I'm PUBLISHED!

I'm not here today BECAUSE THE FIRST STORY I SOLD IS PUBLISHED! I'm at the online magazine “lit”, one of Briane Pagel's blogs.  He pays for stories.

I'd REALLY appreciate your feedback in the comments there. It's only my second short story and I'd like your honest opinion.

Thanks!

~Tina

P.S The characters and events in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental.   Actually, the idea came from a creepy dream I had. The idea. Not the story.

Annandag Jul: The Other Day of Christmas

Happy Friday to you all! We enjoyed THREE days of Christmas!  Not a french hen in sight, though. This was the first year we celebrated the Swedish tradition of Annandag Jul, “The Other Day of Christmas.” Except we celebrated it American style..yeah, try to keep up.  I'm trying to be brief...(I see those eyes rolling!)

Long time readers know that Swedes celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We do this with all the Colorado contingent of our family and it's a big group. My Swissie has a great house, perfectly designed to host a party this size, and she and Windex (her husband, please see nickname tab above for explanation and intro to him) do a marvelous job. It was a truly special time. Thanks again to both of you.

Being Swedish and having that big celebration with my family on the 24th works out perfectly, because then we can always spend Christmas Day with The Engineer's family, American style. We really do try to incorporate both cultures in our family of four's traditions that we are creating as we raise them.

However, this year, his sister didn't have her kids until yesterday, so we postponed. That meant that American Christmas would be on the 26th, Annandag Jul.  Swedes really take three days to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, each day having different traditions.

What this also meant was that for the first time since OYT was three and I had the stomach flu, our family of four (which I kept referring to as our nuclear family – but people didn't like that term, something about weapons of mass destruction was the objection, and wanted to just call it “our family” so we did a bit of both, depending on to whom we were trying to explain ourselves.)

OYT, appreciator of all things Christmas especially the traditions, went all out helping me plan our day. The Engineer and The Transporter stuck around long enough to make sure we had snow crab for dinner, then left with, “Whatever. I want some time to do my own thing, too, though.”

Here's a list of what we tried for our first family Christmas:

Hot chocolate while opening presents

Peppermint tea with candy canes available at all times

French toast with bacon for breakfast

Lighting all the candles I decorated with

Free time

The Charlie Brown Christmas Special

Chess

Apples to Apples

Left-over Swedish Christmas food for lunch

The new Veggie Tales movie “Merry Larry and The True Light of Christmas” (narrated by Uncle Si of Duck Dynasty – he's HILARIOUS)

Snow Crab for dinner

Movie together all four of us in the evening

We had a great day, and the only things that didn't happen were Apples to Apples and the movie. By the time we finished crab legs and Uncle Si, it was 10:30 and all of us were droopy.

As to Annandag Jul, that was of course a great day as well. On both sides of the family, we just enjoy each others' company so much. This lot of cousins are a bit older, 23, 22, and 17. They've taught my boys a lot of useful skills over the years, like how to turn a golf club into a LARP (live action role play) weapon, how to play card games like the ones the Big Bang gang plays, and of course, video game strategy. They have similar interests, which makes it all just flow.

While some of us watched Man of Steel (I may have to write my first movie review so strong is my opinion) others did a puzzle, which is another tradition. Day turned into night quickly, and as we drove home, I counted my blessings. Too many to count.

How was your holiday? Want to share a favorite part?

~Tina

P.S If you want to know more about the Veggie Movie. 52 second official trailer.

50 States of Pray: Reflecting on The Year

Isaiah 9:6

King James Version (KJV)

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.


I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

Thanks so much to all of you for sticking with me through thick and thin and in sickness and in health this very challenging year. May God bless you in the coming year. 

This is my Colorado contribution to The Fifty States of Pray, hosted by Mark Koopmans  of “Aloha! Mark Koopmans Says Hi from HI”.

~Tina

(photo credit here)

My High School Sweetheart

Today is the 30^th anniversary of the first date The Engineer and I had. I wrote our love story several years ago when I first started blogging. You can find it here if you're curious.

TheTuba Player and The Clarinetist

TheTuba Player and The Clarinetist, Part II

Oh, and check this out. I can't believe I have a picture of this. Thanks, Momarazzi for documenting my life so well so that my blog can have vintage pictures.

(it'a a photo of a photo in an album, the "assisting" is from the caption for another picture and I don't know how to photo shop...)

The Engineer has made me promise not to put pictures of him on the internet. But this is so classic – he's hiding behind the tuba just like I talked about in those stories. I'm in the white shirt in the front row. Not my best look, but at least you see how young we were when we met. 30 years ago. Where does the time go?

