Idaho, snow and Wyoming to boot!

Hello all family, friends and readers! I am alive and kicking in the land of Idaho! It is snowing buckets right now and we are having loads of fun. We have been here since late on the 22nd and have had a really great time getting to know Kevin's brother, sister-in-law and his niece and nephew, now my niece and nephew. They are so wonderful and we have had fun playing video games, watching movies and going to Wyoming yesterday! During the drive, I saw gorgeous mountains galore and it was so awesome a sight. At one point, I found myself looking up at these mountains and what came to mind was these mountains compared to the concrete jungle of New York City, the high heights of the skyscrapers, made by man, versus these monstrous landscapes sculpted by nature. It was breathtaking and humbling to say the least. We drove to Jackson, Wyoming and traveled in a wagon out to view a huge herd of elk on their elk preserve. The driver of the wagon told us of the elks migration patterns, of how you could tell the age of the elks and the various habits of the males versus the females. It was an amazing sight that I was very thankful to be a part of. Heather sat with a hat covering all of her face, all I could see of her was her eyes. Kevin, Robbie, Orion, Juliana and I were covered with our winter wear, but braving the elements and now, have windburned rosy cheeks. My own personal kiss from nature! I am happily sitting here and watching as the snow falls down and adorns this place called Idaho Falls. It is lovely. The kids are going to go sledding soon and will have more stories to remember their time together. Fun in the snow and New Years is almost here! Maybe Kevin will finally get his cup of hot chocolate that he has been waiting two years for. Yes, New Years is Kevin and my two year anniversary. The day we decided to officially start dating. So, I will enjoy the rest of this snowy trip with my wonderful daughter and husband and feel blessed in knowing that my family gets bigger each time I visit a new family member. It is wonderful. We are looking forward to Orion and/or Juliana visiting us in Ohio in the summer sometime. Life is truly good. Happy Holidays to all!

My book is finished!

Hello one and all! My book is finished! I finished writing it last night and was just amazed at how easy it was! I had closure, I had everything work and my characters were clicking and all was working. It is an amazing feeling to write and just type and words adorn the page and they are actually good!
I have been a writer all of my life, so far, and to actually be able to say, "I wrote a book" is an astounding feeling and it is just so fulfilling. I am at peace with the idea that I have always meant to be a writer. My mom said that before I was able to write, I drew pictures to tell the stories and I have always loved collecting stories since childhood. So, what is even more exciting that all of this is that I beat my deadline of January second and have time to edit properly, write my query letter and then, e-mail my potential agent. No matter what, I can say that I have now joined the ranks of so many and have actually written a book. Of course, what is even more exciting is that there are many people out there that already want to read it! So, to all of my friends and family and blog followers I say, soon, my friends. Soon. For now, I will edit and prepare for the next book. For this is merely the beginning to my journey as Jennifer Martin---the writer.

Life's Interwoven Tapestry

*Written for my Granny---the keeper of memories

Small soft sensations,
felt through vibrations of sound,
reverberations of words
tantalizing the tongue,
dripping forth to tell of memories past.
Snippets of self,
preserved in pictures,
snaps of yesteryear,
framed faces of family
telling so much in a smile.

"Click, click" go the needles,
knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two.
Beauty emerges in interwoven wool.
A smile with dentured teeth,
gleans the knowledge of years,
times of toil and pain.
Knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two.
More photos turned through,
decades pass between pages,
faded photos, familiar faces.

The keeper of memories,
losing her mental camera.
No longer sharp are the images,
in her mind's eye.
Fuzzy and smudged are the edges
of her internal photographs.
Time is stealing her sight.
So many memories becoming dimmer,
Sadness found in blurry
Glaucoma covered eyes.

Eyes that were once
as sharp as her mind,
now, covered and closing in her world.
Tears adorn the corners of her creased face
and arthritis stifles her fingers
forever dancing through each stitch.
The slow interwoven wool forms
into her creation,
becoming her life's tapestry
with each stitch.
"Click, click" go the needles,
knit one, purl two, knit one, purl two.