Write Away by Elizabeth George

Characters

1. Real people have flaws.
2. We all doubt ourselves over something.
3. We grow and change through events.
4. We all live with conflicts.
   

I am... 24

I am... 24 and...

a worker
a wife
a sister
a daughter
a friend
a granddaughter

I am... me

I am...

a daughter
a sister
a granddaughter
a wife
a mother
a lover
a friend
a dancer
a thinker
a scientist
a reader
a crocheter
a worker
a sinner
a dreamer
a student/learner
a nerd
a techie
a writer
a scrapbooker
a cook
a baker
a cuddler
a hugger
a housekeeper
a pet owner
a crafter
a walker
a jogger
a driver
a kayaker
a caregiver

2009 Spelling Bee

Missy is in fifth grade for this spelling bee.

Unfortunately, she was out on her first word.  As disappointed as I was, I didn't feel too bad about her missed her word:

goatee.

I don't really expect a fifth grader to know how to spell it.  But, apparently, it is fair game and it got her out.  Her best friend made it to the second round, but was eliminated with 'futon'.

Here is the entire list used in our spelling bee:

Round One:

chocolate

balcony

ninja

gospel

canary

frolic

broadleaf

thermal

diplomat

prescription

easel

dejected

goatee

hustle

tutu

reckless

denture

earthenware

topical

chinchilla

forlorn

powwow

spectrum

candidate

Round Two:

hassock

talc

denim

renovate

falsetto

totem

ravel

pragmatic

finale

herbivore

safari

futon

ventilate

tundra

palette

alamo

Round Three:

collage

fatigue

gazelle

portfolio

bequeath

stoic

All words in the third round were spelled incorrectly, except for the winning word 'portfolio'.

I still have some favorite words for spelling bees:

persimmon

pomegranate

muscular

chandelier

Age

I must be getting old.

And I'm OK with it.

Really.

I'm perfectly content to bundle the kids up and let them happily play out in the snow.

Without me.

I gave my blessings and concerns about trying to sled down the gravel driveway with only half an inch of snow.

Good luck to them.

Without me.

I'm perfectly content to get a hot mug of coffee and sit by the window and watch it snow.

From inside my warm house.

Sometimes, it's actually easier to be old....

Sometimes....

Sparkling Iciciles

This morning was spectacularly beautiful.

The temperature was right at freezing and it was raining steadily and heavily so at times.  Normally, these two conditions don't elicit excitement from me, especially in concert with each other.  But this morning was different.  It had one additional factor---ice.

Now, usually icy conditions strike fear into my heart.  And I was indeed concerned this morning.  Driving in icy conditions is about the last thing on the planet I will do willingly.

Presumably, the road temperature was a bit warmer than the air temperature this morning.  Once I found that the roads weren't particularly icy and driving wasn't as hazardous as I feared, I started to look around me.

And I saw the ice.  

First on the bushes, glistening on the stems.  Then on the trees, weighing down the branches dramatically, especially the pines.  Then as icicles, hanging daintily from mailboxes.  Lots of small icicles along the bottoms of the street signs.  All of the trees and bushes were sparkling as far as the eye could see.  Everything was a bit brighter and shinier than usual, despite the overcast skies and the rain.

It was magnificent.

I was still cautious with my driving.  Apparently, not everyone else was.  

According to the radio report, my usual route to work was considerably backed up, due to an accident.  As I approached the intersection to my second-choice route, I found that it, too, was considerably slowed, most likely from those avoiding the main route.

So, I took my third choice in routes to work.

I got in safely and only twenty minutes later than usual.  I fully expect I would have been stuck in traffic much, much longer than that if I had tried to crawl through my first-choice route.

The city had no ice.

No icicles.

No sparkles.

None of that beauty.

The city was five or six degrees warmer than where I live.  Those few degrees made all the difference.

I am so incredibly thankful to live where I do.

The neighborhood was beautiful again this morning, but in a way I don't usually see.

Remember to cherish beauty when and where you find it!