Every New Year, you hear about resolutions. I used to do them and never achieve them. One day my husband and I were talking and we came up with the idea of goal planning for the New Year.
Wouldn’t you know it – when we planned our goals – we achieved them (or most of them).
PLAN YOUR DREAM LIST
Sit down and set realistic possibilities for meeting your dreams. Write your dreams down, and map out how you plan on reaching them. Be realistic, and only plan for the year. Remember, anything you do consistently for 6 weeks you will achieve it.
TRICK YOURSELF TO DO THE MOST DIFFICULT ACHIEVEMENTS
Here are some ways to trick yourself into being successful at the most common goals for the New Year;
Trick Yourself into Saving Money
Okay, let’s say you want to save more money. Well trick yourself into meeting this goal by setting up an account or direct deposit to take the money directly from your paycheck. Don’t have an atm card for this account, or a check book. Make it really difficult to get the money.
Trick Yourself into Losing Weight
Get friends to join with you in your endeavor to lose weight (chose a friend who is already achieved the goal you desire to achieve). Then sign up for a walk a thon within four months of your goal. You can also join a gym. Make a promise to yourself that you can’t go to sleep without doing some exercise (even walking up the stairs 10 times will work).
Trick Yourself into finishing that novel you always wanted to write
Join a critique group. Yep, force yourself work with other authors who desire to finish their books by the end of the year. Accountability goes a long way.
TREAT YOURSELF
What good is planning if you don’t give yourself a reward? I treat myself with a vacation. I book a cruise or an apple vacation that I can pay on monthly. Then when it’s paid off – I get my reward.
DON'T make a resolution
Make a Plan, and a promise to do something awesome for yourself!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
What do I think of when I think of Winter
Winter, I actually have a love and hate relationship with winter. I love taking my kids snowboarding, to ski resorts, and playing in the snow. I hate driving in ice and snow. Absolutely, hate it.
I love living in a state that has all of the seasons. However, winter causes me to cozy up and do hot cocoa every night. A secret treat I love to give myself every night before bed. I also tend to gain the most weight in the winter. If I lived in a cold and rainy state I would be a lot bigger than I am, and trust me I fight to stay the size I am now.
SLEEP, I do more of this in the winter
You ever notice that because it gets darker earlier, and lighter later that you tend to sleep more in the winter? Well I do. I am not much of a sleeper. Typically 6 hours is all I require, but in the summer time, I am up in 4 hours like I am excited to start my day. The winter time requires the entire 6 hours of sleep, and I even would like to take a nap here and there.
SWEETS, I definitely eat more of these in the winter
Okay, most people gain more weight in the winter time than summer. You know why? Comfort foods are the culprit. Firstly, I definitely up my warm drink from tea to cocoa. I desire more coffee, and exercise less. There is something about cozying up with a warm blanket and watching TV while drinking cocoa that seems to be the best winter treat possible.
EAT TIL U DROP, two holidays that require a lot of eating.
Thanksgiving followed by Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and parties. Okay, let’s be honest, how many of you gorge yourself for Thanksgiving? *slowly raised hand* Well, then in December, all the holiday parties where you eat and drink come along. I have four to go to this year alone. You have to dig into to cookies, cakes, drinks, pies, yummy meats and treats – why? Because they only come along one time of year.
SHOP TIL U R Broke – AND YOUR CREDIT CARD GETS DENIED
For most people, the day after Thanksgiving marks, “BLACK FRIDAY” and the start of the marathon Christmas shopping spree of the year. I used to stand in line on the day after Thanksgiving in hopes of the great deals, but now I don’t do that. I will admit to getting a rush at having my pockets filled with money to spend (I would take cash so that I wouldn’t overspend – however, I always ended up pulling out my credit card in the end).
For the last six years though, I stopped doing the “BLACK FRIDAY” sales and the shopping marathons. Funny thing is, my kids ask for less now because we travel during the holidays. Usually, they are asking to go to the pool, snowboarding or do the family games we do when traveling. We only exchange a handful of presents, and as soon as they are opened the kids want to go to the pool. Go figure.
THE COLD REALITIES OF WINTER
Some of the cold realities of winter where I live is snow, freezing rain, and accidents. I have had my share, and wouldn’t trade the change of seasons for anything. There is just something about winter that makes the waiting for spring and summer all the sweeter.
I love living in a state that has all of the seasons. However, winter causes me to cozy up and do hot cocoa every night. A secret treat I love to give myself every night before bed. I also tend to gain the most weight in the winter. If I lived in a cold and rainy state I would be a lot bigger than I am, and trust me I fight to stay the size I am now.
