tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95418232024-03-13T13:27:56.399-05:00Behind Brown EyesMusings from TexMex Author Terri MolinaTerri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-6449529784645846612021-04-11T07:00:00.005-05:002021-04-12T08:30:53.389-05:00Remembering Jennifer 4/11/2021Over the past few months, this beautiful young lady has been on my mind and I couldn't figure out why. Then I remembered, it will be ten years today that we lost her. My heart still aches for her, for her family, for her friends. Ten years. But not one day goes by without her in our thoughts.
My daughter often does small tributes to Jennifer, just to let her know she's missed and loved. Today she plans to let loose a sunflower balloon with a note to Jennifer. Sunflowers were Jenn's favorite flower.
I wrote the post below the day after her passing. I come back to it occassionally to find some semblance of peace. And, if you've lost a loved one in the same manner, I hope this brings you peace as well.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11mjWpenjLfvqYTROFWpuhXkDzICeK_K7lpRCS08nBIgAcB_ztbSuESoJy5cW_EnC4vP4dPQh2W9syyuiaSgsDZYiInqpyfWB_UoAPpbfqxhDJPgUeBtbUHOhwzRW64baKfeL/s1600/19247_1177674802061_1233858566_1226595_4359808_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11mjWpenjLfvqYTROFWpuhXkDzICeK_K7lpRCS08nBIgAcB_ztbSuESoJy5cW_EnC4vP4dPQh2W9syyuiaSgsDZYiInqpyfWB_UoAPpbfqxhDJPgUeBtbUHOhwzRW64baKfeL/s320/19247_1177674802061_1233858566_1226595_4359808_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594856515159618466" /></a><TD style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://beemp3.com/player/light2.gif); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom">
Tuesday morning my daughter learned a dear friend, she once considered a sister, took her own life. Why? No one can say. Jennifer was a beautiful young woman with so much to live for. Unfortunately, she didn't think so. It shatters my heart to think this young child felt ending her life was the only answer. That no one close to her even knew she carried such a darkness inside her. She was a special person and she will be deeply missed.
While online earlier, I found this article by Sarah York, a Unitarian Minister who specializes in grief counseling. Her words were comforting to me and I hope to you. I hope she doesn't mind my using her words.(I changed the names to Jennifer). <blockquote>Early this week, Jennifer completed a decision. Where there is pain and confusion, despair and doubt, we long for the end to suffering. For some, life no longer has any choices but one. Life leaves scars that the suffering can not find the inner resources to heal. The inner pain was too great – pain that she had contained within herself for years, pain that often lashed out in anger, mostly at herself. Jenn chose to end the suffering for herself. The mind was exhausted, the heart frightened, and the end taken. The suffering does not end, however, for those who have loved and cared for her. Friends and family are left with feelings of shock, betrayal, anger, sadness, and – in time – compassion and forgiveness. Those who are left ask and continue to ask, “What could I have done? Why didn’t I see it?”
No one knows. And nothing will bring her back.
No one is responsible for Jenn’s choice but Jenns</blockquote> and this <blockquote>We come into this time with a range of emotions as deep and complex as the young woman we are remembering.
Here there is love – and the searing pain of separation.
Here there is anger – and the futile search to understand why Jennifer could not weather the despair that locked her alone into her self.
Here there are questions – why, mostly. Why?
Some of you come feeling bruised by this death and asking what you could have done to prevent it.
Jenn’s choice to die touches the despair that courts many of us in our own moments of loneliness and threatens the structures of meaning that affirm our own lives. Let us remember that no single act of desperation can define a life. No matter how stalked by pain, Jennifer’s life also had its moments of delight and happiness, caring and friendship, sharing and love. Death by choice is not a denial of life; it is the cry of despair for more life. It grows from a deep personal alienation or profound suffering and is carried out alone, after a struggle within the self.
When a death such as this cuts across life in its fullness, we are left with a certain incompleteness. We know that Jennifer leaves much unfinished, unfulfilled, unsaid. There are still other things you wanted to share with her, and she with you: Graduations, weddings, the birth of grandchildren; another walk on the lake at sunset with friends, another shopping spree, another video game. This sadness for the loss of this life, full and blossoming, mingles with the sadness for the loss of possibilities not realized.</blockquote>
It's so difficult to find words of comfort for the family and friends who suffered through this tragedy, but Ms. York says them well.
Rest in Peace, Jenn.Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-64528964805217844492021-02-19T09:29:00.003-06:002021-04-12T08:31:43.778-05:00Baby it's Cold Outside2/19/2021
<p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, unless you're in Cancun, you know Texas is going through the worst winter it's ever had in a thousand years. Up to three inches of snow in San Antonio, which is central Texas, and higher amounts in the northern states like Dallas, Amarillo etc. While it's pretty when it falls and builds up and can be fun to play in....we're over it.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD3dhs9OJXhyWEXOA14ouBARDNfHPFm4wKqmbcDxKjOjWvdmM9bpK7RvAEM1gPOnsKWNfEf1RcAmgCsvMiriGPPa28ibzrvQwtg0OZcyfrxk2TKLmkbG-FwegL_lOXhCUCLtH/s2048/snow+dog+attempt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1989" data-original-width="2048" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD3dhs9OJXhyWEXOA14ouBARDNfHPFm4wKqmbcDxKjOjWvdmM9bpK7RvAEM1gPOnsKWNfEf1RcAmgCsvMiriGPPa28ibzrvQwtg0OZcyfrxk2TKLmkbG-FwegL_lOXhCUCLtH/w113-h110/snow+dog+attempt.jpg" width="113" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter's attempt at building a snow-dog</td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I live an hour southeast of San Antonio, where we got about an inch of snow on top of an inch of ice. We live in the country and it's always windy so our drifts were about a foot or so. <i>Our</i> morning temperatures dropped to 9 degrees on Monday and gradually warmed to the twenties as of this morning. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Because Texas is a southern, tropical-ish state, a large majority aren't prepared for the cold. No one owns parkas, or ski caps, snow boots or long-johns. Very few have fireplaces or wood burning stoves. </span><span style="font-size: large;">However, because we lived in Illinois and once upon a time in Alaska, my husband and I still own 'snow' clothing and my daughter has some from when we were in Illinois two years ago. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdWJkW8K_ds0NYRaw5NQFH3OUFYpQmyl4KV7MDhV5fbzhIjO6HWcttvY7NnKrme-y7c88OyzaIq-v-Jqj7oVP_V-Fahq8dvusBudQIKvjR4ZdyHzZpo8JhV54h7qnfNgpm9vw/s2048/pot+of+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1890" data-original-width="2048" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdWJkW8K_ds0NYRaw5NQFH3OUFYpQmyl4KV7MDhV5fbzhIjO6HWcttvY7NnKrme-y7c88OyzaIq-v-Jqj7oVP_V-Fahq8dvusBudQIKvjR4ZdyHzZpo8JhV54h7qnfNgpm9vw/w109-h100/pot+of+snow.jpg" width="109" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Because we live an hour from San Antonio, we didn't have to suffer too long without power (only one day)...although we've been without water since Tuesday. I had to melt snow to finish my dishes and once the water started to trickle in from the faucet I filled my large gumbo pot so I could continue washing dishes, although the water stopped flowing due to the freeze on Wednesday. My husband brought home two 5 gallon buckets of water from work so we could fill the toilet tanks. Fortunately, I had filled four 5 gallon jugs of Primo water on Saturday, so we have plenty to drink. As of this morning, our water is back on...but we'll see how long that will last because there is a leak in the laundry room. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">And, let's not forget the animals. We have six stray cats and a stray dog on the property. I've been trying to keep them warm as best I can. I have a large 9 foot long box with a comforter in the carport for them. I've been leaving out plenty of food and have been melting the water that keeps turning to ice so they have something to drink. So far, they're faring well. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">All of that sounds horrible, huh? But, everything we've gone through, is Nothing compared to what others are going through in the state. People are dying. Not just in the big cities but in the smaller communities (like the town I live in) because their homes are not well insulated and of course they don't have the clothing or blankets to snuggle in. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Some of our northern friends can't seem to understand what all the 'hoopla' is about, after all they go through this all the time. *eye roll* But the insensitivity is two-fold, as many along the gulf coast can't see to understand why they can't handle a hurricane. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway....by the grace of God, our temperatures will be going up....mid sixties by Monday, which is when many of us will see what damage was done to our pipes. The fight is not done. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There was an article in Rolling Stone about what you can do to help those in need. You can find it <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/texas-blackout-mutual-aid-donation-1129703/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for reading. I hope, wherever you are, you're staying safe and warm.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Peace and love. ✌️</span></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-61661220508826759882021-02-01T15:21:00.002-06:002021-04-12T08:32:05.653-05:00Obsession2/1/2021
