And time marches on

 Time doesn't wait for any person. One minute you are in 2018 and the next thing you know, 6 years have passed and you are in 2024! Of course that isn't what really happened, but it seems to have been a mere blink of an eye.

Six years means a lot of things have transpired in that time. The death of my father, the birth of 4 more of my grandkids, bringing the total to 13 grandchildren. The growth of the Seaward Publishing House...from one lone book to an inventory of six books. The latest book published was The Church is the Ark by Pastor Matt Krachunis. 

In the midst of those six years, I added another biography to the mix. A sequel, if you will, to the Letta in China book. This one is Margaret In Singapore. 

In the midst of those six years, COVID came and went. I was in Singapore in February 2020, when the hint of COVID was being mulled over. Before I boarded the plane to fly back to Seattle, I heard announcements of flights being canceled to and from China. When the plane landed at Narita, it felt surreal walking through the airport to reach my next flight. Apparatus had been set up to 'cleanse' passengers before they boarded the next flight. The airport didn't have the same hustle and bustle it normally had. I expected the same when I arrived in Seattle, but at that time the impact of COVID had not registered yet on the US shores, so it was business as usual upon landing.

Of course, business as usual didn't last long and by March things were in lock down. The rest of the story is known by all, far and wide. (unless you were hiding under a rock during that time). Now it seems all timelines are prefaced with ..."oh yes that was before COVID"...or "I think that happened after COVID"...when COVID actually ended, no one really knows because it seemed to have lingered around, or at least the ideas of COVID and everything COVID related.

The past four years have been interesting to say the least. Whether it be politics, health, personal pronouns, etc, this appears to be the time of great divisions. Gone are the days of, "well, we can agree to disagree" and on to the days of, "If you don't agree with me, then you are a moron and I don't want to even talk to you ever again." Thankfully, I seem to have true friends and acquaintances who do not adhere to the latter and lean more to the former way of thinking. 

Whelp, now that we have caught up with the past six years, let us see where we go from here, shall we? 

Where do I begin?

(written on March 28th 2018)

For someone with so many words...words that just tumble out even when they are not wanted...words that jump helter-skelter over each other at all occasions...I'm amazed at my lack of words at this moment.  My husband urged me to write something on Facebook, but I could not. I decided I would come in here and post something on this blog.

On Saturday night (March 24th 2018) I received a phone call from my nephew informing me of my eldest brother, Rick Seaward's tragic death. He had been down in Brazil preaching at a Conference when he met with an accident. When the news came, I had to inform my parents their eldest son had preceded them in death. I called my eldest sister to also give her the news. My family is strewn all over the globe, so all notifications were done via Facetime or Whatsapp video or phone calls. This is the modern era- so far away and yet connected via technology. I'm thankful for the ease of communication at a time like this.

The moment the public announcement was made in Singapore many comments, memories, tributes flooded social media on all platforms. ( In Memory of Rick Seaward FB page ) In reading the comments and the well wishes, I know he was more than just my brother. He meant so much to so many people all over the world. From capitals in the world to small villages. There could be books written about him and his exploits. But for now, I will just attempt to remember him as he was to me, my big brother.

I have memories of wonderful adventures. He encouraged me to ride an adult bicycle when I was just 7 years old- by putting my legs through the middle of the open frame so that both my feet could pedal the bicycle at a slant. Just picture this wee 7 year old- legs straddled through this huge adult bicycle- peddling at full force as she races down the back streets of Singapore. Every time I would yell ahead to him, "I don't think I can keep going"-- He would yell back, "You can do it!!" It seems like that was always our conversation throughout my life-- Him encouraging me to move into realms I thought would be impossible-- me thinking and saying "I don't think I can" -- Him reassuring me that I could...and lo and behold...I not only COULD...I did!! 

He was a great organizer even when he was younger. There was the time he organized the entire neighborhood to come for his variety show. Even the adults crowded in our next door neighbor's garage to watch the show. It was standing room only. Yes, even in those days he could fill a room!

