I have been crazy busy these past few weeks with school and friends, so I haven’t made much progress with my writing. However, I see a small glimmer of hope for me! Break is fast approaching, and I hope to have some alone time to sit down and focus on writing. I am out for an entire week starting around 1 p.m. on November 20th, and again around noon on December 21st, this time for about two weeks. I expect that I will be with friends for much of these breaks, but will also be sure to work in some “Me Time” where I can sit down, just my notebook and me for a few hours, and finish a few more chapters. I have not forgotten about Journey, I just haven’t been able to find much time where I can focus on writing for more than a few minuets. I’m sure that these breaks will provide me with some time to clear my head and escape back into the world of Betsy, JC, April, Adam, Kasey, and Tim.
It’s going to take me awhile to set up the plots of this story, but I hope to have everything framed and well on its way soon. Please be patient with me, and let me know what you think of my story by commenting on the different chapters; let me know how much of it is realistic, and suggestions on how I could make it better. It means everything to me when I hear from those who have read my chapters.

I'm still working on getting everything worked out for both Journey, and my school work. It's taking alot of time to get everything where it needs to be, but I will hopefully get a break from it all this week! (No school on Wednesday!!)
I have written more in Journey, just not very much. I'm carrying it around with me now, in the hopes that I will find free time during some of my classes and will be able to write. My weekends aren't what they used to be, and I havn't had time to adequately write anything over a weekend for almost a year now. Sad, I know.
My writing time has been greatly deminished since I have been spending more and more time hanging out with friends between my homework loads and work schedule. It's making senior year one of the most memorable school years for me, and I'm really happy! However, it has not been good for my writing. The times that I used to spend writing for hours have been taken over by the times I'm now spending with my friends, and I havn't figured out a way to work writing back in quite yet. I will find time, I promise! Please be patient with me!

I am sorry to say that I have written almost nothing in Journey since school started 4 weeks ago. Homework, projects, and tests have taken over almost all of my free time. My writing is being moved to the back burner, so to speak, and I don't know how long it will be before I am able to take it up again. I hate having to do this, but with my grades already really low (I was nowhere near prepared for this years homework load), I don't really have another option. I plan to hold off on Journey only long enough to get my grades where they need to be, and not a day more! Hopefully this will only take a few more weeks at the most, and I will have time soon to come back to my writing. I have a feeling that I will be needing the escape writing brings more than ever before. Senior year is already proving to be a huge challenge, and I hope to accomplish all the goals that I set for myself 4 weeks ago.
When I do come back to my writing, I really hope to update as often as I can this year. I am planning on uploading chapters here as soon as I finish editing them. Hopefully I will have multiple chapters uploaded at a time, and still stay on top of everything else that I have going on at the time. I promise I havn't forgotten my story, I just didn't realize exactly how crazy my senior year would be! It would mean alot to me if comments were made on whatever uploaded chapters I may have! Thanks a million to all my readers! You're keeping me inspired!! Thank you!!

School started today, and I can tell already that it’s going to be a crazy year! I’m still trying to get used to the idea that I’m finally a senior! I hope to be able to get some writing done during the school year, and think that I might have a chance. I believe that being in school will help me to focus on Journey better, since it’s about six senior friends. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for! Updates won’t be very often, but I will try to get some chapters written over the next few months.

Journey is coming along ok, but it will not be finished before school starts, that much I know. I have been trying to write, but these past two weeks have been very slow for my progress. I haven't had much inspiration, or much drive to do any writing, but I haven’t given up on the story. I will finish it, hopefully during my senior year sometime! Or at least make a lot of progress throughout the school year. I also hope to finish some chapters soon. I'm currently writing chapter 4, and have a lot to do before it's complete. This will be the longest chapter to date, and that makes me really happy! I hope to get my other chapters back from my editor soon. I haven’t seen her for a few weeks, but she said that she has started reading them and I think that she's finished a few, if not all, of the chapters that I sent her a few weeks ago. I think there were only two chapters in that e-mail… I hope that she and I can get together sometime soon and I can get them from her. I would like to be able to update the previously uploaded chapters here, and be able to give her more completed chapters so that I will have things to upload throughout the school year. I also ask for reviews from everyone who reads my stories so that I know how I’m doing. Critique means everything to me! It shows me what needs to be improved within my story, and also really helps me grow as a writer. So, Review! Review! Review!
Also, I finally got my schedule for both semesters, and I can tell that writing opportunities throughout the school year will be slim. I am taking some classes that will be huge challenges for me, and I am sure that I will be studying like crazy both semesters. These classes will greatly affect the progress that I had hoped to be able to make during the school year as far as my writing goes. If I'm lucky enough to be able to find any time to write, then I'm lucky enough! Senior year is going to be a lot of fun, but also a lot of hard work on my part.
Work will also greatly affect my writing time. I have talked to my parents, and it looks like I am only going to be allowed to work weekends once I go back to school. I am really bummed because I have been trying to get more hours so that I can earn more money, but Dad is being very stubborn and wants me to be able to focus 100% on school during the week. Completely understandable, but I still wish I could work at least one day during the week. Especially after I asked my boss for more hours, and then another manager has said he will talk to him on my behalf because he said he wouldn’t give me extra hours right now. I would feel so bad if I was scheduled to work a lot during the week, and then have to tell them to cut back again because of school starting. Maybe I could convince Dad to let me work at least one day during the week…. Not sure how that will turn out, but we shall see!