<p> My title [song] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIs5StN8J-0" target="_blank">Obsession</a> is by Aminotion. Now you can get the song stuck in your head like it has mine. You're welcome.</p><p>So, long time no post....not that anyone has noticed. Honestly, I keep forgetting I have a blog and that I'm supposed to write on it. Also....I can't really think of anything to post. But today, while I was munching on some Milk Duds, I realized...they are my newest obsession. I go through many obsessions...mostly food items (yes, I consider candy food). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8XpXwneDFP5T_8dspooJ4AoSynxAVz3axWRKTzlx3ovF5FvqN0ju7XKuqxGfSGybQ38xDZPgm3YlArWeK8dIU8LRsfXzY2QYWtzdrgV84orJmPGk-vdX7YgQBQp4NjUVAQgH/s612/ac2bce0a-f578-4b0a-a332-8d77b46d9f85_1.08ebd06be51f322d59a0d0883654d055.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8XpXwneDFP5T_8dspooJ4AoSynxAVz3axWRKTzlx3ovF5FvqN0ju7XKuqxGfSGybQ38xDZPgm3YlArWeK8dIU8LRsfXzY2QYWtzdrgV84orJmPGk-vdX7YgQBQp4NjUVAQgH/w113-h89/ac2bce0a-f578-4b0a-a332-8d77b46d9f85_1.08ebd06be51f322d59a0d0883654d055.png" width="113" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEivV7hGYwMHXYZawEoToF-iV__tXnNekl6voEq2f8U06ANmdmkqXihcXrXfthk-jsVZqkm8oTKDHSqi0mxLGUJ9kgmTQuFdCot8dRYCJsLLzLBNIq5xz-ULGPJd96SMOz-5ko/s300/IMG_3986_77c673bf-4cca-45a8-9f2e-018f2a52eee0_300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEivV7hGYwMHXYZawEoToF-iV__tXnNekl6voEq2f8U06ANmdmkqXihcXrXfthk-jsVZqkm8oTKDHSqi0mxLGUJ9kgmTQuFdCot8dRYCJsLLzLBNIq5xz-ULGPJd96SMOz-5ko/w90-h135/IMG_3986_77c673bf-4cca-45a8-9f2e-018f2a52eee0_300x300.jpg" width="90" /></a>Like I said, right now it's Milk Duds before them it was Bartlett Pears. My obsessions usually only last a few months. So far I've also eaten through my obsession with watermelon, sour <span style="text-align: justify;">saltwater taffy</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> (from Bucee's in Texas), popcorn, apples...I think that's it. So, not a large list. </span></p></blockquote><p> I've never really been an obsessive type...I guess that's why they don't last long. Or could be that ADD I keep hearing about. 🤔</p><p style="text-align: left;">What about you? Any obsession you want to share? Anything you think would appeal to me?</p><p style="text-align: left;">Let me know. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Thanks for reading!</p><p></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-18460899333929861612021-01-20T08:00:00.062-06:002021-04-12T08:32:29.584-05:00Who Knew? (I knew)1/20/2021
<p>As you're aware, today is Independence Day!! Also known as Inauguration Day. Today we get a new, more qualified, much better man as president. Talk about having a weight removed.</p><p>Anyway...today is also another important day in my life. My mother's birthday. Below is a repost of a blog I wrote back in 2014. Oh, and the title song is by Pink.</p><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwSSNe6QvYk1JLcspj_ljUr-V_eRcU3XgM95SE1YItHjh7k9LgiV-aymt8RVEHbdyByUmeFtyRJmwFCUs8qHTrMeYwo-gZMx-izFX7w6z_dCevEMKWqdtlFSziArcZyx1w3i8/h120/Mom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="hk-O-x" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwSSNe6QvYk1JLcspj_ljUr-V_eRcU3XgM95SE1YItHjh7k9LgiV-aymt8RVEHbdyByUmeFtyRJmwFCUs8qHTrMeYwo-gZMx-izFX7w6z_dCevEMKWqdtlFSziArcZyx1w3i8/h120/Mom.jpg" style="height: 120px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 103px;" /></a></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Josephine Martinez Molina</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">January 20, 1935 - June 15, 1975<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's so true when they say your life can change in an instant. I've always believed things happen for a reason, that there's a purpose for why or when. Events in your life, good or bad, build the person you become. You just don't realize it until later if they made you better or stronger.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My mom died on Father's Day, 1975, two days before my thirteenth birthday. I remember the day vividly; waking up at eight in the morning and seeing my oldest sister climbing into my aunt's car. My first thought, before I fell back asleep was, "she must be going to the hospital because mom died." Yeah, pretty morbid thought to have, but I just had that gut feeling. In fact, several months before, when my brothers and sisters and I gathered on the floor around my mom's easy chair and she told us she had to go into the hospital my first question to her was, "are you going to die?" </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She spent a lot of weeks in the hospital and in that time I mourned her loss. I just knew she wasn't going to come home. And, that morning, a couple of hours later, when my cousin came to the house and ushered us into our Suburban without caring if we'd had breakfast, I knew. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When he dropped us at the entrance and said to go to the nurse's station. I knew. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we rode up into the elevator to the fourth floor, my younger brother and sister chattering and laughing, I knew. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the floor nurse told us to go to the room opposite the one our mother was in, I knew. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And when I opened the door and found it full of my family, tears streaming down their cheeks, my brother standing still against the window, his expression blank...I knew.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the years, as I got older, I thought a lot about what it must have been like for her, raising seven children, alone, widowed at the age of 36. As a child, I didn't give her the respect she deserved--children rarely do when they're young. But, I was number 5 in the bunch (of 7), and I didn't feel like she cared about me as much as the others. I now know, with that many children, it's hard to give time to just one. Especially when all they do is fight...yeah, we fought often...not physically, verbally. I used to wonder if maybe she begged God to take her away.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I started having children I used to think: don't let me be like her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When, in fact, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i> to be like her. She was strong and caring and loving and she didn't let anything break her---at least she never showed it to us.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don't know what kind of relationship we would have had if she lived, but I like to believe we would have been close.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think about her often, especially during the holidays when my children are gathered around me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if she knows how much I love her and miss her. And I hope I've made her proud.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There's a song by Christina Aguilera called Hurt, that resonates with me and sums up a lot of what I would say if she were here today. The lyrics are below.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But, most of all, I would tell her, Thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Happy Birthday, Mom.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___l8Y21yNM" target="_blank">"Hurt"</a></span></strong></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><div style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; text-align: center;"><!--start of lyrics--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You told me how proud you were but I walked away</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If only I knew what I know today</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ooh ooh</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I would hold you in my arms</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would take the pain away</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank you for all you've done</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forgive all your mistakes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There's nothing I wouldn't do</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To hear your voice again.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I wanna call you but I know you won't be there</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I've hurt myself by hurting you</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this, ooh, whoa</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Would you tell me I was wrong?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Would you help me understand?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you looking down upon me?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you proud of who I am?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> There's nothing I wouldn't do</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To have just one more chance</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To look into your eyes and see you looking back</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I've hurt myself, oh, oh, oh.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I had just one more day</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would tell you how much that I've missed you since you've been away</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, it's dangerous</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's so out of line</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To try and turn back time</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I've hurt myself by hurting you</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-27898002605937060382021-01-18T12:23:00.005-06:002021-04-12T08:32:50.448-05:00Unwritten1/18/2021
<p> In case you don't know the song, it's by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7k0a5hYnSI" target="_blank">Natasha Bedingfield</a> I've always loved this song, probably because I often stop working on a wip (work-in-progress) in the middle of the story. Most of the reason is self-doubt (story of my life) and part is the story took a turn I wasn't expecting and now I have to rethink it all. </p><p>Nora Roberts is famous for saying "you can fix anything but a blank page", which means, just write. But, really, it's not as easy as many think. You can't just sit down and vomit words onto a page and hope they tell a compelling story. Nine times out of ten it's compelling to you, but send it to an agent or editor and you get:</p><p></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f497d; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Thank you for thinking to query me, although it doesn’t seem like a good fit for my list at this time. I wish you the best of luck finding an agent.</span></blockquote><p>Or</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: inherit;">We're sorry, but your project is not a fit for our agency at this time, so we will have to pass. Thank you for considering us and best of luck with your future queries.</span></span></p></blockquote><p>Yes, those are from an agents who I submitted Body & Soul to. I don't think they actually read my submissions and probably gave them to an associate who wouldn't know a good story if a library fell on her.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Okay</span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmK9ESc3593hMNaYfxNh0cmQy1pUcuVNx2qHa065iEC4X6a4vUa6VAOYQHYhdOq-73SE4AqJj6Mkl9I6ILux72KrEaOihjL4zbrcCj4TDZbcoxv4XIgpEm0w3GSgCWO5MF6Me/s597/im-so-over-it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="597" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmK9ESc3593hMNaYfxNh0cmQy1pUcuVNx2qHa065iEC4X6a4vUa6VAOYQHYhdOq-73SE4AqJj6Mkl9I6ILux72KrEaOihjL4zbrcCj4TDZbcoxv4XIgpEm0w3GSgCWO5MF6Me/w140-h105/im-so-over-it.jpg" width="140" /></a></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"> For now, at least. </p><p>I don't even know why I bother with agents anymore. I've had two...which felt like validation that I was a good writer. But then, one decided to become an editor and dropped me....not even offering to publish the book we were working on together 🙄 and the second agent couldn't decide if she wanted to work at a prestigious agency (where she already was), open up an agency with another agent, or open her own agency. In the end, she did all three. Her venture on her own became all about her and how much money I could make her and how many books I could spit out a year. Uh...I'm not that prolific a writer. </p><p>That was all back in 2007 and needless to say, we parted ways. I haven't had an agent since...although I've published <b><i>FIVE </i></b>books in that time. I <i>have </i>submitted my work to other agents and editors over the years....those rejections above just two of the handful I received. Two of those rejected books--<b>House of Cards</b> and <b>Body & Soul</b>-- even won a Reader's Award for Best Book in their category. