To Love Was Not Written Alone

by tiffanyrandom ramblings, To Love UpdatesPosted on No Comments
To Love Was Not Written Alone

The craft of writing can be a solitary endeavor. If you have a day job and a life outside of writing, like most authors, writing a book can also be a lengthy process. Personally, it took me five years to complete my book To Love and a lot of alone time. 

I had people helping me

However, I did not write To Love in a void. Yes, I wrote and edited a good chunk of the book in my room or alone at the coffeehouse. There was also a good chunk of time that I wrote with a friend. He worked on his project as I worked on mine. This helped me stay focused and motivated, especially in the beginning. 

I also had my sister, who is a fellow writer and my editor, as needed support and help. I could turn to her to talk about aspects of my book and get early feedback.

It was with all my friends and family members that I wrote, illustrated, and published my memoir To Love. Even though writing is a solitary hobby or career, it goes smoother if you have other people to help you achieve your goals.

I had God on my side

Another thing you will need is faith. You need to believe the book you are writing needs to be a book. Your story or knowledge needs to be out in the world for others to read. 

I write about the faith it took to write To Love in the book. I talk about the journey the book itself is on. The book changed and morphed from a collection of thoughts into a memoir focused on love. With every change I had to have faith, it was what needed to happen. At points the faith I had faltered, which was okay because it always came back.

One reason I regained my faith in writing the book was because I had faith in God. I was confident He called me to write this weird book. Being a writing is who He called me to be, and this book had to be my first proper book. It was just how it needed to be.

With To Love I learned a lot, grew as an author, and God taught me a few things. It was tough, but I am grateful that I had God and my loved ones on my side.

Thank you to all who bought To Love
Want More?

To Love is sold on Amazon and if you would like to read more excerpts you can go the To Love Updates section of this site. I also created some fun promotional videos on Youtube.

God Shows Up blog series

God Shows Up At Elevation

by tiffanyGod Shows UpPosted on No Comments

I currently work for a church in the Santa Cruz Mountains called Elevation. Elevation has been around since early 2009, and I joined the church family in late 2009. Throughout the years I have seen how God shows up at Elevation. This will be more of a background to what Elevation is rather than specific stories of God showing up.

It was the second church I went to as an adult with my friends, and we quickly became a part of this wonderful church. After a few major life changes with me, I became the admin for Elevation in 2018. That is not where the story of Elevation starts, though.

The story of Elevation has to start with the pastor, Chuckk (yes, spell check it has 2 k’s). His openness to share his past, personality, and love is one reason everyone involved with the church feels safe to be themselves.

It is a beautiful thing when a group of people can be authentically themselves as they journey towards a personal relationship with God the creator. When there are no walls or barriers to break through, you can then learn and grow with people on the same journey as you.

What makes Elevation, Elevation?

The quick answer are the people. Like every church, those involved and belong to that church makes the church what it is. Church is not about the building or even the weekly service. The church is the people who make up the community of believers we hang out with.

The skill of musical people and other creative people are part of the culture of Elevation. This is also one reason I fit into this church. We are weird creative people who love God.

We must be cool because we meet at a nightclub. The actual location of the building doesn’t matter. We just need a space to meet. Plus, more people may be all right going to a nightclub and not a cathedral or other church building.

I’ve learned a lot from being part of Elevation and see God show up a lot throughout the years of being part of Elevation. It is such a beautiful group of God-loving people.

God Shows Up At Elevation
Want More?

For more information about my amazing Church, you can go to Elevation’s website.

For more blog posts in this series, you can visit my God Shows Up page. I also have a YouTube series that goes hand in hand with this written series.

Family Loves (An Acrostic Poem)

by tiffanyPoetryPosted on No Comments

Family Love an acrostic poem

Family loves
Amidst struggles and trials,
Merry times and celebrations.
In all stages of life
Loved ones will gather.
You get to share everything with family.

Love is abundantly spread
Over time, distance, and members;
Vast adventures and stories are shared.
Every family member loves differently,
So thank you for loving your way.

Want More?

If you would like to read more of my poetry please take a look at my portfolio or watch a few of my poetry readings.

Elevation

by tiffanyother updates, random ramblingsPosted on One Comment

elevation

After my layover chat with the Mormons I realized I never write in detail about my church. I love it yet I’ve never wrote about it. It is so unique, authentic and loving that I believe our story should be told.

