wedding stuff!

I'm writing this from Anaheim, California where Scott and I have spent the last week on our Honeymoon. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's been the best week of my life. We were talking last night at Disneyland while waiting for the fireworks show about how our married life thus far is even better than either of us had imagined.

So, what's the difference? Love. Silly and cliche? Maybe. But, true nonetheless. I love Scott with all my heart. He loves and accepts me for exactly who I am, yet inspires me to want to be better. I have never been more loved, pampered, and taken care of in my whole life. I am grateful for every second we have to spend together and look forward to eternity with him by my side.

Now, for the details. :)

We got married in my parents backyard. It was a beautiful, intimate setting with just a few close family members. Here's a picture of our new combined family of ten children (Hunter, Scott's oldest, is missing from the photo.)

And here's one with our parents.

After the ceremony we went to a park where my very good friend, Keith Fisher and his wife Wendy, had prepared an amazing Dutch oven meal for us which included pineapple glazed ham, corn on the cob, cheesy potatoes, and baked beans, and homemade rootbeer. It was absolutely amazing and everybody loved it! We can't thank him enough.

My oldest son, John, brought me this flower off his piece of cake. I thought it was a very sweet gesture and was touched by his thoughtfulness.

Scott and I left that night for Las Vegas, arriving in the wee hours of the morning. We spent a couple of days there and then drove to Anaheim. It's been a full week; Disneyland, swimming, shopping, good food, late nights watching movies or in the hot tub under the stars--but most of all just loving and enjoying one another. It's a week I'll never forget.

Exciting Book Available for Pre-order

Utah State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff’s ground-breaking new novel, “Am I Not A Man: The Dred Scott Story” is now available for preorder at a reduced price.

An illiterate slave, Dred Scott trusted in an all-white, slave-owning jury to declare him free. But after briefly experiencing the glory of freedom and manhood, a new state Supreme Court ordered the cold steel of the shackles to be closed again around his wrists and ankles. Falling to his knees, Dred cried, "Ain't I a man?" Dred answered his own question by rising and taking his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dred ultimately lost his epic battle when the Chief Justice declared that a black man was so inferior that he had "no rights a white man was bound to respect."

Dred died not knowing that his undying courage led directly to the election of President Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation.

Dred Scott's inspiring and compelling true story of adventure, courage, love, hatred, and friendship parallels the history of this nation from the long night of slavery to the narrow crack in the door that would ultimately lead to freedom and equality for all men.

You can order your sale-priced, signed and numbered limited edition copy of “Am I Not a Man” by visiting http://www.valorpublishinggroup.com/ before Labor Day. There are only 5,000 copies of this special edition being printed and once they’re gone, they’re gone … and the sale price ends on Labor Day. You can request that Mark personalize your inscription, and your book will be mailed to you before the stores even get their copies. For more information, visit http://www.valorpublishinggroup.com/

The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook - Weston Elliot

I’ve wanted to write ever since I was a little girl. It was always one of those lofty goals I thought I’d accomplish sometime in the future. A little over a year ago, my friend, Keith Fisher, was talking to me about writing. He told me he’s been writing for several years and has something like thirteen completed manuscripts. I was in awe and told him I’d considered trying to write something “someday.” He persuaded me to start writing.

Through his encouragement and a group of writing friends, I now have my first novel coming out in March of 2010. It’s all very exciting and a little overwhelming. When I first started writing, I had no idea how daunting a task it would be. I had all these ideas floating around in my head with no semblance of order. I eventually got them down on paper, but not without a lot of sweat, toil, and TONS of rewrites.

While writing my first book, I heard about a lot of different methods people used for plotting. I tried out a few, but nothing was exactly what I wanted. I recently ran across an amazing tool that I wish I’d known about then. Weston Elliot has recently compiled "The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook" and it is totally awesome!

It includes everything you could possibly imagine to plot a novel from beginning to end. When all the pages are filled in, it becomes a comprehensive outline you can use to complete a novel. Besides all the amazing information found in this resource, I love the way she has put it together. It is bound with three locking rings which allows you to take away pages you don’t want, add in extra pages, maps, photos, sketches, or anything you want. While writing my book, I wrote notes in multiple notebooks, scraps of paper, receipts, napkins—you get the picture. It is such a valuable tool to have all of this information in one place. The workbook is 5 ½ x 8 inches so it is small enough to take with you anywhere.

The workbook is a comprehensive resource including the following sections:
- World Building
- Character Sketches
- Plot & Conflict
- Chronology
- Chapter Outline
- Progress Tracking
- Submission Record

Elliott also gives instructions at the beginning of each topic which includes basic writing tips. Throughout the workbook, inspirational quotes from famous authors are incorporated to give you a little boost anytime you need it.

Overall, "The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook" is an amazing tool for novice and seasoned writers alike. I highly recommend it and look forward to using it on my next project. You can get your own copy of the workbook here. I promise you won't be disappointed!