Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Even though I’m not there to celebrate with you, I will be thinking of all and the things I’m thankful for.  Hope you find yourself surrounded by loved ones this day and every day.

Special prayers go out to the homeless, and that they find a dinner to fill them up and a warm place to sleep.

Another special prayer and thanks to all the armed forces and their families who sacrifice daily for our safety. If you have time, stop by Honor the Fallen to honor those we lost in this war, and/or Soldier’s Angels to donate or volunteer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Taste of the Holiday Season and Weekend Wonders

Hello my friends. It’s been an exciting weekend, so I thought I’d share some of it with you. First off, many of you who truly know me know that I LOVE THE HOLIDAY SEASON. Unfortunately, I will not be in the States celebrating Thanksgiving with my family, but I did buy a little chicken that I shall cook up this week.

On Friday, a neighboring town already setup their Christmas Market. We headed over there for some tasty food, mulled wine and to get into the holiday spirit…okay, I’m already in the holiday mood. All the booths are decorated so cute.

The first booth I will present is a bread booth. Germans love bread, so this was a must to share.

This is a bratwurst booth. I love how bratwurst is served here. It’s a very long and skinny, like a sausage, and served on a roll (forgot to take picture before I ate it).

My mom had a huge village that she setup at Christmas time. These are German houses for Christmas villages.

Here is a great bar area where they serve beer, wine and hard liquor for those “who want to get drunk fast, and [they] don’t need any characters around to give the joint ‘atmosphere’”.

I laughed when I saw these on display. It’s mulled wine bottles wrapped with bread.

  
And here were some snowmen and reindeers made from tree trunks.

On Saturday, we already planned to go to Luxembourg—told that it is part of my heritage. This was an interesting day, because I was in four different countries; Germany, Luxembourg, France, and Belgium…Well…Belgium was an accident—we happened to have missed the sign that said “This Way!”

We left early and arrived before the crowds got in our way. Luxembourg is a beautiful city and my pictures do not do it justice. There was heavy fog over the area, so the sun didn’t get much of a chance to take a peak.

This is a picture near the town center looking down into the Petruss Valley. Outside the old fortress and palace, the water eroded and created the Petruss Valley, so the town built around this big park.

  
Here’s a picture for my eating buddies. This is a dessert and pastry store. The one in front to the far right looked like velvet, but we tried the individual caramel tort that’s in the middle in front. Mmmm…

This is the Passerell Bridge that has 24 arches and it’s in an arch formation. The bridge was built from 1859 – 1861.

This is the Adolphe bridge, built from 1899 – 1903, and was the largest bridge made from natural stone at the time of completion.

We walked up many, many stone stairs to get to the casements (system of tunnels for defense purposes).

 

  
Then we ventured into another area that somewhat turned into a little Italy. We had lunch in this area at a place called Oscar Wilde (great food at reasonable prices).

 

As we left the City of Luxembourg, I was able to capture a picture of the setting sun.

Today, we went to another town to enjoy the sun. SUN! We had sun, so I grabbed my camera to get some beautiful shots. I’ll share just a few with you.

  
Hope you enjoyed my weekend journey. Have a wonderful week.  

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

I finally did it. I completed my first full revision yesterday and it feels great. It’s like returning to your favorite tavern—realizing how much you missed and enjoyed it. When I first wrote this novel, it was without a thought to fix, promote or possibly publish it. The discipline to write without worrying about editing is what drove the story. I can honestly say it wrote itself. Sometimes I felt like my fingers struggled to keep up with the intertwining characters and plot as I pounded away at the keys trying to make that 30 day deadline of 50,000 words. That was the main goal.

Now after sitting down with my novel again, reintroducing myself to the characters and experiencing the story after a lapse of time, it made me realize the dream could become reality. At times, I even reread lines asking myself, “Did I really write that?”! And then there were sentences I read and asked myself, “Were you drinking when you wrote that?” Overall, I’m proud of the characters and story I created, which isn’t something I normally say when it comes to my writing. I’m critical of the words I link together, along with being critical of other writers. Not so critical of the grammatical errors as I am of the character and plot—texture and flavor of a story.

But I arrived to the point in my novel where I sighed with satisfaction—an unplanned journey that I hope in time many will read—where everybody knows my name.

I Salute You!

A Soldier’s Wish

“How long have I been here?”

I asked of my dirt-covered hands

that weren’t the only thing of filth.

My head is so heavy

from the fear. From worry. From pain.

Stuck in this rat hole of misery.

Trembling hands touch pocket

to ease this growing anxiousness

and to know my family’s close by.

I cry out, “Please save me!”

only the wind takes it away.

Hushed moans buried in this retched space.

Clock ticking in my head

drags on this war and good-byes.

Blood splatter with dirt coats my comrades.

Still, strangers I sit with

divulging information about precious gems

in case we’re swallowed by enemy.

In our darkest hours,

pray, we feel God’s abandonment,

or is it the country left behind?

If I had but one wish

I’d wish a wish for you my love,

you deserve joy that comes your way.

Unsure how I’ll come home,

Crippled, or in a wooden box,

your faithful words kept me company.

My wish I wish for you.

Find love if our time ends soon,

continue to breathe life into our memories.