Author Interview

My first blog author interview.  Thank you so much Mandy Eve Barnett for taking the time to talk with me.  Remember this post?  She’s one of the great ones!

View my interview here on Mandy’s Blog!

http://mandyevebarnett.com/2015/03/05/welcome-newcomer-meriann-boxall/

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Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

It has been three years since you left me. Three years since I last talked with you. Three years.  So much has happened in these three years.  So many things.

  • Your grandson was born.  He’s incredible Mom.  He’s funny and sweet.  He was born without you.  He had his first bath without you. He crawled, he walked and he is finding his words.  He had 2 surgeries and one very scary time in the hospital with an illness.  I needed you.  He needed you. You weren’t there.
  • I quit my job.  The one that I loved.  I am home now, with my kids who need me more.  You would be so proud of me.  You always told me that I would be able to make it work and I do.  I work a lot of a little jobs but we make it and my kids are happy.  I figured it out now, even though there were so many times I grabbed the phone to call you, to discuss, to talk.  You didn’t answer.
  • I’ve run hundreds of miles. I’ve flown thousands. I have taken lots of classes and read lots of books.  I would have loved to share my journey with you.
  • I’ve written more books, and have a story that is actually published.  You didn’t get to read it.
  • I’ve learned to cook so many things that you would have loved to eat.  My small one loves to cook too.  You never got to try them.
  • I’ve moved.  I live in a home that I love, in a place that I love and that you would have too.  You’ve never been in my home and I have no memories of you here.
  • My Honey Cuffs are helping kids.  You helped me make the first one, but you didn’t get to see the patent in my hands.  You didn’t get to hear all the people they have helped.  You missed this.
  • Art has  new job too.  He’s good at it.  I am proud of him.  We would have even more in common and something to talk about.  We can’t share this.
  • Your granddaughter can read now.  She dances lovely.  She loves to sing and is so sweet mom.  She would make you laugh.  She hasn’t got to hear your laughter in three whole years.

I haven’t got to hear your laughter in three whole years.  People say it gets easier.  People lie.  I have learned to adapt my life.  It’s just my life now, with a piece missing.  A mostly complete puzzle.  I notice the piece is missing. I imagine what is there and I put that forward, a whole puzzle to the world. That piece is still missing. I always miss you.  Some day’s it is easier than others.  But there are times, Mom, times when I want to scream. Times that I feel are just so hard that my soul seeps right out through my eyes.  Times when my heart misses you so much that it balls up in my chest and I realize in those times that life just isn’t fair.

Sometimes the hard times come when I am least expecting them.  Sometimes it’s when I am cleaning my house.  When I am dusting off your ashes.  Keeping them clean so that somehow in my heart I can feel like you are watching over me, over my kids, but sometimes it just feels too hard.  There shouldn’t be dust on you.  You should be here.  I am thankful I have that memorial in my home.  My most treasured place includes you, my mom.  But then I miss you, we circle, and I just feel like crying again.

It happens every time my sidekick makes a wish.  Pennies, stars, eyelashes, and candles. Every one is a wish for Mimi to come back.  Every single one ends in tears.  How can I teach about dreams and hopes when I always have to say, “try again”.  How can I say it’s a beautiful world when she remembers everything. She remembers you and she misses you.  We all miss you.

It happens when I smell something that reminds me of you. It happens when I read a good book that I want to share with you. It happens with I get worked up and angry over something someone said and I know you would have a reasonable suggestion for interpretation that isn’t evil.  It happens when I drive, when I used to call you.  It happens on the boat. It happens when I sing, dance, or play your guitar.  It happens when my kids do something awesome that I know you would have liked. It happens today, on your birthday, on mother’s day, on my birthday, and the whole Christmas season.  It happens all the time. I miss talking to you. I wish I could talk about you more.  People skip the subject, they don’t want to see me cry.  They don’t want me to be sad, but the reality is, I like to know others remember  you too. I need to talk about you.  Three years gone. Three.  Where have you been?  I still need my mom. You have missed so much and we miss you too.

I love you Mom.

Love,

Me

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A Celebration of Mother Earth

Because we need no reason to party, but like to find them, my sidekick insisted on a birthday party for Mother Earth on Earth Day.  It turned into quite the day.  We started with a neighborhood cleanup walk.  “Mother Earth is probably very happy right now.” was the consensus.

