Bring On Lemons

I no longer hold the title of "Customer Service Manager" or "Customer Service Representative" etc... but I'm still what you might call a Customer Service Connoisseur (don't ask how I spelled it the first or second time...I had to look it up). Regardless of the spelling, what I mean by a customer service connoisseur is that I have discriminating taste when it comes to customer service. A prime example is my four year old son who will open my car door and say "here you go my lady", make sure I'm in, and then close the door. He does the same thing when opening the house door, or a door at the store. This isn't something I force him to do, it's something he wants to do out of love and respect. Similarly, if someone works in customer service, I strongly believe they should have the customer's best interest at heart. If you are going to do something, do it to the best of your ability. Not to be crass...but screw the 'do unto others as...

If your lips have ever tingled or you've gotten a shiver while reading about a kiss, you know the importance of creatively writing about more than just the kiss itself. Whether you are a seasoned writer or an up and comer, you'll find some tips in this article that will help you add passion and depth to your next kissing scene. Before you begin writing a kissing scene, think about kissing scenes you've read and been moved by. Those scenes likely included details about where the couple was, their surroundings, where they were relative to one another, and went on to describe the situation using each of the senses. It's important to think about the sight, sound, smell, touch and taste involved in a kiss. The best scenes will be similar to your own experiences, because you will be able to better describe the details. If you like a firm kiss with a lot of body contact (ie: he pressed his body against hers to feel every curve, took her face in his hands, etc...) you should...

Birth, An Unexplained Loss I loved you from the moment I knew of you Protected you with my being Longed to touch you, to hear the sound of your voice Dreamed about who you would become Pictured the two of us together laughing Imagined being called ‘Mommy’ Promised both of us a lifetime of great joy Dedicated myself to you Doubted my abilities but never yours Listened to your little beating heart Realized my dreams meant a bittersweet end Your birth meant we would be apart The moment you were born I felt a great loss Tears filled my eyes and I cried So much for us to gain and experience Joy through an unexplained loss My womb now empty we are no longer joined Love keeps us together entwined A promise I make to you my little one To protect you with my being Before you my life had no meaning at all

Poetry is one of those things that do not come naturally to me, so I'm pushing myself to do more of it. It brought me great joy when I was younger, so I'm keeping an open mind. Here's my first attempt. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas. Mourning Dance There is a time when the stars retreat And the dawn has not yet come, And the world is still, quiet, and peaceful, And the coffee starts to brew, And the birds begin to chirp and sing I forget reality. Please dreams, stay a little bit longer? Keep reality at bay, In my dreams you are ever near me, We hold one another tight And make promises we’ll never break We don’t want our dreams to end. No! I will not let this slip away, Don’t dance with angels above. I need you right here, right now, always And in my dream, you’re still here.

This is a rough draft at a flash fiction piece - comments are appreciated. It needs to be shortened considerably to meet contest requirements. A Suitcase of Bitterness and Sacrifice Her favorite silk panties were in her hand. They sent a chill up her spine. The day she bought them she marched confidently into Victoria Secret with the gift card from her husband. That day she felt like a princess. Today, the panties brought her no delight. She thought about all the sacrifices she had made and every gift he gave her made her bitter. She felt dirty and alone. The lavender panties with lace details were no longer beautiful and soft in her eyes. To Veronica, they were dirty and shameful. Instead of folding them in her suitcase, she tucked them between two pairs of boxers in Charlie’s underwear drawer. “You’ll miss me you son of a bitch” …Veronica muttered… The dress she bought on the cruise they took in celebration of five years of wedded bliss. The dress weighed practically noth...

