Where does your blogging inspiration come from? My dream in life is to be a published author. Not only that, but to have people say, “Did you read the new book out by Rachel Rennie? It’s awesome. I can’t wait for the next one.” I doubt that I will ever be on the same realm of Stephen King, and because I write romance, chances are I would never even share a shelf with him. In seeking publication for my novel “Candle Lake” I was told I needed an author platform. I needed to build an audience. And the more I write, the better I feel. To know that I am sharing my stories and imagination with people all over the world is exciting and rewarding. Is your blogging simply a hobby? What kind of dreams do you have for it? Yes it is a hobby. One day, writing will be my full time career. And my blog will be where I showcase my work and sell my books. What is your support system like and who are your biggest supporters? My biggest supports are my husband and our children. Who supports me other than them? Strangers around the world! My friends on Google+. What are 10 random facts about you? (Eeeek!) 1. Growing up in a small northern town I was completely out of place and my accent didn’t match. I had adapted everyone’s accent and made it my own! 2. I love to organize everything but for some reason find it difficult to organize my time! 3. The very first book I ever wrote was when I was in college. Sadly, the 3.5” floppy disk it was one got broken. 4. I have a poem published in Washington at the court house. I wrote it when I was 12. Being young, I never kept a copy of it. 5. My oldest son and I have been involved in Scouting for 5 years! I was a Scout Leader for 2.5 years then became the Group Commissioner. It saddened me to have to resign from this position after 2.5 years. 6. I hate bugs and camping but am more of a Scout mom then I am a dance mom! The first time I had to do my daughter’s stage make up I was so nervous. 7. I used to work as a Document Control Supervisor with an Engineering firm in the Oil & Gas Industry. I now work in Health Care as an admin assistant. 8. Since I was little, I always said I would have four babies. 9. In my mind’s eye I am an awesome dancer. It’s too bad my feet don’t follow along! 10. I love that my kids have adapted my love for books and will never punish them for wanting to read, “just one more page mommy” when we all know that it means another chapter! What do you enjoy most about blogging? To be able to share my stories with the world at no cost. Knowing that people are enjoying my writing. It is a sense of acceptance in a way. A sense of worth. What do you do when you feel overwhelmed with too many tasks at once? Panic. Write notes so I make sure I don’t forget anything. Then happily check off the items with a sense of accomplishment! What would you do with a large sum of money given to you? What would I NOT do?!! What was one of the most moving books or movies you have ever seen? I will never forget when I saw Passion of the Christ. I was so angry and sad. Reading the Bible is one thing, to see it brought to “life” puts it on a completely different level. “Love you Forever” by Robert Munsch is the most moving book for me. My husband gave it to me for Mother’s Day, which is also our oldest son’s birthday. I read it to my son every night at bedtime for two years. Then I read it to both him and his younger sister every night for two years. And then to them and their younger sister every night for two years! And then…I had I memorized and just said it to all four of my children all of the time and still do! As the children got older though, we also needed to read the Harry Potter series as well as MANY other books! Do you have a bucket list? Name 5 things on that. 1. To go on a cross Canada trip in a motorhome with my family. 2. To take a train ride through the mountains with my family. 3. To write full time and quit my day job. 4. To own a large house where our kids will return to with their babies. 5. To have a honeymoon Where would you like to see yourself in the next couple of years? 2 years? Published! 5 years? Buying a home and helping our oldest into college/university (yikes) What is your single best piece of advice for someone starting out in the blogging world? Be honest and true to yourself. Put forth your best effort. It is a reflection of who you are. I would like to nominate these bloggers:
1. Matt Banner – Want to know something about blogging? Look him up! And I love how he interacts with his readers. 2. Paul White – A writer who always posts something that I enjoy reading. 3. Luna Darcy – Always posting things I can relate to and makes me smile. Also, it’s all in the name “Organized Lunacy”. Apologies to my other fellow bloggers who I hugely respect but I probably didn’t choose you as you’ve already been nominated. And to the nominees, please feel free to ignore this nomination, you may very well have been nominated before and I just don’t know about it – but I for one would be interested in putting you in the hot-seat!
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Ok…before you judge me you must know. I am a curious person. I am also a bit of a lazy person, I suppose. But I will make excuses as to why that is until the cows come home. But I guess that defeats the purpose, right? Making excuses I mean. I just wanted “help”. I wanted to make this journey a little easier. I wanted help to be successful. To be honest, I doubt my own ability to be successful. Why? Well, it’s simply really. There is thing out there called food. And food is good to me. It helps me celebrate when I’m happy and things are going good in my life and it helps me feel better when I am down. So this offer came up, and I took it. I bought “the” pills that are all the rave right now. I mean, the marketing is pretty good out there. The testimonials support it. How many fake liars can there possibly be out there in the world. Surely there must be some truth in their claims.
Well, I can say I have not lost any weight taking these pills. Not a pound. And I have not gained muscle either because I have not been working out consistently. What I can say is that it has helped me with my emotional eating. And my boredom eating. And my cravings. And they did give me a bit more energy. I stopped taking the pills right now because I want to take them while I am working out. But I have been so tired and yawning so much, I am thinking of starting again. Mind you, I am also trying to quit coffee. My husband says my coffee addiction is not helping me with my health journey. He’s a smart man and I know there are many others out there that seem to agree with him. These are the pills I bought. I did extensive research first and ensured I bought ones with Calcium, Chromium and Potassium and with 1000mg of HCA. I can’t tell you why it is so important, I just remember reading that it was. This isn’t a review; just my experience. The old me would whine and cry, "I failed." Then I would proceed to eat everything in sight to help me feel better. In the moment, it works but the satisfaction doesn't last long. Well, Easter was no exception. But Easter is over and I can't sit here and pout forever.
