Lydia Howe's Blog, page 46
February 27, 2015
When Life Hands You Lymes #60
Happy Friday, people! Welcome to the 60th segment of my fictional story, When Life Hands You Lymes. Please enjoy! (Oh, and when you're done, would you pretty please take about ninety seconds to fill out a survey that will help me make Noveltea better? Thank you! And a big thank you to everyone who has already filled it out!)
I’m not sure how long I droned on, my brain taking command of itself and spilling out words and hurts that I’d never uttered to another human before. It wasn’t that I had planned it or even wanted to do it, but suddenly I was. I wanted Julia to know. I wanted her to understand that I wasn’t trying to be annoying. That I hadn’t suddenly turned into a snob. I wanted her to understand that I was sorry for the way I’d been acting. I wanted her to understand me. I wanted her to be able to feel my pain and be able to catch a glimpse into my heart and realize that deep down inside I was changing in ways that I couldn’t really describe and that it was scaring me. When I finished I felt like a balloon that all the air had been let out of. I had said my piece and now I was exhausted. Exhausted and wondering what in the world she was going to do with the information that I had just vomited all over her like a beached whale. If they even vomit. “So yeah, thanks for coming and hanging out. It was fun.” I sat down from my pacing and stared at the ceiling for a few moments, not daring to make eye contact with Julia. I had just made a serious fool of myself and it wasn’t one of the crowning moments in my life. “Thank you for sharing with me, Madalyn.” Julia’s voice sounded confused, not judging. “I can’t imagine going through all that you’ve been through. You hide it so well.” I chanced a look at Julia and found her sitting there, eyes wide, looking at me with a new appreciation. “Oh.” Hiding it well. Well, that was the point, I didn’t want to broadcast to the world that I had been sick, but from the way Julia stumbled over her words, I suddenly realized that perhaps I could have hurt her by hiding it too well. She was one of my best friends after all, and if Julia had been going through what I was going through, I would have been disappointed in her if she had kept it from me. I opened my mouth to say something, maybe make an apology, but Julia beat me to the punch line. “I’m sorry I haven’t been a better friend, Maddie. I was so caught up with my own little world that I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on with you and in your life. I can’t believe now that I was so selfish and narrow minded, I’m sorry for that.” The back of my neck pricked a little bit as I heard her words. Could they be for real? I Closed my eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like to have a friend who was willing to listen to me and understand. Who wanted to hear what was going on and didn’t care if we couldn’t do all sorts of fun activities together. I imagined Julia coming over every couple of weeks and being not only fine, but actually happy to just sit around and talk about life. Someone who wouldn’t think of me as a whiny teenager if I poured out my problems to her. “I want to try and be the friend that you need. I value your friendship.” Julia set her coffee mug down and came over and joined me on my bed. “Shall I start by giving you a shoulder massage? I can only imagine how tight you must get sometimes when you have so much pain you’re dealing with.” “Th-thanks.” I had the urge to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming, but then decided if I was dreaming, I’d much rather the dream continue than be transported back to reality, so I just took a calming breath and throughly enjoyed the massage Julia delivered to me with her powerful hands. When I woke up, it was to Mom gleefully holding out my black dress and Julia shaking me awake. “What’s going on?” I searched my memory, trying to figure out what big event was happening that night, but all I could think of was the time Julia and I had spent together that afternoon. “You’ve got the Ashburg Symphony tonight.” “Ohhh.” I rubbed my face vigorously with my hands. This was the biggest performances of the quarter and I’d been working like crazy to make sure I had my part down pat. And I did. There was still the nervous fluttering in my stomach though that I get every time I prepare to go on stage. “Come on, you could do this in your sleep.” Mom grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bed. “It’s time you go get a shower and get dressed so you can grab a bite to eat and hit the road.” “Yes, ma’am.” I was still trying to calm down my stomach. “Don’t get nervous now.” Mom gave me a stern look. “You’re as prepared as they come. You’re going to rock it and we all know it. The audience won’t know what hit them.” I laughed at Mom. Obviously they weren’t going to be too amazed by my performance because I didn’t have any solo’s and try as I might, I couldn’t make my position in the symphony feel too important. After I got dressed and styled my hair in a wrap-around braid I headed down to the dining room where the rest of my family was gathered along with Julia. “You’re going with us?” I gave Julia a side hug and she squeezed my shoulder. “Um, yeah. This is kinda a big event you know. I’ve been planning on joining you for a while, don’t you remember?” “No.” I sat down at the table and served myself a couple of pieces of fruit. “I’m glad you’re coming along.” When we get in the car I sit back and close my eyes, relaxing my mind and trying to get into the mood for my performance. There’s something special about being able to perform in front of people when 95 percent of my time is spent in my music room by myself, working on technique and practicing. “Are you nervous?” Darrick leans over and whispers in my ear. I shake my head, not wanting to talk. Talking breaks the concentration I have to work so hard on when I’m trying to clear my brain. As I play the various pieces over in my head, I’m soothed by the way the sounds flow together. I once asked Katie what she thought about when she was listening to good music and she didn’t have a satisfying answer, but then once I stopped and thought about it, I realized I wouldn’t be able to answer the question either. I just know the world, my thoughts, my feelings and memories all become more clear when music is flowing out of me. It’s not as if I’m concentrating on deep theological questions, but somehow I always feel either inspired or challenged when I’m done with a performance. “We’re here, Madalyn.” Darrick squeezes my shoulder. “You’re going to do great.” “Thanks, bro.” I suck in a deep breath as I unbuckle, the climb out of the vehicle, straighten my dress and try to knock out a few of the wrinkles from the ride over. “Here’s Whimsy.” Mom hands me my violin case and I give them a quick thumbs up before heading toward the back entrance. The next several hours are delightful. My performance leaves little wanting, my heart is singing and best of all, I’m pain free. After we’re done performing I head out to see where my family is. My parents are talking to some friends of theirs, so we end up staying for a long time after almost everyone else has left. “That was beautiful.” Katie comes and sits down next to me in the front row of seats. “You’ve got crazy talent, girl.” “Thank you.” I’ve had a huge grin stretched across my face for so long my cheeks are beginning to ache. “Not that you were able to hear me.” Which is a good thing. The only way Whimsy and I would have stuck out is if we had messed up which is a very undesirable occurrence. Katie looks like she might be ready to say something else, but then her phone rings and she takes a few steps before answering it and then moving away. I hear enough of the conversation before she’s out of earshot to know it has something to do with Emerson Airlines. I get a little niggling feeling of sadness when I think of how little I’ve been able to do with our family business during the summer due to my illness, but I push the thought away, determined to stay on the side with the happy thoughts tonight. “You lost in thought?” Julia takes the seat Katie vacated a few minutes before. “Tonight’s just an all-around amazing night, isn’t it?” I give a contented sigh as I lean back on the seat. “I would have to agree. I had forgotten how inspiring classical music is.” Julia shakes her had, as if she can’t comprehend what she just heard. “Thanks for letting me come along.” “My pleasure.” I don’t exactly remember letting her come, but I’m glad she came nonetheless. “Want to spend the night?” “And, that was going to be my next question.” Julia laughs. “I can’t believe how I just invite myself to hang out with you.” I don’t voice my thoughts, but my mind instantly goes to all the times that I’ve not had the energy to hang out with her and how few times we’ve gotten together recently. I resolutely push those thoughts aside. “You know, it amazes me sometimes how your family is so good about letting me come and hang out with y’all.” Julia gestures back toward my parents. “They are really awesome, you know.” “Agreed.” It’s true, my parents are supportive, loving, caring, and they really take time to be part of each of their children’s lives. I don’t know how I would survive without their support. “Being around your family almost makes me wish that our family had our own business. I think it helps draw you close together.” She does have a point there. “We have to learn to work together or else life can get pretty tough.” “No kidding. Like, it doesn’t really work to come home and complain about your boss, does it? That would get awkward in a hurry.” Julia shakes her head. “Plus, y’all talk about business all the time. I can’t remember a single time that I’ve been at your house and haven’t had the topic of work come up. Does that bother you?” I don’t even have to think of the answer to this question. “No. I enjoy getting to be a part of a family business. We all work together, celebrate together, brainstorm and problem-shoot together and grow together.” And it’s true. “Are there any downsides of having a family business though?” I tilt my head, studying my friend. Even though we’ve hung out together for years we haven’t talked work much, so I wonder at the sudden interest. “Of course. Aren’t there downsides to any job? But the upsides far outweigh any negative effects.” “Ok, cause I was pretty sure life couldn’t be all rainbows and glitter for y’all. Some times though, looking at you from a distance, it seems like you guys have everything together and are living the dream life. Including but not limited to vacations in exotic places like Italy and the Bahamas.” The thought of our lives looking perfect give me a pause. Sure, I have my health problems that have pretty much wrecked most of my short-term plans, but other then that, our family does have an amazing life filled with spectacular opportunities.
