Dream_Mountain's Xanga

Monday, February 23, 2009

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:06:41 GMT

Hello All,
As promised, I have posted the newest chapter in Justin's story on the Dream Mountain Press site.
I am getting ready to go out to skiing. It will be the last week for this, so I'm excited to go one last time. Of course this is just the first day of the week! Next comes, va, and work, more work, a play, at some point I really need to pack, and Yeah! We leave. Obviously, this means, there will not be a chapter post next week, however I will try to post the day we return.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:52:11 GMT

Hi All!
I've been working hard on Justin. I need to start the brand new writing now, so I'm up to chapter 18 now. From last Monday, I'd say that's pretty good! LOL.
I'm also trying to get ready to go to Disneyworld!!! I'm SOO excited. Shawn, Jamie, Caleb and I will spend a whole week in FL in the magical land. I have lots going on between now and then, so I'm trying to fit in the packing stuff and shopping stuff around the working, writing, skiing, and odds and ends. I know, suffer. The truth is we all really need a vacation and with just the four of us, this is really going to be a blast.
My Dad is trying to pull me back into the youth center too. Better now then before though. I was so messed up emotionally and physically, just stressed and figuring things out, but things have finally slowed down and I feel better. I have a schedule now that I am following which for my personality helps greatly for me to focus on life. I started karate three weeks ago and it has been so much fun. I've enjoyed the discipline, learning the moves, and the joy of doing something new and fun. I have made a goal for each month to accomplish. So, Feb is met. March’s goal is to go back to classes for my Masters.
Okay, folks, that's a wrap. I have to get back to writing while Justin is fresh in my mind or he causes all kinds of trouble!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:04:00 GMT

Hello!
I have decided to get my butt moving on The Guardian Star's True Captain, which for those paying attention is the sequel to The Guardian Star's True Mark. This is Justin, the new Black Panther, and Dabria's, Kiliki's little sister, story. If you have not read The Guardian Star's True Mark I would encourage you do to so before reading this story. You can obtain the book at my store (here). Because this is more of a personal blog site, I am opting to post the story on my blogger page: Dream Mountain Press. You can comment there or you may comment here if you don't have a blogger account. Either way, I hope you check out the story and let me know what you think! There is more info at the Dream Mountain Press site, including the first chapter! Enjoy!
Love,
Charissa

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:52:05 GMT

Hello All!
I have started a new story and was wondering if you wouldn't mind giving me an opinion on the first chapter. Sorry it is kinda long. I will not prejudice you by giving you any details. Just let me know if this is a story you might like to read or any other comments of course! Thank you!
Charissa

Chapter 1

It was almost quitting time and Michelle’s body was well aware of that fact. She was just about finished her second all night and still fruitless stakeout of the week. The Tory gang, a clique from the larger Bloods gang, was on the move, but so far they were being careful not to get caught on the attack. It was a record Michelle desperately wanted to change. Suddenly, they were being bold and greatly expanding their territory without explanation and the murder rate was skyrocketing. A fact Michelle hated.

It made her furious with pain from the past that these punks roamed however and wherever they wanted, not caring who they hurt. Nothing was sacred to them, except sometimes each other. She could feel her stomach clench and her heart tighten as the terror and gut wrenching pain from so long ago came back to haunt her once more.

“God!” She spat inside her own mind. It was almost an accusation rather than the cry of help it should have been, but then her last true cry for help had been quite a while ago. She told herself she preferred it like that.

Michelle groaned out loud when the call came over her radio and interrupted her thoughts. Her partner shook his head at her and turned up the call slightly when the call sign was given. As she listened intently, she felt stomach clench.

“A gang murder in the outer suburbs,” her partner, Stan, summed up unnecessarily. He grimaced. “A woman.”

“Why do they always have to get innocents involved? They don’t have enough of their own to kill?” She muttered angrily, as she straightened in her car and flipped on the lights and siren.

Her partner didn’t bother to answer, but grabbed the soda she had sandwiched between her one leg and the arm rest before she could spill any more. “We going?” He asked instead.

“Might as well. It’s not far from here and we’ll be called in anyway at some point. Hopefully, they didn’t mess up our scene this time,” she answered, already pulling out from between the two buildings they had been using for cover. “Besides, the Tories aren’t coming out to play in this part of town anyway. Ug, I need a vacation!”

