August 11th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Karen snapped this photo when we
weren't looking. Me and Sam in the
background.

Good Morning! Wow! What a fantastic weekend! Yeah, I sold a few books which was nice, and I got to be outside in the glorious weather, but, as usual, hands down, the best part was the people I met.

I talked to two would-be authors yesterday, Mina and Jessica. Both lovely ladies. I gave them my personal email address and told them to contact me if they had any questions or just needed some encouragement. I look forward to hearing from them.

Wendy and her Hubby

I had a nice surprise while I was there. An old family friend stopped by to say hi. I have not seen Wendy in years, quite a few years, and you know what fries my cookies? SHE LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME. She looks wonderful. I have changed so much since, I was surprised she recognized me.

I was chatting with someone who stopped at my table, then all of a sudden I felt someone watching me – pretty strange considering there were hundreds of people around – I look up, and there she was with a big smile. We did get a few minutes to catch up (but not long enough as far as I’m concerned). It was so good to see her, so much better than the FB messages we’ve been relegated to.

I know I said as much yesterday, but it bears repeating, what really made this weekend exceptional was my co-signers. Sam is such a sweetheart and I absolutely love spending time with him. Any stranger walking by can see the goodness that shines through Sam. Then there was Karen, and I felt like I was reunited with a long lost friend I had never met before. She’s an “awesome” person. If we weren’t both so hungry and tired yesterday after the signing, we probably could have talked for hours.

I firmly believe people are purposely put in our paths, for reasons unknown to us at the moment, but to make us better in the end. Sometimes helping them is my role, sometimes them helping me is their role. Either way, I feel blessed by all the wonderful people I have come across in my life. Yes, even the not so nice ones, because they taught me how to be a better person, or that it was okay to walk away sometimes. I still have much to learn, and I probably will still have much to learn when I take my last breath, but that’s what make the journey a good one.

I guess waking at 4:00 am has made my philosophical this morning. LOL. I was so spent after two days of signing in the sun, I went to bed yesterday right when I came home. Unfortunately going to sleep so early had me waking up at a ridiculous hour.

It is going to be a LONG day. I was originally going to spend the day with Dani at the beach, but I have so much to do. There’s some mix up with FAFSA and High Point can’t see Lys’ financials. I don’t get it. All of the paperwork on my end shows High Point University; but for some reason High Point can’t assess it. We are leaving for college in 11 days, so I’m freaking out a bit over this. I also have to call High Point to make sure Lys is on the guaranteed housing list. UGH! I’m not loving having to go through all this craziness two years in a row.

Once I get that straightened out, I’m taking Dani to do some back to school shopping, and then we’re hitting the grocery store so I can stock the house for the girls while my hubby and I are in Dallas. We get back from Dallas on Wednesday, and then I need to do laundry and repack for us to leave Friday morning for North Carolina.

I haven’t booked rooms for NC yet, and the pickings are a bit slim already, so I’m a little worried. If I want a place over a two star rating, I need to be an hour away from High Point. I don’t know whether to just suck it up and hope for the best or stick with the Marriot. The problem is, I really can’t handle the $150 a night price tag. Then again, could I handle bedbugs or my car being broken into because the other hotel options are in a not so good area. This chunk of stress is something I could easily have done without. If any of you has any recommendations, I’m all ears.

By the way, I have decided to change my format a little. I will no longer be answering my own challenges. You’ve already read what I have written in the “chat” portion of the blog, so you don’t need to read more from me. However, if a challenge is issued from one of my readers, I will accept the challenge. (Message me if you have a challenge you would like me to feature.)

Okay, enough blathering for one day. I hope you have an incredible day, and happy writing!

Your Next Challenge is:

Open your eyes…

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.