Dear Teen Me–Feature 11

About this Feature:
Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be  posting them here.




When is comes to friends this gal is one of my “Sunday Best”. We talk daily and I’m so very lucky to have her & her beautiful family in my life. Love her so so much.

Dear Teen Me,

You’re 12 and I’m 32, but I’m you. I swear. Don’t believe me? You have a piece of glass hidden in the pocket of your jean jacket. When you can’t get the voices of those bullies out of your head, you scratch away bits of your hands until you feel like you’ve punished yourself enough.

I can still hear echoes of their words all these years later, so I won’t simply tell you not to listen. I know it’s impossible not to listen and hard not to believe what they say. But don’t. I see those people sometimes and the regret is clear in their eyes. They are ashamed of themselves now. I ignore their friend requests on Facebook (Facebook is this really cool thing, if only you had it now!), because now I get to choose the influences in my life. I don’t need to be around people who set out to hurt me.

For now let me tell you that you are beautiful. You are the skinniest you’ll ever be. Your hair is unique and so gorgeous and you will learn to control it (stop brushing it and get some gel, trust me!). You don’t have acne forever.

Trust your choices, you are making good ones that are leading you down the right path. Celebrate your brain because it will take you places. Being the teacher’s favourite just means that an adult can see that you are a truly special person and all the others are just bullies heading nowhere.

Don’t be afraid of high school. They were some of the best years of my life and you’ll make great friends that last a lifetime. Our kids are playing together now. And the best part? When you meet this boy with big ears and a Soundgarden t-shirt, smile, stand tall and flick that curly hair of yours. It’s okay to love him that much. He’s a keeper and he wants no one but you. Forever.

So don’t give up. Go look at your sleeping baby brother. He needs you to stick around. Stick around for your two beautiful daughters. The experiences you are having now will teach you so much about how people should be treated and the words young girls need to hear from their mommy.

Trust me. Go buy some hair gel. Believe in yourself. Little boobs are spectacular too.
Take a deep breath, throw out that piece of glass and be yourself!
Love, you

Dear Teen Me–Feature 5

About this Feature:

Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Today I welcome one of my favourite bloggers and Blog Squad cohorts Christa-

Dear 16 year old me,

Hello from the future! I managed to track down the TARDIS and convince the Doctor to deliver this letter from 24 year old you. I know you don't know what a TARDIS or the Doctor is but remember those words. They will be of vital importance later on.

I hope I've caught you at a good time. Maybe you're reading this in Ms. Jones' English class while you're supposed to be reading Catcher in the Rye but are bored because you already finished it weeks ago. Maybe you're in between psychotic customers while working the returns desk at Wal Mart. Or maybe your hiding in that hollowed out spot in the back of your closet while your parents scream bloody murder at one another. For both of our sakes, I hope it's the first option.
That's right, all those moments stick with you well into the future. You carry them with you wherever you go and as much as you may hate them now, that's ok. They've made you who you are today and that person, is pretty awesome.

There are so many things I could talk about in this letter. I could talk about how much you're going to love university or all the amazing places you're going to visit, or tell you about how one day you're going to be lucky enough work in publishing and pursuing your dreams of being a published author. But I'm not going to talk about all those things because I'm you after all and at this point there's something much more important to address.

And that's this. Your dad is an alcoholic. You probably already know (or at least suspect) this but I wanted to be clear. I'm sorry to say that he is going to continue to drink, and it will become so much more than just finding him passed out around the house. It will come to a point where you won't even know who this strange man is any more and wonder what happened to the kind, loving man who was once your hero. I don't want to overwhelm you with all the details, but I NEED you to hear this one piece of advice. Do not listen to anyone who tells you the opposite.
Are you listening?

Nothing - and I mean nothing - that happens to your dad is your fault. You are in no way responsible for any of his actions. Asking you to not only cope with but accept what's going on, is something that should never be asked of a child and if you find you need to step away and put some distance between you and the situation THAT IS OK. I can not stress that enough. Only you know how much you can take, and it's important that you listen to yourself.
Your dad was a great man. You're going to lose a lot of your earlier memories of him, but hang on to what you can. Please don't rip up all his pictures when you're angry. I regret that decision all the time. At the same time however you are perfectly right to be angry at everything he put you, your mom and your brother through. It's even alright if you feel sad and angry at the same time. Eventually the anger dulls at little and you will find peace. As a bonus you also maintain a fabulous relationship with your mom and brother to this day, so there is always that to be thankful for.

Your teenage years are not an easy trip, so be prepared. I hate to tell you this but things are going to get worse for a little while. But the good news is that around the time you turn 19 everything is going to change. Life is going to get SO MUCH BETTER. You have no idea. And not for any one reason either. But you will be happy I promise. I am proud to tell you that not once in the past five years have I ever felt the need to hide in the closet, I currently love my job and I have hundreds (seriously, hundreds) of books that I can read anytime I want.