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" dir="rtl" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_USGCACnZ_ULlCQJW3xRxcKIaFXj-18yHdXGWLtDH6j0BPYSKHTsa8R6zRc-nxI9MI3J5AUu_QuTnnXstHHUXVg20NxDr8HUt7DR6ed7H5VF1NTSI0BGzKfuP8122di3q7mk/s2048/20210118_115628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_USGCACnZ_ULlCQJW3xRxcKIaFXj-18yHdXGWLtDH6j0BPYSKHTsa8R6zRc-nxI9MI3J5AUu_QuTnnXstHHUXVg20NxDr8HUt7DR6ed7H5VF1NTSI0BGzKfuP8122di3q7mk/w150-h200/20210118_115628.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4glapFcRSVVKcNf848tB1WUuQ_JixGCaNLknZpRtos7eGx7nFl5ZRlbBizov4WwVoBZ8FhYoJLXerMxhfRWSeIb_-SJlQfD3-u4tVWJA8vcQ7nk8B0IIgEydcWeE9Vu2owI0/s2048/20210118_115551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4glapFcRSVVKcNf848tB1WUuQ_JixGCaNLknZpRtos7eGx7nFl5ZRlbBizov4WwVoBZ8FhYoJLXerMxhfRWSeIb_-SJlQfD3-u4tVWJA8vcQ7nk8B0IIgEydcWeE9Vu2owI0/w150-h200/20210118_115551.jpg" width="150" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 40px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><p>I have to wonder...did they reject me because my books are set in south Texas....predominately Mexican towns? And that my characters are Mexican? It wouldn't surprise me in the least. For all their bluster about inclusion of "authors of color" as we're called, they pass on more non-white authors than white. </p><p>Anyway...I know I shouldn't let any of that stop me from writing because I still publish my work and eventually I'll pick up more readers. But it's very discouraging and disheartening sometimes. </p><p>Anyway...again...at the moment I have two novels I'm "working" on. One is a paranormal romance....which I seem to write often for some reason. And the second...I'm not sure how to categorize but it's not a romance and definitely out of my comfort zone. I have a friend who thinks that's a <b>good </b>thing and the story could be my 'claim to fame'....but, there's that doubt creeping in again.</p><p>Regardless, I am going to try to get at least one of the novels completed this year. I will keep you posted.</p><p>Thanks for reading. </p><p></p><p></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-16257514999973072062021-01-16T11:39:00.002-06:002021-04-12T08:33:11.408-05:00Angry All the Time1/16/2021
<p>When my son was two, he told me he wanted to be a police officer. It was a very proud moment to know, even at age two, he believed in right and wrong; that the bad guys should be in jail. I was once told I should be a cop too, I think because I was aggressive and didn't take shit from anyone. But, I didn't pursue that career because I'd have been an angry cop because criminals piss me off. Which explains why, for the last four years, I've been livid. </p><p>Yes, I feel like I've been angry all the time. My niece said I should step away from social media. Maybe...but then, where would I play my games? 😀 Yes, social media is one of the root problems of my anger because I am constantly seeing memes that are geared to make one angry. I really long for the days when the internet didn't exist; when everyone kept their bullshit to themselves instead of spewing it all over us. However, even without the internet, there would still be the media. No, I don't buy into the whole "fake news" mantra started by Hitler and shared by trump. If we see him screaming, "punch them in the face" or mocking a disabled man, or telling his cult to march to the capitol to stop an election....it isn't fake. The only thing fake is the trump presidency. </p><p>Now that we are FINALLY rid of that orange shit stain, will we all be less angry? Will we welcome our disowned family back into our lives? Can we forgive and forget? In a word....NO. At least, I can't. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-wrw-NB2n18yVoHMY0sciBUmhmRJpvSzi3aI8H-CI2cmf3FAEDUqkQ87E4x2ZEUJflC51PzaLQERivn13-HTj5WuzlDqHiad2QVAKhsYUxHLGCRmF7A8d4vCgbqJDAOI-DGw/s542/42965534_1887415208016409_6062859788759334912_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="361" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-wrw-NB2n18yVoHMY0sciBUmhmRJpvSzi3aI8H-CI2cmf3FAEDUqkQ87E4x2ZEUJflC51PzaLQERivn13-HTj5WuzlDqHiad2QVAKhsYUxHLGCRmF7A8d4vCgbqJDAOI-DGw/s320/42965534_1887415208016409_6062859788759334912_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What ^^^this says.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The crap and bullshit that members of my family posted are unforgivable. They showed their true colors. They supported a person who lied, cheated, and conned our nation. They helped to spread his divisive lies and hate. And the fact that they didn't even disavow him during or after the insurrection....choosing to believe it was all done by non-trump supporters---Unforgivable! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr269RxCZQyMHIWALdyFY23e7zd72LBQJAjkldjsRiEBfK8ioG_K0kkmUQgNPYoKFTexkelZVYhaGzW9YV5YrXBBMFz0D9GshuSSJccSenyW6Dn9nUYh3CFgDdqjCzmhEnW5IY/s526/139358138_4710157085743975_4937232552527479422_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr269RxCZQyMHIWALdyFY23e7zd72LBQJAjkldjsRiEBfK8ioG_K0kkmUQgNPYoKFTexkelZVYhaGzW9YV5YrXBBMFz0D9GshuSSJccSenyW6Dn9nUYh3CFgDdqjCzmhEnW5IY/w180-h180/139358138_4710157085743975_4937232552527479422_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the brainwashed in my family were at the US capitol on January 6 or plan to be at the state capitol to incite more violence.</div><br /><p><br /></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-23931254798676676392021-01-15T14:04:00.004-06:002021-04-12T08:34:03.775-05:00Fucking Perfect1/15/2021
I don't know about you, but I'm just sickened by the events over the past five years, and more so over the last two months. If you've read my posts, you know I am <b><u>NOT </u></b>a trumper! I despise the man and everything vile thing he stands for. He's been a cancer on this country from day one.<div><br /></div><div>For the life of me, <b>I Do Not Understand</b> the loyalty of the people who still support him! trump hasn't done a damn thing for this country or it's citizens (except make us poorer and kill us). Whatever good you <i>think </i>he did is completely negated by his hateful, childish tantrums. He's been gaslighting this country long before he started running for president, only this time, instead of conning other countries and NYC, he came after America.<div><br /></div><div>Now, I understand how a person can be brainwashed into believing they are less than and give up their will to an abuser. It happens everyday, even happened to me. But, I was strong enough to get out of that relationship and become a stronger person. But, trump is an abuser and he relishes in it. He bullies, belittles and demeans everyone who dares to go against him....and his <i>followers</i>---like the mentally deranged they are-- laugh and cheer. No one, not even the scum republicans he ridiculed, tried to tell him what he was doing was wrong. They just nodded their heads and hid in the shadows thinking he wouldn't turn on them. I guess his vile, despicable, deranged cult followers have always been vile, despicable and deranged---they just stayed out of sight in their closets. But, once trump opened his sphincter looking mouth spewing his hateful rhetoric, all the cockroaches came scurrying out of the woodwork.</div><div><br /></div><div>The election in November told those things (people is too nice a word) that this country no longer wanted someone like him in office. It was proven over and over again that the election was fair and just. But, trump and his ilk just couldn't handle the truth. Because trump is a demented, vile, less-than-human thing, he riled up his cult and made them believe he was robbed! WHY? WHY, did he and they believe this??? When Hilary Clinton conceded the 2016 election (with grace and dignity) the vote count was stopped. If she hadn't conceded and told them to count Every Vote, she'd have won by the landslide trump claimed. Now, instead of a peaceful transfer of power, trump has again, riled up his cult....and this country is going to again, watch those hateful, ugly, despicable pieces of shit incite more violence on our government and capital. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have a cousin....whom I disown, along with many more in my family, who has been posting his hateful rhetoric on Facebook since Hilary won the nomination. Even after trump took office, he still posted his bullshit about Hilary. And, yes, he's doing it now about Biden. Occasionally I look at his page because I foolishly think "<i>Surely, he's stopped supporting trump. Surely he sees what a disaster this country is now, because of trump."</i> Nope. The dumbass is posting that the attack at the capitol on January 6th was staged....that the anti-fascists' and Black Lives Matters supporters infiltrated the trumpers and broke doors and windows. Yes....he is THAT FUCKING STUPID!! </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, those vile, despicable, followers of his have always been vile and despicable, I just wish they had stayed in their closets.</div></div><div><br /></div>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-64865637783228423372021-01-13T10:59:00.002-06:002021-04-12T08:34:23.517-05:00OOPS...I did it again1/13/2021
<p> When I first started writing a blog I always titled it with a song or lyrics to a song...it became a sort of theme for the blog. Also because....who doesn't want a song stuck in their head all day?? 😱</p><p>This time, it's more of a "sliding into old habits' kinda thing. I went two days without posting a blog...not that the nine people who meander onto this page, noticed. As you may tell, I'm not all that popular. Never have been. I'm especially unpopular in my family....but we won't go there.</p><p>Anyway....How is your new year coming along? Mine? Meh. I keep telling myself I'm going to go back to writing, then spend the whole day doing something else that ends up vegging in front of the TV. I don't know why writing has become unenjoyable for me. I still have stories I want to write, and, for part of my day, think of scenes to write or dialogue to speak, but when it comes to opening up the file...I balk. Maybe the reason is because I'm unhappy. Unhappy with the world. Unhappy with life. Unhappy with me. </p><p>I really have no reason to be unhappy. I have a wonderful husband, whom I love dearly (even when he gets on my nerves--haha). We've been together 30 years and have raised four wonderful children, one of whom has blessed us with an adorable granddaughter. My husband, aka sidekick, is still working, despite the pandemic. All of us, including my children, have stayed healthy. I have a roof over my head, food in the pantry....we're doing well. </p><p>The issue is...Me. </p><p>So, what am I supposed to do to "fix me"? I tried meditation...lasted about a minute...I think I'm too ADD for that. I wanted to try yoga, but back, shoulder and knee problems make that difficult. I do try to go for walks, but always find an excuse not to. I'd try CBD, but it's not really legal here. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgKY7KdCEci_cVDNgL4jUipgoxeczb81k0l4m1jGCMBMxE-8lWwdYT30ERzQ-E9RZIu6WP1fdPDg52eney7HG5rWuFk0uLipTjjzki2eynBzRANzSF0qH7PznsktNdF5MHLsT/s498/962a50f5583f8431d97500484d034457.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="498" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgKY7KdCEci_cVDNgL4jUipgoxeczb81k0l4m1jGCMBMxE-8lWwdYT30ERzQ-E9RZIu6WP1fdPDg52eney7HG5rWuFk0uLipTjjzki2eynBzRANzSF0qH7PznsktNdF5MHLsT/w138-h75/962a50f5583f8431d97500484d034457.gif" width="138" /></a><span style="text-align: left;">Eventually I'll snap out of it but for now,</span><span style="text-align: left;">....I'm at a standstill.</span></div><p></p><p></p><p>What do you do to keep happy? What motivates you? </p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-65128784028284501252021-01-10T11:45:00.005-06:002024-01-08T10:06:32.664-06:00It's a New Week1/10/2021