* * *
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I’m not sure how long I droned on, my brain taking command of itself and spilling out words and hurts that I’d never uttered to another human before. It wasn’t that I had planned it or even wanted to do it, but suddenly I was. I wanted Julia to know. I wanted her to understand that I wasn’t trying to be annoying. That I hadn’t suddenly turned into a snob. I wanted her to understand that I was sorry for the way I’d been acting. I wanted her to understand me. I wanted her to be able to feel my pain and be able to catch a glimpse into my heart and realize that deep down inside I was changing in ways that I couldn’t really describe and that it was scaring me. When I finished I felt like a balloon that all the air had been let out of. I had said my piece and now I was exhausted. Exhausted and wondering what in the world she was going to do with the information that I had just vomited all over her like a beached whale. If they even vomit. “So yeah, thanks for coming and hanging out. It was fun.” I sat down from my pacing and stared at the ceiling for a few moments, not daring to make eye contact with Julia. I had just made a serious fool of myself and it wasn’t one of the crowning moments in my life. “Thank you for sharing with me, Madalyn.” Julia’s voice sounded confused, not judging. “I can’t imagine going through all that you’ve been through. You hide it so well.” I chanced a look at Julia and found her sitting there, eyes wide, looking at me with a new appreciation. “Oh.” Hiding it well. Well, that was the point, I didn’t want to broadcast to the world that I had been sick, but from the way Julia stumbled over her words, I suddenly realized that perhaps I could have hurt her by hiding it too well. She was one of my best friends after all, and if Julia had been going through what I was going through, I would have been disappointed in her if she had kept it from me. I opened my mouth to say something, maybe make an apology, but Julia beat me to the punch line. “I’m sorry I haven’t been a better friend, Maddie. I was so caught up with my own little world that I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on with you and in your life. I can’t believe now that I was so selfish and narrow minded, I’m sorry for that.” The back of my neck pricked a little bit as I heard her words. Could they be for real? I Closed my eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like to have a friend who was willing to listen to me and understand. Who wanted to hear what was going on and didn’t care if we couldn’t do all sorts of fun activities together. I imagined Julia coming over every couple of weeks and being not only fine, but actually happy to just sit around and talk about life. Someone who wouldn’t think of me as a whiny teenager if I poured out my problems to her. “I want to try and be the friend that you need. I value your friendship.” Julia set her coffee mug down and came over and joined me on my bed. “Shall I start by giving you a shoulder massage? I can only imagine how tight you must get sometimes when you have so much pain you’re dealing with.” “Th-thanks.” I had the urge to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming, but then decided if I was dreaming, I’d much rather the dream continue than be transported back to reality, so I just took a calming breath and throughly enjoyed the massage Julia delivered to me with her powerful hands. When I woke up, it was to Mom gleefully holding out my black dress and Julia shaking me awake. “What’s going on?” I searched my memory, trying to figure out what big event was happening that night, but all I could think of was the time Julia and I had spent together that afternoon. “You’ve got the Ashburg Symphony tonight.” “Ohhh.” I rubbed my face vigorously with my hands. This was the biggest performances of the quarter and I’d been working like crazy to make sure I had my part down pat. And I did. There was still the nervous fluttering in my stomach though that I get every time I prepare to go on stage. “Come on, you could do this in your sleep.” Mom grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bed. “It’s time you go get a shower and get dressed so you can grab a bite to eat and hit the road.” “Yes, ma’am.” I was still trying to calm down my stomach. “Don’t get nervous now.” Mom gave me a stern look. “You’re as prepared as they come. You’re going to rock it and we all know it. The audience won’t know what hit them.” I laughed at Mom. Obviously they weren’t going to be too amazed by my performance because I didn’t have any solo’s and try as I might, I couldn’t make my position in the symphony feel too important. After I got dressed and styled my hair in a wrap-around braid I headed down to the dining room where the rest of my family was gathered along with Julia. “You’re going with us?” I gave Julia a side hug and she squeezed my shoulder. “Um, yeah. This is kinda a big event you know. I’ve been planning on joining you for a while, don’t you remember?” “No.” I sat down at the table and served myself a couple of pieces of fruit. “I’m glad you’re coming along.” When we get in the car I sit back and close my eyes, relaxing my mind and trying to get into the mood for my performance. There’s something special about being able to perform in front of people when 95 percent of my time is spent in my music room by myself, working on technique and practicing. “Are you nervous?” Darrick leans over and whispers in my ear. I shake my head, not wanting to talk. Talking breaks the concentration I have to work so hard on when I’m trying to clear my brain. As I play the various pieces over in my head, I’m soothed by the way the sounds flow together. I once asked Katie what she thought about when she was listening to good music and she didn’t have a satisfying answer, but then once I stopped and thought about it, I realized I wouldn’t be able to answer the question either. I just know the world, my thoughts, my feelings and memories all become more clear when music is flowing out of me. It’s not as if I’m concentrating on deep theological questions, but somehow I always feel either inspired or challenged when I’m done with a performance. “We’re here, Madalyn.” Darrick squeezes my shoulder. “You’re going to do great.” “Thanks, bro.” I suck in a deep breath as I unbuckle, the climb out of the vehicle, straighten my dress and try to knock out a few of the wrinkles from the ride over. “Here’s Whimsy.” Mom hands me my violin case and I give them a quick thumbs up before heading toward the back entrance. The next several hours are delightful. My performance leaves little wanting, my heart is singing and best of all, I’m pain free. After we’re done performing I head out to see where my family is. My parents are talking to some friends of theirs, so we end up staying for a long time after almost everyone else has left. “That was beautiful.” Katie comes and sits down next to me in the front row of seats. “You’ve got crazy talent, girl.” “Thank you.” I’ve had a huge grin stretched across my face for so long my cheeks are beginning to ache. “Not that you were able to hear me.” Which is a good thing. The only way Whimsy and I would have stuck out is if we had messed up which is a very undesirable occurrence. Katie looks like she might be ready to say something else, but then her phone rings and she takes a few steps before answering it and then moving away. I hear enough of the conversation before she’s out of earshot to know it has something to do with Emerson Airlines. I get a little niggling feeling of sadness when I think of how little I’ve been able to do with our family business during the summer due to my illness, but I push the thought away, determined to stay on the side with the happy thoughts tonight. “You lost in thought?” Julia takes the seat Katie vacated a few minutes before. “Tonight’s just an all-around amazing night, isn’t it?” I give a contented sigh as I lean back on the seat. “I would have to agree. I had forgotten how inspiring classical music is.” Julia shakes her had, as if she can’t comprehend what she just heard. “Thanks for letting me come along.” “My pleasure.” I don’t exactly remember letting her come, but I’m glad she came nonetheless. “Want to spend the night?” “And, that was going to be my next question.” Julia laughs. “I can’t believe how I just invite myself to hang out with you.” I don’t voice my thoughts, but my mind instantly goes to all the times that I’ve not had the energy to hang out with her and how few times we’ve gotten together recently. I resolutely push those thoughts aside. “You know, it amazes me sometimes how your family is so good about letting me come and hang out with y’all.” Julia gestures back toward my parents. “They are really awesome, you know.” “Agreed.” It’s true, my parents are supportive, loving, caring, and they really take time to be part of each of their children’s lives. I don’t know how I would survive without their support. “Being around your family almost makes me wish that our family had our own business. I think it helps draw you close together.” She does have a point there. “We have to learn to work together or else life can get pretty tough.” “No kidding. Like, it doesn’t really work to come home and complain about your boss, does it? That would get awkward in a hurry.” Julia shakes her head. “Plus, y’all talk about business all the time. I can’t remember a single time that I’ve been at your house and haven’t had the topic of work come up. Does that bother you?” I don’t even have to think of the answer to this question. “No. I enjoy getting to be a part of a family business. We all work together, celebrate together, brainstorm and problem-shoot together and grow together.” And it’s true. “Are there any downsides of having a family business though?” I tilt my head, studying my friend. Even though we’ve hung out together for years we haven’t talked work much, so I wonder at the sudden interest. “Of course. Aren’t there downsides to any job? But the upsides far outweigh any negative effects.” “Ok, cause I was pretty sure life couldn’t be all rainbows and glitter for y’all. Some times though, looking at you from a distance, it seems like you guys have everything together and are living the dream life. Including but not limited to vacations in exotic places like Italy and the Bahamas.” The thought of our lives looking perfect give me a pause. Sure, I have my health problems that have pretty much wrecked most of my short-term plans, but other then that, our family does have an amazing life filled with spectacular opportunities.
