Five Things - April 28, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” - Billy Graham

2. We’re on the road again! This week, we’ve set up camp in Newport Beach, CA. It feels so good to be near the ocean again. For a girl who grew up on the coast, the desert never felt quite right. Like if I drove far enough, I should run into the beach. Anyway, we’re near the coast for a while now, and we look forward to spending time with our kids, watching a few of them graduate, and enjoying our continued adventures.

3. This is my last week of class, and next week marks the last week of the semester. Once I turn in my final assignments, I will have officially finished my first year of graduate school! My final paper in the survey class is a reflective piece. It asks where we were as writers when we started, how we hoped to grow, and what practical things we actually learned. I’ll be thinking about this over the next two weeks, and as soon as I have my thoughts together, I’ll share some of the highlights here.

4. I’ve been matched with my thesis mentor, Cindy Skaggs, and I’m really excited to work with her! She and I will have a kick-off meeting next week to discuss which project makes the most sense to focus on. I’m particularly pleased to have Cindy as my mentor because, in addition to working on this thesis, she’s eager to discuss industry stuff with me as well. It will be great to have someone else to bounce ideas off of, and to ask advice about publishing pathways for different projects. I’ll keep you updated as we get going.

5. I haven’t mentioned Milo, or any of the pets really, in a while, but all is well with our furry friends. Milo is sixteen and requires a little extra daily TLC, and I’m truly happy to do it. She’s such an affectionate little love, and I think her monthly arthritis shot, her daily thyroid meds, her extra calorie treats, and her calming pheromone collar truly make a difference in keeping her happy, comfortable, and as healthy as possible during her twilight years. It honestly makes me feel really good to take care of her after all the joy she’s brought, and continues to bring, to our family. Also, Daisy turns four next month, so happy birthday to our tiny travel dog!

Five Things - April 1, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. "I've been fascinated by the idea that evil is the absence of empathy." - John Connolly

2. It’s our last month in the desert! The winter flew by, and we are ready to hit the road again. I’m really excited about our itinerary, which includes checking off the last four states in the lower forty-eight (the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Idaho) in order to fill out our map, another trip to Utah for more National Park fun, a stay in Gunnison, Colorado during my residency, a trip to Chicago for Chicago Fan Expo, and more. I’ll start taking photos again, so be sure to check out my Instagram page!

3. This week, I have to submit my thesis proposal for the MFA program. Next year, most of my work will be focused on completing this project to earn my degree. Conveniently, our thesis is a full-length novel, and I’ll have a personal mentor assigned to me. If you read my alter ego’s blog last week, I discuss the fact that I have four novels about halfway complete. I’m generally a work-on-one-thing-at-a-time kind of writer, but being in school has been disruptive, in a good way! You can read more about why I think this year is an anomaly, and what I’m currently working on HERE. Regardless, in a couple of weeks, my mentor and I will have chosen a project. It may be one of the books already underway, or something entirely new. I’ll let you know!

4. Our oldest son had his birthday last weekend. Nick truly embodies the ‘oldest child’ persona in all the best ways. He’s responsible, accountable, sensitive, and genuine. We’ve watched him navigate his young adulthood with an open heart, a willingness to grow, and deep compassion and empathy for others. He is earnest, hard-working, loyal, and kind, and he is the person you’d want in your corner if you needed a friend. Happy birthday, Nick. We are so proud of you!

5. I had a great time visiting my sister and brother-in-law last week. My trip coincided with Persian New Year, Nowruz, and I was so excited to celebrate with them. Held on the vernal equinox, the holiday is meaningful and well-timed, and wow, the food is amazing! Happy New Year and Welcome Spring!

Five Things - March 3, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” - Elie Wiesel

2. In honor of Women’s History Month, and in keeping with my own love of all things nerdy, I encourage you to read about Vera Rubin, an astronomer whose research proved the existence of dark matter. Dark matter is a mysterious substance that’s believed to make up more than a quarter of the universe. It outweighs regular matter, and it plays an important role in galaxy formation and the evolution of the universe. Born in 1928, and coming of age in the ‘40s, Rubin faced extraordinary challenges as a woman working in a male dominated field. Her life and accomplishments are well-chronicled in this article on the National Women’s History Museum webpage. Check it out here: Vera Rubin. In honor of her achievements, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile has been named the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

3. Looking ahead to March, I’ve got a lot of school work to complete before spring break, so I’ll have my nose to the grindstone, so to speak. After break, it will be time to narrow down my thesis project ideas. For this MFA program, the thesis is a full-length novel, and I’ll need to present a minimum of three proposals to the program director. It’s exciting to know I’ll have the backing of my classmates and a thesis mentor as I work on this project, but per usual, until I have the idea locked down and the outline solid in my head, I’ll be a little stressed!

4. I’m also currently writing a synopsis for a novel work-in-progress. When I went back to school, I left this particular project at the half-way mark. Now, I have to think it through and outline the second half of the book. I’m excited to do it, but it’s also daunting, especially when my creative energy is taxed to the limit at the moment. I am really excited about this particular story though, so wish me luck!

5. We had our first real taste of a wind storm here in the desert. It didn’t happen with a big burst of energy, but rather it was more of a sustained, day-long gusty event. We had to make an emergency leaf-blower purchase to clean the dust and dirt from our outdoor living space, which had about a half inch of accumulated grit on every surface. Mother Nature does her thing pretty much everywhere!