Quiet Keystrokes and Midnight Ramblings

What a whirlwind adventure this year has brought to me in writing!  I had hoped that this year would propel me into the world of an writer, but could never have expected just how much progress I'd be able to make in becoming the authoress I've always dreamed of being.  As I sit and reflect on how much I have to be thankful for this year, the list is astoundingly long. I've been given the blessings of a career change, the opportunity to write both online and in print, the completion of one novel and the beginnings of a second, a position creating content for a wonderful company on the verge of exploding in a joyful mess of growth and progress, the support of friends and strangers, and even more that I can't think of right now. This year hasn't been all roses and double rainbows, and it certainly hasn't been the easiest year for our family; but it has been a year of personal and professional growth, a reminder that I have an incredible family to lean on when t...

As is often the case on sleepless nights, one night last week I was pointing and clicking my way around the internet when I happened upon an advertisement for Examiner.com .  Interested to see how they match up with Associated Content , I started to do a little digging through online forums and several of the articles posted on AC about what is drawing other online writers to Examiner.  I was intrigued by what I found, and decided to apply for an open slot they had for an Action Sports writer for the Portland area. I am pleased to announce that after going through the application process, I have become the new Examiner.com Portland Paintball Examiner .  The first writing piece that was accepted on this site can be seen by clicking here .  And please do check it out since it is all about one of the newest paintball fields in the Portland area, Impact Action Sports. I'd like to send a big "Thank You" to Jason from Impact Action Sports for giving me the gr...

In doing some research for some writing on the Paintball industry in and around Portland, Oregon, I decided to take a field trip around the city to see what has been going on with the local Paintball businesses.  Not really knowing where to start, I picked up the latest copy of a leading Paintball magazine (The title will not be named here so as not to step on anyone's toes, but you may be able to find a copy of it yourself at your local Fred Meyer) and turned to the Field and Store directory at the back of the mag.  I also did a quick Google search for "Paintball, Portland, Oregon" and jotted down another couple of businesses names & addresses from businessfinder.oregonlive.com  and infosports.com .  I grabbed my Droid , my keys, my husband (I figured between the Droid and my husband I couldn't get lost) and off I went to explore. Unfortunately, what I found were a lot of locked doors, and buildings that had been converted for new uses (or demolished altogethe...