* * *
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February 26, 2015
Making Noveltea Better - A Quick Survey
A happy and delighted good morning to everyone in the blogging world on this fantastic Thursday morning!
I have a special treat for y'all that will help make Noveltea better and hopefully increase your enjoyment when you stop by my happy little sphere of the internet.
This treat is a short and simple survey where you can anonymously let your voice be heard and give me a better idea of who my audience is that I'm interacting with each day. This is my first time using Google Forms, so hopefully I'm doing it the right way...
Thank you so very, very much for taking a couple minutes out of your busy day and going through this. It should literally take you about ninety seconds to fill out and it will help me a lot.
So, without further ado, the survey:
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I have a special treat for y'all that will help make Noveltea better and hopefully increase your enjoyment when you stop by my happy little sphere of the internet.
This treat is a short and simple survey where you can anonymously let your voice be heard and give me a better idea of who my audience is that I'm interacting with each day. This is my first time using Google Forms, so hopefully I'm doing it the right way...
Thank you so very, very much for taking a couple minutes out of your busy day and going through this. It should literally take you about ninety seconds to fill out and it will help me a lot.
So, without further ado, the survey:
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February 25, 2015
Making the Team - Book Review
Making the Team
By Stephanie Perry Moore & Derrick Moore
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonOne Point of ViewFiction161 Pages
Alec London Series Book 1
About the book: (From the back cover)
The only person who cares about me is Mom. Now that she's gone I'm stuck at home with my angry dad and my annoying brother. Antoine thinks he's all that and won't get off my case. And now that Dad is the assistant principal at school, everything is a mess!
That kid Tyrod is out to get me in trouble. Antoine is all mad because the football coach likes my moves better than his. And Grandma has completely taken over our house. At least Morgan and my boy Trey are in my class. But things are getting weird with Morgan and I'm not sure why.
Even with all the trouble, I'm starting to see that Dad really does have my back. He's trying to do things God's way. Like teaching me what it means to be a team player - at home, at school, and on the football field. He might even get Mom to come home. Like I told my friend Morgan, I think it's all going to work out because we are on God's team.
Why I Choose This Book:
At the end of last year I reviewed the 4th book in the Alec London Series. I hadn't realized at the time that it wasn't the first book in the series, so after I realized it I requested this book so I could start at the beginning.
What I Thought:
I really enjoyed the forth book in the series and even gave it four stars, which is unusual for me, so I started this book with high expectations. I didn't enjoy this book very much because of all the bad attitudes, disrespect and family issues that overshadowed everything else. I realize though that it's a starting point and obviously things are getting better as the series progresses.
Conclusion:
Even though I didn't appreciate this book there's a good chance I'll be reading more in the series because I really liked the Alec I saw in the 4th book.
Rating:
I'm giving Making the Team two stars.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
By Stephanie Perry Moore & Derrick Moore
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonOne Point of ViewFiction161 Pages
Alec London Series Book 1
About the book: (From the back cover)
The only person who cares about me is Mom. Now that she's gone I'm stuck at home with my angry dad and my annoying brother. Antoine thinks he's all that and won't get off my case. And now that Dad is the assistant principal at school, everything is a mess!
That kid Tyrod is out to get me in trouble. Antoine is all mad because the football coach likes my moves better than his. And Grandma has completely taken over our house. At least Morgan and my boy Trey are in my class. But things are getting weird with Morgan and I'm not sure why.
Even with all the trouble, I'm starting to see that Dad really does have my back. He's trying to do things God's way. Like teaching me what it means to be a team player - at home, at school, and on the football field. He might even get Mom to come home. Like I told my friend Morgan, I think it's all going to work out because we are on God's team.
Why I Choose This Book:
At the end of last year I reviewed the 4th book in the Alec London Series. I hadn't realized at the time that it wasn't the first book in the series, so after I realized it I requested this book so I could start at the beginning.
What I Thought:
I really enjoyed the forth book in the series and even gave it four stars, which is unusual for me, so I started this book with high expectations. I didn't enjoy this book very much because of all the bad attitudes, disrespect and family issues that overshadowed everything else. I realize though that it's a starting point and obviously things are getting better as the series progresses.
Conclusion:
Even though I didn't appreciate this book there's a good chance I'll be reading more in the series because I really liked the Alec I saw in the 4th book.
Rating:
I'm giving Making the Team two stars.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
Ghanaian Trip Part 3
Most of our time in Africa was spent in the city of Tamale at our friend's house scraping and painting the walls and ceilings. We tackled the job with gusto, learning as we went along. Charity did a delightful job of picking out paint that made the house look beautiful and welcoming.
I greatly enjoyed scraping the walls. It was so rewarding to see the large chips of paint floating to the floor and the walls turning different colors. There were ceiling fans on in each room and we had them on all the time except when someone was working right up by them. They did an amazing job of helping to keep the rooms cooler since it was over a hundred degrees fahrenheit each day.
My sister, Helena, and cousin, Aubrey, did almost all of the ceiling work which was amazing. The rooms are really tall and the higher up you go, the warmer it gets. I have no clue how they perched on their ladders for so many hours each day.
The first week we were in Ghana we got to know a really good Ghanian friend of Wes and Charity our friends who we were visiting; her name is Topaga and she lives in town with them. She generally did the cooking for us a job I'm accustom to having at home so we got to enjoy a lot of Ghanaian foods. It was a good experience. Then the second week we were in Ghana Topaga was visiting her family back in the village so I took over some of the cooking duties which I really enjoyed.
I also spent a lot of time hanging out with these guys, ^ Hudson and Steven. I quickly lost count of all the games of Uno, Sorry!, Shoots and Ladders, Memory and various other games that we played. Since I'm probably the biggest board game/card game fan in our family, it was so much fun to be with people who were equally into the games as me. Although I do have to say, that was the first time I'd played some of the games in about a decade Hudson and Steven are amazing and it was so interesting listening to them explain to me about football (soccer), quiz me on Ghanian history and expound on the different countries they've visited.
Even though it was great being in Tamale, my favorite part of Africa was when we went out to the village for the weekend. Wes is a fantastic tour guide and offered to pull over any time we wanted to take pictures. Since most of the time we were the only traffic on the road, it worked out quite nicely.
Even though there wasn't any big game where we were, there were huge termite mounds. Even though I've read about them, I don't think I ever realized how massive they actually are. Wes said it was fine to climb on them, so of course I had to try it. I can't get over the fact that such tiny little creatures make this tall of of a mound (it was really wide around, too).
We were in Ghana during the dry season, but when there were still green leaves on the trees. It was beautiful to have the splash of color as we drove through hour after hour of red and brown dirt and light yellow grass. It was delightful to hear from Wes what the different kinds of trees we were passing were. We passed kapok trees (where they used to get the material to make kapok vests), and Shea butter trees to name a couple.
It was staggering to hear about how some of the people live out in the villages. I'd always heard about how precious water is to these Ghanians, but then meeting the people and seeing first-hand how terrifically hard the work just to have enough water to survive on made it a lot more real.
At one of the villages we visited the ladies have to walk two hours to reach water and then two hours home, carrying the water on their heads. Only, that's not enough water for a full day, so they have to make that trip twice each day. Yes, you heard that right. They literally have to walk eight hours a day in 100+ degree weather, simply to have enough water for their family to survive on. And that doesn't take into account the rest of the work they do in a twenty-four hour period to stay alive.
There are a lot of people who are working to get wells dug in these remote African villages. The wells have to be so deep though, that the African's can't do it themselves because they don't have the right equipment. While we were visiting in the village the chief of the village had Wes come and visit him and he asked Wes if there was any way that they could get a well in their village so the ladies wouldn't have to walk so far. (Check out what another friend of ours who grew up in Africa is doing to help with this problem!)
Despite the hardships they go through, the Ghanians are an extremely friendly, sharing, generous, honest and respectful people. I was blessed and amazed over and over again how these people with so little compared to what I'm used to, went out of their way to bless me, share with me and make me feel welcome.
