The End

“The end,” the girl giggled in the morning.

“What?” her mom called right back.

“It’s opposite day," the girl giggled again,

 "the beginning is now the end.”

This 27 word challenge is from Jenny Matlock to write 25 words and the prompt the end. 

What Kaci Wants

Kaci’s head hurt.  No, it didn’t just hurt; it felt like a heard of elephants dancing a jig or tiny elves hanging pictures in her skull.  She sat at the dinner table hands encircling her pounding head.

“Good Morning,” her mother breezed in, cheerful smile plastered upon her face.

Kaci managed a murmur, not in the mood to fake the attitude her family required.

“What’s wrong honey?” her mother asked, stale concern doubling her headache.

“Just Finals, mom.  Long night studying,” she replied finally able to lift her head on her own.  “College is hard, you know.”  Kaci added knowing full well her mother knew nothing of college.

“Oh.  Well how about a glass of orange juice; breakfast of champions.”  Her mother flashed a print-ad worthy smile while producing a glass seemingly out of the air.

Kaci hated this place.  The perfect house.  The perfect wife.  The perfect school.  Even the orange juice tasted perfect.

She watched year after year as friends and siblings followed along the unwritten guidelines; how to act, where to go to school, who to marry.  Even sitting the kitchen, sipping her orange juice, she knew what was planned for her.

Last night though, she stepped away from this planned perfect world.  She ran fast, scaled the walls and found herself in a world so unfamiliar.  Just the thought of remembering the thrill made her toes start tingling with desire.  Her head transferred pounding to her heart, and her cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

And then there was him.

His eyes had borne into hers while they danced.  He lived with such life, happiness, seemingly careless is his world.  He smiled when they talked, and she believed it to be genuine.  He cared for her without even knowing the fortune waiting in the bank.

He pulled her close when the music slowed, his hand sliding up her back.  His arms were strong and held her closer when she felt her legs faint.  He pulled her in and she melted into him, his strength enough to overcome her.  Before she could notice, his lips touched hers ever so softly, creating a spark that flowed throughout her.

“Kaci!  Don’t you have a final to get to?” her mother’s voice pulled her away from the daydreams.

As she stumbled away from the table, she realized perhaps clearly for the first time, she did not want this life deeded to her.

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This post is fictional and inspired from the red dress club's Red Writing Hood; theme: tell what your character wants.  I actually have a plan for Kaci and her mystery guy ... stay tuned :-)


Concrit is always appreciated and welcomed.

Insta Wednesday

It's like Wordless Wednesday; only more Instagram.  

Insta movie time 

Insta date night photo session

Insta puppy eyes

Insta Smiles

All pictures are taken with the totally awesome iPhone App Instagram!  Oh, and I haven't quite figured out how Instagram works, but you can follow people.  I'm Colour4 if you wanna follow me.

p.s. I'm also colour4 if you wanna play words with friends!

Legacy of Heroes

Her hands are clammy.  She attempts to wipe them on her skirt.

Her throat is dry.  She takes a sip of stale water.

Her eyes are swollen.  She tries to hold back the tears that have fallen for days.

Her legs are weak.  She still has to walk in front of all these people.

She traces her finger along the flag laden coffin and the tears flow once again.

In front of everyone, her voice shakes, her hands tremble, her eyes throb. 

She begins.  “The legacy of heroes are the stories they leave behind with the ones they love.”

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I'm a day late, but can you ever put a time frame on thanking those who have fought and remembering those who have died?  Thank you to all the soldiers and their families who have sacrificed so that we may live in this great nation.

The story is linked with Saturday Centus, a 100 word limit influenced by the prompt 'the legacy of heroes'.

My Favorite Game

As we pounded up the wooden stairs racing towards the door I could not hide my excitment.  This time I won the board game argument, and we were going to play my favorite game.

We plopped down on the carpet securing our place between the brick fireplace and the coffee table.  The top was removed and the fun began.

I sat up the board while Allison gathered all the cards.  The hills were placed where they needed, and the spinner was secured in the center.  The small cardboard cards were stacked in the center in even piles, face down each one holding a new surprise.  Money was doled out and piled for each person.

First we had to decide on the cars.  Colors were chosen and one pink girl placed in each for me and Allison.  The spinner was spun and the sister with the higher number started first.