The story of Elevation has to start with the pastor, Chuckk (yes, spell check it has 2 k’s). I believe his openness to share his past, personality, and love is the reason everyone involved with the church feels safe to share and be themselves. It is a beautiful thing when a group of people can be authentically themselves as they journey towards a personal relationship with God the creator.

When there are no wall or barriers to break through you can then start to learn and grow with people on the same journey as you.

Chuckk’s wife, Andrea, of course needs to be spoken about. She is there every week setting up environment and loving people. She is encouraging and a strong Christian woman. She has become my mentor and one of the ladies who I look up to. She leads by example and makes sure everyone feels welcomed into our church.

I could go on about ever single person that is important to the church but that would fill a book and I am not up for that right now. I would most likely forget to mention the middle school leader or the grumpy guitarist. I’ll just leave talking about each awesome person for another post. Or maybe it would be another series.

I really want to focus on what makes Elevation, Elevation.  The people are what is important and what gives Elevation the unique feeling but that is not the only thing. People where I start when I think about Elevation.

We believe that Church is not about the building or even the weekly service. The Church is the people who make up the community of believers we hang out with. And most do hang out either after service, during the week, or at random events. It seems like lately there are a bunch of events that people are going to and inviting other members. Elevation also organizes events, because we know that there is only so much that can be learned from Chuckk and it takes community to really grow and help others grow.

We do have service each week which is important. This is where we can worship and learn about God from a smart dude who very obviously knows God and has a deep relationship with him.

We also get to express our love for God through music which, Jeremy leads. He is also a pretty great dude. I mean he was willing to leave his home in Colorado to move to an un-churched area for the worship leader position that can only pay him as a part-time position. If that isn’t trusting God I’m not positive what is. HE also has a wonderful talent for finding great musicians.

The skill of musical people and other creative people are part of the culture of Elevation. This is also one reason I fit into this church. We are weird creative people who love God.

The mission statement of Elevation is, “Elevation exists to worship God, reach the unconvinced and together grow to be more like Jesus.” The 7 guiding values are, “Scripture-centric Teaching, Cultural Relevance, Missional Living, Engaging Worship, Authentic Community, Transformed Lives, and Focused Simplicity”

Oh yeah and we must be cool because we meet at a night club/ bar. You see we believe the actual locations doesn’t matter. We just need a space to meet in regularly. Plus, more people may feel alright going to a night club and not a cathedral or other church building.

For more information about my amazing Church you can go to Elevation’s website.

Let me know if you have any questions about Elevation or church in general; and all feedback is welcomed.

After A Vacation I’m DreamWard Bound

by tiffanyDreamward boundPosted on No Comments

success

I got back from my vacation this week and hit the ground running, at least or a few days. I went to a friend’s house right when I got home, partly because I wanted to see them and their family, partly because I wanted to stay awake until at least 9. I was trying to fight my jet lag. It might have helped if I didn’t wake up at 4:30 EST and went to sleep at 10 PST. It was as if I woke up at 1:30 and went to bed at 10, or woke up at 4:30 and went to bed at 1.  It didn’t help that the next day I went over another friends house then woke up the following day at 4:45 to take make roommate to the airport.

On top of sleep issues at work the first day back I had advance training to qualify for becoming a  level 3 site owner. All this week I was really focused on the process in becoming a level 3. I mean this week in work was only 3 days and I was doing a simple job when I wasn’t training or taking tests, but still I think that counts as hitting the ground running.

That is all boring stuff. I should at least give you bullet points on my fun family vacation.

First I went a couple of days early, because well it is cheaper to fly during the middle of the week. I flew into the airport closest to my sister, Ducky’s house (nickname). I stayed with her and her family for a few days then drove up to the cabin in the mountains. We did stop along the way to see Monticello, which was Thomas Jefferson’s retirement home.

We then got to the cabin in the woods where we would be staying for the week. The grand total of humans that would be staying in this 3 floor cabin was 14. We also had 1 dog come. The house was 3 floors, which was helpful. This gave us enough room to have different people doing different things.

We didn’t just stay at the cabin. We went out and did something fun every day. We went to a water park, canoeing, and took a tour of the caverns that were around there. We also went to a lavender garden, went out to eat at a smoke house, and went on an adventure course. I even took 3 out of the 5 kids on a garden maze at the caverns, which was fun.