SLEEP, I do more of this in the winter
You ever notice that because it gets darker earlier, and lighter later that you tend to sleep more in the winter? Well I do. I am not much of a sleeper. Typically 6 hours is all I require, but in the summer time, I am up in 4 hours like I am excited to start my day. The winter time requires the entire 6 hours of sleep, and I even would like to take a nap here and there.
SWEETS, I definitely eat more of these in the winter
Okay, most people gain more weight in the winter time than summer. You know why? Comfort foods are the culprit. Firstly, I definitely up my warm drink from tea to cocoa. I desire more coffee, and exercise less. There is something about cozying up with a warm blanket and watching TV while drinking cocoa that seems to be the best winter treat possible.
EAT TIL U DROP, two holidays that require a lot of eating.
Thanksgiving followed by Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and parties. Okay, let’s be honest, how many of you gorge yourself for Thanksgiving? *slowly raised hand* Well, then in December, all the holiday parties where you eat and drink come along. I have four to go to this year alone. You have to dig into to cookies, cakes, drinks, pies, yummy meats and treats – why? Because they only come along one time of year.
SHOP TIL U R Broke – AND YOUR CREDIT CARD GETS DENIED
For most people, the day after Thanksgiving marks, “BLACK FRIDAY” and the start of the marathon Christmas shopping spree of the year. I used to stand in line on the day after Thanksgiving in hopes of the great deals, but now I don’t do that. I will admit to getting a rush at having my pockets filled with money to spend (I would take cash so that I wouldn’t overspend – however, I always ended up pulling out my credit card in the end).
For the last six years though, I stopped doing the “BLACK FRIDAY” sales and the shopping marathons. Funny thing is, my kids ask for less now because we travel during the holidays. Usually, they are asking to go to the pool, snowboarding or do the family games we do when traveling. We only exchange a handful of presents, and as soon as they are opened the kids want to go to the pool. Go figure.
THE COLD REALITIES OF WINTER
Some of the cold realities of winter where I live is snow, freezing rain, and accidents. I have had my share, and wouldn’t trade the change of seasons for anything. There is just something about winter that makes the waiting for spring and summer all the sweeter.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
WHY I LOVE KARATE FLICKS
I have always, always, always had a passion for karate flicks. I grew up when Bruce Lee was the hottest action star smoking. Everyone wanted to be in one of his movies. I even took martial arts because of my obsession with his movies. You would think I would have outgrown him and flicks like that, but I haven’t.
One of my hobbies or obsessions, is to go to the local flea market and purchase karate flicks. I talk the vendor down to 4 for $25 because I go so often.
HOW IT’S INFLUENCED MY WRITING
I remember a beta reader, an older guy, telling me that he absolutely loved my fight scences. He commented on how real they seemed. He wasn’t the only one. Many of my beta’s said they loved my descriptions and the defensive moves my smaller characters made.
Well I get a lot of my material from all of those years watching those Karate movies and wishing I was in them. Hey, some of the moves I even tried out on my baby brother (shhhhh…. Don’t tell him I told you that).
NINJA ASSASINS – the most recent Karate movie I went to see
Now that you know all about my obsession, then you know why I went to see this movie. This movie had it all. Cool moves, blood, a little romance, and fighting. However, even for me – a gore queen – it was a bit over the top on the blood. I would have preferred more fighting without so much cutting or slicing. This movie made KILL BILL look like a walk in the park.
With that said, I still enjoyed it. I admit it, I have a tough stomach and I couldn’t stop watching it. I did notice though that some of the ladies in the theatre got out of there. When I did go to the bathroom, one lady asked me, “Oh my, it was too much for me! What about you?” and I looked at her and said, “Oh it’s violent, but I can handle it.” We both laughed and I went back to join my husband who has the same obsession.
My recommendations for this movie is, don’t expect it to win an award. If you like gore, fighting, skimpy romance with just a chaste kiss, then you just may enjoy this movie. If I was to rate it, I’d give it a 2 stars only because I’ve seen much better karate flicks than this one.
One of my hobbies or obsessions, is to go to the local flea market and purchase karate flicks. I talk the vendor down to 4 for $25 because I go so often.
HOW IT’S INFLUENCED MY WRITING
I remember a beta reader, an older guy, telling me that he absolutely loved my fight scences. He commented on how real they seemed. He wasn’t the only one. Many of my beta’s said they loved my descriptions and the defensive moves my smaller characters made.
Well I get a lot of my material from all of those years watching those Karate movies and wishing I was in them. Hey, some of the moves I even tried out on my baby brother (shhhhh…. Don’t tell him I told you that).
