Author Archives: juliefeb14

Valentine

  By juliefeb14 | February 12, 2014 - 7:13 pm | ,
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valentine

valentineValentine

Ahhh, Valentine’s Day..That’s my day, right? Having a last name of “Valentine” certainly has pressures and expectations every year on Feb 14th. I always have intentions of making the “big day” the BEST of the year. Certainly a ‘Valentine’ child should bring valentine cards filled with all the bells and whistles to put in all of the little classmates elaborately decorated boxes…Um, how about 10 year old cards found in a drawer with a lame piece of candy taped to the card. Thankfully, my children know the drill year after year and are happy as can be about it. The problem is this– the day sneaks up on me and before I know it, I’m too late! (It doesn’t help that tax season is starting to heat up about then). Put it this way, your Valentine’s Day is probably a lot more spectacular than mine. The kids didn’t even have milk for their cereal. I tried to hide my “fault” by approaching my husband saying, “let’s not give anything to each other this Valentine’s.” He confessed to me later that our youngest son, Luke, had confided in him that I was feeling guilty because I didn’t get anything for him.

Short Story – Conclusion

  By juliefeb14 | February 5, 2014 - 5:20 am |
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A goof off picture of Ron and I.

Well, here is the amateur’s short story conclusion…

Short Story – Conclusion

Choice (continued)

by Julie Valentine

The guy down there was a jerk, no one would miss him. Images of the tour groups accusing faces assaulted him. Would they believe this was an accident? Groping around, he found his handkerchief and mopped his face.

Rand leaned over the guardrail again in an attempt to spot Clifford. There was still no sign of him. “Hey, you ok down there?” he croaked.  Clifford was probably fine. Brooke would be grateful he found her license. His skin pricked at the possibility of Clifford being hurt, but his hesitation was short lived. He would let Clifford find his own way back to the group.  He turned, loping up the trail through more mud, black, and oozing under his feet. A limb smacked him in the face as he hurried along, leaving a red welt under his right eye. Adrenaline pumped him on.

Turmoil roiled within Rand, thoughts swam around in his head as he tried to decide if the guilt inside was worth the affections of anyone? He hadn’t meant to hurt the jerk. Maybe he was fine down there. Reaching the group, he glanced at Brooke as he approached, measuring her reaction to the found license. The close proximity to her sent a wave of pleasure over him, faint drifts of fragrance wafting from her body reaching his senses. Brooke seemed so happy to get that license back. It was enough to help him temporarily forget the past few minutes. “Mind if I walk with you gals?” Rand ventured.

Brooke felt so relieved that Rand had found her license. The headache she would surely avoid was a huge help as she looked over at Rand. That really was a sweet thing he did for her. She considered him for a minute thinking, “I really ought to be nice to him for running back for me.” She smiled and thanked Rand. A grin erupted on his face causing Brooke to hesitate in her praise of him. She began to question Rand about himself in an attempt to be friendly when the tour guide’s radio interrupted the jungle sounds.

Not paying much attention to their guide’s crackling radio, Brooke asked Rand what was taking her brother so long to get back to the group. Heat rose to his face as he turned to her and sputtered, “Your brother?!”

“Yeah, my brother that ran after you for the license. He bugs me so much sometimes with how protective he is, but it’s nice to have someone look after me too.”

Rand stumbled backwards, his breath coming in short bursts like the panting of a dog. Brooke instinctively tried to grab him. Both of them looked over at the guide who was trying to get everyone’s attention by waving them over to him. He motioned for the group to congregate and after doing so announced that the tour had been suspended because the authorities received a distress call from the phone of a hiker that had fallen. Help had not arrived in time. The body found would need to be recovered and carried out. Chaos erupted in the group as the tour guide tried to gain control.

