This Weekend

As my summer trip to Minnesota grows nearer, I have been tying up loose ends, finishing up swaps, working on my poetry classes, and making chocolates in advance for the stores. Next on my list for this week(end) is to clear my ever-growing stack of pen pal letters. I have about 8 to write responses to. I want to have them all caught up before my trip so that I don't leave my pen pals hanging for too long. It's the perfect time to write letters, because I just received my subscription packet of LaPapierre stationery. If you haven't heard of them, check them out here or take a look at their Etsy shop here. They have beautiful letter writing paper and matching envelopes. I subscribe to their medium plan. They have 3 to pick from depending on how much you like to write. I like to write a lot but I supplement from their Etsy shop and other sources so I don't get their largest pack.
Anyway, I just got my subscription in the mail for this month so I am excited to bust out some sheets and start writing! 

What kinds of things do I like to talk about with my pen pals?  Well I of course told them all about my upcoming trip. Besides that, I like to chat about what I did that day or week, all about my dogs, about what crafts or art piece I'm working on, about any gaming I've done recently, and of course I respond to their questions and ask a few of my own about their life. It really is just like having a conversation over the phone but it is way more fun to see a letter arrive in your mailbox! Sometimes to switch it up I will use a couple of writing prompts. Then with some of my pen pals I play a game called Mail Tag. That's where you take a tag or piece of paper and write 3 to 5 questions for your pen pal to answer about themselves.  Then they answer them in their letter and ask you a few questions back with their own Mail Tag. It's just one of the little fun games that pen pals can play. There are several others but that's the only one I've done so far. 

This weekend is Memorial Day so on Sunday my in-laws are having a cookout. My husband has double-header softball games that afternoon too so Sunday will be a busy day. I'm bringing fruit, baked beans, and Ramen noodle salad to the cookout. Yum! Let's just hope it doesn't rain. 

What I Do

I am a busy person, always on the go. I spend some of my time writing letters, poetry, and stories at my desk. I have a small computer desk that holds my computer monitor and keyboard, assorted pens and stationery, memo pads, a mail organizer, postcards, postage stamps, rubber stamps and ink pads, washi tape, stickers, and other various odds and ends for writing and journaling. Next to my desk is where I keep my stack of journals. I have a bullet journal, a planner, a poetry class journal, a poetry journal, a story-writing journal, a few junk journals, a positive affirmation journal, and some blank journals that I'll find a purpose for later. 

I also spend some of my time creating mixed media art and various crafts. I've been creating mixed media art for a few years now and I am loving it. I basically learned from YouTube and then it was just a process of trial and error, and believe me, I made plenty of errors. I started selling my work about a year and a half ago in a store and on Etsy. I have since moved out of the store but continue to sell in my Etsy shop. I greatly appreciate everyone who believes in my art. I do a lot of crafts and artsy things besides canvases. Right now I am working on an altered CD, using it as a canvas. I have also created on boxes, books, tins, frames, pins, magnets, coasters, badge holders, and more I'm sure. I also like to make assemblage art. I call it metal junk art, although I do use other elements such as plastic and wood sometimes. I just made a couple of robots out of children's wooden blocks and dominoes, using gears for eyes. If you'd like to check out my Etsy shop, click here. 

A big chunk of my time is taken up with gaming. I am a gamer at heart. I have played Magic the Gathering for 18 years now and I do tournaments on the weekends. I also love video games, computer games, board and card games, any kind of games! Every weekend and sometimes during the week we go over to my in-laws' house and play a few games of spades. 

My other hobby, or a "tiny business" if you will, is chocolate-making. I sell chocolates in three stores now and I participate in craft shows during the spring and fall. The tiny business started out with my mom and I doing craft shows. It grew slowly from there, with a few people wanting us in their stores. My mom passed away last year so now it's all up to me to carry on the chocolate-making. I stay pretty busy with it and have quite a few regular customers. I also make favors for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, birthdays, etc. I even made favors for an adult party once! 😝 My best seller is buckeyes. They're an Ohio thing, you know, the Ohio State Buckeyes? Well, they're super popular here. They consist of a peanut butter filling (butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, peanut butter) rolled into a ball and dipped not quite all the way in dark chocolate, resembling a buckeye nut. They're delicious if you are a fan of peanut butter. 

Another hobby of mine is bowling. I am on a bowling league currently and am about to go to a Nationals bowling tournament this weekend. It's the first year we made it to Nationals so I'm really excited. The bowling alley we're going to has 90 lanes, the biggest in the country. This fall I am joining a second bowling league, an all women's one. That should be fun!

