July 25th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

First, Happy 68^th Birthday to my Dad! Hope you have a great day!

So, have you all seen the Geico commercial with the camel? Well, my daughters think it’s the funniest thing, and kept asking me all day yesterday, “What day is it?” I’m telling you, I’m raising a couple of nutz!

We finally made it to the Laundromat yesterday, and I managed to really piss off a biker chick. Remember I told you there was a lot of laundry? There were twelve large capacity washers worth. We got to the Laundromat about fifteen minutes before the biker chick and had taken up all the big washers in the place. Then, with us being fifteen minutes ahead of her, we got to the dryers first. Our wash loads were large capacity, which meant I split each wash load between two dryers. Between the dryers I took, the couple of others which were being used and the ones not working, every dryer in the place was occupied. The biker chick was not happy when she had to wait, and she sat there and glared at me the whole time. I smiled and apologized, but she continued to glare. Did I mention she was about five inches taller than me and solid muscle? YIKES!

She never said a word, and the girls and I got out of there without incident, but I will admit, she was intimidating. I did tell the girls they were no longer allowed to let laundry pile up, and I will be following the same rule myself!

I did get to chat with one of the other customers. She was a sweet older woman who I’m pretty sure originally came from Jamaica. She was there washing a large quilt, and she was really touched when my daughter offered to help when she saw the woman struggling to try and fold the quilt. There were also two ladies there who worked at the Laundromat, and they were really nice too. Any day when I get to meet nice people, I consider a good day.

Later today, we’ll be on a folding and putting away marathon. When all is said and done, we will probably have at least four good sized bags for the Vietnam Veterans to pick up as a donation, plus all of the closets and drawers will be full. If I hear, ‘I’ve got nothing to wear’ from anyone, I may just blow a gasket!

Yesterday was not a very productive writing day for me. I was allowing myself to get distracted by every shiny object. I know I was doing this because I had come to the point in my story where the main characters were spending their first night together, and I REALLY hate writing love scenes. I feel like a Peeping Tom.

I need to just get over it and write or I will not hit my goal, and that will be a real shame since I am so close and it is obtainable. So on to the challenges, then off to camp. Hope you all have a great day! Happy Writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

 

I can’t believe I did it, packed my bag and left. Everyone in this town used to laugh when I told them I wanted to be a famous singer. They told me to just be happy singing in the choir on Sundays, and just get married and have kids like a good girl. But in my heart, I knew I could be so much more. Now here I am, walking the tracks to a train headed south, a train to Nashville.

For years I’ve been saving every penny so I could make this trip, and now I have enough to get by for at least a year. That was the deal I made with Daddy, one year, and if things were not looking hopeful at the end of one year, I was to come home. But, I knew I will not keep that promise. I won’t go home until I’ve made it. That’s what made saying goodbye to Mamma so hard. She was my biggest supporter, my rock. Oh how I will miss them both, but I know I will make them proud. One day I will be singing at the Grand Ole Opry and they will be there, right in the front row to watch. Mamma will be crying and Daddy will be sitting there puffed up like a peacock. When I’m done with my song, I will blow them a kiss, and everyone will know they are my folks and I’m as proud of them as they are of me.

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

I hadn’t planned on running for President...

 

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.

July 24th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

I had a nice surprise last night. My son popped by. He didn’t stay long, but it was nice to see him. I’m not really caring for this not seeing him every day thing. I know it happened to all parents, and I knew it was time for him to move out, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I miss him, his sisters miss him, and although he doesn’t say it, I know his father misses him too. AND in less than a month, my daughter’s leaving as well. Just shoot me now.

They need to spread their wings, to grow, to become their own people, find their own way. I get that. I encourage it and I am very proud of them for doing it. I just can’t seem to get the Carrie Underwood lyrics out of my head, “Don’t forget to remember me.” I can’t even imagine what a mess I’m going to be four years from now when my youngest one is gone too.

Ugh, enough of that. I can’t get all bummed out and still be able to write. I think I will be giving you folks another photo challenge today though. I have a bunch of good ones saved, and no new challenge is calling to me at the moment. Hope you all have a great day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

 

Write a story containing the following three items: Beach Ball, Ice Cream, Lifeguard

 

It was a glorious beach day. It was hot, but not oppressive. The sky was crystal blue with wispy white clouds, the water was refreshingly cool, and a gentle breeze blew from the ocean to the sand keeping the bugs at bay. Perfect. You couldn’t ask for a better day.

The teenagers I brought with me were frolicking in the waves and I was stretched out in my chair engrossed in a juicy book when a shadow fell across me. I shielded my eyes and looked up. There, standing before me, was an extremely fit, handsome man, holding a beach ball.

He smiled. “I believe this is yours,” he said as he held out the beach ball.