Rand’s world came crashing down around him. The acrid taste of bile rose in his throat as the events of the past few minutes crashed about his head. He took a fleeting glance at Brooke’s face and saw disdain and suspicion. She stood behind Sierra slightly trembling, and clinging to her arm. His own face reflected the responsibility of a mind riddled with the remorse of the guilty.  Despair folded its way through him; he’d made the wrong choice.

The End

Short Story – Part 3

  By juliefeb14 | February 1, 2014 - 5:32 am | ,
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The whole wonderful crazy gang..

Remember, I am soooo amateur!

Short Story – Part 3­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Choice (continued)

by Julie Valentine

He decided that now was as good of a time as any to get to work on the girls. He had a twinge of hesitation as he thought of his ex-wife. Whatever the ordeal was in his ex-wife’s mind he just couldn’t figure out. Jen didn’t realize what she’d given up when she’d kicked him out.

A few feet from the girls, Rand’s sweating increased. He silently cursed the humidity and heat even though he knew the sweat was partially due to the nerves that suddenly came to life within him. Rand chastised himself for having doubts about his appeal. He was in control here; he hadn’t gone downhill that much since his days of glory. As he studied the girls, he noticed them exchanging a look with each other. Ok, what was that supposed to mean? Were they both interested or what? He swiped a hand across his forehead and watched as one of the girl’s eyes followed his hand. That’s the one I’d like to get to know, he thought. He’d had a hard time most of his life resisting getting involved with blond curvy gals.

Shadows fell across the group as they neared a heavy cluster of tall trees overhead. Tour members were stopping for a break. As he stepped up to the girls trying to formulate a good opening remark, Rand noticed a thought come over Brooke. She proclaimed to the group that she had lost her driver’s license out of her pocket.  Her face crumpled as she grabbed her hair saying, “This can’t be happening!”

The lost license was a perfect way for Rand to gain favor with Brooke. His eyes grazed her form as he said he’d be happy to walk back and see if he could find it. Turning, he shifted his bulk back down the trail. He hadn’t gone 50 yards when Clifford, whose shoes were sucking from the formation of mud clumps, plodded past him on the way down the trail growling, “Save your energy, I’ve got this covered.”

Rand swore under his breath and shoved past him again, nearly knocking the guy’s slight frame over. “Get lost,” Rand spit at Clifford. The two began racing down the slope out of sight of the group. Near a fork in the trail, there was a drop off where crags glistened with trickling water. Dark shadows loomed around the trail causing a brief chill. In order to pass, travelers needed to hang onto a guardrail. Heart pumping, chest heaving, and unable to speak, Rand glared at the man next to him. Rand spotted the license seconds before Clifford. The two scuffled to reach the license on the other side of the rail. The slick rocks had collected moisture on the narrow trail. Rand panted as he threw his muscled leg over the rail in an attempt to pluck up the paper. Clifford was right beside him. At the moment Rand’s leg swung around, his supporting foot slid, kicking Clifford with his other foot, sending him screaming down the ravine. There was a sickening thud as he hit something on the way down.  Shocked, Rand froze. A prickle of fear jetted up his spine. He took a quick glance down. Seeing nothing, he wavered between running to get help and pretending to know nothing. The guy down there was a jerk, no one would miss him. Images of the tour groups accusing faces assaulted him. Would they believe this was an accident? Groping around, he found his handkerchief and mopped his face.

Short Story – Part 2

  By juliefeb14 | January 29, 2014 - 9:48 pm | ,
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Another picture of one of my gals and her hubby…

Short Story – Part 2­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Choice (continued)

by Julie Valentine

Brooke leaned into Sierra and spoke softly, “That fur on his legs makes me want to gag. Plus, the guy is still living in the eighties, look at that head of big hair.”

“Careful Brooke, he’s going to think you’re checking him out.” Sierra said.

Brooke still stared at his legs, “He should shave those legs, stuff could get lost in there.”

“If you don’t stop gawking, he is totally going to get the wrong idea,” warned Sierra.

Brooke gave a small yelp, “Ack, he’s coming our way, quick what do I do?”

