My Blog

Copy

2010-04-12T19:27:00.002-04:00

I can't be a copy of you
I can't let go of me
I can't fall into that line
And it's you who can't see

It's you who wants perfection
It's me who has to give it
It's you who wants that type of life
It's me who has to live it

You'll never change me
No matter what, you can't
So just accept me
And take me as I am

Here

2010-03-21T17:32:00.002-04:00

All these teenagers walking around
And they don't even care
That it's hard to find my place
When I'm underneath their stare

Their voices are so loud
Ringing in my ears
Telling me I'm different
That my place isn't here

I want nothing more
Than to just go home
It's hard in this place
When I feel so all alone

I just want to run away
Run away from here
Anywhere will be okay
As long as they can't see my tears

How can I fit in
When everything I do is wrong?
When will I be happy
When I know I don't belong?

They stare at me
With that look in their eyes
Daring me to say something
Daring me to fight

They're all cardboard cutouts
Waiting for me to break
But I'm standing strong
I don't care how much they hate

Even if if hurts too much
I would rather die
Than to ever, ever
Let them see me cry

I'm Fading, I'm Falling

2010-03-12T19:59:00.002-05:00

I feel like we're tearing,
Tearing apart
I feel like you're breaking,
Breaking my heart

I feel like we're deceiving,
Deceiving ourselves
I don't believe in,
Believe in myself

I feel like we're stumbling,
Stumbling around
I feel like we're crumbling,
Crumbling down

I feel like we're losing,
Losing the fight
I feel like we're not holding,
Holding on tight

I feel like I'm fading,
Fading into the dark
I feel like you're making,
Making this too hard

I feel like I'm falling,
Falling alone
I feel like I'm coming,
Coming undone

I feel like you're shattering,
Shattering my world
And it's beyond mattering,
Mattering anymore

The Real You

2010-03-01T16:26:00.002-05:00

Your poison fills my veins
As you take me for a ride
It’s driving me insane
I need somewhere to hide

I’m slowly suffocating
In your hands
Still I stand here waiting
For you to understand

I’ve seen the real you
Hidden down so deep
I know what you can do
And the secrets that you keep

You’ve taken all I’ve got
And still it’s not enough
I have to be someone I’m not
Just to earn your love

I should’ve known it all along
But there were things I couldn’t see
If I had known you were so wrong
I never would’ve let you have me

The Almost Boy

2010-02-20T16:34:00.000-05:00

Here's something I wrote awhile back....

My almost first
My almost dance
My almost love
My almost romance

My almost dark
My almost light
My almost day
My almost night
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New Look

2010-02-15T18:09:00.003-05:00

I changed the look of my blog. I got this one off Pyzam. The old one got kind of boring for me so I had to find a new one...

Also, the Percy Jackson movie hit theaters this weekend, which I really want to see. Have any of you guys seen it yet?

:P

2010-01-25T20:36:00.004-05:00

I loved this! My older sister showed it to me....

I can do this...I can blog...I think I can...I think I can....

2010-01-16T16:37:00.004-05:00

Argh! I can do this. How hard can it be to blog often?

My answer: Extremely. (I almost spelled that word wrong.) It's not so much that I don't want to blog, it's that I have a short attention span...very short. It's sad.

Moving along, my mom and I saw this video, and I fell in love with it..and I'm usually not so girly about music videos....

Last Man Committed Video

First post of 2010

2010-01-01T21:11:00.004-05:00

Umm...Wow...it's been so long since I posted and I feel soooo bad about that...I should really start keeping up with this thing more often. It's one of my New Year's goals. A sad one, but one nonetheless. :D

Speaking of I wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I love new years...until school starts back, at least, but I love making writing goals for the new year. It makes me feel very optimistic. :P

One of those writing goals is to edit one of novels which I actually don't really want to edit because I absolutely *hate* editing with a passion, but it's something I have to do, I guess...

What're some of you guys' goals for this year???

My "Awesomeness" Award

2009-10-24T16:03:00.007-04:00

I told you I would update soon :P

Way back on September first, Raewyn gave me a blogging award for Sheer Awesomeness.... :D because I rock...so here it is

And I award:

Just thought I should say...

2009-10-13T15:10:00.004-04:00

I will be updating sometime soon...I promise...

Wow, this must be the world's shortest post....

Stop the Storm

2009-10-04T12:24:00.003-04:00

Father, I’ve been waiting
For you to reach down
And show them who you are
And turn this mess around

They need a Savior
They need the peace
Of a loving God
Who will never leave

Please fix their broken hearts
And be with them tonight
Wrap them in your arms
And hold them tight
Take away their pain
I know they’re feeling torn
Protect and love them
Lord, please stop the storm

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I swallowed my necklace

2009-09-16T15:00:00.003-04:00

Yeah, this is me.........

Yes, I'm Updating

2009-09-05T20:05:00.004-04:00

In case none of ya'll got it from the title, I'm updating. Yes, it's been...a week? I'm not sure...anyway, I'm stealing this off Debbie's blog :D That's the kind of wonderful sister I am.

Top Ten Things I Love and Hate

Love:

1: Jesus
2: My family (even if they're a little crazy :P)
3: Rain
4: Fall and Winter (CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!!)
5: MUSIC!! (Can't live without it...It relaxes me)
6: Writing
7: The Boy's smile
8: Hoodies
9: My friends (including my blogging ones)
10: Books!!!

Hate:

1: Injustice, especially against kids
2: People who talk in condescending tones
3: High *cough* School *cough* Musical (sorry to anyone who likes those movies)
4: Getting stabbed in the back by people you thought were friends
5: Heartache
6: Massive dogs
7: Getting kicked offline
8: Strawberries, peas, beans (stuff like that)
9: Wasps and Bees
10: Jealousy

:D

2009-08-24T17:16:00.004-04:00

I'm finally updating again :D

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” Please include your email address. (if some don't want to leave e-mail addresses, I can leave the questions in a comment on your blog.)

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog/website/whatever with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Interview questions from Priya :D

1. Which book character do you think would be most fun to act out? Probably one from Maximum Ride...or Harry Potter...OH! Or Twilight! There are just too many...

2. You've won the lottery! Which stores are you hitting first? Amazon and the mall....and a lot of clothing stores :D

3. Would you rather go bungee jumping or jump out from an airplane (with a reliable parachute)? Jump from an airplane...I've heard bad things about bungee jumping...

4. You've suddenly been transported into a fairytale! Which one would you like to be in? That's a tough one...CinderElla probably..it's always been my favorite

5. (complete the sentence) You've wandered into a dark, smelly swamp. Frightened, you're about to leave when a smelly sneaker comes out of the water and says...? WASH ME!

The Thief

2009-08-05T16:43:00.000-04:00

You're brave and strong

Everything I want to be

With all the pretty girls around you

No wonder you can't see me

Beautiful and perfect

You have it all together

But you're a thief, you stole my heart

And you're keeping it forever

Yellow Snow and Other Great Conversations...

2009-07-30T00:09:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I was talking with my sisters the other night...and we remembered a conversation I had with some guy...being one of the weirdest ones I've ever had...and I've had a lot...

Basically we're listening to a teacher bring up the subject of yellow snow. The guy beside me says "I once ate yellow snow."

I look at him. I guess my face says it all, because he's fast to correct himself. "No, no. It's okay, I'm the one who made it yellow snow."

I look around, making sure he's talking to me. I face him again, pasting on a smile. "Oh."

"I mean, I poured lemon juice on it..."

Then the relief starts flooding. "Ohhhh..."

Basically, that was one of the weirdest things I've ever heard a guy say..and I've heard a lot. I mean, come on, this is me we're talking about...

My Stronghold

2009-07-16T15:31:00.003-04:00

Has someone ever told you that they cared about you but you guys couldn’t be friends because of (fill in the blank)? Or have you ever been told by your girlfriend/boyfriend that you guys would never work out? It hurts, like a crushing kind of pain. Kind of makes you wonder if you’ll ever find someone who loves you unconditionally.

But when stuff like that happens, it reminds me of God’s words to Moses on Mount Sinai: “You must worship no other gods, but only the Lord, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.” –Exodus 34:14

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-11T00:36:00.003-04:00

I DID IT! I finished Man in Uniform!!! *Runs around screaming* 41,143 words...I've already memorized the number.... :D I'm so proud....

*does snoopy dance in middle of parents floor* I shall be back later to talk more of my great accomplishment!!!! JK...Haven't been in blogger world so long...must visit other people's blogs...........

Guitar Chords From Heck

2009-06-26T23:45:00.003-04:00

You may all think I'm exaggerating a little...but I'm not....seriously. I ask my sister, Never again, to teach me what she learned from her guitar class. So, with all her excitement at the fact that she gets to teach me something that I'll hopefully remember, she sits me down in the floor of her room, hands me a guitar the size of Connecticut and grabs my fingers.

"Okay," she says, running her tongue across her teeth, something she only does when planning evil. "Let's see the E major."

I spread my midget digits as far as they can go and she looks at them skeptically. "You have fat fingers."

I glance down at my poor attempt of spreading my fingers across the guitar chords. "I know, but I can't help it. And they're not that fat."

She dismisses me with a wave of her hand. "Start with the E major."

The guitar was roughly the span of the state of Florida and my arms are roughly the length of a thumbtack. You can't even begin to imagine the stretch. I position my fingers and begin my strumming. It sounds like a cat is being run over, slowly.

Never again just looks at me. Then takes the guitar from my hands. "When you switch chords slide your fingers, don't pick them up." She proceeds to slide her fingers back and forth, then splits one. She yelps and sticks her index finger in her mouth. "Okay, you're supposed to slide it, I just didn't do it right. You try."

I gulp as I take back the guitar. It doesn't take long for me to develop the blisters I knew were coming. It doesn't take long to drop the pick in the guitar.

Never again sighs as she takes the guitar from me, holds it upside-down and starts to shake it with all her might. Seven minutes later, the pick pops back out (after my help and coaxing).

Never again, glances down at the sheet of paper she's using to teach me with. "Okay, spread all your fingers out, put one here, here, and here."

I do as she commands, spreading the tips of my fingers until I can literally hear them screaming at me in agony.

"Now," she grins at my pain and hands me the pick. "Play."

I take the pick from her and start up the dying cat again, knowing every finger on my left hand is slowly losing feeling.

She glances at my fingers, at the paper, then back at my fingers. "Oh, sorry. You don't have to stretch them like that."

She fixes them before I have a chance to swing the guitar at her.

"There," she says, leaning back on her legs with satisfaction. "Better."

I grumble something unintelligible and she ignores me. "Show me the E minor."

I sigh but keep playing. I do it for an hour. Now, I sit here, painfully typing this up as my sore fingers roam over the keyboard until I'm ready to scream. And I'll take another lesson from her about the guitar again tomorrow...and the day after that....and the day after that.....and the day after that....and the day after that.....and the day after that....and the day after that...........

My Identity

2009-06-17T17:14:00.002-04:00

I turned seventeen
At the end of May
But still read the Bible
So I can grow everyday

I am free because of Jesus
Who died for you and me
And even though I’ve done wrong
I asked him for this new identity
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Epic Fail

2009-06-12T18:02:00.002-04:00

I won't mention the store we were in when I saw this...I just think it's a little funny..and ironic. :P

Things I've done (so far) in 2009

2009-06-01T15:37:00.002-04:00

I have managed to cross off three of the things that are on the list on my blog, and somethings that I didn't put on the list.

I met someone famous: Debbie Macomber. She was having a book signing close to where we live. It was the coolest thing to meet her. She was really nice, too.

I also (in case no one has ever sensed it) am a huge Twilight fan. So naturally I had to watch the movie when it came out on DVD because I'm not a big fan of theaters.

In addition to those I've accomplished things I didn't put on the blog. And I'm on my way to finishing up at least two of those. Since I only have about 8,000 more words to go until Man in Uniform is finished. Which, I really want to finish that, mostly because I have so much editing to do to it.

You Never Let Go

2009-05-19T18:47:00.002-04:00

Something else I wrote for Real Teen Faith for May.

