Christmas: My Favorite Holiday

 

Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you! I’m back today after a hectic week of writing, kid appointments, and oh yeah, my oldest was sick this week which kind of throws us all in a tizzy. But we all made it to Sunday.  Phew!

I’ve been working hard on my latest revision and I’m loving how it’s coming together. 🙂 Don’t you just love it when it all clicks? It’s an awesome feeling. That’s why this post is so late because I wanted to finish the scene I’ve been working on.

Photo credit: Nicola since 1972 via Visual hunt / CC BY

You know how it goes.

Today, I’d like to talk about my favorite holiday. That’s right Christmas is my favorite. It always has been and it always will be. I love getting together with family and friends. It’s such an awesome time of year for these occasions. We had a family get together last night with my mother’s side of the family and it was so great to see everyone. I haven’t seen most of my relatives since my cousin’s wedding and that was in July.

Photo via CJ via Visualhunt

I know a lot of people dread the holidays because there are long standing differences of opinions about politics and social issues. These differences can create a division in your family. Don’t let them divide you so much that you can’t enjoy your time together.

None of us knows how long we’re going to be here so let’s enjoy as many moments as we can this holiday season. If your family argues about politics then don’t talk about politics this Christmas. I’m sure there are many other things of interest to talk about. For example, the last movie you saw, or your favorite sit-coms. There are literally millions of less volatile subjects to discuss.

I love all the traditions that Christmas brings with it. Shopping for gifts, decorating the tree, hanging stockings, and driving through neighborhoods and checking out all the Christmas lights. It’s such a joyous holiday.

Photo credit: JMS2 via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC

This Christmas I’m full of gratitude for my family and my health. I feel like I’m one hundred percent back. My hair has grown in and I’m feeling strong. So this Christmas put all those differences aside and  enjoy your family while you can. Kids grow so fast and we all are growing older so squeeze as much joy out of this life as you can. You won’t regret it. I promise.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. I’d love to hear your thoughts about your favorite holiday. What are some of your family traditions that you love? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

Family Hike: A Slice of Life Post

 

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today with another Slice of Life Post. I fear this last weekend is going to be our last weekend of nice weather. It has turned windy and chilly here in Michigan and I’m anticipating cold weather in the days to come.

I’m glad we took advantage of our nice weather and got out onto the hiking trail. We went as a family and it was nice creating a memory with the kidlets. We went in the early evening before dinner. The sun rested, near the horizon, a fiery orange ball in the clear sky. We traveled along the path enjoying the peacefulness of the forest.

Photo credit: Christian Arballo via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC

There was no humidity and very few bugs. A perfect time for a hike. We stepped along the sandy trail planning one of our trips for next summer. There were a few mountain bikers whizzing past, but for the most part we were undisturbed.

It was a nice way to end the weekend.

My boys gave me a hard time, though, claiming they didn’t want to go on the hike. They wanted to play their video games, but I insisted. We needed some family time, and they enjoyed our walk even though they’ll never admit it to me. How do I know?

They laughed and giggled as they climbed the trees along the path.

 

They also asked for a bedtime story that night. They haven’t asked for one of those in a long time, not since they were little. Sniff. Maybe they’re not in such a hurry to grow up after all. 🙂

It was a great weekend of memories and I look forward to making more. 🙂 How about you? Did you make any memories this weekend? Please share! I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. If you’d like to check out other Slice of Life Posts click here.

Happy Easter!

 

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you’re enjoying your holiday. Here are some photos of some decorated Easter eggs to help you celebrate!

 

 

I don’t know about you, but to me, Easter is the beginning of Spring. It’s that milestone that means the bitter cold days of winter are over and the spring thaw has started.  It’s a festive day for my family. We go over to my mother’s for a big ham dinner and then we play cards or just sit around the table and chat. It’s a great time to reminisce. Sadly, my dad isn’t there to share in the festivities and neither is my sister-in-law, Mindy. Both passed away before their time. Even though, they’re no longer with us, we have many great memories of both of them and they come up in the stories we tell. I believe that even though we can’t see them, they’re with us, celebrating and laughing right along with us.

So enjoy your family while you still can and make those memories count!  🙂

Photo credit: Maia C via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this short, celebratory post! Now, go have fun with your family! 🙂

Our Torch Lake Vacation

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m back today and I thought that I’d share with you some vacation tidbits. My family and I have just returned from our vacation at Torch Lake. We stayed in my in-laws cottage and I must say I love being by the water. Listening to the waves hit the beach is so calming and it just seems to clear my head.

