Chicago, I Love You: BTS Whirlwind Weekend Edition

So, a couple weekends ago, my childhood friend Maddie and I went on a trip to Chicago to go see BTS.

Let's start from the beginning.

One day, a couple months ago, I got a text from Maddie asking if I would want to come with her to see BTS in Chicago. I love adventures like this, and going to see a K-Pop group was something that had been on my bucket list, so of course, I said yes. Fast-forward through a flurry of reservations and planning, and before we knew it, it was the beginning of May, and time to board our late flight to Chicago.

Several plane delays later, we arrived.

Here's what we did.

Sightseeing

Here is what we saw in our 48 hours in Chicago:

• The Chicago River and the Corncob Buildings
• The Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue)
• Millenium Park
• Cloud Gate (The Bean!)

Deep-Dish Pizza

There is a reason why deep-dish pizza is a mainstay in Chicago. Surprisingly, even though I've visited the city before and absolutely adore it, I had never had deep-dish pizza before.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Hello, lovah!

It took an hour for us to have it brought to our table, but good gracious, that pizza was worth it. We had pepperoni, cheese, and bacon, and it was perfect.

(For the curious, we visited Giordano's just off Michigan Avenue.)

BTS

Following our pizza adventure - and crashing after 40 minutes' worth of walking around north Chicago - it was time to hail an Uber for the main event: the BTS concert.

This was actually the largest concert I've ever been to. At LEAST 60,000 strong of the BTS Army (fanbase) were in attendance at Soldier Field. Following the concert, I've told several people that this is the closest that our generation has come to Beatlemania: fandom on insane levels for an artist that doesn't look like it'll fade anytime soon.

BTS certainly did not disappoint with their set, either. At least 24 songs - including solo songs from each of the boys - were packed into the three hours we were there. The set design and fireworks were just icing on the cake to how talented these guys are. They're fantastic live!

It was awesome.

Overall, we had a blast in the 48-ish hours I spent in Chicago. Chicago has my heart, always, and I can't wait to be back soon!

Writing Update: Camp NaNoWriMo 2019, Revision Plans, and Self-Publishing!

Hi!

So I've been gearing up for another big writing project. Well, actually, several, if you count the revisions and the stuff I plan to FINALLY publish this year.

I guess I need to slow down a bit, huh?

In today's update, I'm going to give y'all a rundown on my upcoming writing adventures! Starting with...

CAMP NANOWRIMO 2019!

Yes, I am participating in Camp again this year! I will be partaking in both the April and July sessions. I am SO thrilled with the plot so far. 

However, this year, I'm tackling Camp a little differently than I did last year. Besides doing both sessions (which I'm already pumped for), I will be taking this opportunity to write a DUOLOGY. This will be a two-novella series!!

I have always wanted to write a series, and I figured a novella duology would be a SUPER fun jumping off point for my first one. 

I begin writing the first novella April 1, finishing on April 30. Then, I'll start drafting part 2 on July 1, finishing on July 30. 

To say I'm stoked is an understatement.

Revisions!

Okay, I'm just going to get this out there in the open: I am not a big fan of the revision process. I love drafting so much more. Also, in my experience, the revision process was glossed over in classes I took. Not to mention it's much more fun chasing new ideas and plot bunnies than having to revisit less-than-savory sentences, paragraphs, and plot points.

That being said, I've got a bunch of manuscripts (two novels and a novella) that I want to share with y'all. So, this year, I'll be working to revise these drafts and get those stories out there.

Please stay tuned for...

Self-Publishing!

I write because I love creating worlds and stories and sharing them with others. This year, I'm deep-diving into self-publishing again after a year (I missed it!) and getting some cool stuff put out for you guys! Y'all, 2019 is gonna be a great writing year for me, I can already tell.

Again, please stay tuned. I can't wait to share my words with you. :)

Be Present.

