Just One Thing To Say Today

Merry Christmas, Friends

If you're traveling, I hope whatever roads you wander are safe and beautiful.

If Christmas isn't a holiday you celebrate, I hope whichever you do is (was) fabulous.


If holidays aren't your thing, I hope you have an amazing day.

As for me, I'm surrounded by family today.

♡And life is good♡

Thanks for stopping by!
♡Sara

Instead of Commenting on My Post Today

Go here!

http://www.letssaythanks.com/

Let's Say Thanks is a site that allows you to send a free postcard to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas to show your support and appreciation for their service to our country!

It's easy, takes like two minutes, and might just brighten a soldier's day.

Now go on, get outta here! 

Thanks for stopping by!
♡Sara

Friday Funny: Damn You Autocorrect

You've had a long week. You deserve to laugh.

 It's time for the Babbling Flow's Friday Funny!!

And today, I bring you Damn You Autocorrect. For those of you who've been missing out so far, it's a site "dedicated to all the embarrassing, questionable, hilarious, and just plain WTF auto correct moments."

Every image here is from DamnYouAutocorrect.com, and there are a ton more at the site! Oh, and I had to add a few for writers at the end :)

BTDubs: This post is... um... probably PG-13 or so. Consider yourself warned.

And for the writers, I just couldn't resist:

Have an awesome weekend!

Thanks for stopping by,
♡Sara

One Million Fifty-One Thousand Two-Hundred Minutes!

Today is my two year wedding anniversary!

In the grand scheme of things marriage lengths, two years isn't all that long. Not in comparison to people celebrating twenty-five, thirty... fifty plus years. Still, though. The past two years have been full of life and laughter and love and more laughter (and oh my God SO MUCH LAUGHTER.)

Two years ago today, we danced our first dance. We cut the cake. Kissed our first married kiss. Exchanged vows. Began wearing new rings. Pretty much had the times of our lives. It was a kick ass way to start our new "official" life together.

I've spent the last two years with someone who:
♡makes up bedtime stories for me when I can't sleep. GOOD ones. So good, in fact, that I've convinced him he needs to write a novel someday. The man has a well of creativity that puts my little puddle to shame.
♡dances around Hugh-Grant-in-Love-Actually style for me on at least a weekly basis, and especially when I'm in a bad mood, or sick.
(skip to the 30 second mark...)


♡ envisioned and put into creation a concert called Tickle-palooza. It rolls through our town house almost every night and he's always the first in line for tickets AND backstage passes. For instance, here's a pretty standard sample of our nightly dialogue:

Him: (wearing a completely innocent expression) Hey babe--guess who I heard is coming to town?
Me: (reading, not paying much attention) Hmm?
Him: Honey, you're not even listening and TICKLEPALOOZA is coming to town!!! Aren't you excited?
Me: (scoots to the edge of the bed) Oh God. Not tonight. Come on. COME ON!
Him: (ignores my pleas) Look! I got you a ticket for a front-row seat! (Holds one empty hand out, palm up, toward me)
Me: ... (tries not to giggle)
Him: And look! (Holds other hand out to me) a backstage pass!
Me: (tries to run away)
Him: (grabs me and tickles me until I can't stop laughing/beg for mercy/can't breathe)

I love Tickle-palooza almost as much as I hate it.

♡ supports and believes in my writing so much that on Friday at his work holiday party, every person I met asked me about my novels and wanted to know more about my process and wanted to know my blog address and told me that my husband's enthusiasm for my dream/career is "catching" and they want to stay updated about it.

I could go on and on with this list, but I'll sum it up instead: I'm a very happy, very lucky girl. Marriage takes work and compromise and just because we laugh all the time doesn't mean we don't get into some good old rip roaring arguments. But when all is said and done? I wouldn't trade a single second of it.

Because I'm happy.

And in love.

♡♡♡

Thanks for stopping by!
♡Sara

Me and Orson Scott Card (+ SIGNED ENDER'S GAME GIVEAWAY)

That's right, you read that title correctly!

Two weeks ago, I MET ORSON SCOTT CARD!!

*dies*

*revives*

*dies again*

PROOF:

Me & Orson Scott Card!!

Orson came to Northern Virginia for his first ever signing of his new book Pathfinder. (More on the amazingness that is that book later.) It was hands down one of my favorite signings ever. Not only because this man and his book Ender's Game (and the rest of that series) had a huge impact on the reading side of my literary journey, but because he was funny, and personable, and would sign as many books as someone wanted!! (Okay, that last part is just an added extra...)

He shared some fun stories and anecdotes, one of which I found really interesting: he doesn't reread books when writing their sequels. I guess an added benefit to having such a large fanbase, is that he's able to go to his online forum to ask questions if he can't remember. (For example, he couldn't remember what he'd already written about one character's father, so he just asked his forum and a reader answered for him!)

He also mentioned his love of nonfiction books, because those, he says, are the books that can really fill your head with foundation for great fiction. He spoke a bit about the Ender's Game movie in the works. (I can't wait!)

The entire experience was so... surreal to me. And yet, it so wasn't because Orson Scott Card puts it right out there that he's just a regular guy. But he's not, really. Not to me anyway. Ender's Game was required reading for me in either 8th or 9th grade in high school. I fell in love with it--and all the books that followed. I've reread it once every year or two since then, and I'll probably do so for a long time to come.

I still have my original copy, that I had for school, with my maiden name written in Sharpie across the top of the pages. It's pretty much in tatters, and I love it that way. But guess what? Now, I have a new, crisp signed copy--personalized, just for me! I know I'll continue to read my first copy because there's something about opening those soft and worn down pages that's as familiar as coming home to me (<---cheeseball alert!) but I love,love,love having my own signed copy.

And guess what else? I got a second signed copy to giveaway to one of you guys! I mean, I KNOW I'm not alone in my love of Ender's Game. I couldn't be selfish and just get my own without getting one for you guys too.

Therefore, my giveaway for the month of December is for a SIGNED Ender's Game and a SIGNED Pathfinder!

Two winners. One for each book. All you have to do to enter is:

1) be a follower
2) leave a comment on this post, telling me
        a) which book you'd rather win, if you're chosen
        b) or let me know if you don't have a preference
        c) OR if you don't win the one you prefer, please let me know
            if you don't want the other one
3) tell me where you're from, since this contest *IS* open internationally
    and I love to know where you guys come here from!
4) and leave your email address

You don't have to blog it or tweet it or whatever, though if you choose to that'd be cool too :) (Leave links to the places you spread the word in the comments of this post and I'll give you an extra point for each!)

I'll use random.org to select the winners.

This contest closes at midnight on December 31st, 2010--that way the winners can start the new year off with their new SIGNED Orson Scott Card books!

Thanks for stopping by!
♡Sara

Writer's Giveaway Winner

Hey friends! Sorry this is so delayed, but I've been sick... YET AGAIN. Second time in a month. Are you kidding me???

Dear Immune System,

Start freaking working out. You have chicken muscles and can't seem to carry the weight of staying healthy.

Love, 

Sara

Anyhoo, I used random.org to pick a winner-- see, here's proof:

And the fifteenth comment came from..........

Shannon O'Donnell!!!

Dude, I think this is the second contest of mine that you've won--you must have some weird voodoo linkage going on with random.org :)

Send me your mailing address again, just in case. And congratulations!!

Thanks for stopping by!
♡Sara