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 |  It's about adventure! Life, Scouting, Family, writing what else is there? |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 25 OCT 2021: Just a little about me. I've been married for 30 years in NOV this year!! and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys in their teens. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. I love to write, but since I've been so involved with the Boy Scouts program since 2015 (now Scouts BSA since girls were invited to come on board) I haven't written much. I hope to get back to more writing soon, as I'm scaling back my BSA commitment. Update on this: I was able to get out 2 stories that were previously published. The update/publishing is going slow. I like to get out in nature, take walks around Castaic Lake, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bi about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| Welcome to August! I can't believe it's already the 4th! Where has the time gone? THIS WEEK My son had all 4 of his wisdom teeth out last Tuesday. He's 16. A bit young, but he had braces and the dentist didn't want them to come in and ruin all his dental work. He's been a bit sore and it's been uncomfortable, but I think he's on the up side. Yesterday he did some work in his AP US history class. He got all the signatures he needed for his Eagle Project. Today, we need to fix some typos, get one last signature, and turn in his book. Then it's time to wait to for an Eagle court date. WORK Well, I've been working with an EBO trainee this week. EBO stands for Emergency Board Operator and they are the actual call takers who answer 911. She's almost ready to be qualified to go on her own. It won't be long for her now. She's moving to the night watch though. She'll get some good calls there. She's got a good a attitude, but I find after so many, you get a bit jaded. Especially when you learn how RUDE the SHEEPLE are. Tomorrow I work with an RTO (Radio Telephone Operator). She's learning how to talk to the officers on the air. You have to get your RTO qualification before you can get your EBO qualification. When I'm training, it's hard to do my "down time" things at work so I have to do them when I get home. Yesterday, when I got home I think I was a tad dehydrated. I didn't want to do a thing. I couldn't even cook so I took the boys to the local Sushi place. So I gotta ask... What's your favorite Sushi roll? I just discovered spicy salmon and I  it!!I caught up on VICTORIA, season 1. Jenna Coleman is FANTASTIC as young Victoria. I can only find it on Amazon Prime though. Thankfully, my DH has a Prime account for a couple of years. SCHOOL SHOPPING Today, after I get an oil change for my car, I'm off to go school shopping with the boys at the Camarillo Outlet malls. Should be fun. I'm just not a fan of going back to school in mid August. When I was a kid, I went back to school the first Wednesday after Labor Day, and I think that's more practicable. When does your area go back to school? No new news on Journey of the Heart, but as I hear something, I'll pass it along. I submitted "Night of Magic" for the Halloween releases for this year, so we'll see. Have a great week! |
| WDC: Just finished judging the Bard's Hall's entries for July. We had some really great entries and I can't wait to award some prizes!! Gigie and Kiya are cooking something up for the Angel Army for Writing.com's birthday celebration in September. That's always a fun time. The Bard's Hall usually does the Cop Shop and Gigie's come up with something that will be a lot of fun. MOVIES My son returned from Camp Emerald Bay and wanted to see Incredibles 2 last night so we took him. It's such a cute movie. My favorite character was Jack Jack because he smiled a lot and was into causing a lot of mischief. TEETH Today, my 16 yr old had his wisdom teeth removed. He appears to be managing well, but still, I hate the thought he had to go under. We're changing out gauze, drinking water, eating soft stuff and taking pain meds. He's vegging on the couch and watching survivor while I try to catch up on my Internet stuff. LUNCHTIME I'm not much of a breakfast person. Lately, I've taken to eating English muffins, and some fruit and a cup of coffee. I usually pack a lunch that I eat at work, but today I treated myself to a salad. I put cheese, bacon bits, onion bits and corn in my salad and used Ranch dressing. What stuff do you like to put in your salad? I'm open for ideas. AUGUST August is still going to be HOT  in SoCal. We have to stay cool. Gotta work on a plan for that. It's time to register the kids for school. Registrations are next week. School starts 16 AUG. When does your school start? Mid August seems TOO early for me. When I was a kid living in NH, school started the Wednesday after Labor Day. Not much camping planned for August, which is nice. Hope I have more time to organize writing and marketing. Grump out, People! |