Today's blog post is the rambling mess going on inside my head this morning - if you've ever been overwhelmed, this one's for you...you're not alone! The house is still for sale - not that I expected it to sell in three weeks...but one can hope, right? It sounds like the farm transition is going to happen right after the wedding. This means we have a lot of decisions to make. Reduce the price of the house to sell it? Rent it out and still use part of it as an office for Relax Consulting? How do we keep the Two Rivers house furnished and ready for showing, if we are remodeling the new house? What school should the children be enrolled in (Valders or Two Rivers)? Come to find out Valders doesn't have a 4k...so another decision to make. Then there's the question of owning a business versus the benefits that come with being an employee. Do I throw the towel in on Relax Consulting and take a job? Then there's the question of child care...and we want another bab...

Let's start with me saying that I'm usually happy and positive. This is by choice. There's a conscious effort going on here every day. I don't watch things that are sad, I don't enjoy talking about things that are sad, I don't knowingly read things that are sad. I love having children for a variety of reasons, one of which is: I can own and watch children's movies without needing an explanation. I crave a 'happily ever after' whether it be in life or in entertainment. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I'll explain why today's post title seems like a complete antithesis of everything I've just described. I found myself with a few free moments this evening. I don't usually watch anything adult on television. When I say adult, I mean...I love i-Carly, Gilmore Girls, and Jessie. I happened to be staying in the basement to wait for a load of laundry to finish, and that particular television doesn't have a remote. Side note ...

I discovered Robert Frost when I was in 2nd grade. My love for poetry hasn't changed, and I fell more in love with Robert Frost with every word I read. Once poem in particular spoke to me when reading The Outsiders and if we were chatting at a coffee shop, I'd recite it for you now. Instead, here you go: Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. There are many days that these words knock around in my brain. They remind me of those who have left my life, and those who I should appreciate more while they're still in it. It's cliche, but this poem in particular speaks to me. I also stumbled upon some other words written by Frost. When asked about his writing, he said that he liked to puzzle his reader a bit - to baffle them and yet (or thereby) propel them forward: My poems - I should suppos...

Below is a short story (the first part of my novel) that I am considering submitting for a literary contest. It is fiction. Please let me know your thoughts. I really want your feedback. It's long, so thank you in advance for taking your time to read and comment. Thanks in advance. ~Crystal Between 1880 and 1930, more than 27 million people made the journey from around the world to Ellis Island. Some were looking for work in the United States; others were trying to escape the unrest in their own country. Josephine Maurice boarded the LaTouraine steamship at the Havre with less than $100 and the clothes on her back. She was determined to leave Paris and her past behind her. She walked away from all things familiar and placed one determined foot in front of the other, forcing herself forward. One of nearly 2,000 passengers following their dreams, she wasn’t even 18 years old yet, and wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. They were searching for dreams. She was runnin...

Before we get intimate with each other, I want to tell you what I love about my resume. Here goes - MY RESUME IS GREAT BECAUSE IT EXCLUDES: -the fact that my feet always smell like cider vinegar when I wear sandals -that my laundry piles up downstairs (clean) -that I prefer to order in rather than cook in the summer -that I like pastry for breakfast better than any other food on earth (bring on cheesecake) -that I dance around naked sometimes and there's more jiggle than there used to be -my insecurities about myself, my future, and my abilities -information about my vehicle being excessively over on an oil change AND tire replacements -mid-life acne -my spare tire -my neurotic tendency to clean daily -the fact that I said ASS the other day and now both children keep repeating it -my ranting when things don't go my way -my impatience My resume shows you only what I want you to see. It makes you want to meet me to learn more...and even then, you...

What a title, right? My children would tell me that cocky is a bad word, my mother might tell me that confident and cocky are the same thing, and I just like the cacophony of both words as they are smooshed together. Let's face it, like it or not, there's a fine line between confident and cocky. "I could have any man I wanted" (sounds cocky) "I deserve someone amazing to spend my life with" (sounds confident) "I can't believe she got that position, I am totally better than her at that" (cocky) "I'm happy for her, but I think I could have done just as well in that position" (confident) "I love having my picture taken" (jury is still out on this one) so on and so forth... And if you are either confident or cocky - or a bit of both, it seems like a much better position to be in than those individuals who are so busy kicking their own ass that they can't see how amazing they really are (but that's an...