“Yeah, we’ve all heard that before,” Stan replied, just as tired as she was.

Within minutes, they had left the hub of the city and were racing down the wider streets of the suburban area surrounding Los Angeles, California. The house in point was easy to spot with two police cars already at the scene, lights still flashing. She pulled the car to a stop behind one. The house was one of four at the end of a cul-de-sac. It would have been a nice neighborhood before this, now it would forever be scarred. For just a second, she rested her head against the back of her seat and let out a sign. Stan turned off their radio and unbuckled.

“You okay?” He asked quietly.

“Sure. Let’s get this over with.”

Her hand was on the door handle when a car careened to a screeching stop behind them. A dark figure, who barely had time to turn off the engine, jumped out of the drivers seat and raced up the front steps, taking all three at once.

“Who was that?” Stan wondered out loud.

“No clue, friend of the family’s? Got here pretty fast,” Michelle answered. She hadn’t even had a chance to get a good look at the guy. Whoever he was, he was in a major hurry to see what had happened in the house. “Let’s go.” Michelle led the way, following the fast visitor.

Inside was a mess. Random chairs had been overturned, lamps pushed off of tables, pillows knifed and thrown, pictures torn off of walls, and it was only the living room. Michelle frowned. Something about the scene felt wrong for a gang related crime. The living room opened into a dining room on the left and behind that a kitchen. So far, only the living room and received the torture treatment. An officer met them at the bottom of the steps.

“Officer Thomas. You’re the gang task force?”

Michelle nodded. “Officers Delgado and Morgan. Where is the body?”

“Upstairs. She was shot in her room sometime during the night. We’re waiting the coroner. There are four kids living in the house. My partner has them in the back room, looks like it’s their playroom. They’re pretty upset.”

“Was the playroom trashed?” Stan questioned.

Thomas shook his head no. “Only the living room got that treatment. Her bedroom isn’t even that bad. Looks like they took something off her desk, probably a laptop.”

“What about the guy that ran in?”

“He’s the oldest son. He’s up there now.”

“By himself?” Michelle asked, incredulously. Quickly, she was past the officer and up the stairs, not giving him time to explain. That was what she kept Stan around for anyway.

Upstairs was sectioned into what looked to be four bedrooms and a bathroom. It was a modest home, perhaps a little on the upscale side for the outskirts, but by California standers, defiantly modest. The door to the room on her left was open and she walked towards it.

Inside, the man who could run like lightening was frozen solid. The mother’s body lay on the bed. A gun shot to the chest had killed her, almost point blank. It looked as if she had been sleeping when she was hit, but that knowledge would provide precious little comfort to the family. Years of training, kept whatever emotions she might have had at bay. They would wait till later, if ever.

Since the man wasn’t moving anytime soon, Michelle took a moment to observe the rest of the room. It held a dresser, desk, wardrobe, closet, flat screen television, knickknacks, pictures of the kids, and a door to a private bathroom. The room had been thrashed, but just enough to make it look like a fast burglary. One wall had been stripped of some of its pictures, however, and in their place now resided a red spray painted ‘TR’ with a crown on top. Michelle frowned, disturbed.

It was the sign of the Tories, but this was the Crips territory. A smaller crew the Panther Party operated in this particular area, if she had read the streets names right as she had come into the area. The sign was hastily done too. She frowned, her eyes tracing the end of the crown. It looked like whoever had been painting it had been jerked away, yet the number 187 stood out clearly.

“What does it mean?”

“Excuse me?”

“187,” the man asked the question, but his eyes never left the body.

“It’s the police code for homicide.”

He nodded, before turning and moving quickly out the door. He was a strange man, Michelle decided as she followed, just to see where he’d go next. He passed by Thomas and Stan without a word and headed to the back of the house.

“We need pictures,” Michelle called to her partner as she followed. “And find out what’s taking forensics all night!”

He moved into the back play room and immediately shouts of “David” filled the room. Michelle arrived in time to see the children launch themselves into his arms. It was amazing he was able to remain standing under the pressure.

He knelt and gathered them in his arms, whispering over and over, “I’m here, I’m here.”

