Yesterday I had a serious case of the Mondays.

Writing is getting extremely difficult. Right now I have written 354 short stories and poems. That is a lot of creative juices that seemed to be nearly totally squeezed out of my brain. I got a little inspiration from Tom Hanks the other day and what he is doing with short stories. Only a little inspiration though. Writing every single day is really freaking hard! Try it. I dare you. Some of my stories this past month has been crappy and I apologize for that. Once I finish this year up I will focus on loner short stories and a book. I am also going to start posting more about historical facts and dates. Scott said I make history interesting so maybe others will think so as well. I hope everyone is having a good week. To make up for not posting yesterday I am leaving you with some pictures from my hike on Saturday and other randomness for the past couple of days. 

Sage was a shark for Halloween. She looks so vicious doesn't she?

This hike was horribly difficult but so worth the view!

You can't tell very well but Sage is laying on Scott's phone like she is talking on it.

This is the only second I got him to sit still. He just wanted some love not pics!

Ava is probably the cutest baby I have ever seen!

2 November 2014

The Sun and Helene

Helene was born when the moon was at its brightest. It was full and large in the sky. In the glow of the white moon she pushed into the world. For all her life Helene hated the dark. She felt the most alive when the moon was out. Helene was a privileged girl in her family and was often not let out of her home unless the clouds covered the sun. She had the most porcelain skin that even the moon would envy. Her beauty would help her father find her a rich, well connected husband. One day, as she was lounging with one of her ladies, Helene noticed the sun through her window. The enormous, yellow orb of light sat in her window and slowly sunk beneath the window ledge. She ran to the window and watched the sun sink below the skyline.

“My lady! Please come back from the window!” yelled one of her ladies. Helene was too distracted by the glistening sun.

“I am in love,” whispered Helene. She was in love. Her soul had always belonged to the silver moon but suddenly her flesh was possessed with the spirit of the golden sun. She desired to be with the sun and not just bask in its glory.

“You cannot be with the sun, it will devour you,” announced Helene's mother, “be still silly girl and stay away from the garish sun's rays.”

Helene's heart was broken. Never had she witnessed something so beautiful. Never had she longed for something to love with every drop of her being. That night she pleaded with the moon.

“Please bring me the day so I can wrap my arms firmly around the sun!”

As the moon began to ease slowly below the skyline, Helene had an idea. She would leave her home and walk to the sea and swim out to where the sun kissed the ocean before night came. Before the sun could come up she quietly left home. She made her way to the sea and walked into the warm water. She began to swim as the sun slowly made its way above the horizon. The sun rose higher and higher but she was not getting closer. Soon Helene became weak. She could no longer swim to her love. Feeling betrayed and exhausted she laid on her back in the ocean.

“Why, sun, do you evade my love?” she asked as she began to sink into the dark, calm sea. Never closing her eyes, she reached her arms out hoping the sun would rescue her from her cold death but the sun continued on its path never reaching out to save Helene.

3 November 2014

One Dollar

Blake knew opening a bar was a risky idea. He also knew that opening a bar with his best friend, Chris, was even riskier but Blake went ahead with it. The bar did exactly as Blake had expected, horribly. Blake and Chris were not business owners. Eventually the friends decided to close the bar. Blake wanted one more nostalgic night at the bar so he called his wife and his best friend to meet him at the bar. Neither one wanted to go back. They wanted to put the past behind them. Blake went to the bar and drank his last few beers, blasted the radio as loud as he could and shot some solo pool. After getting sufficiently drunk he called a cab and said goodbye to his bar. He walked inside his home and headed up to his bed. He flicked on the light, to drunk to remember it was late, only to see his best friend running out of his bed. Without saying a word he walked back to the bar and woke up on a pool table. His bar was closing and his wife was cheating. Blake could not feel any lower.

Within a couple months, Blake and Chris settled the bar closing. Shortly after that he was divorced. All he had left of his former life was the first dollar his bar made. With the dollar in his pocket he headed up to the local casino. He grabbed a drink and wandered the floor looking for somewhere to lose his dollar. He saw a ridiculous dollar slot machine with a glittering, spinning sign advertising a million dollar pot. Blake chuckled at the sign and thought to himself “What the hell?” The past couple of months were the worst in his life, losing his first dollar to a silly machine could not possibly make it any worse. He looked at his dollar one last time. He saw it everyday in the bar. He knew that dollar and, after everything, he was ready to get rid of it. He slipped the dollar in the machine and made his bet. It spun and spun, beeping and dinging. Slowly it stopped and so did time. The slot machine began to ring loudly. The siren on top was blaring!

It was his last dollar. His last piece of his old life. That night Blake was treated to the presidential suit. He had lobster and crab and the best room service. His last dollar gave him a million more. After taking some time to travel, Blake moved to Vegas. He opened a new bar but this time with the help of some hired business people. He invested his money and made smarter business decisions this time around. He now had a new first dollar hanging on his office wall and a picture of him winning at the slot machine next to it to remind him that his failures could always lead to his next success.