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Location. Location. Location. Description. Description. Description.
25 Tuesday Sep 2012
Posted Best Web Sites for Writers, Inspiration, Travel, Writing
in25 Tuesday Sep 2012
Posted Best Web Sites for Writers, Inspiration, Travel, Writing
in13 Friday Jul 2012
Posted Inspiration, Photography, Travel
inTags
beautiful, Bishop Leo Michael, Blog, chipmunks, Colorado, Estes Park, friends, Holly Michael, lake, Lily Lake, mountains, photography, scenery, St. James Anglican Church, travel, trees, www.writingstraight.com
Traveled to Estes Park, Colorado and everyone there was so friendly. Met a new friend right away.
We both enjoyed the beautiful view around Lily Lake…
And my other really good friend (husband) enjoyed the day, too…
And so did Christine, our friend and teenage fellow traveler and parish member from St. James Anglican Church in Kansas City.
Then, we headed back into town…
…saw a beautiful church built on rocks.
Had lunch. This was the view across the sidewalk from the restaurant patio where we ate:
…beautiful place…shops on one side of the walk, river on the other, surrounded by mountains.
Got back home and discovered my blogger friend, Virginia, over at Poeta officium, tagged me in her blog. Thanks Virginia. I’ll answer your questions below, then tag some other friends. Traveling, friends, playing tag. It’s all good!
These are Virginia’s questions (it’s all part of the game):
1/ If you could change your name, what would you change it to and why? I like my name. Holly. It’s me. I was born around Christmas so it fits, but I also appreciate Christian names and like my grandmother’s name: Celeste.
2/ Name 3 things you couldn’t live without (not people or animals): I might not die without coffee & chocolate (but not willing to give them up and take the chance) but I might come close to death without my laptop, kindle, and iPhone.
3/ Which do you prefer – beach or forest? Why? Easy, forest. Take a look at the pictures above. I love the serenity of the forest. Trees are my friends. They make me happy.
4/ Do you have a ‘I need to do this by the time I am ……‘ age? Which one is it? Though I’m published, I’d like to get my first novel published before I turn another year older. (see how I avoided mentioning my age.)
5/ Laptop or desktop? Which one do you prefer? Absolutely lap top. It has to be willing to go where ever I go.
6/ Are you still friends with your best friend from childhood? Does Facebook friend count? Then, yes.
7/ If you could critique any book, which one would it be? Gone With the Wind. Why? First one that popped into my mind and one of my favs.
8/ Describe your perfect day? I just showed my photos of it above.
9/ Where in the world do you feel most at home? Since I travel around quite a bit, I’m home when I’m with my husband and kids.
10/ Do you talk with your hands (ie do you gesture wildly when you talk?) Yes, I must often sit on my hands to stop from hurting people.
11/ How well do you know the history of your country of birth? Interesting question because when my husband opened the book to study for his citizenship test several years ago, he already knew more about the United States than I did. I learned a few things.
And now my turn to tag. Since Victoria’s questions were good, I’ll pass the same one’s along and ask the tagees to answer them and to tag others. (Though feel free to make up questions for their tagees.) Here are some friends with wonderful blogs:
1. Christian Mihai at http://cristianmihai.net/
2. Kate @ 40 is the new 30
4. Enjoyed this inspirational post today from Eddie Poole’s blog
5. Terry 1954: Inspirational stories that touch your heart
6. Gracie’s Quest: Awe inspiring
8. This Corner of the Woods: Wonderful Photo Blog
9. I was thinking the other day about
10. Lynn Dove’s Journey Thoughts
12. New Friend. Author Sherri Wilson Johnson Great blogger
13. See My Travels, another new friend and great blog site
Enjoy all of my friends, even the fuzzy one at the beginning of the blog. Thanks for coming by!
27 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted Books, Crooked Lines, Football, Inspiration, Monday's Connections
inTags
ABNA, Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award, Betsy Byrne, Blog, Crooked Lines, Diana Symon, Dreams Come True, Holly Michael, Iona, Jake Byrne, NFL Draft 2012, Nick Byrne, Novel, photography, Scotland, travel, www.writingstraight.com
No Monday Connections this week. No Tuesday Book Review. Wednesday’s sneaking up on me. But I have an excuse and lots of good news to share. (I feel like that happy sheep in the meadow that I photographed on the Island of Iona in Scotland.)
First the excuse for no blogs: The last few days, my husband and I had traveled to the east coast on church business.
Now before I share my flood of good news, since I missed Monday Connections, I’d like to mention Diana Symon’s (Christian Writer, Thinker, Dreamer) blog post today: When Dreams Come True because it connects with this blog post
Here’s what I read on Diana’s blog: May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose. Psalms 20:4 When I think about how wildly awesome God is, I love Him more. He wants to give me my heart’s desire. He wants to make my dreams come true…
Diana’s inspirational post continues, and I encourage others to hop over there to read the rest. Visit her blog any time you need inspiration. I love her blog. And I love that God is making dreams come true.
A few months earlier, I’d traveled to the west coast for Jake’s Rose Bowl game and discovered this water stain on the sidewalk in front of the room where we stayed. (For more on this story, click here)
I stood before this image and prayed for a long time, asking God to heal sick friends, to bless loved ones who needed blessings, and to bless my husband and our church. I also prayed special intentions for my children’s futures and for my novel. I asked Mother Mary to pray before the Lord, for the same.
Click here for more of the story: NFL Aspirations and Novelist Dreams.
I thank God for hearing and answering those prayers. Incredible blessings are rolling into our lives now. Jake did well at his Pro Day and is hopeful about the upcoming draft. My youngest son, Nick got offered a football scholarship from Arkansas State and Betsy, my daughter, is making her plans to study abroad in England become a reality. (Nick and Betsy below)
And my novel, Crooked Lines, is now an ABNA (Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award) quarter-finalist. You can download and read the first three chapters for free here.
Diana Symon’s is right. Read the rest of her post. God is wildly awesome, and I remain humble and grateful for His blessings and that He wants to make all of our dreams come true. I’ll keep you posted! More to come soon!
23 Friday Mar 2012
Posted Guest Blogging, Journeys: In Writing and Life, Photography
inTags
Blog, Debi O'Neille, Guest Blogging, Holly Michael, Journey, photography, travel, Wind River Canyon, Writing, Writing Against the Wind, www.writingstraight.com, Wyoming
Today I am guest blogging at http://debioneille.blogspot.com/. I chat with Debi O’Neille about my journeys and learnings in writing, especially ghostwriting,
And speaking of journeys….
A couple of photos I shot on a journey through The Wind River Canyon area during a trip to Casper, Wyoming. May all of your journeys be blessed!
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