July 1st Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning and Happy July 1^st! Honestly, I could have used another day or two before July 1^st arrived, but it is what it is, and the insanity of Camp NaNoWriMo has begun.

I checked in with my cabin and was pleasantly surprised to see my friend, Dorothy May Mercer, was in our cabin. I have requested folks I knew every time I’ve done NaNo, but this was the first time it actually happened. I’m doing my happy dance, because I know I’ll have at least one cheerleader rooting for me to hit my goal.

You never know, when you first check into your cabin, if your cabin mates are going to be into it, if they will encourage each other, or if they really will do what they said they would do. I lucked out last time, and we had a really great cabin. I don’t remember exactly how many, but almost all of us hit our 50K goal, and we cheered each other on.

The two times before that, I was the only one who hit goal in my cabin, and I gave up trying to interact with my cabin mates, because no one was really into it. I focused all of my energy into my own novel instead of trying to motivate them. It’s strange, but I guess it does make sense in a way. Last time I probably spent more time chatting with my cabin mates, yet I hit goal with plenty of time to spare. The two previous times, I gave up on my cabin mates and I squeaked in at the last minute to hit goal. Even though I was expending more effort to keep the cabin’s spirits up, the encouragement I was receiving in return kept my momentum and creativity up.

I did decide to finish up FTQ, and let Taming Tate to rattle around in my brain for a little while longer. I think it’s the right thing to do, even if I don’t go the traditional publishing route with it. Better to finish one project before starting a new one.

On that note, I should get going. I hope you have a great day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

You visit some place you have not seen since you were a child.

From the time I was five until roughly thirteen, I would vacation with my grandparents every summer. We would pack up the Pinto, hook up the camper, and away we’d go. Ultimately, Texas was our final destination, with pit stops in either Virginia, Georgia or Florida along the way. In Virginia we would visit colonial Williamsburg. In Georgia we would visit family. In Florida we would visit a plethora of sites, not just Mickey Mouse.

When I became a parent, I wanted my children to have some of the same wonderful experiences as I did with my grandparents. So one summer we packed up our van, and away we went, final destination Disney. We took the same route as I took with my grandparents, Route 95 South.

I told my kids that Pop-pop, my grandfather, wouldn’t allow us to stop until we hit the Maryland House rest stop, so of course we had to stop. Shortly after we were back on the road, we started to see the signs for South of the Border, and I got excited. This was another stop we made every time with my grandparents, so my kids just had to see it. We made a game of spotting the signs and counting down the miles. By the time we spotted the giant man in the sombrero, the car was practically vibrating with anticipation.

***

Out of time, but what else is new? I’m sure you can see where this was going without any further explanation.

Your Next Challenge is:

_____ is the most important thing, because without _____ you can’t…

You have ten 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.

December 8th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Happy Sunday all!

My husband, my daughter and I went to a Christmas party last night at a friend’s house. Even with Dani was being a typical teenager, bored out of her scull at a pretty much all adult party, we had a good time. I didn’t get much time to chat with the hostess, for obvious reasons, but I did get to catch up with another friend, Dorothy, who I haven’t seen in ages. I met Dorothy and her husband Bruce through cheerleading when both of our daughters were on the traveling competition team.

Since I had a decade of coaching under my belt, I would lead the fans-in-the-stands cheers, and Bruce was usually one of the first ones to get the folks sitting around him going. He even used to bring a conch shell to blow (like they do in Hawaii) because air horns and such were banned from competitions.

Competition season was grueling, but it was because of folks like Dorothy and Bruce, I found myself looking forward to the next season. Dani sustained a cheer ending injury three seasons ago, so she ended up missing her varsity years on the squad, and since she was no longer on the team, there was no reason for us to go to the competitions.

 

Although I don’t miss the travel, the cost and the drama, I do miss many of the parents. We were a pretty close knit group, and to go from seeing them multiple times a week, to not seeing them at all, was a shock to the system. I get it though, cheer sucks up every ounce of free time, so during the season, you have no other life except cheer; and now with practices starting earlier and competitions running longer into the year, the “season” is greatly extended. Anyway, it was nice seeing Dorothy and Bruce, and now I just need to work on getting the rest of “the crew” together.

The potato pancakes were a hit last night. Instead of making regular ones, I made a hundred two-bite ones. I thought they would make more sense at a party. Since they were so well received, I think I’ll make them for my church Christmas party next Saturday as well. They are no longer a trial to make since my mom lent me her food processor which has a grating blade. What used to take me HOURS to hand grate all the potatoes now takes only minutes, so I really don’t mind making them anymore. The frying them up still takes forever, and the house smells like potato pancakes for DAYS, but everyone seems to enjoy them, and since they are not the typical appetizer brought to a party, they are well received.

Today, after church and a quick run to the grocery store, I will be sitting down and writing our annual Christmas letter to be sent out with the Christmas cards. I’ve had the cards for months already. I figured since I had some good pictures of the kids, why not get the cards made early, avoid the holiday rush and maybe even mail them out early. Well two out of three isn’t bad. Here it is, December 8^th, and the cards still haven’t gone out.

I think I’ve procrastinated a little on them because this year’s card is the last time my son’s picture will be on our cards. We send photo cards every year, but at some point, when the kids are grown, they should no longer be a part of your Christmas card, because they send out their own cards. (PJ moved out earlier in the year. He’s twenty-three, and even though I miss seeing him every day, it was time for him to spread his wings.) So, next year’s card will only have the girls. In a few short years, Dani will be the only one on the card; and when she moves out, we’ll be sending plain old boxed Christmas cards, ‘cause no one needs to be seeing my mug on a Christmas card.

Okay, I’ve rambled enough for one day. I hope you have a great day, and happy writing!

 

Your Last Challenge was:

 

Write a story containing: an animal, a magical being, and snow

 

Tabatha spun and spun, arms outstretched, wings fluttering. She caught a snowflake in her hands, tossed it up and watched as the wind swirled it away.  After one final loop, she floated down to her favorite perch, behind Bunny’s ears, and snuggled into his soft warm fur.

“Oh Bunny, I just love the first snow of the season. There’s just something so magical about it.”

“Magical?” Bunny harrumphed, “This coming from a fairy? Snow is nothing more than condensed water vapors in the atmosphere that the cold air freezes and turns into ice. Nothing magical about that.”

“Quit being such a poop.” Tabatha ruffled the fur between his ears. “Look around you. Yesterday this whole area was grey and drab, lifeless, colorless, boring. Now look at it. Everything is white, and when the snow stops falling and the sun peaks through the clouds, it will all shimmer like a zillion diamonds.”

“Well you can keep your diamonds. To me the snow means I’ll be cold and wet, and I do so abhor being cold and wet.”

 “Oh Bunny, when did you get so old and cranky? When did you stop seeing the wonder and magic around you? You weren’t always like this.

  

Ten minutes came way too quick again.

Your Next Challenge is:

Never in a million years did I expect to see her/him …

 

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.