When the Sunday school did a competition to see who could bring the most children. He won hands down with streams of children following him each Sunday. He strategized and targeted the local elementary schools. He couldn't have been more than 12 years old. I would have to check to find out exactly how many children he ended up bringing to Sunday school. It seems like it was over 50, but my memory escapes me.

As far as pranks- he was the King of pranks.  He and my two sisters would play pranks and they let us younger siblings join in the fun. The pranks were well orchestrated playing on the suspicions of the "pointianak" - a female zombie who was reported to come out of banana trees at night. My eldest sister would dress in a long white gown and she already had the long hair. Late at night, we hid behind the banana trees. When a motorcyclist,  or bicyclist raced down the dark road my sister would emerge from the banana grove. Invariably the person in question would scream and rush off in panic. Sometimes even dropping their mode of transport to run away. All of us would laugh with glee. I believe Rick came up with all the pranks. There were so many more.

He wasn't always playful, he knew how to be serious and caring when the need arose. When I was in the States for University, he visited me on one of his trips from Singapore and there was a Father-Daughter banquet at the school. He told me that he was going to go with me since my dad was all the way in Singapore. I was very grateful. Shortly after that, my studies seemed too overwhelming. I was attempting to finish a four year course in 2 and a half years. I told him I was planning on dropping out. He sat with me and mapped out my options. He showed me the pros and cons of my decision. Rick then said, "It's not my decision, but I would strongly advise you to not give up."  I was forever grateful for his wise advice, which I did listen to.

The majority of my life we have not lived on the same continent. I was 6 years younger than him. He left home for University at 14 years old - I was only 8. By the time he returned to Singapore, I was away at school in Penang and then on to the States for University. Somehow, even though we lived so far apart, God made it possible that he helped me in some major decisions in my life. He helped keep me from making major mistakes. One time specifically, I was about to make a life-changing decision and he said to me, "Connie, you've made one huge mistake, don't compound it by making another mistake." How grateful I was that he gave me that advice!

I thank God that I have a hope that this is not the end for my brother. He has moved on and He is now rejoicing. For this, I am so thankful! Of course, with any farewell- even if it is for a short time, our hearts feel a loss. My loss here on earth is his gain.  He has won his race. He has gotten his prize. Now I know he joins those who are talked about in Hebrews 12: 1-3, "For now since so great a crowd of witnesses surround us let us run this race..." He is part of those witnesses as I continue to run this race. He is cheering me and so many others on. 

With a little help from your friends

I am very thankful for those who have been willing to come along side me in this new venture of publishing. Some are people who don't know the ropes themselves, but they are happy to be a support. Others I have sought out, are seasoned Publishers. What a delight that although they didn't know me before, they have taken the time to give me much needed guidance.

One such person is Suzanne Hartman who is a co-founder of castle gate press.  She took the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions and to offer advice. Suzanne recapped a bit of her experience in starting a publishing company and it helped me to see that I am not alone in many of the things I have experienced thus far. 

On another note- the book is finally on Amazon. Go to Amazon and look for Run Your Race by Crystal Krachunis and you will now be able to order it from there. 

Coming up for air

Is it really January? No, its not just January, it is the end of January. Where did November and December go? They were some kind of a blur. I vaguely remember book launches, multiple visits to the post office, family dinners, celebrations, etc etc. 

My sister came to visit me from the Himalayan region. I hadn't seen her in a few years. The visit was unexpected and it landed just about the time I was doing the book launch! Can we say, "Master Juggler of Time"?   

The book launch was amazing!  May I give a shout out to Mia Baerg - this is a young lady who is going to shake the world. There are some people you meet and you just know they are going to make a slighter bigger mark on this world than someone else. Mia is just that type of person. She agreed to help with the sales at the book launch and she helped to keep things running smoothly when we were converged upon by the masses.  

