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 Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Nonfiction
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Halloween
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to Lyn's a Witchy Woman  for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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| Here's an Eaglet update from Big Bear: The eaglets are looking BIG. Both of them now have the majority of their young feathers. Both are stretching the wings and hobbling around. Sunny, the older on, is trying to be more independent, trying to eat by itself and likes to move around sticks. Gizmo tries to eat but gives up and goes to mom, but Gizmo also like to move around sticks and tries it's hand at it. It's warming up in Big Bear. I know in So cal were I'm at it's the low 50's at night so Big Bear is probably in the 40's which for this time of year at night it's probably typical. Wild times in Los Angeles - there was a homeless guy going around with a chainsaw and cutting down trees. Yikes! They caught him, but really? Sigh... The mayor is going to cut 1600 jobs. Don't worry, I have job security. Just when you think it can't get any "crimier" in Los Angeles - it does. The west side of Los Angeles still looks apocalyptic, sadly. No time today to exercise - even with weights. Andy and I shared a chipotle burrito for lunch. Good call because that thing was HUGE. Off to nap before I have to go to work tonight. What did you have for lunch today? Sunny and Gizmo would probably say "Fish."  |
| Keeping it simple today. Going bowling today and then off to work. Sigh... these days can be a bit more challenging because I lose about 2-3 hours before I have to go into work. The new wood floors are done. They look very nice. Now -- need to find time to put everything back! Going to volunteer at the local Boy Scout camp 20-26 July on Catalina Island but there is a TON of paperwork. Sigh... The journey has just begun. I need to get in a little better shape if I'm going to camp so I need to crack down on my weight watcher and give up some sleep so I can start working out with the weights and walking. Finding the time won't be easy. Smiles for the journey. Steph |
| Happy Easter to all. Son #1, Andy, and I went to 8 am mass. The church was packed. We got there around 725 am and parked in the Starbucks parking lot down the hill and walked up. There was a massive crowd walking up to the church and even I was huffing and puffing. We got into the church around 735 and barely found 2 seats together. Overall, it was a nice mass and we renewed our Baptismal promises. I always like that part of the mass. I was just thankful and grateful that I got to spend it with Andy. Lent Reflections I went into Lent wanting to grow or work on a more spiritual connection. Sometimes I think the church has too many man-made rules that don't accurately reflect the intention of Jesus or the Creator. I got one of Bishop Ken Utner's little black books for Lent, which I really enjoy. There's always a story that relates to the reading and then a short scripture and a short reflection. The intent is to be about 6 minutes and then you can spend time on your own reflection.
Delores Cannon's book about Jesus and Essenes is fascinating. I recommend a read. It might challenge you and your beliefs, but if you are curious about Jesus, it might answer some questions. To try and grow my spirituality, I tried to quiet myself a bit more, which honestly, is a challenge with my work and sleep schedule. When I quieted myself, I tried to open myself to hearing the Lord. Sometimes he says nothing. Sometimes he leads me to a passage or an interesting item. I've always believed if you light a candle in your house you're inviting the spirit of the Lord in. It could be an impulse to just light a candle. I find that when the Lord wants to move me, it is an impulse that I don't recognize right away, but I do when the impulse pays off. When I talk to the Lord I try to be more candid and more conversational and not so formal. Do say my prayers and one of the ones I always pray is "The Lord's Prayer" as it was taught in the Bible. I always try to raise the vibe. I think raising vibrations is important, but it's hard because it's something I'm not used too. I believe the Lord works in mysterious ways, but with all going in my in my life, it's hard to suss it out. I was very good about fish on Fridays. I might try to incorporate a meatless day going forward. I'm still working on my Weight Watchers. Overall, it was one of my better Lenten seasons since 2020 and I'm glad for the time I spent on my reflections. |