I need to make the time and make the change. I need to get back up and keep moving forward towards my goals. I have a lot going on in my life, but that doesn't mean I can't stop for a moment and enjoy a walk in the fresh air with my children. Right now, at least it is something. As for my love of food, I need to make a commitment to myself. What is more important to me? The food I am enjoying in the moment in a body that I am not pleased with? Or the food that gives my body what it needs to be healthy and strong so I can be happy with what I see in the mirror? Or, better yet, the body I am working towards so that it can sustain a long life and be here to not only watch my children grow but to be active in their growth. My wagon bounced down the trail of Easter and went off track. I would even say that I fell right off that stinking wagon, but, I can get back on track. And I will. Being healthy and fit is not a fad, it is a lifestyle. For me, the obvious answer of what I am passionate about is my family and their success. As tiring as it is, I am always there to provide support to my husband and our four kids. To be honest, there are times where it is really difficult for me and I get a little selfish. For example, when my husband needs to write and I have had an emotional day and need attention. In the big picture, I want to provide my children with the knowledge and the tools they need to be successful in life. A part of that comes from instilling morals and ethics, to know right from wrong, to have compassion and understanding, to know that they are not perfect but to believe in themselves and always put forth their best effort, to be challenged to go that step further, and most importantly to know love and acceptance. My family is my number one passion, most definitely. There was a time that I was passionate about working out. I had to do it. I started slow and built my strength and stamina to be able to do these workouts that I thought were just crazy. I never thought I could do them. I would watch these videos in awe. These women were amazing. One night, while watching one of the videos with my husband, I had commented on how crazy it was and said, “I wish I could do that.” His response, “Why can’t you?” sparked what would grow into a burning inferno. Why couldn't I do that? Sure, in that exact moment I would probably end up lying on the floor gasping for air like a fish out of water, but if I started to work towards that goal, I could do that. So, I did. I worked every day. It was never easy, because if there was a day that was easy, I pushed harder before I was done. The workouts I did were High Intensity Interval Training; better known as a HiiT. I tell ya, it was a HiiT! A HiiT of endorphin and sometimes exhaustion. I was so proud of myself. Then something changed. I was putting on weight. I was not getting smaller. The passion and the challenge started out with simply being able to complete a HiiT without killing myself. But then, I wanted to look like those women and I was moving in the wrong direction. I became obsessed. When I didn't see the results I wanted, I would get depressed and binge eat. Then I would get angry at myself because my body fat percentages would go up. It became a vicious circle; one that, soon enough, I could no longer control. So, I stopped it all. Well, not all. Food was still a comfort. I miss my HiiTs. Sadly, I need to start at the beginning. That is really okay with me. I may or may not ever look like those women but I do need to be comfortable in my own skin. Right now I simply am not and it is affecting my life. Through good times and bad, my true passion gets me through. Words. Whether it be creative writing, writing in my art journal, scrapbooking or even reading. I am passionate about words! I love to read and I love to write. If I can’t find something I want to read, I’ll write something I wish I could read. And as for my passion… let’s just say that my husband and I have four beautiful children. My husband showers me with love and attention. I’m told that I’m spoiled. I believe that it’s ok to be spoiled if the one who loves you doesn't mind spoiling you. I will not comment about my sexual passions specifically. Those are private between me and my husband. Please comment below or on my Google+ or my FaceBook post and tell me …
What are you passionate about? © Rachel Rennie They are unique and individual. Each has a personality all its own given to them by their creator. They come in any color imaginable. They can be crazy or they can be sweet but what they all have in common is a smile. A smile that cannot compare to that of its creator but one that always brings a smile to my face. It all started with a gift card and a trip to the book store.
“Momma, can we go to the big store?” my littlest one asks with his arms spread open wide and a grin just as large. “Sure, we have time.” I smile at him. “Yay,” they all shout with glee. Their excitement hums in the air. I’m sure the neighbors can hear them. With my four little ones in tow we head out the door. I can’t help but smile as I listen to them tell one another what they are going to buy. They are anxious to get to the big book store. Once there, we go to the children’s area where I am pulled in three directions. My oldest son announces that he is going to find his novel and my oldest daughter is headed towards the craft books. I walk around with the younger two and look at books filled with trucks and spaceships, princesses and wild animals. The smell of paper housing new worlds sparks my imagination. After much debate we make our way to the register. New adventures await them and they are eager to begin. Each with a bag in hand and a bright smile on their face, we head home. I open the door to the house and they all run straight to daddy’s office to tell him what they bought. They all speak so quickly and all at once that I am not really sure if he even hears any of them. He smiles and gives them each a kiss on the head before they run off to a comfy spot. My oldest daughter goes to the craft cupboard and picks the brightest ball of yarn there is. She sits at the table with her new book. Flipping through the pages, she stops and her grin grows. Thirty minutes later she presents her father with a token of love, a critter ready to rock out with an awesome guitar. She settles back in her spot at the table and begins again. This time she has a gift for her big brother; a critter ready for gaming with a game controller. Her sister’s critter comes wearing a tiara and for her little brother, sunglasses. “Momma?” she holds her hands behind her back. “Yes Miss?” I smile at her wondering what she has in store for me. “Thank you for taking us to the book store,” her face lights up and her smile is bright as she holds out her hands to me upon which sits a little critter with a flower. “It’s adorable,” I smile, proud of my daughter. “Thank you.” She gives me a hug and I kiss the top of her head. Like the “Tribbles” from Star Trek, once you have one they multiply exponentially. Thankfully for me, these Pom Pom Monsters spread love, not trouble. (C) Rachel Rennie |