And seriously remember what I said about the Doctor.
24 year old you

Thank you so much Christa for sharing and for being so open and honest. Big hugs to you.

Visit Christa’s Blog! – Hooked on Books!

Dear Teen Me–Feature 2

Today I welcome Michele from Just a Lil’ Lost:

Dear Teen Me,
Be courageous. Remember that bully you stood up to in grade 9? That singular moment where you called her bluff when she threatened to beat you up after school will ignite a bravery that was hidden inside you all along. That one moment will show you how you don’t have to put up with behaviour like that, and that most bullies don’t expect their victims to stand up for themselves.
Embrace your geekiness. You have no idea how your love of books, computers and theatre will be a such a big part of your life in the future. You won’t be part of the “cool” crowd because there really isn’t one. Everyone makes their own brand of cool and you’ll find the right niche of people that love the same things you will. Geekiness will become a whole culture and something to be proud of rather than ashamed of.
Quality over quantity. This has been one of the biggest revelations for me in the past few years and I wish I could have known this before. When it comes to friends, quality will matter so much more than quantity. In school, you’ll want to surround yourself with many friends, given the illusion that more = popularity. How many of those people am I really closely in touch with still? A small handful.
Basically, stay true to yourself. It’s a cliché saying but it’s true. You will have good times and bad times, good relationships and bad relationships, friends may come and go but you will realize that those who understand you and appreciate you for your individuality is who will be around for the long haul. Surround yourself with supportive people and when you get rid of the toxic people in your life (and, trust me, you will) it will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and you’ll be a lot happier. Trust me.
Signed,
Your 31-year-old self.


About this feature:
Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Dear Teen Me–Feature

    Dear Teen Me (Edited by E. Kristen Anderson & Miranda Kenneally) includes advice from over 70 authors and I’m thrilled to be part of the blog tour. My tour stop date is Tuesday October 30th, and on that date I’ll be posting a review, hosting a giveaway and sharing my own Dear Teen Me letter. In the meantime, I was inspired by the book and decided to invite friends, fellow bloggers, and authors to write their own letter. Through out the month of October I’ll be be posting them here. I still have space for anyone else who would like to participate-just contact me through email or by leaving a comment on this post.

Today, I am featuring a letter written by Ginger from GReads! One of my favourite bloggers; She’s also responsible for designing the amazing graphic you see above. You can visit her tour stop on October 17th. Here is her letter:

Dear Teen Ginger,

Live in the moment; that's the best piece of advice I can give you. We tend to always want to get to that next step far too quickly and end up missing out on the here and now. Relish in the fact that your responsibilities are still limited and leave the worries to days far off in the distance. Take time to laugh with your friends. The kind of laugh that leaves your belly aching and your cheeks sore from smiling so hard, yet you find yourself doing it all over again. Pay attention to the nice boy who asks about tonight's homework assignment, but really he's just looking for an excuse to chat with you. Ignore the girls who spend too long in front of the mirror and gossip about people they don't even know. Study hard, read as much and as often as you can, get involved and volunteer.
These moments will come and go way too fast. They are moments you can't repeat, no matter how hard you try. Be happy with yourself and proud of the person your parents are still raising. Pay attention to the life that's happening around you, and the life you're still making. Being a teen can be rough, but I promise there will be tougher times ahead. So enjoy this moment and live it for what it is.

Love,
A more "seasoned" Ginger

Thanks so much G. It’s funny how when we’re teens we are in such a rush to “grow up”. Sometimes I long for the days where I had few if any responsibilities…..

Canada Day Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Canada Day Giveaway and to http://knitpurlstitch.blogspot.com/ & http://snowdropdreams.blogspot.com/ for putting the hop together!!!

I loved reading everyone's answers.
According to the majority of people living outside Canada, we are known for:

Hockey, Maple Syrup, Cute Bears, Speaking French and Snow

The most popular Canadian author mentioned was:

 Kelley Armstrong, with Margaret Atwood coming in a close second.



Two winners have been drawn and they will each get $15.00 towards their choice of book

from the Book depository-

The winners are:

Carmel @ Rabid Reads

and

Rebecca at everything to do with books

Congrats!!!!



Canada Blog Hop

July 1st is Canada Day!!

and to celebrate my Canadian self -I'm participating in a blog hop with other

 Canadian Bloggers who are each hosting a giveaway.

I thought since it is a Canadian Holiday that I would post a few of my favourite books by amazing Canadian authors:

                                            

Have you read any of the titles above?

Note: I made a slight error in creating the form below- Out of Canada residents need to just answer the "one fact about Canada one time to earn an extra entry (not twice) :)

Giveaway:

Be sure to check out the next blog on the hop:

In the Next Room