The Hunt Is Over

Here. It. Is.

(Why aren't there any exclamation marks in the preceding sentences? Let's try again.)

Here! It! Is!

Episode 2 of The Hitch is now available! Download a copy of Treasure Hunt FREE Sunday through Thursday. And since I'm so generous to let you read for free: will you be so generous as to leave an Amazon review? Muchas Thankas! 

Swimmer's Itch

If you're not accustomed to lake swimming, you might not know what "The Itch" is. It happens late in the summer, when parasites float through the water looking for a new host (usually waterfowl) and come in contact with human skin. The larva penetrate the skin but find that humans aren't suitable hosts and die just under the skin. (Lovely, no?) They then cause an inflammatory immune reaction, giving the swimmer big red, itchy welts. It ain't pretty. No siree. (Or no Siri, if you are the tech savvy type.) If you want to see how pretty it ain't click here. But if looking at nasty rashes on pasty white people ain't your thing, then just keep a readin'.

Why am I telling you this? I don't know. We actually have learned how to avoid "The Itch" and haven't had to deal with it in years. Maybe I'm bringing it up because "The Itch" sounds like "The Hitch" and I was hoping to have Episode 2 ready for you to download this week.

But alas, we've been spending too much time swimming (but not itching) and I haven't been able to put the finishing touches on it to make it as perfect as Montana sunset. (No picture, sorry. You'll just have to use your imagination.)

Maybe I also mention "The Itch" because I'm itching to do some serious writing once the kiddos are back in school. I might have to wear mittens so I don't scratch myself to death in the next 2 weeks. I can make it? Yes I can!

But can you make it one more week to read Episode 2 of "THE HITCH?" Yes you can! It will be worth the wait. And completely itch-free.

Sensational Summer

Hey! I'm late posting today, and not because I forgot, but because I broke Blogger. I wanted you guys to see how lovely Montana is in the summertime, but I added too many photos and a big error message popped up and said, LORI JUST GET ON INSTAGRAM! 

But alas, I have whittled down my photo montage to give you just the best of the West. 

This is Bannack, a ghost town in SW Montana

 I was worried because I didn't have my big camera when we stopped in Bannack, but my little cell phone did A-OK.


The canola fields in bloom in early July:

Same area, playing with filters:

Speaking of filters, I did something strange with this pic of a cabin in the mountains,
but it turned out sorta awesome.

Love how technology lets us look more talented than we really are. :)

Wheat field, back to using no filtas:

At my house, the sun after a heavy rainstorm:  

And what's a summer photo album without a picture of a lake? Here's Flathead:

Now you know what my summer has looked like; I want to know what you've been up to this summer. But since you can't post pictures in comments (lame Blogger!), you're going to have to use your senses and describe it to me. Remember when we did Christmas Senses? Let's do the same thing, but with summer. 

So, 

Summer sounds like: boats on the lake, kids playing in the water, foxes yelping in the night

Summer smells like: fresh huckleberries and the fresh, mossy smell of the forest

Summer looks like: heaven (see above)

Summer tastes like: Sweet Peaks Ice Cream and homemade huckleberry milkshakes

Summer feels like: warm sunshine on my face and shoulders, cold lake water on my toes. 

Your turn: share your summer senses with us! And make sure you stop back in 2 weeks, because I will have an awesome prize for ALL. (Hint, it rhymes with THE WITCH, but it has nothing to do with Halloween.) (Got it?)

So ...

Hell. O. (The O was just a little late joining the conversation. I wasn't swearing. Promise.)

So, I seem to have over-estimated my abilities to continue on with "normal" things (like blogging) this summer. I have also under-estimated the amount of time and energy it takes to get a child ready for a two-year mission. Because of my miscalculations, I seem to be short on time. And that means I'm going to skip posting this week, as well as skip a prize for July. My sincere apologies to those of you who were planning on using this month's prize as part of your dowry/portfolio/bequeathment. 

I'll talk to you again in August, assuming I'm not sequestered at the State Mental Hospital posthaste. :0

Land That I Love

  

Happy Birthday America! 

The 4th of July is always a favorite holiday of mine because 1. the weather is nice 2. it's exciting
3. there's food.

But maybe it's time I look past all the festivities and think about the true meaning of the 4th. (Santa Claus!) (I mean the Easter Bunny!) (I mean Leprechauns!)

