Weekend Coffee Share 6/26/16

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It is time again for weekend coffee share (hosted by Part Time Monster). Join in by creating your own coffee share post with the tag weekendcoffeeshare and/or add to the linkup here.

When you arrive on my doorstep for our coffee date, I greet you warmly with a hug and invite you in. I thank you for coming to my humble home and ask that you forgive my casual attire (hello kitty pajama pants and an old t-shirt) and disheveled appearance. I have missed our coffee dates. I wish that I could say that we have been jet-setting and leading glamorous lives during my hiatus but I cannot. It has been status quo around here: busy with work and kids.

I have laundry running and I am trying to get some housework done. I unfortunately do not have a Jetsons house that cooks and cleans itself. I don’t have a robot maid either. I do have children, though. One of the great things about having older kids is that you can put them to work. They can vacuum and do dishes and the older one can even do laundry. They grumble about it, of course, but I have learned to tune that out. So while they are doing my dirty work, we can chat.

As we sit down with our beverages, I try to resist talking about work. I know you have heard it before, after all. This past week was particularly stressful, making me rethink why I even stay at that job. You indulge me like the great friend that you are. You know that even though I am frustrated, I know exactly why I stay at that job. You know that I just need to get things off my chest.

I would tell you that I took the kids to see Finding Dory this week. We saw it in 3D, which I highly recommend. I am a big fan of Finding Nemo and have to admit that I had my doubts that the sequel could measure up. I am pleased to say that I was wrong. Finding Dory is every bit as good as it’s predecessor. It has an engaging story line, lovable characters, cool effects and a couple of spots that tug at the heartstrings in true Disney fashion. Baby Dory is too cute for words. If you go see it, stay until after the credits are finished for a cute scene that ties into the original.

I would also tell you about our zoo trip last week. It is one of our favorite places so we decided to go since I had a day off work. It was a nice day, weather-wise and the crowds weren’t too bad. We hit our favorite exhibits – the stingrays, the polar bear, the sea lions. Then we went to see the gorillas. This is where things got interesting. Our new(ish) gorilla habitat has the animals completely behind plexiglass at a particular observation point. So they can get quite close to the onlookers. There was one gorilla chilling about 7 or 8 feet from the glass. He almost looked like he was posing and he would occasionally turn his head, look at the people and then look away again. He seemed very relaxed. All of a sudden, he shot up to the glass and banged on it with his fist, making a booming sound. He then spun off and ran in the other direction. There was a collective gasp and the people up against the glass jumped back like they were on fire. A toddler girl started crying instantly.  It was scary. My heart was racing, thudding in my chest. I am sure the gorilla was laughing, proud of his ornery prank.

We would chat about Big Brother. That is my summer guilty pleasure show. I am glad that James and Nicole are back because otherwise the cast is pretty dull.

It is starting to rain and we enjoy listening to it slap against my bay windows. Peaceful.

So, catch me up on you. What would you tell me if we were having coffee?

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Weekend Coffee Share 6/5

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It is time again for weekend coffee share (hosted by Part Time Monster). Join in by creating your own coffee share post with the tag weekendcoffeeshare and/or add to the linkup here.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I can’t believe it is already June! Where has this year gone? It seems the older I get, the more quickly time passes. I have things I would like to do this summer. I want to spend time with my girls and get away from work for a bit… even if it is just day trips. I want to build memories and have fun.

I really want to cut my hair but I don’t know what to do with it. I need a style, something more professional and befitting of my age. I suck at decisions so I just leave it long and style-less. Suggestions are welcome.

I had a Bourbon Brown Sugar milkshake yesterday from Sonic. It was awesome. I see more of those in my future.

I had lunch yesterday with an old friend as she was driving through on her way to Chicago. It was so nice to see her (and her son) and to catch up in person (instead of online as usual).

I think I may have found a new reason to love Vicks Vaporub (or as I like to refer to it, “miracle in a jar”). I have been singing its praises for a long time because I use it as a cough suppressant for my kids. My little one has awful allergies and she gets an unrelenting cough during flare-ups. Vicks on the bottoms of her feet at bedtime (then cover with socks) halts her cough and lets her sleep. It works better than any cough medicine (prescription or OTC) that I have tried. I had read that Vicks also helps headaches so I put that to the test earlier this week. I was laying in bed Thursday night with a headache, unable to sleep. I rubbed a small amount of Vicks on my temples and forehead. After about 20 minutes, the headache was gone and I fell asleep. Now, I had a headache yesterday and tried it again. That time the Vicks reduced, but did not eliminate, the headache. But I figure if it works even some of the time, it could mean less medication and I’m all for that.

What would you tell me if we were having coffee?

 

 

Awakening

 

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In the summer of her twelfth year, everything changed for Melaina.

An outcast in every way, she relished the last day of spring classes. Her mother’s offer of a “girls getaway” deep in the forest away from everything sounded perfect.

As soon as Melaina saw the abandoned cottage, something ancient and visceral stirred inside her. The stones called to her, full of secrets and legends. Intuition. Jumbled no more, her thoughts aligned with clarity. Her destiny was revealed.

Her mother led her inside with a reassuring smile, speaking of spells and potions and enchantments.

Her training was about to begin.

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This is my late entry for Friday Fictioneers. See the other 100-word offerings from many talented authors here.