We visited yet another village on Sunday morning so we could have church with the people there. That was a fantastically amazing experience and I'm SO glad I was able to be there. After church the pastor and his wife invited us to tour their compound and go in one of their huts so we could see what Ghanian homes looked like. Peter (the pastor) spoke English (which is the national language of Ghana, but not many of the villagers where we were spoke it) and so he explained to us what different things were.
At one time his wife and another lady who were sitting there watching us (they didn't speak English) asked him why he was telling us what everything was and acting like we were stupid? Then Wes explained to them that as strange as it may seem, we didn't know what the various things were and what they were used for. They were shocked, but responded graciously.
Thinking about it, we realized it would have felt very strange indeed to have someone visit our house and have to explain, This is a couch, people sit on it. This is a bowl, people eat out of it. This is a spoon, people stir with it. But in reality, their commonly used tools and household items were so different from what we were used to that we did have to have them explained to us.
Before we left, Peter and his wife asked us if we had any advice we could give them that would help to make their lives better. I was so amazed and humbled by the question. I know that for me, if someone came to my house and didn't know anything about the way I lived, I would be the one offering them advice, not the other way around! I guess that goes to show how full of pride I am, even when I don't realize it. We told them that if they ever came to the States then we could help teach them how to live there, but here in Africa they knew so much more than we did and we wanted to learn from them.
Africa was astounding and I'm so glad I got to go. If I went again, I would want to spend more time getting to know the loving, friendly people who live there.
Writing this post took a couple of hours and reminded me of how many blessing I got to experience while in the far off country. I'm so thankful for Wes and Charity and Hudson and Steven and the amazing time we had with them.
* * *
I don't have any more Ghanian posts in the works, so if you have questions, ask away and I'll be happy to answer them.
I greatly enjoyed scraping the walls. It was so rewarding to see the large chips of paint floating to the floor and the walls turning different colors. There were ceiling fans on in each room and we had them on all the time except when someone was working right up by them. They did an amazing job of helping to keep the rooms cooler since it was over a hundred degrees fahrenheit each day.
My sister, Helena, and cousin, Aubrey, did almost all of the ceiling work which was amazing. The rooms are really tall and the higher up you go, the warmer it gets. I have no clue how they perched on their ladders for so many hours each day.
The first week we were in Ghana we got to know a really good Ghanian friend of Wes and Charity our friends who we were visiting; her name is Topaga and she lives in town with them. She generally did the cooking for us a job I'm accustom to having at home so we got to enjoy a lot of Ghanaian foods. It was a good experience. Then the second week we were in Ghana Topaga was visiting her family back in the village so I took over some of the cooking duties which I really enjoyed.
I also spent a lot of time hanging out with these guys, ^ Hudson and Steven. I quickly lost count of all the games of Uno, Sorry!, Shoots and Ladders, Memory and various other games that we played. Since I'm probably the biggest board game/card game fan in our family, it was so much fun to be with people who were equally into the games as me. Although I do have to say, that was the first time I'd played some of the games in about a decade Hudson and Steven are amazing and it was so interesting listening to them explain to me about football (soccer), quiz me on Ghanian history and expound on the different countries they've visited.
Even though it was great being in Tamale, my favorite part of Africa was when we went out to the village for the weekend. Wes is a fantastic tour guide and offered to pull over any time we wanted to take pictures. Since most of the time we were the only traffic on the road, it worked out quite nicely.
Even though there wasn't any big game where we were, there were huge termite mounds. Even though I've read about them, I don't think I ever realized how massive they actually are. Wes said it was fine to climb on them, so of course I had to try it. I can't get over the fact that such tiny little creatures make this tall of of a mound (it was really wide around, too).
We were in Ghana during the dry season, but when there were still green leaves on the trees. It was beautiful to have the splash of color as we drove through hour after hour of red and brown dirt and light yellow grass. It was delightful to hear from Wes what the different kinds of trees we were passing were. We passed kapok trees (where they used to get the material to make kapok vests), and Shea butter trees to name a couple.
It was staggering to hear about how some of the people live out in the villages. I'd always heard about how precious water is to these Ghanians, but then meeting the people and seeing first-hand how terrifically hard the work just to have enough water to survive on made it a lot more real.
At one of the villages we visited the ladies have to walk two hours to reach water and then two hours home, carrying the water on their heads. Only, that's not enough water for a full day, so they have to make that trip twice each day. Yes, you heard that right. They literally have to walk eight hours a day in 100+ degree weather, simply to have enough water for their family to survive on. And that doesn't take into account the rest of the work they do in a twenty-four hour period to stay alive.
There are a lot of people who are working to get wells dug in these remote African villages. The wells have to be so deep though, that the African's can't do it themselves because they don't have the right equipment. While we were visiting in the village the chief of the village had Wes come and visit him and he asked Wes if there was any way that they could get a well in their village so the ladies wouldn't have to walk so far. (Check out what another friend of ours who grew up in Africa is doing to help with this problem!)
Despite the hardships they go through, the Ghanians are an extremely friendly, sharing, generous, honest and respectful people. I was blessed and amazed over and over again how these people with so little compared to what I'm used to, went out of their way to bless me, share with me and make me feel welcome.
We visited yet another village on Sunday morning so we could have church with the people there. That was a fantastically amazing experience and I'm SO glad I was able to be there. After church the pastor and his wife invited us to tour their compound and go in one of their huts so we could see what Ghanian homes looked like. Peter (the pastor) spoke English (which is the national language of Ghana, but not many of the villagers where we were spoke it) and so he explained to us what different things were.
At one time his wife and another lady who were sitting there watching us (they didn't speak English) asked him why he was telling us what everything was and acting like we were stupid? Then Wes explained to them that as strange as it may seem, we didn't know what the various things were and what they were used for. They were shocked, but responded graciously.
Thinking about it, we realized it would have felt very strange indeed to have someone visit our house and have to explain, This is a couch, people sit on it. This is a bowl, people eat out of it. This is a spoon, people stir with it. But in reality, their commonly used tools and household items were so different from what we were used to that we did have to have them explained to us.
Before we left, Peter and his wife asked us if we had any advice we could give them that would help to make their lives better. I was so amazed and humbled by the question. I know that for me, if someone came to my house and didn't know anything about the way I lived, I would be the one offering them advice, not the other way around! I guess that goes to show how full of pride I am, even when I don't realize it. We told them that if they ever came to the States then we could help teach them how to live there, but here in Africa they knew so much more than we did and we wanted to learn from them.
Africa was astounding and I'm so glad I got to go. If I went again, I would want to spend more time getting to know the loving, friendly people who live there.
Writing this post took a couple of hours and reminded me of how many blessing I got to experience while in the far off country. I'm so thankful for Wes and Charity and Hudson and Steven and the amazing time we had with them.
* * *
I don't have any more Ghanian posts in the works, so if you have questions, ask away and I'll be happy to answer them.
February 24, 2015
Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Heroines From Books
It's Tuesday, it's Tuesday! That means today I'm going to jump in and see how it feels to be part of the Top Ten Tuesday blog link up. Thank you to The Broke and Bookish for hosting it.
Top Ten Favorite Heroines From Books
I'm going to start out with five of my favorite fictional heroines (in random order):
1. Jacy from
Over the Divide
. I read Over the Divide for the first time when I was around sixteen and I've read it multiple times since then. Jacy and her family are one of my all-time favorite fictional families. If I ever created fan-fiction it would be about Jacy's family Jacy is strong, fiercely loyal, smart and capable. 2. Esther from The Rivers of Juda h Series. By the same author as Over the Divide Esther doesn’t play a huge part in the series, but every time she is mentioned I like the books a little bit more. As the mother of the main family in the series, she’s sweet, hospitable, loving, encouraging, quiet, understanding and accepting.
3. Sam from Dear Mr. Knightly. This is the only book on my list that I've read for the first time in the last five years. Sam is a writer and reader, therefore I found myself relating to her a lot. In fact, the whole book is a series of letters she wrote. Read my review of the book here.4. Penny from Llamas on the Loose & Derwood Inc. Growing up I read these books over and over again. Penny was pretty much a conglomeration of what I wanted to be. She reminded me a lot of my older sister who is amazing and who I spent years trying to mimic. Penny is the oldest child in her family, bossy, loving, always knew what to do, smart, very loyal to her family, in control of situations, and kind to her younger siblings.