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| Diamondbacks Baseball After our naps, it was time for Baseball. When Lori was working she always known to go to 7-11 on her breaks and get a diet coke and hot dog so I made her stop by the local 7-11 and get a diet coke and a hot dog. It was for the nostalgia. And I have to admit, my hot dog was pretty good, even though 7-11 had run out of onions. We picked the boys up. All of us were wearing out Diamondbacks gear. It was another 30 minute drive into Phoenix. There was no official parking. There was a parking garage closer up, but we didn’t see it. It was Lori’s first D-backs game and she’d been living in Arizona for a couple of months! We parked in a lot for about 20 bucks that was about 4 blocks and walked over. The park is newer and it’s an indoor park with a roof. I’d never been to a indoor baseball park. I’ve been to Dodger Stadium, Angels Stadium, Fenway Park, Petco Park (where San Diego Plays) and the SF Giants Stadium and none of them are a closed park. I suppose it has to be though because it’s hot in Arizona and AC is a must. Lori got the tickets for $50.00 each which I was affordable. Dodger tickets are outrageous and honestly, I’ve been priced out of dodger games unless I want to sit in the Top Deck and I don’t. We were sitting in an upper level, put in a front row and had a great view of the game. The D-backs were playing the Brewers and the Brewers were winning. It was 0-4 in favor of the Brewers come the bottom of the ninth. What I liked about the ballpark is that it didn’t have that “crowded” feel I get every time I go to a Dodger game. (Last time was in 2019, honestly, I’ve been priced out of games). There were lot of brand name concessioners, and the prices were affordable. A beer was 8 bucks. During the 6th inning we went to the Team store and bought hats and then got an ice cream. The ninth inning was amazing. The Brewers ran out of pitchers and the D-backs found their bats. Soon it was 1 to 4, then 2 to 4 and then 3 to 4. The D-backs just kept on hitting and came back to win the game 5-4. I’ve never seen a 9th inning quite like that! We all had a positive experience visiting the park and we’d do it again. After the game, Lori dropped us off at the hotel and then we were off to California early in the morning. We got back to our home about 4 pm. But honestly, that 6 hour drive in a long in the tooth when you’re taking the family. I think next time if I go, I’ll take a plane. But if the family’s going again, then maybe I’ll take my RAV4 or rent a car that’s a tad more comfortable for the ride. Anywhoo…the D-backs have a new fan in me. |
| Eaglet update: Sunny and Gizmo are getting bigger. Yesterday they had duck and fish! Sunny is older and his feathers are coming in nicely. FOBBV are speculating that Sunny might be a male due to his size, mind you speculation only at this point. They are speculating that Gimzo might be a female due to the size of her feet. Speculation only. Gizmo is still half and half with the feathers and fur. Sunny is wingspaning nicely, Gizmo wingspans but not as much as Sunny. Neither bird is flying yet. Sunny tries to feed himself, but he's not good at yet and still depends on Mom and Dad to feed him. Sunny still gets feed by her parents. They have gotten wicked big in 6 weeks! Hope you enjoyed this eaglet update. I'll be doing an Arizona update hopefully tomorrow. I did write something for the Honoring Our Veterans challenge this month. It's a look at how I acquired my first car. It's meant to be humorous so I hope it is.
