I don't know how long ago, or how many times, but I know I've talked about making the decision to do something on this blog before. That decision could be anything from finally moving that load of laundry you've washed three times already to the dryer, or setting up a retirement plan and drafting a will.

We make decisions about how to spend our time every day, and for a lot of us procrastinators out there, we find ourselves saying things like...

"I ran out of time"

"The day got away from me"

"How is it already 8pm?"

Just because we didn't actively say, "I'm going to scroll through twitter and find out what my Hogwarts house says about my dessert preferences through a quiz" we choose to do just that.

We put different levels of importance on different tasks. For my fellow procrastinators out there, if the world is not going to implode right this minute, most of our tasks can wait. In that eleventh hour we become productivity machines. We also figure out really quickly what items on our list necessitate the highest priority. Because when you need to get at least four hours of sleep before the evil day job, you're going to make a few cuts to your list. And the ability to have a clean mug to drink coffee out of in the morning usually tops my list, which is why in my eleventh hour I end up doing dishes.

I've gotten to the point in my adulting journey where I've realized if I make the decision to do something with all my mind and my heart, it gets done. No matter what the task is, or how odd of a time in my life it has to happen, I get shit done. But...I have to be all in. 

I was trying to come up with a way to make you understand what "All In" means. 

The best example of this in my recent memory is when I decided hubby and I were going to move. I knew when I wanted to sign on the dotted line. I knew I didn't want to be in any transitionary housing, and I knew we couldn't afford to buy one house without selling the other. So I took on basically a full time job of prepping one house, hunting for another, securing the financing, and finally accomplishing the move. I didn't have a backup plan. We'd be successful, or we'd be homeless. I got shit done.

Was the move fun? Um...no. Were there some things that could have gone more smoothly? Definitely, but we are in our new house, with a lower monthly payment, and no one sued us. So we're doing good.

I was committed. And I realized that if I give myself that level of commitment, I CAN accomplish whatever I want. 

Never had something that was that life or death to compare it to? Okay...let's talk about the last time you really had to poop. Think back to that sense of urgency. I bet good money, you didn't just say, "Oh well. I don't have time to drop a deuce right now. I'll have to get to it tomorrow."

No matter what you were doing when that bad Mexican food from lunch hit you, you found a way to get to a bathroom.  You re-worked your drive route to stop in and obliterate a gas station bathroom. Or you re-thought your route home so you could avoid the massive pot holes that might have shaken something loose. You re-scheduled a meeting because there was no way you were going to be able to meet with a client and not shit your pants. You...in that moment...made the decision to go to the bathroom.

I can hear you now..."But Roxy, that's different. You can't NOT go to the bathroom." To you naysayers out there, I'm telling you, if you have the ability to rework your schedule to go to the bathroom, you have the ability to rework the schedule to get your work done.

All you have to do, is feel the urgency that comes with it. That "NOW" feeling that makes your toes curl, because it's got to happen right this very second. When you can make yourself feel that...then you've really decided to do something. 

I'm a writer, and one of the biggest problems I come across in my "Must Do" is getting started writing. I get interrupted. A dog vomits, a cat starts clawing the couch, or my problematic car dies and needs to get serviced...again. But when I really make the decision to write. I do it. I've written on my laptop in the repair shop. I've written on my phone while waiting in line at the vet. I've written on voice recording apps on my phone when stuck in traffic or running errands. I don't find the time, I create it.

So tell me...what have you decided is going to happen today? What are you going to create time for? I'd love to hear about it.

~Roxy

Today is a day that makes me smile. Because it was a way to play with my friends. 

I love April Fool's Day. Even the biggest companies get to make jokes and produce big spoofs for us to giggle at. I always scroll through the social media of my favorite folks and every time they partake in the big day.

My favorite post from today was this YouTube video. 

They get brownie points from me for the headphones on the goats.

But this is one of those days that you need to take every video and post with a skeptical eye. Leading to one of my favorite realities of April Fool's Day...this is the one day of the year where people investigate things before they re-post them. If only we could do that all year. ;)

I adore the little jokes and shenanigans that run rampant. Even if it means mentally tasting birthday cake flavored salad dressing. Ew.

In the end, I love any excuse to laugh and have a good time. Which is exactly why I have a couple of novellas that are perfect bedtime stories while you're wrapping up your last pranks of the day. Who knows...you may even get an idea or two out of them.

​I've provided links and a little about each book below. But if you want to get your hands on the FULL collection of stories I've somehow convinced my friends to write, head to AprilFoolsForLove.com and you'll find my stories plus some hilarious and sexy stories from Mary Hughes, Jodi Redford, S.L. Carpenter, and Kayleigh Malcolm. 

When The Lights Go Out
April Fools For Love 2015
​
Named after the date of her conception, April Prime was used to hiding away and avoiding the world on April Fools’ Day. Or at the very least, avoiding her parents who tended to celebrate the holiday very differently from the rest of the world.

This year would be different. This year she closed on a home, and was taking control of her life. A few hiccups had her headed to an office supply store in search of moving supplies. Crashing through a bathroom door, she stumbled on a bit more than she expected when mister tall, dark, and indisposed was already using the facilities.

Taylor James was stuck being the brunt of yet another round of April Fools’ pranks. One of them being a change of the bathroom door signs. He went to work knowing he’d have to navigate a mine field. What he didn’t expect was a woman bursting in on him only to send his head spinning.

Despite the scenery, April is ready to make a red-faced retreat. That’s when a car crash knocks out the power to everything inside the store, including the electronic locks.

By the glow of the emergency flood light the two realize they may be stuck for a long while. April and Taylor could wait out the inconvenience in silence, or they could capture a moment together, and just maybe find something special when the lights go out.
Warning: Sex in the dark may lead to orgasms and head injury.

Bottled Up
April Fools For Love 2016

A clogged drain. A pretend plumber. An April Fool’s Day to remember.
 
Good looks don’t last forever, and neither do modeling careers. When Nate’s time in the sun ends, he goes back to school. Trouble is, in order to pay for his last semester he’s going to need to get naked.
 
When a four month modeling contract took Nate Dallas on an adventure around the world, he was too young to realize he was an idiot to leave his Blue-eyed Betty behind. After one night of passion he let her love letters fade in his pocket instead of fighting for a trip home.
 
Betty Townsend never forgot about Nate. He’d sent her the world in envelopes filled with sea shells and sand. She saw stars when he kissed her under a sparkling spotlight on stage. And she felt her heart break when he never returned to her.
 
When Nate shows up at Betty’s door, big wrench in hand, she can’t believe her first love is the one her friend hired to fix the sink.
 
Once Nate recognizes Betty, stripping is out of the question. So is leaving. He can’t throw this chance away. The heat between them is undeniable, but when Betty finds out her first love is covered in glitter down to his g-string, do they stand a chance at rekindling the love that never really burned out? Or will fate make fools out of them again?

Happy April Fool's Day, everyone! May you not get stuck to your toilet, and may your oreos not be filled with toothpaste. Enjoy each other today, and make sure to send me your favorite pranks or jokes from today. Who knows...they may end up in the next installment of April Fools For Love!

~Roxy