<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Happy Sunday Everyone! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Today is one of those stay in the PJ's and read a good book, kinda days. Although I may try to get some writing done (outside of this blog). Right now it's raining and the temperature is 39 degrees...way too cold for me!! I'm about to go put on some gloves!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jaZn_DEXQ0zMEHGqe05Y11KuEB0v_lMdQtMHtmHcrxAgHm5umj91_4QyzxNWEdieCC0xYIurc4aXTYrZwtc1G9U6IguOGrtl5CLN6t0_6rsYRh1SB_XxrhlVMqatdUjlk8mK/s2048/1501791933-delish-gumbo-horizontal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jaZn_DEXQ0zMEHGqe05Y11KuEB0v_lMdQtMHtmHcrxAgHm5umj91_4QyzxNWEdieCC0xYIurc4aXTYrZwtc1G9U6IguOGrtl5CLN6t0_6rsYRh1SB_XxrhlVMqatdUjlk8mK/w174-h116/1501791933-delish-gumbo-horizontal.jpg" width="174" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Today is also a good day to make gumbo for dinner. I usually make it from scratch with chicken and sausage, but today I'm using Zatarain and adding shrimp. I'm using the box, which isn't bad, because making the roux smokes up the house and it's too cold to open doors and windows to 'clear the air'. </span><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What is your favorite cold weather meal? Leave me a comment and maybe the recipe....I'm always looking for new ideas. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks for reading!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/manage/help-my-daughter-catch-up-on-rent" target="_blank"></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-41681561650986313362021-01-09T12:55:00.004-06:002021-04-12T08:35:15.892-05:00Let's Start Again1/9/2021
<p> Hello! </p><p>I'm Terri Molina, best-selling, multi-published author of Tex-Mex Romance and this is my Official page, since I don't have a website.</p><p><span style="font-family: Lobster; font-size: x-large;"><b>Welcome</b></span>!</p><p>So, if you've been reading me lately, you'll note my outspoken anger over the past few days. It may have turned you off and had you saying to yourself "Fuck her, I will never buy her books" yada yada. If so....well, not much I can do about that. I won't apologize for my anger and I shouldn't have to.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ANYWAY</b></span>....Yesterday is the past, today is the present and tomorrow is the future. Let's see what we can do to move forward.</p><p>So, today is Saturday....football day as my husband will have it. Three games he'll be vegging today and tomorrow. Although, if he wasn't watching football he'd be watching golf....just as equally boring. Actually, I used to watch football....when I was younger and before I got married (nearly 30 years ago). I still occasionally watch the Super Bowl...depending on who's playing and how exciting it's expected to be (but, yeah, mostly for the commercials). So, while he's killing brain cells doing that, I'm trying to decide what to do to pass the time. I should be writing (this blog doesn't count) but I can't get motivated to do so. I'm worried about my daughter in LA. She hasn't been working since March, almost a year, and is four months behind on her rent (which anyone in Cali will know is astronomical) and she's still unable to find work. What little she gets from unemployment covers her car insurance about 2% of her rent and food. We help her out as best we can (we pay her $325 car note) but we barely make any money. I set up a GoFundMe page, but I haven't posted it anywhere. Growing up poor and finding baskets of donated food on our doorstep was humiliating enough. Asking people for money is just as bad. But, that's my child and I'd do anything for my children.</p><p>Thank you for reading. I hope you come back....I think you can even subscribe to this page....I forget how it works. Anyway...have a terrific day!</p><p><a href="http://gf.me/u/zftix4" target="_blank">Go Fund Me Page</a></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-47359379926665278182021-01-08T17:34:00.008-06:002021-04-12T08:35:41.748-05:00Another Day...1/8/2021
<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcTzoCYPFIeQtScy4LisMcA8i7XXOWvZrn4MpaI-p0UuQvbF2wcqxs-6OsSegv-jLug2jNmYeVvE-jh_s5IptREwo6uSX5MPkEGsIdH_eJaTwZEUP7ZtC8lmsjCvW_gaajvsQ/s340/il_340x270.2708802161_6lh7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="340" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcTzoCYPFIeQtScy4LisMcA8i7XXOWvZrn4MpaI-p0UuQvbF2wcqxs-6OsSegv-jLug2jNmYeVvE-jh_s5IptREwo6uSX5MPkEGsIdH_eJaTwZEUP7ZtC8lmsjCvW_gaajvsQ/w338-h210/il_340x270.2708802161_6lh7.jpg" width="338" /></a></div><br />Well, yesterday was a shitshow. If you weren't paying attention, trump and his ilk stormed the capital in DC and tried to overthrow the election. Then, the cocksuckers tried to blame it on the Anti-Fascists' and the Black Lives Matter group, all the while posting pictures and videos of themselves vandalizing and shitting all over a government building and our constitution!! Those trumpers are so fucking stupid!!! I just can't with them! <p></p><p>Shocked by my language? Too Bad. I. Am. Pissed. Off!!! And you should be too!!! Those fucking shitheads should be punished to the full extent of the law...and anyone else who supports them. What they did was NOT patriotic it was domestic terrorism. Even his own staff is resigning because they're too chicken shit to stay and invoke the 25th amendment!!! </p><p>I am so glad Biden and Harris will be taking over the lead for his country and I sure hope they press charges and lock that orange shitstain in prison!!</p><p>And to Facebook and Twitter who both banned me (FB for calling someone a cockroach) FUCK YOU!!</p><p><br /></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-15129178065326112592021-01-07T09:51:00.007-06:002021-04-12T08:36:25.601-05:00Support trump? Take a Walk....off a cliff1/7/2021
<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;">It goes without saying that yesterday was a horrible day in our nation's history. I'm s</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">till angry about it but more so that the people I grew up with, that I considered brothers & sisters, are blaming everyone but trump and themselves for the insurrection and violence. They're claiming it was rigged by ANTIFA. That, because they wore gasmasks and carried guns, they were BLM protesters (uh....hey dumbass, they were White, and don't GAF about BLM). I am so deeply ashamed of those people and their ignorance. They aren't going to change and are going to continue their hate and divisiveness like their 'leader'. But it truly breaks my heart that I can no longer associate with them.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Yeah, sure, those 'holier-than-thou' are going to say..."you shouldn't let politics ruin your friendships or come between family...blah blah blah" But, I'm not going to turn a blind eye to their hatred. I'm not going to ignore that they agree with white supremacy (and they aren't even White!) I'm not going to pretend that they 'pick and choose' who deserves justice. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Yesterday's violence at the capital happened because trump ordered it, and had been planning it since the beginning of the year, whether you want to admit it or not. That man is Evil! He has always been Evil and he brought the evil, vile, cockroaches out of the crevices when he decided to run for office---as a republican because he knew how weak-minded and gullible they are and knew he could lead them into the sewer with him. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Come on! How can Anyone with even Half a brain believe the election was rigged??? They sure didn't think so when Hillary lost, even when she won the popular vote by millions. How can these half-brained dimwits believe those assholes storming the capital weren't trumpers? <b><i>What </i></b>will it take to 'turn on the light' for these people? <i><b>What more</b></i> has to happen to this country?? Really! I want to know.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Joe Biden and Kamala Harris <b>WON </b>this election FAIRLY!! And, by a landslide, as trump likes to falsely brag about himself. When trump stole the election in 2016 everyone said, "give him a chance, he's a businessman, he'll do good" while those of us with brains and morals said...."he doesn't know wtf he's doing and is going to be the worst president in history!" Guess who was right? The brains!</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">It's going to take a lot to bring unity back to the United States (which is a joke of a title now) and to start we need to make Every Single GOP accountable. trump needs to be held accountable!! ted cruz needs to resign! pence needs to get a backbone and enact the 25th Amendment! </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">The storm on the capital was <b>not</b> someone just wanting to "have their voice heard". It was sedition. It was an insurrection. And those who believe otherwise, should be held accountable as well!</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">And, to all those people, I say <b>FUCK YOU!!</b></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-1qd0xha r-1b6yd1w r-b88u0q r-ad9z0x r-ku1wi2 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px 0px 15px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-b88u0q r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;">What you need to know</span></span></span></div><div class="css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-1qd0xha r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;">- There is no evidence so far that Antifa activists stormed the US Capitol, according to multiple fact-checkers
- Information available in images of the insurrection suggests the participants have links to far-right movements, according to The New York Times