There was one day I was at church for morning worship service when I was next to someone who was on their phone the entire time. It’s become commonplace - in a way - to see phones at church, but I hadn’t seen someone be on their phone for nearly a whole service. Out of sheer curiosity, when this person put down their phone, I decided to count the seconds before they pulled it out again. 

Fifteen seconds. 

Fifteen seconds was the longest amount of time this member - yes, member, since they took communion with me - didn’t have their phone out.

Needless to say, a pet peeve of mine flared up a bit that day. I realize that I’m preaching to myself a bit; it’s easy to wander to the tiny screen if I see a notification, and it's easy to pass time scrolling through feeds and timelines. But there’s something to be said if you can’t give but fifteen seconds to God, let alone people around you, your dinner conversation partner, a concert, a wedding, or anything that involves you engaging with another person.

Recently, I took a trip with my Mom to Northern California. There, we hardly had cell service, let alone a TV with standard cable. While the latter isn't a huge deal for me - I tend to lurk YouTube instead - sometimes, a lack of cell service leaves me disconnected.

Little did I know that disconnecting was exactly what I needed to do.

Mom and I found an adorable pub near our VRBO cottage, and we decided to swing by for dinner before getting groceries for the next day. When we pulled up to the tudor-style inn, there was a whiteboard sign right out front declaring that the WiFi was out. Mom and I just shrugged, walked in, ordered our tea and dinner, and headed into the dining room.

The dining room was very dimly lit to the point where one of the waiters actually came in and lit candles and the fireplace. If we'd had wifi and cell service, we wouldn't have noticed the fact that the same waiter would sing along to various random pop songs, nor would we have noticed the charm of the place. In fact, that's why I don't have any pictures of the pub to show you; we were too busy enjoying the atmosphere and company.

That pub reminded me of something that day: sometimes, I need to put down my phone in order to really enjoy my life and the amazing things around me. As a writer, I'm inspired by experiences and things around me, so this really rings true ihn my creative work. Also, side note, if I hadn't put down my phone and quit filming at the Bastille concert I went to, I would have totally missed Dan Smith, their lead singer, looking right at me from a couple feet away.

Sometimes, in the midst of our crazy-busy lives, we've got to put our devices down and actually stop and smell the figurative roses. Who knows? We might have a story to tell from it.

This was the view at Muir Beach Lookout, near where we were staying. Isn't it amazing?

27 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Well, hi!

If you're new here, hi, my name is Savannah. I turned 27 back in October. I started this blog back when I was 22. Good gracious.

I wanted to share some fun facts about me with you. Granted, I've done this before - twice, actually - but I feel like I could share some new things/insights that will be fun to look back on in the future (goodness, it was fun looking back on my old fun fact posts over the past couple of years).

So...here are 27 things you didn't know about me. :)