NINJA ASSASINS – the most recent Karate movie I went to see
Now that you know all about my obsession, then you know why I went to see this movie. This movie had it all. Cool moves, blood, a little romance, and fighting. However, even for me – a gore queen – it was a bit over the top on the blood. I would have preferred more fighting without so much cutting or slicing. This movie made KILL BILL look like a walk in the park.
With that said, I still enjoyed it. I admit it, I have a tough stomach and I couldn’t stop watching it. I did notice though that some of the ladies in the theatre got out of there. When I did go to the bathroom, one lady asked me, “Oh my, it was too much for me! What about you?” and I looked at her and said, “Oh it’s violent, but I can handle it.” We both laughed and I went back to join my husband who has the same obsession.
My recommendations for this movie is, don’t expect it to win an award. If you like gore, fighting, skimpy romance with just a chaste kiss, then you just may enjoy this movie. If I was to rate it, I’d give it a 2 stars only because I’ve seen much better karate flicks than this one.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS?
When I was growing up, I had many presents in excess for Christmas. My mother would start purchasing Christmas gifts as early as spring so that she could give my brother and me all the things she thought we wanted. As a teenaged mother, this was a great feat for her.
I totally took that for granted. I was never really a materialistic person, and the things she bought me I considered were a poor excuse for her not being around. As a single mother she usually was working all of the time and I spent my time taking care of my brother and our tiny apartment in the seedy part of town in which we lived.
However, every Christmas I would awaken to a living room full of more toys than I could have ever imagined.
You would have thought that I would have learned to be more conservative with my gift giving for my own children. Well, you are wrong. I started out doing the same thing. My husband didn’t help much both because he was adopted and felt as though he wanted to give his kids the Christmas that he never had.
After several years of this excessive gift giving, my son looked at me and said, “Mommy, it’s too much. I don’t know what I want to play with.” I was jolted back to my childhood and realized that I forgot the true meaning of the season.
Now, we travel for the holidays. We take a few small gifts that we exchange. We talk about what we are grateful for and what we hope for the New Year. Over the years I am more and more surprised when I ask my older kids what they want for Christmas and they say…”Oh, not much. I’ve got everything I need.” Wow, who’d a thunk it? Christmas, about us spending time together and appreciating the gift we have of a loving family.
I totally took that for granted. I was never really a materialistic person, and the things she bought me I considered were a poor excuse for her not being around. As a single mother she usually was working all of the time and I spent my time taking care of my brother and our tiny apartment in the seedy part of town in which we lived.
However, every Christmas I would awaken to a living room full of more toys than I could have ever imagined.
You would have thought that I would have learned to be more conservative with my gift giving for my own children. Well, you are wrong. I started out doing the same thing. My husband didn’t help much both because he was adopted and felt as though he wanted to give his kids the Christmas that he never had.
After several years of this excessive gift giving, my son looked at me and said, “Mommy, it’s too much. I don’t know what I want to play with.” I was jolted back to my childhood and realized that I forgot the true meaning of the season.
Now, we travel for the holidays. We take a few small gifts that we exchange. We talk about what we are grateful for and what we hope for the New Year. Over the years I am more and more surprised when I ask my older kids what they want for Christmas and they say…”Oh, not much. I’ve got everything I need.” Wow, who’d a thunk it? Christmas, about us spending time together and appreciating the gift we have of a loving family.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thanksgiving, What does it really mean?
Thanksgiving, What does it really mean?
We all know the history about the Pilgrims who held the first fateful Thanksgiving celebration to give thanks for their harvest, survival and new life. A nearby Indian tribe was invited to celebrate with the settlers and that Thanksgiving day lasted three days.
However, Thanksgiving today has lost some of that meaning. Usually around this time of year the stores gloss over the Thanksgiving holiday and focus on Christmas. One of their biggest shopping seasons of the year, which out shadows the true beauty of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, a pre-cursor to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza is drowned out by the onslaught of Black Friday – the most fevered shopping day of the year.
For me Thanksgiving has been especially special. I have so much to be thankful for. Never in a million years as a girl who had teenaged parents, who lived in the littered streets of the city would I have dreamed this life up. After fighting through so many obstacles I would have never imagined being a wife, a mother, an engineer and an author. Through all of those difficult struggles I have become so strong, so assured and so determined that I wouldn’t have changed a thing about my life. It made me who I am, and I am still a little in awe of it all. My life is proof that good things can happen in spite of a difficult childhood and trials.
I hope you look at Thanksgiving as a time to be thankful to be alive, a time to renew a desire to reach for the stars, and a time when your realize that you can do or be anything thing.