The pain that rose to her throat at the site of the tearful children holding on to their older brother for dear life was a surprise. She couldn’t even remember the last time a dead body affected her. The one upstairs certainty hadn’t, yet something as innocent as this did. Perhaps there was emotion left in her tired body after all. Either that or it was God’s cruel trick to reminder her she was human.

“Who found the body?” Michelle turned from the scene before it had a chance to affect her anymore.

“The oldest boy, Chris, did. He woke up thinking he heard something downstairs and went to ask his mom about it.” Thomas’ partner shook his head. “Instead, he walked in to find her dead body.”

“The other kids?”

“All siblings. The two middle girls are twins, Tara and Tammy. The littlest one is only three, Sam. Only the oldest has seen the body. He wouldn’t let his siblings in. He called nine one one and then his brother.”

Michelle nodded. “I’m going to need to talk to the boy.”

“I figured as much. I have his statement I’ll give you. When we got here, he already had the kids in this room.”

“Any idea why the Tories sign is up there?”

“Isn’t that what you’re here for? We were just going to call homicide, but when we saw that, we figured it had better be you guys.”

“Thanks.”

“If this was a gang hit in a private home, they are getting bolder.”

Michelle shook her head. “Something about that doesn’t sit right. I need better answers. Can you watch the kids while I talk to Chris? David will have to be present as the parent rep, I guess.”

Officer Manfred, according to his nameplate, nodded.

I turned to where David was trying to dislodge children from his neck and body. He wasn’t managing very well.

“Chris?”

The oldest boy, who couldn’t have been more than eleven, looked up at her.

“Hi. I’m Officer Delgado. I need to ask you some questions about tonight. Do you think you can come and talk with me?” She asked, trying to keep her voice calm and soothing. The boy’s blue eyes held the look of terror never forgotten.

He nodded, but didn’t step away from David.

“I’m coming too,” David declared straitening.

She nodded. “Yes, sir, I’ll need you to do that. Why don’t we let the kids play and we can go into the kitchen?”

A round of reassuring hugs later, the three managed to make it into the eat-in-kitchen and take seats. Thankfully, there were no signs of struggle here and the calm would hopefully help the boy.

“Okay, Chris, I need you to tell me everything that happened tonight. I really want you to try to remember ever detail.”

Chris swallowed and looked at his big brother, who gave him a warm smile.

“I was asleep. We went to bed after pizza night. I heard a loud crash and it woke me up. I thought I heard voices. They were using words Mom would have washed my mouth out with soap if I used. I went to get my mom.” His voice had been steady up to this point, but now it broke down as he struggled not to cry all over again. David put his arm around him, but it did little good as tears began to stream down his young face. David had a few of his own going on.

Michelle waited for a moment, and then spoke softly. “I know this is really hard, Chris, but you’re doing a great job. Can you keep going for me?”

“Are you going to catch them?” The boy choked out instead.

It was an age old question. One Michelle frequently wished she could answer with a resounding yes. Instead, she gave the trained response. “We are going to do our best. But we need your help to do that.”

“I can’t…” the boy chocked on his tears and tried again, “She was dead. In her bed. She didn’t move. There was lots and lots of blood. She was dead. I called nine one one and told them. And I called David.”

“What happened next, Chris? What about the guys downstairs? Did you see any of them?”

Chris shook his head no. “They didn’t have lights on. And I didn’t hear them any more.”

“What about your siblings?”

“I went to the twins’ room. I thought they might be dead too. But I woke up Tara. We got Tammy and Sam and went downstairs. We went in the play room.”

“Did you hear anything outside?”

He shook his head no.

“Did you see the living room?”

“When I got the cops at the door. It’s a mess. They did it, didn’t they?”

“I think so,” Michelle responded.

“Chris, have you seen anyone you didn’t know around your house lately? Or as anyone followed you or your brother and sisters?”

“Do you think someone did this on purpose?” David broke in, anger evident in his voice.

“I’m not sure, sir, but I don’t want to leave anything out either.”

Chris watched us then answered my original question. “No. But Tara or Tammy might have!”

“Okay, we’ll talk to them too. Thank you, Chris. I think you can go back to your brother and sisters now. I’m going to talk to your brother.”

