Family Movie Night

I remember these as far back as fifth grade–around the same time I remember my first presidental election, Jimmy Carter vs Ronald Reagan. The one I remember most vividly was when my parents went to the library and checked out a film projector and a film. With our invited friends, we sat around the living room and watched Winnie the Pooh and Tiger. As I got married, movie nights shifted to Saturday nights. We’d still have friends over during our college years. The credits would roll and in the dark a pillow would be thrown, hence starting the traditional pillow fight. This custom continued through our kids’ high school years. Just this Friday night, we watched Captain America: Civil War. Instead of a pillow fight, a wrestling match broke out.

Family Night Food

Mom’s famous family night food was homemade pizza. She taught us kids how to make it. Her secret? Cheese. “You can never have too much cheese on pizza.”

Besides cheese, we’d load it up with hamburger, olives, and mushrooms. Another favorite family night food was to roast hot dogs and s’mores in the wood stove. We’d have a picnic or campout in the living room when the weather outside was less than desirable for camping.

Family Game Night

My sixth grade year, my family moved to Iowa in the middle of the school year. That meant we were there just in the nick of time for one of their worst winters! School was for three to four day weekends regularly for around a month. That gave us kids ample time to get in Mom’s way. The solution, which eventually became the problem, was to have the three of us sit around the stove in the living room wrapped up in blankets and play Monopoly. However, when you have a 12 year old, 9 year old, and a 17 year old playing Monopoly, soon there are arguments. Mom said later she was ready to get rid of the game. To this day, I still know there are ten stops between Go and Just Visiting Jail. There are ten spaces between each railroad. And the best way to win is to have St. James’ Place, Illinois Ave, and Baltic Ave all with hotels on them.

About fifteen years ago or so, we began having game days with some younger friends. They’d come over on Friday or Saturday nights or after church on Sunday. We’d play role-playing games like Star Wars or card games like Unexploded Cow (which you can download for free), or even board games like Settlers of Catan. As the kids grew up, they soon were joining us. Scrabble and Settler’s of Catan are still some of our favorite games. We’ve added Munchkin to the list, but only if there’s someone playing with us who knows all the rules. It’s easier that way.

Family Beach Night

Living on the Oregon Coast has influenced our activities as a family. Going to the beach is a viable option whenever we want or the weather permits. Sometimes even when the weather doesn’t permit! We’ve been to Cape Blanco with the wind blowing hard enough the boys are leaning at a 45% angle. We also enjoy finding the waves when they’re splashing and getting epic photos of it. It was on a calm, beautiful night that we walked the beach in April while I processed the news that my publisher was going out of business.

Our most recent trip to the beach was this past weekend. While my husband is adventurous and my kids have picked it up, I’m more level-headed. I have a distinct reverence for the water. I’ve been knocked around in the surf and have the scars on my chin to prove it. So, the usual scenario is for the kids and my husband to go traipsing off to the rocks and I stay and watch at a safe distance. Yesterday was different.

We followed the path around to a spot where the railing stopped and the cliffs became steps of solid rock heading down to the surf crashing on the final step. The family blithely ran for the water, while I took the safer route and longer route. I enjoyed finding a way where I wouldn’t have to climb much. Just as I reached a spot where I could see and enjoy their fun, I saw something from my nightmares!

I found myself in a beach house with two story high windows facing the surf. I looked out enjoying the ebb and flow. Without warning, a wave approached, one that would be larger than anything I could handle! The water kept building and growing until it crested on top of the house and crashed through the windows. Terror siezed my heart as I frantically swam trying to find a way to the surface. Then I awoke!

This reoccurring nightmare evolved over time to include first my husband and then my kids. Saturday afternoon, that style of wave approached–one that would be too big to outrun and that would soak my kids. I watched helpless as they were pummeled by not only the spray but also the wave. To my relief, the wave receeded and my sons stood back up smiles stretching their faces. “Did you see that?!” Adreneline surged and before long they were back waiting for another wave to crash in front of them. I enjoyed watching the surges and calling out warnings as they stood invincible to the spray. No other wave reached the same size and impact as that first one. After an hour, we finally called it quits and walked back to the car. I was the only dry person in the group.