- One of the men in the images is identified as a frequent MAGA world protester known as “Q Shaman,” and another is Matthew Heimbach, a well-known white nationalist, according to Buzzfeed News</span></span></span></div>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-91741007670195997832021-01-06T12:45:00.004-06:002021-04-12T08:36:55.962-05:00Let's Start Anew<p> Today, January 6, marks the Epiphany, known to Catholics as the day the three wise men reached Jerusalem and acknowledged the birth of Christ. Ironically, today is also the day congress will certify Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as President/Vice President.</p><p>Now, if you've been paying attention, that orange shitstain currently in the white house is still trying to overthrow the election he LOST in November. It really boggles the mind how so many people believe his bullshit. </p><p>Okay....I'm not going to make this about 'him'. I'd rather not have the angina. I just hope and pray we get our country and morality back.</p><p>So, anyway, today being the Epiphany, it means it's time to take down the Christmas decorations. Which I have done. It's amazing how much space you can garner when you don't have a six foot tree in the way. </p><p>Now that the decorations are stored and the holidays are officially over, it's time to start the new year. Meaning, working on those resolutions until you give up. Personally, I don't make resolutions any more than I make goals....because I don't like to me told what to do, even by me. haha</p><p>So, if you're reading, tell me what your resolutions are. Do you make any? How long before you break them?</p><p>Thanks for reading.</p><p>Have a joyous day!</p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-60698615144355656162021-01-05T09:44:00.002-06:002021-04-12T08:37:21.420-05:00Wake Me Up When the Pandemic Ends1/5/2021
If you're a fan of 30 Seconds to Mars, that title will get a song stuck in your head. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhem12KmTjO8F3_9f_Km3CKA7VSaHHAyW1t-VSCXLE6hpOoWoXXdrIkXCb3B40Tde8Iwr6Cyr8sQ6MGEK6Iy6S2wBpYDyAC_59XZGTn2zk4BYnBuhq6F30tGpyv1QulMI3jTHpq/s282/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="179" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhem12KmTjO8F3_9f_Km3CKA7VSaHHAyW1t-VSCXLE6hpOoWoXXdrIkXCb3B40Tde8Iwr6Cyr8sQ6MGEK6Iy6S2wBpYDyAC_59XZGTn2zk4BYnBuhq6F30tGpyv1QulMI3jTHpq/w90-h142/images.jpg" width="90" /></a></div><br /></div><div>So, in case you haven't been paying attention....there's been a pandemic spreading throughout the world. Yes, some of you believe it's a hoax and some believe it's nothing more than an aggressive flu. Me? I believe the science. I wear my mask. I keep my distance. Of course I live in the country with nary a neighbor in sight, so the distance thing isn't a hardship. And my husband and daughter are germaphobes so things stay fairly sanitized in my house. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc2DWZHKQNYM66wG2aGNQVP6PhyN9FzZYJndh8FK1w1ggpkwcPBNfAuG-twtjHbAl-vYqCkhocvrbajeaNgV4mE8VQB7JOyBe9SfUFnwp1Vf-hTPtwSOmn1PR0rFttJJ0AJ6F/s340/Jackbox-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="340" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc2DWZHKQNYM66wG2aGNQVP6PhyN9FzZYJndh8FK1w1ggpkwcPBNfAuG-twtjHbAl-vYqCkhocvrbajeaNgV4mE8VQB7JOyBe9SfUFnwp1Vf-hTPtwSOmn1PR0rFttJJ0AJ6F/w115-h115/Jackbox-logo.png" width="115" /></a></div>Anyway, with the lockdown Cabin-fever is getting a whole new meaning. Were it not for the internet and technology, the world would be a lot more batshit crazy than it is. Personally, I'm not really doing anything different. I still binge watch TV. I still curl up with a good book. I still cook dinner, do laundry, clean my house. I still face-time/text with my children, who each live in a different time zone. We even do monthly family game nights, like we did when they were young, only now it's on Zoom and we play JackBoxTV. Last month I went to my son's house for a few days to see my granddaughter and celebrate her fifth birthday. (yes, all precautions were taken ahead of time). They introduced me to a new game you play on your phone <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmaVlgi0Kpf5zZxUv7wZBQTQzUakyitfOdrIVZZrZxv_sbj88dLQIOoU1lS4proOEfEciiXgP5zBxTiUQj3kKY5RgDGl8AWAlmcznNfCO5U7ocUylAdcPpBFU3udm8ekcyLMk/s282/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="282" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmaVlgi0Kpf5zZxUv7wZBQTQzUakyitfOdrIVZZrZxv_sbj88dLQIOoU1lS4proOEfEciiXgP5zBxTiUQj3kKY5RgDGl8AWAlmcznNfCO5U7ocUylAdcPpBFU3udm8ekcyLMk/w143-h90/download.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>called Among Us. It's a who-dun-it type game with everyone stuck on a spaceship and one of you is a killer. It's a fun game, but should not be played with a five year old since the point is to figure out who the killer is before you're killed. My adorable granddaughter constantly ran through the house saying who killed her or who she killed. I don't think she quite understood the game. haha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>So, what are you doing to pass the time? </div><div><br /></div><div>Regardless what you believe about the virus, stay safe. Stay healthy.</div>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-87757710960477643042021-01-04T11:58:00.002-06:002021-04-12T08:37:44.204-05:00Happy New Year!1/4/2021
<p> Okay, I'm four days late, but it's the thought that counts, right?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo4X1eXwTTDj_UUnIsx7UVuLUagUleMv_MZXBBSz47vMx_wmjhnfkGCMirPPDZDyzzoJMKEYwHumEzJDcsqoxtxw_1vZmiDfD1DZ3jsi9ykP2rsQ4YrWCdETXSKPiuF1FqxG2/s220/tenor.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo4X1eXwTTDj_UUnIsx7UVuLUagUleMv_MZXBBSz47vMx_wmjhnfkGCMirPPDZDyzzoJMKEYwHumEzJDcsqoxtxw_1vZmiDfD1DZ3jsi9ykP2rsQ4YrWCdETXSKPiuF1FqxG2/w99-h111/tenor.gif" width="99" /></a></div>It's been a while since I posted anything here...laziness, no motivation, nothing really to say....those are my excuses. With the new year and a new outlook on everything, I am going to pledge to blog more...daily, hopefully. I don't promise any of it will be interesting though. haha<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqxXTNHH4BvRPJecdBvExf7mg4JT5cYF0-e0ZiyzJqhM0KPxsCml-uUAVTMcBc8-Xq3J0h70ZYpBwQU6eUVk5Tz3ZwIK0RGfMi0i6lb2DhwLvjTibrxJh5a9FJyv-fkLQppXd/s612/20882619_1253170364794486_3159201960839734968_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="612" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqxXTNHH4BvRPJecdBvExf7mg4JT5cYF0-e0ZiyzJqhM0KPxsCml-uUAVTMcBc8-Xq3J0h70ZYpBwQU6eUVk5Tz3ZwIK0RGfMi0i6lb2DhwLvjTibrxJh5a9FJyv-fkLQppXd/w188-h106/20882619_1253170364794486_3159201960839734968_n.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>One of the main reasons for making this blog more active is because I no longer have a website. The site that hosted my domain name made some changes and I ended up losing my website. Initially they said I could rebuild using WordPress. Nearly everyone said <i>WordPress is easy, anyone can do it, you'll like it. </i>Well, I'm hear to say BS! It is not user friendly, especially for those of us non-computer nerds. <p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wfkMhO1GQgRpMZOs0LWi-GePC-TTuFqGobxxh2SyUlXsp2D0H7Uj1wMj4u_5bcU-BH78jxYZUXIwkwPjOvBC8KoOSrYtDKNXKGWq1jZcLWQupBwhjehICYsqZ8pFOiaOYnVm/s340/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="340" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wfkMhO1GQgRpMZOs0LWi-GePC-TTuFqGobxxh2SyUlXsp2D0H7Uj1wMj4u_5bcU-BH78jxYZUXIwkwPjOvBC8KoOSrYtDKNXKGWq1jZcLWQupBwhjehICYsqZ8pFOiaOYnVm/w125-h116/unnamed.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><br />After spending the entirety of a Sunday trying to build a nice author site (or even a decent one) I gave up. I will no longer have an author site. And, really, what good did it do me? It was a pain in the arse to update...unlike Blogger, which I will now use as my official website. My books are there --> on the sidebar and you can click each one to read a preview or even order, should you so desire.<p></p><p>So....let me Officially Welcome you to my Blog/Website! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWrymK1GVxjHg1FLKQmY3r-V7UW0b-OM2eLuQ_lFpwsa4lH6kQkJAg73ym6XQVbROxjfbPZfuoJmvMG3TJW1eoxbuW0OxIp7U7zpcopwkjx1bBOkbAaasRkwmt7a_fc0Svo8f/s599/7001428_preview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="599" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWrymK1GVxjHg1FLKQmY3r-V7UW0b-OM2eLuQ_lFpwsa4lH6kQkJAg73ym6XQVbROxjfbPZfuoJmvMG3TJW1eoxbuW0OxIp7U7zpcopwkjx1bBOkbAaasRkwmt7a_fc0Svo8f/w347-h67/7001428_preview.png" width="347" /></a></div><p></p><p>I hope you enjoy my musings and feel free to drop me a note.<br /></p><p>Have a fabulous rest of your day!</p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-70964771853765696432020-09-13T12:14:00.000-05:002020-09-13T12:14:06.952-05:00Just Another Blog Post<p> Hello Readers!!</p><p>Long time no post....although that's pretty typical for me. I've just never understood the whole blog thing and always feel like Doogie Howser when I write something. haha</p><p>Anyway...before I post any further I just wanted to pass along <a href="https://goodtrouble974588398.wordpress.com/2020/08/08/the-case-against-trump/?fbclid=IwAR1ICh2H4Ea9MGTpfwkCtfasRcTlbMMz2UmjzKbZzw0BMvzQPQF8xLd4A64" target="_blank">this </a>article to anyone who is still supporting that person squatting in the White House. And then ask yourself....<i>what kind of person are you</i>??</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Okay....that's said, now onto my post. So, September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. And to mark the occasion I am giving away Kindle copies of any ONE of my books (which are on the side bar). To get your copy, leave me a comment below to let me know if or how you plan to celebrate Hispanics. Or, even let me know what you love about the Hispanic culture. Only one book per person please. Also, feel free to pass on the post. </p><p>So...when I was younger my family and I would attend the Mexican Fiesta held by the Hispanic community in my hometown. The Fiesta, which was a three day event and held outside, dwindled down to one day held in the civic center. This year the event was held on September 11th, but I don't know the details since I no longer live in my hometown. </p><p>Anyway, Texas is actually full of Mexican celebrations. You just gotta Google them to find where. Next month the town of Gonzales will celebrate their annual "Come and Take It" Festival. You can read about it <a href="http://www.gonzalesinquirer.com/stories/annual-festival-boasts-a-weekend-full-of-activities,5390" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Well, I guess that's it for now. Not really much to blog about these days...but I'll think of something for next time and hopefully it won't take a year or more.</p><p>Thanks for reading!</p><p><br /></p>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-14098203365703327322019-10-27T20:17:00.000-05:002019-10-27T20:17:13.551-05:00HAPPY HALLOWEEN!I don't know about you, but October is my favorite time of year. The weather is cooler, the leaves are turning (and falling) and some of our fondest memories from childhood flood back like a soothing cup of hot chocolate. Of course that isn't the only reason I love October. Need I state the obvious? It's because of HALLOWEEN! Yes, I LOVE Halloween! It's probably my favorite holiday ever! And it's not because of the candy...although if you want to give me a bag of Almond Joys I won't complain. I love Halloween because it's the one time of the year that you can dress up and scare children and not get arrested (mostly). I admit I wasn't that big into Halloween until I had my own children but, as they got older stopped doing the trick-or-treating I decided to keep them excited about the day by really getting into the spirit of it all. On Halloween day we'd turn our yard or garage into a haunted house/cemetery. One year my son and his friends even dressed as zombies and roamed to graveyard in a live-action decoration.. Another reason I love October is because I love watching scary movies with my daughter. Not the blood and gore ones, but the scary ones that keep you on the edge of your seat. It's why I write paranormal romances.<br />