5. Annette from Treasures of the Snow. My love for Switzerland was birthed from this book. Annette was my childhood hero. I remember braiding my hair into two braids like Annette wore them, putting on an apron and going outside to pretend like I was skipping through the Swiss Alps. Annette's mother "gave: Annette a little baby for her 7th Christmas when Annette's mother died from complications during birth. My dream as a little girl was to have a baby to raise, so how could I not adore the book? Annette is stubborn, strong willed, in complete charge, loyal, protective, capable, and smart.
And now for five of my favorite non-fictional characters (in random order):
6. Corrie ten Boom from Lots of books. Corrie ten Boom's books have changed my life. From the time I read my first book by her, In My Father's House when I was eight, I've been impressed, inspired and encouraged by this amazing lady. Her books have made me laugh, cry, change, and become more as I see life through the eyes of a Nazi Concentration Camp survivor. To sum Corrie up, I'd have to say she's filled with God's love. And that, to me, is the highest praise of all.
7. Betise ten Boom from The Hiding Place. As Corrie's sister, Betsie ten Boom's life lived on through Corrie's writing even after Betsie died in a Nazi Concentration Camp. Betsie is an amazing example of sweetness, showing God's love and forgiveness to everyone and praising God no matter what. My oldest sister is named after her, so I've heard about Betsie ten Boom all of my life. I really think everyone should read at least one of the Ten Boom books. 8. Amy Burrit from My American Adventure. It took me a while to realize it, but finally I pegged my decade-long desire of traveling to every state in the USA in a year-long RV trip to this book. Reading Amy's book when I was close to the same age as she was when she wrote it, I was thrilled and excited to find out that there were kids my age out there writing their own books. Amy is spunky, realistic, outdoorsy, fun, confident and adventuresome.
9. Esther from the Bible. Esther's story has always amazed me. A orphaned commoner who is chosen to be queen? Then add in her secret heritage, her cunning plans and the magnificent way she saves a whole people group from destruction, her whole people group. Then finish out the mix with realizing that this is a true historical account. To me, that's just crazy! Esther is beautiful, loving, loyal humm, I must like loyalty in people, brave, wise, dedicated, and obedient to God.
10. Laura Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie Books. I have no clue how many times I've read Laura's books, but I do know that for years I dreamed and schemed and tried to figure out how I could go out west by covered wagon. With having a sister right above me and two right under me, I decided early on that Laura and I had a lot in common. I need to get her books out again some day and dive back into them.
The Long Winter
seems like a perfect book for today... * * *What about you? Who are some of your favorite heroines?
February 23, 2015
The Hidden Message
We hold this truth to be self evident that not all books are created equal.
There's nothing like being snowed into a warm and cozy house for the weekend to make me want to curl up with a book and spend hours diving into someone else's head although that sounds a little barbaric. Saturday night I almost cried at the sheer brilliance of an author when eighty percent of the way through the book I suddenly realized what as going on. It wasn't a plot twist (there wasn't one), it wasn't a realization of who a character was (I had them pegged pretty well), it wasn't a writing style (nothing crazy in that) or a specific voice (it wasn't particularly memorable) that made me gasp with amazement. No, instead it was when I realized that the book I was reading was a retelling of a certain account in the Bible.
The reason it stopped me in my tracks is because I've studied writing and read so many books in recent years that rarely do I find myself stunned by anything that happens. Most of the time I've got the story figured out within the first few chapters and then I read to figure out the way the author is going to bring us to the ending point and what plot twists will take us there.
With this book I was enjoying the story and totally engrossed in it. At one point I was even like, Haha, that sounds like such-and-such account from the Bible then I continued reading, none the wiser. A few chapters later my reading/writing brain cracked open Ewww, that sounds barbaric again when the pieces of the puzzle slipped into place in my head and I was able to see the bigger picture. I think I actually put the book down for a few moments and laughed out loud. It felt like a breakthrough in my reading world. I went to sleep marveling about it and woke up doing the same.
You see, it's not just the book I was reading. It was the possibilities that were opened up to me. How many other books have I read that have hidden messages in them? Messages that are so hidden that most of the world will never even know they exist? Adding a parallel story to an already-complete story is an amazing idea to me. I love the idea of one day being able to dive down so deep with my writing that it leaves my readers gasping for breath after picking up on my clues and finding the treasure.
The book was so wonderful to my writing brain that I bought another book by the same author yesterday and read it. The second one didn't have quite the zing to it that the first one did, though. I'm not sure if that's because I was looking for a hidden message, or if it was because this one wasn't as developed, or if it was because my expectations were so high.
All books are not created equal, but that doesn't mean I can necessarily judge an author's work off of one of her books.
That gave me hope with my own writing. You see, sometimes I work on writing for hour after hour and don't feel as if I've reached any level of okay-ness with the words I've labored to type Which is where major editing and re-writing comes in. Other times I sit down for a few minutes and pound out a scene that leaves me going, Wait, I wrote that?
I'm learning about writing. Hidden messages, mediocre writing sessions, mind-numbing intricate work, continuing to go, happiness when something falls into place and pushing through discouragement are all part of my life right now. And it's going to be good.
* * *
What about you? Have you read any books that you suddenly realized contained a hidden message or parallel story? I'd be delighted to hear about it?
And, um, has anyone else decided this is the perfect weather to listen to Christmas music? Or am I the only one...
There's nothing like being snowed into a warm and cozy house for the weekend to make me want to curl up with a book and spend hours diving into someone else's head although that sounds a little barbaric. Saturday night I almost cried at the sheer brilliance of an author when eighty percent of the way through the book I suddenly realized what as going on. It wasn't a plot twist (there wasn't one), it wasn't a realization of who a character was (I had them pegged pretty well), it wasn't a writing style (nothing crazy in that) or a specific voice (it wasn't particularly memorable) that made me gasp with amazement. No, instead it was when I realized that the book I was reading was a retelling of a certain account in the Bible.
The reason it stopped me in my tracks is because I've studied writing and read so many books in recent years that rarely do I find myself stunned by anything that happens. Most of the time I've got the story figured out within the first few chapters and then I read to figure out the way the author is going to bring us to the ending point and what plot twists will take us there.
With this book I was enjoying the story and totally engrossed in it. At one point I was even like, Haha, that sounds like such-and-such account from the Bible then I continued reading, none the wiser. A few chapters later my reading/writing brain cracked open Ewww, that sounds barbaric again when the pieces of the puzzle slipped into place in my head and I was able to see the bigger picture. I think I actually put the book down for a few moments and laughed out loud. It felt like a breakthrough in my reading world. I went to sleep marveling about it and woke up doing the same.
You see, it's not just the book I was reading. It was the possibilities that were opened up to me. How many other books have I read that have hidden messages in them? Messages that are so hidden that most of the world will never even know they exist? Adding a parallel story to an already-complete story is an amazing idea to me. I love the idea of one day being able to dive down so deep with my writing that it leaves my readers gasping for breath after picking up on my clues and finding the treasure.
The book was so wonderful to my writing brain that I bought another book by the same author yesterday and read it. The second one didn't have quite the zing to it that the first one did, though. I'm not sure if that's because I was looking for a hidden message, or if it was because this one wasn't as developed, or if it was because my expectations were so high.
All books are not created equal, but that doesn't mean I can necessarily judge an author's work off of one of her books.
That gave me hope with my own writing. You see, sometimes I work on writing for hour after hour and don't feel as if I've reached any level of okay-ness with the words I've labored to type Which is where major editing and re-writing comes in. Other times I sit down for a few minutes and pound out a scene that leaves me going, Wait, I wrote that?
I'm learning about writing. Hidden messages, mediocre writing sessions, mind-numbing intricate work, continuing to go, happiness when something falls into place and pushing through discouragement are all part of my life right now. And it's going to be good.
* * *
What about you? Have you read any books that you suddenly realized contained a hidden message or parallel story? I'd be delighted to hear about it?
And, um, has anyone else decided this is the perfect weather to listen to Christmas music? Or am I the only one...
February 20, 2015
When Life Hands You Lymes #59
Hey everyone! Welcome to the 59th segment of my fictional story, When Life Hands You Lymes . I have a surprise for y'all that hopefully you'll like. In an effort to finish the first draft of the book this year, I'm going to be posting longer segments each Friday. I hope you enjoy!