~Tina

P.S Took the plunge. After editing my story for a week, I finally sent it. I'll let you know if and when it gets put up. Meanwhile hit Briane Pagel's blog “lit” because Brian Miller's story is up already.

The Promised Excerpt

“Mom, they kicked us out. Said we weren't old enough.”

“That's ridiculous,” she says, never taking her eyes off the chess board.

“And Tim says he feels weird. And I'm kinda scared. I don't feel so hot myself.”

“Excuse me, Clarence while I deal with my kids.”

She turns to look at the boys and grows instantly still. Jace has short hair, not the unkempt mop he so loves, his zits are all gone, and his clothes look many sizes too big. Tim looks ready to cry, while holding onto his shorts, with a t-shirt that reaches his knees.

***

This is from the middle section of the story I'm working on.  

Remember, this is for Briane Pagel, who has like forty-seven blogs, but I'll link you to the page where he, in excruciating detail (he's a lawyer),  explains the contest on his blog “lit”. 

Perhaps your competitive streak has been awakened and you want to join me. Brian Miller is apparently up for the challenge, and Andrew Leon of StrangePegs (another not to be missed blog) threatened me with boxing gloves.  I pulled out OYT's sword and shield 

See, no worries, I can totally hold that heavy sucker with THAT handle and strap

and he ran off for other weapons.  We'll probably settle on nerf...but there's a battle a ragin' and you don't want to miss the fun.  I'm thinking if it ends up nerf, I still have an advantage.  This is part of OYT's arsenal. 

It won't all fit on the peg board...

~Tina

I'm SO Competitive...

Taking today off to continue to work on a short story for a contest. Yeah, he had me at the competition part. I haven't written a short story since Brian Miller, of the hugely popular “WaystationOne”, and I collaborated back in 2010. Here's the link to "Mourning After" if you want to read what we wrote. We placed well in the competition, though we didn't win.

The story I'm working on now is coincidentally for another Brian, Briane Pagel, who has like forty-seven blogs, but I'll link you to the page where he, in excruciating detail (he's a lawyer),  explains the contest on his blog “lit”. Perhaps your competitive streak has been awakened and you want to join me.  (Ahem, Brian Miller, I mean you especially!)

I hope to be back Friday. If not, I'll give you and excerpt on Wednesday.

~Tina

How to Make a Winter Emergency Kit

“How can anyone who is wrong 75% of the time still have a job?” That's the joke going around about Colorado weather forecasters. Coloradans, at least the well-seasoned ones, know that you need to be ready for rapid, unusual changes in weather.

I'm not talking about the mostly predictable summer afternoon thunderstorm, or the to be expected snow at very high altitudes. I'm talking about a normal day when you think you've got it covered because you're just running for take-out and you'll be fine.

My boys learned the hard way that maybe mom's “crazy” Colorado Winter Emergency Kit in the back of her station wagon isn't so crazy after all.

I do understand a bit about how it might not seem legit. It's not organized. I did leave it there all summer out of laziness. But it does contain:

sweat-pants

sweatshirts

extra winter coats

extra gloves, scarves, hats

unopened water bottles

boots (though with the way the boys feet grew, I need to replace those)

jumper cables

small tool kit

flashlight

extra batteries

car phone charger

down comforter

fleece blankets

towels

puke container (from a hospital, totally legit)

and:

a pee bucket.

Why the pee bucket? I mean, if you're stranded, go pee in the woods, or between the open doors to your car. You don't need a pee bucket. Yes, you do, and I speak from experience.

I got stuck in a snowstorm on I-25 (THE main highway in CO, it runs N-S through the whole state and beyond) in 1992. This was before I had a cell phone. The how and why isn't part of this story (but may be another blog post, cuz well, the Indians took care of me and all, that's pretty postable). I kept thinking, “Surely they know we're all stuck here and will send plows and tow-trucks and fix this awful mess.” Nope. The hours went by. I really, really had to pee. It was dark, and at that point, I didn't really care who saw me.

Had I left my car though, I would immediately have become soaked and I didn't have a coat (because I never wear one, I'm too hot). So then I'd get back into my car and have to somehow dry off. Or shiver all night. I did NOT have an emergency kit at that time. But you can see how most of the items in my list come from what happened that night and what I wished I'd had.

Which brings me back to the beginning. My boys set out to get take-out, and as they're going out the door, I say, “OYT, don't you want to change out of your shorts? And take a coat?”

“No, I'll be fine. I'm just riding in the car. It's not like I need your stupid emergency kit.” Famous last words.

The Engineer and I are starting to get worried because the boys are so late. And won't answer their phones. About an hour later, they stagger in the door. Human popsicles. No winter coats, OYT in his shorts. It's about 20 out.

Come to find out, The Transporter's throttle control sensor had finally called it quits, and they'd walked about ¾ of a mile home.