| So I'm back......... ready to share some more ramblings. Enjoy! I shared my good news -- Prairie Rose Press will re-publish "Journey of the Heart." I'm very excited about that. I re-read the story to refresh myself. It really is a heartwarming read. World War II is over and Rachel might lose her winery. James is a drifter looking for a purpose in his life. Can Rachel and James find happiness? I have a lot to do as I've neglected my marketing (and writing) due to my scouting activities. I'm first going to work on my twitter presence and try to tweet a least once a day. I have to attend to my Facebook author page and then update my website and then get ready to start blogging again. As I begin to attend to my tasks I'll keep you updated. I'm feeling inspired to write, but not quite sure where it's going to take me. I have a Green Rose prequel in mind and a couple of Sonia character driven shorts. All in due time. WDC STUFF: Gigie aka WebWitch and I are planning our August and Sept contests for the Bard's Hall. Sept will be our "Cop Shop" to celebrate Writing.com's 18th birthday. I always enjoy the Cop Shop. Right now, I'm trying to go through the Bard's Hall July entries. Hope to have some reviews posted soon. SCOUTING STUFF: 9-14 JUL I went to Camp Josepho with my son. He earned the Movie-making, Theater, and Communications Merit Badges. It was an interesting time. There was only 1 cook so I helped out in the kitchen when I could. The food at Josepho was nice. I'm sharing an Old Newsreel about the camp dated 1944. Enjoy! The camp was founded in 1941 and is in the city limits of Los Angeles. Lots of history behind it that I can get into in future entries: SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK While the rest of California burns up, we visited the Sequoia National Park last week, 19-22 JUL. We drove up on Thursday night, and it took about 4 hours. SNP is on the south western side of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain. I believe it is one of the lowest locations where the Sequoia Trees grow. We stayed at Lodgepole Camping area. They have over 200 spots but if you want to get one you have to set your internet for 6 months out and pray. After we arrived, we set up camp, hung out by the campfire and went to bed. I always take a cot when I car camp. I only take a "pad" when I go backpacking. The next day we took a 3 mile hike from the Sherman Tree to the Giant Forest Museum. We saw a deer just sitting next to a sequoia tree minding it's own business. The scouts did the Jr. Ranger program. In the afternoon, the scouts tried fishing in the local creek. The next day we visited a local cave and then the scouts went swimming and tried their hands at fishing again. Sunday morning, we ate breakfast and headed out, arriving home at 230. The scouts did the majority of the cooking and clean up. Friday night we saw a ranger program on night life which was interesting. READING STUFF I finished Stephanie Plum #21. Probably one of the better books recently. I have a bunch on the list to read though.I read "THE GREAT REVOLT" why people voted for Trump and why he won the election. I realize that politics these days can be very divisive, but I try to take the high road. I'm a Reagan Democrat and I'll leave it at that. Currently, I'm reading QUEEN VICTORIA's MATCHMAKING which is interesting. It's how she tried to marry off her grandchild onto the thrones of Europe. And her Grandchildren were definitely colorful personalities. I like to do book reviews, but unfortunately, time has not been accommodating. MISC STUFF: Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephburkhart. I generally don't use Twitter a lot, but I see a lot of benefit in managing a tweet a day. Of course the big question is "WHAT to Tweet about???" I want to get the message out about my upcoming happenings with my writing, but I also want to stay current. That's a challenge because I'm not a "reality" person. I like feel good stories and quirky things that make me laugh. I like Grumpy Cat. That cat is so ugly, it's cute, but honestly, I don't do much in my "real" life that I think is interesting so why would others? I've tried tweeting more often in the past. In the past, I've used Tribeer to get my blogs out and support others, but hardly drove my marketing efforts. I guess I'll go back to the drawing board and plug away. You never know what Tweets become