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Also a statement or two about, “This is what a garbage man must feel like all day” were made.  Increased respect.

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We recycled our crayons by placing them in a mini cupcake pan.

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We tried to put them in the sun, but the clouds rolled in, so instead we popped them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 5 minutes. Time to color!

image4 (3)We made an attempt for a view of our pretty valley, but it was so smoggy and rainy today that it wasn’t a photo moment.  But we came back home and had Pizza, because it is round, and cupcakes from the Easy Bake Oven for dinner. (because it was for the kids and we like smiles)  We sang “Happy Earth day to you” with friends and shared some gratitude for the place we live.  Happy Earth Day!

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The Most Beautiful Things

“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.  Live your life so that when you die, the world cries, and you rejoice.”

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When I was younger I remember wanting to so badly to be an artist.  I practiced really hard in hopes that I would be one of the lucky ones.  I colored, a lot, and even rented books about art from the Bookmobile (the mobile library).  It wasn’t in the cards for me.  Even my stick figures looked like, well, sticks.  No good.  I still loved art though I am always fascinated by the talented ones.

I also like good people.  When I find a genuinely kind and honest person I try to keep them around for a while.  Those people are the ones who deserve the most in life, but they give so much it never shows.  I know one of those people and his name is Matt Wolf.  He is not only talented but is one incredible human being.  Just looking at his paintings you will find yourself somewhere lost in history, connected with the earth and our ancestors in one of the most beautiful ways humanly possible.

His paintings are magical.

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See what I mean?

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I just had to share.

You should see more of his work.  Check it out herematthewwolffineart.com.  Support him, share his talent.  He is one of the great ones. I feel lucky to have seen his beautiful work and even more lucky to know him!

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A Day at the Masters: A Beginners Guide

We were lucky enough to draw out in the lottery for tickets to the 2015 Masters Practice Round.  We were so excited. It ended up being a great tournament where Jordan Spieth started and ended with lead, tying the record for the lowest scoring round.  He knew on Monday that this would be the outcome.  I caught this shot on the practice range.

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Before we went I did a lot of research, like I always do, and found that there are some, but not very many personal accounts with thoughts and ideas.  We really didn’t know what to expect-but that we would be in awe.  I wanted to share our experience for anyone who finds themselves in our shoes in the future and wants to know what to expect.

We stayed in Atlanta, however, we heard that Aiken SC is a great place to stay and also if you are lucky you can find some chain hotels in Augusta for a reasonable price.  We opted to drive and it wasn’t that bad.  We left the hotel at 5:15 AM.  We hit it just right.  We thought about maybe waiting a little longer and after we arrived, we thought maybe that would have been okay, but I think we hit it perfectly.  We got to Augusta right at 8 AM.  The freeway and all of the side streets get backed up, so it takes a while, just be patient and go with the flow.

There is plenty of free parking if you get there on time.  The lots did fill up but we got a great spot very close by arriving at 8.  It may be surprising I know, but they have done this a lot.  They have parking and the gates down.  We pretty much walked right in through the gates.  Just make sure you read the rules and expectations because we saw a few people that they turned around because they didn’t dress appropriately, brought chairs with arms, or bags that were way too big.

Practice Day was awesome! It was so relaxed, we got to see the whole course and a bunch of players.  The best part-I got to take my camera and get incredible shots like this:

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It was unreal.

Everything I read told us that as soon as we get there to go and shop.  So we found the main gift shop, waiting in line for about 20 minutes (even though the line was so long we thought it was going to be an hour)  and bought all of our merchandise.  We then ran it back to the car so we wouldn’t have to pack it around.  It worked well for us, but we missed something.  We missed the Chicken Biscuits.  By the time we were done shopping and made it to the concessions they were all out.  It was so sad.  I was looking forward to it.  The lines were about the same at the merchandise later in the day so I guess you just have to decide what is most important.  Next time…I’m going for the biscuit.

We walked the course.  The good part about being there earlier, it was slower.  It seemed to get busier in the day and people did follow the best players.  There are a lot of great places to sit, so for us, we didn’t bring a chair and it worked out just fine.  If we were to go on a tournament day we may follow others to set up a chair at 18 before walking around, but for a practice day there are a lot of grandstands and even an awesome grass area above 16 that you can sit and watching the skipping contest.  That was so much fun.