My husband stepped in to help with the sales as well. I thought everything was very organized. We had a line for people paying with checks, cash and credit/debit cards. How much more organized can you get than that? Well, no matter how prepared you are and how organized you are, there will always be the person who wants to stand in the wrong line. We were busy learning as we went.


Faith and Victory Church did a magnificent job putting the whole launch together. Balloons bobbed around, black table clothes gave an elegant look to the evening. Crystal Krachunis, the author of Run Your Race, made a wonderful speech prior to the books being sold. All in all, it was a fabulous evening. 

In our bright eyed and bushy tailed mindset, we saw every single book flying off the sales table. We saw ourselves driving home with empty boxes and immediately putting in a new order for books to be printed. The reality of the evening was many books were sold. We still had to bring home boxes which contained many more books. At the end of the day, the evening was a success. 

The books have continued to be sold online at the www.seawardpublishinghouse.com website. The original surge of books sales has slowed down to a dribble. I finally broke down and registered the book on Amazon- (do you remember my battle cry indicating we weren't going to go down that route?) Ah, yes, even the mighty have fallen. Well, apparently it is not as easy as just saying, "Hey I want to sell my book on Amazon"-- they made me fill out forms and send in my driver's license and business license. And then I expected a "Okay you are all set"-- no, I got a message that informed me I would probably hear back from them by the 27th-- that is today- so I'm keeping my eyes open. 

I know Amazon will not be the lifesaver for keeping sales up. This is where marketing comes in. I'm picking other people's brains. I'm writing to other publishers, business owners and start ups asking them how they do it. What tools do they use. My personal banker- you remember her, right?Anita Trujillo.  She suggested a great idea- she said I should approach some college students to see if they might want to hop on board as interns to do social media marketing. This would benefit me as the publisher and benefit them as they beef up their resumes for the future. 

 I would like to see another book published this year- 2018- but unless I can get this one completely off the ground and into orbit, I will have to wait a bit longer for the next project to be launched. If you have any suggestions which might help me get that dribble back up to the roaring river of sales we previously were enjoying, please feel free to send them my way!  Any and all comments are welcome.

Behind the Scenes

A book doesn't just appear out of thin air. There are a myriad of moving parts behind the publishing of a book. Each person who contributes something to the finished product is equally important. 

Let's say you have a manuscript...and you think it is quite good...fantastic, even. Aah, but you see your eyes have been looking at those words on the screen, or the paper, for weeks...even months. Just like the crumpled paper in the corner of the bedroom, which starts to look normal after some time, so are the tiny mistakes sprinkled through the pages. A forgotten word or misspelled word, due to hurried typing. A phrase which sticks out like a sore thumb. All of these 'mistakes' need attention, and who better to deal with them then an editor. 

Lisa Cerasoli of 529 books proved to be a God send. She worked seamlessly with Crystal Krachunis to produce the best book possible. Deadlines were met far in advance. Communication zipped back and forth with ease. 

Lisa Cerasoli

What is a manuscript- edited or not- without a printer? Well, basically it is a pile of papers on your desk which can never get into anyone else's hands. So this is where Gorham Printing entered the stage to 'save the day'. 

Before you can print the books, you need to figure out what your cover will look like. Glory Days Garage helped out with pre-designing the cover. They even came up with a great idea for a tote bag to use as a promotional tool. 

Okay, let's be honest. You can have a book...fully edited...nicely printed...but if you don't have any way to let others know about the book, this is a problem. It's the kind of problem which will result in boxes of books stacked up in a warehouse with nowhere to go. This is where Bart Cardea of East Carolina Creative stepped in. He produced a marvelous website for Seaward Publishing House. Bart worked tirelessly to make sure everything was ready when the book came off the presses. 

Of course, there are a lot of other 'behind the scenes' helpers. The ones who poured over designs, looked at various fonts, came up with ideas for formatting, etc etc. Yes, it is true, a book does not appear out of thin air. It takes time, effort and a whole lot of patience. One thing I know, when you hold the finished product in your hands-- it is worth it all!

