Writing Challenge #6: Five ways to win my heart are...

And the winners are...

1. Love my Margo...she's a bit tricky but she's the apple of my eye.

2. Rub my feet.

3. Make me breakfast or take me out to breakfast.  I wake up hungry and breakfast is my favorite meal... yummmm... I'm hungry just typing this. 

4. Make chores fun by working on them together.

5. Shovel the sidewalk before you have to go to work in bad weather when I am snuggled inside on the couch  with Hank :-)  Ok... this one is pretty specific to today :-)

Writing Challenge #5: Where do I want to visit?

List 5 places you want to visit:

I want to visit everywhere!

Right now I am feeling a bit more "home-y" and attached to traveling with the family (including Hank when possible) so I'd really like to visit some low-key near by relaxing spots.

1. Deep Creek Lake - I have never been there and I think a cabin for a week with a hammock between two trees sounds lovely.
2. Texas - I've never been out to see my Aunt and her family at their home in Texas and I miss them!
3. The beach - any beach - I just love the sound of the ocean.  I don't actually like to get in the water but that never takes the beach off of my wish list!
4. Chestertown - this is an easy one to check off, it's only a few short hours away.  I get the itch every few years to go back and stroll around what I think is one of the most beautiful college campuses...I may be biased.
5. The Lake District in England - I'd love to wander through the fields where Wordsworth penned his poetry, or sit quietly in one of those spots and read.

Writing Challenge #4: Who inspires me?

This one is easy!  My parents still inspire me everyday...

My dad because he was brave through much adversity, kind and always willing to lend a helping hand, never afraid to voice his opinion but was also fair.  He had a soft spot for kids and animals and a love of nature and camping.  He never let me wonder how much he loved me, I was always 100% aware that I was the center of his world.

My mom because she had the ability to keep all of us straight, she taught me about not worrying about what people think about you, and was truly my best friend as an adult.  She also somehow survived the five or so years of my childhood when I simply refused to sleep at night.

I didn't appreciate it as much in the moment but my parents sacrificed a lot for me...they gave me their precious time when I wanted to be involved in a gazillion 4-H projects, they drove me to all my band practices and competitions, and were there to cheer me and my friends on at every one of them.  They made sure we figured out a way for me to go to the college I had my heart sat on, and then when I was homesick, made sure I had a way to get home on the weekends and back in time for class on Monday.

Thank you for inspiring me every single day that I had with you and every day still! <3

Writing Challenge #3: My Pet Peeves

What are your top three pet peeves:

1. Tailgating - I'm an anxious driver to begin with, when you are close enough to me that I can no longer see your headlights I am not a happy camper and I may start yelling at you even though you can't here me... though my husband who is often on the phone with me via bluetooth can... he loves the random outbursts!

2. Chewing with your mouth open (it's way more about the noise for me than anything).

3. Loud noises before 8 am (truly I don't love loud noises at all, fireworks have never been a favorite of mine...they are beautiful but I wish they would make them quieter!)

Yes I realize that there is some hypocrisy when in my first pet peeve I reference yelling and my second two are about not liking loud things ;)

Writing Challenge: #2 Someone said I...

Day 2: Write something that someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget...

This one is surprisingly hard for me...my parents and role models were fantastic at encouraging me and giving positive reinforcement but I couldn't put my finger on one thing that stood out above all the rest...

So I started a haiku with this first line and the rest just fell out of my mind, through my fingers to the keyboard.

Someone said I was
worthless but I knew better
it was time to go.

Writing Challenge #1: What makes me happy?

Day 1: List 10 things that make you really happy -- here goes, no serious thinking, just listing off the top of my head!

1. My husband - he can be pretty silly :-)
2. My family  - the girls, my nieces and nephews, crazy siblings, awesome aunts, uncles and cousins.  
3. Memories of my parents
4. Hank 
5. Margo (yes some people might be annoyed that they get their own billing when I grouped all of my family together... lol)
6. Time spent with friends
7. Daffodils signalling spring is here
8. A beautiful day for hiking
9. Live music
10. General coziness - warm blankets, hot beverages, crafting, good books...

30 Day Writing Challenge

I love to write, but of late (and by that I mean for several years...ha!) I have had a bit of writer's block. Maybe, not even what would officially be called writer's block, maybe more accurately a time block.  I only ever seem to have little bits of time to do any writing which is fantastic for posting some fun pictures and thoughts about life but I never really feel like I have time to think and really sink my teeth (that is such a weird phrase) into writing.  I also know that's a bit of a cop out, when you make something a priority, you find the time for it.  Alas -- the whole point of this is to say that several of my friends shared a "30 Day Writing Challenge" on pinterest and facebook and I am officially (with this blog post) on board.  Each day is a pretty quick and painless prompt but I hope it will let me stretch my writing muscles a bit and hopefully provide some good blog entertainment.

As always I love feedback!  I would also love to know YOUR answers to some of the prompt questions so please chime in and share :-)

For some beginning inspiration - This was my favorite place to write when I was in college:
https://www.washcoll.edu/centers/lithouse/


... and here is an angst-filled poem that 20 year old me wrote from that third floor window in my favorite writing chair...

On High

I stare blankly

over trees through dusty

third floor windows.

Fourteen afternoons

into nights

protected by the high

back and thick sides

of the pea green

elderly arm chair pulled

right up to the glass

so that I have to climb

in from the side.

Cocked sideways

I let it cradle my limp

body.  My face turns

forward to feel breeze

that flows in from space created

by books wedged

gracefully between sill

and aged wood

surrounding pain.

Happy reading and writing!