Chris looked at his brother and after getting a reassuring nod, slid from his seat and into the other room. As soon as he was gone, David covered his face with his hands.

“I’m sorry about your loss,” Michelle spoke first, but the trained response would offer little comfort and she knew it.

“I saw her and I still can’t make myself believe it,” David spoke in a low voice.

“You’re in shock. Give yourself some time.”

“I don’t have it. Those kids need me.”

“You are their older brother, correct?”

He nodded.

“How often do you see your family?”

“I eat here once a week at least. The kids are at the youth center pretty often for different activates.”

“Youth center?”

“Where I work.”

“What did your mother do?”

“She was a personal assistant.”

“A secretary, then?”

He laughed bitterly. “Don’t let any of them hear you say that. They have a whole lot of pride. But yeah, she was a secretary.”

“For who?”

“Um, she worked for Mr. Bradoch. He’s the VP of Technoadvance Industry. It’s a computer software company.”

Michelle did some mental calculations. The place was familiar. Suddenly, she had it. “That’s on ____ street, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

____ street was in Tory territory. Harassment and murder in that area was common right now, but that didn’t explain why the gang would go after a personal secretary at her own home.

“Did she ever mention having contact with gang members in the area?”

His head came up instantly. “Gang members? The symbol on the wall, is that from a local gang? I didn’t recognize it.”

“I’m just trying to cover all possible leads, sir,” Michelle answered calmly.

But David would have none of it. “Look, Officer, I have four scared kids in the next room and my mother is lying upstairs dead. I want some answers.”

Michelle forced a calming smile. Victims went through an unimaginable amount of pain and shock and she dealt with them at the worst possible time. If she could offer comfort she would, but any reassurance now would be false. She had learned long ago to put her own emotions aside when she walked into the victims or her family’s house and yet she still had to be as understanding as possible.

“Sir, I know you want answers and I promise I will do my best to get them to you, but I won’t give you false guesses before I know the truth, no matter how much you might want them now. The fact is, it is a gang symbol on the wall, but that could be a false lead. It’s easiest to blame the gangs for any crime committed. We are going to look at all angels and when I know the truth, so will you. Deal?”

The man in front of her looked humbled and worn down, the weight of the entire world had been placed on his shoulders and it was not an easy burden. For a moment, Michelle felt that spark of emotion form earlier. She pitied the family that had to go through this and for that second she wished it hadn’t been his.

It shouldn’t have been.

The thought struck her. Something was wrong with this gang crime and wrong in her town. She intended to discover what that was and somehow this man’s family might hold the key.

“Deal,” he finally sighed. “I’ll help any way I can, but I want to know everything.”

Instead of answering, Michelle asked her original question again. “Did she have contact with any gangs?”

“Not that I know of. I’d deal with them more at the center. They come in sometimes trying to recruit or sell drugs. They’ve learned it’s a bad place to do business, but a few still try.”

“How have you handled them before?”

“The police mostly. Sometimes a firm warning to get off the land works.”

“Have they ever threatened you or followed you anywhere? Do they know your relation to your siblings?”

David paused for a moment then shook his head. “I’ve never been followed. I’ve been threatened a few times, but nothing serious, mostly just little boys trying to act big. Nothing has ever gotten out of hand. As for my siblings, I have no idea. It couldn’t be hard to get that information though.”

Stan walked into the kitchen and glanced at them. “Forensics is here. Coroner will have a report by morning. Forensics will take longer. We think there is a laptop missing.”

“She had one. It was brand new. An HP. She loved that thing, kept everything on it.”

“Such as?” Michelle asked.

“Um, email, any files she had, names, addresses, her calendar, all her work stuff, and she had a few projects on it, I think.”

Michelle nodded. “We’ll have to see if we can find it. It might have some answers. David, back to the gangs at the center, what ones have been around?”

His eyes went to the back of his head as he thought. “Trays, Panther Cues… Sweet Sixteen.”

“All cliques of Crips,” Stan said.

Michelle nodded. Crips wouldn’t give the Bloods the reward for a kill, but why would Bloods risk such an odd killing in Crips territory?

