Spring Thoughts From My Journal It’s been a wet and windy day in Northern California and I’ve been in our new home for just over a year and a half. I’ve noticed in certain conditions, this season especially, dewy rainbows hug our area with the green, sloping hills in the far distance. I’ve been on a Spring cleaning and organizing binge as part of celebrating hopeful new beginnings with my fiction, making ready for dreams to take root. My children are also growing at alarming rates, one popped up a whole shoe size in a month and his voice dropped…
Inspiring Emerald Gem Discovery
There’s been some neat discoveries coming up on my radar as a gemologist, and I love to collect these tidbits for inspiration for stories, especially if it involves emeralds. I thought you’d like to share some of the most dramatic ones of late. My love of emeralds Emeralds have always fascinated me, even before I became a gemologist. I first encountered them when I was on a business trip for a large, international firm to Colombia years ago when they had travel warnings—not for weather but for the volatile situation with the drug cartels and drug czars in the area….
The Allure of Pink Diamonds
To celebrate spring, we’re starting a new series with a gem of the month beginning with pink diamonds. My personal favorite gem stone is very rare, and even a bit mysterious. Perhaps as a gem mystery/fantasy author, that’s why I like it so much. I first saw the gem while I was in school to become a Graduate Gemologist in San Diego at the Gemological Institute of America. One afternoon, after a long day of studying in the lab, a rather sterile room filled with lots of microscopes and white desks, our instructor had us gather around. A famous jeweler…
Cheers to 2018! Great things on the way this new year!
Greetings in the new year! I’ve had a quiet holiday, our first in our new home in the Bay Area. I wanted to touch base and let you know what’s coming up this first part of the year. 2017 was an emotional year, supporting many who’ve lost everything in life and need to make a new beginning. I’m finding I need a reboot as well, so will be refocusing the blog on the following areas given some neat opportunities that have recently come to light. Series: Becoming a resilient writer After 10 years of corporate writing and years blogging and…
Ten Tried and Tested Teen-Approved Cures for Boredom
As summer rapidly approaches, we’ve got great ideas to break up any boredom that tries to creep in. Feel free to print these and give them to your parents, adding your own ideas too. Get out your cooking gear. There are great pretzel-making kits on the baking aisle of most stores. Joey had fun making a whole vignette of a cannon exploding a jailhouse with his! Make a fun story about it while it’s baking and then eat it with friends. Pick those lemons. If you’ve got some lemons growing in your garden, make homemade lemonade! Or for a new…
Fourtané Jewelers delights with stories behind gems
On a cold, rainy day in Carmel, CA, I tucked inside and found a whole other world with the wonderful, historic Fourtané Jewelers. As a gemologist, I’m always looking for exceptional jewelry, and as a resilience expert I love to focus on beauty. I was especially thrilled to spend time with their master jeweler who has an artist’s perspective on crafting the story behind his custom pieces. Come join me as we walk through some of the gems here, or go to my YouTube channel below for the full visit and interview. About Fontané Open since 1950 and owned by…
Sherry Kyle and The Girl’s Guide to Life
When you were a tween, wouldn’t you have loved having a road map to help with the twists and turns of puberty? Sherry Kyle is a wonderful author I met at ACFW a couple of years ago. When I saw her new book called The Girl’s Guide to Life, I loved the cover and wanted to know more. The sage wisdom is presented effortlessly in a fun format for girls. Here’s an excerpt from our interview: What inspired you to begin to write and specifically about your most recent book, The Girl’s Guide to Life? When my kids were small,…
Creative Family Times At Sawdust Art Festival
Having difficulty accepting that the holidays are here? Looking to restart your excitement for the Christmas season, finding joy that bubbles up from within? Try visiting a local art festival in your area. We discovered art festivals when my kids were much younger and my husband and I wanted to begin sharing our love for art and creative things with them. We’d wander the stalls, nibble on delectable foods, and laugh when they got paint splattered or discovered a fun item. Jonathan used to sit on Santa’s lap (but now he’s almost too big, Santa was brave!) when we would…
New Frozen Musical Medley at Hyperion Theater
As part of living a beautiful life, it’s important to seek out uplifting moments for the whole family, especially with all of the turmoil going on in the world. Come find some refreshment and truly “let it go” watching captured moments of Disney’s production of Frozen at the Hyperion Theater in California Adventure. You can see the long version soon on Geek Central Blog, too! Sign up for my blog posts and be entered in the November giveaway!
Doctor Strange’s Costume Up Close!
We at the VT household have been recovering from a terrible bug, so I’m letting Jonathan take over today and show you an up-close look at Doctor Strange’s costume worn by Benedict Cumberbatch that we saw in a preview recently! And some great pictures as well. What did you think of the movie? The effects looked great but we wondered about some parts of the plot. Let us know your thoughts! More soon and stay healthy! And remember to sign up for the blog and quarterly newsletter on the home page to qualify for an Amazon Gift Card drawing…
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