Magic. I discovered we had access to Amazon Prime through our Apple TV so I found "Victoria" starting Jenna Coleman. It's about the early years of Queen Victoria's life. I have to admit Rufus Sewell is PERFECT for Lord Melbourne. COMIC BOOKS One of the scouts likes to collect comic books. I collected from 1980-1997, and then sporadically since then. I love the DC Teen Titans of the time, did Batman and the Outsiders and the Legion of Superheroes. I collected a lot of X-Men books at the time. I guess I'm spoiled on that area of comic books. I'm not a fan of all the changes in the DC universe. Marvel seems more steady to me. I do enjoy a good superhero movie though and I really enjoy'd DC's "Superman" with Henry Cavill, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. I thought Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Ezra Miller as the Flash were inspired choices. Ezra Miller is a fantastic actor. Just rewatched Fantastic Beasts and was blown away by his Credence. That's my July in a nutshell. |
| Guess what? It's still in SoCal. Well, it's that time of year. July is always a SCORCHER here in SoCal. Temps this week are bet 110-115. No sign of relief. Thank you Lawd and Willis Carter for inventing A/C!! Can you believe it's been 18 days since I last blogged? All good intentions, right!! But, I'm back. Like a bad penny to share my drama.  PUBLISHING Good news! Prairie Rose Press has accepted "Journey of Heart" and is going to publish it. I signed the contract yesterday. I'm very excited about this development. They will work with me to publish my other shorts over the upcoming months. Here's a link to their website: http://prairierosepublications.com/ As we go forward with the publishing process, I'll keep you all informed. I hope to update my own social media soon to include twitter, pintrest, my Facebook author page, and website, which have been sorely neglected. As I update my social media, I'll give you all a shout out. I haven't tweeted much, but I hope to get going again. if you want to find me on Twitter and follow me, I'm at: http://twitter.com/sgcardin #writing.com and I'll follow you back.  I think I'll tweet about something. lol!! See you soon with more salacious rumblings from SoCal StephB |
| Well, I missed you for a couple of days. Not like I've been up to much. It's been really HOT here in So Cal. Friday was the worst. The temps got up to 118 degrees. Saturday was 115 degrees. The heat here is mostly a dry heat, very little to no humidity. I suppose if it's going to be HOT then it's best to have a dry heat. LA DWP blew up and over 38,000 ppl lost power. That had to suck for them. I'm very grateful that my AC did not go out. So on Friday, to beat the heat the family and I went to see Ant-Man and the Wasp. Great movie! Perfect blend of characterization and plot. The comedy was really good. I would go see it again. The previews were interesting. Most were "rentals." After that, we went to Buca diBepo for dinner. I tried a chicken dishes and enjoyed the calamari. Saturday to beat the heat I went to San Pedro, CA to check out Old Ft. MacArthur Days. The old Fort opens its doors and museum with historical displays and docents. There's a Roman camp, a Viking camp, Civil War camps, World War displays and Lincoln, Roosevelt, Chamberlin, and Stalin docents. You can visit the museum, and see reenactments. It's a cool way to learn about history without reading a book. They had a lot of equipment there to include WWII jeeps and a Sherman tank along with Civil War cannons.  The temps at San Pedro were in the 90's but it was closer to the ocean and so the humidity was up. When there's humidity, there's sweat. Yuck. I had to drink a lot of water and rest in the shade a bit more than I would like, but it kept me running. The Fort was named after Douglas MacArthur's father, Arthur MacArthur, who was a Civil War soldier (and a Congressional Medal of Honor Awardee) and he had been assigned in the Philippines as the Military Governor-General. In 1910's the government decided to "build up" the LA port for trade and determined it needed to be protected so they built a fort. BIG ASS artillery guns were constructed from 1915-1923. (They had a range that could reach Catalina Island.) It was a major fort during WWII. In the Cold War, it housed Nike missiles. The fort was decommissioned in the 1970's. Today, I worked on my Romance/Love NL. I try to find different topics that interest me, so I have two very different topics that interested me that I discussed. Summer romance settings and themes in writing romance series. Next month, I think I'll focus on writing young adult romance. I reached out to Prairie Rose Press for one of my sweet romance novellas. I'll let you all know when I hear something back. Tomorrow, I'm off to Camp Josepho. It's a Boy Scout camp that offers the moviemaking, theatre, and communications merit badges that my younger son was interested in doing. Should be fun. See you guys in a week! |
