Mock Trial

Yesterday was the start to Mackenna's Mock Trial competition. She's a prosecutor and doing the closing statement. This is her freshman year so we had no idea what to expect. It was really interesting.

The case involves domestic terrorism and a sovereign nation citizen. Bomb maker, linguistic professors from Stanford, mushroom picker... It's pretty interesting to see the kids get into character when they hit the witness stand.

Mackenna looked very lawyer-like in one of her suits, black pumps with heels and panty-hose. It was hard to believe this young woman standing up and and saying "Objection!" was my daughter! I was very proud.

Lawyers are the jury and go over notes with the students after each trial to help them learn from the experience. Later today, they'll find out how they did with each time they go to trial. I believe each team tries the case three time against other schools.

Not sure I'll make it back to the Clark County Court House for the final case today, but I was so glad I attended her two cases yesterday.

Have a great day!

A Slow Start

I had wanted to get into an exercise routine back at the start of the new year. I miss doing Crossfit, but wasn't sure I was up for going back since I can't do anything where my wrists are at a 90 degree angle (give or take a few degrees) so that means no push-ups, burpees, etc.

Of course, getting sick in January and then having the deadline in February meant everything, including exercise took a back seat. So with March right around the corner, I'm going to try again! The kids are dying to go skiing. And I want to climb! Anything has to be better than what I'm doing now...which isn't much!

Are you working out? What's your fave thing to do?

Wish...

I've wished from the very same thing. I've gotten the wish, too. Not quite as dramatic as the pic to the right, but hey, however a kitten shows up is good, right?

My wish at the moment is for one of my older cats, Rocket, who is Spirit's brother, to keep eating. He's nearing the end of his journey with me. He'll be sixteen in April. I have had him since he was tiny. A new supplement really perked him up this past week, but the vet warned me it could be a day or a month or so that his conditions takes a turn for the worse. He has liver cancer. So we're enjoying our time with him and spoiling him rotten.

Do you have any wishes?

Yawn...

I must admit this is how I feel this Monday morning. Chalk it up to a busy three days at the swim meet, trying to keep up with what the rest of the family was up to while away then catching up when we arrived home!

The swim meet turned out great for Finn: 5 personal best times (and one disqualification) in individual events. He moved up his seed ranking in all but the DQ event! His two relay teams dropped time, too. We had some nice mother/son bonding time, too!

The girls had a better results at Sunday's dog show than Saturday's. Rose placed 4th in Juniors with Piper, an Australian Shepherd. Mackenna didn't place in Juniors, but showed Grand Finale in Breed and received Winners Bitch and Best Opposite!

Last night, when we were all back together, we had pizza and watched the Oscars! I loved the Les Mis song. I was happy with the results for the big awards, too.

How was your weekend?

Swim mom

Hubby has the girls, cats and dogs this weekend. Me? Finn and I are heading to Corvallis for the Short Course Championships aka State. This is our mother-son weekend. A long one since we're leaving tonight (Thursday) and won't be home until Friday. Three days of swimming for him. Three days of being a swim mom for me.

I'm taking two of my RITA books and my complete manuscript. My revision letter arrived from my editor. Needless to say, I'll have lots to keep me busy in between his six individual events and 2 relays this weekend!

I'll be back on Monday! Until then, I hope you're having a great day!

Walking away

I wish my cats offered to walk away yesterday. Instead, stacks of folded laundry and piles papers I've organized toppled like a house of cards. I won't even go into my TBR tower of books and how much fun the cats have with that on a routine basis.

And then they look at me with an "what-I-didn't-do-anything" stare that cats have down pat!

I'd happily offer treats, tuna or salmon, whatever they'd like if they'd just walk away.

So my trying to check things off my list continues. I made one run to the post office yesterday to mail the five packages I'd managed to get together. I have more to do today. I finished one of my RITA books and started another. The new one is by an author I hadn't heard of and I was laughing out loud at various points. I love when that happens. And more cleaning. Yuck!

I'll be back at it today!

Enjoy your Wednesday.

To do

Now that my manuscript is with my editor and I'm waiting for revisions, I feel a lot like this picture:

The white cat is my To Do list. I'm the deer!

I've pushed so many things aside due to Christmas, then the book and sick animals. It really feel like my To Do list is chasing me. I'll admit I'm running away from it.