Summer is right around the corner and we’re all making elaborate plans for the next three months. This month, I’ll be turning seventeen. I have to start making plans for the next year. Whether or not I’ll go to college is still something I’m waiting for God to decide. I get scared when I think about the future and where I’ll end up ten years from now.
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No, I'm not dead

2009-05-11T17:03:00.004-04:00

Yes, I realize it's been over eleven days since my last post, but this time I have a good explanation. About a week ago I had to go to the doctor because my right tonsil was looking pretty huge and it hurt to yawn. It hurt to talk and turn my head, too. We got all the way to the doctor and realized they were closed. :( That was a bummer.
Anyway, we went the next day and the doctor told me I had tonsillitis. For anyone who hasn't had tonsillitis, it's extremely painful.

Then I had to get liquid medication because I'm such a wimp that I can't swallow pills so I got home and took that medicine. It was really disgusting. I took one mouthful and told my mom that I was finished. I was done. I wouldn't take it anymore. She told me I had to.
She won that battle.

Anyways, here's a photo of someone who has tonsillitis (mine didn't look like this, my tonsils were a little smaller and didn't have the spots.

Don't look at this if you have a weak stomach. :p
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tonsillitis.jpg

PS: I put up a poll...if you don't check an answer, I'll say bad things about you in the blogging world :P JK

2009-04-30T20:54:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm finally updating. Apologies for the lack of posting. I have no one to blame for this. I've been working on a new novel and it's been taking up a little more of my time. A lot more actually :P

Speaking of novels, I won Brandilyn Collins new book "Always Watching" which I am really excited about. It sounds great and I never win anything. Except for games, and that's only because I'm lucky at cards. :P

They said to allow 2-3 weeks for shipping which means it'll be here right around the time of my birthday. I'm really excited to be turning another year older in May...Not! It makes me feel so old :P

Characters

2009-04-18T16:00:00.004-04:00

Finally an update..I can't believe I let my blog go this long without an update..I've got to pull myself together and cut this out..hmm..I'll have to figure out how I'll start making myself update more.. :P

Here's a poem I wrote for the writer's group I'm in..I think it's one of the only poems I've writtent that's not about guys. :P

Let's Make A Character

Let’s name him Edward
No, let’s name him Bob
And he’ll be a neat freak
No, wait, he’ll be a slob

Let’s name her Katrina
Oh, wait, let’s name her Sue
And she’ll be a lawyer
Ah, that will never do

Let’s give him a sweater
Let’s give him a coat
Let’s let him live in a castle
Complete with a moat

Let’s give her blue eyes
No, let’s make them green
Let’s make her hard to understand
Only writers know what I mean

Let’s make it a love story
Wait, it’s always better scary
So let’s make him skinny
And let’s make her really hairy

Let’s make them mean
No, let’s make them sweet
Let’s give him glasses
Let’s give her huge feet

Let’s make him wear a baseball hat
Let’s give her eyes that shine
Let’s make him a smooth talker
Who never ever rhymes!

2009-04-03T22:57:00.000-04:00

Wow..it has been so long since I updated..I was reading my Literature book the other day in school and came across this poem by Sara Teasdale..I'm not sure why, but I really really love it. There was something about it that made me fall in love with it.

Strephon kissed me in the spring
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.

Jacob Black

2009-03-21T20:58:00.000-04:00

As of midnight last night, Twilight DVD's hit stores. And of course, the deranged fan girls that we are, well, dad picked it up for us at the given time. *Three cheers for dad*
So, we watched the movie and it was awesome! And who would've guessed that Carlisle Cullen could be attractive? That dude was good-looking...
So, right before the DVD was released, Never-Again and I wrote a poem together about Twilight. Now, it's from Edward's point of view and it's called Letter to Jacob.
Keep in mind that we are deranged fan girls....
Enjoy :P

Letter to Jacob

Dear Jacob,
You think you won?
I told you already
That this game is done

Bella chose me
And now you're mad
All your wolf friends
Can hear that you're sad

But you fail to remember
That Bella loves me
Did you think you had a chance?
Seriously?

Poor naive Jacob,
You totally lost this time
Sincerely, Edward
PS: She's mine.

Are we "friends", Bob?

2009-03-13T15:59:00.000-04:00

Friend is a tricky word. I learned long ago, you can’t just rely on people. More so than often, they can be “friends” not friends.

I knew this girl, named Shelly, who quit talking to me when she found out I listened to music that wasn’t performed by Christian artists. When she heard that I watched movies. She sent me a youtube video that asked, at the end, if I knew where I was going when I died.
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I am a staff writer for Real Teen Faith. This my devo for this month on self-respect.

New Template/Man in Uniform part XVIII

2009-02-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

I finally got a template I love..Thanks to my genius older sister...It's been sooo long since I updated...I think..I can't remember really..
My siblings got sick with the flu, and I still haven't gotten it, yet..so pray that I last until they're better...then I can say "HA HA!"
(No, not really) I'll just be extremely happy if I don't get it...

He held a hand to his side that had started to hurt him more now that he knew Catherine was okay. He pulled up the edge of his shirt and glanced at his side.

"Whoa," he murmured, dropping his shirt back down.

He sighed and leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes. Once Catherine and her daughter were safely in their room, he would try to go over the papers. The papers that were still in the dash of the car.

He opened his eyes and slowly sat up. The car that was now at the bottom of that cliff. The hundred-foot drop off.

He groaned, slamming his head into the back of the couch. "How could I have been so stupid?" He yelled.

"Dave?" he turned at the sound of the voice behind him. "Are you okay?"

He sat up. "Yeah. I’ve got to go outside for a little while."

"What’s wrong."

He started to stand, then remembered his side, and sat back down. "I left something outside that I need to get."

"In the dark?" She asked. "Can’t it wait until morning?"

"No, not really."

"It’s that important?"

"If you only knew," he breathed.

She sighed, sitting back down on the couch. "Do you need help out there?"

He shook his head. "I’ll be fine."

"Dave," she began, lifting up his shirt. He heard her let out a small gasp.

"It’s not so bad."

She looked at him, disbelief all over her face. "It looks horrible. You can’t go anywhere tonight."

"I have to," he said. "I’ve got to find it."

Catherine pulled out a new cloth and wet it with the alcohol. "It’s late. You can’t go outside searching for something."

"I’ll bring a flashlight," he replied, wincing as she pressed the cloth to his side.

"Dave, that’s not what I mean."

He waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. "Catherine, it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be back before you know it."

Blog Award

2009-02-17T16:06:00.000-05:00

I have received an award for my blog from kiwifruit!

Here are the rules for the award...

* Put the logo on your blog or post.

* Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude

* Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

* Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

* Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award

Here are the blogs I nominate:

Of course: Edge

Avatarfan

Man in Uniform part XVII

2009-02-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

Dave opened the cabinet door and pulled out a first-aid kit, then glanced over at Catherine. "Sit down on the couch. I’ll help you with that gash."

Catherine obeyed him. "But your side is worse."

"I’ll get to it," he replied, sitting down beside her on the couch.

He dabbed some alcohol onto a cloth and held it up. "This might hurt a little."

She winced, but said nothing as he pressed it against her.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I know it’s painful."

"It’s ok," she replied. "Better than getting an infection."

Sitting so close to her, he could take in every detail. Her brown hair, which was curlier than he remembered, and her eyes which weren’t so dark as they once had been. His eyes traveled down, taking in every feature of her face. Her pearly white teeth, the shape of her mouth. He stopped there and glanced downward. This was no time to be thinking about her like that.

"No time," Dave whispered and Catherine glanced at him.

"What did you say?"

Dave shook his head. "Sorry. Just mumbling to myself. Don’t worry about it."

He watched her again, suddenly realizing how pale she was. "Catherine, how are you feeling?"

Catherine met his eyes. "I’m okay."

"Are you sick?" He questioned.

"No, I feel fine."

He pulled the cloth away from her, grimacing at all the blood.

She glanced at it. "That’s a lot."

"It’s okay. Some of it’s dried blood. Don’t worry. I’ll stitch it up."

She backed away a few inches. "You know how to do that?"

"Sure. They taught everyone small things like that."

"I can do it by myself," Catherine said. "I studied to be a nurse when I was younger."

"It’s going to be too hard for you to stitch up the side of your own face. Now, don’t you think I can do it?"

She hesitated and he gasped. "You don’t!"

She laughed. "Okay. I’m ready."

He started working, pausing every now and then to ask her if she was okay.

Once he was finished, he sat back, studying her face. "Well, I hope it heals right."

"That’s not funny," she said. "I’m going to check on Emma and I’ll be back down to help you with your side."

"I’ll be okay, Catherine."

She stood, glancing back at him as she did so. "Don’t worry. I’ll stitch it up."

He smiled as she threw his words back at him, then watched her walk away.

Man in Uniform part XVI

2009-01-30T18:01:00.000-05:00

Catherine watched him go and turned to her daughter. "You weren’t hurt tonight, were you?"

Emma shook her head and Catherine could see her curly hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Nope. But you were. The man cut your face."

Catherine fingered her right cheek, but dropped her hand within a second. "Be nice to Dave."

"I am being nice. He said that thing about the snakes."

"He was warning you."

"He was trying to scare me."

Catherine didn’t reply as the man in uniform stepped out of the cabin. "All clear. Let’s go."

Catherine took Emma by the hand and pulled her inside the cabin.

Emma glanced around as the light came on. "You have electricity?"

"It’s not exactly my cabin," he replied, turning on the light to the kitchen. "The bedrooms are upstairs. There are only two, but one has separate beds."

Catherine nodded, glancing around the spacious cabin. "Are you sure it’s safe here?"

"I wouldn’t bring you here if it wasn’t safe," he answered.

"Yeah, let’s not bring back up the hotel," Emma quipped, a small smirk playing on her mouth.

"Yes, let’s not," Catherine ordered, placing her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. "Go get ready for bed."

Emma sensed the warning in her mother’s tone and she hurried up the stairs.

The Boy (final part)

2009-01-26T19:01:00.000-05:00

He’s the boy
In the brown sweatshirt
He’s the boy
Who doesn’t know how much it makes you hurt

He’s the boy
With the deep brown eyes
He’s the boy
With a heart as big as the skies

He’s the boy
Who could take away the pain
He’s the boy
Who doesn’t think of you that way

Man in Uniform XV

2009-01-20T20:52:00.000-05:00

"Now where?" Catherine asked.

"Now, we start up the hill. There’s a cabin a little ways up," he hesitated. "If you can climb that far up."

Catherine blinked. "We haven’t lived in the city all our lives."

"We’ll see," he replied, starting up the hill.

Catherine followed him, holding tightly to her daughter’s hand. "How far up do we have to go?"

She could see him shrug in the moonlight. "Maybe a mile. Watch out for snakes."

Emma halted. "There are snakes out here?"

"Could be," he replied, stopping to hold a branch out of her way.

"You don’t know?" Emma demanded.

"No, that’s how come I said to watch out because I’m not sure."

Emma huffed and continued up the mountain.

Catherine passed by the man in uniform. "Sorry. She’s a bit of a drama queen at times."

She could just make out the grin that spread across his lips as she said it. "No kidding."

Catherine smiled and continued walking behind her daughter, occasionally stopping when a branch caught on her and Dave would pause to help.

Emma turned the fourth time that Catherine had to stop. "Come on, Mom. This is taking forever."

Catherine glanced back at Dave. He had an eyebrow raised. "My my," he said. "Aren’t we demanding."

Emma huffed again, tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and started stalking back up the hill.

"I tried to tell you," Catherine said as Dave glanced her way.

He glanced down at his watch. "We should be almost there."

"How long are we going to stay here?" Catherine asked as they resumed walking.

"Until we can’t any longer," he replied, then started to jog. "Your daughter’s in good shape."

Catherine followed suit. "Where is she?"

He pointed to a figure a few feet in front of them. "She needs to slow down. It’s not safe for her to be out of our sight."

"You mean your sight."

He glanced at her. "I’d say you’ve done a fine job of keeping her safe over the years."

"Until recently," she murmured.

Either he didn’t hear her or he chose not to respond because the man in uniform-Dave, she corrected herself for a second time, kept silent as they began to jog faster after her daughter.
Emma came to an abrupt halt in front of them and pointed towards a dark shape. "Is that it?"