Family nights are fun times to be together. It’s even better when your teenage son pleads to have one. What do you do as a family? Any special foods? I’d love to hear your ideas.

Family is something dear to my heart. It always has been. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that at age four my family moved three hours away from my grandparents and aunts and uncles. Then four years later, we moved two thousand miles away from them all. Every two years or so, we’d meander back across country to visit. The cousins would pick up where we’d left off, best of friends. With this long-distant relationship with family, my parents did something that was very helpful for my siblings and me. They created new family. There were three or four families that became like aunts and uncles and cousins.

When I married my husband, family became an important part of our identity. It was easy to decide where to spend Christmas. We’d have two celebrations, one with my family and one with his. After college when we settled down to live in one location, we still did many things with my siblings and parents and my husband’s family. Our kids grew up with cousins around them. As the cousins matured and became young adults of their own, it was fun to watch as they became friends as well. When my in-laws celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary, the cousins all got together. As we cleaned up the party, the adults sat back and laughed as the kids danced and played with helium left over from balloons. Several incriminating videos of obnoxiously high voices were taken and shared among the cousins.

Today, though, I think of my family left back in the Mid-West who have never met my kids. What would grandma have thought of them? Would she have enjoyed sitting and chatting with them? She was able to meet my oldest when he was one-year-old. What about the second cousins that my kids have never known. Would they get along as well as they do with their West Coast cousins? Who knows. Maybe one day, the kids will take it upon themselves to journey back to see where my roots lay.

Until then, I’ll cherish family–even emotionally adopted–cause that’s what family does. Tweet

Dragon’s Revenge excerpt:

Awhile later, Ruskya was mentally calling Kyn. “Youngling, it is good to have you home. It looks like you made it just in time. The storm is ready to settle in.”

“I see that. Part of me wonders why I left the warmth of the south,” Kyn joked.

Ruskya’s hearty laugh reached his ears. “I hear you, youngling. I wondered that myself, but there’s family here. We’re complete now that you are back.”

“Thanks, Ruskya. I needed that.”

“No problem. Why not come here for a meal?”

“What if this storm turns into a bad one? Do you really want me there for a day or so?”

“Youngling, you know nothing of the love of a family if you have to ask that. Of course we want you. We’ve missed you like crazy since Braidyn’s wedding. Besides, we’ll probably stay up all night talking anyway. It’d be like it was when you were a newly chosen youngling.”

Kyn smiled. He was home. Ruskya wanted him; Ma and Da needed him. He belonged.

The Keepers of the Wellsprings Series

I’m excited to announce that the third book in the Keepers of the Wellsprings series, Call of Brindelier, is now available on Amazon! If you haven’t read the previous books yet, read on for a super-quick crash course.

When I started writing this series, I really wanted to tell a story that was rich with fantasy, but not overly dark or mired with war and violence. I wanted to show the light side of fantasy: the cheerful, magical, uplifting side which I always drink up whenever it emerges in a story, and which always seems to be so fleeting in fantasy tales. I wanted to tell a story that would capture the hearts of young and old alike. Don’t get me wrong, my books aren’t void of conflict and evil. They tell of uncomfortable moments. There is violence and wickedness, but it’s those moments in my stories which are the fleeting ones. In the pages of my books, you will find fairies, Mages, Paladins, Elves, Dreamwalkers, Princes and Princesses, and even dragons. You’ll travel through a world rich with magic and wonder.

In Call of Kythshire, you’ll learn all about Cerion, a seaside kingdom which has celebrated peace for over a century. You’ll meet His Majesty’s Elite, a guild that is the right hand adventuring team of King Tirnon Plethore, and you’ll join Azi Hammerfel, a young squire who has grown up within the guild’s halls, through disappointments and triumphs. By her side is Rian, her childhood friend, an Apprentice of the Mage Academy. You’ll meet Flit, a fairy from Kythshire, who is as tricky as any fairy you might imagine, but has a depth of character and a sense of purpose uncommon for a typical fairy. You’ll see her world unfold, and feel the evil threat of Sorcery that looms, waiting to destroy it. You’ll learn a little about the Wellsprings, but not too much, for their existence and workings are a well-protected secret. (Click here to read an excerpt from Call of Kythshire.)