Some of the stuff on the list isn't fun to do (cleaning or organizing, anyone?) but I am going to take one thing at a time and hope I can get to most of it before revisions come back.

Better get to it! Hope you have a great Tuesday!

Done!

I emailed the complete of the final Hood Hamlet series book! Such a relief to be finished. Of course, I'm only really starting since I have to wait for revisions then after that page proofs!

But getting this complete in was a big deal for me. I love this series so much, but writing about a character who's been in my head for six years meant he took over, and sometimes in a big way. I'm normally a stick to the synopsis type, but Bill Paulson didn't agree with that. Needless to say, I'm a bit nervous what the revisions might be. Only time will tell!

Not much else to say except now I can get caught up on giving out the giveaway prizes, sending autographed books and cleaning. All things that got shoved aside the last few weeks so I could write!

My weekend was spent writing until my head hurt. What did you do?

This...

I can't speak for other writers, but what to know what it feels like to be in the final days right before a manuscript is due?

Hubby would agree with the LOLcat. The kidlets, too. The good thing is the feeling doesn't last. By the time Monday rolls around I won't be feeling like this! Can't wait!

Hope you enjoyed your Valentine's day! I sure did. Lunch out with hubby. Cards from the cats and dogs. Some down time with my kids last night. A couple phone calls with friends.

A very nice day!

I thank my editor for that. I don't have to send the manuscript in today so I could celebrate Valentine's Day without being in a mad panic to keep working! The book will be emailed to her this weekend, instead!

Enjoy your Friday! I'm going to make the most of mine!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I can't believe it's February 14th! Wasn't it just New Year's day?

Yesterday the kidlets got their Valentine's cards together. Rose is passing out wild animal cards. Finn made LEGO Anakin ones with a glo-bracelet for the Lightsaber that I found on the Internet. Mackenna didn't seem that interested in cards or anything.

My day will be spent writing and with hubby! He's in town so I want to make the most of that and celebrate the day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Do you have any big plans?

Respect & Honor

More than a hundred US Navy SEALs pounded their tridents into Chris Kyle's coffin at his burial yesterday. Pretty much all that needs to be said.

Not Again...

My tummy hurts, too. My nose is congested and the nose bleeds started last night.

But I'm on deadline and this happens every single time, even when I make myself go to bed before midnight each night. Guess it's part of my "writing process." I think I'll see if I can change that part.

I'm also going back on Whole 30 starting tomorrow. Figured Lent would be a good time to do it again!

Are you giving anything up?

Cave Writing

I wish I had an editor kitty who fixed plots and helped me make my deadlines. Unfortunately I have spoiled kitties who don't understand that mommy needs to write and think I have all day and night to give them love.

Thankfully I'm being disciplined. The deadline is only days away so I'm retreating into my writing cave.

Must. Get. It. Done.

Of course, the cats are coming with me. They go everywhere I go. Well, if I'm in my house and I've yet to find an actual cave where I could have an unlimited supply of ice tea, snacks and WiFi.

Do you have any thing you must finish?

On the news...

Not me. I'm too camera shy to want to be on the news.

But Rose, my youngest, wasn't shy about it at all!

When we were at OMSI yesterday visiting the new Mythbuster's Exhibit, a news crew from KGW 8 showed up. My little girl took one look and the camera and told me she was going to get on the news.

I told her go for it.

Well, she did.

The first child's voice you hear in the beginning of the clip is hers, and she was also interviewed on camera along with a friend of hers.

When she puts her mind to something, she does it!



If you look close enough while she's being interviewed, my son is in there, too. And his friend, Hayden, is the one who was interviewed about the tablecloth trick!

So if you're wondering if they enjoyed the fieldtrip yesterday, the answer is YES!

Friday!

I haven't been blogging or on-line much. My latest manuscript is due next Friday so I've been saving all my words for the story!

I wish I could spend my Friday writing, but there's a field trip to OMSI I've got to take the kidlets, too. I'm bringing my MacBook just in case I can find a few minutes to write. The last two weeks of a deadline are always like this, but I've got a very sick cat (Rocket) and am ready to be finished. Even if it means closing the book on Hood Hamlet literally.

What have you got going on this Friday?

Weddings

I am writing, writing, writing. Trying to get the middle part of the book where it needs to be and also write a few of the missing chapters. I have until next Friday. I keep telling myself that's plenty of time.

