I saw the sweetest thing today….

We were at the gas station (I know, it hurts to even mention the word “gas” lately) when a girl pulled up beside us in a Jeep Wrangler. A few seconds later a guy in a truck whipped into the space beside her and got out to help her pump gas. When they finished they stood behind her car for a few moments—he looked like he was giving her directions.

Then . . . they hugged each other. They didn’t care that they were on one of the busiest streets in town, and that hundreds of cars were driving by, and that people were watching them. They just hugged like it was the last time they would ever see each other—like they were the only ones who mattered.

I tried not to stare, but it was So Freakin’ Sweet. Even baby girl in the backseat said: “Aww, they’re hugging,” so she feels me.

The guy gave the girl a quick kiss, and then they both got in their respective cars. The girl pulled out of the gas station one way, and the guy went the other . . . but I saw him put his hand out the window and wiggle his fingers—waving goodbye to her as she drove away.

(Sigh.) I’m a hopeless romantic. (And apparently so is baby girl!) It’s why there’s always a love interest in my stories. I love potential—and new romances. I remembered why today. I personally witnessed the stuff good movies (and books!) are made of.

I’m sure this event will somehow work its way into one of my future manuscripts. It’s too good to forget. (Hopefully I’ll do it better justice there, because the moment was *that* great.)

Have an awesome week! (And go hug someone you love like there’s no tomorrow!)

Love,
Leigh

I'm having computer issues . . .

I know! I'm so frustrated. I work from home, so the laptop is my lifeline. I'm currently borrowing one right now. Fingers crossed that my laptop is cured soon, and all of my files can be saved....

~Leigh~

We interrupt this blogging hiatus to bring you:

An Update!!

So, a lot has happened since my last post. For one, I’ve moved. Again. The irony is that I’ve moved back to where I moved FROM three months ago. That guy I’m sorta married to but not allowed to talk about online transferred, and because the house we were living in didn’t sell, well, here we are.

I miss the house we were in, because it was newer and bigger, with things like built-in bookshelves and a kitchen island, but I’m glad to be “home.” I have a big yard here, and privacy . . . and a river that’s a 20-minute drive from my house, which is crucial to my creative being.

It sounds strange, but I’m all “water.” It’s like I NEED water to function properly. I know, duh, you’re supposed to drink it, but I need to be NEAR it. I need to physically see rivers and lakes and oceans, or I just don’t feel right.

In fact, I think that’s why I was having so much trouble when we moved. I couldn’t take those nice drives to the river, because there wasn’t one (not a good one, anyway). I’m convinced that, if things work out the way I’d LIKE them to, one day I’ll have a house on the Ocean (hopefully not IN the Ocean), or a river or lake. There’s just something about waking up to sunshine and water . . . I don’t know—I could be very productive there. Water is my Life Force.

So, I’m back, and I have a feeling once this new course I’m developing is taken care of, I’ll be my old, YA-novel-writing self. I’m glad, because I’ve felt completely discombobulated the last few months.

In the meantime, I’m unpacked and settled. There were some rough, 100-degree weather days, and now there’s a huge wildfire burning two counties over, so the last few days have been filled with smoke. Needless to say we’re staying inside.

Soon, though, when the smoke clears out and I’m back to “summer,” I’ll take that first drive back to the river, then all will be well in Leighland. I can’t wait! :)

Love,
~Leigh~

I am so, super-overwhelmed. Yes, this is my *great excuse* for not posting my usually scintillating, brilliant (ha) blog entries lately.

I’m teaching an online course right now, I have a new one starting Monday, I have three encyclopedia articles due in a couple of weeks, and I don’t even have the book yet . . . plus, I was asked to develop a new online course, which is ultra top-secret at the moment but leaves me with a lot of writing/research to do. Not surprisingly, I find myself in a *new* training class for yet *another* online teaching platform. I’ve done educator, blackboard, and now I’m using moodle. Next up? WebCT, I’m sure of it. It’s like, the only online course platform I can think of that I haven’t already trained for….

But this is sounding like jibberish. The truth is, I need to post something so I don’t feel so bad for not writing *ANYTHING* creative in the past few weeks. I literally have a middle grades novel sitting on my desktop, collecting dust, unopened. I’m not sure if I’m just so busy that I don’t have time to look at it (but then, that doesn’t explain why I killed 30 minutes with continuous games of solitaire the other day), or if I’m just not interested in the book. Or MAYBE, I’m so busy with this educational stuff that I just don’t *feel* like writing right now, and I need things like movies and solitaire to take my mind off how busy I am.

Either way, it’s all an excuse. Surely I can find fifteen minutes a day to write, right?

Erg. MAYBE I should just stop saying I’ll do things that I don’t have time to do . . . but then, everything I’ve mentioned above is a great opportunity in its own right . . . so I really don’t want to say *no* to anything….

Unfortunately, the writing is suffering, people.

Maybe I should clone myself . . . surely if there were two of me running around things would get done, right?

Of course, I’d probably just keep on adding projects so that me and my clone were booked solid, stressed, and overwhelmed….

(Sigh) And here I am writing a blog entry. :)

Oh well, it’s better than solitaire….

Have a great week, everyone!

Love,
~Leigh~

P.S. “New Moon” (the Twilight sequel) is on its way . . . (happy sigh) I love me some Edward.

I am in love....

I’m not ashamed to admit that I have fallen head over heels, madly, desperately in love with Edward Cullen.

What I AM ashamed of is the fact that I’ve had my copy of Twilight since early December and just now, less than 48 hours ago, picked it up.

I am also not ashamed to admit that I will be running, very soon, to the first available bookstore to buy the sequels.

I am *forever* in love . . . with an amazingly dashing vampire, no less.

(releases a happy sigh)

~Leigh~