Happy 2015! & Happy 2016!

Bon voyage to 2015. Welcome 2016! This is our year! All of our year!

2015 was a fun year for the Jules. A lot happened and I'm happy to share a bit of my year.

• Became an adult, officially. Ditched my twin bed for a queen-sized bed fit for a King.
• Attended Comic Con for the first time & saw Matt Smith there (Doctor Who). Smitten.
• Celebrated my 33rd birthday.
• Saw U2 in concert for the 5th time. I love those boys.
• Did a bit of hiking in the Utah mountains at the beginning of the summer.
• Colored my hair very blonde. Loved it!
• Traveled Down Under to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia. On a broken foot, to boot. No pun intended, as I was wearing a boot cast. Nothing holds me back. Although, it probably should have. Loved loved loved the trip!
• Broken foot is healing, hopefully will be 100% better one of these days.
• Read 47 books. The goal was 50, but I came in pretty darn close.
• Trying my hand at painting. I'm somewhat good. Read "somewhat" very loosely.
• Toyed around with some writing ideas.
• Spent good times with family and friends.

How about you?

 

2016 is going to be a year of joy! I'm certain of it. Not sure if I will be adventuring unless if someone wants to pay for me to go to Africa with them... Maybe Morocco? Any takers? :)

 

I plan to get back to my writing roots, hone in my painting skills, and reading 50 books. I would definitely like to start dating someone whom I will eventually marry. If you know any LDS great guys, let me know. :)

 

Well, happy to be blogging again. Not sure if I will consistently blog, but Id' like to say hello and hope you have a delightful new year!

 

Hugs all the way from Bag End...

Writing Jewels

Bono's Birthday Bash

I'm going to show off my U2 fan-dom geekiness right now with a picture...

I want to declare my devotion to U2 and the front man of this awesome-beyond-this-universe-amazing Irish band by saying:

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY BONO!

I hope you've had a lovely day. I sure hope all my followers have had a blast of a Bono's birthday, too!

Cheers and I'm out!

Writing Jewels

Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- U

U is a special one for me. Without fail what (who) this letter stands for makes me smile. It stands for...

U2

Salt Lake City, Utah  May 24, 2011

Photo by Julia King 

Yup, my favorite band. Ever. Period. My U2 journey commenced when I was 15 and U2's Pop album was released. I attened the PopMart tour and since then I have seen them three more times. Lovely evenings for sure! Oh, how I smiled during those few precious hours listening to my Irish lads rockin' out on the stage. And yes, I spent time in Dublin, Ireland, and I saw all the U2 sites including Bono's house in Killney Bay. I even met his brother Norman Hewson. Coolness. Yes, I'm obsessed!

Yet, the story goes back farther than that... Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved music. It stems from my brother and sister listening to music during my formative years. Their musical favs were new-wave synth 80's all the way to alternative 90's tunes. As any good little sister, I followed in their footsteps. Listening to music has been a huge part of my life since then. In junior and high school, I pretty much was a radio junky. I won a bunch of radio contests and heard my voice on the air plenty of times; they should have paid me for all the air-time.

Because of my love of music, I totally love concerts! And I've been to more than I can count on my fingers and toes. Plus, my precious U2 concerts. Oh, sorry, I already mentioned that. Silly me. :D

Music is inspirational when I write. Gotta have me some music blaring in my ears to get me in the creative zone. :)

Are you a music fan? What are your favorite bands or types of music? Do you listen to music while writing? Starting with the letter U, what makes you smile?

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- G

First of all, thanks for all the birthday wishes last Saturday. The day was full of love and happy smiles because, well heck, it was totally all my day!

And the challenge continues. I'm drinking a ton of water and making sure I'm pacing myself so I don't burn out. Oh, this isn't a marathon, is it? I've been confused as to why I'm just sitting here typing instead of running and sweating really bad. Back to the real point of this post, now. We are to the letter G and I'm going to tell you what makes me smile beginning with this letter:

GUYS

Oh, guys, guys, guys how I love thy name and cute butts, too. haha I have yet to catch myself a hubs but by golly men are sure fun to look at, or to read about for that matter (coughs--Edward Cullen). You do make me cry sometimes, so shame, shame, shame on you!

These are my famous guy crushes: Bono from U2 and Lance Armstrong (I still think you rock and you should be given back your yellow jerseys).

And I'll be honest... I really like kissing. Guys, you make me swoon with your magic lips.

So, do you like kissing? No lying now (please keep this G-rated, get it? Letter G-rated). Who are your fictional or famous people crushes? Starting with the letter G, what makes you smile?

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

Mysterious Ways and Writing

Yesterday, my withdrawals from seeing U2 in concert made me listen to their music almost all day. I had to do something to get over the musical high. Well, I ended up listening to their song Mysterious Ways like twelve times.

I tend to focus on the singer/lyrics of songs—everything else is pushed to the background. But this time around, I found myself focusing on each of the instruments individually and tuning out the others. Let me tell you, it’s hard for me not to listen to Bono’s voice. Anyway. The drums were being hit with a vibrant beat that varied throughout the song. The bass was thrumming with subtle precision that I could feel in my chest. The guitar electrified the song with power. And the lyrics were sung with a surge of intensity that made me fall in love with the song, again.

