New possibilities...

It's been a while, I know - I'm sorry - I have a lot going on at the moment and I have now taken on something new!  Filling my life with positivity and all that to try and counteract some of the crap!  And I have to say that it is working - positivity attracts positivity!  

To start with, I have written my new short story!  It is almost through the editing process too - then it will be going online as an Amazon Kindle book!  Exciting times or what?!  I am like a small child in a sweet shop with how excited I am about it!  When it is up and ready to go I will post the link don't you worry about it - it will be everywhere I can get it!  I will put up a post on here, I will plaster it across Facebook and I will put a link to it on my Instagram page too!  I can't wait!!  
To add to this, I decided to do something a little bit different and have signed up for a Novel Writing Course online...  Exciting times!  It is just a way of generating ideas and hopefully getting some feedback on my ways of writing!  I figured it couldn't hurt, and it was at an amazing price!  Something to keep me busy when I find myself at a loose end.  It has no deadlines to it, so I can complete it at my own pace and see where it takes me.

I have stepped up my hours at the Co-op now, as anyone who uses the shop knows - I spend more waking hours there some days that I do at home!  There are no complaints from me, it keeps me busy, it is a good place to work this time around and it is bringing in the pennies to fund my new lifestyle as a writer!  Following the dream!  It's time that I pursued this properly if I ever actually want to get somewhere!!  So this is me taking that step!  

Despite the rain, I have gotten back to running, all be it with a little push and a new running companion...  Jayne, we need to go again!  See if I can still run all the way around Treeton Dyke!  So that is keeping me fit (Well sort of) - at the moment I am doing a better job of nearly dying than actually running - I left it for too long, it's like starting from scratch!  I will get there though.  We are running three miles around Rother Valley, I was running all two miles around Treeton, I am doing a poor job so far, but I intend to get running around the entire lake eventually!!  Give me time, I'll get there - I'm dedicated!  

I have got to see some friends too, and have more lined up to catch up with the ones I don't get to see very often.  Stacey came up for a night out not long ago and Sammy and I dragged out the guys from work!  Was a good night - too many cocktails, a lot of dancing and a serious headache the next day - I think I'm finally getting old haha!  

Vicksy has been knocking about a few times so I have gotten to see her a few times - I'm hoping that I have persuaded her to come play at the seaside with me at the end of August!  We'll see :)

And to come I am waiting on Pete for the adventures to start, and have several other things lined up including the family holiday to the coast next month!  Excited much!?  I can't wait - time to go play in the sea Sammy!!!

I am slacking a little on my usual photo taking - I'm not sure what's been happening... I have been out in town twice, been out a few times to the pictures etc and have taken little to no photos!  Not good!  I need to make up for it - starting tonight... So the work crew should beware!  We're off out tonight with employees old and new to celebrate one of our own retiring!  He will be missed!  I intend on taking photos - lots of them - you have been warned!

In my time recently I have also done a lot of doggy sitting, and I just have to share this...  Sammy and I watched Titanic on TV and when we heard this line it was one of those moments that just couldn't go by undocumented!  It was the perfect moment haha!

And on top of all that there is someone doing a very good job of keeping a smile on my face these days!  He knows who he is!  So all in all, life is pretty darn good!  And those closest to me know how much it means to be able to say that!  :)

Stay positive, and keep your eyes open for my stories!
Louby xx

Why do we fall?

So, the last few days have seen me get some pretty good advice, though I hate to admit it, it has actually got to me and made me think about a few things.  It may not have been his advice, he totally stole it from Coach Carter, but he delivered it well.  With everything that I have going on in my life right now, it hit home well...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

It took me a while to get my head around this, because my blonde side turned around and went 'don't be daft, of course it's our fears that scare us,' but after some thought, it's right...  All the things that I am afraid of, it's the ones that I am good at and am afraid of failing that scare me most.  

The video that I was told to watch hits home with a lot of quotes, and I have included some more through out this post, but in all honesty, I suggest that you watch it too.  

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgmVOuLgFB0)

All quotes in italic are pulled from the video;

no copyright intended.

You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.

But it ain't about how hard you hit.

It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

How much you can take and keep moving forward.

And it's right.  Nothing and nobody can even begin to come close to the things that life throws our way.  I've sprouted my quotes before about taking life in your stride.  My two favourites being - 

(Both images pulled from Google - no copyright intended)

So yeah, I know the theory, we all do.  As the video puts it so bluntly 'If you want something, go get it. Period.'  But is it that easy?  First of all you have to know what it is that you want.

You have to dig deep down, dig deep down and ask yourselves,

Who do you want to be?

Figuring out for yourselves what makes you happy,

No matter how crazy it may sound to other people.

Make a choice.

Just decide,

What it's gonna be, who you're gonna be, how you're going to do it.

Just decide.

Once you know what it is you want, all you have to do is fight for it, and keep fighting for it until you achieve it.  When life knocks you back, you damn well get up and fight some more.  Nothing should stand in the way of your dreams, nothing should ever stand between you and what will make you happy.