Zero to Sixty

Phew....when did we go from zero to sixty...all in one breath. One moment I'm telling you how to set the company up-- and promising you I will be introducing the 'behind the scenes' elves who helped to make this possible...and the very next moment, I stop to take a deep breath...and WHAM...orders are coming in already.

I should clarify-- PRE-ORDERS- as the book has not even gotten off the press! A face book page is up and running-- people are liking- sharing- wanting to order. 

Its all very exciting and yet very scary at the same time. Thankfully, God has promised HE will never leave me nor forsake me. He didn't send me out on this new adventure all by myself. He continues to bring people along my path who have been a great help. (Yes I promise to introduce them in the next post) 

Pastor Crystal Krachunis

Crystal Krachunis has written an excellent book-- I am excited to see this book in as many hands as possible. This is not just a book to read for entertainment value, it isn't even just a 'self help' book- it is a life changing book. 

I would love to see a campaign started on Social Media with #RunYourRace tagline. Can we see how far this book will go without using the big companies such as Amazon...can we make this a grass roots sale that far surpasses the big company sales? 

The printer told me that the cover alone is a "new" approach-- doing a hashtag on the cover is not something normally done. So, I say, let's be different...why do we need to 'fit into a box"? We don't have to! So, after my deep breath...this may all be very scary...and exciting...but I would say, above all this is exactly the way it is supposed to be and I am excited to see what happens after my next deep breath!

The Nuts and Bolts

So you wake up one morning and say, "Let's start a publishing company"....nope...not that easy. As with any business, you have to come up with a business plan....a budget....a goal. Of course you can have some fun choosing a name and figuring out your logo....and for like a second you can pretend that this is as difficult as anything will get. Give yourself a day or so to enjoy the sound of your company's new name. Enjoy the process of looking for a logo. After a brief period of enjoyment, jump back into the nuts and bolts of moving forward with your business....the real legal stuff....

Almost Legal

This is the tricky part. You will have to decide what type of company you want to start. Are you wanting to start a sole proprietorship? or an LLC? Or some other alphabetic combination? Once you have decided on that...you have to register the company and make sure the name you have chosen hasn't been used before...and then you walk into a bank and you say, "Hi, I'm here to open an account."

Best personal Banker: Anita Trujillo

When you walk into the bank- you hope that you will be met with someone who is sympathetic to the fact you are new to all this. Thankfully, I met Anita Trujillo, who practically held my hand throughout the entire process. She was cheerful and gracious;  while remaining efficient and professional. 

I think Wells Fargo needs to give Anita a resounding cheer for being the best personal banker ever! Believe me, in all my years of dealing with banks and personal bankers, she really went above and beyond the call of duty.

Once the bank accounts were set up-- then you start business. At the beginning it will look like the only direction the money is flowing is out.  You are paying the editor, the website designer, the printer....but I'm getting ahead of myself....that is for future posts.

There are others far more proficient than myself in the dos and don'ts of starting a publishing company. You should check out some of their advice and tips.

See what Erica Liodice has to say on her blog post "How to Start Your Own Publishing Company"  Her post is good because she covers all the angles- from self publishing companies to starting a publishing company to publish other people's books.  Shelley Hitz gives some excellent tips from lessons she and her husband learned on the journey of starting a publishing company.  Another post which has a wealth of information- especially in regards to the legalities of setting up the business and the tax side of things is done by Dave Chesson.
Ultimate Guide on How to start a publishing Company

I wish I could say I read all these articles before I started....I didn't. I did a lot of research over the past year. I asked a lot of questions. When I stumbled on these articles (and many others) I appreciated every word of advice given. I took each tip to heart, and studied to see if it was something that would work for my publishing company.

