Happy (almost) February! I hope your January was filled with good books, good friends and good chai <3 This monthly wrap-up is rather short because of limited time, but I tried to include the most important things.

Books-

Writing-

• I set up 'author' Facebook and Twitter accounts. I also put together a 'Dawn Chandler' Pinterest board. You can find all the links here.
• Finished my final edits on the prologue through chapter twelve of Dawn Chandler #1. Eight more chapters to go!
• Talked to an editor. I should be sending her my book sometime next month or in March.
• I think I found the perfect cover illustrator. Her art is so beautiful and her prices are better than I expected!

Things are coming closer to an end, and I'm so excited about being a published author soon!

Faith & encouragement-

I realized I sometimes believe the lie that something's wrong with me, I'm not pretty or smart enough, because of the fact that I don't have a boyfriend/no one has asked me to be their girlfriend. That's not true at all. If you're believing that lie please stop now. God created you. You are beautifully & wonderfully made! Stop comparing yourself to others. As two of my friends pointed out, God is probably saving you for the amazing person he has for you! Wouldn't you rather wait for that man than have your heart broken because of premature, short and meaningless relationships?

On another note, I started taking a Perspectives class. We're learning a lot about God's plan for missions by reading the Bible. One point that really stood out was, God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others! (see Genesis 12:2) Just take a moment to think about that, and how it should affect each of our's lives as Christians. 

How was your month? What did you read, write and learn?

Saturday, January 8

The next day, the Jennings and Chandlers bundled up to go sledding. Caroline had already made plans with friends so she couldn’t come. Uncle Wesley was feeling better and decided to come along in her place. This was the first time the Chandlers had gone up the road towards Whitney Portal, the place where Mt. Whitney hikers start. They went through the Alabama Hills which were covered with snow. The snow made Dawn think of Abigail. Abigail loved skiing with her family. Dawn noticed one of the rock formations she and Kenneth had seen painted on the wall of the cafe the other day. Before the road began winding up the mountains, there was a roadblock keeping people from driving on the icy road. The Jennings and Chandlers stopped there then got the sleds out.

“Long time, no see.” Kenneth laughed as he shook hands with Walter.

Moriah and Dawn decided to go down on one of the bigger sleds together while Kenneth and Walter were already racing down the hill. Uncle Wesley was waiting a little further down to bring kids back up the hill after they went down. At first, Moriah and Dawn had a hard time pushing the sled off, but it finally started going. It gathered an alarmingly fast speed and the girls began to scream with delight and terror that they would run off the road or something. The girls bumped into a rock and began to slow down. Bumping into another rock, Dawn tumbled off, laughing. Moriah hopped off the sled so she could check to make sure Dawn was okay. After Moriah helped Dawn up the girls realized with dismay that the sled was going down the hill without them and was picking up even more speed. Dawn and Moriah began to run after it yelling, “Stop!” as if the sled would hear them and obey. Moriah tripped and fell which made Dawn, who was right behind her, trip and fall too. At this point, the girls gave up on the sled chase and began to laugh hysterically.

“You’re so much fun to hang out with, Dawn!” Moriah said, “I wish you lived here. We could hike together in the summer and swim in the town pool. It’s too bad you have to go back to Fresno at the end of the month.” Moriah still didn’t know that the Chandlers were thinking about moving to Lone Pine. It made Dawn feel good to know that Moriah enjoyed hanging out with her.

“I wish you lived in Fresno,” Dawn replied. “We could go to the mall and the theater together. It could be really fun.”

“I don’t think I could ever live in a big city.” Moriah laughed. “I’m definitely more of a small town farm girl.”

At this point, Uncle Wesley pulled his beaten pickup truck up next to the girls.  He honked his horn, “Do you girls want a ride back up the hill or would you rather sit there in the snow chatting?”

“We got your sled for you,” Walter said from the bed of the truck where he and Kenneth were sitting.

“Oh!” Dawn laughed. “Thank you. I think we completely forgot about it.” The two girls climbed into the back of the pickup truck and Uncle Wesley continued driving up the hill. As they went up they passed Beatrice and Mr. Chandler who were going down the hill on a bright pink sled as well as a few of the others.

“So, how did you girls lose your sled?” Kenneth asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Both of the girls laughed. Moriah said, “Dawn you tell him.”

“No, you can,” Dawn argued.

“Oh, all right.” Moriah consented. “Dawn fell off the sled and I hopped off to see if she was alright and help her up. After that, we realized that the sled had gone on without us and we both began chasing it. Eventually, I fell and tripped. So we kinda gave up on the chase.”

“Careless, silly girls!” Walter teased quietly.

“Hey, that’s not very nice,” Dawn said although she was smiling.

Kenneth began humming the tune to We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

“Isn’t it funny that it’s almost an automatic reaction to snow that you start humming or singing Christmas carols?” Moriah observed. “Even if Christmas was almost a month ago?”

Kenneth laughed, “Until you said that I had barely even realized I was doing it.”

Uncle Wesley’s truck stopped at the top of the hill. “Get out, children,” he said. “I have to go back and get the others now.”

“Children?” Walter pretended to complain. “I’m almost seventeen…”

Eric ran up to them, “Do you wanna see the igloo me and Emma Jean are making?”