We walked a lot surprised by just how hilly the is.  Even the fairways have hills-really.  It’s wonderful.  Sometimes you get to see the up and coming and if you catch them just right they may even return your wave.  He did even though I missed it on camera-hoping for a great future for him!

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We also found that at the green on 5 and the tee box on 6 was a great place to watch because you could move from one to the next and it wasn’t too busy.

Of course, make your way to Amen Corner.  It’s too beautiful to resist and the shape of 13 blew me away. TV just doesn’t do this course justice.

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Make sure to try the pimento cheese and the egg salad sandwiches.  Both are awesome and I personally enjoyed the moon pies.  Sweet Tea and Beer are all so reasonable you need to have at least one of each, plus this allows you to take home the souvenir cups that are dishwasher safe people-see they know you are going to be taking them home.  Cheapest souvenir of the day!

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Once you see the course, head back to the practice range (unless there happens to be someone playing that you really want to see). I wish we would have spent a little more time here.  There are plenty of places to sit and lots of opportunities for really great pictures of the players.

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Most of all, take it all in. Don’t stress.  As I said before they have done this so many times it goes smoothly.  We thought we were going to be late and miss everything but we didn’t.  We saw it all-in all of its glorious beauty.  I can’t wait to go back again. It’s magical.  Enjoy the journey.

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My Grandma in a Book Review

I should be visiting my grandparents today, but instead I am home, with my kids with a cold.  Instead, I am finishing a story about my grandma, well a grandma at least but she sure seems a lot like mine.  This story made me reminisce about the wonderful lady that she is.  It made me think of the life lessons that she has taught me.  It made me laugh, it made me cry, and mostly it made me wish that my grandmother was not starting to get tired.

Without further ado I introduce my grandma and the book: A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck.

I spent near as many dinners around her kitchen table as my own.  She was quite the cook. I asked her one day how she became such a good cook and she said, “I just wanted to really bad, so I worked at it.”  That’s how she lived life.  If she wanted something she worked for it herself.  She put in the time. Nothing was free and nothing was owed to her.  She cooked to feed her family (and the neighborhood kids, and the people from out-of-town) not for show.  I would put her pies, candy, bread or cakes up against anyone in town.  One of the only things I see differently than the grandma in this book from my own.  She would never cheat another.  It didn’t matter if he was a “no good rascal”.

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Grandma made us work.  Sometimes we didn’t like it, but looking back now I am grateful for the time I spent with her.  I spent many afternoons helping her bag and deliver “Peggy’s Ice”.  I helped in the garden and in the yard.  I learned some basic cooking skills and learned that dishes get cleaned right after dinner, “they are harder to clean if you let them sit and people will hang around anyway so you can still talk after your done.”

Grandma said what she thought.  It took me a long time to learn that she didn’t mean to hurt others, she just didn’t like what they were doing.  The thing is, she was so respected and well liked that they valued her opinion.  Gossip didn’t often happen around her kitchen table, yet she knew everything about everything.  I guess those were just conversations in honesty.

I remember one time when I ran away from home. I have no idea why, but I headed up to Grandma’s house.  My mom quickly followed and I remember when my grandma opened the door she said, “She’s here, but I think she just needs a minute. I’ll bring her down the road in a few minutes.”  She didn’t say anything to me, just gave me a few minutes, then she patted my back and said it was time to go home, and I went. I knew I could always trust her, that I mattered, and she would do anything for me.

We spent many nights at Grandma’s too.  Sometimes it was planned but sometimes it was unexpected.  On those nights, Grandma would pick out each of us one of her silky shirts and put them on us to sleep in.  She called them “twirling shirts” and would have each of us a give her a good spin before she tucked us into bed.

I can talk to my grandma about anything.  One time after I was telling her about a particularly selfish person, she said, “You don’t need to make room in your life for people like that.  Really all that matters is family and love.”