We all know the history about the Pilgrims who held the first fateful Thanksgiving celebration to give thanks for their harvest, survival and new life. A nearby Indian tribe was invited to celebrate with the settlers and that Thanksgiving day lasted three days.
However, Thanksgiving today has lost some of that meaning. Usually around this time of year the stores gloss over the Thanksgiving holiday and focus on Christmas. One of their biggest shopping seasons of the year, which out shadows the true beauty of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, a pre-cursor to Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza is drowned out by the onslaught of Black Friday – the most fevered shopping day of the year.
For me Thanksgiving has been especially special. I have so much to be thankful for. Never in a million years as a girl who had teenaged parents, who lived in the littered streets of the city would I have dreamed this life up. After fighting through so many obstacles I would have never imagined being a wife, a mother, an engineer and an author. Through all of those difficult struggles I have become so strong, so assured and so determined that I wouldn’t have changed a thing about my life. It made me who I am, and I am still a little in awe of it all. My life is proof that good things can happen in spite of a difficult childhood and trials.
I hope you look at Thanksgiving as a time to be thankful to be alive, a time to renew a desire to reach for the stars, and a time when your realize that you can do or be anything thing.
Monday, November 9, 2009
MY MOST EMBARRASSING PRE-TEEN MOMENT
When I sit down to write my novels from a teenaged perspective, I have a lot of material to pull from. I was called all sorts of names, teased, and jeered at. I wasn’t the lowest on the totem pole, but I was somewhere near the bottom middle of the middle school pecking order. Yet, through these experiences I learned something about myself. I was a survivor and I was never a follower.
THE LEADING MOMENT
The kids in my neighborhood would spend tons of time making up games. One we played was truth or dare. Usually I wasn’t invited to play because I was the youngest kid in the neighborhood. However, this particular time, they allowed me to play seemed like the best day of my life. I was going to play with the big kids, and no longer follow behind them. That day, nitaworm had arrived, and she was on top of her little world.
THE SET UP
The game went on as usual. Dare’s were made, secrets were told and the bottle spin. Finally, it was my turn. My moment, my acceptance, and then it came. The kid that had made the last spin, looked at me with a sneaky grin, and I knew immediately that I was doomed.
THE DARE
“I dare you to eat this beetle!” the kid said. I gulped. Then I compared the penalty for not going through with a challenge. The penalty was to let every kid spit in your face. The decision was difficult, the choices were both gross. However, I refused to be made to eat something that I didn’t want.
STANDING UP TO MY SO-CALLED FRIENDS
At that moment of recognition, I felt strong and fierce. Ok, no really I was scared to death. However, I stood and said , “I renege on the dare!”. There were gasp, snickers, and whispers. I held my ground, stuck out my chest and licked my lips. “You know what that means don’t ya?” the kid with the dead fat beetle snickered.
“Yeah, and I don’t care!” I said, and swallowed as a tear ran from my eye. Man I was so angry. The other kids bustle to stand in line in front of me. Never before in our game of Truth or Dare had someone challenged their fate. I was the first, and they relished in the chance to demean me further.
There I stood, as each kid gathered as much saliva in their mouths as possible and spit in my face. My eyes closed as I felt the thick, cool, wet globs slide from my forehead, down my nose to my lips. I held back a gag.
Finally, it was over. My best-friend, who was last in line did a fake spitting sound that held little or no power. Then she took out a tissue and wiped my face.
“Why didn’t you just do the dare?" she asked.
“I opened my eyes and smiled at her then said, “Cause I didn’t want to.”
THE LEADING MOMENT
The kids in my neighborhood would spend tons of time making up games. One we played was truth or dare. Usually I wasn’t invited to play because I was the youngest kid in the neighborhood. However, this particular time, they allowed me to play seemed like the best day of my life. I was going to play with the big kids, and no longer follow behind them. That day, nitaworm had arrived, and she was on top of her little world.
THE SET UP
The game went on as usual. Dare’s were made, secrets were told and the bottle spin. Finally, it was my turn. My moment, my acceptance, and then it came. The kid that had made the last spin, looked at me with a sneaky grin, and I knew immediately that I was doomed.
THE DARE
“I dare you to eat this beetle!” the kid said. I gulped. Then I compared the penalty for not going through with a challenge. The penalty was to let every kid spit in your face. The decision was difficult, the choices were both gross. However, I refused to be made to eat something that I didn’t want.
STANDING UP TO MY SO-CALLED FRIENDS
At that moment of recognition, I felt strong and fierce. Ok, no really I was scared to death. However, I stood and said , “I renege on the dare!”. There were gasp, snickers, and whispers. I held my ground, stuck out my chest and licked my lips. “You know what that means don’t ya?” the kid with the dead fat beetle snickered.