“Sure,” Dawn replied. Moriah and Dawn followed Eric to a place down the hill a little way and saw an igloo that was halfway built.

“That’s really neat! How’d you do that?” Dawn asked as she observed the perfectly rectangular blocks of snow that formed the walls.

Emma Jean was holding a plastic bin the size of a shoe box. “We pack the snow into this and then dump it out. Once we made a really big igloo and while Walter was spending the night in it, it collapsed on him.”

Eric joined in on this story, he couldn’t let his little sister have center stage. “It was really funny because Mom told him it wasn’t a good idea, but he insisted on trying it. All we heard from the house was a scream that sounded like a girl’s and then Walter yelling, ‘That was freezing cold! Remind me to never sleep in an igloo again!’”

Dawn was glad he hadn’t gotten hurt.

Everyone laughed. “Yep that’s about how it happened,” Moriah said. “Dawn, do you want to go
again?”

“I suppose so,” Dawn answered.

As the girls were getting ready to go down the hill, Walter and Kenneth asked if they wanted to race.

“What do you think?” Moriah asked Dawn with a competitive grin on her face.

“It’s so on!” Dawn answered, “Where’s the finish line?”

“There’s a pine tree that fell onto part of the road,” Walter answered. “That’s the finish line.”

“Ok,” the girls replied as they got on their sled and prepared for battle. Kenneth hopped on a green sled and Walter got behind it ready to push it down the hill then jump on.

“Ready, set, go!” Moriah yelled. The boys started out ahead. As they were looking back to see how far behind the girls were, Kenneth steered into a pile of snow that made them come to an abrupt stop. They had to get off the sled and move it over to where they could get going again. The girls passed them. As they were coming near the finish line Dawn screamed excitedly and scared Moriah which caused her to steer them off the road. They tumbled down a steep hill for about twenty feet then finally came to the bottom. The boys quickly stopped their sled and looked over the edge to see if the girls were okay.

“Dawn! Moriah! Are either of you hurt?” Walter called. At first, the girls stayed face first down in the snow with the sled lying on the ground. Kenneth ran down the hill with Walter right behind him to check on the girls. Before the boys got there the girls rolled over and started laughing hysterically.

“You two scared us!” Walter said, upset with his sister.

Kenneth started laughing along with the girls and then eventually Walter joined in too.

“What’s so funny?” Walter asked, even though he was laughing with them.

“I don’t know.” Dawn answered between giggles, “What is so funny, Moriah?”

“Beats me,” Moriah replied, still laughing really hard, “Whatever it is, it’s hilarious!”

“You two are ridiculous!” Kenneth said as he threw a small snowball at Dawn. Eventually, there was a full-fledged snowball fight going on.

They heard Uncle Wesley’s truck stop at the top of the hill. His door slammed as he got out and stood at the edge of the hill, “What is going on down there?” he asked.

Kenneth threw a snowball at Uncle Wesley.

“Young man! You’re going to pay for that.” Uncle Wesley laughed jollily as he walked down the hill. He made Dawn think of a western Santa Clause.

“Uh, oh,” Kenneth said as he hid behind Walter. The two girls wisely stepped to the side.

“So, you wanna have a snowball war?” Uncle Wesley picked up a huge handful of snow and shaped it between his bear paw like hands. Kenneth shook his head no. Uncle Wesley ignored the protest. He walked over to Kenneth and smashed the snow onto his head.

“Uncle Wesley, what are you doing to my son?” Mr. Chandler called down, good-naturedly.

“This young man said he thought he was a better snowball fighter than me.” Uncle Wesley replied.

“I said no such thing!” Kenneth cried as he got down on his knees and begged for mercy.

“You didn’t say it but that is what you meant by throwing a snowball at me.” Uncle Wesley answered as he scooped up more snow.

“Dad!” Kenneth yelled, “Help me! The old man is going to clobber me with snow.”

At this point, Walter was wise enough to step aside to where the girls were and just be an onlooker too.

“Old man?” Uncle Wesley said, pretending to be amazed. “Now that’s taking it too far.” Mr. Chandler laughed as Wesley fired another snowball at Kenneth.

“Aw, man.” Kenneth said as he tried to dodge another snowball, “Nobody is going to rescue me.”

“Nope,” Moriah answered in between giggles.

 “I think you deserve it,” Dawn added.

Wesley paused to smile at Dawn, “Good niece.” He went back to clobbering Kenneth. Even though Uncle Wesley had said it in the tone he would’ve said, ‘good dog’ it gave Dawn a warm feeling inside.

By this time Mr. Jennings was atop the hill alongside Mr. Chandler.

Right before Uncle Wesley fired another snowball at Kenneth, Mr. Chandler said, “The women are ready to head back towards home and have dinner.”

 “Come along children,” Uncle Wesley said. He dropped the snowball and he headed up the hill.

As the children followed Wesley up the hill, Kenneth gestured towards the snowball on the ground. He whispered to Walter, “Should I?”

“No, don’t.” Walter smiled as he shook his head.

“Yeah, that’s probably a wise choice,” Kenneth said and kept walking.

Without a second thought, Moriah picked up the discarded snowball and hit Kenneth in the back.

What'd you think? Also, what's your favorite winter activity?