so. I can’t wait to get back to the computer tomorrow to work on it!

It’s been a good week, a lot of positive rays of light. I am hoping all of you and feeling some of that positive light too.

So how was your weekend?

Friday??? Seriously??? Where did the week go? Okay let’s do 5 things about our week!

1. Not long after our trip to Florida, a very close family member was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We’ve been shocked, devastated and scared. This week, we got a glimmer of hope for him in a second opinion and a possible treatment option. There’s no predicting how this will turn out, but we are very grateful for this ray of hope. There are so many people in the medical field working to save, extend and improve the quality of lives for people dealing with serious illnesses, and we are thankful. (It has been a brutal year with family health problems, weird how it all happens like that.)
2. I’m working on SAVAGED DEVOTION when I can, but I can’t begin to predict now when it will be released. Last night, I was working, again, on my opening scene, and two distinct solutions occurred to me like light bulbs going on. I love those moments! Again, I’m both grateful and thankful to feel like my ability to write is returning.
3. I saw Biker Witch yesterday for lunch and fun! We had prime rib/French dip sandwiches that rocked my world. Or maybe I just really needed some sister time
4. I’m taking Maggie in for a vet check with the veterinarian my son’s fiance works for. (I took Bailey Dog there a few times too, they are great.) I’m paying for this myself to make sure she’s healthy and adoptable…because obviously I’m stupid in love with her Wizard really likes her too, although Maggie can be a little uncertain and skittish with him when I leave. She’s fine with him when I’m here so it’s getting better.  We just have to believe that she will continue to improve with consistent love and structure. But if the vet finds problems, we have to re-evaluate given that we’re dealing with with serious family health issues, plus mine. I doubt anything serious will come up though.
5. Do you guys realize Thanksgiving is next week??? Who let the holidays in????

Okay now it’s your turn to share five random things about your week. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Today I’m writing! Wizard will be gone all day, and I’m determined to get some real work done. Maggie is going to help

Now for our Wednesday Worthy Candidate–this is for those of you who don’t like the waxed look.

So what do you think, is he worthy?

The weekend zoomed by! This week, Wizard and I have to make a decision about foster pup Maggie. But before I get to that, let me tell you about my weekend;

Friday I went to get my hair done, and because I’ve known my hairdresser forever and she works in a small shop, she let me bring Maggie to keep working on Maggie’s socialization skills. Maggie did great! She learned to stay on her blanket, and was really good with two exceptions:

–When she saw herself in the mirror and growled. I cracked ups, then showed her it was fine, and had her stay on her blanket there. She realized Mirror Maggie was okay.

–And second I was getting the color washed out of my hair, and I dropped the leash. Maggie always stays by me, except this time. Some older man came in and Maggie ran to greet him. I was stuck in the shampoo bowl trying to call my dog back, LOL! Sumerlee (my hairdresser) got her, and Maggie was fine. She didn’t bark, just politely greeted the man coming into the shop, then came right back with Sumerlee and laid down on her blanket. I shouldn’t have dropped the leash, that was my bad.

Then on Saturday, it was the Big Test. So you all know that Maggie’s being dealing with some separation anxiety. It’s been improving, but I hoped she’d  be good.  In the morning, I took her to Pet Co to get her some treats, then I stopped by on outdoor outlet center in our town where pets are allowed to walk her on flat ground. She was golden good. She even met another dog with no problems. Then came time for me to leave for my niece’s bridal shower. I was gone for over five hours, and had a great time. But I was nervous when I got home. And…

How did Maggie do?

She did pretty well. Wizard said she once once when I left, he told her to knock it off and come over to him, and she did. She occasionally went to the door to look for me, but no more whining and no distress panting. She spent a lot of time in my office chair, or sitting by Wizard. Otherwise she ate when hungry and was fine. A success!!  Honestly, I still need to dial back some affection and keep leaving the house, but she’s showing steady improvement.

And that was my weekend. Sunday I was sore, tired and managed a couple of hours writing. I’m still wrestling the first chapter of the rewrite which will set the tone for the whole revision. My goal is to conquer it today.