What are your favorite things about October?Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-35504459458057572822016-04-19T10:25:00.000-05:002016-04-19T10:25:30.357-05:00How Do You Define Success?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qEWmmLRU7AcDxG9cyO-TobkY5pcUC7248TGaD7hpH9QBsLs353IfDq0lTh6igxCAy0MGgDSYyg6glZX35MG4onGrogLEw-ualoncqwk0FIdP4j0xG6tqjGD052pzpF5cVzCR/s1600/success+and+hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qEWmmLRU7AcDxG9cyO-TobkY5pcUC7248TGaD7hpH9QBsLs353IfDq0lTh6igxCAy0MGgDSYyg6glZX35MG4onGrogLEw-ualoncqwk0FIdP4j0xG6tqjGD052pzpF5cVzCR/s200/success+and+hope.jpg" width="200" /></a>This is actually a repost from a blog I did last year at <a href="http://romancingthegenres.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Romancing the Genres</a>. I saw the link on my Facebook page under "Last year on the day" and I liked the post so much, I thought I'd replay it. (okay, I'll admit I'm a lazy blogger.)</div>
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The month I wrote this, RTG's theme was about Hope and well, since we are now in the best season of the year, Spring, I wrote a post about it. After all, Springtime is the season of hope as well as
rebirth. </div>
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Before starting my post I decided to look up the word <i>hope </i>and one definition stuck out to me:<i> the likelihood of success</i>. Why? Because the word <i>Success</i> has been on my mind, a lot. Partly because
this past August my high school class had its 35th class reunion. I don’t
usually attend my reunions, they have them every five years for some reason and
the last one I went to was the 25th. For weeks before the reunion, one of the committee chairs would post reminders about attending. One day she made a list of
reasons why many people don’t go to their reunions, one being “<i>because I’m not
successful enough</i>”. Which got me thinking….what exactly <i>is</i> success? Is
it a six figure salary? Is it seeing your name in lights? Is it being
financially independent. Having a family? </div>
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As children we all have dreams of being successful, like someday becoming a
famous actor or musician, a supreme court justice, or maybe even president. But are these
dreams really for <i>us</i> or because we want to be able to go home
one day and say “<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Look at me. I’m not the nobody you thought I was!</span>”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn0lW67Ir2x_LoTVijYWchazUUB5nDiirF_qiFYEUAvDkhfeJcS8FYI7hJWSmhbwSz23QSSgrI9G-7D17WTsCP44g8lcs-i3lko_TgnxvlOUUJtALRmT70AnD3C_REehdwlgZ/s1600/success.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWn0lW67Ir2x_LoTVijYWchazUUB5nDiirF_qiFYEUAvDkhfeJcS8FYI7hJWSmhbwSz23QSSgrI9G-7D17WTsCP44g8lcs-i3lko_TgnxvlOUUJtALRmT70AnD3C_REehdwlgZ/s200/success.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvEoOhje2CO0cgXZC7wQ4WXjJvBFqq8XJRlOoyXEghY2QkF8NORoDmwnapl_Lc6_00UhZKw9bengutRoEFvseL0HxI69KORrdtuG0TJAbomp4iKObiTgHWdNAnQWPasjvR5ZF0w/s1600/success+and+hope.jpg"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1025"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvEoOhje2CO0cgXZC7wQ4WXjJvBFqq8XJRlOoyXEghY2QkF8NORoDmwnapl_Lc6_00UhZKw9bengutRoEFvseL0HxI69KORrdtuG0TJAbomp4iKObiTgHWdNAnQWPasjvR5ZF0w/s1600/success+and+hope.jpg"
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvEoOhje2CO0cgXZC7wQ4WXjJvBFqq8XJRlOoyXEghY2QkF8NORoDmwnapl_Lc6_00UhZKw9bengutRoEFvseL0HxI69KORrdtuG0TJAbomp4iKObiTgHWdNAnQWPasjvR5ZF0w/s1600/success+and+hope.jpg"
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a>I’ll admit, I always
wanted to be one of those people who could go back home and prove I was a
success. I thought, by the time I was thirty I would be someone important.
Someone people would admire. Someone my family would be proud of. And it’s
taken me thirty-five years to realize <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">who cares what other people think</span>? I
don’t need the money or prestige or fancy material things to prove my worth. So
what if I’m fifty pounds overweight and my writing career isn’t in the same vein as
Nora Roberts, or my hair is turning grey (when I allow it). I have been married to my soulmate for nearly twenty-five years, I have four
beautiful children, and a <b>gorgeous </b>granddaughter, a roof over my head, and lots of friends I enjoy hanging
out with who enjoy hanging out with me. (always a plus) Life is good. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Success is something to aspire to, but it doesn’t need to be
the end-all of your worth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-15638877120451464472015-05-22T10:59:00.001-05:002015-05-22T10:59:12.680-05:00Random Blog Post (or writing last minute when you're jet-lagged<div class="separator" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9KvGuRqJxRfC5hbiYO65fPkQYVnGmdIevEHn38mlS5FIqxTZ6HJm67Zy-fq5M-z3bbVKWNS0GXuN4GcCV6pwjg35mV8s4gUG1KBC5GCyjA94KhW-n33Os2H-JcJizfqUQqw0Hw/s1600/Book+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #336e61; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9KvGuRqJxRfC5hbiYO65fPkQYVnGmdIevEHn38mlS5FIqxTZ6HJm67Zy-fq5M-z3bbVKWNS0GXuN4GcCV6pwjg35mV8s4gUG1KBC5GCyjA94KhW-n33Os2H-JcJizfqUQqw0Hw/s200/Book+Poster.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="154" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;">Welcome everyone! I’m Terri Molina and I write Tex-Mex romantic suspense.....meaning my works take place in Texas and the characters are Mexican. (pretty self-explanatory, I know)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;">First, let me apologize to anyone who swings by to read this blog for not posting in months! In my defense the days crept up on me when my back was turned. I went out of town on May first to <span style="font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;">attend the wedding of my beautiful niece in San Antonio then again three days later I headed to my hometown of Port Arthur for my cousin's wedding then it was off to Dallas for the Romantic Times Convention. I just got home Tuesday and still feeling a bit jet-lagged---although I drove so that would be car-lagged---- so forgive me if this post is a bit random. :)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPegz8Y56VzHGwQGPmAVLUSQcendeaPbLZhkRgd8tOlVeoSFDUDwVrna2Y1sBaBJRGbe2MW7iOfrE_YYJeC6gLxltNxc4R-JCNbkp4DSPtrNH1DLfu7ft0jxMMPfvduXo-h9jKA/s1600/cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #336e61; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPegz8Y56VzHGwQGPmAVLUSQcendeaPbLZhkRgd8tOlVeoSFDUDwVrna2Y1sBaBJRGbe2MW7iOfrE_YYJeC6gLxltNxc4R-JCNbkp4DSPtrNH1DLfu7ft0jxMMPfvduXo-h9jKA/s1600/cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPegz8Y56VzHGwQGPmAVLUSQcendeaPbLZhkRgd8tOlVeoSFDUDwVrna2Y1sBaBJRGbe2MW7iOfrE_YYJeC6gLxltNxc4R-JCNbkp4DSPtrNH1DLfu7ft0jxMMPfvduXo-h9jKA/s200/cakes.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a>I <span style="color: #222222; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;">had a terrific time in Texas, because it’s where I’m from so I got to see a lot of family. For the first wedding my daughter made the groom’s cake, which came out wonderfully. (of course she had a bit of help with the decorating, but the cake she made from scratch). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;">Anyway, with summer just around the corner, I'm getting my "Summer Reads" together and after attending RT I have a whole new pile of books to add to the list. That’s one of the perks to attending a writing conference...the free books! And, finding new authors to read. So, my summer is set, provided I can <i>find</i> time to read.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1asMoCuyDk9_wkM6GN1uRd4sKwHkSYcG6TlLJ2p5vldg-S3A8Ep3lfwCVdJBSMiWrMBnsIb1C5lnsUECEN_7LdbKXq0VHTYyn-OJgHnVwH8oCbtozBmPd21VaTLtY82qrfqsPA/s1600/IMAG00097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #336e61; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1asMoCuyDk9_wkM6GN1uRd4sKwHkSYcG6TlLJ2p5vldg-S3A8Ep3lfwCVdJBSMiWrMBnsIb1C5lnsUECEN_7LdbKXq0VHTYyn-OJgHnVwH8oCbtozBmPd21VaTLtY82qrfqsPA/s200/IMAG00097.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a>I don’t know how many books I came home with, a majority of them were given out at the various workshops so I didn’t exactly choose them all-- which means I probably won’t want to read them all. Actually, I plan to send most of them to my aunt. She loves to read and to be honest, there are a few books I’m not really interested in reading. Not that they aren’t worth reading, but I’m a bit picky. I don’t look at just the cover...although I’m not all that into the whole naked men/women on the covers. The first thing I look at with a new book, or any book, is the back cover blurb. It has to be really intriguing for me to want to spend my time in the story. I’m a pretty fast reader so if a book takes me more than three days to read, I won’t recommend it to anyone else.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6000003814697px; line-height: 24.6400012969971px;">So, what about you? Are you a cover first book chooser or back cover blurb chooser?</div>Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-21366027678573198012014-12-31T10:25:00.000-06:002014-12-31T10:25:58.930-06:00Ringing in the New<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Happy New Year!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">2015 is bringing in a lot of changes for our family…..giving
new meaning to “out with the old, in with the new”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In October, my husband was informed he would be let go
from his job here in Phoenix. As of December 12, he became unemployed…although
his official date is January 5. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Needless to say,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the news came as a big shock to us and the reasons for his termination
made us more than angry, but after the emotions faded my husband realized it
was a blessing because he had tired of the job and was no longer happy with the
company or the direction they seemed to be going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because there was no legitimate reason (other
than their standard “it’s just business” BS)---okay<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, I’m</i> still angry, haha--- he was given a generous severance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s already started looking for work (and
many of his co-workers have started helping him…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that’s</i> how loved he was by many of them). He’s been off since mid
December, doing small chores around the house, relaxing and just plain driving
me crazy! We are very confident he will find another job, we just aren’t sure
where….here in Arizona or back home in Texas and I have to admit, Texas is high
on the list. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">All in all, I am very glad to see 2014 end!! It’s been
a very stressful year….so much so, I haven’t been able to get any real writing
done…and believe me when I tell you, I don’t stress easily. I’m from Texas and
pretty laidback. Shit happens, I deal….but when it’s people putting the stress
on….well, I deal, but my health suffers and my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway….I’m really hoping 2015 is a banner year for us,
although life <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> what you make of it.