Get up, and don't ever give up.

So to answer the question; why do we fall?  We fall to prove that we can get back up again of course!!  And you only have to get up once more than the amount of times you fall...  That's doable, as long as you never give up!  Don;t be afraid of anything, specially not your dreams!

Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.

Remember that!
Louby xx

Oblivion!!

Well they always say that you never know how you'll handle something until you are put in the situation.  Generally, I think that phrase is meant about situations a little more serious that the one that I am referring to, but none the less...  We all know about my recent phone debacle!  Well, I astounded myself with my reaction to the whole situation.  

Sammy and many others were impressed with my initial reaction when I first attacked my phone screen in Meadowhall car park... I was very calm and adopted the 'there is nothing I can do about it now' attitude, and if I'm honest, it worked out well for me.  I was right, there was nothing I could do to change it; I was stupid and should have been more careful, but once it had happened, there was nothing I could do.  So, to have panicked and stressed would have been a waste of my time and energy, and I like to think that I have better things to do with myself.  

Yesterday, I proved to impressed myself and others once again when Callum and I attempted to fix sad broken phone screen.  Having bought the screen from eBay and watched the videos on YouTube, we were confident enough in our abilities to attempt to fix it.  That was our first mistake... 'confident enough' was not enough actual ability to have even begun to mess about with the phone.  Our second mistake was then continuing to 'try' to fix it, after we had established that we weren't totally sure we were doing it right... Then we applied 'considerable force' (just like the video told us to) and managed to break the little plastic tool thingy we were using to pry the screen off.  Each of these things should have been enough to stop us, but we kept on going - until Daddy told us that the reason it was now a blank screen when we turned it on was because we had detached the digitiser from the screen.  Well bugger!!  And that was the end of that - Annihilated!!  
And how did I handle it?  Well, I think I held it together, even Callum commented on how calm I seemed to be.  

And today, I went to O2, spoke to the guy there, and after paying off the contract on the obliterated phone, I walked away with a shiny new one... I think I have proved Charles Swindoll's theory about how life is only 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react.  I could not change what we did... between us we killed it, there was no recovery, but I couldn't do anything about it by then, so instead, I dealt with it and moved on.  And I feel good for it, stress and worry don't d anyone any good, they just waste precious time and energy, and life it too short for all that.

So next time, bear in mind that life is what you make it, not what happens to you.  Live the life you are given and don't let the life you have rule you.  

Stay happy,
Louby xx

Onwards and upwards...

Well, a girl asks for some feedback and what does she get?!  The Facebook post got 2 likes and one comment... way to boost a girl's ego and all that... At first I wasn't quite sure how to take it, but after some thought I figured that it is just about right really!  I'm not sure what else I expected.  But it helped make a decision that I talked about with Mom and Sammy a few days later.  I am totally going it solo and self publishing some of my work.  All those little extracts that I have written, some of which are on here, some of which never made it into the world; I'm gonna do something with them and I'm gonna get my name out there.  So, I now have a new lease of life and am writing furiously, and cannot wait to get through all the editing and get my stuff out there for the world to see.  The next time I post about my writing will hopefully be to give you a link to where to purchase my first online book!

In other news; I totally had a birthday this week :)  It was pretty good too, I spent my day doing whatever I wanted, I did some reading, I did some writing, I spent some time in the garden, I did some more reading and I had my nails done.  I even had a little bit of excitement when I went around to the shop and there was a little drama!! Then I spent the night in with Mommy and Sammy and watched a film.  I went on a shopping spree with Mom on Friday morning and spent my birthday money on some new books and some new clothes, I have done several cinema trips with different people and on Friday night, Sammy, Callum and I went into town on Friday night to celebrate (Although I drove) and we had an amazing night in Pop World, danced to some seriously cheesy tunes, Callum got Sammy mega drunk and I totally left with a pretty amazing smile on my face!  First time for everything and all that.  And yesterday, we went to Chiquito's for dinner, and wore sombreros and ate far too much Mexican food!  It was so good and we had such a laugh!  Then to top off the weekend I spent a few hours walking around Rother Valley whilst the sun set with one very handsome guy :)  But enough about that lol.

And now, now I am curled up on the sofa eating chocolate and watching Fifty Shades of Grey with Mommy.  So I am quite content right now :)

Till next time,
Louby x

New story material...

Okay guys and girls... here it is!  I had a little inspiration come to me this afternoon!  So here goes.  I am going to attempt to write a brand new story (I say brand new, but it is a character that you have already met, and eventually will loop in the extracts you have already read, but with a story around it - hopefully)

Okay, so here goes... Opening lines... I want some feedback please!
Would you keep reading if it was a book you picked up and read this on the first page... What do you think it means... Any ideas who it is?!

~~~~~

She told me that she loved me.

She told me that everything would be okay. 

She told me to let go. 

So I did.

~~~~~

There you have it... That is all you are getting for today!  I have some writing to do now, and I will post the first chapter in a couple of days!  

I can't wait to hear your thoughts...

Louby x