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She knows a lot about love my grandma.  She tells you she loves you, but she also shows you. Most often this comes in the form of food at her table, but she also would sew things, or ask you to help her grab something from the storage so she could just talk to you and tell you she loves you.  She always had ice cream and I can’t count the number of times she held my sprite while I took a sip through a straw when I was sick.  If you were leaving town, she expected a call to know you got home, if she didn’t get one, she’d call you and remind you that “I was in a dither because I didn’t know how you got on.  You make sure to call me okay.”

She also taught me about love in the way she loved my grandpa.  She was always there.  Always.  She supported him, in the best way she could and that was in taking care of him.  Grandpa said she didn’t like the tractor much, but that she liked to be with him, standing next to the fence watching him work the field.  She helped drive the truck to get the cows on or off the mountain and she always made sure his belly was full.  The ultimate care-taker.

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Grandpa would do much of the fishing and hunting but I would not have put it past her to put on her overalls and take us illegal catfishing if it meant that we (or another) would have food on the table.  She would just chalk it up to taking care of her people.

She taught us the broom trick in her kitchen when we were young.  She did it then and showed us, not just told us.  A few months ago when showing our own kids the broom trick in that same kitchen, she said, “well I think I can still do it, maybe I ought to give it a try.”  We convinced her otherwise, but I wonder if probably she still could.

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She loves animals, she hates them, she loves them.  She always complained, but she is the lady that feeds the neighborhood cats.  She still talks about Benji the weiner dog she had when we were young.  She always let her kids rescue animals even though she said she wouldn’t this included dogies, goats, chickens, cows etc. etc. etc.  She has a cow in her field that she can see out her back window that doesn’t have a hoof on one leg.  He is a resilient cow who is still doing just fine.  She tells me how sad it is to see that even in the world of cows, those that are different are left out.  This black cow waits to eat last, often lays alone and just goes through life trying to get by.  The cows in the field will one day be meat on the table, but grandma says, that one has to go to someone else because there is no way she can eat him.

I learned to play poker with buttons at her kitchen table.  Spoons too.  and hopscotch. She also showed me how to climb trees and what real sun tea tasted like. I learned to make candy in her kitchen.  She fired me once, but last time I made taffy with her she said, “I am done firing people,” but she reached her hand over and took the spoon from mine and said, “but maybe I better take this right here.”

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She’s a tough old bird.  If I ever needed backup in a fight, Grandma would be the one to call.  She loves me fiercely and wouldn’t hesitate to “box their ears” if she thought they deserved it.  She’d pull out a paddle cutting board and pound it on her hand and say, “that’ll end that.” Sometimes I thought she was going to box my ears too.  I had a hard time seeing disappointment from my grandma.  I thought sometimes she was too hard on me.  I think she just really saw that I could do so much more and that I should.  She expected that of me, because I was hers, her genes made me after all. She didn’t want me hanging out with “rascals” and often asked “well why didn’t you do something else?”  The older I get the more I understand.  The more I love and respect her willingness to say the hard things.  I admire her strength, her courage and her toughness.  Too often I think I worry about how things will make people feel without realizing that the true honesty in life is just another form of love.

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I love when she says, “Oh Hell.” Or when she says, “I love you.”  She has been known, with her hands aside my face, to say “You are special, a very special girl, a very good mom.”  She will say, “I am so proud of you, proud you are mine,” and most recently I even caught a “She can eat my shit” when someone made her feel sad.  Like I said, she always says what she feels.

So to my grandma-World’s Best-thank you for your wisdom, your wit, your all around funny, loving, kindhearted self.  I am so proud you are mine.

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If you want to laugh at a grandma like mine, you really need to read this short, very quick read A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck available here.

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Pre-Order: The Plague Legacy: Assets

Christine Haggerty, author of the Plague Legacy is about to release the second book in the series: Assets.

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If you remember, this post, you will know that I loved the first book, Acquisitions, in the series and I can hardly wait to jump into the second of the series.

Plague Legacy Acquisitions Book Cover

You want to pre-order Assets at just 99 cents and sign up for her newsletter here, you will get an extra special treat.

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While you wait, here is an excerpt to get you excited:

Ben leaned back again and shifted his eyes to Cam. “Name?”

“Cam.”

“No, no,” Ben shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Here we do it right. Just ‘cause we’re slaves don’t mean we don’t have manners.” He sniffed and held out his hand.