See what I mean?

Recently, we had the opportunity to go to an advanced screening of America, the movie, presented by Bigfork resident and one of the kindest men in all the world, producer Gerald Molen. This movie makes you think. This movie makes you feel. This movie makes you want to DO.

Rather than blogging about a silly topic, I thought I would challenge all of us to DO something. Be better informed. Read the Constitution. Study history to see what was important to our founders. Pay attention to the news; and that means doing your due diligence to make sure you are reading both sides of the story. News agencies are not fair and impartial. What was once reserved for the OPINION sections is now front page. You need to read the same subject from several different sources so you can see both sides and then YOU can make an informed decision. Once you have made a decision: do something about it. Help to inform others. Let your voice be heard, even if it might not be the popular opinion. Support organizations you believe in. There's a thousand and one ways you could donate money, but it's just as important to donate your time. Find a way to get involved.

America is a house divided, and we all know what happens to houses which are divided.

I have a simple solution to help bridge the divide.

LOVE MORE

Instead of criticizing, complaining, bellyaching, shouldn't we all be more vocal about that which we love? And if someone expresses an opinion different from our own, rather than cutting them down, calling them names, and bullying them into silence, shouldn't we EMPATHIZE with them and their circumstances? We don't all have to think the same. We should RESPECT different view points.

Be passionate about America. How many hundreds of thousands have given their lives so that we may have freedom? Can't we all do just a little bit more to fight for what we believe in?

GO and DO.

In the comments, share something you love about America. When you stop and think about it, it's almost impossible to choose just one thing. :) I love that America is still a land of opportunity. If you can dream it, you can do it. What do you love?

And ... I bet you thought I forgot to pick a winner! (Almost guilty as charged.) For the month of June, I added the comment threads from both weeks together for a total of 17 comments, giving everyone who commented a chance (and then some!) to win. Random.org spit out comment #16, LivingstonlifeinMT! (Cutting it kind of close with your last day comment; is this how you do your visiting teaching?) I'll have Nicole J. get in touch with you. And THANKS SO much Nicole. Jamberry wraps are the bomb! Go buy some from her guys, like now! (Because we love them and we are supposed to support the things we love!)

OK, your turn. Show some love for 'Merca. 

Speak To Me

Hey! Ho! (Or is it Ho! Hey!?) Guess what is missing from BlogAway this week?





It's Lori's brain. It got lost sometime between end of the school year craziness, our first high school graduation experience, and the awesome Greeks and Greeks family reunion. If you happen to see my brain lingering at any of those locations, will you kindly give it a swift kick and send it in my direction? I would be much obliged. (All of those things were super fun and important, BTW, and I would do them over and over again, even if it meant that my brain would be forever lost within a deep abyss of disorganized chaos.)

So, in lieu of a typical blog post that would be written if my brain were present, you, dear BlogAway readers, will be writing the post this week.

What's that you say? You're not prepared? You do not know what topic to speak of?

Well never you fear, it will be simple. And you learned how to do this in high school. What is it exactly that you will be doing?

Why giving an impromptu speech, of course. Except you won't be speaking; you'll be typing.

Your impromptu speech should follow this standard format:
1. Attention getter/introduction
2. First main point
a. supporting example (s)
3. Second main point
a. supporting example (s)
4. Conclusion

You may spend no more than 3 minutes brainstorming/researching your topic. And you may spend no more than 5 minutes typing your speech. (Honor system here! You must clock yourself.) Your speech should be left in the comment section and should be several sentences long.

But what will you speak of? Here. You. Go.

1. Plants have feelings too.
2. If I ruled the world ...
3. You are an ant. Convince an anteater not to eat you.
4. Explain three uses for a pencil besides using one for writing.
5. Tell us about the last movie you saw. Critique it.
6. If all the good superheroes suddenly turned bad and began to fight against each other, who would win and why?
7. Tell us how to become a millionaire.
8. Tell us how to survive a zombie apocalypse.
9. If only one actor could be in every movie made during the upcoming year, who would it be and why?
10. You were just told to "build it and they will come." What will you build and who will come?

Pick a topic! Any topic! But maybe don't pick a topic that someone else has already used, unless you think your speech could be more persuasive, dynamic, or amusing than a previous commentor. (How competitive are you?) Your goal is to entertain, persuade, inform, enlighten.