“Yeah, and I don’t care!” I said, and swallowed as a tear ran from my eye. Man I was so angry. The other kids bustle to stand in line in front of me. Never before in our game of Truth or Dare had someone challenged their fate. I was the first, and they relished in the chance to demean me further.
There I stood, as each kid gathered as much saliva in their mouths as possible and spit in my face. My eyes closed as I felt the thick, cool, wet globs slide from my forehead, down my nose to my lips. I held back a gag.
Finally, it was over. My best-friend, who was last in line did a fake spitting sound that held little or no power. Then she took out a tissue and wiped my face.
“Why didn’t you just do the dare?" she asked.
“I opened my eyes and smiled at her then said, “Cause I didn’t want to.”
Friday, November 6, 2009
My Vampire Fetish
I have a confession to make. I love vampires. I have loved the idea of a gorgeous, strong, sexy creature such as a vampire every since I was a teenager. I used to read a lot of vampire books, but fell head over heels in love with the Vampire Louis. Then of course, Louis' whining got to me and I went for the bad boy, Lestat. Oh, as I prepared to watch Twilight with my daughter (who didn't like the books, but wanted to see the movie) I watched all the Vampire movies I could snag on cable. I started with Vampire in Brooklyn, Interview with a Vampire, Queen of the Damned, 30 days of Night, Underworld, From Dusk til Dawn, Brams Stoker's Dracula, Fright Night Van Helsing, Blood the last Vampire, Vamp, Blade, Bordello of Blood and ended with Twilight. Yes, I watched them all over a 2 week period.
Although they all were the same I was intrigued with them all. However, I must admit my favorites were 30 days of Night, Blade, Blood the Last Vampire, and Underworld. I just like the kick butt, violent yet intriguingly sexy vampires.
I can't wait to see the second Twilight movie New Moon.
Although they all were the same I was intrigued with them all. However, I must admit my favorites were 30 days of Night, Blade, Blood the Last Vampire, and Underworld. I just like the kick butt, violent yet intriguingly sexy vampires.
I can't wait to see the second Twilight movie New Moon.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Halloween…Why I love being scared
I have always been a horror buff. My first scary movie was at the tender age of eight, when I snuck into the living room while my mother was watching a show called Creature Feature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creature_Features) . Unfortunately for me, they were playing Night of the Living Dead…eeek!
Needless to say, I had horrible nightmares. I even begged to sleep in my mother’s bed, to no avail. However, since then I was hooked on horror. I graduated to sneaking out of bed and watching Creature Feature to experience Frankenstein, Dracula and many more as possible before getting caught.
This thirst for the thrill of fear escalated to my reading various masters of horror to include Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Frank Peretti, John Saul to name a few. My obsession didn’t stop there. I became interested in true stories of mayhem and horror also and started to watch shows that told of ghostly tales, murder mysteries and serial killers.
How did this insatiable need to be thrilled by fear help in my writing?
Little did I realize that the digesting of all of these villainous materials rapt with evil men, women, real life killers and ghostly beings would assist me in the development and understanding of creating the villains for my novels.
More Halloween reflections
So for this Halloween, realize that the thrill of the fear for some is real. Don’t become so desensitized to horror or evil that you become unsympathetic when something horrific truly happens. However, when you are enjoying the excitement that a good scary movie brings, and something creepy and crawly slithers across your feet … enjoy Halloween, a time to be frightened.
Needless to say, I had horrible nightmares. I even begged to sleep in my mother’s bed, to no avail. However, since then I was hooked on horror. I graduated to sneaking out of bed and watching Creature Feature to experience Frankenstein, Dracula and many more as possible before getting caught.
This thirst for the thrill of fear escalated to my reading various masters of horror to include Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Frank Peretti, John Saul to name a few. My obsession didn’t stop there. I became interested in true stories of mayhem and horror also and started to watch shows that told of ghostly tales, murder mysteries and serial killers.
How did this insatiable need to be thrilled by fear help in my writing?
Little did I realize that the digesting of all of these villainous materials rapt with evil men, women, real life killers and ghostly beings would assist me in the development and understanding of creating the villains for my novels.
More Halloween reflections
So for this Halloween, realize that the thrill of the fear for some is real. Don’t become so desensitized to horror or evil that you become unsympathetic when something horrific truly happens. However, when you are enjoying the excitement that a good scary movie brings, and something creepy and crawly slithers across your feet … enjoy Halloween, a time to be frightened.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
TEEN LOVE – “Does a teenager really fall in love?”
I was hunting around on my favorite writer’s hang out on AW (Absolute Write Forums) and the topic of teen love came up. The question alluded to, ‘Does a teenager really fall in love?’ My honest opinion, why couldn’t they?