| PISMO BEACH ADVENTURE So we left for Pismo Beach around 12 noonish. We stopped in Santa Barbara at El Pollo for lunch. I got the double chicken tostada salad. I'm really trying to make better choices with a focus on the DASH diet and increasing protein. We arrived at Grover Beach at 3 pm for check in to our Holiday Inn Express. (Very hilly!) The room was nice enough and smelled fine, but the hall smelled of marijuana. Yuck. I'm not into that. We settled down, organized our stuff watched a tad bit of TV and then we were off. We got to Pismo about 430ish but there was nowhere to park. We had to park about 1.5 miles away and walk in. It took us about 30 minutes. I brought a lawn chair just in case. Joey wanted FroYo so we stopped into the local place. It was very similar to menchies but they had cinnamon crumbles. I'd never seen them before but they were FAB! After a refreshing treat we walked around a bit and got out wristbands because we paid for the VIP seating on the pier. Of course there was no beer so we found a Mexican restaurant that sold beer. We went in order beer and chips and nursed it until about 630 pm when we got in line for the pier. I just want to say the beach was packed. There were a ton of EZ ups and people grilling on the beach. Kids were playing, there were kites, surfers and you could see for miles up and down the coast in each direction. The temperature was mild, I'd say about in the 70's. I never felt uncomfortable and when it got cooler, I put on my sweat jacket. When we got onto the Pier, (they opened it up at 7) we picked up out dinner order which was a beef brisket or pork sandwich, Cole slaw, and beans from a local restaurant, McClintock's. Very yummy. They also had coffee and chips, sodas, and cheese. The time went by fast. Before you knew it was 830. The showed started at 9. Venus and Jupiter were out and bright, but that was it. About 845 "Homemade" fireworks started going off up and down the coast. That was the coolest thing thing to see - multiple fireworks going off up and down the coast. Our show started at 9 - right on time. The music was contemporary American and the fireworks were so close it was amazing. The show ended at 925, and we got back at 1000 pm and went right to bed we were soo pooped. They had a Keurg coffee thingie in the room so I had that when I woke up. The hotel had a breakfast but it kinda sucked. Sometimes it's just better to go to Dennys. After Dennys we came back to Castaic. Hubby is past out. Temps here are 100 degrees. It's hot. I don't feel much like doing anything. Might make pasta for dinner or I might try to convince the Hubby to go out to eat. We'll see. Tomorrow I have a haircut. Temps are supposed to be 100 again so I if I want to get some exercise in nature in, I'll need to get out about 7 am. Debating. lol!! Choices for tomorrow include water day at Hurricane Harbor or go see a movie. I also need to start packing for Joey's trip to Camp Josepho for his moviemaking badge. Hope you all had a great 4th and enjoyed your time with family and friends. Question for you: What was the last movie you saw? Mine was:  |
Well, it's the 4th. Boys are still sleeping. Hubby wanted to leave for Pismo at 9 am.  He's still sleeping. Mapquest puts the journey at 2 hours and 45 mins. I'm in no rush. I'll probably get him up after I'm done with my blog entry. HARRY POTTER I just rewatched Harry Potter 4-7 movies. Why? Well, I'm on vacay and I'm relaxing. lol. The stuff with Snape's tear and the pensive in Part 2 breaks my heart. I still tear up. The book is more poignant. Snape is such a fascinating character, but his true nature doesn't really come out until Harry looks in the pensive. It's heartbreaking. Another heartbreaking movie moment is in the HUNGER GAMES (movie #1) where Rue and Katniss are planning against the other tributes and one "baddie" throws a spear at them. Katniss whips out an arrow, but it's too late and Rue is killed. Heartbreaking. I keep tearing up on that moment, too. Rue is such a sweet soul to be put in such a horrid game and Katniss's humanity and sorrow reveal just how passionately she "feels." MUSINGS ON THE 4TH  One of my all time favorite things to do was go to Catalina Island (Avalon) for the 4th. I loved hearing the USC marching band open up the holiday themed golf car parade. I enjoyed watching the parade. Grilling for dinner and watching fireworks on