Like I said, I am a busy person. I like to be doing something at all times. I don't leave time for socializing. I am definitely an introvert, in my own little world. I enjoy all that I do and wouldn't change it for the world. 

All Poetry

Have you heard of allpoetry.com ? It is an awesome website where you can share your poetry, take free online poetry classes, join groups, and get your work critiqued. I love the website, personally. Right now I'm taking 3 of their classes; one on sound, rhyme and meter, one on grammar (because one can never know too much about grammar) and one on the colors of poetry (simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole). I take notes in a journal dedicated to these classes and do all of my homework assignments in the journal too. I have learned quite a bit so far and I am very excited to learn more. Let me share with you a poem I wrote for a homework assignment:

The Facade

He buried his pain deep in his soul
He smoothed over his rough interior
He appeared fine on the surface
She saw past his façade
She dug deep and pulled him back
She was the bright light to his darkness

 In closing, I would highly recommend allpoetry.com to anyone who writes poetry of any kind. If you are more into story writing they have a sister website called storywrite.com. I haven't checked that out yet but it is on my list of things to do. 

How Do You Journal?

There are so many different ways to journal in today's world. I prefer to write in a junk journal and a bullet journal. 

What's a junk journal? A junk journal is a journal made typically of various papers, envelopes, junk mail, etc. Normally you will find pockets, tags, flips, and other decorative elements in this type of journal. Some will include both writing and pictures in their junk journal, along with receipts, tickets, or other ephemera from their daily life.

What's a bullet journal? A bullet journal is simply a form of journaling using bullet points. You typically find an index in the beginning of a bullet journal and all types of page spreads from books you want to read to a weight loss or diet tracker to a calendar to a list of groceries you need. The main portion of the bullet journal, though, is the daily logs with a bulleted list of what you did that day, things to remember, appointments to write down, things to do, etc. 

I started making and journaling in junk journals about 2 years ago. I received my first junk journal from someone on Swap-bot. They are so fun to write in and add little bits in from your day. I try to tuck in things that have meaning to me, such as score sheets from a bowling tournament, a sweet note from a friend, a receipt for a new video game, etc. I like to look back and say Oh, I remember that! It is a good way to preserve memories. 

I started my first bullet journal about 3 years ago and I've done one a year since. I don't do the index anymore. I found it easier to just use it for daily logs rather than for the elaborate page spreads. Although pretty and useful, they took up too much of my time because I really went all out with them. For me, the daily logs are sufficient. If there's something I need to remember I can just go back to whatever day I want in my bullet journal and there my day is, all laid out in bullet points for me. 

How do you journal? Let me know in the comments. 

All of my life I have been obsessed with peacocks. They are just so beautiful! I have a collection of peacock things ranging from socks to carnival glass to stationery. Even my Christmas tree is peacock themed. I love it! I figured since I love them so much I'd write about them too. Here is a short poem I wrote about them today:

The Peacock

The beauty and the majesty
Is a wondrous sight to see
The deep sea blues and greens
Are colors from our dreams

When those feathers fan out wide
My awe is what I cannot hide
Their strut seems so proud
But have you heard them? They're so loud!

A Short Story

I wanted to share with you a short story that I wrote last week. It was using a set of story cubes. Have you heard of them? They are 6 sided dice that have images on them. You roll them then use the images that are showing as prompts to write a story. Anyway, here's my story:

Story Cube Images: flower, tower or high rise building/skyscraper, die or dice, phone, key, house, pyramid, sheep, bee

                As my keys jingled in the doorknob to my crappy house I sighed. Another day done at my crappy job, I finally made it home. My job had really gotten me down lately. I was a teller at the bank on the corner. All smiles and bubbly greetings to the customers were my mask. I really had a hatred of my co-workers sneering behind my back and the boring nature of my job. This wasn’t my first choice. I had wanted to be a singer my whole life but had just never been able to make it so I had gotten a 9 to 5 job to pay the bills.

                I had moved out on my own when I was 18, as home life wasn’t the best. I had bounced from apartment to apartment in various cities, gigging at night, singing on the streets during the day, but I had wanted something more stable. When I bought my house, I thought, well this is it. I made it. A life of mediocrity and I’m ok with it. But lately, I was just not ok with it anymore. Six long boring years by myself day in and day out was enough.

                I set my keys down and headed into the kitchen. I opened up the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. On second thought, I put the water back and grabbed a beer. It seemed more fitting for the day that I had. I walked into the living room and plopped down in my comfy chair and turned on my smart tv, switching on Netflix. I put on the series I was currently binging about a pyramid scheme gone terribly wrong. I kicked my feet up and leaned back in the recliner closing my eyes for just a second.