Dave stopped behind her, holding a hand to his injured side. "Yeah. I need to go in first to check it out. I’ll be right out."

Twilight Books

2009-01-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

It seems like that Ice Cream guy just waits until I sit down at the computer to start up that horrifying music and then I sit here and grind my teeth together until it's over..which is like a few hours...
So..I finished the first three books in the Twilight Series...Yeah, I'm a little behind the times, I know..but I finished the first three, and by far, the first one in the series was the best! I really love Edward Cullen...*sighs*
*Straightens back up* Where was I?
Oh yes..going insane because I can't find the fourth book, anywhere! Well..I can..but it's in Spanish...*kicks self for not wanting to learn Spanish last year*

In other news...The Boy, who still remains nameless, keeps giving me material for songs..and that's how come you guys must suffer with me *laughs evil laugh*

He’s the boy
Who asks if you’ll be okay
He’s the boy
Whose name you don’t want to say

He’s the boy
You’ll always hold out for
He’s the boy
Who makes your heart long for nothing more

He’s the boy
You’ll love your whole life
He’s the boy
Who fills your heart with strife

Man in Uniform Part XIV

2009-01-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

I finally changed my template so it’s no longer christmasy..I was getting lip from Debbie about that *glares in Debbie’s general direction*

I’m putting a list on the side of my blog of all the things I want to do this year. I’ll cross them off as I accomplish them..Hopefully I will accomplish some..

I hope everyone had a good christmas and a happy new year and all that jazz..I would’ve updated sooner, but I got hooked on a game I found online called Crypt Raider..It is really awesome and fun..but challenging..especially when you have a friend who is 48 levels above you..gets kind of humiliating..

So..I was talking to Edge the other day and she asked for more Man in Uniform and more of the poem *kinda demanding if you ask me ;-)*..keep in mind this is unedited…as is all of my work will probably remain because I’m kind of lazy…

He stopped when he heard Catherine call his name. Catherine. She needed his help. He struggled to sit up, and shoved the body off.

Catherine was kneeling beside him, holding the knife.

He leaned close to her, taking it from her hands. "Catherine," he breathed her name and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She glanced up. She had tears in her eyes, but she blinked a few times and they were gone. "Your side—" she started.

He glanced down at the blood soaking his uniform. "We don’t have time for that. We’ve got to get out of here. There’s no telling how many more are on their way," he started to stand, but immediately felt light-headed and stumbled.

Catherine placed a hand on his arm, steadying him. "Where are we going?"

"A place where I know we’ll be safe for awhile," he replied. "Where’s your daughter?"

Catherine indicated toward the bathroom. "She was safe in there."

"We’ve got to get her and get out of here," he said, heading toward the bathroom.

***

Catherine sat in the passenger seat of the car, casting a glance at Dave every so often.

He stopped the car suddenly at the foot of a hill and opened the car door.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

He pointed up the hill. "We have to walk from here."

"But what about the car? Won’t they be able to find us?"

He held up a hand to silence her. "No, they won’t find us. Get your daughter out of the car."

She obeyed him, opening the back door and helping Emma out onto the street.

Dave stepped out of the car, withdrew something from a bag and Catherine realized it was the knife with which he had been stabbed.

Dave leaned down and stuck the knife in the gas pedal, pinning it to the floor.

Catherine watched the car drive itself across a strip of road, then go over the cliff.

"Where’d it go?" Emma questioned.

"It was a drop off," Dave answered. "They won’t know where the car went."

A Much Needed Update

2008-12-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

I’m here..I know it’s been almost ten days since I last updated, and so I give you all my sincerest apologies..but, I have the best news! My youth minister, Mr. Tracy, went for a scan yesterday and they told him he was cancer free! I am so excited..I’ve been praying about this for so long..and I would like to thank those of you who prayed for Mr. Tracy..they meant a lot to me…
Now then, because I’m mean, I’m not posting a man in uniform part on here..mainly because I have some editing to do, and I don’t have the time right now, so I have to slap something else up here instead…and because Catey told me I should update…This is the second part of a poem I wrote a while back..
-Judi

He’s the boy
You cry for at night
He’s the boy
Who could make everything all right

He’s the boy
With the face of an angel
He’s the boy
Who can cast that spell

He’s the boy
Who stole your heart
He’s the boy
Who doesn’t know that he’s tearing it apart

Crazy Eights/Man in Uniform Part XIII

2008-12-14T22:51:00.000-05:00

My deepest apologies for not updating sooner..I don't really have a big excuse for this..other than the fact that my oldest sister, whom I trust and look up to, happened to tell my parents that I had a C.B..."Crush-Boy"...*sigh*..some of the jokes and songs they come up with..very cruel..
Here is a tag that Idina tagged me to do a while back and I forgot..totally..but I FOUND IT!! So..here it is...

8 Books I've Read Recently
1. Showdown by Ted Dekker
2. Saint by Ted Dekker
3. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
4. Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix
5. Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix
6. When Heaven Weeps by Ted Dekker
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (again)

8 Songs I Listen To Constantly
1. Hey Stephen by Taylor Swift
2. You belong with me by Taylor Swift
3. Whispers in the Dark by Skillet
4. Every Other Time by LFO
5. A little bit longer by the Jonas Brothers
6. I heard you by Good Charlotte
7. Teardrops on my Guitar by Taylor Swift
8. It’s Tricky by Run-D.M.C

8 Movies I Saw This Year
1. Fireproof
2. We Own the Night
3. Die Hard (again)
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas ’66 edition (again)
5. Boys and Girls
6. Blast from the Past (again)
7. Mrs. Winterborne (again)
8. The Bourne Identity (again)

8 TV Shows I Watch
1. Spongebob
2. JAG
3. X-Files
4. Ned’s Declassified
5. Johnny Bravo
6. One Tree Hill
7. Lizzie McGuire
8. Danny Phantom (go ahead and laugh)

8 Things I Find Myself Saying
1. So this one time…
2. Well..Hot College Intern says…
3. MUSIC!!!
4. Ummm..
5. Morons
6. Some roast beef, some chicken, a pizza
7. Fat Kids
8. Crush-boy

8 Things I Learned This Year
1. How to turn the water pipe off
2. Millsberry is a fun place
3. I love Webkinz
4. C.B. has more siblings than I thought
5. HCI is actually 20
6. My sisters like to tease (that shouldn’t be a real shocker, but it is.)
7. I AM ONLY 5’4..What a blow..
8. I can actually get a ten out of ten on a Grammar quiz

8 People I Tag To Do This
1. Kiwifruit
2. Jonno
3. Edge
4. Catfreak70
5. Idina
6. The_Ballerina
7. Grace
8. My siblings

Catherine heard her daughter scream as the door was slammed down and Dave charged into the room, knocking down the man in front of her.

"Go!" Dave yelled at her. "Get out!"

Catherine pulled her daughter up from the bed and pulled her toward the door as Dave wrestled with the men for the knife.

She hesitated when she reached the door. She couldn’t just leave Dave there. He had risked his life for her one too many times for her to just up and leave.

She opened the door and led her daughter out onto the sidewalk. "Stay right here," she ordered. "I’ll be right back."

Emma nodded and Catherine turned back to the hotel room. Dave was distracting the men’s attention from her, and she quickly made her way over to the side table, jerked open the drawer and pulled the gun out.

Turning back to the scuffle on the floor, she realized Dave was on the bottom, wrestling with a man who was pushing a gun toward his neck.

Catherine ejected the bullet clip. Two. She had to trust Dave that he would be quick enough to grab the other gun from the man. Shoving the clip back into the pistol, she aimed it toward the man on top of Dave and fired both bullets at him.

***

Dave started when the man fell on him, blood pouring from his shoulder and neck. It took him three seconds to realize he’d only left two bullets in the gun he’d given to Catherine. She’d shot the man twice.

Dave shoved the man away from him, grabbing the gun as he did so. The other man already had the knife in his hands. He glanced at the revolver that Dave held in his hands. He seemed to retreat a few steps, but still held the knife at arm’s length.

Dave held the gun at the man and called Catherine’s name. "Are you okay?" he asked once she was by his side.

"Yes," she replied, but out of the corner of his eye, he watched her finger her right cheek.

Dave paused. He couldn’t just kill a man in cold blood. He wasn’t a killer. He glanced down at the dead man lying in a pool of blood on the carpet. He hadn’t done that. It had been Catherine, right?

"What’re you going to do?" The man questioned. "Kill me?"

Dave felt Catherine stir beside him. He had to do it. This man would kill Catherine if he didn’t. But, he wasn’t a murderer. He wouldn’t kill just for the sport of it.

The slight hesitation was all the man needed and he lunged at Dave, knocking him down, slamming the back of his neck into the side table.

Dave heard Catherine scream his name as he went down. He swam in and out of darkness when he felt an excruciating amount of pain in his side and realized he had been stabbed.

His had suddenly closed around the gun and he fired once at the man, then a second time, then a third.

Man in Uniform part XII

2008-12-05T19:51:00.000-05:00

I am sooo tired right now..I went to the mall earlier and walked around for a little while..about four weeks ago, I had my gray hoodie stolen from there..and never found it..*shudder*..oh well..i still haven't managed to find a replacement for it.. :-(
While I have your undivided attention...here's for Edge...

"My my," one of the men said, coming to stand in front of Dave. "What have we here? Dave Jenson."

Dave hardly heard a word the man said. His eyes were trained on the gun the man held in his hand.

"I could make you suffer and plead for your life," the man began. "But, I won’t. I’m keeping you until I have the one I want. If she’s not in that hotel, you’re coming with us," he pointed at a man beside Dave. "Watch him."

Dave stole a glance at the man beside him and realized it was the desk clerk who had been in the lobby just a few minutes earlier. He drew a gun from a holster on his side and trained it on Dave, thought better and pushed Dave against the car, then stepped in front, blocking Dave’s view of the hotel.

Dave could make out the light shining from the window, then he saw Catherine’s shadow, at the foot of her daughter’s bed.

He didn’t know what had happened, but suddenly a blade appeared in front of her and slashed Catherine across the face.

Dave glanced at the desk clerk, then back again at the window. Judging by the tremble in his hand, this man was a rookie. All he needed was a small distraction.

"No!" he suddenly yelled. Startled, the desk clerk glanced over his shoulder and Dave lunged at the man.

The man was weaker than Dave had anticipated and he soon had the gun from him. He hesitated. He wasn’t a killer, but he had to stop this man from coming after them. He aimed the gun at the man’s knee and pulled the trigger.

The desk clerk cried out in pain and collapsed onto the street, holding onto his injured leg.

Dave sidestepped him and started running toward the back exit of the hotel.

***

Catherine glanced up, startled when he flung open the door. But it wasn’t Dave.

The two men in black crossed the room, coming toward her.

Catherine stood in front of her daughter, blocking Emma from view. Where had that pistol gone? She stole a glance at the side table where the gun lay in the drawer.

Fat lot of good that does me now, Catherine thought, facing the men.

"You don’t have to die," one said, approaching her. "Hand over your daughter and we’ll leave you."

Catherine stood still, refusing to allow the men close to her daughter. Where was Dave? She needed him.

"Don’t make this harder than it has to be," the other man said, pulling out a long knife that appeared to have been used for carving meat at one time.

Catherine took a step back at the same time the man raised the knife and brought the blade down against her face, leaving an open wound from her ear to the corner of her mouth.

Catherine let out a cry, holding her face, then turned when she heard the door shut and lock. She was trapped.

"Mom?" she glanced back when she heard the voice.

Emma saw her face and sat up. "Mom!"

"Emma, stay where you are," Catherine ordered.

Emma hesitated but obeyed her. As Catherine turned back to the men, she heard the unmistakable sound of splintering wood and the door came down on the floor.

Dave stood in the broken doorway for a brief second before flying across the room and tackling the man holding the knife.

Man in Uniform Part XI/And this is what I really think of you

2008-12-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

*Throws head against desk* I fell 11,000 words shy of completing my novel yesterday...but, it's okay..I have a lot of editing to do and now I know exactly what direction I want the book to head in..my eyes are killing me..I wrote roughly 20,000 words yesterday and everytime I blink I see words..*shudder*

Okay..here are the answers in the order that people commented..this is how I really feel :) Some of you guys I can't answer certain questions because I just won't know..but, I will try my best...