Well, I have to go and look over the proof copy which was just sent to me by the printers. I will definitely be blogging about them in upcoming posts, because they have made this publishing process that much easier. They have sent me the proof earlier than I expected. The company did an excellent job. I look forward to returning the Design proof form and getting things rolling for this first book to fly off the presses!

The reason for the journey

I was rereading the last post- and I realized I was not totally honest. I had said that the book being published was the reason I started the publishing company. It wasn't the actual reason- but it was the catalyst which set everything in motion. Sort of the big mama bird who pushed the baby bird out of the nest and said, "Go on...don't keep waiting...you can fly..."

In actual fact, last year (2016), I was teaching a series on The Tabernacle of Moses. It was called "In His Presence" a study which came at the Tabernacle study from a different angle. When we were looking at Ex.31:1-4-- it talked about how God gave the wisdom and the understanding and all the knowledge for the craftsmen to work on the various things in the Tabernacle. We zeroed in on how God has gifted each of us to do things we may not even realize we can do. So we each went home to pray and ask God what He wanted us to do--- guess what He told me?

"I want you to start a publishing company"

And my reply.... "Excuse me, I think I have a bad connection here...did you say publishing company?"

After sharing this with my family and a few close friends, I promptly put it in the back of my mind where I thought I would never have to think about it again! (let alone DO it)...within a couple months, Crystal calls me to tell me about her book. And then you know the rest of that story! I don't think I would have had the courage to step out in this endeavor had it not been that I had that clear direction more than a year ago--- but sadly it took me more than a year to get myself aligned with what God had already told me to do!

Thankfully He is a patient and merciful God. He loves us enough to prod us....push us when we need pushing...and wait for us when we need waiting. I love His faithfulness!

So now the journey has begun and it is exciting to see how God has already gone before me and set up 'divine appointments'-- and taken care of things before I even think about them!

By the end of November we will be taking presale orders for the book. The book will be out by the middle of December, just in time for Christmas. We are excited to see this powerful book get into as many people's hands as possible! The message does deliver life-- and if this is the only book I publish, it will have made it all worth it to start the Seaward Publishing House.

God really is faithful. When He asks us to do something, He gives us the grace we need to accomplish the task before us. He also surrounds us with people and resources who are invaluable in getting the job done. I will highlight more of those people and resources in the next few blog posts. Maybe there is someone out there who is thinking about starting a company or publishing a book....some of these suggestions I send your way might be of help to you at this time.

*If you are interested in having a copy of the study of the Tabernacle- email me at ongfamily5@hotmail.com and I will send you a free PDF version of the study.

We Publish Life

"Take a deep breath....you can do this...

I know you don't know what you are doing....but you can do this...."

These words continue to scroll through my thought processes over the past couple of months. I have been taking a lot of deep breaths. I can't say I'm 100 percent sure I believe the "You can do this" part just yet. We will see how this pans out.

What would possess a 56 year old woman to wake up one morning and decide she is going to start a Publishing Company? A Publishing Company which actually publishes someone else's books. A company which has taken on an investor who 'believes' in the company.

"Take a deep breath...you can do this..."

You've figured out that the 56 year old woman is me...and I'm the one who has chosen to set sail on unchartered waters. Let me introduce you to-- Seaward Publishing House...where "We Publish Life"

What did I know about publishing? I only knew the side of publishing from the author's view point. Aren't they the people who help find an editor? Aren't they the ones who told me that I have to meet deadlines. Magically one day this mystical company send me a proof copy of my book-- at which time, I swoon-- hug it to myself and hope that I'm not dreaming!