In Call of Sunteri, you’ll meet the strong-willed slave boy, Tib, who makes his first appearance as he escapes from the grips of Sorcery in the desert continent of Sunteri. He has help crossing the vast oceans to reach Cerion, but he doesn’t realize it at first. A mysterious being speaks to his mind, controlling his thoughts and making suggestions to ensure his own survival. In the meantime, Azi has been given the task of escorting the Prince of Cerion and his wife-with-child to the lakeside Kordelya Castle as the prince faces suspicion and ridicule after the events of Call of Kythshire. But a darker force emerges from the Dreaming, whose wicked intent is to use any means necessary to escape its prison and claim the magic of the Wellsprings for his own. In this book, you’ll see the devastating effects of the overuse of magic, and what it does to the Wellsprings and the creatures who thrive around them. (Click here to read an excerpt from Call of Sunteri.)

In Call of Brindelier, a dark force looms, more powerful and destructive than any threat Azi and her guild have yet faced. You’ll follow Celli, a scrappy street fighter, as she is enticed into the grips of a powerful Sorcerer. You’ll watch Tib come into his own as he sneaks through the streets of Cerion, uncovering the darkness while also working on a mysterious project. You’ll follow Azi on a quest set by Princess Margary to find proof of Brindelier, a city in the clouds which is the key to all of the Wellsprings in the Known Lands. But Margy is not the only one interested in Brindelier. A dark force has been gathering, poised to claim it for their own. Control over the Wellsprings hangs in the balance. (Click here to read an excerpt from Call of Brindelier.)

This series is appropriate for all ages, but I recommend 13 and up due to some violent themes. There is no sex, swearing, or excessively graphic violence in the Keepers of the Wellsprings. Throughout the series, you’ll encounter daring sword fights, violent magical moments, and a few quick deaths.

Call of Brindelier, the third book in the Keepers of the Wellsprings series, is now available on Amazon.  This weekend, I’m offering book one of the series, Call of Kythshire, for free, and book two, Call of Sunteri, for just 99 cents. Click here to download your ebooks while they’re on sale!

The characters are twelve-year-old Clare, her nine-year-old brother Dante, and her twelve-year-old friend, Lily. Today, I have the honor of introducing you to Clare. I was able to do an interview with her!

Me: Clare, I heard you started this whole Seed Savers adventure. Tell me a little about that.

Clare: Sure. When I was twelve I first heard the word “seed” at church, and–

Me:  Wait–you hadn’t heard the word “seed” before?

Clare: That’s right. I’m from a future where kids don’t know what seeds are. It’s forgotten about, like the words “television set.” So I asked an older woman about seeds and she started teaching me.

Me: That would be Ana?

Clare: Yes. Ana became my teacher. And then, of course, I brought my friend Lily in on it, and Dante, my brother.

Me: So now that you know about seeds and real food, do you think you can go back to the Vitees and Carbos and that kind of food?

Clare: Definitely not!

Me: How’s that going to work out?

Clare: I’m not sure. Right now it’s frustrating because I’m in hiding and so we can’t garden. If I were out, and nobody else’s safety depended on it, I would try to grow a garden anyway. I mean, Gruff had a garden on his balcony in New Jersey and he got away with it.

Me: This is true.

Clare: I might even go back to Canada. But I really want to be part of the change. I want everyone to have freedom of choice about their food.

Me: Seems reasonable. Some people are wondering if you and Lily are growing apart…

Clare: I wouldn’t worry about it.

Me: What about Jason? Is this a romance?

Clare: (rolls eyes) Does everything always have to be a romance? Can’t  a girl and a guy ever just be friends? I thought you said this interview was about Seed Savers?

Me: I’m sorry. I think readers just naturally gravitate towards that. Okay, let’s wrap it up on a final note about Seed Savers. Do you think your Movement is going to have a victory any time soon?

Clare: (smiles) Of course. With young people in the Movement, how could we be anything but victorious?

So, if you now are intrigued, go check out S. Smith and her books, Seed Savers. They’re a great read for kids and kids in adult bodies.

