Sarah's Words of Wit(sdom)

If anyone still follows me here, you might like to know that, yes, I'm still alive. And no, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I took a few years off from writing after I had some health problems when was feeling discouraged and uninspired. But now I'm back and determined to get a novel finished! About a year ago, a couple characters developed in my mind until their presence grew bigger and bigger and I had to transfer them to the pages of a book. While their story is being written, I'm keeping an Instagram journal to document this journey that will hopefully lead to publication. Follow me, if you please, at https://www.instagram.com/sarahelizabethwriter/ where I talk about writing, reading, and other random things that interest me.

Lately I have been facing a few challenges. I’ve been going through some crucial times in my life and have not had the energy to write, let alone keep up this blog. I hope to have a weekly, or at least bi-weekly blog going again in the future, but right now I’m starting small. My New Year’s Resolution is to write 300 words a week in the novel I’m working on. I usually don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because I can never keep them. I make monthly goals instead. But writing 300 words a month basically is a monthly goal. But anyway, let’s get to the point. I want to talk about fear. These “challenges” I’ve been facing in my life have been teaching me a lot about fear and anxiety. I’ve been struggling with those two lately. I mean, I’ve struggled with those for as long as I can remember, but lately, they’ve been causing me intense worry. Trying to rule my life. Trying to take my joy. There are certain things that cause me fear that are so petty and small, that Satan likes to...

I LOVE spiced apple cider for fall! It's the perfect drink to curl up with under a blanket while reading a good book. But it's hard to find real apple cider since the stuff they sell in the grocery stores is required to be pasteurized. So practically, you're paying more for a drink that just tastes the same as apple juice. So here's an easy way I make my own cider-tasting drink. Hot Cinnamon Spice Apple "Cider" Recipe Ingredients: 100% Apple Juice 1 Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Black Tea Directions: Microwave on high 2 minutes the apple juice in a microwave-safe mug. Insert tea bag and let steep for 5-10 minutes. Take out the tea bag and enjoy! See? It's simple and delicious! Also, the Hot Cinnamon Spice tea is great on its own with water. My mom and my favorite, especially for fall and winter!

Do you believe in miracles? Nick Vujicic does. I'm sure you've heard of him. The man born with no arms or legs but chooses to live a life without limits. He is such an inspiration, an because he is not able to live an ordinary life, God used to live an extrordiary life. Here is a video trailer of his new book, Unstoppable. Read the first chapter here. I, for one, am excited to read the rest of the book when it comes out October 2nd! Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic (Chapter 1 Excerpt)

Beth Dawson is a powerful woman, a millionaire business owner, and is beautiful and intelligent. It seems she has it all, but one thing she can’t control is her best friend’s life. When Sara marries Robert Tayton, there is something about him that pushes every one of Beth’s buttons. Because of this, Beth and Sara’s relationship becomes strained, and when Robert turns up missing, Beth is a main suspect. Beth must prove her innocence to the town in order to keep their respect, but most of all, to her best friend in order to maintain their relationship. But as they tread deeper into the investigation, they begin to realize the real suspect may be closer to home than they think. NOT THIS TIME Book Trailer from Vicki Hinze on Vimeo . The first thing I want to say is that I absolutely loved this novel! I have never heard of this author, Vickie Hinze, before but I will definitely be reading more from her in the future. She is an amazing writer who created great, real char...

"The image you left was very strong." Hands pressed to her back, she paced in short quick steps. "If what I capture is emotionally static, it fades. If not, it leaves an indelible imprint – until I transfer it to the clay." Natalie has a gift; or is it a curse? Her eidetic memory allows her to capture emotion into her sculptures like no one else. But when Trevor McDaniel, a search and rescue volunteer, recovers her nephew, Cody, from the jaws of a mountain lion and the toddler is left in the care of Natalie, and she wonders, with this “gift”, if she’s fit to take care of Cody by herself. Trevor’s strong protector quality drives him to take Cody under his wing and meanwhile, a budding romance forms between him and Natalie. Trevor struggles with breaking free from his own past, and tries to compensate by helping Cody face his fears. A psychotic stalker is somewhere in their midst, deep in the shadows. First blackmailing Trevor, then threatenin...

