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