February 13th, 2015 Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Good Morning! I had a blast yesterday at B & C. I was there for four hours and I took a boatload of orders, made up several dozen single rose packets so all the panicked teen boys who come in on Saturday and just grab-pay-and-go. I helped one “doe in the headlights” customer and even came up with something prolific for him to write on his card. I boxed, I wrapped, I chatted, I laughed. Yeah, it was a good day.

One of the cool things was seeing several of my friends names while boxing up orders for today’s deliveries. All I have to say ladies, is your significant other has great taste. The flowers are GORGEOUS! You’ll love them. And I was good, I didn’t read a single card – except for the one I wrote.

Today is going to be a challenge because it will be an eleven hour day, but I’m still looking forward to it. When I showed Ron (the owner) and Carly (one of the designers) yesterday’s blog post, they were thrilled. Carly laughed at me because I called the experience exhilarating. I told her if she only did it a few days a year, she would see it from a different perspective.

Carly is a phenomenal floral designer. She made up this one bouquet yesterday which was absolutely stunning. It consisted of various exotic flowers, and such a vibrant array of colors, it simply took your breath away. I won’t even bother praising Ron, his stuff is consistently picture perfect. He pairs things you would never expect, and the results are remarkable. Okay, so maybe just a little praise, but don’t tell him, he doesn’t need an ego boost. JUST TEASING, he’s a sweetheart and I love working with him.

Ron’s son Nick came home from college so he could lend a hand. This was great news for me, because it meant I didn’t have to de-thorn a single rose. This year my hands won’t look like they’ve broken up a cat fight. Nick’s a rose cleaning beast. He flies through the zillions of roses in nothing flat, but then again, he was brought up in the business, so I guess it’s to be expected.

I’m not sure if there will be a blog post tomorrow morning or not. I have to be in the shop around 8:30, and I’m sure today is going to whip my butt. I am going to try, but I’m not making any promises.

Now Sunday, I know there won’t be a post. We – Paulie, Dani and her boyfriend Randy, and I are leaving for Vermont at 5:00 am. That will get us up to Lys by roughly 11:30 (depending on the road conditions). We are going to take her out to lunch, give her her birthday presents and her cake, sing Happy Birthday, eat cake, then turn around and come back home. I’m hoping to get back by 10:00 pm.

Crazy, I know, but not seeing my baby on her birthday last year truly bothered me, and as long as Mother Nature cooperates this year, I not going to let it happen again. The real bear of it is going to be the high of -11° with wind chills in numbers I don’t even want to think about. It’s times like these I really wish she had accepted the invitation from Austen Peay in Clarksville, TN. LOL. Then again, if she was down there, I wouldn’t be seeing her on her birthday. Oh well…

Okay, I need to go get ready for work. I hope you have a fantastic Friday the 13^th, and happy writing!

Your Next Challenge is:

I love you to the moon and back…

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.

September 13th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

 

It’s Friday the 13^th, and as the sun rises this morning over the Jersey shore and illuminates the utter devastation wrought by yesterday’s horrific fire, you can’t help but wonder if the supposed mystical powers of this day didn’t seep into the surrounding days.

 

I found myself, yet again, channel surfing to catch any and all information on the event as it unfolded. As the images filled the screen, I sat in shock, with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, praying for the safety of the firefighters and for the people of the Seaside Heights community.

 

These poor people, haven’t they been through enough already? They were only just starting to recover from the effects of Super Storm Sandy, and now this. It is just heartbreaking!

 

However, New Jerseyans (or is it Jerseyites) are made of stern stuff. Yes this was a crushing blow, but it was not a knockout punch. When the smoke clears, they will pull up their bootstraps, roll up their sleeves, and dive right in to rebuilding. Everyone will rally around those affected and pitch in to help in whatever way they can. That’s what folks from New Jersey do. We have the reputation of being a brash breed, but when the chips are down, we are there to help a neighbor, no questions asked.

 

The hard part now is waiting to hear from the powers that be as to when, and what we can do to help. In the interim, I ask that you say a little prayer, to whomever you pray to, for the folks in Seaside Heights. Pray for strength, pray for compassion, and pray nothing else happens to make things any worse. While you’re at it, you might as well throw in one for the folks out in Colorado dealing with the massive flooding.

What’s next, pestilence? Locust? Sheesh!

Enough with the hellfire and brimstone; I hope you have a wonderful day, and happy writing! 

 

Your Last Challenge was:

It is the first really cold day and you decide you need your coat. You have not worn your coat since last winter. You put it on, reach in the pocket and find…

The homecoming game, an annual event in our town which brings out the masses, and this year it’s no different. High school graduates, new and old, plus current and upcoming students will fill the stands to bursting to root on our beloved and often triumphant Raiders. Preparation for this Saturday night game will take up a good chunk of the day, for much like college and professional football games, tailgating will be involved. Hours before the game is to begin, we will be out in the parking lot – occupying all of the slots so the rival team’s fans are forced to utilize the off campus parking – grillin’ and chillin’. Unlike major sporting events, no alcohol will be involved; but that will not dampen the festivities in the least.

As noon approaches, we make sure our car is packed and ready. As usual for homecoming, the evening promises to get quite cold, so while my husband locates our maroon and gold blankets – obviously only blankets sporting our school colors would do – I descend into the basement to unearth our ancient letterman jackets, jackets which only see the light of day once a year.

As is my habit, still in the basement where there are not witnesses, I try on my jacket to make sure it can still fasten. I button it up and put my hands in the pockets where I feel the familiar Ziploc bag and smile. The bag contains memories of homecomings past, over thirty years’ worth of ticket stubs. Memories of games won and lost, old friends, times both happy and sad, and some even bittersweet fill that little bag.

 

This is a fictional story although there are a few facts tossed in – our school colors are maroon and gold, we are the Raiders, up until hurricane Irene, my husband and I did have letterman jackets stored in our basement, and we do try to go to the homecoming game when we can, but there is no tailgating involved.

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

 

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.