"You are an adult now, Krista. You can fight off your own predators. But the biggest one you face is inside you. You know that, don't you?" Krista Mueller returns to her home in New Mexico around Christmastime to visit her dying mother who was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s twelve years ago, which was the last time she saw her mother when she admitted her to Cimarron Care Center. She carries around the ghosts of what her mother used to be, all the bad memories and blocks out the good. She’s afraid to love and forgive. While there, she re-meets her high school sweetheart, Dane McConnell, a doctor there, who reminds her of what it means to love with mercy and grace. The first thing I noticed is that Mercy Come Morning has incredibly long chapters. Of 222 pages, it only has 15 chapters. I found myself often stopping in the middle of scenes due to lack of time to read instead of being able to find a good stopping point within the next few pages. ...

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo . I found this on a great blog  http://encouragingwordsforwriters.blogspot.com/ , which is also a great encouragement for writers. Hope you have a great day full of little things that encourage you!

Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.   Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Thanksgiving can be a stressful time, getting food and homes ready for gatherings, but don't forget to make time for God and for family. For a holiday that is made for rest and giving thanks, we tend to forget what it's all about. It's easy to get "distracted by all the preparations", like Martha, and forget about the important ...

Have you ever experienced something so tragic, you couldn't forget? Where every sight, sound, or smell reminded you of a time you'd rather forget? Claudia has. 10 years ago, her teacher, friend, and confidant was murdered right before her eyes and the killer was never found. The Crossing was a great read, full of emotional ups and downs with Claudia, her husband Victor as he re-opens the case, and their struggle to get past the pain and learn to love each other all over again. I do have to say the first couple of chapters were a bit slow for me. After about seven chapters, the pace does start to pick up with the mystery that evidence not found during the original investigation is discovered. Many of the twists and turns in the plot surprised me, and I read a lot of suspense novels! Serita Jakes creates a story of love, forgiveness, and putting the past behind. She certainly kept me guessing until the end who the killer was. I got close, but I never exactly hit the ...

Back in August, I did my first bridal hair and makeup! I recently received pictures from the wedding. Here are some of my favorites. The bride made her own dress! How cool is that?! What a talented lady! You can see more pictures from her wedding by clicking here  http://noviadistinctivephotography.com/blog/?p=1417

I recently ordered the book Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M Weiland. I can't wait for it to get here! Outlining my novel is something I have trouble with. I just want to write, and sometimes that's a good thing, but mostly, it's a bad thing because I don't know where I'm going next with the story line. I'm excited to learn how to "map my way to success"! Plus, if you order it from now until Friday on Amazon.com, you can win a ton of great prizes from the author, K.M Weiland, including a Kindle! Click on this link to learn more:  http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2010/09/win-kindle-and-over-100-in-writing.html . Help boost this author in Amazon's ratings! Taken from Amazon.com: Product Description Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Wa...

Ever since I started reading novels, Kristen Heitzmann has been one of my favorite authors. The first "adult" novel I ever read was her Freefall . My summer reading consisted of her two latest,  Indivisible  and  Indelible . Her writing always takes me on such an adventure, whether it be to tropical Hawaii or to the mountains of cowboy country. She inspired me to write. Not only is it the romance and suspense of each of her novels that I love and that keeps me turning the pages, what sets Kristen apart form other romantic suspense authors is the psychological side of them. In each of her novels, there is a dark and twisted character, but somehow you understand him or her, like you're in his or her mind. Often times, a main character will a psychological ailment that prevents them from facing their fears or finding love. Her characters and very relatable, and the female is usually arsty and creative, while the male is usually very rough ...

I stood in front of a wall with a million tiny pictures spread across my eyesight, each telling a different story. I studied each one confused to the point of a headache how these could relate to each other. A glowing mother nurses her baby in one, a filthy child in a third-world country cries in another. Each picture so different. Some made my heart break and some made my heart flutter with joy. I tried to puzzle them together in my head taking each in a methodical order, only to frustrate myself. What is this supposed to be? I screamed. I don’t understand! With my nose pressed against the wall I looked back and forth, up and down. Some of the pictures were even too high up for me to see. I’m not the tallest person, you see.   So I stepped back. Even more pictures appeared. What is this? I stamped my foot and balled my fists. I’m tired of trying to figure this out myself! Then why are you? A voice said. I looked around but saw nothing. Who said that? Who are you? I demand...