“We live in the suburbs. Sure, we have gangs, but the violence is mostly in LA. Why did this happen?” David’s voice broke as the pain cracked through.

Michelle had to look away from the depth of pain in his blue eyes. “I don’t know yet, sir. But we are going to do our best to find out and stop this.”

“What am I suppose to tell the kids?” David asked.

Michelle sighed, remembering back to days past. “She’s in a better place, Honey. She isn’t scared or in pain anymore.” She blinked the voice and the memory away. The words hadn’t helped then. “Give them a place to sleep safe tonight and remind them you’re here and love them.”

David nodded. Not only had this man lost his own mother, but now he had the total care of five very scared and confused children on his hands. No guy was up for this. He was in over his head.

“May I call you David?” Michelle asked.

David nodded again and Michelle caught her partner’s strange look.

“David, do you belong to a church?”

“Yes. Faith Followers of Christ.” He almost looked relieved at a question that held an easy answer.

“Good. Is your pastor married?”

“Claudia.”

“This is what I want you to do, David, call you pastor and his wife. Tell them what happened and ask for their help.”

“Yeah…Yeah, Claudia would be perfect.” A light came over David’s face as if he had been handed the only answer he needed for the moment. “I’ll do that right now.”

Quickly, he got up and left the room. Stan turned to his partner.

“The pastor’s wife? What would you know about that?” His voice had a tease, but also curiosity to it.

“Long time ago,” Michelle answered tiredly.

Stan shook his head. “Come on. We can’t do anything more tonight. We’ll get answers in the morning, but if we don’t get some sleep we won’t recognize any of them.”

“Sleep? You know, I’ve heard about that. I think it was about the same time I heard what a vacation was,” Michelle mocked.

“Ha ha. Let’s move.”

“Yeah,” Michelle mumbled, as she picked up her notebook and followed her partner out the door. They had just excited the house when a car pulled up out front and a couple got out. The woman shot up towards them.

“They got here fast,” Stan exclaimed.

Michelle shrugged. “They’re needed.”

“I’m Claudia.” The woman held out her hand.

Stan shook it. “It’s good to see you, ma’am.”

“David and the kids?”

“Inside and waiting for you, ma’am,” Stan replied, re-opening the door he had just closed.

The woman was inside without anther word. Stan had just enough time to look at Michelle with a surprised face when the pastor joined them.

“Hello, Officers. I’m Pastor Mitchell.”

“Hello. I’m Officer Delgado and this is my partner Officer Morgan. We are the lead detectives on this case.”

He shook hands with both of them. “Then I suspect we will be seeing a lot more of you,”

“Yes, sir.”

“This is such a hard thing to believe. Maria was well loved in the community. She was a mother to everyone.”

“Did you know her well, sir?” Stan questioned.

“She was a member of our church family. We are all very close. I have lost a sister tonight and those children their mother.”

“They will need all the comfort you can bring, Pastor,” Michelle spoke.

Not I, child. God is the only one who can comfort now, but I am hopeful He will use me as well.”

Michelle didn’t respond, but motioned to the door. The pastor gave her an understanding smile and walked inside. Stan turned to her.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Let’s go. I’m tired and tomorrow is going to be no better.”

“You optimism is killing me.” Stan remarked pleasantly.

“Ha ha,” was Michelle’s reply.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:33:14 GMT

