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Showing posts with label Great Wolf Lodge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great Wolf Lodge. Show all posts

Sunday, December 29, 2013

December 29th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Happy Sunday! It is a cold and wet dreary day in NJ, but at least it’s not snowing! I guess we’re paying for the 60° and sunny day we had yesterday.

Yesterday’s memorial service was very nice. Steve and several other folks said a little something about Steve’s mom, and then Steve’s ten year old daughter attempted giving a speech, but couldn’t get through it. Bless her heart! She had the whole room in tears. Even at only ten, you could tell what an amazing woman the child will become when she grows up.

After the memorial service, my husband and I went to visit two of his favorite clients; two brothers who live about ten minutes apart from each other. They called before Christmas to tell my husband he had to stop over because Santa had left something for him. I had been hearing about these folks for years, so I insisted coming with him so I could meet them. Let me just say, my husband’s stories did not do these folks justice. I absolutely LOVE both couples! We spent about an hour and a half with one brother and then another hour with the other.

We would have probably stayed longer, but the girls were back from Great Wolf Lodge and we needed to go pick them up from their aunt’s house. They had a blast and said it was the best Christmas present ever. 
 
 
 
 
(In the photo: Holly, Lys, Grace, Dani, & Max)

 

Today is going to be a lazy day. All I plan on doing is straightening up a little, throwing a load of laundry in, and then curling up with a book (well, as much as I can curl up with a computer, because that’s where the book is). My friend Linda Rawlins sent me the next book in her series, and I have been chomping at the bit, but with the holidays, I just haven’t had time. Then, as soon as I finish that one, my other friend, Dorothy May Mercer, sent me her new one too. (I’m not playing favorites – Linda sent me hers about half an hour before Dorothy, so I thought it only fair to read in the order received.) I’m sure I’ll be posting review and information on the books in the next few days.


Okay, I’m off for my day of sloth. I hope you have a wonderful day, and happy writing!

 

Your Last Challenge was:

You are straightening up the presents under your Christmas tree when you find one last wrapped gift. There is no tag on the package, and you do not recognize the wrapping paper.

 

“What’s this?”

Gary bent down the edge of the newspaper and peered over the rim of his glasses. “A Christmas present,” he stated dismissively and went back to reading his morning paper.

“I realize that, but where did it come from? Who’s it for?”

“What’s the tag say?” Gary asked without even bothering to look up.

“Do you think, if there was a tag, I would have asked you if you knew who the gift was for?” Gina snapped. “Seriously, can you get your nose out of the paper for two minutes and take a look at this?”

With a heavy sigh, Gary folded his paper, laid it on the coffee table and placed his reading glasses on top of it, then held out his hand. “I won’t get any peace anyway until I do, so let me have it.” Gina placed the box into his hand, and Gary studied it.

“Don’t shake it!” Gina screeched. “What if it’s breakable!”

Gary handed the box back to Gina. “Oh for Heaven’s sake, just open the damned thing already.”

 

Your Next Challenge is:

‘Tis the time of year for New Year’s Resolutions. You can either write your 2014 Resolutions, write about a time trying to keep a resolution, or anything else, but it has to do with either making or keeping a New Year’s Resolution.

 

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.

Friday, December 27, 2013

December 27th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

I have come to the conclusion that having an abundance of baked goods in my house is not a good thing. I have absolutely NO willpower!! But all the things took a lot of effort and time to make, plus they are really yummy, so it would be a sin to let them go to waste, right? I have decided to wrap up ¼ of the crumb cake and stick it in the freezer, but I’m not sure if the nut rolls would freeze well, and I’m pretty sure the cookies and the Christmas bread wouldn’t, so… Perhaps if I just counter with some fresh fruit and veggies… lol.

I forgot to tell you a cute story yesterday. Every year we end our Christmas day with dinner at my sister-in-law Cindy & brother-in-law Frank’s house, then go over to my in-laws where all the grandkids open their gifts from Grandma & Grandpa. So we were at Cindy & Frank’s, and my 23 year old son and my 15 year old nephew are chasing each other around with these Nerf type guns my ten year old niece Holly got for Christmas.
 
We are all ducking for cover to avoid being hit in the cross-fire, and Holly grabs my hand and pulls me into the hall so I don’t get beaned by flying bullets. We get into the hallway and she stops me and points up. I look up and noticed we stopped under a ball of mistletoe. So I laugh and give her a big kiss on the cheek. I thought it was the sweetest thing that she wanted a kiss from Aunt Chris.  That small gesture really made my night and I wanted to share it with you.

Last night Dani decided she wanted to see exactly what she got for Christmas. So she goes and gets a blanket and lays it on the living room floor. Then she proceeds to place EVERY gift she received (from us and everyone else) on to the blanket, and then takes a picture of her haul. That is the only way to describe it, a “haul”. Almost the entire blanket was covered with stuff, and this was the Christmas where we “seriously cut back”.
 
Perhaps if one of the kids had done this same exercise when we did Christmas in full swing, we would have cut back years ago. I’ll admit, I was feeling guilty, because money was tight this year and my Christmas budget was about 1/3 of what it used to be; but then I saw Dani’s display, and now I’m not feeling so guilty anymore. I am feeling a little silly that it took me this long to realize how overboard we used to go on Christmas.

So the girls will be up shortly packing for their trip to Great Wolf Lodge. It was their Christmas gift from their aunt and uncle. They are leaving at noon and won’t be back until late tomorrow night. What a perfect gift! It doesn’t take up any space, and the girls get something much more important than a soon to be forgotten “thing”. They are having bonding time with their cousins and making a memory they will have forever.

Okay, I didn’t get much accomplished yesterday, so I really need to get some work done around the house today. I hope you a wonderful day, and happy writing!

Oops, almost forgot. Jason sent over the pictures from his phone. Take a look at this handsome group.

 



 

Your Last Challenge was:  

Write a story containing the following three words: brush, mirror, shadow.

 
Katie sat down at her vanity table, removed the pins from her hair, grabbed her brush, and began raking it through her long tresses.

“Could tonight have gone any worse?” She asked her reflection in the mirror. “I have never experienced such a string of disasters. If I didn’t know better, I would think someone had purposely set out to sabotage the event.” She laid her brush down and scowled at her reflection. “What if someone did?”

“Meow!” was the only warning Katie received before her cat pounced onto her lap.

“Oh. Hey there Shadow. So what’ your opinion? Do you think someone purposely caused the food table to collapse, or the ice sculpture to topple, or the power to go out?”

“Mee Oww!”

“You’re right. You add those to the teleprompter acting up and the weird music starting to play, it’s just too much to be a coincidence. But who would have wanted to ruin the charity event? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Your Next Challenge is:


You are straightening up the presents under your Christmas tree when you find one last wrapped gift. There is no tag on the package, and you do not recognize the wrapping paper.


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.