The one thing I can't wait to write is the wedding scene. Not between my current hero, Bill Paulson, and heroine, Grace Wilcox, but the wedding of Leanne and Christian from Firefighter Under The Mistletoe. My current work-in-progress is the last book in the Hood Hamlet series so I figured there really should be a Christmas themed wedding. And everyone will be there, including Cocoa and Rex from Snow-Kissed Reunion, my free on-line read at Harlequin.com.

Speaking of a themed wedding...

I love all Star Wars. I figure if hubby and I ever renew our vows I want to do it on the balcony where Anakin married Padme in Attack of the Clones. Yeah, I'm a total Star Wars geek/fangirl/whatever you want to call it. But that happens to be at Lake Como in Italy which would be a lovely place to have a second honeymoon.

BuzzFeed had an article called The Most Insanely Detailed Disney-Themed Wedding Ever. They aren't kidding. You can see the pics here. Wow! The bride and groom must really be huge Disney fans, like the biggest fans ever. What do you think? Which bridesmaid or groomsman would you like to be?

Oh, and that Lake Como vow renewal thingy I want to do someday with hubby. It wouldn't be that much like the scene at the end of the movie. Why? There wouldn't be droids for witnesses!

 Have a great day! I need to get writing a wedding!

Super Bowl Sad Day

My team lost. Rose's team won. That about sums up Super Bowl Sunday for me.

I did think the meme to the left was hilarious. Much funnier than some of the commercials shown during the game.

I did like a few of the ads: the Budweiser one that I posted here on Saturday is still my favorite. I also liked the Paul Harvey "Farmer" for the Dodge Ram Truck. I must admit I got a little teary eyed over the Jeep-USO commercial. Very touching and I couldn't stop thinking about our adopted service member being separated from his family.


Part of the reason I wasn't into the game was my sadness over the murder of former Navy SEAL and American Sniper Chris Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield. Chris is the NYT Bestselling author of American Sniper. I'd learned about Chris through SOFREP. They have a great video series called Inside the Team Room where three former SEALS talk about their experiences pre-during-post teams.

Chris Kyle was larger than life, but also humble.  When you listened to an interview or show or read something he wrote, it was like talking to a friend. Some of the people on SOFREP were fortunate to know Chris. Many of us hadn't met him yet you still felt like you knew him because he was so open about things. If you're at all interested in learning more about SOF, especially SEALs, check out the episodes.

During one show, Chris talked about doing more to help service members. I can't remember exactly what he said (and with lots of episodes I don't have time to rewatch them all while on deadline) but the doing more part resonated with me. It spurred me to find a way to do more than just say "Thanks for your service" when I see a  service member or veteran somewhere. That's how I discovered Soldiers' Angels, an organization that helps soldiers, wounded warriors, veterans and families. It's been a wonderful experience for my entire family. More than once I started writing an email to thank Chris only to be interrupted. I really wish I'd just taken the time to thank him before because now it's too late.

There's a lovely tribute written by Eric Davis, Chris Kyle's sniper instructor and friend. Click here to read the post at SOFREP.

Chris Kyle not only served our country, he wanted to give back after leaving active duty. He helped numerous veterans. He helped law enforcement. He helped civilians.

He sure helped me and my family realize we could do a little something ourselves, far away from the battles in Afghanistan being fought in Operation Enduring Freedom. If not for Chris Kyle, I would never have thought about joining a group like Soldiers' Angels. It just wasn't on my radar screen. I'm so glad and thankful it is now!

RIP Chris Kyle, a true hero and a great American. I regret not saying it before, but I'll say it now.  Thank you for your service and keeping us safe and getting us involved. Your family, friends and teammates are in our prayers.

Awwww....

I'm in the midst of deadline panic. I'll have the ALA recap on Monday. In the meantime, I'll leave you with what is already my fave Super Bowl 2013 commercial. Seriously, I can't imagine any other ad being better than this one. Take a look...



How sweet is that?

Oh, and I totally spaced on announcing the new blog contest winner. So sorry. With hubby not feeling well and needing to get Spirit back to the vet and a book to write, I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

The winner of a $10 gift card to Amazon or BN.com (winner's choice) is Dru who commented on my post December Contest Winner! Dru, please use the Contact button on the menu bar above to send me your email address and where you want the gift card from. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Instead of a gift card this month, I'm going to be doing something else as a giveaway. I'll have at least one, maybe two, shorter length contests.