Rand had detected Brooke staring at him as they trudged through the thick foliage. He couldn’t blame her. He had kept himself looking good all these years. The added weight to his middle was easy to overlook when you took in the whole package, he thought.  He knew women had a hard time not noticing him and that annoyed the men. That must be why Clifford was being such a pesky gnat around the girls.

Brooke was horrified as she watched the arrogant Rand pluck a crimson flower and lumber towards her. He was trying to hold her eye contact and she was starting to panic. “Sierra, help!” she urgently whispered. “Hey, you shouldn’t have been studying those furry legs so long, he thinks you’re interested.” Sierra whispered back.  Brooke’s eyes widened as she watched Rand elbow Clifford out of his way.

Clifford frowned when Rand shoved past him to get to Brooke. The guy has too much confidence in himself, Clifford thought. He was even considering how he might take Rand’s ego down a couple of notches. He started to mull over ways to humiliate the arrogant chump in front of the women.

Rand didn’t care much about the other guys in the group; his focus was on the females, particularly Brooke. Although, he was momentarily annoyed by the sour smell of body odor emanating off of Clifford as he passed him. He would have to work himself into a photo with the two gals and brag to his buddies back home.

As he approached Brooke with the flower she took an almost imperceptible step backwards. It wasn’t lost on Rand and his grin faltered. Rand’s eyes flicked between the two girls assessing their reaction to his attention. He would not lose his nerve. He knew he had what it took to attract the ladies. High School had proven that time and again. The females couldn’t stay away from him back then. The memories brought a faint smile to his thick lips. He never lacked girls asking him out or showering him with attention. These two gals would be no different. He decided that now was as good of a time as any to get to work on the girls. He had a twinge of hesitation as he thought of his ex-wife. Whatever the ordeal was in his ex-wife’s mind he just couldn’t figure out. Jen didn’t realize what she’d given up when she’d kicked him out.

(I have hesitated putting this story on my website…I’ve decided at the age of 55, I need to finish college. So, rather than attending classes all day away from my family, I have decided to earn my degree online. This may very likely take me 8 years. Deciding what to have my emphasis in, was tricky.  I stink at writing….but I want to get good. That is the emphasis I chose. Very scary. It is a struggle to eek out the writing assignments my professors request but very rewarding at the same time. I have decided to share my first attempt at writing, here. Be kind in your critiquing! It is very amateur, but after receiving a high score on this particular piece and the professor asking if I was going to publish it, I decided to take the plunge and expose my attempt at writing. Ya have to start somewhere right?  I will post the short story in segments.)
 

Short Story

  By juliefeb14 | January 26, 2014 - 3:26 am | ,
6 Comments

I wanted to post a picture of me with some of my gals.

I have hesitated putting this story on my website…I’ve decided at the age of 55, I need to finish college. So, rather than attending classes all day away from my family, I have decided to earn my degree online. This may very likely take me 8 years. Deciding what to have my emphasis in, was tricky.  I stink at writing….but I want to get good. That is the emphasis I chose. Very scary. It is a struggle to eek out the writing assignments my professors request but very rewarding at the same time. I have decided to share my first attempt at writing, here. Be kind in your critiquing! It is very amateur, but after receiving a high score on this particular piece and the professor asking if I was going to publish it, I decided to take the plunge and expose my attempt at writing. Ya have to start somewhere right?  I will post the short story in segments.

 

Short Story­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Choice

by Julie Valentine

            The muggy air had a heavy, stifling feeling causing Rand discomfort as he tried to suck in breath. His muscled body carried excess belly fat indicative of aging. His weight and hairy body, made him well aware of the surrounding sweltering conditions. But no matter; he was here and his buddies back home could eat their hearts out. He had been pleasantly surprised to see a couple of lovely young ladies on the tour with him. Back in the days of his football prowess, he was every woman’s desire. Age had been fairly kind to him and he was definitely going to use it to his advantage with these two sweet things. The lush green vegetation was dense causing some difficulty in getting closer to the women as they hiked up to a waterfall.