So what did I know about publishing? I am beginning to discover, I knew very little. Almost nothing, if I'm honest. Over the past 2 months I have been on a roller coaster ride of a huge learner curve. I've had to hire editors, set up bank accounts, seek out printers...all the while rechecking the balance sheets to make sure I don't go over budget. The banker who helped me set up my 'small business' account asked me, very cheerfully, "What made you choose to start a Publishing Company"

I looked at her across the desk and wanted to say, "I must have been crazy!"....but instead, I said, "Because I came across a manuscript which was just too incredible to not see published...and since no one else wanted to publish it...I decided to seek out investors and to start this company"

Of course, the explanation is not that simple. For more than a year, I had known I was supposed to do this. Even before I read the great manuscript, I knew deep inside I wanted to see a publishing company that published books with meaning. There was this growing desire to see books that would speak life into people. I wanted to publish books that talked about real life and at the same time changed people's lives. About the time I was tossing this around in my head, a brilliant woman, Pastor Crystal Krachunis, showed me a manuscript she was working on. I was blown away- it was exactly what I had been thinking about...publishing life!

Over time, she would show me bits and pieces of what she was working on and I encouraged her to send off the manuscript to publishers. She did. I sat with her and worked on sending them to more publishers. All responses were encouraging, but everyone had other projects they were working on. One company responded with ...yes we will publish - but it will be 'co-publishing' for such and such an amount. Sigh. Neither she or her husband had the funds for such an endeavor. Finally they said they were going to self publish....just 500 books for a first run....they could afford that.

"Just let them do it....you can't do it....don't even offer..." my mind screamed at me.

I talked to several people hoping they would be willing to invest in this book. Finally I found an investor. I called up Pastor Crystal immediately and said, "Would you be willing to entrust your book to me- I would like to publish it"  And thus the adventure began!

Will you join me on this journey? The book is scheduled to come out just before Christmas. I will be blogging about this process. I will be blogging about my life. I will blog about the great editors, printers, web site designers, bankers, who have helped me get this far. I will be blogging about other books-- books that have long since been published, books that produce life.

Be on the look out for more....and remind me to breathe every once in awhile.

....And then there were more...

We started with two. It didn't take long for us to add three more to the mix, making us ongfamily5 for quite a long time. Before we knew what happened, we had added 3 more to the mix. In 2010, the first little person arrived on the scene, bringing our grand total to 9 human beings.

By the end of 2016, we all crammed together into a delightful getaway house in Gig Harbor, Washington. I looked at the little human beings who now outnumbered the adults. It hit me that we are in the process of creating our own tribe. We have reached a grand total of 17 human beings- 8 adults and 9 children.

Ong Family Reunion 2016*

Picture credit: Melissa Letham, Photographer

Our time filled up with fun gingerbread house building, games, just sitting around talking while holding one or another little one. Often times we were running after a 'getaway' baby, or trying to calm down two or more kids upset about something or another. It didn't matter what we did, as long as we were doing it together. One family had flown in from North Carolina...another family jumped into their vehicle at the end of our time to drive across 27 States in around 3 weeks. Still another family flew off to Hawaii shortly after our get together. We treasured the 2 days we were all in the same place at the same time. We are also thankful we were able to get a lovely family picture taken. (thanks to....Melissa Letham, Photographer, Tacoma, WA)

*Faces blocked out due to privacy issues with foster care.

Memory Monday: Alaska

I've been to Alaska before...but never on a cruise. My hubby had promised to take me on a cruise on our 25th anniversary and he is a man of his word.  

Departure: Seattle  

The room was amazing- the entire ship was incredible. (another post with all those pics at a later date)

First stop on our itinerary was Ketchikan.  It was a Sunday, so naturally we looked around for a church to attend. We chose a small church which was walking  distance from the Ship. It was lovely meeting with people from the town. I noticed a smart little car parked on the road...with the keys still in the ignition. I commented,"boy this place must be safe for someone to leave their keys in the car"
My comment was met with laughter and a quick explanation that there was no where to drive to! 
Aside from shops- lots of diamond shops- fur shops-trinket shops- there was not much to see in town. We boarded the ship with the promise that our next destination would be to see the Glaciers. This was truly breathtaking! 