I’m going to stay positive and hope everything works out….after all, I’ve
always believed things happen for a reason, so there’s no sense worrying about
it. </span></div>
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Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-68188675469513327012014-12-20T11:12:00.004-06:002014-12-20T11:12:52.614-06:00Christmas Time is HereWow, less than a week til Christmas and I'm not even feeling it. I guess that happens when you get old and your kids have moved on although I still have two at home and the other two are close by....Christmas just isn't the same as when they were babies and their excitement of the day was contagious. <br />
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I've been trying to find ways to get into the holiday season by decorating the house and planning the days. My daughter Becca is driving in on Monday with her roommate and they'll be spending the whole week here. Today the sidekick and I are going to pick out our tree and on Monday all the kids will be here to decorate it. Our own tree trimming party! I still have a bit of Christmas shopping to do---which I'll probably do Tuesday-- and I haven't wrapped any gifts yet....that's always a last minute thing. On Christmas Eve morning we're going to make tamales because we have a small family party that night, we'll watch a Christmas movie then play some games and the kids always like to open a gift. Christmas day, we eat a big breakfast then have our big dinner. The girls and I may go to a movie that night as well. All in all, it'll be a fun night.<br />
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Anyway....I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Christmas!!<br />
<br />Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-58856640632891377442014-05-18T12:00:00.002-05:002014-05-18T12:00:57.908-05:00Free to be Me<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span class="bqQuoteLink"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marthawash160612.html" title="view quote">I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.</a></span><br /><div class="bq-aut">
<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martha_washington.html" title="view author">Martha Washington</a></div>
<br /><span>Read more at <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/may.html#SefrleqAy32wK9ft.99" style="color: #003399;">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/may.html#SefrleqAy32wK9ft.99</a></span></div>
<div id="r1PostCPBlock" style="background-color: white; border-image: none; border: currentColor; color: black; left: -99999px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="bqQuoteLink"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marthawash160612.html" title="view quote">I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.</a></span><br /><div class="bq-aut">
<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martha_washington.html" title="view author">Martha Washington</a></div>
<br /><span>Read more at <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/may.html#SefrleqAy32wK9ft.99" style="color: #003399;">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/may.html#SefrleqAy32wK9ft.99</a></span></div>
<div id="r1PostCPBlock" style="background-color: white; border-image: none; border: currentColor; color: black; left: -99999px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.<br />
<div class="bq_fq_a">
<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martha_washington.html"> Martha Washington </a></div>
<br /><span>Read more at <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marthawash160612.html#PSJGo7a1g1Sqg6yy.99" style="color: #003399;">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marthawash160612.html#PSJGo7a1g1Sqg6yy.99</a></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><em><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>I am determined to be
cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned
that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our
circumstance but by our disposition.</strong> <</span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #0000aa; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Martha Washington ></span></span></em></span>
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Is it me, or does this year seem to be flying by? Seems like just yesterday I was changing diapers, carting kids to little league or ballet and fighting bedtime. Now, the kids are grown and, for the most part, moved out and it's just me and my husband. Which is a good thing. Now we can do what we want, when we want, without having to worry about babysitters. <br />
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When my kids were younger I would hear stories about the "empty nest" syndrome...how couples would have to learn to be a couple again or get used to not having the kids around as buffers or excuses to do things together....and I waited for it to happen for us....but it hasn't. Sounds kinda bad, doesn't it? I love my children to the Heavens and back, and I miss the days when they were young and home....but not to the extent of not knowing who I am without them. And, my husband and I have never had problems with being a couple. Over our 22 years of marriage, we'd do the occasional 'date night'....which happens more now than before. We enjoy each other's company but we also enjoy doing our own thing. He likes to golf, I like to be alone to read or write or maybe visit the local casino. My husband's job requires him to travel a lot which has never been a problem for me and he was away a lot when the children were still in elementary school because of being in the service, which was still not an issue for me because I'm an extreme introvert...I LIKE to be alone with me. Plus, being raised by a single parent (my aunt) I had to step up often to be the adult and take care of the family (in a housewife sort of way) so I was used to it. The family and their needs always came first. <br />
<br /><br />
So, now that I don't have children to take care of (more or less) I can focus on me. Back in '99 I decided I wanted to pursue a writing career. I'd always loved making up stories and had an active imagination, so I started training myself on how to write a novel. In 2003 I sat down and wrote my first book, which I completed within two months. Now, because I was still 'green' and not as trained in the craft as I thought I was, it took a lot of time to fix the story in order to make it publishable. I did countless revisions, added scenes, pulled scenes and rewrote scenes. Eight years after I wrote <em>The End</em> on the last page, I sold the book, <a href="http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=361" target="_blank">Forget Me Not, to Decadent Publishing</a>! In 2003, a couple of weeks after finishing Forget Me Not, I started a second book. It took me two months to write as well because the story had been in my head for a very long time. Again, the time between writing <em>the end</em> and publishing was quite long, but I'm thrilled to say<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Obsession-Terri-Molina-ebook/dp/B00K4E23M0%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJBDF5XQBATGDX4VQ%26tag%3Dspea06-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00K4E23M0" target="_blank"> Dark Obsession</a> is now available online!<br />
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Back in the day when we lived off my husband's Coast Guard salary and money was so tight we had to pawn whatever we had of value just to buy food, I never stopped believing things would get better. Patience is a virtue I learned to hold on to. And faith is something I've never given up. <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span class="bqQuoteLink"><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marthawash160612.html" title="view quote">I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.</a></span><br />
<div class="bq-aut">
<a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martha_washington.html" title="view author">Martha Washington</a></div>
<br />
Read more at <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/may.html#SefrleqAy32wK9ft.99" style="color: #003399;">http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/may.html#SefrleqAy32wK9ft.99</a></div>
</blockquote>
Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-82654609566799285092014-04-17T21:52:00.000-05:002014-04-17T21:52:20.779-05:00Vacation Memories<div class="post-title entry-title">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";"> So we’re talking vacations this
month. It’s a bit premature since most vacations happen in the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I never really took vacations until after I was
married and had kids and my husband retired from the Coast Guard and found
another job, because we just couldn’t afford to. Our first family vacation was
2002. A trip to Florida. My nieces Heather and Sierra joined us, along with
Sierra’s brother Nik. We went to both Disneyworld and Universal studios and had
a blast! The kids were all at the perfect age to enjoy the rides and shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As much fun as that was though, I think my
most memorable vacation was the one I took in 1975, with my whole family. It was
the first and only vacation I can remember us taking and the last because a few
months later my mom passed away. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
still remember when she came to tell us we were taking a trip. She just walked
in the room while we were watching TV and said, “We’re going on a trip, so pack
some clothes and get some sleep. We’re leaving very early in the morning.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, it was a spur of the moment thing. I
think my aunt and uncle talked her into it, they came with us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">So we all piled into our
Suburban…seven kids aged nine to seventeen, a two year old toddler and three
adults and took a road trip south along the Texas gulf coastline. I remember we
made stops in Alice, Kingsville, Corpus Christie and Brownsville….visiting with
family mostly. Then we took a trip across the border to Mexico to do some
shopping. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t remember which town it
was, there are a few you can cross into that welcome tourists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the river on the Mexico side, you’ll
see children of all ages begging for money and scrambling like ants for the
measly coins people toss down to them. Once you cross the river via the
international bridge and you’re accosted by merchants trying to sell you
everything from candies to clothing to wall hangings. Even children, some as
young as five, will try to sell you packets of gum. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The streets are lined with stores and the
sidewalks are crowded with carts filled with leather belts, handbags,
jewelry,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>everything you can think of.