By the end of the week our numbers started to dwindle both Ducky and Cole (another sister) had to go home early, because of work. This caused a problem, since my ride to the airport was Ducky and my flight didn’t leave until a couple of days after we had to leave the cabin. What wound up happening was a bit complicated but worked. I was driven to Cole’s house, since mom had stuff she needed to drop off for her. I then stayed at her house for a couple of days, then brought to Ducky’s house and stayed there a couple of days.

I had nothing interesting happen flying home, but I did talk to Mormons while I was heading towards my family vacation. I actually wrote something about that, because if nothing else it was an interesting conversation. That will be posted later on this week.

I will actually be publishing a lot this week and next week. I think I may have 3 weeks of stuff to publish from the trip. I also have a couple of fun videos that will be published as soon as I look at them. The videos are 2 improv videos I did before leaving for vacation. I may have a video from vacation, but not sure about that yet, since it was longer, so I would have to edit it down.

There is no list of things I did this week, since I haven’t published anything in a while. Next week there will be a good list though.

I hope you have a wonderful week and thank you for reading.

After A Vacation I'm DreamWard Bound

by tiffanyDreamward boundPosted on No Comments

success

I got back from my vacation this week and hit the ground running, at least or a few days. I went to a friend’s house right when I got home, partly because I wanted to see them and their family, partly because I wanted to stay awake until at least 9. I was trying to fight my jet lag. It might have helped if I didn’t wake up at 4:30 EST and went to sleep at 10 PST. It was as if I woke up at 1:30 and went to bed at 10, or woke up at 4:30 and went to bed at 1.  It didn’t help that the next day I went over another friends house then woke up the following day at 4:45 to take make roommate to the airport.

On top of sleep issues at work the first day back I had advance training to qualify for becoming a  level 3 site owner. All this week I was really focused on the process in becoming a level 3. I mean this week in work was only 3 days and I was doing a simple job when I wasn’t training or taking tests, but still I think that counts as hitting the ground running.

That is all boring stuff. I should at least give you bullet points on my fun family vacation.

First I went a couple of days early, because well it is cheaper to fly during the middle of the week. I flew into the airport closest to my sister, Ducky’s house (nickname). I stayed with her and her family for a few days then drove up to the cabin in the mountains. We did stop along the way to see Monticello, which was Thomas Jefferson’s retirement home.

We then got to the cabin in the woods where we would be staying for the week. The grand total of humans that would be staying in this 3 floor cabin was 14. We also had 1 dog come. The house was 3 floors, which was helpful. This gave us enough room to have different people doing different things.

We didn’t just stay at the cabin. We went out and did something fun every day. We went to a water park, canoeing, and took a tour of the caverns that were around there. We also went to a lavender garden, went out to eat at a smoke house, and went on an adventure course. I even took 3 out of the 5 kids on a garden maze at the caverns, which was fun.

By the end of the week our numbers started to dwindle both Ducky and Cole (another sister) had to go home early, because of work. This caused a problem, since my ride to the airport was Ducky and my flight didn’t leave until a couple of days after we had to leave the cabin. What wound up happening was a bit complicated but worked. I was driven to Cole’s house, since mom had stuff she needed to drop off for her. I then stayed at her house for a couple of days, then brought to Ducky’s house and stayed there a couple of days.

I had nothing interesting happen flying home, but I did talk to Mormons while I was heading towards my family vacation. I actually wrote something about that, because if nothing else it was an interesting conversation. That will be posted later on this week.

I will actually be publishing a lot this week and next week. I think I may have 3 weeks of stuff to publish from the trip. I also have a couple of fun videos that will be published as soon as I look at them. The videos are 2 improv videos I did before leaving for vacation. I may have a video from vacation, but not sure about that yet, since it was longer, so I would have to edit it down.

There is no list of things I did this week, since I haven’t published anything in a while. Next week there will be a good list though.

I hope you have a wonderful week and thank you for reading.

Late fourth of July post

by tiffanyother updatesPosted on No Comments

My first flight to North Carolina was filled with Soldiers. Like myself they got to the gate early and I was able to watch and listen to them. In serving together they had become to at least act as a large family. They joked, teased and talked like they were a loving family. One reoccurring theme in their conversations was how excited and happy they were to be going home. They were a family but it was clear that they missed their own families. One had a son that was potty training. One talked on the phone to her mom. Another talked about partying with friends when he got back to his hometown. A few others talked about their girlfriends or called them on their phone.