QUALITIES OF TEEN LOVE
I remember being in love as a teenager only about three times. Yep, three times. Each love was so fascinating, intense, exciting, all-consuming, and obsessive. I would write the boys name in my notebook over and over again. I would think about them every free moment of the day. When I kissed that boy, it felt as though he was the sun and the moon of my very life at that time.
If I could bottle that up and sell it, it would be called LOVE POTION #9.
QUALITIES OF ADULT LOVE
For me, love as an adult, was a lot slower to burn than teenaged love. As an adult, I only allowed myself to fall in love with one person. The difference between my teen love and my adult love is drastic. As an adult, I was cautious, skeptical, held back a lot of myself until the guy proved that he was trustworthy, worth my time, interesting enough to hold my interest, and sexy enough to keep me attracted.
Did it have the intensity of teen love? No, not because I didn’t feel the things I felt for my love as a teenager. I was just too jaded, mistrustful, and too smart to let anyone consume me that didn’t show that they were truly interested. Not to mention, the end of those teenaged love affairs were just too darned painful.
MY ANSWER TO THE QUESTION
Yes, teenagers can fall in love. All love starts out as an infatuation. It starts with attraction, hunger, excitement, the chase, and hopefully ends in true love. True love, which consists of trust, passion, comfort, attraction, bonding, and most of all friendship. Love is worth the ride whether it ends badly or last forever.
In my case, one of my teen love’s became my adult love, who is my best friend, my husband and so much more than I ever could have imagined. Yes, at times I do allow myself to feel all those things for him I did as a teenager, but my adult ways still makes me cautious to let it totally consume me.
REFLECTIONS ABOUT LOVE
My motto is and will always be, live your life and enjoy the adventure of it all. That means, that whenever love is lost or you stumble along the way. Get up, dust off, plaster a smile on your face and focus on the exhilaration of the experience of love, of life, of failures, of pain, of recovery, and the adventure and experience of being able to live, learn, and to have loved.
QUALITIES OF TEEN LOVE
I remember being in love as a teenager only about three times. Yep, three times. Each love was so fascinating, intense, exciting, all-consuming, and obsessive. I would write the boys name in my notebook over and over again. I would think about them every free moment of the day. When I kissed that boy, it felt as though he was the sun and the moon of my very life at that time.
If I could bottle that up and sell it, it would be called LOVE POTION #9.
QUALITIES OF ADULT LOVE
For me, love as an adult, was a lot slower to burn than teenaged love. As an adult, I only allowed myself to fall in love with one person. The difference between my teen love and my adult love is drastic. As an adult, I was cautious, skeptical, held back a lot of myself until the guy proved that he was trustworthy, worth my time, interesting enough to hold my interest, and sexy enough to keep me attracted.
Did it have the intensity of teen love? No, not because I didn’t feel the things I felt for my love as a teenager. I was just too jaded, mistrustful, and too smart to let anyone consume me that didn’t show that they were truly interested. Not to mention, the end of those teenaged love affairs were just too darned painful.
MY ANSWER TO THE QUESTION
Yes, teenagers can fall in love. All love starts out as an infatuation. It starts with attraction, hunger, excitement, the chase, and hopefully ends in true love. True love, which consists of trust, passion, comfort, attraction, bonding, and most of all friendship. Love is worth the ride whether it ends badly or last forever.
In my case, one of my teen love’s became my adult love, who is my best friend, my husband and so much more than I ever could have imagined. Yes, at times I do allow myself to feel all those things for him I did as a teenager, but my adult ways still makes me cautious to let it totally consume me.
REFLECTIONS ABOUT LOVE
My motto is and will always be, live your life and enjoy the adventure of it all. That means, that whenever love is lost or you stumble along the way. Get up, dust off, plaster a smile on your face and focus on the exhilaration of the experience of love, of life, of failures, of pain, of recovery, and the adventure and experience of being able to live, learn, and to have loved.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
TUESDAY TEASER - EXPLORER X – Alpha (comes out 2/2010)
This scene takes place during Aadi’s rescue of Eirena from a cruel race named Femoh, on the planet Shrenas where she and Aadi crash land.
Aadi thought of Eirena and called out to her mind again, “Eirena! Fight! Fight!”
