The Fulfillment Series

The Fulfillment Series

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The Indoor Girl Goes Outdoors!

So, I've always thought that moment in Titanic--where Jack says Rose is an "indoor girl"--aptly described me. I'm from the South, and it's hot there. I joke that we walk out of our air-conditioned homes into our air-conditioned cars into the air-conditioned stores. Not to mention the makes breathing difficult, like sucking soup into your lungs. Therefore, I have never developed much of a taste for outdoor activities. If you've read my bio, you know I train runners. That seems like an outdoor activity, right? Wrong. I like running on the indoor track. LOL! I kid you not, I trained for a half marathon on an indoor track.

But since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I've developed a taste for this whole notion of outdoor adventures. Deek and I have gone hiking a few times, I've started running outside, and I love to take long walks with my hubs. Oh, and the biggie-- I actually lived in a house with NO air-conditioning (granted, I lived there during the fall, winter, and spring, but still...). The lack of humidity makes a huge difference as does the mild weather.

So, when my husband asked what I wanted to do this past Sunday, I think I surprised him by saying I wanted to go on a hike. He likes adventure and outdoor activities, so he was totally on board. Since I'm the only person in our family who's never seen Multnomah Falls (even my own parents--who flew here to visit for a week have seen it), I wanted to go there. It's a super famous waterfall, one of the most photographed in America, so I had to lay my own eyes upon it.

Friends, if you've never been to the Pacific Northwest, I encourage you to add it to your bucket list. The scenery is breathtaking and majestic! If you have been to the PNW or live there now, simply enjoy these photographs of your amazing corner of the country!

That deer was not afraid of people at all. The deer where I'm from are insane compared to these docile creatures! 

Had to stop at the top for a little smooching! ;) 

People, THIS is my husband. Mmmmmm..he's a supremely hawt man!

We decided to head on farther down a lesser used part of the trail to see more waterfalls and beautiful scenery!

Turtle rock!

This Southern girl is so awed by the loveliness the Pacific Northwest has to offer!

Deek is standing in a hole so we can look even remotely the same height. Haha! Guess that's one of the tricks a man must learn if he loves a short girl. ;) 

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to live somewhere so completely different from the place where I grew up. I have never lived anywhere but the South--the same state, even the same county!! My horizons have been broadened, and my life enriched. If you have the chance to live somewhere different, take it! The ride is so worth it! And if you have the ability to go on adventures with your best friend and partner beside you, definitely take it! I'm beyond lucky to have Deek by my side as we explore his stomping grounds together! And when we move back South, I'll be the tour guide leading him around my home state! Oh the adventures! 

Release Day-- Empath by S. Usher Evans

Today is the day you've all been waiting for!! Empath's release day! <jump up and down> <fist pump> <running man> <Roger Rabbit> <stir the pot> <raise da roof>

Be sure to grab your copy today-- Evans has paperback and eBooks, so there is a little something for everyone.

Let's be honest. Who hasn't suffered from a broken heart? Remember how that feels? Remember the fear and anxiety it can inspire? Empath shows Lauren's struggle against her heartache and her very real fears/anxieties. Take a walk with Lauren through a new world she discovers and watch her grow as she tackles her fears.

Isn't that enough reason to buy? If not, here's more!!

About the Book

Lauren Dailey is in break-up hell.




