Summer Recap

Summer!! has been a crazy whirlwind. 

Are we actually starting school again in a few weeks? UNBELIEVEABLE.

In the middle of June I finished my first year as a para-educator at one of our local elementary schools and then jumped straight into training for our local camp for kids with physical and intellectual disabilities through the ARC of Tricities. For this summer job, I'm both a van driver to get campers to camp and to all our different activities throughout the day, as well as a one-on-one counselor for one of the campers. We've been having a ton of fun, but it's also exhausting. We go swimming almost every day (my hair may never forgive me), to parks, to movies, horse-back riding. It's been another crazy fun summer and has flown by so fast.

I took a week off last month to go to a family reunion in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. My sister was able to visit from Hong Kong for three weeks, so she was able to be there, and my brother and his family drove down from where they live. We rented a huge AirBnb where we could all stay together. 

After Lava, my immediate family plus my sister took a several-day tour of Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, which was a spectacular experience. We saw so many animals, including bison, coyotes, black bears, bald eagles and elk. The moose and wolves eluded us, unfortunately. The geysers and bubbling pools and mud pots at Yellowstone were so interesting (and scary). I would love to go back for more exploring someday.

So, all of this adventuring and fun-having has meant I haven't been writing as much as I would like to. I do have one book that's on the cusp of being sent out to editors (WOOT!/YIKES!), and another one in the works, but the progress on that one has been slow. I have one week off between camp and school starting, though, and it's my goal to get through the first draft during that week ... and whittle away at it until then. 

A couple things I am proud of on the writing front though are, first, I have a new website designed by Savannah Brooks, who is an agent at my agent's agency, kt Literary. I am so happy with the way it turned out. You can check my new author website out here at alsonnichsenauthor.com

Second, I've been getting together pretty regularly with my writing group. Even if I don't submit anything on a given week, it's great to be able to read my writing friends' novels. It also keeps me motivated to plug away on my work-in-progress, because they're such an encouraging group of writers. I can't speak highly enough of the importance of community when you're in a creative line of work. A lot of us writers are introverts (or am I just speaking for myself?), but it is invaluable to have a group of friends who are going through the same things you are, who are willing to give honest critique, and who are your cheering section when the good or bad news (finally) rolls in.

It's always challenging to carve out time to be creative when you're busy with LIFE and work and family and other obligations. I'd like to explore this more in future blog posts, but how do you make time for yourself and your hobbies/passions/creative side-hustle? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Have a great weekend, everyone! I know I will be SLEEPING. Oh, and writing, too.