Last week, I was in Vermont to watch my grandmother's life slip away. She was 80 years old and has been sick for quite some time, however, each time she has been in the hospital before, we've watched her make some amazing come backs. This time was far different. No one questioned this was the end. So, we made her comfortable and for six days we never left her side. We slept in the same room, taking shifts watching over her. Meals were brought to us. We bathed, feed, and watched over her. At one point, it was very scary as she began choking. My sister and I were the only too in the room and together, we managed to help her calm down until my aunt, the registered nurse, arrived from the room over. After that though, she would never open her eyes again. Instead, at the last, she would take one deep breath and in seconds was gone.
            How do you measure that life? Is it in the time here spent? Or perhaps the things that were earned? Is the legacy in what was accomplished or in what was left behind? Perhaps, it is in both.
            My grandmother was married to the same man for 58 years. In that time, she had five children, 15 grand-children, and 16 great grand-children, along with 10 children or grand-children by marriage. Is that an accomplishment? Her marriage certainly is. I think the accomplishment here, is not in the numbers, but in the stories.
            Each of these people not only knew their mother/grandmother, but felt her love and pride in them. She remembered each birthday, she invested in each life, she took time to pray every day, she lived her faith in front of them every moment, she told her stories of her past and listened to the stories of their own. This woman was not just a mother in name, but in heart.
            Her children and grand-children have their own stories of this amazing woman. Each time my own mother gives me a hug, it is because her mother gave them to her. My mother has certain rules and sayings because they came from her mother. Our parent's marriage is strong because our parent's saw their mother's strong marriage (Yeah, PopPop had something to do with that one too!). My cousins have strong marriages, because our parents and grandparents did. Our parents tell us stories about their childhood, because my grandmother did the same. My parents have a strong faith because my grandmother's faith never wavered and she had plenty of opportunities! My grandmother's legacy trickles down the line to each of us.
            Her great-grandkids may not remember her words or her touch, but they will know her love. That was my grandmother's legacy, her love and her faith. While Nana is now up with her Lord and Savior, her story is fully intermingled with His story and together they will trickle down through the ages of time.
            Thank you, Nana, for the stories and the lessons of love. I will share them with my own children and as your love is passed through the generations, so is your life.

I love you, Nana!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:59:11 GMT

I am rather tired right now. I'm not sure why. I suspect stress is a factor though. At any rate, I'm waiting for comments to come back on Aiden and I'm starting to update my research on Liberty's Series. I'm also working more with the youth group once again and also with Student Venture, so all of that is adding up. That's not to say I'm not taking time for myself.
Last weekend, Shawn, my boyfriend, took me up to the Renaissance Fair in Lancaster. It was SO much fun. Their show is amazing and if anyone has the opportunity to go, I would say do it! It is a unique experience to be transported back in time and see the knight fight for his lady under the watchful Queen Elizabeth.
This Saturday we are heading up to the Anime Convention in NYC. It will be my first one and I am rather excited!!
In other news, I have now offically turned 26. Ug. I'm trying not to think about that much!
And that, short though it is, is an update on my life!

Update on Life in General

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:22:16 GMT

I've been hard at work setting things up and making them ready for a full scale publicizing market for my three books now available. Okay, maybe full scale is a little over the top. At any rate, it is fun to see that they are ready for public eye and now available for purchase.
I'm glad to finally be finished with Aiden as well. I only have the epilogue to go and it will have to come together in pieces as I receive information. I'm also sending it out to be edited now, which is rather exciting for me. That has pretty much been my concentration for the last few weeks.
The good news of the week is that Jonathan will be coming home on Nov 4th!!!!!! It will be so nice to have him home and where we can finally all be together again. The time saved from trips down there and having Mom home more often will be a huge difference. It's hard in a way because therapy no longer has things that they can work on him with. He seems to have hit his limit. Not that he can't do more, simply that it isn't happening at this point. Ah well. One day, he will be fully healed, even if it's not until heaven. Trusting God can be so hard sometimes.
Meanwhile, I am trying to decide what it is I really want to pursue. It seems I change so often. The Youth Center really needs help, and I could go back at least as a part time director, and then there is my author work, and what ever happened to wanting to get into acting and doing something in the entertainment world with communications? Sigh. At least, I have options. Many don't. So, while I try to figure it out, I'll also try to remember to be grateful for the opportunities God has provided for me.
Thank you, Abba, for You blessings. Keep my path straight and bringing glory to You. Amen.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:17:27 GMT