Zoe:

1: You have a pretty blog.
2: Umm..you remind me of the the main girl character in "A Christmas Card" if you haven't seen that movie, watch it..so sweet..
3: hmm..pineapple!!
4: Umm..ho hum??
5: Umm..I think you visited my blog when I had that poem "The Boy" up and you said you thought it was nice..
6: A cat..a fluffy white one :)
7: Umm..Do you write poetry?
8: hmm..things you say..you always say nice things..
9: I don't have one!! I can't think of anything..I warned you I might not have some answers

Sister Warrior:

1: You are like the most AWESOME WRITER EVER!!
2: Rachael Leigh Cook from "She's all that"..she was one of my favorite characters of all time..
3: Umm..is Apple a flavor of jello??
4: Uh..how is Gabe doing??
5: I think it was when you wrote a poem on Real Teen Faith and I just happened to be on it that day..It was "Broken World" I love that thing!
6: Umm..A tabby cat..they're pretty..and oh so quiet ;-)
7: Umm..what color is your hair??
8: How nice you are!!
9: Once again..there is nothing..there will be something maybe later and it will pop into my head..but nothing right now..

Kiwifruit:

1: Umm..your profile pic is cool.
2: Halle Berry from "Catwoman" she was really cool..
3: Umm..Strawberry!!!
4: Concerts ROCK!!
5: Umm..I found your blog through Jamin..who knows everyone and I commented on your blog and I am sooo glad I did :)
6: A horse..white to be exact..
7: What day is your birthday??
8: Your sense of adventure..
9: I REFUSE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION!!

Debbie:

1: You are..weird..
2: Umm..FOOTLOOSE!!!
3: LIME!! namely because it's a good flavor..
4: Are we friends, Bob???
5: You pulled me off the couch when we were really little..okay..so i don't remember it, but I should..
6: Umm..a Black Lab..
7: Do you work out??
8: Your kindness..
9: /:) Do you want me to answer that question??

The_Ballerina:

1: I happen to really like your blog..
2: Michelle Pfeiffer from Grease 2..she was cool..
3: Umm..cherry!!!
4: so..there's this boy..
5: READING YOUR BLOG!!
6: An eagle..
7: Do you remember Ireland?
8: hmm..you're a cool person
9: I'm not going to bother..THERE IS NOTHING!!

Never-Again:

1: well..you got far in nanowrimo
2: Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events!! Hee hee..
3: Umm..i'm running out of flavors...how about lemon-lime??
4: I don't dance...
5: Umm..you have always been running around..it's hard to remember..
6: A monkey
7: Do you believe in the Bible??
8: Your smile..
9: Umm..think..think..think..bother..

Indina:

1: You're a cool person
2: Sarah Baker from Cheaper by the Dozen..
3: how about you just jump in with me and kiwifruit?? or The_Ballerina..we could have a lot of fun..
4: umm..up for some Redneck Golf??
5: I think I found you from Ian's blog..either way it was your blog..
6: A kitten..they're cute..
7: How many siblings do you have?
8: I like it when you get hyper..
9: *Shrug*

And one for Avatarfan..who didn't manage to comment..growl..

1: You jump alot...
2: Sunny from A Series of Unfortunate Events...
3: join me and Debbie..i'm out of flavors..
4: Guys are scum!
5: You were screaming the day you were born!
6: A yip-yip dog...
7: Am I hip? Am I trendy???
8: You give good hugs..
9: Nope..can't think of anything...

FINALLY!! That took half an hour! Here is a little something for Edge...

"Catherine," he started and she jumped, dropping the paper back onto his bed. "What are you doing?"

She hesitated. "I’m sorry. I was just—"

He crossed the room and started picking up the papers. "You shouldn’t have done that.""What did you know about my husband?"

The question caught him by surprise, but he shook his head. "No. I’m not doing that anymore. I could get a dishonorable discharge for answering the questions I know you want to ask."

Catherine stared at him, her arms crossed over her chest and he could sense the fight coming. "Catherine, I’m sorry. I can’t do anything."

She didn’t say anything and he held her gaze. "I just can’t."

She sighed and uncrossed her arms, glancing at the papers in his hands. "I didn’t know Martin worked in molecular physics."

He straightened the stack of papers. "Well, now you do. What else do you know?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. I was searching for the other paper, but it’s not here."

He froze. "What other paper?"

"I don’t know. I read the last sentence of a paper and I couldn’t find the next paper. I searched the floor and the bed, but it’s not there."

"Catherine, this isn’t funny. If you have that paper—"

"I don’t," she snapped. "Do you think I would’ve told you that one was missing if I had it?"

He hesitated. "No."

"I thought you had it."

"Planning on frisking me when I came back?"

A smile played on her lips. "Maybe."

He pulled his eyes from her mouth and began to search the stack of papers he had in his hands.

She watched him. "How many papers do you have?"

"There were fifty total," he replied, flipping through the stack, counting. "I’m missing two."

He cast her a sideways glance, but dropped his gaze before she noticed. "I need to check the floor and car."

She nodded. "Do you need some help?"

"No. Just look around the room for me," he said, laying the papers back down on the bed.

He headed toward the door, then thought better of it, and went back to get the papers.

"I’m not going to read them."

He stopped and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Right."

He heard her sigh as he closed the door behind him. He shook his head and began the walk down the hall until he reached the main lobby.

The desk clerk glanced up as he walked by, but said nothing and slowly returned his gaze to the computer screen.

Dave continued on outside and unlocked the car door. Sliding behind the wheel, he slammed the door shut behind him and flipped on the interior light.

He glanced around the passenger seat, then crawled over it to search the floor. He grunted when he raised his head and banged it against the dashboard, then turned and shoved his side into the stick shift.

"Hopeless," he mumbled. He glanced toward the backseat. What were the chances of those papers ending up there?

He hesitated, then crawled into the back. "I’m too old for this," he grumbled as he got onto the floor.

As he searched underneath the seats, he could hear voices carrying through the air. He knew they were approaching the car as the voices grew louder, and he could understand what they were saying.

"We need the girl more than we need Jenson," one argued.

"Jenson is more valuable. We take him out; the woman doesn’t stand a chance. She’s helpless."

"Have you forgotten that she outsmarted us for nine years now. Five of them without Jenson’s help!"

Dave could hear the one man pause for a few seconds before arguing again. "We need Jenson first. He’s more of a threat then the other two combined."

"No, the girl is more important. We get her first, then we go after Jenson."

"What about the woman?"

"If she gets in the way, kill her."

The voices stopped and Dave thought they had left when he heard the handle of the back door move and he scrambled for the driver’s side door, but the men on the outside were already over there.

One of them opened the door and jerked him out by the collar of his uniform.

Dave was dragged out of the car with such force that he nearly fell, but the man shoved him back against the car and Dave knew that he would bruise before the night was over, but his concern was with Catherine and her daughter.

Fun Game

2008-11-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

If you leave a comment on this post I will do all of the following and put the answers in my next post. :)

1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you which song or movie you remind me of.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.(if possible. If not, I'll say something that only makes sense to me.)
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wondered about you.
8. I'll tell you my favorite thing about you.
9. I'll tell you my least favorite thing about you.
10. If you play, you MUST post this on yours

The Play

2008-11-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

Please do not kill me..I am so far behind on my nano novel that I am taking a short break from posting man in uniform..I will post more of him on Monday, I promise, Catfreak :)
For now, you must suffer with a short play I wrote...Don't get ideas..it's fiction...
-Judi

Cast of Characters:
Me
Older Sister (Deb)
Younger Sister (Mariah)
Youngest Sister (Rose)

Setting:
Shared Room

Act 1 Scene 1

Mariah (who likes to tease): You have a crush on Josh

Me: Eww

Mariah: Then it’s Jonno

Me: No, It’s not him either.

Older Sister, sits up: Then there is a guy

Me: I didn’t say that.

Older Sister: You said "either"

Me: Crap

Older Sister: So…tell us all about him

Me: Fat chance

Rose: I already know who he is

Older Sister: Tell us

Me: Watch it, Rose

Rose: Oops

Older Sister pulls out a pen and college ruled notebook: Must take notes of this important event

Me: Oh my gosh

Older Sister scribbles furiously in notebook: What’s his name?

Me: Yeah right.

Older sister looks in Rose’s direction: Rose?

Rose glances toward my direction: His initials are C.B. for crush-boy.

Me: *Sigh*

Older sister throws back head and laughs an evil laugh: Excellent

Me: Rose, it’s time for you to go to sleep now.

Rose: Oops.

Older sister regains her composure: So, Rose, do you know him?

Rose: I talked to him. Mariah heard me talk about him.

Older Sister: So you know him?

Me: ROSE!

Rose: Oops

Older Sister looks as though Christmas has come early. Smiles like the Grinch: Well, Rose, you
talk to him?

Rose: I’m going to sleep now.

Me: Yes, do so.

Older sister: Can I at least have a name.

Me: No

Older sister: Then he shall go by C.B. forever!

Me: Great.

Older sister scribbles more notes in notebook and slams it shut. Laughs evil laugh again: Looks like I’ll be finding out who he is.

Me: Crap.

Fade Out (For now)

Some Whiplash for Edge-Man in Uniform part X

2008-11-19T14:44:00.000-05:00

Hello all....
I am so far behind on my word count that it is truly pathetic...that is how come I haven't updated for so long..I'm trying to write more..and actually finish this novel before November is up.
No one needs to ask about my word count because it is awful *cough* 6,156...
Yup..that's it..less than 11 days left and that's all I have....
So..here is some of Man in Uniform for Edge and Catfreak70..who like only comments on Man in Uniform...
-Judi

He landed hard on her, and only had time to blink before she let out a muffled yell. He scrambled to sit up, but placed his hand on the edge of the bed and fell again.

The papers flew out of his hand, littering the bed and floor. He started muttering and she thought he was cursing but then realized he was apologizing repeatedly to her.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position. "It’s okay. Don’t worry about it."

He struggled to regain his footing and managed to stand before she caught a look at him.

His face was a dull red and he mumbled another apology to her before stooping to pick up the papers on the floor.

She moved to help him, but he stopped her. "Please," he said, "I’ll get it."

"No, I can help," she said, pushing the covers off of her body.

He stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Really, Catherine, I got it."

She hesitated. "Are you all right?"

"Oh yeah. Just fine."

She watched him scoop up the papers into a jumbled pile and place them on his bed. "I um, yeah. Water," he mumbled and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Catherine watched him go and shook her head, lying back down on the bed. He had seemed okay until they had reached the hotel. He had become quieter. Other than the argument they had when they first reached the hotel, he had barely spoken to her. He was more reserved. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know anything about this man other than his age and now his name.

Catherine sat up to lean against the headboard. His name sounded so familiar, but she knew he hadn’t told her it before. She struggled to think of where she might have read it. She never read the news and she never kept up with all the wars going on. Dave didn’t look like he’d been in a war. The only visible sign of any violence at all was a thin scar running down his left cheek.

He didn’t seem like he’d ever been in a war at all. He didn’t act like it. He seemed like he was in intensive training, but not for war. He had trained for something else.

A protection program? She paused. Was the navy involved in that sort of thing? She cast a glance at the jumble of papers on his bed.

"They don’t belong to me," she whispered, yet found herself sliding out of the bed to take a closer look at the papers.

She pulled the top one up and skimmed it. Words on there jumped out at her. She stopped when she came across her husband’s name.

"Scientist Martin Banks has tested the theory based on Molecular Physics—" The sentence cut off and she searched for the next page on the bed, but it wasn’t on there. She glanced downward and searched the floor.

"Curse that stupid table," she muttered as she got down on her knees and began to search.

***

Dave stepped out of the room, breathing in the smell of coffee as he did so. The breakfast area was just down the hall and he headed toward it.

The fall on the bed had shaken him and he no doubt had a bruise on his shin from plowing into the side table. He had a few minutes to pull himself together before he had to get back to the room. He had to keep an eye out for Catherine.

He reached the breakfast area and felt the coffee pot. He jerked his hand back when the realization hit him that it was hot.

