A Road Trip, a New Book, and Some Writing Encouragement // July 2022

Summer is nearly over! My family has had a busy summer, and school starts in just two weeks! July was different than I expected, but I enjoyed it and made some wonderful memories.

Life

• Helped at VBS

My church hosts VBS (Vacation Bible School) every year, along with three other churches in the community. This year, the theme was the sanctity of life, and the country was Australia.

The VBS coordinator had asked me to plan the 2-4 year olds class. It was the first time I had planned something that big, and it was a little stressful, yet I had a lot of fun. The little ones loved the rice and playdough we had for sensory play, and another favorite activity was burying the little Australian animals in the sand outside.

The first day, I was a little nervous and unsure how it would go. But it went great, the kids had such a fun time, and I had amazing helpers who were wonderful with the children! 

• Went to Florida 

My family traveled back down to Florida when we got the call that my grandfather was in the hospital. My parents and uncle spent most of their days at the hospital, while my sister and I stayed at the house with my grandmother. We helped her with dishes and things, but a lot of our time was spent reading, writing, or watching movies. While we were there, the temperature was typically in the nineties with high humidity, so we didn’t spend a lot of time outside.

One morning, though, before Mom left for the hospital, we went for a walk on a little side road in the development where my grandparents live. Something I noticed about the wildflowers I saw were that they were vibrant reds, yellows, andpink. Where I live, the wildflowers are often soft pastel colors, so it was different seeing bright ones along the road!

• Went to Knoebels with family

Every year, my family goes to Knoebels together. Knoebels is an amusement park I’ve been going to as long as I can remember. Usually when we go, it’s a hot summer day and the children get hot and tired quickly. But not this time! It was a beautiful clear day with a refreshing breeze blowing all afternoon. It was one of the coolest days we’ve had this summer.

My favorite ride has always been the Italian swings, but for the last four years they’ve been closed for construction. I was hoping they would be open this year, but unfortunately, they weren’t. Instead, I went on the train, antique cars, and the carousel with my cousins, nieces, and nephews. We had a lovely time and got a group selfie where everyone was looking! With so many little ones, that can be hard to do. But it turned out great and it’s my new favorite family photo.

Reading

• The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

My friend loaned me the Penderwicks series, and I just finished the second book. The Penderwicks at Point Mouette is my favorite so far. I enjoyed reading about the things the children did on the beach and around their beach house. I’m super excited for the next book, The Penderwicks in Spring!

• Cascade

Cascade is the second book in Lisa T. Bergren’s River of Time series. I first found it at the church library, and immediately fell in love with the series. My favorite characters are definitely the Betarrini sisters, and as a person who has always been fascinated with time travel, their adventures in the fourteenth century are intriguing. 

• The Star That Always Stays

Y’all, if you haven’t read this book yet, you really should! The Star That Always Stays just came out on July twelfth, and it is such a sweet historical fiction about a girl named Norvia who learns about faith, family, and fitting in. I’ve already read it three times, and I’m positive I’ll read it more before the month is over.

Writing

• Started planning my NaNoWriMo project

I attempted NaNoWriMo last year for the first time, and while I didn’t win, I learned a lot and gained experience for the next time. This year, I’ve started planning my project in advance and already have the basic plot done! Hopefully soon I’ll be ready to move on to outlining, my favorite part.

• Wrote a motivational statement 

As part of an event my friend Pearl hosted, I wrote a writing motivation statement for myself for when I’m feeling discouraged about writing: “You are a writer. When it gets hard, don’t give up. You don’t have to write the next bestseller or have a huge platform, just write with the passion and joy God has given you for words. On the days when it takes an hour to write 200 words, and on the days when you write 3,000 words or more, thank Him for that. It’s not always going to be easy. Nothing ever is. But keep going. Climb that mountain. The view on top will be so worthwhile.”

How was your July? Did you get to do any family activities? If you took a vacation, where did you go?

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