1. I have been a baptized/born-again Christian for 13 years as of January 12. I feel like I have grown every single one of those thirteen years and counting.
2. Along those lines, I have never read the whole Bible in a year before. This year, I'm changing that.
3. I'm a stationery nerd; specifically, notepads and planners. I get my love of stationery and planners from my mom, and we've gone to several planner conventions together!
4. Also, I'm a pen nerd. Brightly-colored pens, highlighters, and color coding are my jam.
5. I have dyed my hair before. In fact, it's been three colors at once: blonde with the underside being blue with pink shadow roots. Now, I'm in this phase where the bottom half of my hair is a blonde ombre situation from the bleach.
6. I've been called even more similar-sounding names to Savannah in recent months: Cheyenne, Shannon, and Cindy, to name a few.
7. I like to think I'm crazy-good at racing games, be they arcade or console/computer.
8. My favorite books of the Bible are Esther, Romans, and Hebrews.
9. I have written two novels (and counting, especially with this year's NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo months!)
10. I have also self-published some short stories! Click here to check them out.
11. I edit on a freelance basis in addition to my day job, so I actually self-edit my own work and do my own cover designs for my self-published work. I have also worked as a self-publishing consultant on a memoir.
12. I have never seen "The Wizard of Oz."
13. I have never been to a Renaissance fair.
14. I have some new additions to my travel bucket list: Seoul, Egypt, and Australia (Melbourne or Sydney).
15. I am a chorizo fiend. If there's a chorizo burrito or some kind of chorizo I can get on a Mexican dish or taco, I'm there.
16. I'm also a spicy food fiend. Hot chicken, Indian spices, and any sriracha or chipotle majesty I can get my hands on are always a treat.
17. If I could characterize my personal style, it's vintage silhouettes meets band t-shirts. One day, I'm wearing a blouse and suspenders to work, and the next, I'm rocking my Bastille tour merch.
18. Rose gold is my favorite metal; after that, I gravitate towards gold...and glitter, of course.
19. I have named both of my female dogs I've had over the years. I chose Azalea's name for the flowers at my grandparents' beach house, and I named Magnolia because my second novel's main character has the same name.
20. My friends say I need to be fed and watered every two hours...and they're right. If I don't eat for a while - especially protein - I get really shaky and feel a little more anxious.
21. Lemonade and other citrus foods give me the hiccups. No clue why.
22. I'm also partially allergic to artificial flavoring! It just makes me cough a little bit, nothing too serious.
23. I gravitate towards patterns and kitschy details when it comes to clothes, accessories, and jewelry. I.E. you'll find me wearing dinosaurs and unicorns a LOT.
24. Reading, literature, and storytelling have always been a comfort and a childhood mainstay for me. Of course, I love C.S. Lewis, but I also love Neil Gaiman's work.
25. I'm an optimist almost to a fault.
26. I find joy in the tiniest details.
27. If there's one thing that I've learned in my 27 years of life, it's that there's no shame in being yourself, exactly who God created you to be, and that normal is just a setting on a washing machine.

I Have Three Labradoodles

Boy howdy, do I have an update for you guys.

Last year, we had to say goodbye my dog Azalea. About six months before that, we said goodbye to her brother, Harvey. They were the best miniature schnauzers in the whole wide world. I grew up with them. They were the childhood puppies I had that I got to share my younger adventures with. It was hard to talk about their passing, let alone blog about it, but we were thankful for the 15 years we got to spend with those fur babies.

Fast-forward to the Fall of 2018. My family decided that it was time to open our home to two more fur babies.

So, on October 27th, we welcomed Atticus and Thoreau, our new chocolate Australian labradoodles.

Baby Atticus

 Baby Reau

Now, these are the first "big" dogs I've ever grown up with. But they are the most loving, precious, spunky fur baby siblings a girl can have. They've lit up my life in so many ways.

Hey, Sav, you may be asking me, Your post title clearly states that you have THREE labradoodles. Not two. Where's this third puppy?

Here's the part where we fast-forward quickly to the next month, November. Originally, my family wanted a boy and a girl, similar to Harv and Zae. The breeder we adopted Atticus and Thoreau from did not have a girl available, so Mom mentioned that if one of the girls became available, we'd be up to take her in. But the possibility was far from our minds, since all the little girl puppies had been reserved.

...until we got a text from our breeder saying, "Do y'all still want a little girl?"

They had one last girl puppy left because the owner who had originally reserved her couldn't take her in because of landlord restrictions. So, we enthusiastically said yes, and we took her in.

This is Magnolia, my little fur sister.

She was a little timid at first, but over time, she grew to love and feel more comfortable as part of our family. She is still a little shyer than her brothers when it comes to meeting brand-new people, but that's okay. I guess she's like me in that she's a little introvert.

How are they now?

Atticus, Lola, and Reau are four-and-a-half months old, and they still entertain/surprise/delight us to this day (of course!). Having labradoodles in the house has been a fun adventure every single day. The other day, Lola discovered how to jump on all the beds. Atticus is still leaping into my arms, a tradition since he was the tiniest puppy. And Thoreau still has this fascination with the microwave, especially when Dad makes bacon.

They are the best things to come into my life in a long time, and I am so beyond thankful for them.

Atticus, Thoreau, Magnolia...I love you guys. <3