Do you accept this challenge? Will you be my brain? Then let's WRITE THIS BLOG!

Remember, you want to win Nicole's Jamberry nails. I saw them in real life and they are just about the cutest thing ever. (Her daughter is the cutest thing ever, therefore, the nails are just about the cutest.)

OK, let's do this! Pick a topic and speak from the heart. It will be a work of art.

 

Lots of Lori

Happy June! (As in the month; not the person.) (Unless a person named June is reading this. Then I would say Happy June June!) (?)

First up: we have a winner from May. But her name's not May. But she will be glad anyway. Today is really her day. We also have a prize to give to the winner for May. What do you say? Hooray! Hooray! (I've been studying my Dr. Seuss.)

Week #1 was the winning week, and since that week was all about quotes, I though everyone would like another quote-type thingy to add to their collections.

I found this, which isn't just a typography box, but also a candle holder. Bonus! It's like two gifts in one! So I decided two people should win this and share the gift between themselves! But then I realized that might not work if one of the winners lives in Mexico and the other lives in Alaska. So ... just one winner. And that winner is Comment #8. Marie! Yippee! You deserve a pick-me-up this week! I'll get it to you.

Next up: do you want to know what you can win for the month of June? (Huh, huh, do you?) We don't know yet which week will be the winning week, so you'll want to make sure you comment both times. But we do know that this is the prize:

An extra set of hands, just for you! Isn't this exactly what you have always wanted? 

I'm just joking--it's actually Jamberry nail wraps! What are Jamberry nail wraps? They are the latest, coolest accessory. With hundreds of different designs, your nails are sure to be a work of art! They last on your fingernails for up to two weeks and on toenails for up to four weeks. And here's the best part of all ... our own Nicole Jessop is an Independent Consultant for Jamberry. Click here to like her page on Facebook. 

Nicole is sponsoring the prize for June. Thanks Nicole! You are the best! If you want to contact her to order your own Jamberry wraps, look for her contact info on her FB page or leave her a message in the comments.

Now for this week! Last time, I tried to remember facts about you guys and tried to match the comment with the commenter. (I wasn't smokin' hot. At least not brain-wise. Ha ha. Ha.) This week, I'm going to give you a peek into my mind. It might be scary. Brace yourself.

So this will be multiple choice and you have to guess which one Lori would most likely do, or want, or need, or buy. Like this ...

1.  I need a new car. (Mine is held together with duct tape and only starts every other day. Or even less than that.) So if I were to buy a new car this summer, which car would I most likely buy? (Being realistic; no room for dreams here.)

a. A new mom car (aka, a Suburban.)
b. The Montana State Car (Subaru wagon)
c. A hippie bus (VW van)
d. A yuppie mobile (an Audi All-road wagon.)

2. I've been swamped lately. I would love to find an extra hour to spending doing what I want, not what I need to do. If I had that hour, I would:

a. Take a nap
b. Read a book
c. Go for a hike
d. Watch TV

3. If I were ever in the vicinity of a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, I would inquire about having some work done. I would ask about getting:

a. Laser wrinkle removal
b. Botox
c. Boobs
d. Varicose vein removal

4. If I had some extra dough to expand my summer wardrobe, I would buy:

a. Lots of sparkly sandals
b. Lots of colorful jewelry
c. Workout clothes
d. Swimsuit cover-ups

5. If I could travel anywhere in the world right now, I would go to:

a. Germany
b. England
c. California
d. No where at all

6. My favorite outfits generally consist of:

a. Jeans and casual tops
b. Workout pants and fleece jackets
c. Workout pants and t-shirts
d. Pajamas

7. If I ever got arrested, it would be for:

a. Disorderly conduct
b. Shoplifting
c. Trespassing
d. Child abandonment

8. For dessert tonight, I would like to have:

a. Chocolate cake and a glass of cold milk
b. A bowl of almonds
c. Ice Cream
d. Chocolate chip cookies.

This quiz might prove that you think you know me but you really don't ... not at all! It's like I'm another person entirely. (It's my Personality #3 day.) Or do you know me like the back of your hand? (Does that mean you frequently backhand me? Or a picture of me? Goodness, I don't like where this is headed.)

Leave me your answers. I won't tell you if you are right or wrong for a few days ... I'll let everyone weigh in before I give away any spoilers. OK, go! (Remember, you want the nail wraps. Comment, comment, comment!)