I thought this ice looked like a sinking ship

 I can't begin to explain the awe and majesty of the scenery. The ship sliced ever so quietly through the waters as my husband and I sat out on the balcony drinking in the scenery.

the Glacier

Amazing scenery

 Heads popped out of windows and over railings as everyone attempted to get the best view of the glacier and the mountains. I'm not sure why, but I kept whispering to my husband, "This is so beautiful"...it was almost like I didn't want to disturb the beauty with my voice. Needless to say, this was one of my favorite parts of the journey.

The next stop along the way was Juneau. There seemed to be an endless stream of planes flying in and out of the harbor. Since I've been to Juneau before, we opted to stay on the ship and enjoy a day of rest. We did important things like experiment taking pictures of ourselves in the ship's elevators. Needless to say, it was a great choice.

 We did get off at Skagway, yes to explore all seven blocks of the town. This was a very intriguing town. Skagway is known as the gateway to the Klondike and thus there are a myriad of stories which surround this borough. I'm sure there will be a few more posts about this place.

Aside from learning a bit about its history, we mailed some postcards from the wee post office and ate some ice cream.

 We walked up one side of the town and down the other. We explored dirt paths and finally decided we would head back to the ship. As we sauntered back to the ship, I could not help but notice how crisp the air was. 

On our journey, we had several delightful surprises...there will be plenty of time to talk about those later. I think my favorite surprise was our next stop, Vancouver Island...specifically Victoria!  I said to my husband, "Why didn't we just come to Victoria and spend the whole time here..."

"Who knew!" (I'm sure he was thinking it would have saved a lot of money) :)
 
 I won't say too much more about Victoria because it definitely deserves a post all of its own. If you ever have a chance to visit this charming place, don't think twice...do it! 

All in all, the cruise was amazing. We met interesting people, saw wonderful new places, and enjoyed spending time with each other. When it came time to disembark, we were quite happy to be getting home...but we have promised ourselves a return trip to Victoria...this time we will take the ferry.

Tomorrow is finally here

Ah yes, each day I tell myself, "I will update my blog...tomorrow..." Tomorrow comes...and goes...and I realize it has become yesterday. Ooops, no problem.....I'll be sure to update it...tomorrow. You get the picture! Then I blink and June has turned into November...I can't keep waiting for tomorrow...my today has to be the tomorrow I keep talking about.

Visiting Japan and meeting up with old friends

Of course there has been plenty of things to update about...and update I have ....unfortunately all in my head. You would love to see the wonderful posts I've created....a trip around the world in two hours (that deserves a post all of its own) ....a post about a trip to Japan...




family visiting...

two youngest grandkids meeting for the first time

 

Oldest Granddaughter, Kailynn

unexpected and wonderful family dropping in....Monday phone rings.

Great Grandma and Grandpa

"Hi mom- how is Singapore?"

"It is great, how would you feel about us coming to visit?"

"Sure, when were you thinking of coming?"

"Wednesday night"

A miracle we were all able to be together!

"This Wednesday? That would mean you have to leave today!"

"Yes we already have our flight"

"GREAT!"

Alaskan Glacier

Throw in other miscellaneous visitors...cruise to Alaska....and the normal hurry and flurry of life...take a quick trip down to Dallas for a conference....okay, now I understand why tomorrow never seemed to come. I was too busy enjoying today.  I have missed not only updating- I've missed reading blog updates.  Let's just hope my next 'tomorrow' does not take another six months to come!

Feature Friday: Enid Blyton Books

Can you imagine my utter disappointment when I walked into a bookstore here in the States and they seemed to have no clue who Enid Blyton was! 

I grew up on Enid Blyton books....Famous Five, Malory Towers, Secret Seven, St. Clare's etc etc...my kids grew up on the Noddy books, the Naughtiest Girl series, Magic Faraway series, etc etc....her books made me want to read more. I graduated quickly from Enid Blyton straight into full blown historical novels...psychology text books...any classic literature I could lay my hands on...I would have never had the appetite for books if it had not been for Enid Blyton.