Blast of the Dragon’s Fury

L. R. W. Lee wrote the Andy Smithson series. Blast of the Dragon’s Fury is the first of the series. She’s created a very intriguing story of a young boy who enters a new world through a trunk. This world is plagued by a curse that the king believes Andy can fix! Andy finds friends and goes on a quest to help lift the curse. Lee has created a wonderful world full of interesting characters, intriguing ideas, and subtle plot twists. The story is good for ten-year-olds on up. It would also make a good read aloud to a younger child.

Between Heartbeats

Between Heartbeats is a young adult story of exploration and mystery. Diana is a senior in high school when her mom drops a bombshell on her on her seventeenth birthday. Finding out that who she thought was her dad isn’t, causes Diana turmoil and winds her into the middle of a mystery. As Diana tries to find the truth about her birth father, she uncovers a tangle of events that happened seventeen years ago. Donelle Knudsen has created an intriguing story of love of all kinds, from Diana and her boyfriend, to Diana and her parents. She looks at various issues in an objective way with a mother’s heart. I would encourage teens on up to read Between Heartbeats.

The Seed Savers series

Yes, I all ready gave this series a high five in my post for February reads, but since then, I’ve read book three. I can’t wait to read books four and five. S. Smith has create a very realistic look at a future America where GMOs have taken control in the government, and it’s illegal to own seeds or to garden. In book 1, Treasure, we were introduced to Claire, Dante, and Lily. The three kids learn about gardening from an elderly lady from Claire’s church. When the government raids Claire and Dante’s house and imprisons their mom, they take off on a journey to find freedom. In book 2, Lily, Lily has been left in the city. She meets new friends, Rose and Arturo and learns about her family history. She’s rather surprised by what she finds. In book 3, Heirloom, Lily takes off in search of her father. Her departure is more thought through than Claire and Dante’s. She heads south on a hazardous journey meeting new people in the seed saver organization. Heirloom shows some young love budding and slowly introduces some of the history of how seeds became illegal. The story is written in such away that the reader is led on the journey with the characters. I love how S. Smith has created a believable future world and how the children interact with their world.

The Field

I first heard about The Field this past fall. Lydia Thomas, the author, was a guest author on the Facebook party for the release of The One Who Sees Me. I was intrigued with the idea of her book: Three girls who disobey the king’s edict and go into the field. Growing up, I remember reading simplified versions of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The Field followed the same allegorical style. I finally was able to read it recently. In my family, we have a comparison on fantasy. We say that J. R. R. Tolkien was a genius with fantasy by being detailed and complex; whereas C. S. Lewis was a genius with fantasy by simplicity. After reading The Field, I would use the same comparison. John Bunyan was the detailed and complex allegorist, but Lydia Thomas is the simple allegorist. Both are geniuses in their writing styles and story lines. I love how the plot unfolded among the three women; even though it mainly focused on two–Deliah and Lily. Lydia portrays the true struggles that believers face in everyday life, from the struggle to listen to the deceiver to self-worth issues. Unfortunately, this book is no longer in circulation.

If this list isn’t enough to keep you full of books over Spring Break you can check out my list for February Reads. Let me know what you’re reading.

Anyone who has been on exchange, lived in another country, or moved from one place to another has experienced these pangs. Today, eighteen years after leaving Cuenca, Ecuador, for the last time, I felt the familiar tug on my heart. Where are those people I once knew? What are they doing today? It is amazing what can bring the memories. Little things, a look, a smell, a word, a song, all can cause the nostalgia to return. Today, a song sung in church made me remember the services in Cuenca.

To keep the feelings in check, I keep in contact with some of those friends from years gone by. Facebook is a great source for this. We can see each other’s photos, catch up on kids, and read about each other’s lives. For some of those friends, I’ll never know. I’ll not know if Señora María ever made a profit from her tourist shop on Gran Colombia. I have no way of finding out about street vendors who sold jewelry in Parque Calderon. It brings sadness to me to know I didn’t have a way to keep in contact with these people I’d visit on a regular basis for a year.

As I think through my friends, they’re spread out all over the world from Japan to Cameroon, from Peru to Brazil. Ecuador, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Florida, Illinois, South Carolina, Philippines, India, and Mexico all have a little piece of my heart. I often long for everyone to come home for one big reunion. I’d love for all my friends to meet each other and share their stories. Unfortunately, half of my friends couldn’t understand the other half due to language barriers. I’d have to be the translator.