“Do you feel ready for tomorrow?” Darrick leaned against my doorframe, his thumb hooked onto the pocket of his jeans, looking for all the world like a cowboy in training. Knowing of his aversion to horses, I can’t help but laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes?” Darrick smiles. “Well, not exactly.” I shrug, still smiling. “But for the first time I actually feel like I will be ready and that I’ll enjoy it.” My eyes wander to the calendar hanging next to Darrick’s head where the 30th of June has a big circle on it. “I hope Ashburg Symphony knows how lucky it is to get such a talented musician as you playing with them.” My brother’s loyalty is so sweet I hold back the snort I feel coming on. I’m the one who’s thankful to have been offered a place with the Ashburg Symphony, not the other way around. Darrick must be able to see my thoughts on my facial expression because he comes across the room and raps his knuckles on my head. “Hey, you are an amazing musician you know. I’ve never heard anyone who’s still in high school that can even come close to you.” Darrick taps the sheet music I’ve been studying. “Want to play it for me?” “Sure.” I positioned my violin, gave Darrick a smile, thanking him for his support, then I lose myself in the soothing sounds that fill the room. I’d spent so many hours playing this particular piece that I could probably perform it in my sleep. Actually, I did dreamed of it several times during the previous week and Mom said she came in to check on me once and my fingers were moving even though I was asleep. I guess practice pays off. When I was done Darrick gave me a high five. “That was amazing, Madalyn. You’re really talented.” A warm feeling springs up in my heart and seeps it’s way through my body, making me feel loved and special. “I know this last year has been really hard for you with your health problems and all, and I just wanted to let you know I’m praying for you. I can’t imagine what it must be like going through all that you’re going through, and I’m sorry. I want to support you and be there when you need me.” Darrick gently took the violin and bow from my hands, put them away then sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. I sat down and pulled my legs up under me. For some reason my legs get all achy and tired if I sit with my feet on the floor like I used to. “You’re really an amazing girl, Madds.” “Thanks.” Darrick’s words mean so much to me, but I’m not sure how to tell him that and not burst into tears. I’d been feeling so helpless, so worthless to my family recently. As if I’m a lot of work and add an element of unease to the whole family. “I’ve been watching how you’ve dealt with the pain, the change in lifestyle and the hurt you’ve been experiencing and I’m amazed at how grown up my little sister acts. You’re strong. You’re a fighter. You are someone who I want to mimic when I go through hard times. I’m proud to have you as my sister and my friend.” I have no clue what brought this all on, but I’m thankful for it.
That night as I got ready for bed I played Darrick’s words over and over again in my head, smiling each time I recounted them. Lately I had found myself craving acceptance from my family members, knowing that they were the people who really mattered in my life. I used to be in the middle of dozens of friends who adored practically everything I did, but lately I’d found being in a group setting to be exhausting and I’ve become an expert at declining invitations. As my interaction with my friends decreases, my dependence on my family increases. It takes me a moment to figure out what is going on when I wake up. The light streaming through my windows takes me by surprise, making me wonder if something is wrong outside. All at once, it hits me what’s wrong. It’s morning. Grabbing my phone from off my night stand I click the home button and feel a huge grin spill over my face when I see that it’s 7:15. I slept for a whole night, all the way through, without waking up once. Try as I might, I couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Throwing my arms over my head, I yell out a loud and excited “Thank You, Jesus!” Then jump out of bed and dance around it, pulling the covers up. I’m feeling so amazing, pain free, wide awake and joyful that I begin to wonder if the last fifteen months were a dream? Maybe I wasn’t sick after all. The giddy feeling building up in my chest is deflates when I walk into my kitchenette and see my morning regimen just waiting to be made up. “Oh well!” Still feeling bubbles of laughter washing through me I run through the motions and almost before I know what I’m doing I’m done with the task that normally takes me a half an hour or more to go through. Practically gliding I get dressed and then slide down the railing and skip into the dining room. “Good morning!” Throwing my arms out in a all-encompassing gesture, I give my family a verbal hug. I stand there for a moment, making funny faces at my stunned family members before sliding into my seat and dishing some grits and cheese into my bowl. “Looks like someone is excited about their performance tonight,” Mom says at last. Putting down the serving spoon I laugh, “Actually, I forgot all about that.” Leaning froward, I put my hands on the table and make eye contact with Mom, Dad, Katie and Darrick. “The craziest thing happened last night.” I lower my voice as if I have a huge secret and they all lean in to hear better. “I slept the whole night.” After I make my announcement I sit back in my seat and clap on my hands on my cheeks, framing my face. “Can you believe it?” I’m being overly dramatic just for the fun of it, and boy am I enjoying watching their reactions. “That’s wonderful, honey!” Dad seems genuinely pleased for me.
Hey Julie, you busy today? I send the text and then start a load of my laundry, trying to decide if I would rather go on a run or take a swim. Afternoon is free. What did you have in mind? Want to hang out? I hold my metaphorical breath, hoping she’ll say yes. Julie and I used to hang out all the time but I’ve canceled so many get-togethers that I’m afraid she’s probably given up on me and moved on in life. Sounds like fun. Shopping? Horseback riding? Coffee? Her almost instant reply gives me some hope that I haven’t totally alienated one of my best friends. We set a time, deciding to just hang out at my house and then I go on a fifteen minute half walk, half jog and then spend the next several hours in my music room, practicing on my violin for my upcoming performance and throwing in some piano playing for good measure. I look at my guitar sitting sadly in the corner and decide I need to play it more. I used to take my guitar to youth group and to hang out with my friends all the time but didn’t play it much on my own so it’s been rather neglected recently. “Hey girl!” I look up from my playing It is Well on the piano to see Julie standing next to me, a cute navy blue skirt with white poke-a-dots and a ruffled white blouse on. “Well aren’t you fancy looking today.” I give her a hug and then wave toward my bedroom, “Let’s go in there.” “I had a job interview this morning and came straight here afterward.” I open my mouth to ask how it went, but Julie’s squeal of delight stops me. “Oooh, these are the curtains Abbie made you, right?” Julie touches the fabric, then give me the thumbs up signal. “They fit your room perfectly.” The next couple of hours are spent doing some much needed catch-up. We brew ourselves mugs of tea and curl up on my window seat overlooking one of our meadows where some of Dad’s purebred horses are grazing. “Have you been able to make any headway in figuring out what’s going on?” Julie asks after a while. I can tell she’s uncomfortable bringing up my health and I feel bad that we’ve drifted apart so much. I give her a searching look. “I know I haven’t been the most understanding in the past and I apologize.” Julie runs her thumb along the rim of her cobalt colored mug and refuses to make eye contact. I sit there waiting and finally she looks up at me. “I’ve been learning a lot and one of the things that I’ve been realizing is that I’m not very good at relating to others and I want to change that. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to understand what you have to say, but at least I can listen to you and love you and be there fore you.” “Thanks.” Now it’s my turn to rub my mug. I search my mind, trying to figure out where to start. My thoughts aren’t coming in order, but at last I give up and let them spill out of my brain, into my mouth and then speak them. “I can’t even remember when I last felt normal. It’s been a long process and not a cool one at all. Today is one of the first days this year that I’ve actually felt anything close to normal. I can’t sleep most nights, the insomnia is horrible. I can’t stay awake when I finally do have something I’ve been looking forward to and nothing has helped so far. Sleeping pills make me feel so drugged up and horrible I’ve given up on them. That’s only part of it though. I’m in constant pain.” I give a shaky laugh. “I can’t even remember the last time I went for a full hour without hurting.” I watch as Julie’s eyes widen, and I stop, wondering if I should go on. “And?” Julie prods me. “You really want to hear everything?” I give her a skeptical look. “Everything.” Her nod isn’t hesitant so I go on. “I have this frustrated feeling all the time. Like I have something trapped inside me that can’t get out. Sometimes I feel like I’m a wild beast that’s caged up. I kid you not when I say some times I have to lock myself in my room because if I’m around people every. single. thing. they. do makes me feel like I’m going to explode. I’ve lost my temper more times in the last month than I did in the first fourteen years of my life.” I don’t see condemnation, only a nod, so I continue. “The exhaustion is beyond belief. My heart races for no reason. My eyes are so heavy sometimes that even on threat of death I don’t think I’d be able to open them.” I take a long sip of tea, not because I’m thirsty but because I’m on the brink of tears and I’m trying to regain control. “I had no clue...” Julie’s voice is a murmur. “I’ve had the most splitting headaches you can imagine and they continue day after day, night after night. Sometimes they let up, but eventually they always come back. Sometimes I feel so lost in pain I don’t know how to keep going any longer.” I’m just rambling now, speaking in a monotone, but I don’t care. “When I go for long periods of time without sleep I’m left with a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. It feels just like when you get really bad news or you’re guilty of something. The problem is nothing except a lot of sleep can make it go away and I’ve discovered how powerful sleep is and how very far out of my grasp it is.” Reaching over Julie squeezes my arm and that’s when I realize I’m crying. I take a deep breath and let more words fall uninhibited out of my mouth. “My stomach is constantly in knots. Sometimes the mere thought of food makes me throw up. Some days I can’t stand the thought, the smell, the idea of food until late morning or early afternoon. It reminds me of when my aunt was pregnant and had morning sickness which is really embarrassing.” I use the back of my hand to splash some of my tears off my face. “Doctors have different ideas of what’s going on. Some say I’m a lazy teenagers, like duh, I’m not. Others say I’m just a hypochondriac. Um, thank you very much but before this stupid sickness I had the perfect life. There is no way I’m going to suddenly get a phobia that turns my wonderful life into a nightmare.” By this time I’m pacing back and forth in front of Julie. “I have had so many tests done that I’ve lost track of them.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Sometimes I think that doctors have no clue what they’re doing and should all go back to school or something.” I run my hands through my hair and then slide my hands down my face, trying to erase some of the tension. “I had no clue.” Julie looks chagrined. “I know, that’s another thing. People don’t understand and most of the time I don’t have the energy to try and explain it to them so I just let them think whatever they want to, but then I feel alienated from the world going on all around me.” I think back to all the school I missed last year. “School was a horrible experience. I dreaded each day with a passion I can’t even describe. My grades sunk so low I don’t even know why I didn’t drop out. My brain was so fuzzy I would read a paragraph and instantly forget it.”