Cam took it. The old man’s skin was as dry and thin as paper.

Smiling, Ben pumped Cam’s arm. “Mister Benjamin Tanner. And you are?”

“Cameron Landry.”

“Well met, Mis-ter Cam-er-on Lan-dry,” he drew out each syllable. “Welcome to my fine establishment. The smell of manure is exceptional here, ripened to perfection. We live with horses and detest housecleaning. You understand, I’m sure?”

Not sure what else to do, Cam nodded. “Nice to meet you, Benjamin Tanner.”

“Please,” Ben released Cam’s hand, still speaking as if he were someone else, “do sit.” He pulled an overturned bucket away from the wall.

Cam sat on it, shifting his butt around until he was as comfortable as he figured he’d get. “What about the dog?”

“Kitty?” Ben took on a new accent. “Nine lives, this one.” He stooped and scratched the dog’s tall ears. “She had ‘er throat smashed by a Regulator, she did. A mighty ‘eart without a bark,” Ben grinned.

Offering the old man a tight smile, Cam reached out his hand and bit his lip while Kitty sniffed his fingers. After a moment, she nudged her nose under his hand. “My friend was attacked by dogs on the trip here. The bite wounds got infected,” Cam’s throat tightened.

Ben’s bushy white eyebrow shot up. “He died, eh?”

Cam nodded, the memory stealing his voice.

“You said you were hungry?” the old man’s voice returned to his normal pitch and he took another drink from the bottle.

“Starving,” Cam’s stomach rumbled, the fish from Styx’s warehouse long gone.

“Well, I ain’t got any food,” he held out the bottle, “but I got my own special brew.”

“No, thanks,” Cam looked at the door, his thoughts on Myla and Jax.

“Waiting for someone?” Ben walked past Cam to the door and opened it. He looked outside, then banged it shut, the liquid in his bottle sloshing from the vibration. “Nobody there, rookie.”

“My friend is a mutant. She came here with me.” Cam watched as Ben busied himself at the iron stove. Kitty jumped onto the cot and watched, her ears pricked high.

Heat blasted into the room when Ben popped the doors, raising the temperature from hot to sweltering. Sweat ran down Cam’s back and soaked into the waistband of his shorts. Flinching in sympathy when a couple of sparks landed on Ben’s bare thigh, Cam’s throat tightened as Ben rammed a branding iron into the flames.

The man stumbled as he stood, and Cam caught him before Old Ben fell against the stove. The old man was as light as a child, as weightless as his paper-thin skin. Settling Ben on his feet, Cam sat back on the bucket. “What did Charyn mean when she told you that Valiant will expect to see me here in the morning?”

“If you’re gone, I get whipped.”

“Whip you?” Cam was surprised. “Why?”

Ben shrugged. “Basic crowd control. Most people are willing to risk their own punishment for something they want, but they won’t risk hurting someone else. Slavery 101.” He pointed at Cam. “Consider that the beginning of your education in Salvation. Next course is all about pain.” Ben played with the end of the branding iron.

Cam felt the blood drain from his sweating face. “What if I don’t care if they hurt you?”

“Oh, you’ll care,” Ben smiled, showing off a row of crooked yellow teeth. “I’m pretty fabulous.”

More About Christine Haggerty:

Christine Haggerty Bio

Christine Nielson Haggerty grew up in rural Utah with three brothers, a sister, several chickens, a goat, and an outhouse. She always loved the escape of fantasy and the art of writing, and her passion for life is to craft stories of strength and survival.

 

As a former high school language arts teacher and a black belt in karate, Christine has found a niche in combining those skills to help authors write effective fight scenes.

 

An award-winning young adult author, she writes the dystopian The Plague Legacy series and the dark fantasy fairytale novella series The Grimm Chronicles.