                Rrrriiiiiiing! Rrrriiiiiiing! I shot straight up and looked at the direction of my cell phone. Ugh, I thought, can’t I even close my eyes for a second? But then I looked at the clock and 2 ½ hours had gone by! Sheesh. Rrrriiiiiiing! I picked up my cell phone and swiped the answer call button. “Hello?”

                “Is this Ms. Watson?

                “This is” I answered.

                “I’m afraid there’s been an accident” the voice boomed. I gasped. “It’s your father. You need to come to Grace Hospital right away.”

                “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m a half hour out. Can you tell me if he’s ok? What kind of accident was he in?”

                “That’s all I know ma’am. I’m sorry.”

                “That’s ok. I’ll be right there.”

                I threw my shoes on hastily and grabbed my keys, taking a chug of my warm beer – one for the road. He better not die, I thought. I dashed down to my car. I shooed a bee away from the door handle and hopped in. My old car sputtered to life and I took off towards Grace. It was still light out and very cheery – sun shining, bees buzzing, flowers begging to be admired. It was such the opposite of what was going on in my head. My head was filled with darkness, not light. I was just plain scared. My dad was 68 and healthy as an ox. I had never dreamed I would get a phone call like this. Of course my mother hadn’t been informed. They had been divorced since I was 9 when she had taken off with her new man, leaving my dad and I to fend for ourselves. He was all I had.

                I got to the hospital in 24 minutes, record time. I was lucky I hadn’t gotten pulled over. I dashed through the parking lot to the information desk and gave them my dad’s name. “Room 216” the woman said. I quickly walked to his room and took a deep breath before stepping in.

                His face was… purple. That’s the best way I could describe it. Purple, and black, and brown. The bruises were covering his whole face and his cheek was cut and swollen. The rest of him was covered with a stark white sheet. There were 2 doctors hovering over him and a police officer standing near the door of his room. “Melissa Watson?” the police officer asked.

                “Yes, tha’ts me. Oh my God, is he ok?”

                “Your father has been in an accident. He was driving while under the influence we are assuming. We found an open fifth of vodka in the floor of the car. He hit another lady’s car at an intersection. She is in the ICU.”

                My heart sank. It just dropped through my chest into my stomach and I struggled to even find words. I went through a range of emotions…shocked, angry, scared, worried, confused.

                I ignored the police officer for a moment and looked at the doctors. “Is he ok?” I was fighting back tears.

                “We placed your father in a coma to protect his brain. He had some swelling and severe trauma to his head. We have no idea if he has brain damage or not yet. We are going to wait until the swelling goes down before we wake him up and see.”

                “How long will he be in a coma?”

                “We don’t know. My best guess is a week, maybe longer.”

                I lost it. I just started crying and couldn’t stop for a long while. The policeman waited patiently for my sobbing to subside. The doctors finally left the room as I slumped down in a chair, turning to face the officer. “What do you need from me?” I asked, sort of bitterly.

                “Do you know if your dad had a drinking problem?” he asked.

                “My dad has been an alcoholic since I was 9. Ever since my mom left” I spat out.

                “OK, I understand this is very difficult right now, but there is a woman in ICU and your father is to blame. I hope that he makes it through this, I really do, but there will be some serious consequences when he does, especially if the woman he hit does not make it. I will leave you for now and check back in.”

                “Oh please do,” I said sarcastically.

                What in the hell was he thinking?? I thought. Damn him! He better wake up. I sat by his side just staring at him for a long while. The emotions continued to flood my brain. I am never drinking again, the thought kept running through my head. I am dumping out every drop of alcohol I own as soon as I get home.

                I sat there until I couldn’t sit anymore. It was 3:30 AM and I had to get out of that room. I went to get something out of the vending machines. A cupcake and candy bar later, I ended up in the waiting room where people stay overnight. I sat down in a chair feeling numb. Pretty soon I drifted off to sleep. I awoke when my phone rang. This time it was work. Miss perky Mindy was calling to ask where the hell I was. I told her and said I wouldn’t be in that day or likely the next either. Mindy wasn’t sympathetic at all. Instead she said “Thanks for not calling to let us know” and hung up. I chose to let it go. I had more important things to worry about.

                I made my way back to my dad’s room and sat back down by his side. Nothing had changed, the nurse said. She was very kind. She told me that people in a coma have been known to hear things that went on while they were out so to go ahead and talk to him if I wanted. I had plenty to say so I told her thank you and waited until she left before babbling on to my dad. I told him how much I loved him, how stupid he was for drinking and driving, how he better pull through or else I didn’t know what I was going to do, etc.

