Time Capsules and Old Age

timecapsuleMost days I’m good with my age.

I’ve done things in the past couple of years that make me realize I’m in my prime. I have a good life now, and I’m happy and fine with where I’m at.

Then the baby of the family brings home a time capsule on her last day of school set to be opened at graduation.

And I see the date.

2024

And I realize…

That’s 30 years after I graduated.

Now…

I feel old.

My youngest will graduate almost 30 years to the day after I did.

~whimper~

*~*

(More on the what I know of the contents on another post)

Preparing for the Birdies to Fly Away – by author Tina Gayle

I’m very happy to have author Tina Gayle here today.  Once again, I’ve had an author deliver a great post that can span both sides of my blog, so it’s posting across the board.  Come see what she has to say about empty nests, how to prepare for them, and learn about her books in The Executive Wives Club series
*~*

Every mother faces the day, her children leave the nest. Some are better prepared than other.

If you are a stay at home mom like me, you might not be looking forward to the day when you don’t have daily contact with your children. After all, you have devoted a large portion of your day for a number of years to caring for them.

Years before my child even thought about leaving, I started preparing. Did it make it easier? I can’t say because it was still difficult. Though, I must say I had a number of things to distract me.

So what did I do?

First, I looked around and pick something that interested me. I enjoyed reading romance for years and decided since I had some time in my day to give writing a shot.

While they were away at school, I learned the craft and worked on developing my skill.

As they entered high school, I published and worked on writing more during my free time.

Once they left for college, I found I needed to work on promoting my books which required I learn more about social media sites.

Now, I spend most of my day in front of my computer. Writing, promoting on line, keeping my different sites updated. I sometimes complain that I don’t have enough hours in the day.

Do I have time for my kids?

Always, but I’m working to build my career. Just like they are working to build theirs.

What can you do to prepare for an empty nest?

  • Ask yourself a few questions
    • What are your interest?
    • Do you want to make money?
    • Social sites do they satisfy your need to stay connected?
  • Spend time while you’re children are still at home developing what you want to do later.
    • take classes
    • meet new people in your chosen field. – gardening club, golf group, etc.
  • Let your kids know you have a life too and that it’s not only about them.
    • Your devotion to your goal can help teach them to follow their own dreams.

 

As you can see it can take years to plan or a few short months. At any point you can prepare for the future and map out a new course of action. Don’t let the empty nest get you down. Look around and find something that can become the hallmark of defining who you are.

*~*

CFO'sAffairBlurb for CFO’s Affair

Sylvia Sullivan is emotionally wounded from the unexpected death of her husband and still haunted by their last conversation: his request for a divorce and his confession of love for another woman.  Her husband gone, her only daughter off to college, Sylvia faces the challenges of learning to live alone and move on with her life.

Vince Wilshire, enchanted with Sylvia, is more than willing to do what it takes to capture the heart of the hurting and untrusting Sylvia.

Can he help her forget the past and make her believe in love again?

Excerpt

      A knock sounded on the window beside her and she jumped. Her head swiveled around and she stared at the man looking at her through the window.

Vince Wilshire’s handsome face could make any woman melt with desire. With it so close to hers—the glass being the only thing separating them—a rush of adrenaline swept into her system. She leaned sideways in her seat and knocked her hand against the steering wheel. The horn beeped and she muttered, “Damn it, Knox, why did you…”

The sound of his laughter sent anger flooding through her, the muscles in her arms tightening with the need to strike out. She lowered the phone and clicked the disconnect button in retaliation to his attempt to manipulate her.

Vince opened the driver’s side door and cold air rushed into the car. “Hey, beautiful, are you heading inside?”

“What is this? Are you guys ganging up on me?” Sylvia ignored the man beside her and glanced in the rear view mirror, checking to make sure her tears hadn’t caused any lasting effect.

A warm hand landed on her shoulder and Vince toyed with her hair. “Not at all, I like the idea of entering the building with a gorgeous woman on my arm.”

“Right,” she protested and stuffed her phone into her purse before turning to stare into his bedroom-brown eyes. The spark in their depths had her reevaluating her impression of the man. Yes, he had the face and body to rival every other Casanova in the world, but he also had a sense of humor. That alone sent a shiver of awareness through her.

She fought the desire gathering in her stomach and waved her hand at him so he’d move out of the way, letting her exit the car. “Did Knox make you wait out here in the parking lot to make sure I would come inside?”

Vince grinned and held her door open while she stepped onto the asphalt. His gaze fell to her legs.

She stared at her new, high-heel, red pumps and silently prayed she wouldn’t land face first in the dirt when she tried to walk across the pitted parking lot in them.

A low whistled sounded beside her. “Man, are you ever hot.”

She ignored the comment and didn’t turn until she heard the car door slamming closed. “And there’s not a woman you’ve ever met you haven’t wanted.”

*~*

A CFO’s Affair is not available for sale until July 1st, but you can pick up the other two books in the series here:

Marketing Exec’s Widow  (Use Promo Code EP25Q)

IT Exec’s Baby  (Use Promo Code QK33H)

Home – www.tinagayle.net

Blog – www.tinagayle.blogspot.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorTinaGayle

Goodread – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_Gayle

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/tina.gayle

Google + – https://plus.google.com

Linkin – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759

Bass-Ackwards and Downside-Up

glassesHave you ever had one of those days?