I've heard some negative reviews of her writing...and I'm sure, now as an adult, I might find some of the writing lacking...but as a child...well, she transported me into fantasy worlds. She was the reason I tramped around in primary six with my 4 best buddies- and we named ourselves the Fearless Four- or Famous Four- we would scope out haunted houses and explore abandoned buildings. We drank ginger ale and ate ginger biscuits....probably imagining we were on one of the Famous Five's great adventures. 

It is good to see that Amazon.com does offer more of her books. (compared to a few years ago) I know I have bought some classics from Ebay (for my grandkids). I hope these books are always around for children to enjoy!

If you were an Enid Blyton fan (or you just read some of her books) which one was your favorite??

*images from Ebay and Amazon.com

Thankful Thursday: Ending of Blogathon

Today is the day...the blogathon ends...I'm thankful for the experience of competing in yet another blogathon. I skipped a beat- not posting on May 18th, but that is fine...although I can't say I officially completed the blogathon--- I'm glad that I didn't stop there and give up. My last few days of the blogathon were my best!

I'm thankful to my two guest post bloggers- Jenny and Kusum. They made my blogathon just a bit easier. 


Although this is not my first blogathon, I think I learned the most during it. I am thankful for all I am coming away with. Here are just a few things-


1. The need to be focused and prepared with posting blog updates


2. The desire to want to post nice pictures with each post-- better still to TAKE those said pictures!


3. The need to be consistent


4. Make good use of keywords and use links generously

A hearty congratulations to all those who faithfully blogged for the 31 days without missing a beat!!!!! GOOD JOB!!!!! Keep on spinning out those blog posts for all to read.

Wild Wednesday: Top Five

I've seen a couple blogs which looked at their statistics to determine which blog posts were most viewed. Thanks to blogger.com, I was able to go to my statistics page easily...click on what my top five blog posts were for ALL time...that means from the beginning of this blog...

1. Just a Peek- a blog about Boulder, Colorado- I suspect it was most viewed because it had key words like 'Boulder, Colorada'- so people were probably searching for the place and stumbled on that particular post.

2. Reflective Thursday: Lady Jane Grey - This was the predecessor to my now "Feature Friday" where I feature various books, people, memoirs, biographies. In this particular post- Lady Jane Grey was featured. People searching for her must have stumbled on to this post.

3. Wild Wednesday- Crutches vs. Wings - an impromptu post which has surprisingly has made the top five- of all time! I'm not sure what it is about this post which made it one of the top five.


4. Unbirthday Parties - This post is one I was surprised made the top five. It happens to be one of my favorite, but I am pretty sure no one stumbled on it- so they had to make a conscious effort to come and read it. A post about seizing each and every moment and making the most of life!


5. Feature Friday: Mitford Sisters- This is another post which I think could possibly have been stumbled upon. The Mitford sisters are historically well known- and so it makes sense they would attract attention.


After looking at those five posts, I decided to check on what the top five posts were for this month. I was curious to see if there was a difference in the posts which attracted attention during this blogathon. Two of the posts from the former list made the top five. The Crutches vs. Wing post was number one on the list. Just a Peek made it to the number two position.  


The third post which attracted attention was Feature Friday: Tender Mercies. This was a post featuring a book of poetry. The fourth post was the Wild Wednesday: The Wild guessing game. This post definitely attracted a bit of attention because of the interactive aspect of the guessing. The post which placed fifth was Thankful Thursday: Unexpected Friends. 


There were some posts which I wish had made it to the top five, but they were not there. When I realized that key words probably brought greater traffic flow to certain posts, I know I must be more specific on my key word choices.

Tree Tuesday: The Newest Leaf

Letta Evangelyn Hanae Kubo

Forgive me if I showcase the newest leaf on my family tree AGAIN....She is 4  days old today....My daughter, Katrina, writes a touching background story  on how this little sweet heart exists.