As I consider gathering everyone together, I am reminded of a passage from the Bible. John chapter fourteen and verse two is a beloved verse. There’s even an old gospel song written based on the King James Version of the Bible.

I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop, in that bright land where we’ll never grow old.

However, my pastor has explained that in essence the word mansion isn’t in the original Greek. It’s actually a word for many rooms. Now doesn’t that sound great? I’ve got many rooms over the hill top? It just doesn’t cut it. However, my pastor goes on to give this scenario. Family reunion time rolls around. Everyone’s coming in from far and wide. Where are you going to put them up? Do you have room in your house? Will someone have to get a motel? What if heaven was like a giant family reunion with room for everyone?

What if heaven was like a giant family reunion with room for everyone?

Think about it. My friends from Ecuador  would have a place to stay right alongside my friends from Japan or Washington state. No one would have to give up a room for someone else, but you could bunk together if you wanted to. Imagine the late night conversations as Kantharao from India explains his struggles in keeping the orphanage a float, and Ruth tells about her grandkids learning about Jesus. In another corner, a conversation plays out between my missionary friends in Cameroon and my friend from Michigan. No one has to say good-bye, and everyone can meet each other. While this family reunion happens, I’m then invited down the hall for someone else’s reunion. Maybe to meet Kantharao’s family and friends from around the world, or to meet my daughter’s exchange family from Finland.

As you continue to make friends, think through this idea of heaven. Are those friends going to be a part of the huge family reunion? Can you relate to my longing? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to leave a comment.

“Dad, will you sing Oh, Holy Night?” Mom asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Please, Gramps?” We pleaded.

“I don’t know the words.”

That was what Mom was waiting for. She produced from behind her back a cookie tin. “Here, Dad,” she said as she handed it to him.

With curiosity, he took it and opened it. Inside were several slips of typed paper. Gramps’ deep hearty laughed followed. Mom had typed up the words. Never again could he have the excuse that he didn’t know the words. He sang it every Christmas after that until 1999. In April of 2000, Gramps took his singing voice to go sing for Jesus in heaven. Every Christmas since when I hear Oh, Holy Night, I think of him. The first ten years or so after, I would break down and cry at least once in the season when I heard the song.

I thought I was past that stage until tonight. As I was at the art gallery, a man came in with one of the artists. As he waited for her, he sat down and began to sing, Oh, Holy Night. I paused in my steps and listened, a wistful look on my face. What a joy to hear a grandfatherly man singing Gramps Pat’s song.

What about you? Do you have any special song for the holidays? Any song you have to hear before it’s the season? Let me know in the comments.

As I’ve grown, family and friends have stayed the mainstay for the holidays. Last year, I wanted to have a relaxing Thanksgiving. So I talked with each of my kids as to what made Thanksgiving for them. We came up with a list of foods and I fixed them. When we went to sit down, the boys were upset. I tried to figure out the frustration and found that it wasn’t food that made the holiday but people coming over. Fortunately for us, my parents and our oldest son and his girlfriend showed up early for dessert and were there while we had our meal.

The first of the series will be on sale Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

It was this strong basis of family and friends that I drew from when I wrote the Dragon Courage series. I wanted to give my kids a taste of normalcy and put it in a different place. The interactions of the characters throughout the series come from interactions I’ve had with my own kids and my own family. The scenes around the dinner table are straight from my own dinner table. The toddler complaining while mom fixes a meal is exactly what happened with my young ones. Only at meal time did they need mom. They were fine until I walked into the kitchen. Then they were clinging to my legs. It’s rather difficult to fix a meal with a two and a three year old attached to either leg.

So, as you go about your holiday season this year. Remember your family and friends. Spend time with them. Make memories that will last. Play a game together, read them a book, watch a fun movie together. Whatever you do, enjoy them. If you were like me growing up and your family is miles away, find friends or others who need family and be their family. There is always someone who needs some family.