Sneak Peek 

     "There," Cefin said, pointing to a pile of rocks that leaned against the side of the mountain. "That is where I found you."
     "I was under there?" Lauren breathed. It was obviously a cave-in, and the boulders were thick and heavy. If any of them had fallen in the wrong place, she would have been crushed.
     It was a miracle she wasn't crushed.
     She approached the pile and saw where Cefin must have dug her out. Seeing the size of the rocks, knowing how close she had come to not getting out, she felt a little sorry for being so angry with him.      Although he was being an jerk right now, she wasn't sure she ever thanked him for saving her life.
    "Hey," Lauren said, tossing him a sideways glance. "Thanks for saving me."
    "Just hurry up," he huffed, pulling his spear off of his back. "The Anghenfil could be in any one of these caves."
     "The right response is 'you're welcome' " She walked up to the pile and began pushing aside any of the rocks she could, looking for anything strange. She tossed a fist-sized stone behind her and gasped.
     "There's a cave here!" she called to Cefin, who was standing with his spear in his hand and not helping her whatsoever.
     She sniffed and began tugging at a big rock, hoping that if she could move it a little bit, it would dislodge other ones, creating a larger hole, one that she could slip through. With a heave, she pushed with all of her might and it broke free, tumbling down into the blackness and taking Lauren with it.
     She landed in a heap in the dark, cool cave, coughing up dust and other particles. A small halo of light formed a circle on the ground, but didn't offer any other illumination in the cave. Pushing herself to her feet, she walked over to the hole and peered out, spying Cefin standing at attention.
     "I'm fine, thanks for asking."
     "Hurry up," Cefin snapped, his eyes glued to the skies.
     "Yeah, yeah," Lauren rolled her eyes, disappearing into the darkness.
     She stumbled around for a moment, feeling at the floor with her feet for anything that would give her a clue as to how she got here. Maybe she just needed to walk to the end of the cave and she'd wake up back in her own bed. She kicked the ground until she found the wall of the cave, placing her hands on the chilly stone to guide her. She kept to the wall, planting her feet firmly with every step to keep her balance.
     Her foot caught on something and she fell, but not onto the hard ground, onto something firm
And scaly.
     In the darkness, a gigantic red eye opened.
    She gasped, fear gripping her as she scrambled for the small pinhole in the distance that was the edge of the cave. "CEFIN!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the cave.
     The monster was moving, and Lauren saw a flash of bright fire, illuminating the black body the size of an elephant.
      She screamed and ran faster, hating herself for ever coming up here. She flung herself at the small hole, wriggling out as fast as she could. Cefin's spear was out, concern on his face.
     "Lauren, quiet down, you'll wake the "
    "TOO LATE!" she screamed, pulling herself out of the cave and running past him as fast as her feet could carry her. "RUN!"


About the Author

S. Usher Evans is an author, blogger, and witty banter aficionado. Born in a small, suburban town in northwest Florida, she was seventeen before she realized that not all beach sand is white. From a young age, she has always been a long-winded individual, first verbally (to the chagrin of her ever-loving parents) and then eventually channeled into the many novels that dotted her Windows 98 computer in the early 2000s. After high school, she got the hell outta dodge and went to school near the nation's capital, where she somehow landed jobs at National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and the British Broadcasting Corporation, capping off her educational career with delivering the commencement address to 20,000 of her closest friends. She determined she'd goofed off long enough with that television nonsense and got a "real job" as an IT consultant. Yet she continued to write, developing 20 page standard operating procedures and then coming home to write novels about bounty hunters, teenage magic users, and other nonsense. After a severe quarter life crisis at age twenty-seven, she decided to finally get a move on and share those novels with the world in hopes that she will never have to write another SOP again.

Friday, May 8, 2015

6 month-aversary!

Yesterday, Deek and I celebrated our 6 month-aversary! We've already been married 6 months! Where did the time go? And we're gearing up to get married AGAIN with my family and friends in the South! Can't wait for that--expect pictures...lot of pictures! ;)

6 months ago...

So, 6 months later, we're doing real life. We both had to work on our 6 month-aversary, but thankfully Deek works from home on Thursdays (and I always work from home). So though we had to focus on our jobs, at least we were together. We worked out and then ate a fun lunch that probably reversed all of our lifting and tabata efforts--haha! When the end of the work day rolled around, we looked at each other and realized we hadn't really made any plans for how to spend our 6 month-aversay. Since we enjoy the simple things in life, we decided to go grab cups of our favorite coffee and take a long walk down a beautiful trail as the sun set. Then we came home and ate one of our favorite meals together. Pretty darn near perfect if you ask me! 

I really can't explain to you how incredibly lucky I am to have this man in my life. Just knowing him is a great privilege, but being his wife is an honor and joy I don't think I can ever fully capture in words. Happy 6 month-aversary, Deek! I love you more and more with each passing day!