Since I posted about the Black Friday Book Sale on Friday, my weekly photo post got pushed to today :)
And I had a lovely, flowery post all planned out. Alas, I ended up going to a friends house to discuss photo's to print for my show this weekend and that is how it came to be 11:30 PM and I cannot summon the energy to think up something clever for you all :)
These photos were from a week ago Saturday when we had our first snow fall! And it was impressive! I believe we got 9 inches in all...that's a lot for a first snow! It hung around for a few days, then melted off. But I'm sure it will be coming back soon.
My favorite photo is my sweet Bannie. Isn't he handsome? What are your favorites?

After several weeks of trying to get a semi-clear photo of little Wild Willy, I have succeeded! He's really cute! The second photo is him with his mother,Molly. These are Mini Herefords.

Like most other bookworms, great books make their way onto my “things I’m thankful for” list every year. It’s hard to choose favorites, but  I went ahead and picked five books I read in 2015 and am thankful for.

1. Grace Triumphant by Alicia A. Willis
2. A Mighty Fortress by Faith Blum
3. The Fragrance of Geraniums, by Alicia G. Ruggeri
4. It Took A War, by Emily Putzke
5. From the Dark to the Dawn by Alicia A. Willis

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to another great year of reading! Speaking of more reading, here’s one more thing to be grateful for. Books on sale! In honor of Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a group of independent Christian authors banded together to offer over seventy discounted books on Nov 27-30. There’s literally something for everyone.
Every single book listed on Indie Christian Books is on sale in one or more ways. Find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if you have a budget of $0, new reading material awaits you.
Don’t know what to pick? The fearless Indie Christian Books team created a quiz that will generate a book list perfect for you! Check it out!

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was great...there were babies to cuddle :) We've had a good number of comments on the What are you Thankful For? post. Keep them coming!

Hey all my wonderful blog readers!

You are probably busy getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Hopefully you are sharing this holiday with friends or family :) I will be gathering with my mom's side of the family, around forty people in all I believe! We will be enjoying some Lebanese food, which I am really looking forward too.

Thanksgiving is pretty much the only holiday my family celebrates, so it's a pretty special occasion, at least for me. I really enjoy this time of year...everything about it is great!

So to celebrate Thanksgiving on the blog this year, I am hosting a Thankfulness Giveaway.
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling us at least one thing you are thankful for. Feel free to share more than one thing!

On Thursday, December 3rd, one winner will be chosen, who will receive their choice of either a $10 Starbucks gift card, or a $10 Amazon gift card.

Please make sure the email you enter when you comment is a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.

Be sure to share this with your friends! Let's see how many things we are thankful for this year.

To kick start the giveaway, I will share five things I am thankful for...

Your turn! Ready. Set. Go!

Just a quick note here: Due to a special Black Friday announcement, Photo Friday will be changed to Photo Monday this week. Be sure to check back...I have some great images from our first snow to share with you all :)

Well, I've had a few requests for a writing update...I don't really have much to update you all on, but I'll give it a shot!

As the title of this post suggests, my writing life has been (nearly) non-existent. On one hand, it's been a good thing. On the other, it's been very frustrating.

But after really struggling to find time each day to sit down and write, whether it be a blog post or book, I decided to only write if I felt inspired to and that has relieved a lot of stress the last month or so.

I know by the book you are supposed to make time to write every day and I tried that for awhile, but in the end, I feel it hurt my productivity because I felt pressured into writing. And if you feel pressured, not inspired, we all know what happens then.

Hence the reason for a recent lack of blog posts.

And the lack of new material to share with you :)

I tend to write best in the winter months, not really because I have more time, but because I feel more inclined to snuggle down with a soft blanket, a cup of coffee or tea and stare at my computer screen. (Do any of you other writers out there find the same to be true for you?)
Although, I may not have all that much time for writing this winter, more on that in a minute.

First, I'd like to share with you an image I put together with a snippet from one of my favorites parts to date from Be Still My Soul.

I love writing about Sarah...she's so sweet and sincere. Here's a very short humorous excerpt:

As I started to pull away from the cleared window, I found myself nose to nose with a face on the other side.
          Screaming, I stumbled backwards, tripped over something under the snow and landed flat on my back in a huge drift. The snow caved in over me until I was completely buried.
          I floundered around, sinking deeper into the drift. The snow was cold and heavy, making the dampness seep even further into my clothes.
          Finally, I managed to get some leverage and pushed myself up and out of the drift. As soon as my head cleared the snow, I yanked off my gloves and wiped the snow out of my eyes so I could see.
          I raised my eyes to the window and saw Sarah's little face framed by one of the panes, tiny hand pressed tightly over her mouth. I was certain her shoulders were not shaking from the cold. I was cold, wet and exhausted, but I couldn't help laughing with her. I must have looked ridiculous.

This is unedited, so excuse any errors, but can't you just see city girl Adah floundering around in that snow drift? I chuckle every time this scene comes to mind :)

With my recent lack of inspiration, I am disappointed to announce that I will  not be able to meet my goal for a December publication.

I have, however, reached my goal of 40,000 words! It's looking like this novella may turn into a novel :) I'm not getting my hopes up, but I am aiming to have this book published by spring. I don't have too much more to do, so even with everything else going on that should be plenty of time. I am very jealous right now of you writers who can turn out a book in a few weeks.

Now, on to some more exciting news...

I am very excited to, Lord willing, be headed to Guatemala for two weeks in February! A group from the Dunkard Brethren church here in Michigan is going there on a missions trip and I will hopefully be tagging along!

I am very excited, and very nervous! I've never flown and  never been out of the country except into Canada, so this will be a very interesting experience. I do not any Spanish, but am trying to learn a few words and phrases so I'm not 100% lost :)

I don't have an itinerary, but I know we will be going to several cities leading crusades (revival meetings). Please be in prayer that getting the tickets goes smoothly, along with all the other planning that needs to happen before February 16th.