Aadi went forward for a physical attack, and although he was still a bit shorter than the Femoh, the power he felt throughout him refused to let him feel weak or inferior. He went for the neck of the Femoh standing ahead of him and pushed the poison that he held deep within and the image of its painful, sharp burning through the veins of the Femoh he held in a strangle hold. The Femoh looked to be in deep pain, but it would not submit. It punched Aadi in his face, and another grabbed his arms from behind. Aadi was determined to destroy them and kicked the Femoh in front of him in the stomach. With power he barely held at bay, he jerked his arms free from the Femoh that held him. Then, he turned around and punched it in the neck. He jabbed his fingers into its eyes without mercy, and it fell to its knees. Aadi kneed up into his jaw. He didn’t wait to see it fall as he followed Jantik in the direction of the huge blast they heard down the hall.
Eirena heard Aadi’s voice yell through her mind, and she had pushed all the power that she had used to bury her pain out of her stomach and through her hands, feet, and eyes, which threw Finul and the Femohs standing between her and the door down to the ground. The power surged through her like a river of fire. It hurt, yet felt addictive. She would kill them all, and now! She broke her binds, pulled the power back within her, and jumped up to stand. Her pain was forgotten as revenge, anger, and hatred at her tormentors filled her soul. The Femohs that remained standing attempted to rush toward her. She pulled deep at that power source of her pain and forced it out through the palm of her hand, knocking her attackers back against bars of the cell that held her. She walked over to Finul, who had just recovered from her first blast, his head moving from side to side. He looked up at her and smiled.
“My turn, Finul!” she said clearly in the tongue of Shrenas. He looked surprised and terrified at the realization that she knew his name in his own language. She kneeled on his stomach while keeping his colleagues at bay with the power filled surge from her left hand. She took him by the neck and started to use the power within her to choke him.
“You love giving pain? Well, I am giving it back to you!” she said as she concentrated on the feeling of the knives and the acid that had burned her skin brought forth a red beam that caused Finul to cry out in a dying pain. He started to seep blood of silver into the granite floor of the cell as Eirena heard someone yell her name.
“Eirena, don’t kill it! Stop!” Aadi screamed. He jerked the cell door open, grabbing Eirena around the waist. With no time to think about what the change had done to her, he secured her over his shoulder. He had to get them out of there alive and without any of them being captured. The remaining Femoh ran off in terror, and Finul lay unconscious and bleeding from his ear, eyes, and nose.
“No! He will die now!” Eirena yelled breathing hard with her determination to finish the deed.
“Eirena, there are millions of them. We need to go! We are in danger here!” Aadi said as he pulled Eirena up, holding her waist, adjusted her on his shoulder, and grabbed a shocked Jantik as he ran in hyper-speed through the hallway, jumping up out of the sinkhole from which he came. Eirena was too stunned by Aadi’s speed and too relieved to see him to fight to go back and finish killing her tormentors. However, as she let him carry her over his shoulder, she promised herself she would kill a lot more Femoh before they left this miserable planet.
Aadi thought of Eirena and called out to her mind again, “Eirena! Fight! Fight!”
Aadi went forward for a physical attack, and although he was still a bit shorter than the Femoh, the power he felt throughout him refused to let him feel weak or inferior. He went for the neck of the Femoh standing ahead of him and pushed the poison that he held deep within and the image of its painful, sharp burning through the veins of the Femoh he held in a strangle hold. The Femoh looked to be in deep pain, but it would not submit. It punched Aadi in his face, and another grabbed his arms from behind. Aadi was determined to destroy them and kicked the Femoh in front of him in the stomach. With power he barely held at bay, he jerked his arms free from the Femoh that held him. Then, he turned around and punched it in the neck. He jabbed his fingers into its eyes without mercy, and it fell to its knees. Aadi kneed up into his jaw. He didn’t wait to see it fall as he followed Jantik in the direction of the huge blast they heard down the hall.
Eirena heard Aadi’s voice yell through her mind, and she had pushed all the power that she had used to bury her pain out of her stomach and through her hands, feet, and eyes, which threw Finul and the Femohs standing between her and the door down to the ground. The power surged through her like a river of fire. It hurt, yet felt addictive. She would kill them all, and now! She broke her binds, pulled the power back within her, and jumped up to stand. Her pain was forgotten as revenge, anger, and hatred at her tormentors filled her soul. The Femohs that remained standing attempted to rush toward her. She pulled deep at that power source of her pain and forced it out through the palm of her hand, knocking her attackers back against bars of the cell that held her. She walked over to Finul, who had just recovered from her first blast, his head moving from side to side. He looked up at her and smiled.
“My turn, Finul!” she said clearly in the tongue of Shrenas. He looked surprised and terrified at the realization that she knew his name in his own language. She kneeled on his stomach while keeping his colleagues at bay with the power filled surge from her left hand. She took him by the neck and started to use the power within her to choke him.
