The Write Body

I have a confession to make.  When I look in the mirror I don't really like most of what I see.

Common problem.

You see, I've had two children, both of which were more than 9 pounds when they were born, and both were born early.  I also have a job that means I sit the majority of the time.  I also don't have a whole ton of time to work out.

Are any of these really excuses for the fact that my body is less (or rather more depending on how you look at it) than I would like it to be?

Of course not.

I had a really hard time with this, I think about losing weight all the time, and obsess about wanting to look better far more than is probably healthy.  But I couldn't seem to come up with a solution for making time to work out without figuring out a way to stop requiring sleep to function.

And then I stumbled across something cool on Amazon.

I don't really remember how I found it, just that I did and I kept thinking about it after I first saw it.  I decided that I couldn't get it because I didn't know if I would use it enough to justify the cost.

But I just kept thinking about it.  And I kept feeling fat and wanting to not feel fat.

So I finally used the excuse of buying myself a late Mother's Day present and took the plunge.

I bought a FitDesk.  And this is what it looks like:

No, this is not me.  I would have taken a picture of me on it, but no one was home to take one for me.

Its an exercise bike with a little desk on it.  Pretty simple right?  But also quite effective.

Now, I normally do all my work on my desktop (it's my battle station) but I do also have a laptop that I mostly use on the go.  So I made some adjustments and started using my laptop for my writing and editing.

I've had the FitDesk now for about a week.  It has taken some getting used to.  My rear end isn't used to a lot of time on a bike so that made for some sore sitting for a while.  Your back will take a while to get used to how you have to sit.  My eyes take a little longer to focus on the computer screen since I'm constantly wiggling around just a bit.

But I am also able to work on it for about 2 hours at time.  I can bike about 20 miles a day if I get a solid day in.  And I can get a lot of writing/editing done while I'm doing it.

Seriously guys, I'm not trying to be a commercial for this.  FitDesk isn't paying me to write this blog or do a review.  I'm doing this so I have something to be accountable for.  I'm going to try and Tweet daily, maybe Facebook too, how many miles I did while I work.  I am hoping it will help motivate me not to be lazy.

Because I'm trying to get back to the "WRITE" body.  Because despite my job, I don't want to be an overweight author.  I don't want to look at myself and cringe.  I want to be healthier and stronger.

So I encourage you to find what works for you.  Don't settle if you aren't happy.  Find your Write Body.  And yell at me if I'm not working on mine!

Finding Balance

I haven't done much updating lately, and the reason is, to be honest, there hasn't been a whole lot to update about or a whole lot of time to do it.  VINDICATED is still coming along.  I'm now to the round of editing that I loathe so things are slowing down just a tad.  It's still 2 weeks or so a head of schedule so that's great.

I wanted to apologize for the lag of good blog posts lately.  My entire online presence has slipped a bit and the reason for that is simply that life is crazy.  Keeping up with everything lately isn't easy for me.  I've got a lot on my plate like:

1) Continuing to work on Vindicated

2) Graphic design work.  I've gotten a lot of design jobs lately, and I LOVE it but it does eat up a lot of time

3) My family! My kids are amazing! They are everything to me and I wouldn't change a thing. But they are young (almost 4 and almost 2) and being a mom to them is more than a full-time job!

4) It's not quite happening like I would like, but I would really like to lose some of this "writers weight" and be able to work out!

5) Everything else! i.e. housework, church, helping hubby with work, projects around the house, the list goes on.

One of life's biggest challenges is to find balance.  There are so many things I wish I had time for that I just can't fit in.  There are only so many hours in the day and I only have so much energy.  But the real trick is being happy with what you did get accomplished.  My house may not be perfectly clean... but I did play hide-and-seek with my kids for an hour... I did get another chapter edited...

I may not be perfectly balanced yet but you can be sure that I am trying my very best.

No Regrets

The last few days my family and I have been in eastern Washington for the State golf match. My husband is the assistant coach for the high school team here on good ole' Orcas Island and we made it to State. We didn't do so great considering we were expected to win first but that's not the point of this post (great season though Vikings!). I was talking to one of the moms and mentioned my age. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when she found out I was only 22 (mind you that my two kids are sitting right next to me).

I get a lot of mixed reactions when people find out how old I am. This mom was actually very positive, despite how shocked she was. But a lot of people are very negative about it, even if they don't vocalise it.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn here or anything like that but here's a recap of what's happened since I graduated high school:

*I moved out of my parents house a month and a half after I turned 18. I got a job working full time, the graveyard shift as a nurses assistant, and was balancing a full time college schedule.

*At this same time, 3 months after I turned 18 I got engaged to my husband Justin. Now I had the pressure of full time school, a full time job, and planning a wedding that was to take place 2 and a half months from the time of the engagement.

*After attending my first year of college and getting married while still at 18, I got a job as a receptionist making good money. Justin and I decided it was time to move on with our lives and buy our first house. We closed 6 weeks before I turned 19.

*The baby bug hit when I was 19 and a half. I had my daughter and became a stay at home mommy at 20.

*My husband and I decided we needed a change and decided to move to Orcas Island, WA where he had grown up. I didn't know anyone there, didn't have any family within 1,000 miles and was going with just my husband and 2 month old daughter.

*While living on the island I started writing my first book and finished it just a few months after my 21st birthday.

*Soon after being surprised by the exciting news that I was pregnant again, an opportunity arose to buy the golf course here on the island, the same one Justin practically grew up on. We jumped at the opportunity and it's been an amazing experience.

*Just after I turned 22 I finished my second book.

*Despite having 2 kids, a business to help run, and no family around to help, I'm almost done with my third book.

Not bad for someone who doesn't turn 23 for 2 more months.

People look down on me for being married and already having two kids. But what other 22 year old do you know who has made more of a life for themselves?

I'm Keary Taylor. I'm married with 2 kids, a writer, a business owner, and I don't regret one decision I've made.

This Writers Life

I put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to writing. I look at all these well known and published writers and think I need to be like them. I have to get everything done now and I have to be amazing at whatever I do. But sometimes I need to be realistic. I set a deadline for myself a while back to have Forsaken totally finished by June 1st. Well, it's just not going to happen. Here's why:

* I have 2 children, ages 2 1/2 and 6 months. My youngest likes to be held all the time, a total mama's boy. My 2 year old is VERY active and likes to get into EVERYTHING!

* I have a house to keep up with, laundry, cleaning, dishes, a yard, and everything else that goes with it.

* My husband works 80+ hours a week. Seriously, no joke. He works 7 days a week, leaves at 6 in the morning and gets home at around 7 at night. I don't get much help from him with the kids or much else. Don't get me wrong, I love him and don't resent him for this, that's just the way it is when you own a golf course and run the entire thing with just 2 people.

* I try to stay involved. I'm a member of the LDS church and have things to do with that. I try and help out with the golf team. I also try and get together with friends who also have kids.

* I love to read. Sometimes my brain gets tired of always coming up with that's going to go in a book. Sometimes I just want to read a book!

I'm a little busy. It's hard to find time to write sometimes. And while I want to be the next big time author, I'm not them. I'm Keary Taylor. A lot of these writers don't have kids and so they have a lot more time on their hands than I do.

The reason I do all this: Cause I love it. The second reason: Someday I hope it will help support them:

New deadline: August 1st.