I glanced around our encampment to see if our ball was missing. When I didn’t see it, I stood and scanned the water to locate the kids to see if they had taken it with them. It took a moment to find them, but no, they didn’t have a ball with them.

I sighed, “It appears to be. Thank you.”

 “I watched it roll from your blanket.” He pointed to the lifeguard stand. “When it rolled under my stand, I jumped down and got it for you.”

 “Thank you.” I said as I reached for the ball. “Sorry to have troubled you.”

 “It was no trouble. My shift is over and I was looking for an excuse to come over and introduce myself anyway.” He admitted and handed me the ball. “The Fates must have wanted us to meet as well.”

Oh my God! It was like every teenage fantasy I had ever had. A day at the beach, I catch the eye of some hunky lifeguard, we end the day sitting on my blanket, watching the sun set, eating an ice cream cone. But I was hardly a teenager any more, yet here was this hunky lifeguard, who was around my age, and for some reason he had singled me out.

 

Hmm, this one may just end up being a real story…

 

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.

July 23rd Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

 

Good morning all. Hope everyone had a great Monday. The girls and I were quite productive yesterday, but we realized there was no way we were going to get through all the laundry any time soon with only one washer and dryer, so today we are going to bag it up and head to the laundry mat. Three hours and it will all be done!

 

A majority of the things being washed are things they will no longer wear and are going to be donated, so I didn’t want to waste any extra time on them, when their time could be spent organizing, or in my older daughter’s case, packing. There are still a ton of things down there from when my son lost all his weight, and although my husband is not opposed to hand-me-ups, some of the stuff is just too young for him to wear.

 

I just realized, many of you don’t know about my son’s amazing weight loss. In a little over a year, he dropped 173 lbs! To put that into perspective, that is the equivalent of losing a full grown man! He cut out all soda and sports drinks, almost all carbs, and started going to the gym. He was determined and focused. We are all so proud of him! I made him take one of those cheesy pictures you see in ads that no one ever believes are true.

 

 

 

YES, those really are a pair of his old pants. He went from a 46 to a 32. I’d be happy to drop 20lbs and can’t manage to do it. I am in awe of my child.

 

Your Last Challenge was:

 

 

Phew, the last three bails. Dang my back hurts, but I can’t stop. Not with that storm rollin’ in. Not that I’ complainin’ Lord, we sure could use the rain. These last few weeks have been mostly dry, but if today’s a good soaker, the crops will be just fine. From the feel of my back and shoulder, it’s going to be a good soaker.

Ok, hay done. Next mend the fence, then back to get the horse so I can find where that dang cow’s got to. I swear this is the third time she has wandered off right when she was about to deliver. I don’t get it. Is some rocky ravine more appealing to give birth? Ah, no use complainin’, ain’t gunna change the situation none. I just gotta go get her.

Wonder if Mike’s around? Sure could use the help if she’s actually gone into labor. Best pack some food, just in case we’re out there a while. Lord only knows how it will take to find the fool creature.

There. Done. That wasn’t too bad. Thank God for small favors. Alright, back to the house.

 

A cowboy’s thought’s while he’s working???

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

Write a story containing the following three items: Beach Ball, Ice Cream, Life Guard

  

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.

July 21st Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

You didn’t have your fingers crossed hard enough! On Friday, I figured I would write my blog and my Camp NaNo stuff after I came back from lunch with my mom. We planned on doing lunch in Lahaska, PA at the Cock & Bull in Peddlers Village. In addition to having lunch, a late birthday celebration, I was also stopping in at Canterbury Tales to finalize the dates for my book signing. I’m all for killing two or more birds with one stone.

So I pick up my mom. We drive the forty-five or so minutes to Peddlers Village. I finalize my signing dates, September 21^st & 22^nd, which is during their scarecrow festival. I go out to move my car from the thirty minute parking spot to a real spot which luckily just opened up and my phone rings. It is a publisher in New York and I’m on my phone with him for at least fifteen minutes. Mind you, my poor mom is waiting to have lunch this entire time. I finally finish with the publisher and we go into the Cock & Bull. We sit down, order lunch and my phone beeps. It’s a message from my daughter begging me to pick her up. She’s sick and miserable and wants to come home NOW, not the next day when everyone else was coming home.

My mom and I pack up the remainder of our lunch and I drive her back to NJ, switch cars, then set off on a 330 mile trek to Uniontown, PA. The original plan was my daughter was going to ride with another group who was leaving Friday night and I would meet them along the road so I did not have to drive the full six hours, then turn around and drive back.

Great, right? Well I should have known it would not turn out that way. The first indication it was not going to be a good trip was when I was on Route 78 and a car up ahead of me burst into flames. (The driver got out safely and several good Samaritans with fire extinguishers in their cars got out of their cars to help.) I was one of the few cars that got through before traffic snarled and stopped because of the fire. That was the high point of the trip.