Which all brings me back to Maggie. Wizard and I need to commit–so what do you all think we’ll do? Will we keep her or find her another awesome forever home???

So how was your weekend?

Happy Friday! It’s time to list five random things about your week. Here’s mine:

1. I’m enjoying walking and playing with Maggie so much, I gave myself a wicked case of shin splints on my right leg It’s improving day by day exactly like shin splints does. Over the weekend, I was running barefoot with Maggie on cement in the backyard, and I definitely brought this on myself.
2. Still talking about Maggie–I left her with Wizard again yesterday for a couple hours with no crying! Her separation anxiety is improving as her confidence grows. She’s definitely a submissive/timid girl, but she’s really blossoming. We’re all learning.
3. I working and reworking the first few pages of Savaged Devotions as I mentally replot the whole book and timeline from my critique partner’s awesome suggestions.  Normally I rewrite much faster, but the whole Real Life things keeps getting in the way. However, I’m once again finding myself thinking about the book in any free moment, and that’s both a huge relief, and exciting, at the same time. I had began to wonder where the magic of hearing characters in my head, and feeling the drive to write, had gone. For months, it was only flickers in radio silence. It was frustrating and scary. (Also scary is trying to get my RA meds approved by my new insurance when I’m already late, but I don’t want to dwell on that right now. I’m thinking positive as much as I can.)
4. This story has haunted me since I saw it on the news Wednesday night. It’s about animal abuse, so feel free to skip this if you want.  But I just can’t shake it off–some asshole poured boiling water in his girlfriend’s dog. That is pure evil and enrages me, and I know all of you feel the same. The one bright spot is that the poor little dog cried out for help–and two 17 year olds were his hero that day. I’m so proud of them! They heard him crying, videoed the jerk, and called the police. I’m really proud of those teenagers! (I can’t believe that asshole who did it is out on bail though.)
5. This weekend I’m going to my niece’s wedding shower. That’ll be fun to see her, and all the family as well celebrate her upcoming marriage in January.

That’s my Friday Five, now it’s your turn! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I came on here to post my Wednesday Worthy blog and found a really snarky comment on one of my past Wednesday Worthy posts. I hit spam and delete, and was just going to forget about it because I don’t care. But then I thought I’d take a second to share my philosophy on crap like this.

Ready? I’m going to be blunt here.

SOME PEOPLE SUCK. That’s right, they suck, and they are such miserable creatures who desperately want our lives to suck too.

Not happening. Not in my life. I’m too old and wise for that shit. My life is full of love, family, friends, a sweet foster pup, hard work, joy, fun, and yes, there are annoyances, pain and tragedies too. But even as Wizard and I are dealing with hearth-breaking news about a beloved family member, I’m witnessing some amazing love that makes my heart swell and fills me with eternal hope. Honest to God, there is joy and love even in tragedy. No one wants to go through it, but there are real lessons about the human spirit and how we rise to the challenge.

I absolutely refuse to let PEOPLE WHO SUCK tarnish that for one second longer than it takes for me to click the delete button. You don’t have to either. Let’s not allow PEOPLE WHO SUCK to ruin even one minute of our day. We have too much to celebrate, and we have people and animals who need us. They deserve our passion and energy.

Okay I’m done with that

So little Maggie is charming us, challenging us and amusing us. Yesterday she scared us when she got sick. We ran her into the vet tech at the shelter and she looks okay. We’re doing another round of antibiotics to clear up any remaining problems. I’m not a fan of a lot of antibiotics, but she was on the streets then in a shelter, so it’s the wisest course of action right now. She’s growing more confident each day, and is testing boundaries which is fine. She’s a source of love and joy, and we’re grateful for this special girl in our lives right now.

And my little brag–I got her to go in her kennel on her own for the first time yesterday! She may not do it again tonight, but it’s still a big step for her.

Okay let’s get to our Wednesday Worthy Candidate. I found him on Depositphotos yesterday.

What do you think, is he worthy?