February 19, 2015
Top Ten Tuesday: Trial Run
Today I'm going to pretend it's Tuesday instead of Thursday. Those days always confused me anyway... I've been reading the Top Ten Tuesday (created by The Broke and the Bookish) over on Paper Fury for a while and it looks quite interesting. I thought I'd give it a trail run; perhaps if it tickles the right cords I'll be back with more on the real Tuesday... I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts!
I decided to go with an old-ish TTT and answer:
Top Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want to Visit
1. Switzerland. This is a really special for me because I have gone to Switzerland and sat in a flower-strewn meadow under the Swiss Alps reading the book that put the dream in my heart. Treasures of the Snow was one of my all-time favorite childhood novels and I spent years daydreaming of one day visiting the country and seeing it for myself.
2. South Dakota. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without the constant companionship of Laura Ingalls. I read her books and re-read them so many times I still probably have some of her experiences lodged in my brain as my own. The idea of living back in a century when people had the freedom to pack all their belongs in a covered wagon and openly travel across a continent then settle and begin a new life is mind-boggling to me. Taking a road trip out west is one of my greatest dreams.
3. Great Lakes in Michigan. The book Scout made such a big impact on my life that I named my first dog Scout years before she was even born. From the adventure, family-ness, pure enjoyment of riding horses out on the beach and getting a boat license before a drivers license, the book made the Great Lakes sound like the most amazing place on earth. I actually used to imagine I would move there and write books that took place in such a spectacular setting. That was until I realized that where I grew up was just as magical and if I crafted my stories well enough, children might one day feel the same way about my childhood stomping grounds. 4. Alaska. I've read a number of books that take place in this cold and wind-swept region. I'm not sure which ones first inspired my great interest in this state, all I have to say is: It's there. Alaska would probably rank in the top five places I want to visit most.
5. Holland. Going to Holland and actually getting to visit The Hiding Place and walk though the rooms was an experience I'm still in awe over. Sometimes I have to remind myself that yes, I really got to do that. I've dreamed of visiting the country ever since I fell in love with Corrie ten Boom's books when I was about eight years old. When I was in my early teens I was also introduced to the writings of Brother Andrew. The Hiding Place and God's Smuggler are two books that have made a huge difference in my life. And let me tell you, there's practically nothing like buying The Hiding Place in the Hiding Place!
6. Montana. Catherine Farnes has several books that take place in this state. I find them all fascinating. I love being far away from big cities and Montana seems like the perfect place to accomplish such a task. If I could go and spend several weeks camping in this delightful state I would be more than thrilled.
7. Oregon. There is no way I can choose one book out of the dozens I read as a child of families who braved the long and difficult trail to make a new start out West. The adventure, the trouble, the hard work and the uncertainness all added to the allure of this state. Now I would just like to go and explore the countryside and relive some of the excitement I dreamed up as a little girl.
8. Ireland. Lois Walfrid Johnson wrote The Viking Quest Series. I didn't grow up on her books like I did most of these other authors meaning I probably only read it once, yet her descriptions left me wanting to visit the country for myself. I can almost feel the stinging breeze of the salt water as I write this. And speaking of that, I should find those books and read though them again one of these days...
9. The Continental Divide. Over the Divide is one of those books that captured my attention and almost made me swoon over the writing style. Since I began writing seriously there hasn't been another fiction book that has inspired me, helped me or been more of a comfort to me. I would love to meet the author, Catherine Farnes, some day and have tried unsuccessfully to find contact information so I can write and thank her for her amazing work. (If any of y'all know how to get in touch with her, I would be delighted to know!) Hiking over the Continental Divide is one of those dreams I hope to one day realize.
10. England. Patricia St. John (who's the author of Treasures of the Snow) has several books that take place in England. (The Tanglewoods' Secret, Rainbow Garden and The Secret at Pheasant Cottage to name a few.) Since I grew up on a steady diet of her books, it's no surprise I wanted to go and explore the country for myself. There's something magical about getting to visit the country of some of my favorite books, so I was thrilled to get to go to England last year. It makes the whole country more intriguing. I dream of one day having children feel the same about the settings in my books.
I decided to go with an old-ish TTT and answer:
Top Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want to Visit
1. Switzerland. This is a really special for me because I have gone to Switzerland and sat in a flower-strewn meadow under the Swiss Alps reading the book that put the dream in my heart. Treasures of the Snow was one of my all-time favorite childhood novels and I spent years daydreaming of one day visiting the country and seeing it for myself. 
2. South Dakota. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without the constant companionship of Laura Ingalls. I read her books and re-read them so many times I still probably have some of her experiences lodged in my brain as my own. The idea of living back in a century when people had the freedom to pack all their belongs in a covered wagon and openly travel across a continent then settle and begin a new life is mind-boggling to me. Taking a road trip out west is one of my greatest dreams.
3. Great Lakes in Michigan. The book Scout made such a big impact on my life that I named my first dog Scout years before she was even born. From the adventure, family-ness, pure enjoyment of riding horses out on the beach and getting a boat license before a drivers license, the book made the Great Lakes sound like the most amazing place on earth. I actually used to imagine I would move there and write books that took place in such a spectacular setting. That was until I realized that where I grew up was just as magical and if I crafted my stories well enough, children might one day feel the same way about my childhood stomping grounds. 4. Alaska. I've read a number of books that take place in this cold and wind-swept region. I'm not sure which ones first inspired my great interest in this state, all I have to say is: It's there. Alaska would probably rank in the top five places I want to visit most. 
5. Holland. Going to Holland and actually getting to visit The Hiding Place and walk though the rooms was an experience I'm still in awe over. Sometimes I have to remind myself that yes, I really got to do that. I've dreamed of visiting the country ever since I fell in love with Corrie ten Boom's books when I was about eight years old. When I was in my early teens I was also introduced to the writings of Brother Andrew. The Hiding Place and God's Smuggler are two books that have made a huge difference in my life. And let me tell you, there's practically nothing like buying The Hiding Place in the Hiding Place! 6. Montana. Catherine Farnes has several books that take place in this state. I find them all fascinating. I love being far away from big cities and Montana seems like the perfect place to accomplish such a task. If I could go and spend several weeks camping in this delightful state I would be more than thrilled.
7. Oregon. There is no way I can choose one book out of the dozens I read as a child of families who braved the long and difficult trail to make a new start out West. The adventure, the trouble, the hard work and the uncertainness all added to the allure of this state. Now I would just like to go and explore the countryside and relive some of the excitement I dreamed up as a little girl.
8. Ireland. Lois Walfrid Johnson wrote The Viking Quest Series. I didn't grow up on her books like I did most of these other authors meaning I probably only read it once, yet her descriptions left me wanting to visit the country for myself. I can almost feel the stinging breeze of the salt water as I write this. And speaking of that, I should find those books and read though them again one of these days...