                Days blurred into each other. I had called work at one point and told my manager that I wouldn’t be in for the next week. His prognosis was not good. I believe it was day 3 when a thought came to me, the thought that my dad loved to hear me sing. I started singing his favorite song, an old country classic by the Judds. When that song was done, I sang another, and another, until I thought he had maybe heard enough.

                “You have a beautiful voice,” the nurse said. “The kind of voice that makes miracles happen.”

                I smiled and told her thanks. I wondered if a miracle would really happen this time. I needed him to wake up. The doctor had came and went each day saying that today was not the day to try to wake him up. His brain was still swollen.

                The day finally came. Day 9 and the doctor said it was time to lift the coma. I was overjoyed and so anxious. I had sang to him every day his favorite songs and mine as well. I had written a few songs too and practiced singing them to him. His face never changed, no reaction, except to turn from purple to brown to yellow as the bruises attempted to heal. The doctor stopped the IV drip of the medicine keeping him under and said he should come out of the coma sometime during the next few hours if he was going to wake up. That was a big if and it scared the crap out of me.

                A few hours went by…and then more hours…and more…and then the days started to roll by. I continued to sing to him, hoping for a miracle. He was moved out of ICU into a regular hospital room where he would remain until he woke up. Days went by and turned into weeks. I visited every day and went home at night. I quit my crappy job. I dipped into savings to pay the bills. Life seemed rather pointless.

                One day, 48 days after his accident to be exact, he opened an eye and then another…I gasped and called the nurse. The nurse came running and then did all sorts of questions and prodding with my dad. He was silent at first and then he croaked… “Beautiful, just beautiful. Your songs.” He then was told where he was and what had happened and was asked a series of questions such as can he follow this light with his eyes and can he wiggle his toes and suck. I was overjoyed!

                Later that day I was finally able to talk to him. He told me of his otherworldly experience, how everything was black but he could hear my voice singing to him. He said he knew he had to find the strength and follow the sound of my voice. I had saved my dad! I knew right then what I was meant to do. To heck with a 9 to 5. I was born and meant to be a singer and I was determined to make that happen!

                Afterword: I never touched booze again, nor did my dad. The lady that my dad had hit had pulled through luckily and the charges were dropped against him. I guess they had figured he had suffered enough. My dad moved in with me so I could care for him and it also helped me pay the bills. I went back to gigging at night and singing on the streets during the day until one day a talent scout heard me singing and invited me in for a meeting. A producer offered me a paying contract to produce an album and I was so happy. Everything was right in the world.

Preparing For My Trip

I am going on a trip to Minnesota in June and staying there until July, roughly 6 weeks. There is a lot I have to prepare for. In terms of things to bring, that is easy enough. I have a long list of things to pack all ready to go. It is more getting everything done before I go that I am worried about. I have chocolates to make (I sell them in stores), dogs to get vaccinated, a house to get cleaned, amidst trying to sell my mom's house and my dad's house at the same time (yes, two different houses!). It's a lot, to be honest. So, how will I cope? Well, to write, of course! I have a few pen pal letters to catch up on, Swap-bot swaps to finish up, a journal I can write in, and an account on allpoetry.com that I have been adding to recently. I'm also in two online poetry courses that I hope will improve my writing. Instead of adding to my stress all of this writing actually subtracts it instead. Writing is definitely a stress reliever for me. 

When I travel to Minnesota I will bring plenty of things to write on and with along with me. I will bring a junk journal that someone made for me. It's so chunky and fun! That way I can write in it, add pictures from my trip later, and add receipts or other ephemera from places I will go while I'm there. I will take a couple of other journals - one for poetry and one for my online poetry writing courses. I am bringing plenty of stationery with me for letter swaps and to write to a few friends while I am gone. I am bringing my Happy Planner. It is my best friend. I would be lost without it! I am also taking along my bullet journal for my list making tendencies that I cannot control. I am a list-o-holic. I will take a ton of pens because I am obsessed with all of the pretty colors and different kinds of ink that there are. I love my fountain pen (right now I'm using a turquoise ink), LePens, Pentel SparklePop pens, Pilot G-2 gel pens, Inkjoy gel pens, and Uniball Signo pens the best. It's really hard for me to pick a favorite. Last but not least I will take washi tape and stickers to decorate my journals and envelopes that I send out because why not? 

All in all I think I have everything planned out. It is just a matter of executing it expertly and not procrastinating or letting myself get too stressed out about anything. Piece of cake, right?