Rand had learned through cunning questioning that the two girls had won their trip to Belize through a sales agency they worked for. He hadn’t been so lucky with handouts; instead he’d whipped out the credit card to fund this excursion. Seeing these girls, it appeared to him that this was all going to be worth the debt.

Walking along the trail was proving arduous as the mud collected on his favorite pair of Doc Martins. Hiking boots would have been a better choice in these conditions but sometimes you needed to sacrifice to look good. And Rand always wanted to look good.  That would be a selling point of himself to these women, if he could just get close to them. He rubbed the “designer stubble” on his jaw and eyed his group. One scrawny guy, by the name of Clifford, with close cropped hair, and wearing island clothes, was really getting on his nerves. The guy hovered around Brooke and Sierra like a puppy looking for praise. He had been chafing Rand the wrong way this whole trip. The geek was constantly annoying the girls. He was making it difficult for Rand to get acquainted with them.

After some maneuvering, Rand found himself getting close to the girls. That Brooke was one fine looking chick, he thought. Her slender frame was well proportioned with smooth golden skin. Glancing between the two girls, his eyes rested on Brooke, her blond hair fell in front of her face as she glanced at Sierra.  The girl must feel self conscious being around a mature, good-looking male, Rand thought. He plucked one of the wildflowers slightly off the trail and walked toward Brooke. The incessant heat was bothering him. Sweat was pouring down his body as he neared the girls. The hair on his legs itched. Rivulets of sweat slide down the sides of his head as he swiped at his face with a meaty hand. Periodic animal sounds surrounded the group of a dozen tourists. Occasionally a snapping twig underfoot would accompany the chirping or cawing, but nothing motorized could be heard.

Brooke leaned into Sierra and spoke softly, “That fur on his legs makes me want to gag. Plus, the guy is still living in the eighties, look at that head of big hair.”

“Careful Brooke, he’s going to think you’re checking him out.” Sierra said.

Brooke still stared at his legs, “He should shave those legs, stuff could get lost in there.”

“If you don’t stop gawking, he is totally going to get the wrong idea,” warned Sierra.

Alkaline or Acidic?

  By juliefeb14 | January 11, 2014 - 10:30 pm | ,
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Alkaline or Acid?

Alkaline or Acid?Alkaline or Acidic?

What is pH?

“A quick chemistry lesson: pH is a measurement of acidity or alkalinity. The pH scale runs from 0-14 with 7 in the middle being neutral. Everything below 7 is “Acid”, the lower the number the more acidic and everything above 7 is “Alkaline”. Most experts agree that ideal health exists when the pH of the general body fluids is around 7 or slightly above.”

If you are eating too many acidic foods you may be setting yourself up for illness. Here is a list of alkaline and acid foods. Lists don’t always agree but this list will give you a general idea of what you need to be eating more of. You may be eating all the wrong foods.

You can balance out higher acidic foods by eating more of the alkaline foods within reason. Just remember a healthier diet consists of more alkaline foods.

It is amazing how much better you feel when you eat more alkaline foods.

Take A Deep Breath

  By juliefeb14 | January 2, 2014 - 4:21 am | ,
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Take a Deep Breath
Take a Deep Breath

Image by Janielle Beh

I have discovered a powerful means of achieving a high sense of wellbeing. Would you believe that it comes through breath? I first started to experience this when I began doing Yoga. Yoga consists of a breathing technique.

 

Take a deep breath!