I don't have many details right now, but I will share more as it gets closer to the date.
I am also attending the Dunkard Brethren Bible School in Ohio in January. This will be my third year attending and I am very excited!

On Nov. 28th and Dec. 5th I will be taking my books and framed photos to craft shows...I've had great success with live events in the past, so hopefully the results will be the same :)

Do any of you other authors/writers experience a writing slump this time of year? What do you use to motivate yourself? How do you find inspiration when you are feeling uninspired?

Until Friday...adios!

If you read my post from Monday, you already know that we spent Saturday at Niagara Falls. It was my first time seeing the falls and it was pretty incredible!
I was pleased with how my photos came out and I was able to get some really good ones after sorting through the nearly 900 photos I took :)
My favorite part about the falls was all the rainbows we saw. They were incredible! I think we saw around ten in just an hour or so including two double rainbows! The first photo here is my favorite...I've never had the chance to get a double rainbow shot until this one.

Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? Would you like to go someday? What is your favorite photo?

For those of you who have asked, a writing update is coming next week so be sure to join us!

I had an entirely different post ready for today...but some spectacular events unfolded over the course of this weekend and I just had to share them with you all!

I can't say exactly how long ago it was that I first met KaraAnn on Google+, but it was six to eight months ago. We had some things in common, horses for one and our faith for two. We chatted occasionally, commenting on each other's posts and sharing horses stories.

Through KaraAnn, I was invited to be part of the Pictures of Praise group, a group that shares photos that give glory to God. I shared a few photos and became slightly acquainted with two other young people that I sensed had some connection to KaraAnn, but I was unaware what it was at the time.

A month ago, my parents took an anniversary trip to Niagara Falls. The falls are only about five hours from where we live, but they had never been there is 26 years of marriage. So they spent some time at the falls, then traveled on to New York State and visited a church called Antioch that we had heard about through some friends who used to live in Michigan, but move to New York State and were going to a sister church to Antioch.

They had a wonderful time at the church and enjoyed meeting new families and catching up with our old friends.

Dad really wanted us kids to experience this church, so we headed out on Saturday, spent the afternoon at Niagara Falls (more on that on Friday...I took nearly 900 photos) and then went on to New York where we spent the night at a motel since our RV had already been winterized.

Late Saturday evening, I got a message from KaraAnn, saying she wished she would have known we were at Niagara Falls as she only lived fifty minutes from there and would have driven up to meet me. We chatted back and forth for awhile, discussing the possibility of meeting in the future. This was the longest conversation we had had and as I was relaying the conversation to my dad the next morning, he said I should have invited her to join us at Antioch for church.

We got to discussing where KaraAnn said she lived and my dad voiced the idea that perhaps Antioch was KaraAnn's church. I laughed at the idea, thinking it was too crazy to be true, but in the back of my mind, I wondered if it was possible.

I sent her a message saying I thought she lived close to where we were headed and mentioned Antioch. Her mom answered my message and informed me that Antioch was their church and that KaraAnn would be there! I just about fell off my seat from the shock....there was no way this could be happening!

But it was! I was elated to be about to meet my online friend. When we arrived at the church, I was shocked to find that I knew two other people from Google+ and several recognized me! I have never, ever had something like this happen to me. I found that KaraAnn's family and mine had much more in common than I thought. (Later, KaraAnn told me she had thought about inviting us to church when we were chatting Saturday night!)

My family has been searching for a church for 14 years and we have visited many, many new churches during that time. I always feel a tiny bit of dread when walking into a new church with people I do not know. I was blessed to feel at home at Antioch. Having someone to chat with that I actually knew, even just an online acquaintance was so nice! This is why I do not believe in coincidences!

Have any of you ever experienced something like this? Something that showed you that God puts people in your life for a reason?

This week, instead of being behind the camera, I'm in the line of fire for a change :)
Mom was kind enough to take some action photos of Smoke and I tearing up the turf. I've been riding Smoke bareback while her shoulder heals because if we have the security of a saddle, we both tend to overdue it. Riding bareback keeps us moving a little slower!
I don't mind though, because I really prefer bareback riding to riding with a saddle...it's so much easier to feel my horse and there is a deeper kinship when you have rely on the horse to stay one. It helps me concentrate on my position and the feeling of freedom is just the best.
An added bonus is a preheated seat in the winter, who likes to sit on cold leather!?
Anyway, I love how some of these images turned out. The fall colors complimented Smoke's coat so nicely and the lighting was just right for great photos. Mom got some really good action photos that really show off Smoke's fire! The first photo is my favorite because we are both wearing such intense looks!
I really appreciate the time Smoke and I have had together. We have been through a lot, there were times I was scared to death of her because of how much speed and power she had, but something changed after our accident and we are wonderful partners. I never have to worry about her spooking, running away or hurting me. She takes great care to protect me and loves our long rides. In fact, I have not been riding her much because of her shoulder injury and she is depressed and angry with me....she will turn around and walk the other way if I do not have a bridle in my hands when I come see her! She loves to work. If she sees the bridle, she will come put her head in it for me!
We will have been together for three years in January. And for the last two years, she has not had a bit in her mouth. We ride bitless and it has done wonders for our relationship. Smoke is a very special girl.
Do you have a favorite? Do you have a special animal friend, or have had one in the past? What was something special you shared with them?

I have been attempting to catch Wild Willy out in the open for some photos, but every time I spot him he is either in such a position that I can't get the photos, or I don't have my camera! I have noticed that he has been hanging out under the apple tree early in the morning, so I'm going to try to get out there early and catch him.
He is staying small and cute so far, we'll see what kind of opportunities this next week affords :)