“Mom, I kinda wish we'd had your stuff with us.”

~Tina

Wednesday Whirlwind

I'm on “a short, three-to-five minute hold” with my insurance company so I thought it would be a great time to write my post because we all know their hold time estimates are kind of like when a contractor gives you the date a project will be done...

I posted last week about being swamped. I thought I'd catch you up about which of the dangers of the fire swamp have been eliminated, and which I'm still dealing with. To catch you up, here was my swamp as of last week:

• I've got my parents' 50^th Wedding Anniversary Party to plan
  
  

Here are the invites

Here I am, mailing the invites, "only" 6 days past my deadline...

But they're DONE! How that happened is actually funny/sad/frustrating/miraculous so I may post it. Teaser: sometimes the solution is so simple only a future engineer can see it.

,

• My last Precept lesson of the year to plan
• 
  
• Had last lesson and a great pot-luck after wards and we're all set to start again mid-January.

• We have literally no FRESH food in the house, only our zombie apocalypse stuff. Need groceries.

• 
  
• We hit up our apocalypse stash a few more days, then The Transporter dragged me through store. He's a gem.

• Nobody has clean clothes. Laundry must be done!

• Everyone pitched in and it got done. Since I wrote that post, we've done yet another round. Feeling on regular schedule there again. Amazing feeling.

• I've got a list of phone calls the length of Rapunzel's hair to make
  Rapunzel's hair is even longer. Let's leave it there or I'll end up telling you about the over an hour call to my insurance company this morning and no one wants to hear about stuff like that.

• And I haven't slept well in two weeks...so I need to go to the doctor
• Thank you God for letting us invent Ambien. I'm less of a zombie and more of a functioning person.

Bottom line: still have to deal with the R.O.U.S's, but I've got weapons.

I'm leaving you with one of my favorite commercials. It was my inspiration for Monday's flash fiction honoring Arlee Bird. Flaming turkey wings for all my friend!

~Tina 

P.S Pay attention to the tree in the background...

P.P.S The dots and bizarre font size changes all over the place?  Don't ask.  I was feeling insane and downloaded Windows 8.1 (it can't get any worse, right?) (I should know better than to even think that...)  Apparently it likes dots so much I can't erase them...and has it's own opinion about what size my text should be.  Or I could blame Blogger.  It all looks perfect until I hit preview...

CheersFest 2013: Arlee "Lee" Bird!

I'm delighted to participate in the 2^nd Annual CheersFest. Last year we roasted The Ninja Captain, and this year my wonderful friend

Arlee “Lee” Bird

has been chosen as the honoree. A very deserving guy, not just because he's the Godfather of the April Blogging from A-Z Challenge (you have heard of that, right?) but because he's an all-around class act. Cheers to you, my friend. This next part has word limits...egads, I'm going to epically fail...

1. Why did Lee come up with the A-Z Challenge? Arlee started the Challenge to celebrate his birthday.
2. If someone dreams about being a juggler, what does it mean? Google says: If you successfully juggle alone, or for no particular reason, this may reflect the desire or feeling that you actually are controlling numerous facets of your life.
3. Is a post by Mr. Bird worth two in the bush? A post by Mr. Bird is worth WAY more than two in the bush. He writes with insight and to stir up conversation. Boy, does he succeed!
4. Who could play Lee in a documentary? (Living or dead.) I pick a live person...I say Sean Connery. I've never heard Lee talk, maybe he has a Scottish accent ;-)

In +/- 100 words, (excluding the title) write flash fiction using all these prompts: Bird, Juggles, Challenge, Brown Jacket, Tossing

Flaming Turkey Wings!

The man in the brown jacket found it a challenge to juggle those flaming turkey wings. Tossing them into the air for a fourth try, he was finally successful. So if you see a man who juggles parts of a bird, you know who it must be...

For Bonus Points: (like I could resist...)
·         In +/- 40 words, can you come up with a caption for Lee’s Facebook picture?  

If juggling was easy, everyone would be doing it. It's not, so I'm cool.

Happy CheersFest my friend!  I hope this day makes you feel as special and appreciated as you truly are.

~Tina

P.S For more "cheering", hit this link for the list of participants.  Someone is bound to have a better caption than mine...

The Transporter Got a Promotion

The Transporter has been promoted. He just got his driver's license yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I don't know who is more excited, the boy who drove himself to school this morning, or the mom who now not only has a Transporter, but also an errand man at her beck and call.

How did I manage to convince a 16 year-old to be willing to drop what he's doing (say, holding an XBOX controller at a friend's house) and for example, go pick up his brother from robotics club? Simple. Money.