Well, I am finally back from all of my exotic travels. Okay, so exotic might not be the totally correct word there. But, hey, VT, Canada, Niagara Falls, MI to see Firebrand, and finally Creation! Exotic- no- tons of fun - yes!
It has been a whirlwind adventure with both good and bad parts. Of course, the bad can be summed up in one word. Fireworks.
I know, I know, they are suppose to be very fun. And they use to be for me too, but then I come home from war. The moment the fireworks start, I am transported across an ocean. I have no weapons to fight back with and I am out in the open. My first instinct is to get as low as I possible can, as fast as I can, and cover up as quickly as I can. I haven't actually asked my family or Emily, but I would imagine it was not a fun sight for them to witness as I cowered on the ground praying the flashing and booming would end quickly and safely. I know it wasn't fun to go through. The odd part is that my reaction is much worse here than it was when the real missiles, bombs, and IEDs went off over there. It's hard to explain when you haven't been over there, so just suffice to say I will never be at another fireworks show... at least not for a very, very long time. But that was the only bad part.
The lake is amazing up in Darby, VT and if you ask my younger brother Joshua both Prince Caspian and Aslan live there and he was often out in the woods searching for them. We finally decided they were on the other side of the lake.
In Canada, we found both Metropolis and Gotham in two Canadian cities, thanks to Caleb misinforming Joshua.
Niagara Falls was amazing. Anyone who doubts God is a loving, amazing, and creative Creator hasn't been there. The sight is not one you can forget. In fact,they are so powerful, you can feel the mist from the falls over two blocks away! Of course, a lot has become a tourist trap, but everything was really cool. Including being able to go behind the falls and into the falls on the Maid of Mist boat ride, and a little ways down the river is a scene familiar to those who love watching the old Superman movies. It was on the White Water River Walk that Lois Lane jumped in to prove Clark was Superman.
From there it was into MI to see Emily and her family. Talk about an amazing bunch of people! All three girls (Jamie, Em, and I) were slightly nervous about the parents meeting for the first time, but everything went off without a hitch and everyone got along great! My family would leave on Monday, but Jamie and I would stick around to hang out for the rest of the week. What a time! Readers of Aiden will be glad to know I got more work done in his story, despite his insistence to write it himself no matter what the plot said!
Then it was an eleven hour trip back to home. Firebrand spent the time writing Zoe and Jamie keeping me awake, while falling asleep herself! Thankfully, we made it back without incident and all three of us alive.
Creation was next! Shawn went with us this year. Our group seems to get bigger every year! The line up for concerts this year was slightly lackluster, but still a good time. All the speakers were really good this year, which was rather impressive. Newsboys almost got rained out, but after a scare, God held it back long enough for us to watch their cool drum trick, which had both Shawn and Joshua throughly impressed. A surprise guest was Amy Grant, who started the first candle light service Creation ever had and which is now a yearly tradition. She was amazing to watch. Artist concession was fun as always. We had a few problems with a manager, but hey, that's show biz. Anyway, most went off without a hitch and despite initial craziness with the wrong tent setup and almost losing all of us staff to a different area, everything got back on track. We will miss Emily next year though!
This year seemed odd to me mostly because a) I didn't expect to be there and b) I didn't follow most of my normal routines for Creation. I missed my full day of just sitting on the tarp! Oh well, it was a great year and hopefully we'll do it again next year!
Back home, we have been dealing mostly with Jonathan's surgery. At one point, we fully believed they would cut his muscle, meaning he would never ever gain movement in that arm again. Thankfully, when the surgery was actually done, they were able to lengthen the tendon instead of cutting the muscle and one day he might have use of it. Everyone took a deep sigh of relief. THANK GOD!!
My cat, Jag, heads to the vet tonight. For some reason, he hasn't eaten in two days. He won't even eat tuna! Time for a vet visit. Hopefully, everything will work out fine.
Right now, I am catching up on all things web related. I would still like to get a house soon, but that requires a full time paying job and I'm one short of those. I will be going back to Summer Stars next week to help out there and I'm really looking forward to that. I also published Lil' Sherwood and The Guardian Star's True Mark will be out in a couple of weeks. I've already seen the first copy and it looks great! I'm just waiting to put the ISBN number on it now and it will be available for sale. I posted the next chapter of Aiden Romany. And I started a new poll asking Who is your favorite character in Aiden Romany? I also added photos of Niagara Falls for you all to enjoy.
Meanwhile, it is time for lunch!!

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Sat, 03 May 2008 10:29:02 GMT

LIL SHERWOOD IS HERE

It is officially finished! Lil Sherwood my first written book has now been published and is available for your very own purchase! You don't want to miss this fun fantasy adventure!

Listen to the main character thinks about her story.