All the best Steph |
| The Maricopa County Fair My retired work friend, Lori, picked us up at 1030 and we headed out to the Fair. It was about a 20-25 minute drive. The fair was actually in Phoenix. We were staying in a suburb called Goodyear. Well, when we got there, it was hot. Like 100 degrees hot and no shade. Lucky, Lori packed cold water, and trust me, it was all gone by the time we got done with the fair about 2 ½ hours later. Hubby said we need to slather on some sunscreen so we all did. I thought the Fair was affordable – about 10 bucks each and then if you wanted rides, they were separate. As we walked in, we were greeted by Watusi Cows. They had some really big horns and were native to Africa. They were chill, though, kinda like Arizona itself. There were some air-cooled buildings so we made our way to the commercial building. There were a good number of exhibits from rockets, to pictures/paintings, quilts, leatherwork, and there was even a farm display. The piglets were adorable – cuter than eaglets, I’ll be honest, a cow, turkeys, and goats. There were also vendors selling their wares. I bought the homemade licorice which was tasty, but they jewelry, hats, shirts, and other crafty things. After that, #2 wanted to ride the Ferris wheel, but no one wanted to go with him so I said I would. Even though the Ferris wheel is pretty tame, heights at 56 is nerve wrecking as compared to heights when you’re 20, but I’m proud of the fact I made it through the ride! We walked around and the hubby said I was getting red in the face so I slathered on some more sunscreen. It was time for lunch so ventured to the food booth section. I got taquitos and the Hubby and Andy ate carne asada fries. Honestly, I’m not sure what Joey had but I know he had ice cream! Lori ate some tacos, I think. Then Lori saw the psychic booth. She was giving palm readings and tarot card readings so Lori and I were game. Honestly speaking, both Lori and I thought she was pretty accurate for not knowing us. She said I would have long life which is reassuring as I’m trying to lose weight. She said I would have 2 houses and one near water and one near water would make me happy. She said not to worry to about money because it would always be there when you need it. She said the hubby drives me nuts sometimes and he does. She said I worry about 1 of my kids – I do. She said my job satisfaction isn’t what it used to be. I told her that’s true and I’m looking to retire. She laughed. She said I like to travel and I’ll still be traveling so that was nice to hear. She said Lori had a rough year last year and this year would be better. Lori was happy to hear that, as last year was a bit rough. She said Lori worries too much about her daughter, but she shouldn’t as her daughter can/will take care of herself. After the palmist, the boys were ready to go. The fair wasn’t as big as we thought it would be, and the heat was sucking the life out of us. The boys wanted to go to the hotel and nap so Lori dropped them off. I went with Lori to her house and ended up napping too because the heat zapped me. After our naps we were ready for the big attraction – Baseball! Have you ever had your palm read? Next – Chapter 3 – D-Backs Baseball |
I usually try to keep my blog entries between 300 to 500 words since I recently got back into blogging here on WDC so my Arizona road trip will probably be about 2 or 3 blogs.  Part 1 - The Drive Where to start? It was a sunny day in SoCal… haha! Okay, so I’m not Snoopy. We started early though – left around 8:30. Gas was about 4.65 when we gassed up at the Shell here in Castaic. Friday morning traffic could have been worse. Me and boys power napped while hubby drove and we made it to Beaumont before the hubby stopped for lunch. Boy #2 ate McDonalds and the rest of us had Farmer Boys. Being on Weight Watchers, I tried to be mindful of portions, etc and I just ate the hamburger and nibbled on the chili cheese fries. Sigh… Hubby had to have them. We passed Coachella and it was Weekend #1 but thankfully, we avoided the traffic. Saw the big blimp overhead. Between Beaumont and Indo there is a rash of wind and solar farms. At least half the windmills weren’t turning. I suppose it’s a pro and con – those things are ugly as all get out and they really take away from the aesthetic beauty of the desert. Ah, but they produce clean energy. Which is another side post for me, as California has the most ridiculous energy laws and the price for energy is outrageous here in California. Enough about that for now. My initial impressions about the wind and solar farms was that it took away from the aesthetic beauty of the desert. As soon as we hit Arizona gas went from $4.65 to $3.03 for a gallon. The difference? Taxes. Anywoo.. we continued on our journey and made it to Goodyear. Once we got settled in, I met up with my friend and we went to the local BBQ place called Rudy’s. What ambience! Definitely cowboy and western. They sell the meat by the pound. I had the prime rib, Andy had turkey, Brent had brisket, Joey had prime rib. I tried the coleslaw. Andy had a 3 bean chili which was good. It was nice catching up with my friend who is enjoying retirement. She likes Arizona but said it gets really hot and people just learn to stay indoors. Makes sense. I liked the vibe almost immediately. Laid back in some ways. Easy going. Next: The Maricopa County Fair! |