the beach. It's a long story but we haven't done that since 2012. Last year was patricianly vile as sent DH to the in laws with my 10 yr old for food and fireworks. I elected to stay home with the dog who had such a hard time with fireworks. I fed her a tranquilizer, ordered Dominos and watched Storage Wars the entire time. I *think* the 4th should be a family/friend orientated holiday, and I'll leave it at that. Having served in the U.S. Armed Forces, the 4th is a patriotic and fun holiday. I remember in 1991, a lot of units were coming back from Gulf War 1. I was in Germany at the time, had the day off, and went to visit friends in Berlin. My friend's unit was having a picnic/BBQ at a local park and invited us. It was a ton of fun. Friendship and Fellowship is what it's all about. I think it's really easy to lose sight of that. Question for you: What's your favorite thing to do/or eat on the 4th. PS -- Thinking of that I know it's time for the Nathan's hot dog eating contest. Can anyone beat Joey Chestnut's 72 hot dog record?? |
Heck, I missed a day. What a bummer.  Yesterday the family packed up and went to the Camarillo Outlets in Camarillo. I think I might have been over 10 years ago and I heard they had a Kate Spade outlet and I wanted a new purse for my birthday. KATE SPADE I'm not a purse person, so the first time I heard about Kate Spade was her recent death. She was in her 50's, I believe, and I had just turned 50. I googled her and got Wikipedia. "I wanted a functional bag that had some style," She said when she started her business in 1993. Eventually, Kate sold her shares in her start up after making it very successful. Still, I think the Nieman Marcus people kept the brand close to her intentions. I looked at some of the purses and I loved the look. They were smart, quirky, and fun. That's me in a nutshell. I knew I had to have a Kate Spade purse for my 50th birthday. I wanted to honor her talent. Such creativity. She was a true entrepreneur. And she hung herself. As I understand it she suffered from depression and anxiety. It broke my heart to hear someone with such vision was depressed to the point they committed suicide. I would like to urge anyone who is overwhelmed by depression or anxiety to seek professional help. Kate, thank you for your designs, your inspiration, passion, and your creativity. I'm proud to have a Kate Spade purse.  EMAIL HELL IS GETTING BETTER/PUBLISHING UPDATE (KINDA) Well, I've made a big dent in my 3300 plus emails - now I'm down to 1,000. I was able to find my RoR for my 99 cents stories with Victory Tale Press and I hope to submit soon to another publisher. There's still more to do so wish me luck. 4TH OF JULY IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER And I'd like to wish you all a happy 4th. Last year, I was still the Cubmaster of Pack 40 and the Pack "marched" in the local parade. Actually, scouts had to ride bikes or ride in the trailer. Adults walked. My Assistant and I held the banner. It was kinda hot by the time we started which was around 10ish. The sun and the heat made for a draining event. Logistically, it's a lot to put together. This year, the family and I are heading to Pismo Beach. It's something different for us. Here's some fun facts: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, 2 of our founding fathers, died on the same day - 4th July 1826. 50 years after the Declaration of Independence. 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence were drafted, but only 27 are accounted for. Congress declared the 4th of July an official holiday - in 1870! President Calvin Coolidge was born on the 4th of July - in 1872! Benjamin Franklin was 70 years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence. Really?? 87% of American flags are made in China.  The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper. It's all about the Fireworks! The 4th wouldn't be the 4th without fireworks. 97% of fireworks in the USA come from China. MORE Being a veteran, I'm proud to celebrate the 4th. I always buy Old Navy flag shirts for the holiday but they get cheaper and cheaper every year. Bless them. Anyone know if they're made in China? Sigh... Happy 4th all! |