We always started at college.  Of course we would take the 40,000 dollar bank note so we could head to Auburn for college.  As our lone cars headed down the track we envisioned ourselves one day making the same trip.

Stop!  College graduation; take a surprise card.  Stop!  Job selection; pick from a pile of facedown cards.

We fantasized with each job.  Maybe one day I really will be a doctor, I would think drawing the highest paying card.  Maybe I’ll really be a teacher my sister would counter with her card.

Stop!  Get married.  “Oooh, you’re gonna marry Chris,” Allison would sing at me joking on a crush.  “Well, you’re going to marry Jonathon,” I countered with an equally as embarrassing revelation.  We giggled and placed little blue guys next to our pink girls in our cars.

We continued along the path specified on the board.  Houses were chosen; I always wanted the Victorian yet ended up with the Split-level.  Paydays happened, and then taxes paid later.  Job changes, lay offs, fires and floods, doctor visits and even vacations were all a possibility as our plastic cars traveled along the path up and down the plastic hills.

Kids were added, each one agonizing over if it should a boy or girl, and naming the addition before adding the pink or blue peg into the car.

Allison reached the end first and retired at the mansion.  Fine with me, I always wanted to retire in the country.

Finally we could revile our accomplishments.  “I wrote a great American novel,” I revealed with a smile.  “I was in the Olympics,” Allison replied.  Statements about curing cancer and inventing new toys could be heard from the nearby kitchen.

The point of playing the game of LIFE wasn’t winning or losing, but dreaming about life in the years to come.

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This post is brought to you from remembeRED. Board games seem to take a center stage in many of my happy memories; wether it was my sister and I playing connect 4, guess who, LIFE, and more on the carpet in the living room or the entire family yelling over dice in Yahtzee or bringing out the dictionary to check words in Scrabble.  Games are one of the reasons I can not wait until my girls get older and we can have a family game night too!

GTKY v.1

I've always wanted to play along with Keely's Getting to Know You Sundays, but Sundays are always so busy.  So, I'm going to start playing on Mondays.  Yay!  You can play along too, and we all can get to know each other better.


1. What's your favorite rainy day activity?
Reading, but with two little girlies running around on a rainy day that doesn't happen too often.  So instead I enjoy napping on rainy days because the girls generally sleep longer then.

2. What time do you go to bed?
Too late.  Usually around midnight, but I really need to work on that.

3. How many magazines do you subscibe to?
one; Real Simple.  I love being inspired by their pictures and stories.

4. Did you sell all your belongings because you thought the world was ending Saturday?
LOL!  no.  There was a picture going around facebook that made me laugh.  It was of a billboard that said 'That was awkward.' followed by the you can not know the day verse.

5. What's your beauty obssesion?
Um, I think I need one.  Most days I don't even wear makeup, a plus to working in a dirty coal lab.

6. If you could only wear one designer/brand for the rest of your life ... what would it be?
Do they make designer sweat pants?  I have such icky self esteem when it comes to how I look ... I'll let you know later.

7. What's your summer must have?
Pedicures and flip flops. 

8. Do you make weekly dinner menus?
Yeah, in my head.  I write them down at the same time I make my grocery list so I know what to buy.

The Moment I Became a Mom

I didn't want to be a mom.  Not at first anyway.  I tried to ignore the fact I was pregnant as long as I could, but really, you just can't ignore something like that.

I was 21, unwed, confused and scared.  I remember one evening sitting with my parents discussing marriage/adoption when the phrase, 'you don't want to be a mother, do you?'  I shuddered at it because mother was the very last thing I wanted to be.  I was just a kid, confused, unsure of how to live my life.  How could I teach a baby what to do?

About a week later, I sat alone at my ultrasound.  I went in not wanting to know the sex of this baby, but when the nurse asked ... I said yes.  A girl.  A little girl was growing inside me.  At that moment I bonded with the baby in me.  Boy or girl didn't matter, but the fact that now the baby was more than an 'it', it was a 'she'.

I ate lunch with Andrew after that ultrasound, showed him pictures, told him it really was a she, and told him I wanted to get married and raise her as a family.  That moment in the ultrasound room I knew I was ready to be a mom.

I define myself as Mom.  I can't wait to tell stories of my babies, post pictures, and share my life with anyone who asks.

Happy Mother's day to all my Mom friends!

(this is my Mother's Day card from Leah(3 1/2 years), all written by her)