The kids have grown up learning to sit and listen to adult conversations, and as they grew, they became part of that conversation. I used to read to them after dinner. We have met various characters who have become part of our family culture. I started out with biographies, and then moved on to stories the kids wanted to share with the family. The last book we read was D J MacHale’s Pendragon series. We only made it to book 9, and it took several years due to various interruptions. The reading gave way to conversations with the kids about their day or joking around. Some of my favorite memories right now are centered around our dinner table and laughing with my children.

Our dinner table was a place to teach our kids’ friends how to interact with a family. Many of their friends had never sat down at a table except maybe at Christmas or Thanksgiving. They learned how to ask for food to be passed and how to ask to be excused from the table.

It was around the dinner table that our kids learned how to interact with adults–not just parents. We have entertained missionaries from around the world: Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, Ethiopia, and more. Besides the missionaries who visited from church, we have had numerous visitors. These aren’t just our friends that we know and love. Our visitors are travelers along Highway 101. We have enjoyed getting to know people from Seattle, Colorado, Eugene, New Hampshire, Boston, New York, England, France, Bolivia, Spain, Germany, Palestine and countless more. Many are college age students who are hiking or biking their way across a part of the United States. We have sat and chatted about politics, their impressions of the US, and anything that came to mind. After dinner we have jammed adding a violin and drums to our guest’s saxophone. We enjoyed target practice once. Numerous times, we entertained our visitors with fire dancing, but only once did our guest join the show.

Our kids have also enjoyed game nights around the table. When they were little, we had game day on Sunday afternoons. We played Star Wars role playing. As they grew older, we moved on to Scrabble, Uno, and Munchkin. The group of friends have changed, but the table has stayed the same. We sit down talk with one another across the table, having fun and enjoying each others’ company.

Was it easy to keep up this tradition of the dining room table? No. We struggled. There were some weeks where we didn’t sit down often at the table, but we made it a priority. In so doing, we have created memories and taught our children the value of face to face communication. One hard and fast rule has always been, “No electronic devices at the table.” The only exception was if we were reading a book online such as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,or if we have some quiet classical music playing while we eat. The kids tried to push this rule only a couple of times. They never got far.

As a parent, I believe this one tradition has been very valuable. We got to know our kids. We were able to feel the pulse of their world. When friends would come over, we got to know them as well.  Our table with young children resembled Duskya and Cerulean’s in Dragon’s Heir:

The meal contained light banter and the general commotion of any meal with two little children.

Once we had teenagers, it reflected Duskya and Cerulean’s table in Dragon’s Cure:

The evening meal followed with much talking and friendly banter. The clean up continued in the same vein.

Both of these scenes although summed up with just a sentence or two reflect the many memories around our dining room table with our children. So, if you have the opportunity to create a family tradition, I would suggest reinstating the family dining room table. Use it for more than just a fancy tablecloth (although my kids learned how to deal with a fancy meal as well at our table). Let your table become a place of laughter, stories, and memories.

Today, my eighteen year old received his acceptance papers to a one year Bible College five hours away. He will be leaving the first of October. I was excited for him, but then realized that my little boy was growing up.

My nineteen year old has decided to go to the local community college. She will stay at home for the first term. Even though she is at home, between a night job and classes, we won’t see her much. Again, I am glad for her, but sad that my little girl is growing up. Tonight she realized that our youngest will be in high school next year.

Where has the time gone? Wasn’t it just a year ago that they were the ‘twins’, the one only 17 months old feeding the one month old? It goes by in a blink of an eye.

With this realization, the other happening today weighs heavy on my heart. One of my uncles passed away. I barely knew him because of where we lived, but I remember my cousin with fondness. She lost her mom, my aunt, just a few months ago and now her dad. This leaves my dad and his younger brothers as the patriarchs in the family. The realization that Dad is the oldest of his family now is sobering. I know too soon life will cycle through. I don’t want to think that way, but watching my kids grow up makes me realize that in time I will be the grandma. It will be my job to hold the family reunions and keep us together just as my grandma did before me.

Tonight, I can curl up and cry, but tomorrow I will be the strong mom ready to face the future with my kids. I’ll be prepared to encourage and cheer them on. I’ll brag about their college plans and be proud of what they have done. For this is what a mom does. She takes life, cries, laughs, and beams with joy.