Thank you to Laurie Boettcher for an enlightening program at last evening's Women in Management event - fabulous insight into social media for real businesses! The video above was great & the presentation was even better! For more information about Laurie, see her site:  http://www.lbspeaksonline.com/

Who doesn't like a little romance and scandal every now again a few pages of fiction to help us relax and step away from everyday life? I've said this to many people numerous times - it's important that your literary diet be as balanced as your nutritious diet and therefore, here is a short romantic saga filled with scandal - hopefully just what you're looking for on this lovely Monday afternoon (and if it's not what you're looking for - wait until tomorrow...when the blog may be about business, cancer, death, or something technical). Different strokes for different folks. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Still Burning "I'm sorry baby" Thomas muttered as he walked past Layla. She just nodded her head. Things had certainly gotten out of control on the boat that morning but neither was to blame. She was putting some save on the tops of her feet and her knees. It hurt, but not too terribly. She thought to herself, ...

------------------------------------------------------------ *** Article: The Difference Between a Dad and a Father - By David Bohl *** ------------------------------------------------------------ Are you a dad or a father? A dad is someone who not only physically helped to create the life of a child, but also supports that child with the basic necessities (food, clothing and shelter) and provides guidance and advice to see his child through life. A dad demonstrates that he loves his children by interacting with them daily, letting them know that they're a priority and that they give purpose to his life. Yes, it's far easier to be a father than a dad. The level of personal commitment that our kids require is challenging, sometimes even overwhelming. Career Builders' annual Father's Day survey  found that 37% of working dads would leave their jobs if their spouse or partner made enough money to support the family. If given the choice, another 38% would take a pay...

Remember the song by TLC called "Waterfalls"? I just loved that song and it brings back some great college memories... Don't go chasing waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to. This post isn't really about that - it's about chasing waterfalls right in your own back yard (for readers here in Wisconsin). I can assure you that the children and I have a ton of fun and we usually do it right here in Wisconsin. We spend time at the family friendly Hilton in downtown Milwaukee, Betty Brinn's Children Museum, and then there's one of our favorites: CHASING WATERFALLS - yup! I am encouraging you to go and chase them! Check out all the waterfall opportunities in Marinette County Wisconsin:  http://www.exploringthenorth.com/waterfall/marinette.html We have personally visited many of the falls listed on this link and I have some amazing pictures of my children enjoying all sorts of fun (we started taking this trip when the...

Everyone is talking about it and I'm feeling this urge to run to Barnes and Noble to get the trilogy - I've heard some good things and some not so good things, but everyone is reading it. If I buy the books I have something tangible to pass along, but everyone will see what I'm reading (and it sort of feels like bringing Hustler to grandma's to read while she's preparing Thanksgiving dinner). If I download the kindle or ipad version, the data collectors that track your every move online and are going to think I'm having sex, interested in having sex, or interested in (whisper this part so you don't turn to stone) S&M... Here I am, stuck between a rock and a hard place (not literally). What does everyone else think? To read or not to read? If to read...how do I read it? Then...do you want to know what I thought of it? or do we just pretend it never happened...(because of course, good girls who play the organ at church on Sunday would never dream of re...

A fictional story to get us thinking about the silent mourners...thank you to several great friend for this fabulous idea! Please feel free to comment on this post with your own thoughts and ideas. They learned only ten years into their marriage that Anna would have only a few good years and nothing beyond that would be a guarantee. The disease would eventually rob her of her ability to walk and would make every day tasks impossibly painful. It was a lot for Steven to take, but he knew the importance of family. He was virtually on his own at the age of fifteen and he would never turn his back on his wife or their children. His story was sad to say the least with a drunkard father and a flirtatious mother - hard to say which had been more irresponsible, but the judge had given him the choice. At age fifteen he decided that being on his own was better than babysitting for the adults who had so obviously let him down. That was all history now, and Steven was in this with Anna through th...