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/running-air-breathing-technique the following is a quote from this webpage:

“From the Belly

Before learning the rhythmic patterns that will take your running to a new level, you must first become a belly breather, that is, learn to breathe from your diaphragm. When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts and moves downward, while muscles in your chest contract to expand your rib cage, which increases the volume in your chest cavity and draws air into your lungs. Working your diaphragm to its fullest potential allows your lungs to expand to their greatest volume and fill with the largest amount of air, which of course you need for your running. The more air you inhale, the more oxygen is available to be transferred through your circulatory system to your working muscles. Many people underuse their diaphragm, relying too much on their chest muscles and therefore taking in less oxygen, which is so important to energy production. The other downside of breathing from your chest is that these muscles (the intercostals) are smaller and will fatigue more quickly than your diaphragm will. To rely less on your chest muscles to breathe, you’ll want to train yourself to breathe from your belly, that is, with your diaphragm. Practice belly breathing both lying down and sitting or standing, since you should be breathing diaphragmatically at all times—whether you’re running, sleeping, eating, or reading a book. Here’s how to learn the technique:

• Lie down on your back.

• Keep your upper chest and shoulders still.

• Focus on raising your belly as you inhale.

• Lower your belly as you exhale.

• Inhale and exhale through both your nose and mouth.”

 

 

There is so much more I want to say on this subject but will save it for  a later post.

Exercise your brain

  By juliefeb14 | December 27, 2013 - 5:07 am | ,
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exercise your brain

Exercise your brain

This summer my parents got me going on Lumosity. I’ve read up on the benefits of stuff like this and figure I could use all of the help I can get!

 

exercise your brain

The following is an article from www.lumosity.com :

How Reading Stimulates Your Brain
 
What is the value of an English literature class — could you read on your own time and experience the same benefits? In a recent interdisciplinary collaboration between Stanford neurobiologists and assistant English professor Natalie Phillips, researchers used the Jane Austen classic Mansfield Park to investigate how the type of critical reading taught in most English classes may alter brain activation patterns.
Casual versus critical reading
As a longtime literary scholar, Phillips had always been interested in how reading literature could shape how people viewed the world. From anecdotal evidence, at least, it seemed as if the type of critical textual analysis taught in classrooms heightened attention when compared to casual reading.To test this theory, Phillips and researchers from the Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging used an fMRI machine to scan the brains of 18 participants as they read a chapter from Austen’s Mansfield Park. First, the participants were asked to read the chapter casually, as they would for fun. Then they were asked to switch to close reading, a common term for the type of scrutiny to detail and form required to analyze text in a literary course. To ensure that participants could successfully switch between these two modes of reading, all participants were PhD candidates pursuing literary degrees.Researchers observed a significant shift in brain activity patterns as the PhD students went from casual to critical modes. Critical reading increased bloodflow across the brain in general, and specifically to the prefrontal cortex.
Executive function and the brain
The prefrontal cortex is known to play a role in executive function, which refers to a set of higher-order cognitive processes that manage how you divide your attention and coordinate complex activities. Phillips and her team posit that executive function may play help explain the observed changes in participants’ brains.This field of “literary neuroscience” is a new one, and Phillips hopes that these preliminary results will lead to further research on how reading can shape and shift cognition. Though it’s still too early to understand exactly what the future of this new branch of research holds, Philips suggests that critical reading could one day be seen as a valuable tool in “teaching us to modulate our concentration.”

 

Roses and Snow Caves

  By juliefeb14 | December 16, 2013 - 5:02 am | ,
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Snow Cave

Roses and Snow Caves

Snow Cave

What a busy world we live in. Do you ever feel like you are caught up in such a whirlwind that you can hardly think straight? I am raising my hand here, high and long. We tend to be so task oriented. Where is the time to stop and smell those roses? There is so much joy in slowing down once in a while. Children have an amazing ability to smell those roses. We can learn a thing or two from them. That being said there seems to be time for the electronics…Often when we use the electronics to babysit the kids they lose a bit of their creative play and I have noticed that when I enforce ‘no screen’ time their imaginations turn on. One very snowy day the children spent most of the day outside building a snow cave…and snow tunnels…and snow benches! Their faces were alight with happiness. I even got to experience being in the cave and taking a photo from the inside out.

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