National Novel Writing Month

I was one of thousands who accepted the challenge to write 50,000 words in one month. The month of November is the dreaded month. It is probably one of the busiest times of the year for most people. It was a goal that I accepted, and when I set out to do something I usually accomplish what I aim for.

Today, November 20th, at about 7 pm I reached my goal. It was a big relief and one I wasn't sure I would reach. I like to write, but never have I tried to fit so much writing time into my life before. Usually, I'm happy if I get a blog written and maybe 1,000 words in a day.

I could not have accomplished this without the encouragement and help from many people. My husband allowed me space and time to write whenever I wanted. I'm sure he was as relieved as I was went the goal was reached. My daugher Annette kept asking me how I was doing. Many friends asked how many words I had written, and encouraged me to keep going. The Authors Incognito group really made me push. I didn't want to be behind anyone, and so I pushed harder than I normally would have. It was great having so much support.

I'm happy to say that I'm done. I doubt that I'll ever try this again, but now I know I can do it.

Mother Encouraged and Supported Me

As a young child, while living in Orem, I was encouraged to develop my musical talents. My parents enrolled me in private lessons with a violin teacher Mr. Childs. He lived on the other end of town, which was a long ways away from us. Sometimes my parents drove me there and sometimes I rode the bus. I took lessons from him for a couple of years, and then our family moved to Spanish Fork.



There I joined the school orchestra. My parents never missed coming to any of our concerts although I’ve often wondered how they could endure liestening to us, because I thought we sounded awful. As the years passed and I started high school, the quality of the concerts did improve. It was encouraging to look out and see my mother’s face watching me as I prepared to play.

My parents enrolled me in dance classes and encouraged me to participate in school and church functions. Because of their support, I often participate in various activities. I can honestly say that whenever I committed to act in a play, dance, sing a solo or play a violin number my parents were always there watching me.