The conclusion I made through all of these small interaction is that these people love deeply. They love their families and friends. They love their soldier family, their battle-mates. They also love their country deeply. They must, because they would not leave the ones they loved if they didn’t. They would not risk everything or sacrifice time away from their home, from where their loved ones and life are, if they did not love their country. Soldiers are very loving, noble, and brave. I am very thankful for this fact on July fourth, and today.

Thank you, to all the men and women who served and still serve this country. I am very grateful for every soldier of this country.

Inside the Listening Tree. (Short Story)

by tiffanyshort stories, Stand Alone Short StoriesPosted on No Comments

There once was a tree that was called the listening tree. It lived in a picturesque forest with blue and purple flowers growing at its base. People would climb this tree in the beautiful forest. They would sit on the many limbs of the tree and told the tree all their problems. For years and years the tree grew and people climbed the tree to talk with it. They left all their issues with the tree and some way or another the issues and problems left with the tree would get solved.

As more and more people talked to the tree and more and more problems were solved, more people heard and came. Soon people were traveling from far away to talk to this tree. By the time this time the tree was the largest tree most has ever seen. It appeared to the people who lived closest to the tree that the more people came to the tree the larger it became.

Every day for years and years every limb was covered with people chattering about their woes. Then one day only one came. It was a little girl with tears in her eyes. She could not even reach the first branch to climb up on the tree, so she sat down by the flowers and told the tree, “I know I’m not special and I know that everyone else’s issues are more important. I’m just a little girl, but I’m all alone and no one even notices me. I would like some one to at least greet me.”

As she finished her request a little door opened and out walked a tiny old woman with wings who flew up to be near the little girl’s face.

Astonished the little girl asked, “Who are you?”

“I am the mother of this tree, every limb has one of my children listening to your people. No one has even talked to me in many years, so I know how you feel.”

The little girl smiled. “Thank you for letting me see you and thank you for noticing me.”

“My dear girl, being noticed is not your issue. What breaks your heart is that you are alone. I can see it in your eyes. Come live with us and you will never be alone.”

“I can not live in a tree or in the forest.”

The mother laughed and told her, “We are magical. I will shrink you down and give you wings. That is when you can choose to either be a listener with me or a giver with my husband.”

“What is a giver?”

Smiling the mother told the child, “A giver is one who gives the people what they need to mend their hearts or fix their problems.” She saw the confusion in the girl’s eyes and told her, with a sweet voice, “We do not fix other’s problems for them, we only open their eyes and give them the tools.”

“Are the givers ever alone?”

“When they are out helping others they may be.”

“I think I would like to stay with you then and be a listener.”

“As you wish,” The mother said and with a kiss on the girl’s head the girl was turned into a tiny winged version of herself.

 

This was a quick short story that I wrote at my day job when the internet was down. 

And just as a reminder I will be on vacation starting Thursday.

writing

The opposite of Family is Enemy (a Diamante Poem)

by tiffanymy creative self, PoetryPosted on No Comments

poetry

Diamante

A Diamante is a seven-lined contrast poem set up in a diamond shape. The first line begins with a noun/subject, and second line contains two adjectives that describe the beginning noun. The third line contains three words ending in -ing relating to the noun/subject. The fourth line contains two words that describe the noun/subject and two that describe the closing synonym/antonym. If using an antonym for the ending, this is where the shift should occur. In the fifth line are three more -ing words describing the ending antonym/synonym, and the sixth are two more adjectives describing the ending antonym/synonym. The last line ends with the first noun’s antonym or synonym.

To make it a bit simpler, here is a diagram.

Line 1: Noun or subject
Line 2: Two Adjectives describing the first noun/subject
Line 3: Three -ing words describing the first noun/subject
Line 4: Four words: two about the first noun/subject, two about the antonym/synonym
Line 5: Three -ing words about the antonym/synonym
Line 6: Two adjectives describing the antonym/synonym
Line 7: Antonym/synonym for the subject

 

Family
Funny smart
loving, caring, sharing
warm, supportive,distant, cold
hating, harming, hurting
evil stupid
Enemy