This year, I have to say, has been a bit of a roller coaster. It started out tumultuous and didn't really level out until just recently. Relationships with friends, co-workers, family, employers, all were tested. I'm happy to say that most had happy resolutions, but still, the stress took its toll on me for a while, and I'm still feeling the after effects of some fallouts. 

If I've learned one thing this year it's the importance--nay, necessity--of trusting yourself. Say it with me, now, because I'm can't stress the momentousness of this information: 

TRUST YOURSELF

Have a bad feeling about a person or a business deal? Walk away. Before it gets too deep or complicated: walk away. Say no, even if you feel bad. You may hurt feelings, but that's so much better than dragging out a bad thing and STILL having to hurt feelings later. 

Another thing I've learned this year is how important it is to have quality friends. When you're going through hard times that no one wants to deal with, it tends to weed out your lesser quality friends, which, while painful, is a GOOD thing. Shitty friends are time-wasters. Life is short, and your time is precious. 

Anyway, I could keep going on this "Things I learned this year" kick, but I really just wanted to write about the exciting things that NOT being on Facebook all month has allowed me to do!

Now, it's not like I was on facebook 24/7. In fact, I didn't really think I needed a break. I checked it every now and then, I thought. But as soon as I wasn't "allowed" to be on facebook, I realized just how often I habitually searched it out. The first day of my facebook fast had me stopping myself from opening the app on my phone every few hours. I still have messenger, so it sent me messages, and when I would check my business pages, I think it showed me as active on chat. But I never checked my newsfeed, I never responded to personal messages. It freed up SO MUCH TIME. But the greatest advantage of cutting out facebook was the mental space it freed up. 

I didn't realize how mindless my intake of information had become. I didn't look things up, I just scrolled through facebook and read whatever anyone else posted. I took in information, watched funny memes and videos, saw the newest movie trailers, but WHY? In God's name, WHY did I care about half of the stuff I was putting into my brain? The answer is: I didn't. And without it being funneled to me constantly, I had the freedom to seek out things I was genuinely interested in. 

The mental space and additional free time made December perhaps the most productive month of the year for me. I am EXCITED about the things I'm choosing to do with my time. I am happier to hear from friends now because when I do, it's an actual personal connection, not just seeing their post on facebook, or them liking one of mine. 

My creativity is thriving, my relationships are thriving, and I am so ready for 2015. 

And remember, friends: 

TRUST YOURSELVES

So, if you follow me on facebook, you will know that for the past couple of months I've been in Georgia, braiding hair at the renaissance festival here. I had a great season, was happy to see a lot of my regulars and play with their lovely locks. I had some fabulous meetings with the amazing Rhonni Rocks, who has a wonderful blog as well as an incredible educational tool for people in the festival industry at her website, festival prose. (Seriously, I adore this inspiring woman; AND she introduced me to the BBC's Sherlock.)

Now that the season has wrapped up, my plan was to drive to Wisconsin with the co-creators of Sirena, Amanda and Sam, on Tuesday. Well, on Monday, I wound up in the hospital with a seriously nasty gash on my leg. Seriously. Nasty. 

I have a 650lb travel trailer on wheels that attaches to my car. I, along with three others, was standing at the front of the trailer attempting to push it backwards up our driveway toward the garage so I could pack it up. There is a dip from the road to the driveway, so we figured if we gave it a good running start and pushed really hard, we could probably get it up the dip. So I stood at the hitch, and we all ran and pushed. The wheels hit the dip, and the trailer bounced back with all of that force and all of its weight into my leg. I thought, "Ouch, that's going to bruise," looked down, and immediately went into shock because I was not looking at a bruise.

Shock is a hell of a thing. That's a direct quote from my sister, who was leaving to go to work when this happened and whose car I was thrust into just moments after my leg had been gouged open. I picked up a t-shirt from the floor of her car, wrapped my leg up, mostly for a tourniquet, but partly so I wouldn't have to look at it any more, and proceeded to sing Taylor Swift songs at the top of my lungs until we made it to the hospital, which we fortunately live ten minutes away from. From then on, it was four hours of waiting and being shuffled to different rooms to wait. At one point, a nurse said, "Sorry, there's no room for you in the inn," and I chuckled, or just thought it was strange--I can't remember. Eventually I was stitched up (19 stitches two layers deep), and given a tetanus shot, which, after the stitches, hurt about as much as a fly landing on my arm. 

I've been on crutches for several days now and have to take it easy so as not to split open the stitches, which there is a high risk of doing seeing as how EPICALLY BIG the gash was in my leg. When it was done, my sister said, "I didn't even know what they were going to stitch together. I was very impressed." She watched the whole thing and said she could see my muscle flex when I moved my foot. GROSS! There are pictures of the wound before and after stitches, but I haven't seen the before picture because it would probably make me vomit. But here's the after picture! 

So, now that I can hobble around, I will finish that packing I meant to do on Monday and hopefully head up to Wisconsin tomorrow. 

Until next time, friends. Stay safe, and don't do stupid things! 

...For my second blog post!

A lot has happened in a few months. I'm now touring with Sirena again, and living in beautiful Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. It's been a grand adventure and a great learning experience, and it'll be over too soon!

In just a couple weeks I head back to the Georgia area. This break between April and June are going to be difficult, because the whole time I'll just be dying to be working on Sirena's second album. We've already started, and are making good progress. A couple songs are recorded already, we've got four more to do before we leave, and the rest we will finish in June so the cd can be released in July. =D we are REALLY excited about this one!

So, the break between recording will probably be a time for me to focus on writing. The third book in a trilogy I've been working on is SO CLOSE to finished I can TASTE it. It's like...paper?

One day, I shall be a published author. Positive affirmation. *fingers crossed*

In the meantime, I'll keep being a performer, so I can keep seeing all of your lovely faces. :) as soon as I'm published, though, you'll never see me again. I will become a hermit in the woods who lives off berries and writing.

I'm just kidding =P

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Hello, friends/family/stalkers/innocent-passers-by who may have stumbled upon this page. I'm Tegan, which hopefully you knew, seeing as how you're on my website. ;)

At this time in my life I'm going through a few strange transitions. Basically, I thought I had it figured out, but I didn't.

Life lesson: you NEVER know what is going to happen. Things, people, any and all situations have the capacity to rip the rug out from under you. So...try to be prepared for the epic landing breathless flat on your back starry-eyed sensation that will follow.

I'm going through that crazy period we have all gone through when I will feel just fine one moment and completely devastated over something silly the next. And knowing that it's not really about the sock that the washing machine ate, but something else entirely, doesn't help me stop cursing at the sky. 

So in an effort to regain normalcy, or at least focus, I'm trying to be extremely productive! I'm doing home improvements to my trailer, I'm working out, I'm (desperately trying to be) writing new music for the band, Sirena. I may even pick up a sketchbook or my tablet and see what artsy thing pops out. I'm doing NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row. I had a plan about what book I was going to write, but...see paragraph two. Instead of what I'd mapped out, I'm expanding on couple of new ideas. I'm sure I'll post previews in the writing section.

I'm currently distracted by a million other things (I multitask a lot these days), and I'm pretty sure I don't have anything else to say. So, peace out, my friends. See you next time!