It was at the cottage where I made a major change to my work in process, my coming of age novel. I was able to get 10,000 words done on the new draft. I know that doesn’t seem like much but remember I was on vacation so I wasn’t supposed to be writing. I was supposed to be taking a break. But do we writers ever take a break?

The reason I was able to write at all is because the weather has been less than ideal. We’ve had a lot of rain and wind, so hanging down by the beach hasn’t been high on anyone’s list. That’s okay though, we’ve still had fun!

Because the weather hasn’t been the greatest my boys have had to resort to playing some games inside. Lately, they’ve been on the hunt for zombies. It’s great to see them use their imagination. I listen to them when they don’t realize it and I always get a chuckle from their conversations. They’re just so cute and innocent. I love watching my boys enjoy themselves. They’re pretty good buds to begin with, but for some reason when we’re on vacation they just seem to click even more.

We took them miniature golfing. I thought this might be frustrating, especially for my youngest. He’s the sweetest little boy but he’s also very driven. He wants to master everything he tries right away and he gets frustrated when he can’t.  He won’t give up until he gets it right, even if he’s crying with frustration. I try and tell him that he’s got plenty of time. But he doesn’t listen to me. I’m just Mom, you know. 🙂 But this didn’t happen. Everyone was able to enjoy themselves and it was a great family day.

We love the Traverse City area, there just seems to be a lot of history here in the small towns along the coast of Lake Michigan. It’s interesting to see the old buildings along the shoreline and learn the history of them and their occupants. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve become interested in history. Isn’t that weird? I could have used that interest when I was in school.

I also feel that being on vacation improves my creativity. Being in a new place and having some new experiences is good for my brain. I also was able to do some research for my fourth Super Spies novel. I want to thank the Elk Rapids Historical Society for their help. They gave me some interesting tidbits that depending on how I use them may actually be the premise for my next story.

Next year we’re planning on taking a trip to Chicago and going to Shedd’s Aquarium. I can’t wait to do this. My boys love going to the zoo and feeding the sting rays. They also love watching the Universe channel especially when they’re doing a documentary on the ocean. They love learning about squids, sharks, and dolphins. And I must say that I enjoy it too. Mainly because I’m learning something new and I’m seeing the world through the eyes of my kids. It brings back that old desire to obtain knowledge.

In closing, I’d like to say I love all things about vacations, from the anticipation in the planning as well as the actual execution of that plan. We’re creating memories for our kids and I’m hoping they’re awesome ones. I know they are for me. 🙂

Thanks for taking the time to read my post today. It was one of those ramblings ones that I do once in a while.  I appreciate you taking the time to check it out, and if you’d like to leave a comment and share some of your vacation memories, please do. I’d love to read them. 🙂

Below are some candid shots from our vacation! 🙂

Valentine Day Ramblings

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s that day when you do something special for the ones you love.  As I write this post, I think back on all the Valentine’s Days in my past. I remember in High School we used to buy roses from the student council and give them to that special someone.  It was something we looked forward to on a cold, snowy day.

Now, I enjoy getting a card from my hubby and I enjoy giving him one. But the real joy I feel is when I go to my kids’ Valentine’s parties. They are so excited!  And I remember the feeling I got when I was a youngster and I would go to my school party. Beforehand, I carefully selected the perfect Valentine for each friend and signed my name on the back. I carried them to school with an air of anticipation, excited to give as well as receive.

As I think about all of this, memories of my childhood parade through my brain. I remember playing kick the can with the neighborhood kids until it was too dark to see. I grew up in a small town and there was no fear of abductions or strangers walking in the dark. Everyone knew everyone else.

I smile as I think about where my “kick the can” friends are now.  Some still live in the same small town and others have scattered to the four corners of the Earth. I wonder what they’re doing now. And I hope their lives are everything they hoped they would be.

As I dwell on these thoughts, I wish for those simpler times when we didn’t have to lock our doors at night. Now, I won’t let my kids run around the neighborhood in the dark without me or my hubby being there.

I loved growing up in a small town until my teens when I found the familiarity all too oppressive. Everyone knew everyone else’s business. I felt suffocated and had the itch to leave.  I did leave and moved to a bigger city and I’m glad I did. I’ve experienced more things and accomplished more things than I would have if I had stayed.

I look at my kids and I hope that I’m creating happy memories for them. I want them to look back on their lives with joy and contentment. I know they’ll have struggles like we all do, but I hope they’re few and far between. 🙂 I hope they have a lot of good “kick the can” memories like I do.

Who would’ve thought that Valentine’s Day would’ve sparked a trip down memory lane? Thanks for stopping by and if you’d like to share some of your own “kick the can” moments, feel free to do so! I’d love to hear from you!