One more highlight

John graduated High School on the 20th. He earned a district GPA of 4.0. Yes, Mom got misty when she heard them call, "Honor Graduate John David Ware..." *sniffle*

Busy week last week!

The highlight (or lowlight) of the week was James smacking himself in the eye with his BB rifle. You remember the movie, "A Christmas Story," where the kid is warned he'll shoot his eye out? No one warned him he could tear his retina whacking himself with the scope, now did they? But James managed to do it and had to undergo laser surgery to fix the tear. He's back to normal and rejoicing in school being out.

I finished another short story - this one a ghost story - and sent it off to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. I started another story today, but may tear up the beginning and start again...not sure. I keep having to tell my internal editor to shut up while writing and it doesn't always listen very well. :-)

Saturday I was awakened to the sound of hammers - they've begun enclosing our carport. They have the walls up (no sheetrock, siding, or insulation, just wood) and are now waiting on the electrician to do some wiring. Don't ask me when all this happens - I just live here. :-)

I don't understand it...

Past couple of days I've been feeling a little down. Part of it is I'm sure fatigue - I'm still a little tired (jet lag maybe?) and maybe part of it is coming away from an intense experience.

Yeah, I need to post about the workshop at some point. Trying to internalize some stuff with it, and trying to catch up on home front (laundry is becoming a critical issue).

Anyway, I figure I'll find my sunny side soon.

I'm baaacck...

After some intense days at a Short Story Workshop in Oregon. I just worked on a column about it, and flirted with going over my word limit because it is almost impossible to describe it in 600-700 words.
Will give details another time - right now it's late for me and I'm still a little sleep deprived (also had my allergies flare up while in Oregon and working to settle them down). Short version - it was an awesome experience and I wish I had gone to one sooner.
More later -

Offline until the 17th

Ahhhh!

As I type this I am sitting in an Internet Cafe at a Disney resort hotel.

Don had been planning to take a play day off today after doing some CME. He noticed I was stressing out some with my assigned reading and other stuff - I've been getting headaches from the eyestrain we think.

So yesterday as we got ready for services he said, "Why don't you come with me?"

I said, "whoa, I have to finish this reading - I don't have TIME for the Disney thing!"

He said, "You don't have to go to Disney - just relax in the hotel room and finish your reading. No one can find you there and no one will bother you."

After thinking about it I decided why not?

So here I sit, feeling happy and relaxed with less then 200 pages to go on my reading and wondering why I almost said "no" to this!

Did I marry a great guy or what?

Congrats to my grad!

This evening our local congregation had a reception for those young people who are graduating from high school this year. This includes my oldest, John, who is graduating with honors though he has made it clear he'd rather skip the graduation ceremony. He wanted to skip this reception, too, but Don and I stuck to our guns and said he had to go and let people fuss over him.

We've been at this congregation since 1995, so many of the people here have watched my children grow up. They tell me I have good boys. I know John hates the attention, but I love it when the older people come up to him and tell him what a fine young man he is.

We were supposed to make a poster with pictures and lists of John's accomplishments. Don took over the project and did a super job with it. One of my favorite baby pictures was on it (John on a rug with nothing on but a towel) plus his graduation pictures among others.

John has been accepted to the Honors Freshman class at Freed Hardeman University (small Christian college in Tennessee).

The congregation gave each graduate a Bible dictionary. John got a stack of cards (and I know many of them have money in them) among other things.

I'm proud of him. He hates hearing that, but I am.

Yay!

It looks like the surgery I had for sleep apnea is having a positive effect. Don says I am snoring less, and when I don't take my sleeping medication I sleep better then I used to without meds (though I still sleep better with medication - duh). There are several people in my congregation who are watching how this goes for me and if it is successful my doc may be getting some new patients. :-)

Ok, now I didn't mean to hurt feelings...

People, my friends ARE a part of my life. And I value my relationships online and off. Let me give a few more details on recent events...

-- As I have indicated earlier in this blog, I have been up to my ears in getting ready for a writer's workshop next month. This has entailed a huge amount of reading - I have one more book to go after I finish the one I'm in (less than 100 pages to go in it!) and the last book has over 600 pages in it not to mention small print.