 

 

Links for Christine Haggerty

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/beFp-P

www.christinehaggertyauthor.com

www.wattpad.com/ChristineHaggerty

Facebook: Christine Haggerty, Author

Twitter: @chaggerty99

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Christine-Haggerty

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7468114.Christine_Haggerty

Author’s Combat Academy: www.authorscombatacademy.com

 

The Plague Legacy: Acquisitions (Book 1)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Plague-Legacy-Acquisitions-Christine-Haggerty-ebook/dp/B00H15COZQ/ref=la_B00H1YLN4A_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387591586&sr=1-1

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/19103425-the-plague-legacy

Fox Hollow Publications: www.foxhollowpublications.com

The Plague Legacy: Assets (Book 2)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Assets-Plague-Legacy-Christine-Haggerty-ebook/dp/B00U93JR6Q/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Pretty Things (Grimm Chronicles Book 1)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Things-Grimm-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B00TC0UPMM/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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Country Quiche

I have always been intimidated by the Quiche.  I have never made one before now.  Thanks to a fun cooking group I am apart of we were encouraged to make a quiche.  I combined a few recipes and tried some things of my own and it turned out great.  The kids even liked it.

Mostly, I wanted to share it because then I get to be the one that says, “I know it’s quich-e but I had an “egg” cellent time making this.” Yep, I just said that.

Anyway, without further ado, the Country Quiche.

Ingredients:

1-store bought pie crust

1- medium yellow onion (caramelized)

5-6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled

1/2 pound hamburger browned (Sausage would be awesome too, but one of my kids doesn’t like it so we did hamburger-more mild)

1 package of frozen spinach (cooked)

8- large eggs

1.5 cups heavy cream

2 cups cheddar cheese (grated)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Start by preparing the ingredients (caramelize onions, cook and crumble bacon, brown hamburger, cook spinach) I added the bacon in with my onion.

Flatten pie crust and place in deep dish pan lightly greased.

Then beat eggs and heavy cream together. Add Salt and Pepper.

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Combine all ingredients together and pour into pie crust.

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Cover with Foil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

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Slice and Serve and proceed to make corny jokes.  Enjoy!

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Old Love

He sat upright in his chair.  Cancer causing pain to pulse through his bones.   If he just held still, he could keep it at bay.  She came to him, aged beauty, and fluffed his pillow.  He patted her hand.  Years of care-taking, years of love.  When he looked at her he saw babies, family, and meals in the kitchen and from a cooler on the mountain.  When he looked at her he felt whole, seeing more now with his heart than his eyes.  She was unwell today.  She was his wife.

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His body said there was nothing he could do, but his soul reached for her.  The love in his heart was stronger than the pain crushing him now.  He should call for help but instead he held her hand and walked her to car.  He drove blind to the Doctor.  He was her man. She his responsibility.  This old farmer had one more ride.  One more time to care for his bride.  The cancer made him angry, made him mean, but his heart still pulsed for her and when she needed him most he answered the call.

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An Introduction to a Great New Friend: Dutch Hollow

Today I was brave.  I have been enjoying running-especially on trails and have been wanting to try my hand at Dutch Hollow.  I have seen so many incredible pictures and memories made, but I was always waiting for the right time, or the right invite at the right time.  That doesn’t often happen with my crazy scheduling. There is also something a little intimidating about running someplace like this without a whole crew.  A few weeks ago I joined a group of runners for a full moon run and had such a great time.  I had put off going for so long, worried that I would be the slowest one there, or that I wouldn’t be able to go the distance, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the group was full of runners of all levels.  It gave me great confidence in myself as a runner that no matter the level if you run, you too are a runner.

I decided to venture out and up, on my own today.  I can do this….  Although the distance isn’t long, It’s up.  I caught myself smiling. I arrived at my first peak.  The view was beautiful and my heart was filled with such joy.  I sat on the top of the hill for a minute and reminisced about the many trail runs I went on with my mother.  She was full of such badassery that if you looked up that word in my hypothetical dictionary, I am certain it would say next to it: “Lucy”.  I felt a little like her on the top of that peak.

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It wasn’t enough though, I decided to push on through the mud, ice, snow, dirt, slick rock and even grass to another peak, just so I could see the other side.  Whew….breathtaking.

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I love this.  I am looking forward to pushing myself to more distance and more challenge. I love the course and the active aspect of a trail run.  I love the climb.  This is my jam…..

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What a beautiful day.  My shoes were screaming “No More” but my heart was saying bring it on.  Loved this.  So blessed I live where I do.  image4 (1)Selfie overload…but hey.  Looking forward to many more runs in this beautiful place I call home.  Also to many more thoughts/runs with my mom.

On that note. image5 (1)Too soon?

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