9. The Continental Divide. Over the Divide is one of those books that captured my attention and almost made me swoon over the writing style. Since I began writing seriously there hasn't been another fiction book that has inspired me, helped me or been more of a comfort to me. I would love to meet the author, Catherine Farnes, some day and have tried unsuccessfully to find contact information so I can write and thank her for her amazing work. (If any of y'all know how to get in touch with her, I would be delighted to know!) Hiking over the Continental Divide is one of those dreams I hope to one day realize. 
10. England. Patricia St. John (who's the author of Treasures of the Snow) has several books that take place in England. (The Tanglewoods' Secret, Rainbow Garden and The Secret at Pheasant Cottage to name a few.) Since I grew up on a steady diet of her books, it's no surprise I wanted to go and explore the country for myself. There's something magical about getting to visit the country of some of my favorite books, so I was thrilled to get to go to England last year. It makes the whole country more intriguing. I dream of one day having children feel the same about the settings in my books.
February 18, 2015
Questions I Ask While Crafting a Scene
There is something delightful about curling up in my writing chair with my computer, a mug of hot decaf coffee, music playing softly and snow falling lazily outside. My suitcases are still waiting to be unpacked but they're mostly hidden behind my couch at this moment so I can focus on my writing.
Since Thursday or Friday of last week I've been working on writing at least a thousand words each day on my story, When Life Hands You Lymes . There's been a gargantuan change between how I was writing the story last year and how I'm writing it this year. It's actually rather humbling and painful to think of how I let y'all see all the early segments, but I'm still glad I did. I had to have the accountability and the drive to keep me going because I knew if I didn't have motivation I would slack off.
(source - How I picture the main dining room in WLHYL)
I now have around eleven thousand words of writing from this year (I took about a month where I did the barest amount of writing while I was traveling and busy with my other job), and my pace is rapidly picking up. I'm amazed at the different thought processes I'm having when creating a scene. My thoughts are constantly asking questions such as:
~What's this character's love language?
~What would Madalyn be smelling, hearing, seeing, and physically feeling right now?
~Would her mom really say that? Or is it something her dad would say?
~Does this scene move the story forward?
~Is Madalyn changing too rapidly or too slowly?
~Have I mentioned physical pain (or Katie's work or Mom running or taking vitamins or whatever I'm writing about) recently, and if so is this getting redundant?
~What can I write now that will foreshadow what Madalyn is going to go through in the future?
~Have I added enough of the musical element into the story?
~Is there enough of the setting being described?
(source - A random setting in Madalyn's house)
Madalyn has also changed greatly. To all of you folks who read the early part of the story, I don't know what to say. I think that deep down inside of her that's the way she naturally is (outgoing, always around people, etc...) but where I currently am in the story she's been sick for so long it's no longer evident.
I'm really excited about figuring Madalyn out and crafting her story into a believable, thought-provoking, touching novel. I hope you enjoy getting to be part of the first draft, horrible though it may be.
* * *What are you doing on this fine, snowy day? And, do you have any suggestions for Madalyn and her story? I'd be delighted to hear them!
Since Thursday or Friday of last week I've been working on writing at least a thousand words each day on my story, When Life Hands You Lymes . There's been a gargantuan change between how I was writing the story last year and how I'm writing it this year. It's actually rather humbling and painful to think of how I let y'all see all the early segments, but I'm still glad I did. I had to have the accountability and the drive to keep me going because I knew if I didn't have motivation I would slack off.
(source - How I picture the main dining room in WLHYL) I now have around eleven thousand words of writing from this year (I took about a month where I did the barest amount of writing while I was traveling and busy with my other job), and my pace is rapidly picking up. I'm amazed at the different thought processes I'm having when creating a scene. My thoughts are constantly asking questions such as:
~What's this character's love language?
~What would Madalyn be smelling, hearing, seeing, and physically feeling right now?
~Would her mom really say that? Or is it something her dad would say?
~Does this scene move the story forward?
~Is Madalyn changing too rapidly or too slowly?
~Have I mentioned physical pain (or Katie's work or Mom running or taking vitamins or whatever I'm writing about) recently, and if so is this getting redundant?
~What can I write now that will foreshadow what Madalyn is going to go through in the future?
~Have I added enough of the musical element into the story?
~Is there enough of the setting being described?
(source - A random setting in Madalyn's house) Madalyn has also changed greatly. To all of you folks who read the early part of the story, I don't know what to say. I think that deep down inside of her that's the way she naturally is (outgoing, always around people, etc...) but where I currently am in the story she's been sick for so long it's no longer evident.
I'm really excited about figuring Madalyn out and crafting her story into a believable, thought-provoking, touching novel. I hope you enjoy getting to be part of the first draft, horrible though it may be.
* * *What are you doing on this fine, snowy day? And, do you have any suggestions for Madalyn and her story? I'd be delighted to hear them!
February 17, 2015
101 Secrets for Your Twenties - Book Review
101 Secrets for Your Twenties
By Paul Angone
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First personOne Point of ViewNon-fiction 208 Pages
About the book: (From the back cover)
Every twenty-something needs a little black book of secrets.Our twenties are filled with confusion, terrible jobs, anticipation, disappointment, cubicles, break-ups, transition, quarter-life crisis, loneliness, post-college what the heck, moderate success sandwiched in-between complete failure, and we need a worn, weathered guide stashed somewhere close by to help shed some light on this defining decade.
This is that book. Expanded from the blog post, "21 Secrets for Your 20s" that spread like Internet wildfire with nearly a million readers in 190 countries, 101 Secrets for Your Twenties will encourage, inspire, prompt a plethora of LOLs, and kick-start your life forward with its witty, honest, and hilarious wisdom-stuffed-pearls to help you rock life in your twenties.
Why I choose this book:
I'm in my twenties. It seemed like the natural thing to do.
What I thought:
Let's just say it wasn't my cup of tea. The back cover blurb says the book is an expanded form of a blog post and that's what it felt like: a bunch of blog posts. Which is not a bad thing! It's just not my style and so reading the book was painful. Like, I will read three more pages before I let myself stop, kind of painful. I'm pretty sure it's a great book (it has 141 5-star ratings out of a total of 183 reviews on Amazon, that's amazing!), it just didn't click with me. I actually had a hard time retaining much of the information because I my mind just wouldn't focus with the style.
Conclusion:
I have a feeling that if I would have gotten this book and read it like a blog, one post each day, then I would have had a higher opinion of it. Sadly, I had to get it reviewed and so my fast-paced reading (which is what I always do) didn't work. The cover is pretty neat and even the way they formatted the inside of the book is interesting (in a good way), just not my style.
Rating:
I'm giving the book two stars. I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
By Paul Angone
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First personOne Point of ViewNon-fiction 208 Pages
About the book: (From the back cover)
Every twenty-something needs a little black book of secrets.Our twenties are filled with confusion, terrible jobs, anticipation, disappointment, cubicles, break-ups, transition, quarter-life crisis, loneliness, post-college what the heck, moderate success sandwiched in-between complete failure, and we need a worn, weathered guide stashed somewhere close by to help shed some light on this defining decade.
This is that book. Expanded from the blog post, "21 Secrets for Your 20s" that spread like Internet wildfire with nearly a million readers in 190 countries, 101 Secrets for Your Twenties will encourage, inspire, prompt a plethora of LOLs, and kick-start your life forward with its witty, honest, and hilarious wisdom-stuffed-pearls to help you rock life in your twenties.
Why I choose this book:
I'm in my twenties. It seemed like the natural thing to do.
What I thought:
Let's just say it wasn't my cup of tea. The back cover blurb says the book is an expanded form of a blog post and that's what it felt like: a bunch of blog posts. Which is not a bad thing! It's just not my style and so reading the book was painful. Like, I will read three more pages before I let myself stop, kind of painful. I'm pretty sure it's a great book (it has 141 5-star ratings out of a total of 183 reviews on Amazon, that's amazing!), it just didn't click with me. I actually had a hard time retaining much of the information because I my mind just wouldn't focus with the style.
Conclusion:
I have a feeling that if I would have gotten this book and read it like a blog, one post each day, then I would have had a higher opinion of it. Sadly, I had to get it reviewed and so my fast-paced reading (which is what I always do) didn't work. The cover is pretty neat and even the way they formatted the inside of the book is interesting (in a good way), just not my style.
Rating:
I'm giving the book two stars. I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