This exercise got me thinking about how you can’t have a kicking, rocking song like Mysterious Ways without having all of the elements (singer, guitar, bass, and drums) pulled together in a fluid expression of music. This is the same in writing. Without characters, plot, pacing, dialogue, and setting, a story won’t become a fluid masterpiece. If the characters are lacking development and the plot is falling short to grasp the reader(s) attention, then the story won’t shine. It’s the same with the technical properties of writing; grammar and punctuation. Those elements can throw readers off from the stories flow. In the end, the story must have all of these fundamentals well-executed.

The more times I go through my MS, the more I see how it can unravel into a polished whole. Also having others read it will help you become aware of what your story is lacking.

That makes me think of something someone told me last summer. They said that there will be numerous edits as I write my book. I didn’t believe them. Oh, man, I do now. It takes a lot of time cultivating your story and making sure that all its elements are well-meshed together. That’s what will get your story to its end. The End. The editing process is not easy, but it’s worth it. And you know what? It helps you to become more intimately familiar with your story; it’ll be even more alive and tangible. At that point, your story will have blossomed as magnificently as U2’s Mysterious Ways.

Photography by Julia King.

The BIG Four

My love for music pretty much equals the adoration I have for books. Traveling is equal, too, but not as easily accessible.  Today, my love for music is gonna trump books and traveling. Why? Because, my friends, today will mark the big fourth time I will see my absolute favorite band in concert--U2. I have adored them since 1997. It goes back a little farther, though. With having grown up with an older brother and sister who loved 80's music, U2 was a part of their listening enjoyment.

Alas, a year and four months wait to see the phenomenal U2 is almost here. Tonight is the night! And I will be dancing and yelling my voice horse and singing along with Bono--even if he can't hear my voice for the crowd. Perhaps I will get to dance with him this time. Wish me luck. haha. 

In honor of the concert, I am posted some of my favorite U2 songs for you (and me) to enjoy this fine May 24, 2011. Enjoy the tunes because it is a "Musical Journey" as Larry Mullen Jr. would say.

Before you listen to the glorious and perfect songs, which band is YOUR favorite and why?

Only Since It's My Favorite Holiday

St. Patrick's Day is my favorite holiday. I love all things Irish. I love U2. I love Bono. I love the movie Waking Ned Divine. I love Ireland. I love Irish Spring soap. I love claddagh rings. I love Dublin. I love the Dingle Peninsula. I love the accent. I love Enya. I love Celtic dancing and music. I love clovers. I love it all.

Here are some St. Patrick's Day pics I thought were fun!

I hope everyone has a fantabulously wonderful St. Patrick's Day!
What's your favorite holiday? Are you doing anything fun for St. Patty's Day?

Stages of Bono

When I was in high school I drew a funny stick figure drawing of Bono. Actually, there were four stick figure Bono's—each progressively drawn with shorter hair. I coined it, "The Stages of Bono." Yes, stick figures because my art skills are so rockin. I wish I still had the pic, but it sadly has fallen prey to my shuffle of stuff. Below is my new and improved version of "The Stages of Bono."

Ok, his hair started off shorter.

The "Unforgettable Fire," oh, yeah, mullet.

The attractive long style.

And the occasional ponytail.

ZooTV brought on the chop of the hair and Bono dons the sunglasses.

Popmart brings on the buzz—the side we never thought we’d see.

A little longer now, granted I drew the pic just after the Popmart tour.
BTW, love the "Pop" album. Everyone should.

And just for kicks, Pope Bono arrives.

And last but not least in the Stages of Bono tour,
a little longer hair cut than the buzz and totally cute.
Sunglasses still in style for Mr. Paul Hewson.

I love Bono! Can I meet you please? Hehe!

I like concerts

I was thinking last night of all of the concerts I have been to. I love music and I love concerts even more. They are completely fun. They allow me to step out of my shell to dance around to my hearts content. I want to make a list... This may not be exhaustive but I think that it will be fun to try to remember them all.

Sting (twice)
Tori Amos (twice)
INXS (with Michael Hutchense)
Kays Choice
The Verve
Tonic
Morrissey
Depeche Mode (twice)
U2 (three times - four next year. They are my FAVORITE)
David Bowie
Blue Man Group
Moby
Busta Rhymes (not by choice)
Rage Against the Machine (there again, not by choice. They opened for U2)
Sarah McLachlan (Lilith Fair - can't remember who all performed)
Sarah Brightman (Totally Awesome)
Pet Shop Boys

Imogen Heap
Muse

Hanson

There are lots of concerts that I wish I could have gone to like U2's ZooTV tour. I was a bit too young at that time and not a die hard fan then. It would have been awesome though. Funny thing is that I have seen Bono's home in Ireland and took dirt from his front yard. Yes, that obsessed but not stalker obsessed. Maybe that will get back to him and he will want to meet me just because I am strange enough to take dirt from his front yard.

If you haven't been to a concert, GO! They are fun!