January 14th

Hi, it’s Christina –

Good morning! Yesterday I got several things done for my trip. I unearthed the air beds, made sure they were still in working order (Sharon’s using one), then got them and the pump ready to go. I made banana nut, banana chocolate chip and apple pie muffins to take with us, and I got some laundry done. (I also did a whole bunch of non-SC related things, so that wasn’t the sum of everything I accomplished yesterday.)

I was all prepared to pack some lighter things, but then I saw the weather report, and it’s going to be sunny but cold on Thursday and then it’s going to be cold and rainy on Friday. Dang! You would think driving a dozen plus hours to the south, I would be getting nicer weather than at home. I’m kinda bummed about it, but whatchya gunna do?

I am bringing my computer with me, but honestly I have no idea if I’ll even be able to get on it (I don’t know the graduation schedule or if we even have internet at the house), so you may not get a writing again challenge or another post until Sunday when I’m home again. That’s why I’m giving you extra time on yesterday’s challenge. I thought it was a pretty good one because you can take it so many ways – it could be a poem, a romantic story, a horror story, a … , you get what I mean. I’m looking forward to seeing what y’all come up with!

Today I need to stop at the grocery store, get gas, clean out the car, pack, load the car, straighten up the house, plus I’m sure a dozen other things which are escaping my brain at the moment. So since I still have lots to do, I shall say farewell.

I wish you all a wonderful day & happy writing!

August 4th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Good Morning! To say I was unproductive yesterday would be a gross understatement. I did NOTHING. At around eleven yesterday morning I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I went to bed, then proceeded to sleep for six hours. Now, I have been known to take naps. Because of a really bad back, I usually only sleep for a few hours during the night. It just becomes too uncomfortable to lie in bed, so I get up. (Hence the periodic four am posts you might see from me.) But when I take a nap, it is only for an hour, two tops. Yesterday however, I think my body just shut down, saying enough is enough.

I have been running at top speed for quite a while now, and I think I just needed the rest. Today I feel much better. I think I will start making my lists of all the things that need to be accomplished in the next few weeks as well as my “to pack” list for vacation. This way, as I check things off, I will feel I actually accomplished something, and I will also have less chance of getting distracted by shiny objects. Number one on the “to do” list, daily writing challenge, so let’s go.

  

Your Last Challenge was:

 I remember the first time I…

 

I remember the first time I saw a ghost. It was the day after Father’s Day and I was ten years old. It was around two in the morning and I awoke when my grandfather sat down on the edge of my bed. He brushed the hair out of my eye, like he did whenever he woke me up. I sat up and asked him if it was time for breakfast and he told me no, he just wanted to talk to me. He told me he was sorry that he wouldn’t be able to see me for a while, but for me to remember how much he loved me and how special I was to him. I told him I loved him too and I didn’t want him to go anywhere and I didn’t understand. He said I would understand real soon.

I heard the phone in the kitchen ring, my mother get up to answer it and a mumbled conversation through my closed bedroom door. My grandfather gave me a hug and a kiss on the forehead and said he had to go, and he was gone. I hugged my knees to my chest and started to cry. That was how my mother found me a few minutes later. She came into my room to tell me my grandfather had died, and I told her I already knew; he came to say goodbye.

 

True story, and since that night, let’s just say, I’ve had some interesting experiences in my life. My grandfather was my most favorite person in the world. Still, almost forty years later, I miss him terribly.

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

Write a story containing these three words: Light, Cave & Shell.

 

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.