Traffic did clog up a few times, but I managed to get on Route 81 South in fairly decent time. Then two miles north of Hershey, PA, Mother Nature decided to show her might. The first thing was bolts of lightning coming down on both sides of my car. I have never seen lightning stay visible for so long. I probably could have taken a picture with my phone it my hands weren’t white-knuckled on the steering wheel. In twenty minutes, the temperature had dropped from ninety-eight degrees to seventy-one degrees. I looked to my left and actually watched a funnel cloud start to form. Scary as that was, the cloud was on my left, which meant it was east of me, so I knew for the moment I was not in danger of getting hit by a tornado. However, the torrential rain mixed with small amounts of hail was giving me fits. The emergency alert system interrupts the radio station. The announcer starts rattling off counties affected by the storm, but since I really have no idea where I am other than in the Carlyle area, the warning is pretty useless to me. Obviously I am in one of the aforementioned counties.

I drove along at ten miles an hour, lights on, hazards flashing for several miles when the break in the storm came. Traffic picked up and we were moving again. I try to call my husband to tell him what I had just experienced (on the Bluetooth – I wasn’t taking my hands off the wheel anytime soon), but the phone kept saying I was out of my calling area. Huh? This goes on for about half an hour, and I start to panic. How am I supposed to meet up with this driver coming North with my daughter if I have no phone service?

I pull off the highway and into a convenience story. They were out of power, but their land line was working and they let me call my husband. I was amazed he actually picked up the phone considering I was calling from a number he did not recognize. Anyway, I tell him what’s going on and make him call our minister to make sure my daughter has not left yet, and if she hasn’t not to. I was going to drive straight through to her. While I was waiting for my husband to call back, the convenience store guy tells me that the cell towers are down. No, not hit by lightning down, physically down on the ground. When I went around the side of his building to use the bathroom, I saw several buildings in the area with substantial roof damage.

After a few minutes, my husband calls back. My daughter was still at the convent and she would stay there and wait for me. It is now a few minutes after six and the sky in black. I headed back to the highway. The lightning started again, the wind picked up, and you knew at any second the skies would open up again. Traffic is going at a good clip. I think everyone was trying to get as far down the road as they could before the storm raged again. Along the way, I could see trees down and when I drove over bridges, towns below had hefty damage. At one point, there were trees down on my right and on my left, directly across from the downed trees, there was a path ripped through a cornfield. Obviously a small tornado had occurred.

The wind is now getting so strong, I am fighting the wheel to stay in the lane. I’m driving between fifteen and twenty miles per hour at this point. In front of me a tree branch breaks off and comes flying at my car. I can’t stop in time, but luckily all it hits is my bumper – headlights and windshield remain unharmed. The skies open up and visibility is now down to about ten feet. We crawl along at about five miles per hour. At one point we were stopped completely, and the wind was so strong, our cars (and the semi next to me) were being pushed into the next lane.

 

You may ask why I did not pull over through all of this. The right side of the road was lined with trees, trees which were being blown over by the wind. What about stopping under an over pass you ask. Those were few and far between, and they were occupied by motorcycles and their drivers. They needed the protection far more than I did, that’s for sure. So I forged on.

The storm finally broke when I got to Routes 70 & 68 in Maryland. My phone started working again and I called my husband. He checked the radar and the line of severe thunderstorms stretched almost a hundred miles, and I drove their entire length, but I was through it now. Thank God, I could not imagine driving the mountains of Route 68 during a storm!

At a few minutes to ten, I pull into the convent and pick up my girls. There was no way, after the harrowing ride there, I was going to attempt to drive home that night. I found a hotel – thank you Marriott for even building hotels out in the middle of nowhere – and we spent the night in a clean, comfortable, air conditioned room. The AC helped my daughter to feel a little better and to get a good night’s sleep.

We arrived home yesterday just after four, but I had no energy to write. I know this blog was extremely long, but consider it three days’ worth.

 

Your Last Challenge was:

 

Ah, the proverbial fork in the road. Do I go right or left? What do I choose? Most attribute forks in the road to major life altering events, but aren’t we faced with forks on a daily basis? You have your shrimp fork decisions – what shall we have for dinner? Your salad fork decisions – should I buy this or save the money? Your dinner fork decisions – should I take the promotion or settle with the lower salary and keep my sanity? And you have your serving fork decisions – should I move across the country? Although varying in degrees, each decision or fork alters your path in life.

 

Sorry, that’s it. I ran out of steam. Hopefully I’ll have better luck on Corporate Blues today. Until tomorrow…

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

If I had three wishes… 

 

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.