Better yet, one of those weeks?

Everything is going along fine and then…

WHAM

You’re hit with a MAC truck.

Life flips on its head.

You lose track of days. (Seriously – WHAT is the date? I’m so confused)

Everything goes wrong.

Things break.

You get sick.

Your kids decide to mutiny.

*~*

You have?

Gee, I wouldn’t know what that’s like.

</end sarcasm>

*~*

I don’t know what day it is.

I thought today was June 11th.

Last week I thought it was June 3rd.

*~*

I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

Before summer is over.

Right?

Anyone?

Movies, Reduced

MoviesBeforeI make no secret of my husband’s obsession.

I have a few of my own, so I don’t deny him his.

Unfortunately, his eats up space like you wouldn’t believe.

<—This is (one of) my bookshelves two years ago.

That is approximates 500 (or more?) movies.

Blu ray, standard, TV series, movie series, duplicates and an occasional triplicate.

You think it doesn’t look bad?

Those suckers are 2 rows deep.

At one time they’d been alphabetized, but every time hubby took out a movie, alphabetizing went right out the window.  New movies were bought and we had nowhere left to put them.  We had movies he forgot about because they were hidden in the back.

Our books were pretty much the same.

Out of control.

Fed up, and desperate, I took myself into the depths of Amazon.  I knew what I wanted. I was a matter of finding it and balancing the cost vs. the reward.

I finally decided the cost was worth it for the final reward.

i.e. Being organized.

Still, in 2012 I used caution. I only bought about half of what we needed. Just in case–a) they didn’t work or b) we hated them.

moviesafterWell, it’s now 2 years later.  In 2012 I bought more, plus blank pages.

What did I use?  The Bellagio Italia in Brown (Pro-tip, buying them 3 at a time is cheaper in the long run than by 1, 2 or 6….).  Last year I bought 9, this year I bought 9 more, plus 6 packs of the refill pages.

What else did we do?  Well, we thinned out some duplicate movies (but not all, I can’t tell you how many versions of Star Wars we have…okay, I can. It’s 5).  We thinned out books (namely I thinned out books because I rarely re-read anything).  We took them to Half-Price (w/ regret as we got next to nothing…selling to Amazon would have gotten us more $).

Movies are organized into just a few categories.

My Movies
[amazon_link id=”B002C6A6N6″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Dr. Quinn Series[/amazon_link] (also mine)
Standalone Movies
Movie Series
Standalone Movie Bonus Discs
Series Movie Bonus
TV Series
[amazon_link id=”B002M2T1UO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Shield[/amazon_link]

Some special movies/series still aren’t put away. The James Bonds b/c they aren’t ours.  The new blu-rays of the [amazon_link id=”B002I9Z8GW” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Star Trek[/amazon_link] [amazon_link id=”B001TH16DI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Movies[/amazon_link], b/c we just got them and haven’t decided if we want to take them out of their pretty cases yet.

For the first time in…well, ever…I’m becoming extremely picky about organization.  Right now I’m die-hard about the movies, but it’s seeping into the rest of the house.

The husband couldn’t be happier 😉

 

 

 

Geeking Out – Star Wars at the Indiana State Museum

lightspeedI make no secret of my geek status.

I wear it proudly.

What makes me even more proud is when my kids show their geek.

Begging for movies that only proud geeks would watch instead of yet another re-watching of an animated story.

So when I got wind of the Indiana State Museum’s Star Wars®: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit?  I knew we had to go.

And thanks to this awesome job I have…I got to go to a special preview of the Millennium Falcon ride with the great group of local bloggers I’ve been privileged to be a part of.

And?

It.  Was. Awesome!! 

The 4-D effect of the ride, sitting in he cockpit and feeling the ship jump into lightspeed and rock and bump, the shock of space objects crossing close by. was amazing.

On top of that, we had storm troopers and sand people to help take the experience to the next level.

In just a few weeks this incredible exhibit is going to open for real, and I cannot wait to take my kids! It’s just one of those rare activities that is great for both adults and kids.  There are definitely not enough of those around, we tend to try to soak them all up.

[flickr id=”8718669186″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

[flickr id=”8718670730″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

[flickr id=”8718670990″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

[flickr id=”8718671416″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

[flickr id=”8709762954″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

[flickr id=”8708641117″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

[flickr id=”8709767394″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”]

 

Z is for Zest #AtoZchallenge

zestSad to see the A-to-Z challenge coming to an end.  Some days were tougher than ever, but I managed to post every day this month.  I wish there was something like this every month to help keep me moving. Anyway, here I go with my final letter for April.

Last year I did some things I never dreamed I would

I went Ape.

I went rock climbing.

I met Mario Andretti.

I saw Cirque.

I watched the Fever.

I got published (and then a contract on my novel, and then another, and another).

I took chances I never would have before, and I pushed myself beyond limits I didn’t know I had…and it gave me a zest for life.

Now I want more challenges…

But I’ll be spending a chunk of my summer flat on my back after foot surgery.

So much for zest.

 

*~*~*
The A-Z Challenge has over 1900 participants, all blogging from A to Z this month. Check them out and see if you can’t find a few new favorites!!