-- Our preacher's wife, who is also our church secretary, has been very ill. In fact, she has been in and out of the hospital this past couple of weeks and is back in scheduled to undergo some rather major surgery on Monday. That has meant somebody has had to step in and take over at least some of the office duties. My other name is apparently Somebody.

Please be understanding and patient with me right now. Swamped is a good description of how I feel some days, and it's not that I value any of you less. :-)

I will get back to normal - give me time.

Oops

Didn't realize how long it had been since an update. See what happens when you have a life?
Will do a better update later...gotta run.

Ow

Ok two days with some pain that hopefully will result in some gain.

Yesterday - minor surgery in my mouth to deal with sleep apnea. This required spraying something vile tasting in my mouth to start the numbing process, then THREE - count them - THREE shots into my soft palette. This was supposed to numb me completely, but I swear I felt the last two of the three posts they inserted go in - the poor nurse got her hand clutched very tightly.
Well the day after surgery I'm still a little sore but not as bad as yesterday. I can eat normally without pain which is a big plus.

Then today James and I went to get international immunizations (the whole family is going to Guyana on a medical mission trip in July). We had to go to a neighboring county because no one where I live did these shots. Because it was a county health department we had to wait a while.
Well, I wound up having to have three shots, which included a tetanus shot because I couldn't remember when my last one was.
So sore arm and sore mouth - don't mess with me :-)

Yet ANOTHER personality test...

I was rated "Schindler's List..." You?

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Blah

Got hit with a stomach virus I tried to ignore for 2 days. It won today. Stayed home from church, my total food intake consisting of Crystal Lite (food just doesn't sound good today). I feel like a blob, I don't want to do ANYTHING but lay around and vege.
Blah.

What kind of writer are you?

Got this off my friend "The Merry Piper's" list. It says I'm a plot writer, but I have to think about that one a bit...


You're a Plot writer!

What kind of writer are you?
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I want my hour back!

I hate Daylight Savings in the Spring. They take away an hour without asking if I NEED that hour for sleep or something else.
It's so silly anyway. Do we really have to do this anymore? Or are we so bound to tradition that we do it when the reason for it has long passed?
Color me cranky this morning...

RIP Terri Schiavo

The poor woman has passed away. For her, the fight is over.

Thought for the Day:

"A clean house is a sign of a broken computer."

A child's step by step

I've been thinking about this as I watch my 18 year old, John. Even though you can tell when he doesn't shave and he towers over me at 6' 2" (and growing) he still doesn't look like an adult to me. He is still my child, who I once held in my arms and played with.

He is a senior now and can't wait for high school to be over. His college is already selected, and we are making plans for taking him there in August. I'm already telling myself I can't cry until we leave.

When I took him, his brother, and myself to the dentist last week, I had to make an appointment for him that was not with his brother and I. It means he will be gone in less than 6 months.

Each day I watch him take another step away from childhood, towards adulthood and independence. I know it is how it must be, and I will not try to stop it.

But sometimes I think about it and wish I could hug the little boy again.

Writers read...

...and writers who are going to a workshop in 5-6 weeks read a LOT. There is a required reading list for a short story workshop I'm going to attend in May. Seven books. All anthologies of various genres. Someone on the list estimated it was something like 3500 pages.
I had to order 5 of the books - the last 4 arrived yesterday. The six I haven't read yet are now stacked on a table in my office. I am almost finished with the first one and my brain is buzzing with ideas.
We are supposed to refrain from commenting on the books until the workshop, where I assume we will tear them to pieces. So if my online friends wonder where I am, I'm probably sprawled on my bed or curled up in a chair - nose in a book.

Spring Break!

It's Spring Break, which means the boys are off school for a week. That also means I can follow doctor's orders and try to catch up on lost sleep, since I don't have to get up to drive them to school.

I got some good news over the weekend. As some of my friends know, I was slated for a major 2 week Writers' Workshop in Oregon that was cancelled. Well, there was an opening with the same group for a week long Short Story Workshop in May, and I got in. I am now trying to catch up with the rest of the group, which means getting my hands on and reading 7 books by May 7th. I have 2 of them, both anthologies, and they are HUGE. Good thing I love to read...