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Monday, November 18, 2013

November 18th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Good morning. A few orders of personal business first. One, since I was a bit on the foggy side yesterday when posting, I forgot to wish my old - meaning I’ve known her forever - friend Barb a happy birthday. (Barb is the friend whose brother had that horrible accident two weeks ago when the contents of a dump truck fell on him and I had asked you to pray for him.) So, Happy Birthday Barb, sorry it’s a day late. I love you and I can’t wait until I see you on Thanksgiving!

Next, another birthday acknowledgement. This time it literally goes out to my oldest – again meaning I’ve known her forever, not that she’s old, because she is seven months younger than me – friend Nadia. Nadia and I were literally thrown in the same playpen together, and we have been friends ever since. She was even the maid of honor at my wedding. Because of our crazy lives, we don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like, but when we do, we pick up right where we left of as if no time had passed. So, to Nadia, I wish you a very Happy Birthday. I love you and miss you and I can’t wait until the next time we can get together!

As I had predicted, I didn’t manage to make it through the church service yesterday. I was home and in bed by 10:30 and then I slept until 2:30. When did I get so old that one night out with friends leaves me wrecked for the next day? I wasn’t even drinking, so I really have no excuse. Oh well, who cares? I’ll live, and it was so worth it.

Remember I said we were going over to my sister-in-laws for 4:30 yesterday? Well, the reason I said that was because of a text I received from her. I had sent her a text asking what time we should be over and what she needed me to bring. In return, I get this strange disjointed text, saying dinner at 4:30, her son needed to be somewhere at 6, her husband was leaving on a business trip and still had a ton to do, and she had scouts. So, I translated into saying, we were eating early and would be done by 6, because they had things to do.

While we were driving home from church, I asked my daughter to read the text her aunt sent, because quite frankly I had read it three times and I still wasn’t sure if I was understanding it correctly. My daughter takes my phone and opens up the text and reads it out loud – Dinner’s at 6:30. We’re making homemade pizzas. Please bring salad. WHAT?? When we pull into our driveway, I take the phone from her and read the text myself. Sure enough, that’s what it says. I hunt through the text messages to try to find the one I read, several times, but I can’t find it, so at this point I think I’m losing my mind.

A few hours later, I get a hold of my sister-in-law and tell her what happened, and she starts laughing. She said that was the text she sent me when I was planning my mom’s birthday in June. Why the heck would a five month old text pop up on my phone?? I think the universe likes to play pranks on people from time to time, especially when they are sleep deprived.

Anyway, we had a lovely dinner. It’s always great when the family can get together. 98% of the time, we get along really well and enjoy each other’s company – no family is perfect, we have are spats from time to time, but they are extremely rare and we get over them quickly. We laugh and talk, and infallibly there is always one silly occurrence which has us all in stitches. Last night’s was the exaggeratedly horrible rendition of “Happy Birthday”, sung off key, ill timed, with a healthy dose of raspberries (the finger rapidly moving up and down over the lips kind) thrown in for good measure.

Okay, it is now almost eight, so I should get to the challenge and start making up for time lost yesterday on Faerie Tale Queen. I hope you have a wonderful day, and happy writing!


Your Last Challenge:


There may not be an “I” in team, but there is certainly one in HISTORY. Take any historical event and recount it as if you were actually there.

 

It was a fine, crisp, sunny November day, and I will admit, even though I shouldn’t, I was very excited. Because of my husband John’s position, we were often entertaining dignitaries, but this time, for me, it was extra special.

Today I would spend the entire day with a woman I idolize, an incredibly intelligent woman, full of grace and beauty. I must tell you, I have been so nervous about meeting her, I must have tried on twenty outfits and ten hairstyles before I had just the right look. Oh, I know I could never be compared to her, but the least I could do is not be an embarrassment.

We arrived at the airstrip a few minutes before their plane arrived, and I practically had to restrain myself from jumping up and down like a little girl. John squeezed my hand and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He is such a dear, sweet man even though I have been driving him absolutely insane for the past few days.

Then there she was, stepping down from the plane in her beautiful pink suit with matching pillbox hat. I thought no, I could never look that good. I was frozen in place until my John, still holding my hand, gently tugged me forward to greet them.

First I was introduced to her husband, one of the most powerful men in the world. I smiled and politely shook his hand. Next, with a hand placed firmly in the small of my back, John propelled me to stand directly in front of my idol. Now, I have never been at a loss for words in my life, but in that moment, I couldn’t find a word to save my life.

Someone said we needed to get going and she said to me, not to worry, we would get to chat over lunch while the men were doing their thing. Chat. Oh be still my heart, my idol wanted to chat with me.

I was a little disappointed when we got into the car. I thought I would be sitting with her in the middle and John and her husband would be sitting in the back, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Slowly our cavalcade wound its way through my beloved streets. I smiled and waved at the crowds of people who lined the streets to watch us pass. I couldn’t wait for this part to be over. All the attention was something I would never get used to. I took a calming breath and reminded myself in fifteen minutes we would be sitting at our table, enjoying a lovely luncheon.

Suddenly our beautiful day went horribly, horribly wrong.

 

(I ran out of time, but what else is new.)

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

You find yourself in a Groundhog Day loop…

 

(For those of you who might not know, Groundhog Day was a movie from 1993 Starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. In the movie, Murray plays Phil Connors, a weatherman – and a bit of a jerk – who is unhappy he has to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, and he gets sucked into a time loop. He has to keep repeating the day until he gets it right.)

 

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

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