"That’s going to blister," he muttered, then paused, glancing at the clock on the microwave. Who would’ve made a pot of coffee at ten thirty at night?

He looked around the empty room. Something inside of him tensed and he instantly turned to head back to the hotel room when he heard a noise in the eating area.

He weighed his options. Go find Catherine or investigate. Chances were that Catherine was safe for the moment. Chances were the noise was nothing and he was paranoid.

He hesitated, then headed back into the hall. There was no need to overreact and go searching for nothing.

He reached the room door and opened it, then saw Catherine leaning over his bed, papers in hand.

Man in Uniform part IX- Ya'll are welcome

2008-11-13T18:04:00.000-05:00

I hope you guys know what I went through, thinking about a name for the man in uniform...I thought about just calling "man in uniform" through the entire novel...it certainly would've given me a higher word count :D
But, I owed it to Catey, and Edge...my faithful followers..you are all welcome for that name which I lost sleep over (bit of an exaggeration...it takes a lot to make me lose sleep)...
-Judi

Not bothering to change her clothes, she kicked off her shoes and crawled into the bed with her daughter. Even though she was exhausted, she couldn’t bring herself to go to sleep. She lay in bed, her eyes darting around the room, coming to a stop on the man in uniform. Dave. She had to keep the name in her mind. She knew if she didn’t, she’d end up calling him "man in uniform" to his face.

She wasn’t sure if he was aware of her eyes on him or not, but he didn’t say anything. She studied him as he flipped through papers. Dave. The name fit him so well. His brown hair stopped just barely above his eyes, curly, it nearly touched his eyebrows.

She watched his jaw muscle clench as he flipped to another paper. He paused long enough to put his hand against his mouth, then he pulled it down again, but her eyes stayed on his mouth. Four years ago, those lips had kissed hers in a deserted alley in New York City. The memories of that night came back in a flash. She had wanted to return the kiss, but she didn’t. The moment was over too soon and she had left. But, she'd never forget him. She knew she wouldn’t.

Something had happened that night. She’d learned to trust a man again. No, there was more to it. She had fallen for this man.

She quickly dismissed the thought. She couldn’t fall in love with a man whom she had only known a few short hours.

She wasn’t in high school anymore. Stuff like that didn’t happen to her. Not anymore.

Still—she glanced over at him again. She couldn’t help but notice the muscles in his arms. He was different from the twenty-one year old she had met in New York. He had changed a lot. Something had happened to change him. If only she knew what.

***

Dave sat on the bed, back against the headboard. He could feel her eyes on him. Watching him, studying him.

He put his hand against his mouth, then quickly lowered it. Suddenly aware that she was watching his every move. The thought made him strangely uncomfortable. Embarrassed. He wanted to tell her to stop watching him, but he resisted the urge. His training had forced him through all situations possible, but sitting in a hotel room just two feet from Catherine was not something he had planned on. But, it was safer for her to be with him. He knew that.

He tried distracting himself by concentrating on the paper that lay in his hands. The words didn’t make any sense. They swam together, all he caught was a few now and then.

Catherine Banks, Emma, Martin Banks, Degree in Physics, performing experiments on young subject

He stopped there, unable to read on any further. He rubbed his temple with his right hand, then ran the same hand through his curly hair. All he needed was something to drink. Yes. He stood, papers in hand, promptly tripped over the side table and landed on the bed opposite him.

Attention! The man in uniform has a name!

2008-11-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

Hello, faithful blog readers,
I have given a name to the man in uniform! I'm staying with his first name, but I might change his last name if I find one I like better.
As it stands, Debbie gave me the last name.
It came down to two alternatives: Dave or Mark.
Dave and Catherine sounds better than Mark and Catherine. I don't know why. So..here is part VIII of Man in Uniform..I wrote more, but skipped parts and didn't paste it all in here. So, if you don't like the name, that's too bad...because I do. :-P
-Judi

Catherine dropped her suitcase on the floor of the hotel room and pushed it toward the wall. "Emma, I want you to get ready for bed."

Emma seemed to understand her tone of voice and she headed into the bathroom without complaint.

Catherine turned to the man in uniform as soon as her daughter had shut the bathroom door. "How long until this is over?"

He crossed his arms as he stared back at her. "That depends."

"On what?"

"On how long it is before they give up."

Catherine threw her arms up in exasperation. "That could be years from now!"

"You’ve managed to do this for nine years, now. You can handle more."

His tone was soft, but she didn’t find his words comforting. "Why are you involved in this?"

"I told you, they sent me here to watch over you."

"But, why you? What do we have to do with the navy?"

"I can’t tell you," he was still speaking softly, but firmer now. "I’m not allowed to."

"It’s my daughter’s life on the line, not yours!"

"Catherine, I’m going to do everything I can to protect you and your daughter, but you have to work with me. That means you have to quit asking questions that I can’t answer."

Catherine turned away from him and walked toward the bed, but he followed her.

"I’m doing this to protect you." He said it in a whisper. His tone had lost the firm edge.

She sighed and sat down on the edge of the nearest bed. He hesitated, then joined her.

"I know you don’t know me, but for this to work, you have to trust me."

Catherine glanced over at him. Trust? How could she trust a man she didn’t even know with her daughter’s life?

"Catherine, I’m here to look after you and your daughter, not to hurt either one of you."

She nodded briefly. "Tell me one thing."

He waited.

"Was my husband involved in the navy?"

"Catherine—"

"Just answer yes or no."

He glanced around the room as if he was afraid his commanding officer would charge into the hotel room at any given second and haul him to a court marshal. "Yes."

She opened her mouth to press him further when Emma stepped out of the bathroom. She snapped it shut and turned to her daughter. "You’re sleeping in the bed with me, Emma."

The man in uniform stood and headed into the bathroom. "We’re leaving tomorrow morning around five, so get some rest."

***

The man in uniform placed his hands on the bathroom sink and leaned against it. He hadn’t taken in full consideration before agreeing to this.

Catherine was a good mother, yes, but so stubborn that he didn’t know how well this would work out. He didn’t think it would hurt that she knew her husband had worked for the navy. She had already known before pressing him, he had merely confirmed it.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Who was he kidding? All she had to do was ask and he’d spill it. Just for her. She was a strong woman, there was no doubt about that. If he gave in, it would only hurt her. He couldn’t risk doing that. He couldn’t put her life anymore on the line that it already was.

Saving her from killers was one thing, saving her from her husband’s past was another. If he had known what he was getting himself into when he stopped to help her in that alley—He shook his head, cutting off the thought. He was glad to have met her. He could admit it. He’d been drawn to her the moment he saw her. The first time he’d looked into her eyes and seen that strength.

He shoved away from the sink and began pacing the bathroom floor, which he could take in two strides and turn around to go back.

He had to keep his mouth shut. He couldn’t tell her. It’d kill her. He’d be quiet for her.
"For Catherine," he murmured, then opened the door and stepped into the hotel room.

***

Catherine looked up when the man in uniform stepped out of the bathroom.

He glanced at her sleeping daughter. "What time is it?"

She turned to the clock on the wall. "Nine-forty."

He nodded. "I’ll take the chair so you can sleep in—"

She cut him off with a shake of her head. "I’ll sleep in the bed with my daughter."

He hesitated.

"This isn’t the ‘50s. We can share a hotel room," She said this and found it odd when he blushed a little. But he nodded and stood.

"Okay, just wake me if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you," She paused when she realized she didn’t know his name.

"Dave," he said. "Dave Jenson."

"Thank you, Dave," She replied and headed into the bathroom.

Nanowrimo Day 2- Man in Uniform Part VII

2008-11-02T18:41:00.001-05:00

Deepest apologies for not updating sooner...alot of things happened, kept me busy and then nanowrimo started...i know, excuses, excuses...but, i started my novel and wrote 1,720 words yesterday...nevermind the fact that i've written only 2 words today..*grins sheepishly* pathetic, i know...for my novel, I turned those parts of Man in Uniform into a prologue and started the novel based on it..It was actually Debbie's idea, then she turned on me saying that it was "cheating" but, it's not, since i'm not counting the prologue as words..so, i still have to write 50,000 before November is done...*sigh*
Anyways, here is a small excerpt of chapter one...keep in mind that i had been at the computer for two hours while writing this....

Catherine held her daughter’s hand as they crossed the busy street toward her car.
"Did you see dad in the crowd?" Emma asked, looking up at Catherine.

Catherine paused when they reached the car. "Emma, I don’t think your dad was there tonight."

Emma nodded to show her enthusiasm. "Yes, he was. I know it. I saw him."

Catherine turned to her daughter, but never saw her. A hand reached out, grabbing Catherine from behind.

She fought back, but the arms that held her were strong. She stopped for a second, scanning the street for her daughter. A man was trying to shove Emma into a car.

"No!" Catherine started to scream, and the man clamped a hand over her mouth.

The muffled cry was blocked out by thunder cracking over them and rain started to pour.

Headlights flashed in the distance and pulled up beside Emma and a man stepped out. He was the same man that Catherine had seen in the shadows at her daughter’s dance recital. But, at that moment, the revolver he held in his hand was what caught her eye.

Suddenly, the arms that were holding her so tightly released her and shoved her away. Catherine staggered a little before regaining her footing.

As she glanced at her daughter, a shot rang out and she watched her daughter hit the brick road.

She screamed Emma’s name and started running toward her. More bullets rang out, causing her to stop and hit the road on all fours, finding shelter behind the man’s car.

One more shot and it was over. The only sound was the raindrops as they hit the brick road.

Catherine stood slowly and made her way over to the opposite side of the car. Emma was sitting up, leaning her back against the wall. On her right side, knelt a man in white. His hand was on her shoulder, in his other hand, the revolver.

White. Something seemed familiar. A navy uniform. The man beside her daughter glanced up as Catherine approached. It was him.

Catherine took a step back. The man in uniform was back. He’d saved her daughter again.

Emma glanced up at Catherine. "I told you I saw him today, Mom."

Catherine knelt down beside her daughter, pulling her into an embrace. The rain soaked her jeans and T-shirt as they sat together for a few minutes, then
Catherine pulled away from her daughter and glanced at the man in uniform.

He looked older. Older than the four years that it had been since she last saw him.
He had said he was twenty-one then, he didn’t look like a twenty-five year old.

He was aware of her eyes on him and he dropped his gaze to the gun he held in his hand, then he too sat down beside Emma. "Are you all right?"

It took Catherine a second to realize the question was directed to her. "Yes, I’m fine. My daughter—"

"She’s not hurt," he said. "She got to the ground before anything managed to hit her."

"Are we going home?" Emma asked, causing Catherine to glance back at her.

Catherine hesitated. She didn’t know if home was safe anymore.

"You should probably come with me," the man in uniform said, glancing at Catherine. "Both of you. I doubt it’s safe to stay at your house tonight."

"I know," Catherine sighed as the rain continued to pour down on them.

"You’ll have to go home for a few minutes, though. To get what you need," he said, standing. "Then I’ll take you to the hotel."

"What hotel?"

"The one I’m staying at."

Catherine hesitated. What did she know about this man? Four years was a long time. Even then, she hadn’t known who he really was. Just a navy man who’d saved her in a New York alleyway.

He could sense her wariness. "You need someone, Catherine."

She knew she needed someone. She needed him. She dismissed the latter thought almost as soon as it came into her head. How could she need a man she hardly knew? Yet, something inside of her told her to listen to him. Trust him. If he’d wanted Emma, he would’ve taken her. He had a gun. He could’ve taken her out just like he had the men who had tried to kidnap her. But, he didn’t.

Catherine shook off the hesitation. "Yes, of course we’ll go with you."

He nodded. "All right. Come on."

Catherine helped Emma into the backseat and then climbed into the front seat beside the man in uniform.

Well....here it is....

2008-10-21T16:23:00.001-04:00

My new post...over a week old...I'm starting to hear it from Debbie (aka: anonymous) how i never update...weird, huh?
So..I'm going to be starting Nanowrimo soon...where I try to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November...I did it last year *jumps up and down* and shall be attempting to do it again this year...none of you are brave enough to join me...don't feel bad...i'm not even certain I'm brave enough...
I'm still unsure of the basic idea or plot for my book, so I'll have to keep thinking about that...this might just be the shortest post on the face of the earth...weird because i have a tendancy to post some long ones...I can just hear some of you guys saying "finally! a short one!" :D
-Judi

Ummmm....