Did you ever have the capability to destroy a world simply because you knew it existed? Or perhaps you’ve had to choose between your family in one world or your very survival in another? These were the matters that I had to deal with when I fell into and lived in Little Sherwood. It was then that I discovered a new world with limitless possibilities and a life I had lived but never knew existed. I have memories, abilities, and feelings from this unknown life and the only thing I brought with me is the one way to destroy Robin Hood. I don’t know the answers anymore. There are no guarantees in this life, always has no meaning to me, and perhaps far worse, my head and my heart are becoming entwined in Lil’ Sherwood. My name is both Kristy and Leia and this is my story.

You can own it today! Simply push on the Charissa Taylor's Story link on My Dream Mountain Adventure site.
Happy Reading!!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:49:23 GMT

Hello All!
Yes, I am back. I know its amazing. Actually, it is, since I shouldn't have come home until sometime in July or August. But, thankfully, God saw fit to work things out so I could come back much sooner. My family is of course grateful because I'm out of danger. I'm grateful because I can go to Creation in June!!!! The biggest and best (without exaggeration) Christian music festival in the world. Check it out at here if your interested in going.

So, now that I am back, how have I been? It is said that the hardest part of any deployment is the coming home. Why? It is because you are use to a certain standard of living in a heightened form of constant stress. Here, its stress civilian style and trying to remember what being a civilian feels and looks like. It's odd, because you would think that would be easy. But not so much. It's kind of like always living under water and then suddenly one day be transported to dry land and told 'make do.' Granted, your given all the tools you need, but your still unsure of yourself and those around you because your confidence is in the water and it is the sea animals you are use to relating too. Even if you're a creature that is capable of doing both, living on land and water, you have to remember how, get your land legs so to speak. Well, that's kind of like what I'm going through right now. I know everything around me, I can relate it to something from my past, but at the same time, its all different and I have to figure out those differences and make them all work again. Family, friends, work... all things and people I know and love, but what is their place now? Everything has changed and I need to reorganizing it to find my own place once again.

Let me give you an example. I went to a normal church service at my church for the first time last week. It was so great to see people I knew and worship in a way I remembered, and yet it was different too. The songs were different, the music style and changed somewhat, and so had the slides. Those singing had different voices now. My Dad preached and I took notes in the style I use too, but I found myself comparing everything to overseas. New experiences and lessons made this sermon seem almost strange. After church at the social, I looked around and only knew about half the people, when I use to know them all by name and life stories too! Now, I'm looking for someone, anyone I know... trying to figure out if it is okay to stand in this spot.... or maybe I should move up against the wall... can I step into the library and check it out... or maybe I should sit down and eat something? I spotted my aunt and beelined to her side and later I talked to my youth kids getting more comfortable with them again. Did anyone notice I felt so wrong? Nope. In fact, later I was told I looked like I felt I belonged. My response? To smile and say, "That's how I was suppose to look." But what was happening on the inside was a different story. So, where do I belong? I went from knowing all the intransigence of the church to knowing almost nothing. Start small and work my way back. I'm going to start working with the youth again. I'm thinking I'll start up the drama club, looking forward to that. I'll stay out of the youth center for now and I haven't thought about going back to the library.

And outside of church? Well, I'm relearning my place in my family. Stepping in and helping where I can and getting use to having them all around me again. Thankfully, they are all wonders at this and they are making it very easy for me to take my time and feel this out. I'm going to see Rachel hopefully soon and I'm working with Mara to figure out the best time to head out and see her too. As for Shawn, my boyfriend (surprise to those who didn't have that one figured out), we are figuring out how we fit in with those around us, but we know we belong together and that has been a major blessing. And work. No job yet, that will come down the line. Meanwhile, I'm getting Lil Sherwood and Guardian Star's True Mark published and finishing up Aiden Romany too. They should be out soon. They come first and then I'm checking into doing freelance work. It will enable me to use my writing skills, while still giving me freedom to be wherever I need too.

Well, I think that is plenty long for an update. Don't you? I'm glad to be back and I hope you'll celebrate with me by leaving me a comment or two! Make sure you answer the poll on the chatboard and check out Dream Mountain Adventures for more fun things to see and do. Like another poll, reading Aiden's story (more is being posted all the time now, just waiting for those comments!), a link to my store, and more.