It's been a little while since my last journal update, and I wanted to let everyone know why things have been a little quieter than usual.

Last week was the Fourth of July, and we had family staying with us for a few days. It was wonderful spending time together, but our holiday weekend took a pretty unexpected turn.

Around 2:00 p.m. on the Fourth of July, the storms showed up like an uninvited guest, ate our holiday weekend for lunch, knocked out the power, and left without even saying goodbye.

We lost power that afternoon, and because we're on a well, we also lost water. To make things even more interesting, a large tree came down just inches from the bedroom where we were sheltering. It was a sobering reminder of just how quickly things can change.

With temperatures in the upper 80s, we spent the next 48 hours without electricity or running water. We packed up the dogs and headed to our church each day so they could stay cool while we charged our phones and a few battery-powered lights. I was incredibly grateful to have somewhere we could go while we waited for the power to come back on.

As if the weekend hadn't already checked enough boxes, I managed to fall down our stairs on Sunday and jam my middle finger. Then, on Monday, after finally getting the power back around 2:30 in the afternoon, I headed out to replace everything we'd lost in the refrigerator, only to discover my car had decided it wanted a vacation too. It looks like a fuel injector is failing, so we're down to one vehicle until the shop can get it in later this week.

None of these things are life-altering, and I know there are people dealing with far greater challenges every day. Even so, it was one of those weekends where every time you thought things couldn't get any crazier, life said, "Hold my coffee."

The good news is we're all safe, the dogs are happy to be back home, the lights are back on, and life is finally starting to settle down.

One thing this weekend reminded me of is how easy it is to take the little things for granted. A cool house. Running water. A hot meal. Sitting down at my computer at the end of the day and disappearing into the world of Capheleon for a few hours. Sometimes it takes losing those ordinary comforts to realize just how much they mean.

Most importantly, I'm back to writing.

I'm currently working on Chapter 45 of Capheleon Nights, and the world continues to grow with every chapter. It's exciting to watch pieces that have lived in my imagination for years finally come together on the page, and I can't wait to share this story with all of you.

Thank you to everyone who continues to follow along, whether you're reading these journal entries, exploring the website, or simply cheering me on from afar. Your encouragement means more than you know.

Until the next adventure,

Janell