Galleys, Holidays, and Lloyd, the Largemouth Bass

June is here! Hard to believe! Galleys for Within My Heart arrived Friday and I don't think I've ever been so grateful to be at this stage of a book! Given the fresh perspective of time's passing, I'm really enjoying the chance to read back through Rand and Rachel's entire journey. I think it's a fitting ending for this series, and I hope you enjoy it.

I snapped a quick picture of what the galleys look like, for those who might not know. Galleys are printed on standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper and are basically a "snapshot" of each page of (what will be) the printed book. It's the last time an author sees the book before it goes to press. It's also the last time for an author (and proofreaders) to catch any misspelled words or to tweak final sentences, make corrections, etc... I appreciate everyone who works with me to get my books ready for the store shelves, and for your hands. It's truly a team effort.

My family and I had a quiet but very nice Memorial Day holiday. We cooked out babyback ribs (yum), enjoyed some baked sweet potatoes, and of course ate watermelon. Then we finished with a buttermilk pie and banana pudding (a more diabetic version, for my dad). The leftover buttermilk pie went home with my son for his cohorts at work, and the banana pudding is traveling with me and Dad today as we travel to Fayetteville to visit his sisters.

Here are some quick family pics from yesterday...

We planted a Japanese Maple in the backyard, plus the planters you see on the deck. We're slowly fixing things up and "making the house our own."

After an early dinner, we all went for a warm but lovely walk. Here are Jack and Kelsey as we started down the driveway...




And here's Jack not 30 minutes later...

He was huffin' and puffin', wanting to cozy down in the cool grass, so he promptly got carried part of the way. Looks like he's in pain, doesn't he? Oh brother...


Next, we went fishing. We love our new neighborhood and are enjoying the quaint little fishing lakes that dot the area. So, poles in hand, off we went. And guess who caught the first fish on her third cast...

Kelsey (and her Pa and I) loved it, but her father and brother were not quite so amused. Kelsey named her fish "Lloyd." The lakes are "catch-and-release" so the friendship between Kelsey and Lloyd was brief (and rather one-sided), however Lloyd lives on, hopefully a little wiser and none the worse for wear.

We took turns and everyone fished (that's my Dad fishing and Joe supervising). No one else caught anything, but it was so pretty outside, we didn't care. Jack zonked out on a nearby bench with our kids, and as the day faded, I snapped a picture of the sunset. I hope it shows up well enough to capture the sun's final rays...



I sat on the bench, enjoying the moment and counting my blessings, and I couldn't help but wonder... If this side of heaven, sinful as this fallen earth is, is this beautiful...how beautiful must the other side be? The Holy Spirit brought a verse to mind, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." (I Corinthians 2:9) I know this verse isn't specifically talking about the "beauty" of Heaven, but I still think the truth it teaches applies. Just think of what awaits us there... As if the magnificence of His presence and living with Him for an eternity isn't enough. It's beyond my imagination...

But I can still dream,
Tammy