“You love giving pain? Well, I am giving it back to you!” she said as she concentrated on the feeling of the knives and the acid that had burned her skin brought forth a red beam that caused Finul to cry out in a dying pain. He started to seep blood of silver into the granite floor of the cell as Eirena heard someone yell her name.
“Eirena, don’t kill it! Stop!” Aadi screamed. He jerked the cell door open, grabbing Eirena around the waist. With no time to think about what the change had done to her, he secured her over his shoulder. He had to get them out of there alive and without any of them being captured. The remaining Femoh ran off in terror, and Finul lay unconscious and bleeding from his ear, eyes, and nose.
“No! He will die now!” Eirena yelled breathing hard with her determination to finish the deed.
“Eirena, there are millions of them. We need to go! We are in danger here!” Aadi said as he pulled Eirena up, holding her waist, adjusted her on his shoulder, and grabbed a shocked Jantik as he ran in hyper-speed through the hallway, jumping up out of the sinkhole from which he came. Eirena was too stunned by Aadi’s speed and too relieved to see him to fight to go back and finish killing her tormentors. However, as she let him carry her over his shoulder, she promised herself she would kill a lot more Femoh before they left this miserable planet.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Pre-Order EXPLORER X - Alpha (YA Sci Fi) novel & get discount http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ISBN=0984198903
Thursday, October 8, 2009
HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE A SUPER HERO?
HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE A SUPER HERO? How would you become one in real life?
Alright, I admit it; I want to be a super hero. Never mind the fact that I am a grown woman with kids. I have always wanted to be one. From the first time I saw Wonder Woman, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be beautiful, alluring, and strong enough to do any sized opponent some real damage.
I’ll even admit that at my five feet stature, I feel like a super hero inside. I believe that because of this desire, this fantasy, I started to make this a real possibility for me in my life.
HOW DO YOU BECOME A SUPER HERO IN REAL LIFE?
There are lots of ways we humanoids can become super heroes in real life.
I have become one by being what today’s society deems as a ‘Super Woman’. I work full time and part-time while being a mom, a wife and kicking out a novel in four months in which I live my super hero fantasies out on paper. My friends tell me that I am not normal, however doing all of these things seem completely normal to me. It is who I have conditioned myself to be.
My husband became a ‘Super Man’ when he was driving home one night and saw an accident up ahead of him. He actually jumped down a hill and over a guard rail, to turn over a three hundred pound man to give him CPR. Although he didn’t save the man’s life, he was instrumental in doing so because he tried too.
My cousin Armor (yes that is his real name) became a ‘Super Boy’ when he and his brother were playing with friends in the woods behind their home. One of the boys put a fire cracker into a gas can. Well my younger cousin Aaron went to check on the impending explosion and it blew up in his face. My cousin Armor, although typically not a strong kid, picked up his brother and ran him all the way home. His parents weren’t home at the time, so he called 911, and put his screaming brother under cool running water until the ambulance got there.
Anyone can become a ‘Super Hero’ you just have to find your gift, your strength and realize that you too can make a difference, save a life, and enrich yours at the same time.
Alright, I admit it; I want to be a super hero. Never mind the fact that I am a grown woman with kids. I have always wanted to be one. From the first time I saw Wonder Woman, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be beautiful, alluring, and strong enough to do any sized opponent some real damage.
I’ll even admit that at my five feet stature, I feel like a super hero inside. I believe that because of this desire, this fantasy, I started to make this a real possibility for me in my life.
HOW DO YOU BECOME A SUPER HERO IN REAL LIFE?
There are lots of ways we humanoids can become super heroes in real life.
I have become one by being what today’s society deems as a ‘Super Woman’. I work full time and part-time while being a mom, a wife and kicking out a novel in four months in which I live my super hero fantasies out on paper. My friends tell me that I am not normal, however doing all of these things seem completely normal to me. It is who I have conditioned myself to be.
My husband became a ‘Super Man’ when he was driving home one night and saw an accident up ahead of him. He actually jumped down a hill and over a guard rail, to turn over a three hundred pound man to give him CPR. Although he didn’t save the man’s life, he was instrumental in doing so because he tried too.
My cousin Armor (yes that is his real name) became a ‘Super Boy’ when he and his brother were playing with friends in the woods behind their home. One of the boys put a fire cracker into a gas can. Well my younger cousin Aaron went to check on the impending explosion and it blew up in his face. My cousin Armor, although typically not a strong kid, picked up his brother and ran him all the way home. His parents weren’t home at the time, so he called 911, and put his screaming brother under cool running water until the ambulance got there.
Anyone can become a ‘Super Hero’ you just have to find your gift, your strength and realize that you too can make a difference, save a life, and enrich yours at the same time.
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