Tagged

Struggling Writer tagged me for the Random 7 meme. You all know how it goes, I'm sure. I post 7 random/weird things about myself.

1. I have the pointiest tongue of anyone I've ever met. It's like a skewer.

2. Even in my youth running has always been difficult for me. I just seem to get exhausted before everyone else. After having an EKG done last fall my doctor suspects I have a thickened heart wall, which makes my heart have to pump harder to keep oxygenated blood flowing. Knowing this new limitation is validating and I'm now training (slowly) for a 5K. This is a huge deal for me. Yesterday it took me 48 minutes to do 3 miles, 25 of which I spent running.

3. I broke my leg when I was three, my shoulder in 3rd grade, my arm in 4th grade and my wrist in 5th grade. All through the 6th grade we kept our fingers crossed and I did actually end up in the emergency room for what we thought was another broken bone. Moral of the story? Drink your milk, kids.

4. When I was 17 I was in a play and on closing night it was pouring rain. A huge puddle had formed in the parking lot of my school and my friends and I played in it until we soaked through. Then I realized I had to take my friend and myself home. To avoid soaking my car seats we stripped down to our underwear. The moisture from our bodies made the car fog up and it was raining so hard I couldn't see the lines on the road. I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of getting in an accident or getting pulled over while wearing nothing but see-through underwear. Luckily, I did neither, but it was a nerve-wrecking drive.

5. I have auditioned for American Idol twice.

6. I brush my teeth in bed almost every night. I never rinse after brushing my teeth because I like to keep the fluoride on them, so it has sort of evolved that my husband brings me my toothbrush in bed while he's brushing his own teeth.

7. In 1999 my best friend won the MTV show called Say What Karaoke. For part of his prize he got to go the Y2K MTV party with a guest and he took me. This photo is from the MTV archives. I'm the girl on the front row who looks like she just heard a good joke. I think I was thinking (Holy Crap, Christina Aguilera is RIGHT THERE.) I also touched Gwen Stefani's shoes that night and the shirts of all the members of Blink 182. Good times.

Also, this is your last day to post a comment on the next post to be entered for the prize! I'm not tagging anyone, but if you think this meme is fun then do it. (I think it's fun.)

I'm BA-aack!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

First of all, yesterday was my birthday. As many of you know, my sweet sweet man compiled a book of tributes, memories, compliments, etc. from my family and friends. All in all he was able to get 64 individual contributors! I was especially touched that he took to the time to seek out some of my blogger writing buddies. Thank you to those who included your thoughts and well wishes. It was the most amazing gift I've ever been given. What a superb day. I wish I could bottle that feeling. I need a bumper sticker that says "My Man is Sweeter than Your Man."

We're in. The house is put together and we are finally feeling normal again. Soooo, that means Hoodie's back in business. I'm having honest to goodness withdrawals. I miss my associations in the blogosphere and my creative juices have gone rancid with no outlet. My NaNoWriMo book which was pushed even further back than just the back burner has been niggling its way back into my mind, with fresh ideas in tow, and I find myself feeling excited about returning to that project. I've got some plotting to do, but leaving the idea to stew a while has been beneficial.

So, to celebrate my return, I'm having a contest. It's very easy. In the comment section leave me your answer to this question.

If you had only one fiction book to lend to family and friends, what would it be AND WHY?

My answer would be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I really like Science Fiction, but have a hard time with hardcore SciFi that seems to focus more on the Sci than the Fi. Heinlen and Asimov are too much for me, no matter how hard I try to enjoy them. I'm always drawn to character stories over idea or milieu stories. Of all the books I've ever read, this is the one I come back to over and over again. Card's writing style appeals to me greatly. There are some of his books I like more than others, but I've enjoyed them all. He has an ability to interject humanity into the most outrageous of circumstances. It really draws me in.

So, if you leave me a comment with your answer by this Friday, May 2 at 7 PM, you will be entered in a drawing. Winner comes away with your choice of a spankin' new paperback copy of Ender's Game or $5 at Amazon.

Okay, GO!

Bloggers!

My family of four (1/2 of which is 5 or under) have been living in one bedroom in my sister's basement for three weeks. (Add up all the numbers in that sentence and get a prize!) We've endured an array of viral illnesses during that time and my insomnia has come in like a lion (much like the entire month of March here; A fresh layer of snow arrived last night).

However, if life really is a highway then we have left the orange cones behind and set the cruise to a comfortable speed. We found a house and will be in it in less than two weeks. My sister and her family are out of town, which decreases the stress levels in the house and all the hard parts of the moving process are over. I'm really looking forward to our new location which will be 5 miles from DH's office and .5 miles from the elementary school.

If you've not seen a comment from me on your blog, however, it's not my fault. My sister has internet controls set and if content requirements are not met, I can't access certain sites. Chris, Jaye, Vanilla, Minx and others, I shave my finger with my other finger at you.

Two little weeks, baby. I can't wait.

Pack It Up

Well, first I'm thrilled to have landed fifth place in Jason's recent contest. What a confidence booster.

Now the real fun begins. Today is packing day. I'm surrounded by mounds of boxes, moving supplies and piles of stuff that leave me wondering, "what the heck do I do with this?"

So, until I've found myself another house (we'll be living with family for a couple of weeks) I don't really plan on posting. I will have computer access, so I'll try to visit y'all. But consider me officially on hiatus.

So I leave you with a question to fill your days with ponderings until our next contact:

What do you consider your best training for writing? Where have you honed your skills? School? Critique groups? I want to know what has had the biggest impact on your learning to write. Feel free to expound liberally.

I did it.

With all the shanigans and goings on (read sucky moving) I was in possession of enough brain cells to throw together an entry for the contest. My posting will admittedly be sparse for the next month or so, but don't write me off completely. I'll still visit ya'll now and then and I promise to get back in the swing when I'm no longer homeless. :)

9 days on the market. We're feeling very very blessed.

Now I can focus on packing and moving.

And entering Jason's contest.

News That Moves Me

I'm sorry to have been absent.

Remember this post?

Answers have come forward. It's actually pretty funny.

My husband had been looking at a job possibility and we had told some local friends about it. We know them through church and they knew us well enough to know that taking a new job and moving far away is something that we would consult God about through prayer. Our clever little friend sent the letter in an effort to humorously cast a vote about whether we would take the job or stick around. He just did such a good job that I didn't consider it to be them. Once we found out it was their doing the letter went from strange to quite hilarious.

Alas, however, my husband was offered this job and we have decided to take it. Right now he works in public accounting which anyone familiar with the field will tell you is a high stress/many hours job. It's not all that family friendly. So he has taken a job with a private company 900+ miles away. Fewer hours, more money and much closer to our families. It's pretty win/win.

However, they need him right away. So he will begin work there in two weeks and the kids and I will move out two weeks after that. In the past few days it's been a mad scramble to get the house on the market, get it showable and take care of many many details so that all will sail smoothly in a few weeks. We are excited and stressed. The job will be great, but the transition makes me a little nervous.

I shall try not to leave you postless.