He has to pay for his insurance, but we'll buy his gas if he'll be our go-to guy. I'm so excited to hand him a grocery list and my debit card and continue writing. Or whatever, but I'm thinking I've just gained oodles more writing time. Maybe Worlds Colliding (my sci-fi/thriller WIP) will get some more words added!

Or I'll be able to be able to spend more time returning visits. I give myself a B- for my current rate, but of course I'd like an A+. Over-achiever and all that stuff. The possibilities are endless.

He'd had grand plans for his first evening of having a license. These plans included, “Bye Mom, I'll be home later.” Instead he opted for, “I'm going take OYT to Game Force. I think he'd like to be along the first time I get to use my license.” So as it ended up, it was still pretty much “see you later” only he took his brother to dinner and bought himself a new ice scraper, and one for me since all of mine seem to vanish. They had a great time, and as their mother, I couldn't have been more thrilled that he chose his brother for his first adventure. That's the kind of thing OYT will remember and cherish forever.

Personally, I will always remember sitting with The Engineer at the kitchen table which overlooks the street, watching him drive away, actually excited to go to school.  We're holding hands, and both of us are a bit misty. It's was a good thing. Life is Good.

~Tina

IWSG: Ideas for When You're Stuck 2 - WIP

In last month's IWSG post, I gave some ideas for what I do when I'm stuck writing a blog post. Today I'd like to share my tips for what to do when you're stuck in your work in progress, your WIP. (Which makes me feel like a real writer when I say “WIP”, cuz, like, I know the lingo and all. I'm in the club!)

Maybe I'm not the best person to take advice from, considering I've been writing my first draft of my first novel for three years. What you need to understand though, is that I've really only been writing it about four months, if you count the actual time I've put into it.

I did a NaNoWriMo in secret. Got a lot done. That encouraged me, so the next February I did BuNoWriMo, which stands for Burrow...and you know the rest of the acronym. You can find them on facebook and I highly recommend you do because talk about a supportive environment! Got a lot done. Actually declared myself a participant and joined the banter. Same the following year. Then if I count the scraps of time I've invested that wasn't during a big, supportive push like that, and that's my four months. I'm at about 35k.

Just sayin', so you don't think that I think I'm an expert.

My novel is a sci-fi/thriller (which IWSG helped me realize when I was having genre-confusion – thanks wonderful folks!) and this rough draft is set in two separate time lines. I'm not quite sure how that's going to work out...but that's for the revising part. However, it leads to my first tip.

If you're stuck on a certain section, go write on another one. If the present is plaguing me, I go write a scene from the “back in time” part. If you're a plotter, you know what's going to happen, pick something you're in the mood for and write that instead of where you were stuck. Just because you're methodical, organized, and all those things I'm not, as a pantser (see, I really am in the club!) doesn't mean you have to write it in order. Movies aren't shot in order. (Now that's a club I'd like to join – screen writing...)

Go back and re-read what you've written. Maybe not from the beginning, but read a section. Bask in the wonder that is your writing. It's like finding a piece of your wardrobe in the bottom of a drawer and saying, “Oh yeah, I loved this shirt! Great shirt!” Instead you're saying, “Oh, yeah, that IS good. This is going to be a a good book. I remember that part more clearly now.” 

I get inspired when I do that. This might not work for you if you work more, um, consistently on your WIP than I do, since you probably remember all that you've written, but giving yourself a little pat on the back never hurts. Just don't edit what you're reading. (Not that I have that problem or anything...just, ahem, a warning...)

Write a scene that's key to the book. It will make you feel like you've really accomplished something. Yes, plotters, it might not be where you are, but you already know where it goes. Me? I have a vague idea what scenes might be needed to get where I think I'm going, so I go for something that might be useful later on. At least I'm writing!

Regardless of what kind of writer you are, you just have to keep writing. It's that discipline thing I talked about last month. JUST DO IT. Good luck!

~Tina

Alex “Ninja Captain” Cavanaugh  is our leader for this wonderful, supportive group. Don't forget we even have our own website now.  Be sure to check it out if you haven't already, and "like" our facebook page, too. I'm so impressed with what these talented folks are doing to promote this group! Encouragement month long is now just a click away! 

I'm Swamped!

I'm swamped too.

• I've got my parents' 50^th Wedding Anniversary Party to plan
• My last Precept lesson of the year to plan
• We have literally no FRESH food in the house, only our zombie apocolypse stuff. Need groceries.
• Nobody has clean clothes. Laundry must be done!
• I've got a list of phone calls the length of Rapunzel's hair to make
• And I haven't slept well in two weeks...so I need to go to the doctor

That whole part in the video of get some rest, if you haven't got your health...I say POO! I'm trying...

~Tina, frantic, but still alive