2008-10-13T16:30:00.000-04:00

Hello All...
Apologies for not updating sooner...I had to leave a few comments on other's blogs to push them to update..so you can blame them for that...
The Ice Cream truck is outside my window again..It always comes at this time and stays for at least an hour and a half..I can't wait until winter comes so that truck will stay gone...that music...*shudder*

Ok..so I have a habbit of writing down six lines of poetry and not doing anything else with it..who wants to guess what's coming next???
So..here it is..poetry at it's finest (feel free to disagree with that statement) :D
-Judi

You wake up just to see his smile

Even if it only stops the ache for a little while

You wish he'd look at you with those eyes

You want to think it's not love, but your heart won't let you lie

You don't need him, but it feels like you do

The only thing you want is for him to notice you

Man in Uniform part VI

2008-10-07T12:40:00.000-04:00

Here it is!! It's finished finally!!! A total of 2,617 words and it's done completely!! I finally finished it...I started this thing because Edge, sweet girl that she is, asked me to do something..non-morbid..or something like that. So...it's finally done...and I've decided to dedicate this to anyone who has ever commented on a Man in Uniform post...especially The_Ballerina, Catey, and Jonno...Oh, and to answer a question Catey asked..the man in uniform never had a name..he's a poor nameless character...so..without further ado...here is the ending.....
PS: If you don't like it, don't hate me. :D
-Judi

Catherine stood in the shadow of the alley and watched the moon bathe the street in light. She glanced down at her watch and realized it had only been three hours ago when she had met the man in uniform in the alley. She knew standing in a deserted alleyway wasn’t the smartest thing to do in the early hours of the morning, but she had no other choice. She had no relatives and no home to go to. What she had was a large house in Paris that her grandmother had left to her.

Catherine started when the headlights flashed across the alley. The car stopped just outside the entrance and the man in uniform stepped out.

As he approached her she could see the full extent of his injuries. His left eye was black and she saw that the blood that soaked the collar of his uniform came from what looked like a knife wound on his neck. When he stood across from her she noticed how he held one arm stiffly, as if it were in a sling and she knew that he’d been shot.

He reached her and glanced around. "Where’s your daughter?"

She pointed inside the vehicle she was leaning against. "She’s asleep."

He glanced up and down the alley. "You don’t have to worry anymore. You’re both safe, now."

Safe? She hadn’t been safe for over five years. She stepped forward. "Your arm—"

He backed away. "It’s fine. You need to get out of here. That’s my cousin’s car. Take it and go wherever you need to. There’s enough money in the dash to take you wherever you want," He caught the look on her face. "He’s a loan shark. He won’t care."

She stepped toward him again and this time he didn’t step back. "Thank you for everything."

He smiled at her then and reached up to tuck a strand of her hair back. "Watch out for yourself and your daughter."

She nodded, allowing his hand to rest on her face. "You saved my life tonight."

He shook his head. "I just helped you get it back." He leaned down then, kissing her softly. "You need to go."

She nodded once more, then took her daughter out of the car seat. Once she put Emma into the other car, she turned back to the man in uniform and he gave her a smile. "Be careful."

She climbed into the front seat of the car and slowly began to back out of the entrance to the alley. She turned the car and headed toward the road. She kept her eyes on the man in uniform in her rear-view window until he was no longer in sight.

Man in Uniform part V

2008-09-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

So...it occurred to me yesterday that I hadn't finished Man in Uniform. Now, I have but it's too long to put into one post so..I shall post the last part of it in a few days.

Something else has occurred to to me...my fellow blogger Catfreak70 needs some motivation to keep her updating. She has an awesome blog and I would like you guys to check it out.

And speaking of Catfreak70, this part of the story is dedicated to her. She was one of the first people to comment on the very first part of Man in Uniform. So...here's to Catfreak70 :)

So...without further ado, here is Man in Uniform...keep in mind that it was really late last night as I wrote this and please excuse any spelling/grammar errors. :D
-Judi

Catherine held her daughter tighter against her as she checked her watch. Four minutes had passed. She kept her eye on the numbers and when the last minute passed, she headed back out into the cornfield. The only sound she heard was her own breathing as she ran back to the car they had abandoned just moments ago.

As she reached the car, she slowed down and fumbled with the door handle. Balancing her daughter on one hip, she opened the door as she felt something smack into her back.

Her left side took the brunt of it, slamming against the car door. She pushed herself away from the car, narrowly missing another blow. She turned, facing her assailant. There was pure joy in his eyes as reached for Emma. "She’s mine," he breathed, stretching his hand out toward her.

Catherine backed up, her back hitting the hood of the car. She knew there was no way out.

When the man saw she was stepping away, he pulled out a gun. "Come on, now. No one has to get hurt if you just hand the little girl over."

When Catherine didn’t make a move to surrender, the man cocked the gun. "They want the girl dead anyway."

Catherine turned, shielding her daughter’s body from what she knew was coming. The shot rang out, but she didn’t feel any pain.

It took her a second to realize that the bullet hadn’t hit her. She turned and locked eyes with the man in uniform. He hesitated for a second before approaching her and handing her the gun. "Go."

She hesitated. "You need it."

He held it out to her. "Take it. Protect your daughter."

She took it from him. "Thank you."

"Go, I’ll meet you there."

She got one last look at him before he disappeared back into the cornfield. Blood covered the collar of his navy uniform and even in the dark, she could tell his face had been injured.

She sent up another prayer for the man who had saved her life three times in one night, then opened the back door of the car and buckled her daughter into the car seat before getting into the front seat and starting the car.

Awards

2008-09-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

I have been given a super commenter award by my new friend, Grace. The rules are: award seven, or less, other bloggers and they pass on the award to seven other bloggers and so on....I hope you guys get what I'm saying...because I don't get what I'm saying... :D
I started this last night, but had to get off before I finished....

So, without further ado...here are the awards...

The first one goes to my friend Jonno who is already a favorite commenter of mine. His blog is great and getting to know him has been awesome.

Next is to Kiwifruit for pushing me to update, even sometimes when I don't need to. :D

Third is to The_Ballerina who is one of my newer commenters...she's got two great blogs and is a favorite commenter of mine.

Fourth is to Indina who is my newest commenter and an awesome one at that. :)

Fifth is for Catey who is an awesome girl, and an awesome writer. Her comments are always sweet and just exactly what I want to hear :)

Sixth is for Jamin who has one of the most awesome blogs out there and gives out some great advice for writers.

And Seventh is for Catfreak70 who while she almost NEVER comments on my blog, she still has a cool blog, herself...and if she doesn't update soon, I'll start sending people to comment on her blog.

Honorable mentions to my three wonderful sisters (which means you guys get awards even if you don't deserve them :D) Debbie, Never-Again, and Avatarfan

So, bloggers....award away... :D
-Judi

Untitled

2008-09-19T19:05:00.000-04:00

I have yet to leave a post marked 'Untitled' because it always makes me think of that song by Simple Plan, so this is the first and hopefully the last.

In other news, I wrote something for Real Teen Faith over the weekend and if you'd like to read it, here is the link http://realteenfaith.com/

And before anyone asks, yes, my name is misspelled on the site.

-Judi

An overdue update

2008-09-14T16:40:00.000-04:00

Alright, I know it's been a week since I updated, thanks for the push, Kiwifruit. So, here's a survey that was sent to me, so, instead of sending it to people, I shall 'tag' people. So, here's the update. :)
Enjoy.

1. Do you like blue cheese? Ew. No

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette: No

3. Do you own a gun? No

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? um...never added one.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? sometimes. Only when it's an important one.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? yuck.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? "While you were sleeping" starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Orange Juice

9. Can you do push ups? that would require a certain amount of exercise

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? a silver necklace that says 'I love you'

11. Favorite hobby? listening to music and writing

12. Do you have A.D.D.? no

13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? shyness

14. Middle name? Lauren

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: I'm glad I'm finally updating, It's been too long, and I had fun at church today.

16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? nothing

17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Dr. Pepper, water, and vault

18. Current worry? something i'm not repeating.

19. Current hate right now? siblings babbling behind me

20. Favorite place to be? home

22. Where would you like to go? paris

23. Name three people who will complete this? Everyone who i tag had better. :D

24. Do you own slippers? no

25. What shirt are you wearing? a black hoodie

26. What year would you go back in time to? none, i like this year

27. Can you whistle? define whistle

28. Favorite color? pink

29. Would you be a pirate? i don't think so. unless i got to steal loot from other pirates

30. What songs do you sing in the shower? Cell Block Tango

31. Favorite girl's name? Emma

32. Favorite boy's name? Shawn, Daniel, and Ben

33. What's in your pocket right now? my cellphone (which just got it's number changed)

34. Last thing that made you laugh? making some boy drop his Bible in the youth building this morning

35. Worst injury you've ever had? A fractured foot.

36. Do you have a crush on someone? ummm....see my last post

37. Do you love where you live? yes

38. How many TVs do you have in your house? three

39. Who is your loudest friend? Josh from my church

40. How many dogs do you have? one

41. Does someone have a crush on you? i don't know. If someone does, i haven't noticed.

42. What is your favorite book(s)? Harry Potter

43. What is your favorite candy? Dove

44. Favorite Sports Team? Chicago Cubs

45. Your favorite meal? Lasagna

46. What were you doing 12 AM last night? IM'ing a friend

47. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? sigh-tomorrow's school

48. Do you have any odd habits? biting my nails, checking my e-mail and blog constantly, webkinz.....and the list goes on ;-)

I tag the_ballerina, Grace, Edge, Deb, neveragain, avatarfan, Jonno, Jamin, Kiwifruit, Catfreak70, lady rose, Ian, and Avalon (if she'll update). :D
-Judi

The Boy

2008-09-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I wrote this at church today (before the message started) and managed to scribble it all down on a piece of paper I had in my purse.
This has been bouncing around in my head for the last couple of weeks and I had to finally write it down on paper. Besides, mingling with other teens isn't really my thing. :)
I don't know what genre you guys will classify this under. It's not horror, I know that for sure. :D
And the best part about this is, none of you guys know who this is dedicated to. >:)
-Judi

He's the boy

You get up to see

He's the boy

Who holds your heart in captivity

He's the boy

Whom the sun shines for

He's the boy

You can't help but adore

He's the boy

Whose smile stays the same

He's the boy

Who doesn't even know your name

Man in Uniform part IV

2008-09-04T15:04:00.000-04:00

Hello fellow bloggers,

I'm guessing that this will be the second to last part of Man in Uniform...but, that's just a guess. I want to finish this up because I find myself working on this instead of on my third novel, and I want to finish the novel.

On to some good news. On my last post, I said that Grace "Raewyn" had to evacuate because of hurricane Gustav. Well, all they got off of the hurricane was some rain and wind. :)

And speaking of Grace, this part is dedicated to her...mostly because she's an awesome blogger, and because she's just so darned nice. So, here's to "Raewyn". :)

He slammed on the brakes suddenly and opened the driver's side door. "Come on."

She followed him out of the car and by the time she got to the driver's side he had Emma in his arms.

He slammed the door and grabbed her hand. "Hurry. We don't have a lot of time."

Catherine followed him through the cornfield, and soon heard the men behind them.

The man in uniform kept a firm grip on her hand as he cut across rows of corn and eventually came to the other side of the field.

"Now where?" She whispered.

He glanced around a quick minute then pulled her toward the woods. He abruptly stopped when they reached a giant oak tree.

He handed Emma to her. "Wait right here. Don't move."

She grabbed his arm as he started to leave. "Where are you going?"

He hesitated. "I'm going to take care of this. Check your watch. If I'm not back in five minutes, double back and drive back to the alley where we met earler. I'll meet you there."

She took the keys from him. "Be careful."

"Don't stay around," he ordered. "Exactly five minutes and get out of here."

She hugged her daughter closer to her as she watched him head back toward the field and for the first time since her husband's death, she started praying. For her daughter and for safety for the man in uniform.

