I was working on those edits when my youngest daughter elected me to have Thanksgiving at my house.
I wasn't all that keen on the idea. I had a book to promote, another to edit, and I wanted to get the house decorated for Christmas before my oldest daughter and her soldier husband came home for the holidays.Mike's in the army and stationed in Germany. He and Jennifer haven't been home for Christmas since 2008. And Jennifer hasn't been home for Thanksgiving since 2005. Jennifer told me they were flying home just before Christmas. And Lauren's room was still purple. So, after Lauren drafted me to host Thanksgiving, she got her boyfriend to paint her old bedroom.
It's now a soothing color called "beach."
Lauren even promised to come over to help clean the morning before or family Thanksgiving luncheon, but she overslept...or so she said.
No problem. I got the house cleaned, got the food cooked, and was ready for my guests when Lauren called to say she was running late--not at all unusual for my youngest. She's always running late.
The rest of my family arrived on time and were sitting in the living room talking when I saw Lauren's car pull up in the front yard. I figured the driveway was too packed for her to park in her usual place. So,I went to the front door to open it before she knocked. I figured she'd have her hands full with the food she was bringing for our Thanksgiving feast. But when I opened the door, I found my oldest daughter, Jennifer. The daughter who was supposed to still be in Germany until December 23.
Lauren had been hiding her away in her apartment for three days.
I've never been so surprised in my life." target="_blank">
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| my beautiful daughters |
But now Thanksgiving is over and Jen is still here. I love having her, and her husband will be joining us a couple of days before Christmas. But visiting with her put me behind on my edits. Which, I finally completed late last night. Now, I'm patiently waiting for the art department to create the cover for Embrace the Darkness. And I'm trying to get ready for Christmas.
Then there's the day job. I work as a mammographer in a local hospital and everyone wants to get everything done before the end of the year when their deductibles start over. So, I've worked late almost every night since Jennifer's been home.
Life is hectic right now. And expensive. Besides holiday shopping, I had to spend over $500 on my car when it stranded us at a gas station as we were heading home from visiting my husband's family for Thanksgiving. Luckily, I have towing on my insurance policy and Lauren's boyfriend had driven separately so he could go to a race after church. The race was just a 1/2 hour drive from where my car stranded us. So, we didn't have to wait long to get rescued and we had bathrooms and coffee. Everything I needed for a cold November night stuck in a car with my husband and 2 grown daughters. We even played Monopoly on Jennifer's I-phone while we waited.
And now, the plumber is at my house, fixing a leak under my sink. There goes another couple hundred bucks! But I don't want to get so caught up with money, or the lack there of, that I can't give people meaningful gifts--even if I have to spend a little less this year. And I don't want to get so caught up in making holiday plans that I forget to enjoy the season.
Christmas shouldn't be so stressful. Hectic yes. Stressful, no. So I just need to slow down, take time to smell the Christmas tree (even if it is fake!) and enjoy my daughters' company. Life is too short. And Christmas 2013 will be here before you know it...unless the Mayans are right and the world ends on 12/21/12.
Then, none of us will be here for this Christmas. So, why am I even stressing? Time to enjoy the most hectic, chaotic, wonderful time of the year.So, before the world ends, share your most surprising holiday story for a chance to win an e-book of Helpless Hearts.
What a precious surprise you had for Thanksgiving! You have so much to be thankful for, even though your life has to be very hectic with all that you do and accomplish. You are amazing and so is your book, Helpless Hearts! WOW!
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to being with my family on Christmas!
Hugs!
Rebecca
Thanks for all you do Becky to support my writing. You're the best!
ReplyDeleteI actually don't find Christmas, or the lead up, to be hectic or chaotic. I am an organized kind of person, but I think it's more because I just follow established family traditions.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Mary, I love traditions. I used to follow them as well and I miss that. But now that my siblings have children and grandchildren of their own and my girls are grown with lives of their own, I find myself trying to work everything around everyone else's plans. Even my folks are having to change the way we've "always" done things to work around everyone else's plans. But at least we're still here and still getting together for the holidays, and that's what's important. Right? Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a wonderful surprise! I've been enjoying the holidays so far but I've never gotten a surprise quite like yours. Congrats on the books. As part of your "support group,"I have no problem hosting self-pubbed titles, so if you ever want to guest on my blog, let me know. I host every genre. lisarayns@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Lisa! I'd love to guest on your blog. You can contact me at lillygayle@gmail.com.
DeleteSince "turnout" was so light on the blog, I'm sending Mary and Lisa ecopies of Helpless Hearts. Becky, I know you've already read the book so I'm sending you another heart-felt thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy review on Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, Library Thing, and Facebook!
ReplyDeleteLilly Gayle has written another blockbuster book titled HELPLESS HEARTS. This time she has written a romantic western that has all the elements that will keep the reader spell-bound from the first page to the last and still wanting more.
Lilly Gayle tells a story of the American frontier of the Old West with true outlaws, such as the Younger and James gangs and of a fictional gunslinger, a doctor's assistant, a sheriff, and an outcast young mother due to a rape. Their lives are entwined with realistic hardships and challenges.
The book begins with an old-fashion gunfire by some drunken cowboys and a young woman on a runaway buckboard. The woman is Juliana Rogers, the sheriff's fiancee, and her rescuer, the sheriff's deputy, Noah Sinclair. Noah comes back to his hometown, Redemption, and works for the sheriff and his best friend, Avery. He had left town hunting for his father's murderer and due to the circumstances became a gunslinger. Juliana was a young lass who worked with her father as a medical assistant during the Civil War. She fell in love with Noah all those years ago, and now he has rescued her from the drunken cowboys.
During his traveling the west, Noah had crossed paths with the James and Younger gangs. Word had spread that the Younger gang was in the territory. Noah decided to find and join the gang, so that he could discover their plans. After he headed out on this mission, Juliana was kidnapped by the Younger gang.
Here's an excerpt from HELPLESS HEARTS:
Avery reached for the folded paper with a shaking hand. He blinked several times and then handed the note back to Noah.
"Just tell me," he said with a weary sigh. "I can't seem to focus on the words." Noah took the note and slid it into his pocket. The Youngers have her, Cole says he'll release her unharmed if you leave the town unprotected for the next twenty-four hours.
This storyline becomes a thrill-seeker, a very romantic conflict between Noah, Juliana, Avery, and Natalie. What an astounding action-packed read that kept me throughly entertained, just as I have in reading every book that Lilly has written.
You're the absolute best, Becky! Thanks for posting it here too.
ReplyDeleteGlad to do it! Hugs!
ReplyDelete