And, occasionally you’ll pass a store and your senses are filled with the spicy
aroma of Mexican food. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t remember
if anyone bought anything, although I’m sure we did. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, you have to be careful who you turn down
because if it’s the wrong person, you could end up cursed. I saw a woman give my
mother a dirty look when she told her no and a couple of months later mom got
sick. (Superstitious much?)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">I’ve made a few trips back to Mexico
over the years and not much has changed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children are still begging for loose
change, merchants are still trying to make deals, and you won’t find better
Mexican food. Of course, I avoid eye-contact, for obvious reasons.
Hah</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">A few years back, while I was
working on my book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dark Obsession</b>
(available May 5th), my aunt, cousin and I took a trip back down the Rio Grande
Valley (the gulf coastline) so I could get some visuals. Dark Obsession takes
place in the valley….almost all of my stories do, actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got some great stories from my aunt’s
in-laws as well as some great scenery to use in the story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">Anyway, speaking of Dark Obsession,
the book is being re-released May 5th. I hope you’ll pick up a copy and help
spread the word. =)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">Here’s the blurb and a short excerpt
for your reading pleasure.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">DARK
OBSESSION</span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> A
chance encounter seals the fate of a reclusive farmer and a mysterious woman
who's on the run from a man who will stop at nothing to control her--including
murder.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 1em 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ray
Chavez <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>doesn’t believe in visions or
omens or the mysticism of his Mexican/Indian heritage. When he’s awakened by the
spirit of this great-grandmother with a message that something is coming, Ray
passes it off as a bad dream. But he may just reconsider his position when he
finds Lexie Solis stranded on the edge of town, in search of a new life. Ray
feels an instant attraction, as well as a connection, to the skittish young
woman, and he pursues a relationship with her. But what Lexie doesn’t tell Ray
or his family, is that she is on the run from an abusive ex-boyfriend and he may
be more powerful than even she wants to believe. When Lexie is assaulted by an
unseen force, they learn that the man she is hiding from is a master of the dark
arts and his obsession with Lexie goes beyond his need to control her; he wants
to possess her soul as well. As their past lives parallel, Lexie’s only hope for
salvation is in Ray’s hands. But can he accept his destiny in time to save the
woman he loves?</span><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">Excerpt</span></b><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">Sylvia dropped onto the kitchen
chair and scowled at her brother. She’d rushed straight from work after her
grandmother called and told her about their new visitor<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> She couldn’t help but wonder if it
were the same visitor her cards had been warning her about for the past week and
even after she voiced this concern Ray still had the nerve to patronize her<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">She’s not some stray puppy you
picked up from the side of the road<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">,</span> Ray<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">,”</span> she said<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“</span>I’m just saying you don’t know
anything about her<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.”</span>
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">Ray leaned against the counter<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">,</span> crossing his legs at the ankles, and
sent her a crooked grin<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“</span>Damn<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> And I was really looking forward to
teaching her a few tricks<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.”</span>
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">Stop thinking with your glands and
think with your head<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">,</span> Big
Brother<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">,”</span> Sylvia snapped<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">I’ve been thinking with my glands
since I was fourteen<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> It’s a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hard</i> habit to break<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.”</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">Sylvia curled her lip at him and
turned to her grandmother for support<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> She had sensed a <i>mal puesta
</i>in the young woman and performed a <i>limpia</i> to heal her<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> It was a ritual they often worked
for the families in town who came to see them about their curses<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> The inflicted would lie on a small
cot and her grandmother would wave an egg over them<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">,</span> chanting a series of novenas<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";">She did this same cleansing on the
young woman in Ray’s old bedroom<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> When she finished she took the egg
and cracked it into a glass of salt water<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span> The egg sizzled and cooked<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">,</span> curling its way to the surface like
a snake trying to escape the flames of hell<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 1em 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Candara","sans-serif";"> <span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Look for this and other works at my website:
</strong></span><a href="http://www.terrimolina.com/"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>www.terrimolina.com</strong></span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Candara;"><span id="goog_170488919"></span><span id="goog_170488920"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-13520023838803706282014-01-20T01:00:00.000-06:002014-01-20T11:52:03.507-06:00I knew....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwSSNe6QvYk1JLcspj_ljUr-V_eRcU3XgM95SE1YItHjh7k9LgiV-aymt8RVEHbdyByUmeFtyRJmwFCUs8qHTrMeYwo-gZMx-izFX7w6z_dCevEMKWqdtlFSziArcZyx1w3i8/h120/Mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="hk-O-x" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwSSNe6QvYk1JLcspj_ljUr-V_eRcU3XgM95SE1YItHjh7k9LgiV-aymt8RVEHbdyByUmeFtyRJmwFCUs8qHTrMeYwo-gZMx-izFX7w6z_dCevEMKWqdtlFSziArcZyx1w3i8/h120/Mom.jpg" style="height: 120px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 103px;" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Josephine Martinez Molina</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
January 20, 1935 - June 15, 1975<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's so true when they say your life can change in an instant. I've always believed things happen for a reason, that there's a purpose for why or when. Events in your life, good or bad, build the person you become. You just don't realize it until later if they made you better or stronger.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My mom died on Father's Day, 1975, two days before my
thirteenth birthday. I remember the day vividly; waking up at eight in the
morning and seeing my oldest sister climbing into my aunt's car. My first
thought, before I fell back asleep was, "she must be going to the hospital
because mom died." Yeah, pretty morbid thought to have, but I just had
that gut feeling. In fact, several months before, when my brothers and sisters
and I gathered on the floor around my mom's easy chair and she told us she had
to go into the hospital my first question to her was, "are you going to
die?" She spent a lot of weeks in the hospital and in that time I mourned
her loss. I just knew she wasn't going to come home. And, a couple of hours
later, when my cousin came to the house and ushered us into our Suburban
without caring if we'd had breakfast, I knew. When he dropped us at the
entrance and said to go to the nurse's station. I knew. When we rode up into
the elevator to the fourth floor, my younger brother and sister chattering and
laughing, I knew. When the floor nurse told us to go to the room opposite the
one our mother was in, I knew. And when I opened the door and found it full of
my family, tears streaming down their cheeks, my brother standing still against
the window, his expression blank...I knew. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the years, as I got older, I thought a lot about what
it must have been like for her, raising seven children, alone, widowed at the
age of 36. As a child, I didn't give her the respect she deserved--children
rarely do when they're young. But, I was number 5 in the bunch (of 7), and I didn't
feel like she cared about me as much as the others. I now know, with that many
children, it's hard to give time to just one. Especially when all they do is
fight...yeah, we fought often...not physically, verbally. I used to wonder if
maybe she begged God to take her away. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I started having children I used to think: don't let me
be like her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When, in fact, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i> to be like her. She was strong and
caring and loving and she didn't let anything break her. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don't know what kind of relationship we would have had if
she lived, but I like to believe we would have been close. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think about her often, especially
during the holidays when my children are gathered around me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if she knows how much I love her and
miss her. And I hope I've made her proud.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There's a song by Christina Aguilera called Hurt, that
resonates with me and sums up a lot of what I would say if she were here today. The lyrics are below.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But, most of all, I would tell her, Thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Happy Birthday.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___l8Y21yNM" target="_blank">"Hurt"</a></span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><div style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; text-align: center;">
<!-- start of lyrics --><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You told me how proud you were but I walked away</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If only I knew what I know today</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ooh ooh</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I would hold you in my arms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would take the pain away</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank you for all you've done</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forgive all your mistakes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There's nothing I wouldn't do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To hear your voice again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I wanna call you but I know you won't be there</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I've hurt myself by hurting you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this, ooh, whoa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Would you tell me I was wrong?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Would you help me understand?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you looking down upon me?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you proud of who I am?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> There's nothing I wouldn't do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To have just one more chance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To look into your eyes and see you looking back</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I've hurt myself, oh, oh, oh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If I had just one more day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would tell you how much that I've missed you since you've been away</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, it's dangerous</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's so out of line</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To try and turn back time</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I've hurt myself by hurting you </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, and, in honor of mom's birthday, from now (January 20) thru Wednesday (the 22nd) my novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PP0KSI" target="_blank">House of Cards</a> will be on sale for just .99 cents. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9541823.post-88759839230152510812013-11-11T11:11:00.000-06:002013-11-11T11:11:50.908-06:00Happy Veteran's Day!<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.va.gov/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Go to VA.gov"><img alt="Official seal of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs" height="68" src="http://www.va.gov/va_files/2012/images/header-logo.png" width="200" /></a>In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" </blockquote>
Did you know we've been celebrating this holiday for nearly 100 years? I don't think a lot of people do (know it). I think it's become one of those holidays you wait for because it means "big sales" at the department stores or a day off from work (especially if you're a government employee). Like most of the holidays, Veteran's Day has also become 'commercialized'. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to celebrate and support our nations military...I was a military spouse--my husband retired in 2000-- and a soon to be military mom. I know what our service people go through and what the families have to deal with daily. As a military spouse you're suddenly thrust into single-parenthood. You become both mom and dad to the younger children. You have to learn to split your time equally...which can be difficult if you have more than one child...and multitask like a maniac and hopefully squeeze out a little bit of 'me' time in the evening. <br />
<br />
When my husband and I married, he'd already been in the Coast Guard for ten years (yes, the Coast Guard is part of the military). In those ten years we had four children, moved four times. The first move was in Alaska, when our son was 4 and our daughter was nine months old. My husband was on a Cutter for two years and in those two years spent a total of 6 months at home...long enough to give us another child. haha After returning to the lower forty-eight, we had another child and moved three more times, but luckily within the state of Texas. The last year and a half, my husband lived on-site in south Texas while we lived six hours away....all for financial reasons and because child #2 had special needs and needed to be closer to Houston's Children's Hospital. So I was a single mom of four for 18 months. But, for me, it wasn't much of a chore. I was used to doing things on my own and taking care of a large family. The hard part came when my husband visited because he messed up our routine. haha But, being with him, serving with him, made us a stronger unit than we could have ever hoped for. And I'm very proud to have been a part of his first career.<br />
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Terri Molinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10684929235647584445noreply@blogger.com1