Random Things

2008-08-31T17:51:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to update and all I can hear outside of my window is the ice cream truck. He just pulls up behind our house and sits there for about twenty minutes, playing music out loud that sounds like it came from some cheesy cartoon. Incredibly annoying.

I went to the eye doctor this past Thursday, and was told I had to get a stronger prescription for my glasses..which means new frames. I hated picking out the frames for my last pair of glasses...I mean, I can never decide on if I like one pair or not. The woman that helped me and my sister pick out glasses was like a saint. So patient. I ended up picking out a pair that my sisters call 'Harry Potter glasses', but they don't look a thing like Harry Potter's...at least, not the ones he wears in the movies.

I have also discovered that I am half-way done with writing my third novel. Which means I am currently at writer's block. But, I will push on and finish (hopefully). Furthermore, for all of you bloggers out there who like Man in Uniform and want to see how it ends....wait a little while longer, I figured out how it's going to end, but I have to get there first. :D

Last but not least, please keep Grace "raewyn" and her family in your prayers. She and her family had to evacuate because of hurricane Gustav.

That ice cream truck is back again, I have to go turn some music on before I go mad from that cheesy sounding music. (apologies to anyone out there who is a fan of music that plays from ice cream trucks.)

-Judi

Tagged

2008-08-25T17:09:00.000-04:00

I have been tagged by a fellow blogger....here are my answers.

I am: Unique

I think: sometimes. ;)

I know: the storm will pass

I have: a bunch of 80’s CD’s

I wish: for a chocolate sundae

I hate: books with no happy endings.

I miss: my friend.

I fear: Tornadoes

I feel: pretty good

I hear: music

I smell: rain

I crave: Hamburgers

I search: the dictionary for big words that Shakespeare uses

I wonder: About the future

I regret: nothing

I love: All of my faithful blog readers whom I tag.

I am not: a loser

I believe: in God

I dance: when no one watches

I sing: occasionally

I cry: at different things

I don't always: behave like I should

I fight: with my siblings over dumb things

I write: when I feel like it (or when certain bloggers make me) :D

I win: at Blink

I lose: at poker

I never: go a day without listening to music

I always: wanted to fly

I confuse: people for fun

I listen: to secular music.

I can usually be found: in my room

I am scared: of drowning

I need: an Ipod

I am happy about: being alive

I imagine: where I’ll be ten years from now.

There were no rules as to how many people I could tag....>:)

Therefore, I tag: Jonno, Kiwifruit, Edge, Raewyn, The_ballerina, Catfreak70, Avalon, Catey, and Jamin.

-Judi

Man in Uniform part III

2008-08-22T22:52:00.000-04:00

Okay, I dedicated the first part of this to Edge, who shoved me into it. So, I dedicate this third part to...kiwifruit, who asked four or five questions...while this probably doesn't answer any of those questions, it's more of the story...so..you're going to have to stick with this until I can answer some of those questions, because, dude, you posted a lot of questions.
I'm debating on whether or ot to write anymore...but without further ado......
-Judi

Catherine hesitated when she reached the car. She knew better than to go anywhere with someone who just happened to be there when she was in distress. Her instincts told her better in the car than outside, so she buckled her daughter into the seat and climbed into the front passenger seat.

They sat in silence for a minute as he started the drive down the long stretch of highway. She glanced at him as he started tapping his knuckles on the window.

He caught her gaze and abruptly stopped the noise. "Sorry."

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the seat. It was so quiet. She had to think of what to do, and where to go.

She opened her eyes when he started drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

He saw her face and lowered his hand. "Sorry. I’m nervous."

She understood what it felt like to be so nervous that she couldn’t stop fidgeting. "I’m sorry. I’m so stressed. My daughter—"

"She’s okay, right?" He asked, suddenly glancing in the rear-view mirror.

She put her hand on the steering wheel to stop the car from swerving into the on-coming lane. "She’s fine." The realization suddenly hit her that this man had saved her daughter from killers. "Thanks to you."

"Why are those men after you?" He asked, returning his gaze to the street.

She hesitated. "It’s a long story."

"Well, it looks like I have plenty of time," he replied. "I’m not going anywhere for a while."

"It has to do with my husband. Let’s leave it at that."

He nodded, but kept silent.

"What about you? What are you doing out in a deserted alleyway in New York in the middle of the night?"

He smiled a little bit, then remembered their situation and his face changed. "My ship docked. I’m here for two weeks."

"Oh, so you’re a sailor. When are you leaving?"

"We docked this morning. So, it’s still the full two weeks."

"Where are you staying?"

"I was going to stay on the ship, but I have a feeling I might not be able to do that."

"I’m sorry about all this," she said. "I know when you helped me in that alleyway, this isn’t how you thought it’d turn out."

He shrugged. "What other way can a twenty-one year old spend his night?"

"You’re twenty-one?" She asked.

He glanced at her. "Surprised are you?"

She blushed suddenly. "I’m sorry. You just look like you’re eighteen."

He suddenly jerked the wheel and they turned onto an old dirt road. He hit the accelerator and sped down the one way route, turning the headlights, and taillights off.

She glanced out the side-view mirror and caught a glimpse of a long black car turning behind them.

Spiritual Gifts Inventory

2008-08-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, at church, they had all of us take a 57-question inventory on what our spiritual gifts from God might be.
When my older sister was checking my Inventory, she called it my greatest work of fiction. It might have been because one of the questions was "I share my possessions with others willingly". I circled "I agree somewhat".
Or maybe it was because question 24 asked "People who are feeling perplexed often come to me for encouragement and comfort."
I circled "I strongly agree."
As for the scoring: I got a zero in Administration and Going out of my comfort zone for Jesus. I scored a two in Teaching.
Highest score you could get in a single category was 12.
My spiritual gifts are:

Caregiver: 11 points
Healing: 10 points
Mercy: 9 points
Serving: 9 points

The girl beside me got a bunch of twelves, elevens, and nines.... :-?

On to a better topic....let me try to answer kiwifruit's questions about Man in Uniform. Let me see if I can answer them all in one sentance...yeah, I can.... I DON'T KNOW.

I have no idea what's going to happen with any of that. I am currently working on more of that, but some people seem to think that I should write a happy story on here....but speaking of going out of my genre!!!

She leaned her head back against the wall as Avril Lavigne began to play from her Ipod.

The music filled her ears. Like coffee, it kept her going. It was like energy. It wasn't an obsession, it was a realm. Her realm. The best thing in life. The first thing she heard in the morning. The last thing she heard at night.

She cranked the volume up on her cd player so she could hear it above her Ipod. The music and words ran together as she sat on her bed, letting the music fill the room.

Mat Kearney continued to blast from the cd player as she reached for the tv remote to turn the video channel on.

A realm, not an obsession.

I just went out of my genre....speaking of scary. :-)
-Judi

Another short

2008-08-15T20:43:00.000-04:00

Okay..This isn't exactly horror..and I don't consider it bordering super-weird...some of you might, though..I'm thinking about continuing Man in Uniform more..but I don't know yet..sometimes I have trouble when writing longer pieces. I know..I'm weird..no one has to agree. :)
This isn't exactly my genre..so, I don't think this one's that good, but I knew I needed to update. :)
-Judi

The sixteen year old boy ran through the woods, the moonlight coming in patches to guide him as a pathway. He tripped once, but steadied himself and continued on.

The tree branches cut at his face and the arms of his navy blue sweatshirt as he made his way to the edge of the woods.

He heard the raspy voice getting closer. "Come out and play, little boy."

The teen stopped at a clearing in the woods and hesitated.

"Stop running, you know you'll never outrun me."

The boy ran across the clearing and headed down into a cornfield. He could hear the man following him so he cut across a row, and continued running. Suddenly a hand grabbed onto his shoulder and pulled him down to the ground.

The teen struggled against his assailant, but the man was double his size and soon had the boy pinned.

The man leaned close to his ear. "You gave us all a lot of grief, boy. You behave and we won't hurt you, got it?"

The boy didn't answer him and the man slammed his fist into the the boys jaw. "Got it?"

"Yes," he whispered as the man began to tie his hands together with his belt.

Man in Uniform part II

2008-08-12T14:03:00.001-04:00

Okay..so obviously not everyone here would like another morbid/spooky/scary story..I wonder why...
So here's a little bit more on the Man in Uniform...for anyone who didn't read the first part just go down to my past post..
After this, I swear it's going to be another morbid/spooky/scary one..look out, bloggers. >:)
-Judi

She stepped into her small apartment and closed the door as quietly as she could. Taylor was sitting on the couch, the TV remote in her hand as she flipped through the channels.

Catherine flipped the light switch on and Taylor blinked. "Miss. Banks, your shoulder looks awful."

Catherine glanced down at it. Now that she was in better lighting, she could tell it looked worse than she thought it had. "It’s fine, Taylor. Go on home."

Taylor stood. "You were out an hour later than usual."

"I had a bit of trouble, but it’s nothing I couldn’t handle." She could see the questions in Taylor’s eyes, but she didn’t say anything.

"I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss. Banks," Taylor said, before opening the door and exiting the house.

As soon as the door was shut again, Catherine bolted it and hurried to her room. If that man in the alleyway knew where she was, more were coming. Probably soon.

She pulled her suitcase out from the closet. The necessities were already packed. All she needed was her purse and her daughter.

Catherine carried the suitcase out of her bedroom and set it down in the hall before heading back into the living room to retrieve her purse. She stopped when the doorbell rang. She knew it was Taylor. She was always forgetting her bag.

Catherine eased the lock back and opened the door. The man in uniform was standing on her steps. "Miss. Banks."

She took a step back, but didn’t have time to reply before he held out a card. "I found your driver’s license in the alley."

Catherine took it from him and mentally kicked herself. She should’ve checked for her license before heading home. What had she been thinking? She opened her mouth to thank him when her porch light flickered out.

She turned. The power in her house was off. They were already here. Her first thought was her daughter. She had to get to Emma.

She ran back into the house, and heard the glass shatter. The bullet narrowly missed her and it embedded in the wall.

"Get down!" He yelled and threw an arm around her waist, pulling her to the ground and covering her with his body.

"I have to get to my daughter!" She screamed. "She’s what they want!"

"Where is she?" He asked.

"The back bedroom," she answered.

"Go get her. I’ll stay right here."

She crawled on her hands and knees toward the back bedroom and scooped her daughter off of the bed, and pulled the little five-year-old to her chest.

She heard the sound of more gunshots, but this time she knew they were coming from inside her apartment. She held her daughter closer to her, and the gunshots ceased.

"Miss. Banks?" She heard the sound of his voice, and stepped cautiously out into the hall.

"We have to get you out of here," he said. "Do you have a place to go?"

She shook her head. "N-No, we don’t."

"Come on," he took her by the arm and began to guide her to the door, and she abruptly stopped.

"They’re out there!"

"If they are, they’re not going to hurt you. It’s either make a run for it now, or wait until it’s too late."

She knew he was right. "Okay, let’s go."

He glanced down at the sleeping girl in her arms. "I’ll cover you. Don’t stop. I’ll be right behind you."

She swallowed as he pulled open the front door for her and they headed out into the night.

Man in Uniform

2008-08-08T22:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, so obviously not everyone here would like to read another scary story, but I'm not naming names...Edge.
So, while I don't consider this one to be scary, a few of you might and might not. This is not the genre I write in, so I don't know if this is any good or not. So, this is not a Fun Size story. Because, despite what some of you believe, writing in a genre that I may suck at is not fun.
So, here's to you, Edge. Thanks for dragging me into a different genre. :)
I just love going out of my comfort zone when I write. But, after this...the next time I post a short, it'll be scary...muahahahahahaha. *cough*
-Judi

The blow to her jaw knocked her off balance and she reached for support. She leaned against the side of the brick house in the alleyway as he came at her again.

There was no way she could beat this man. For the first time since he’d jumped her, she started panicking. The thought of dying had never crossed her mind. It was something she didn’t think about after her parents had been killed in that car crash when she was a child.
Now she imagined her own daughter living with relatives because of this man. But, she knew she would do whatever it took to keep her daughter alive.