Conversations so empty, Why do we even talk? The small talk is meaningless And what we think is meaningful is really just talking about ourselves Our lives. It’s all we really care about. Because when we ask, “how are you?” We don’t really mean it. We think it’s a simple question and become afraid when they tell us how they really are. When someone doesn’t smile, we avoid asking why. We're uncomfortable with debatable topics, changing the subject. We shy away from real life. All we want to hear is the good. We don’t care to listen to each other’s problems, To just be there and be silent. We don’t need to fix them, There’s only so much we can really do or say. Sometimes we can help them figure out the next step But ask anyone. They just want someone to listen. So stop talking. And when you do, mean it. Ask a question and care to listen. If you think speaking your mind makes an impact, Try listening and see what happens. Someone might not remember wh...

Today is my dog, Toby's, 11th birthday, but this year, we won't be able to celebrate with him. 5 days ago, we had to put him down. Cancer had invaded his bones and the weather was taking toll on him. He was the best dog ever and will always be remembered and always be loved. Toby February 22, 2000 - February 17, 2011 The last picture I took of him. This is the last picture my sister took of him. It's special because he's actually looking at the camera and he hates getting his picture taken. Isn't he adorable? I bet he's giving people looks like that in heaven to get some extra kisses and belly rubs. ♥ 

Most of you know of my passion for girls to see their true beauty and helping them feel as beautiful as they really are. That was the reason for my career decision as a cosmetologist. I've been carrying on the Operation Beautiful mission by having the words "You Are BEAUTIFUL" written on my mirror at school. (My mom even wrote a post about this, it impacted her...check it out! http://drupp1.blogspot.com/2010/11/you-are-beautiful.html ) As I was coming home from school yesterday (after lamenting over my nail that broke off earlier) I was listening to the radio , as always, and heard an interveiw with Gracie Flanagan, the mind behind an event called "True Beauty Day". True Beauty Day takes place Friday, April 22nd, 2011. Four years ago, she and her friend came up with the idea for True Beauty Day their freshman year of high school. Gracie's friend joked about how she really didn't want wear makeup to school tomorrow, so she and Gracie decided for the ...

Love is... patient: "bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint." kind: "showing or having a gentle considerate nature." joyful: "happy, joyous, lighthearted." true: "steadfast, loyal, honest, just." enduring: "abiding, firm, never-failing, unfaltering, unquestioning, wholehearted" Love is not.... jealous: "intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness, possessive, suspicious, distrustful." boastful: "to express pride in oneself, puff up." proud: "showing or feeling superiority toward others." rude: " discourteous or impolite in a deliberate way." demanding: "to ask for something as or as if one's right or due." irritable: "easily exasperated, disagreeable." - 1 Corinthians 13 Merriam-Webster Dictionary "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 "God...

Recently I had the privilege of meeting Jody Hedlund , author of The Preachers Bride and a bloggy friend of mine when she held a book signing in my area. I had a lot of fun talking to her and learned a lot from her. She really encouraged me to keep my dream of getting published even when I'm taking a "break" from it right now. Even though it feels like I'll never have time to write again because I'm so busy with school, she inspired me since a similar situation happened to her before she started writing again. And speaking of school, I thought I'd give you some picture updates with what I've been doing... Cut & Highlights Cut & Color Cut & Color-lights!  fantasy hair for class contest Nail Art! Fun Updo Sophisticated Updo And speaking of writing, I have a devotional up at RealTeenFaith.com! Read " A Third Way " as you leave.

Hey, everybody! So I've been really busy with cosmetology school since August and haven't had much time to update. School has been a lot of fun! I've also been busy planning an online modest fashion show over at my other blog, Mod Style Lounge. This is the release: "A Girl’s Life Fashion Week is a modest fashion show hosted here, at Mod Style Lounge, for those of us who are proud to be girls, but protective of the bodies God has entrusted us with. The event takes place October 1-8, 2010. What you’ll do is post yourself wearing an outfit that fits within the theme of each day. You must participate in at least 5 of the 8 days to have a chance to win. The themes of each day will be... (go here to read more: http://modstylelounge.blogspot.com/2010/09/girls-life-fashion-week.html ) Join the fun!!! Before you leave, I want to share probably one of the best music videos I've ever seen. Check it out!