| SCOUTING FUN 17-23 June my husband and I went to Boy Scout Camp with our youngest. He has ADHD so it's our rule that one of us will go with him on a trip to help him manage and give him his meds. Our oldest, got hired as a Camp Counselor. He's working in Handicraft. I'm very proud of him and he totally enjoys the experience. My youngest earned the following Merit Badges: Art, Orienteering, Pioneering, and Camping. I earned my Assistant Scoutmaster. Most everyone was well behaved and a lot of fun was had!  EMAIL HELL Because I was so busy scouting in my life the past 2 years, my emails got really backed. One account had over 3300 emails. I've managed to get it down to 2000 emails right now. I'm still pruning. I need to keep pruning. Once my emails are in order, than I can work on looking for a new publisher for my writing. My goals: #1 New Publisher #2 Catch up on my Reading #3 Catch up on my writing Currently I'm reading Stephanie Plum: "Top Secret 21." I've always enjoyed the Stephanie Plum series, but some of the novels are better than others. This is the first one where I see a lot of current pop culture references. Just finished reviewing all the Blog Entries for the Bard's Hall Blogging Contest and sent my choices to Webwitch. Hope to have them out soon. Tomorrow I'll start to work on my next Romance/Love NL as I think I'll be at another Boy Scout camp when it's due. FIFA SOCCER I'm not a big soccer fan, but I like to follow FIFA. I suppose it's the BIG game. When it first started I asked the boys in my religious ed class who are you rooting for? Most said Mexico (This is SoCal after all) I might have had one Argentina. When the kids asked me who was I rooting for I said: "France." Why not? I grew up in the 2nd largest French speaking city in the USA. I'm 1/3 French Canadian and my Auntie told me once the family came from France back in the day (1600/1700's) Just about everyone in SoCal has Mexican or Central American roots and that's fine. That works for them. I have French roots and I'm not ashamed to root for France despite my very minority status. Very proud of my team moving on out of Round 16 and into the quarter finals. (Sorry Argentina and Messi) Can I name any French players? MBape? Not sure of the spelling. Do I need to know? Let me enjoy being a fan without all the added pressure. Enjoy this book trailer for one of my "unpublished" books: Future/Ucpoming Topics: Whatcha Reading? Whatca Watching? Sports; Basketball/Baseball/Football/USC Trojans Paleo/Eating/Losing Weight Coffee - Why not? 4th of July Stuff     |
I turned 50 this month.    The magic day was the 6th of June. I've had a couple of grays in the hair, but none recently, so that's good. It's still outrageously curly and when I show pics of myself to coworkers when I was younger I get "You look the same."Well, tack on 30 pounds. Not good. Last year was just incredibly demanding on me. Getting my kids to bowling, gymnastics, scouting took a lot of coordination. I was also the Cubmaster of Pack 40 and that job is very demanding. I'll try to give you story in a nutshell: The Cubmaster before me had little to no organizational skills and was "winging" it. The Pack was slowly going downhill, but due to neglect was picking up steam. So after a lot of thought, I said I'd take over from him. My son only had 6 months left in the pack. So in NOV 2016, I became the Cubmaster. Truly, it was like having a 2nd job. And it's a volunteer spot without pay. There was a lot to do: Overhaul fundraising, get "Activities" stable, work on Pack Communications, still post agendas on pack meetings. Organize the Pack Camp outs, grow the committee, recruit den leaders, submit awards. All these issues were neglected. I recruited a "can do" assistant cub master to help me, with him knowing he'd take over. Still, I neglected my health between my day job that paid the bills, my kids, and my volunteer 2nd job. I tacked on 30 pounds and developed high blood pressure. On 1 JUN 2018, I turned over the Cubmaster position to my well trained assistant. I'll still do some stuff with the pack, the headaches and time required to give the position the attention it needed is gone. I'm hoping to lose weight and address my health issues. Vacacy is a great place to start. Any way --- 50 was low key for me. I figured my husband would do near to nothing to organizing the event and I was right. My friend from work, Lori, picked up the slack. She got the balloons. I had to reserve the restaurant and buy my own cake. At least my husband showed up. Still waiting for a gift from him. Might be a while. I don't think it's a priority. My co-workers were the best. When they found out I had to buy my own cake, they got me a Stone Cold ice cream cake. I swear I almost cried. Not that I wanted a big hoopla. I managed to avoid celebrating with the in-laws which was important to me, and I had good friends at the restaurant. We had appetizers and beers and honestly, that's what I was shooting for. So happy birthday to me. 50 is the new 35. lol! |
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I love gyros. We have a Greek church and restaurant in town and a festival. But... I'm not there.