"Just tell me where she is!" He yelled, advancing on her again. "I won’t have to hurt you anymore if you just tell me!"

She knew her daughter was special. Just like her husband had been. Until they had killed him, and forced her to flee with her daughter. No place was safe.

She pushed herself off of the wall and stood again. "I will never tell you." She was surprised her voice didn’t waver.

He grabbed her, pinning one arm behind her back and bringing the butt of his gun down on shoulder.

She cried out in pain, then he released her suddenly. She turned and backed off. Her assailant was wrestling with another man. One in navy uniform. The two men grappled for a moment before the one in uniform grabbed the gun and slammed it into the neck of her attacker.

She backed away as the uniformed man turned to her and held out the butt of the gun toward her. "You need this."

She hesitated for a split second, then reached for it. He released it and stood straight, studying her.

She met his eyes and they held a gaze for a few seconds before he turned the other way. "Do you need a ride back to your place?"

"No, I’ll be fine," she said, her hands shaking as she picked her purse up off of the ground.

She turned when he didn’t contradict her. He had street smarts, but as she sized him up, she knew he couldn’t be older than eighteen.

He stepped toward her. "Your shoulder."

Now that she stood in the entrance of the alleyway, her shoulder was bathed in the moonlight. Blood ran down her arm and covered the front of her neck. She shook her head. "I’ll be fine. I just need to get home."

"Are you sure you don’t need me to escort you. This looked like more than a casual mugging in New York."

She forced a tight smile. "No, I don’t need an escort."

She could tell he wanted to argue with her, but he stepped back. "Yes, Ma’am."

She exited the alleyway with the gun in her hand, then glanced back once to see if he was following her. The alleyway was deserted of her attacker and the man in uniform.

Quick One

2008-08-04T23:45:00.001-04:00

Hello, fellow bloggers,

Thought I should do a quick update. I debated on posting this but since I'm currently running low on thoughts, I decided to go ahead and post this short story. Why not, right? The last one got ten comments...granted three of them came from the same guy.....This one's a little shorter than my last one, thanks to my splitting headache.
Anyway, please pardon any spelling errors and/or grammer mistakes. I have caught a cold from a certain sibling who will remain nameless...and I'm a little tired, but here it is: The Fun Size candy bar....
-Judi

He was so close to her that he could feel her breath on his neck. Her blood, warm and sticky, flowed down his arms as the knife went through her slim stomach. The instant he pulled it back out, she went limp in his arms, and he let her fall to the floor. He glanced down at her then brought his gaze back up to the wall. He needed to get rid of the body while it was still dark outside. He dropped the knife as he picked her lifeless form up off of the floor and headed down the stairs.

He let the screen door shut behind him and stepped into the pouring rain. Lightning cracked as he shoved her body into the trunk of his car. He opened the front door and paused to glance up at the sky. The rain continued to beat down on him, washing the blood from his arms. He shook his head, climbed into the car and started the engine. The closest spot he had to dump her was the nearby quarry. He hit the gas and started down the winding road.

He slammed on the brakes as he reached the abandoned strip mine. He stepped out of his car and felt the gravel crunch underneath his weight. He jerked open the back door and pulled her body out. He carried her in a few feet, glanced down at her once more, and then threw her into the pit that he’d found when he had killed the very first one.

He stood in the middle of the strip mine and glanced around. "Are you happy, now?" he demanded. "I did it, again!"

His voice echoed off of the walls. He waited for the voices to come again. Like they had so many times during the night. All the people he had ever talked to as a teen didn’t believe him. There was no such thing as a voice in your head, much less six voices in your head. Even though, he could name them all, no one believed that he heard these voices. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t crazy. Even though the voices tried to tell him he was. He knew better. He was smarter than all of them. He just had to prove it.

WARNING

2008-07-31T19:46:00.000-04:00

I went to the store the other day and bought safety masks for when I sand my walls. I didn't bother looking at the warnings....I mean, they're safety masks, how bad can they be??
Well...after I had used the masks and sanded my walls twice with them on, I sat down on the couch because my throat started bothering me. I found the page that came with the masks, and lo and behold, I found this:

Do Not Use this mask for protection against fiberglass dust, welding fumes, asbestos, silica, drywall dust, paint spray, gases, vapors or aerosols, grain dust, flour dust, ferrous foundry dust, wood dust or pesticides.

I'd like to know what you are supposed to use them for...then I found out.

This mask is only to be used for protection against non-toxic nuisance dusts and pollen.

I couldn't believe it. For an hour the first day and thirty minutes the next, I used that stupid mask because I thought it would protect me against the dust coming from the walls. Obviously not.

Anyways, on to a better topic...I found a short story on my computer that I'm going to post on my blog in a few days...or weeks...My mom told me the last one was a creepy freaking story...and to answer the comment from sister warrior: I'm not sure yet if I'm going to make that story into anything longer than what it already is. I haven't written anything scary-related that's been longer than 1,500 words. So...I'm still thinking about it.
-Judi

Fun Size

2008-07-20T22:50:00.001-04:00

Short stories have always reminded me of those fun size candy bars that you can get from walmart. Don't know why.
For some reason, I told people on my last post that I would post a short story. I wonder what I was thinking at that time. :-??
Oh, well.
So, here's a short story that I wrote a couple of weeks ago. It's my version of Gabe, it was part of something for the writer's group, so a few of you might've read this already. But, this is for the people who aren't on the group. You guys are special. :)
-Judi

"I have to admit," she confessed with a slight laugh and awave of her hand. "I was a little suspicious when your profile said you were thirty-seven and single."

Gabe smiled a little and ran a hand through his chestnut brown hair. "So what made you decide to meet me?"

"My friends convinced me," she answered. "They said your obsession with brown was cute."

"A lot of women I know say that," He put his right arm on the table and she noticed the scratches going down his arm.

"What happened to your arm?"

Gabe glanced down at it. "Cats. I work at an animal shelter on the weekends."

She thought the scratches were a little big to have come from a cat, but she dismissed it immediately. After all, she had never been much of a cat person. She glanced around his dining room. Nothing personal was in view. Everything in the room was clean.

"Let's go downstairs, shall we?" Gabe said, rising from the table.

She stood with him, then glanced down at the table. He didn't seem like the type of person who would like things messy.

"Leave it," he said, catching her eye. "There's something I want to show you."

She turned to leave and heard a click. "What was that for?"

"Just checking the door," he answered. "Robberies have been reported in the area."

She followed him down the stairs and into the basement. She felt him come beside her. "What did you want to show me?"

Gabe turned the light switch on. "Excuse the mess. This is mostly where I keep all of the stuff I can't bear to get rid of."

She glanced down at the floor where broken baseball bats were. Some of them were stained with a dark red color. She looked back up at the walls. Forty of fifty pictures of brunettes lined the back wall. She fingered her own brown curls that hung loosely around her face.

She heard movement behind her. "Do you like baseball, Maria?"

She turned as he struck her in the head with a baseball bat. She staggered and reached for something to keep her standing. She grabbed his right forearm. She felt her nails dig into his arm and scratch him as she went down.

My Near Death Experience........(the cleaning of my room)

2008-07-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

Took me forever to update, I kind of spilled a soda in a laptop...so, I've been degraded down to using the family computer.
Anyways, I cleaned my room the other night.....and surprise of all surprises, I'm not dead after it. I thought I would be.
And so did my family, because I almost had to pick their chins up off the ground.
Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little there.
But, the title is no exaggeration. It was a near death experience. One that I'll never forget :)
I'm thinking about posting short stories on here, but then someone said that meant they were published, or something like that, so I don't know yet. I'm thinking....and I don't do that often, so it might be a while. :)
-Judi

Dentist's Visit

2008-07-03T23:50:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I went to the dentist's office today for a filling. The day before the appointment, I asked my mom if it would hurt. My mom said only a little and that it would wear off. My older sister said "Yeah, the pain killers."Anyway, at the dentist's office, they numbed my gum, then started drilling. I wasn't as numb as I thought I was. Halfway through the drilling, she gave me a second shot to numb me.Anyways, on to a cheerier note. I finally figured out how to upload images. It took me forever.
-Judi

Days of our Lives

2008-06-26T20:40:00.000-04:00

I know, you've heard the title before.

This one's a quick one....Are you shocked???

Here's a question for you. If you could grow up at anytime between 500 b.c. and today what year would you choose to be born in and why would you choose that year?

I know this seems like a bit of a weird question, but bear with me and answer.

-Judi

Quick Update

2008-06-20T12:57:00.000-04:00

Hello, Ladies,

I have to make this one quick, the weather's getting a little bad down here. I've got three things to tell you.

Number One: I'm going to be doing a lot of working on my blog, so if it has trouble loading, please forgive me. I'm only human.

Number Two: Real Teen Faith is looking for guy staff writers. Anyone interested should visit the site and contact Suzanne Eller.

Number Three: I had a second poem published on Real Teen Faith today. Check it out. http://www.realteenfaith.com/

-Judi

Sticky Situations

2008-06-06T15:57:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you wish you had kept your mouth shut? Or where you think you should have done things differently? Or where you have humiliated yourself beyond human belief and you'd like to melt through the floor?
Don't wish that you'd melt, yet. There are two good things about sticky situations.
1: You learn never to do that again.
2: You have the wonderful option of weaving it into your writing. Even if you're working on a fiction novel, and you don't even want to think about what happened, whatever it might be, it's still a great thing to do.
I have done this multiple times in my novels, poetry, and short stories. Everytime I do, it makes me realize that it isn't really all that bad.

Music on the Blog

2008-05-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

If you read my last post, you'll remember that I am a big music fan. So, after reading a friend's post about getting music on your blog, I had to give it a try. I might be changing the song as I continue on with posts, so don't be alarmed if it's a different song everytime you visit my blog; I can have 100 songs on my playlist. :)
-Judi

Music

2008-05-19T00:06:00.000-04:00

WARNING: I am a huge music fan...you can read on and be bored to tears, or you can skip this post.
I have a large collection of music.
For what it's worth, I have volunteered my time to mention some music that i find excellent to write to.

1: Air Supply

2: Foreigner

3: REO Speedwagon (sorry, I'm a 70's and 80's fan..blame my dad)

4: "Everybody Hurts" by REM

5: Julio Iglesias (very relaxing)

6: "Sailing" by Christopher Cross

7: "I'm Moving On" by Rascal Flatts

8: Michael Bolton (Sorry guys, this is more of a girl's post)

9: "Innocence" by Avril Lavigne

10: Michael Jackson music (any of it.)

11: "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie

12: Casting Crowns music

13: "Cry" by Mandy Moore

14: "Like We Never Loved at All" by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw

15: Christmas Music (I listen to it year-round)

16: All of Elvis Presley's music

17: "I'm gonna be(500 miles)" bye The Proclaimers

18: "I'll be there for you" by The Rembrandts

19: "The First Cut is the Deepest" by Sheryl Crow

20: Michael Buble's music

I could sit here and bore you guys forever, but since I'm such a nice person, I won't do it. :D...not tonight anyway.

Anything you guys would like to ad, feel free.

-Judi

Poem

2008-05-14T18:16:00.000-04:00

Hey, everyone who has the time to read this......

I thought I should post (older sister told me to. In her words "Dude, update your blog. Like, seriously"

So, here's to you, older sister, I had a poem published on Real Teen Faith today...yay me.

Here's the link for the website..... http://realteenfaith.com/

Have a great week, in case i don't post again :))

Painting

2008-05-12T13:36:00.000-04:00

I don't know why the thought of painting a room makes me shudder...possibly it's because when we finished painting the foyer of our last house, we stood back to admire our work, the doorbell rings, and the dog shoots out from behind us, hits the wall, and rubs his side up against it. Needless to say, people hit the war path. So, maybe you can't find an excuse as to why i should shudder, but then again, you don't live with my dog. :D

Blogging

2008-05-09T23:17:00.000-04:00

"Get a blog"---that's what my friends said. That's what my sister said. What they didn't say was how much crud I'd have to go through to get this set up. Including trying to get a name that I like that was available; trying to sign in--which took me over twenty minutes; and finding out how this site works. Even though starting a blog is harder and more complicated than I thought, I now have the perfect captive audience. Read on.