| It's been a busy couple of days. Yesterday I did an overtime shift. Today I got the dog off to the weekend kennel as we're off to Arizona to visit my work friend who retired last year. Road trip starts no later than 9 am tomorrow. It's about a 6 hour drive and have to go through Indio which is the turn off for Coachella which is going on this weekend. Sigh... Hopefully we won't be delayed too long. Anyway - Road trip tomorrow. Gotta pack soon. I did a bunch of laundry and dishes and moped the floor plus vacuumed the carpet. Meanwhile...checking in on the Eaglets -- they are getting big. Sunny, the big one is getting bigger, stumbling around the nest and learning to walk on his feet. The nest is getting smaller. Might need more sticks. Shadow is still bringing in tons of fish and almost hits Gizmo with one. Check around the 7:45 min mark. Finished my Romance/Love Newsletter. Since it's national poetry month, I thought I'd take a look at Romantic poetry and hopefully share some of your favorites. One of favorites is Emily Dickinson. I enjoy her succent writing style which includes slant rythmes, and unconventional punctuation. She used short lines and irregular meter which always intrigued me. One poem that always intrigued me was "I heard fly buzz when I died." Anyhoo... back to road trip... Road tripping on the weekend....  What music do you like to listen to when you're road tripping? |
| I thought I'd keep it simple today. It's been a day. I worked last night, slept until about 11, then I went and bowled in a tournament for my 500 Club, and now I'm visiting WDC before heading off to sleep some more before work. That said, I was going through my merit badges here on WDC and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you: ![Merit Badge in Positivity
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*^*Confettio*^* Happy 20th WdC Anniversary! Here's to many more years of reading, writing and reviewing! *^*Confettig*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Positivity.gif) . ![Merit Badge in Good Vibes
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Thank you for participating in [Link To Item #2133333] Day One Task. And
Good Vibes to you!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Good_Vibes.gif) . ![Merit Badge in Lil Bad Bee
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Congratulations on your new merit badge! Thank you for supporting the Writing.Com community with your inspirations, participation and activities. We sincerely appreciate it! -SMs](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Lil_Bad_Bee-1134558_8.gif) . ![Merit Badge in GOT: House Targaryen
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On behalf of [Link To Item #got] and all the craziness it stands for thank you for participating in the 2024 games and congratulations on winning 2nd Place. Your team did it and you should be very proud of yourself for such an amazing accomplishment! *^*Heart*^* ~ Gaby](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-GOT=58_House_Targaryen-1994693_10.gif) . ![Merit Badge in Rock Star
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You're a ROCK STAR for helping out by judging the 2020 [Link To Item #quills] !](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Rock_Star.gif) I love the smile in Positivity. It's just uplifting. I'm a "Good Vibes," kind of person and try to keep the vibrations high. I think Lil Bad Bee is cute and I'm kinda partial to "Rock Star," because it's a great way to show your appreciation and support and I appreciate all the "Rock Stars" I get. I also like the Game of Thrones House Targaryen badge because I worked for it. What are you favorite WDC Merit Badges? |
| Yesterday, I had a rare opportunity to fit in some exercise so instead of going to gym, which I was very tempted to do, I decided to go take a walk around the lake. Mind you, I don't walk like I used to. Walking a mile would take me about 17 to 18 minutes. Now it takes me about 23 minutes and yesterday I was averaging about 25 minutes a mile, but I'm just thankful I could walk. I walked 2.95 miles and I was only going to go 2 miles, so I was really proud of myself hitting 3 miles. I stopped about 3 times. Once to eat a snack and enjoy the view. Once to take pictures of the trees and then another snack time. I was good to be in nature and just hang out. Nature has a way of just calming the soul and letting you know it's going to be okay. The water levels in the lake were high, which was nice to see since this is California and water is highly regulated in this state. There's a tree grove in the lake that I always pay attention when I walk past. Back in 2013, when boy #2, Joey, was a Tiger scout, him and his Tiger buddies, Ryan and Michael, helped to plant the trees in the grove. It was my first outing as an assistant den leader as well. We planted a lot of trees in that grove and honestly, the boys did the work. I have pictures of Joey watering the tree once planted and nailing a support as it was a baby tree. The boys were all smiley and happy to do the work. Innocent in a way. All the boys enjoyed the scouts and Joey eventually got his Eagle in 2023. Anyhoo... I walked past this grove and all the trees are now young "kids" and stand up on their own without supports. They look much bigger than the babies we planted. It was so heartwarming to see trees. Now mind you, some trees didn't make it, but these trees all looked healthy and happy. Question: Do you like to take walks? Where? Around the neighborhood? With the dog? |
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