Flirty Thirty

It approaches. In less than two weeks, on June 9th, I will be celebrating my 30th birthday... at work. Wooh! I know, I'm a party animal! Rather than spend just the day ringing in the new decade I'm going to spend the summer kicking it off in a way I hope to be able to spend the next ten years (and the rest of my life) - with friends and family and by exploring, adventuring, traveling, and living.

This summer is bringing big, unsettled movement to my life in which I am relocating to a new town, attending University for a science degree, and transitioning into a long distance relationship with my husband (more on that later). There are a lot of scary things coming up where I will be challenged emotionally, academically, and spiritually. And the things that have challenged me most in my life are rearing their ugly little heads tenfold such as being OK with being alone, battles with love of self, confidence, and believing that I am capable of accomplishing my goals. I will be taking some of the hardest classes I have ever had to take, ones which do not come naturally to me, but rather force me to truly sit down and pay attention. Like chemistry, physics, and calculus. 

I could have taken the easy route and gotten a degree in English or Education. They would be the easy route not because the subjects are easy, but because they are something I've always been able to do - things that I'm a natural at. But I didn't. Instead I chose a path that will be difficult for me and one in which I will likely struggle with every day. It's a path that will lead me to where I want to go professionally and personally and one which will allow me to chase dreams I had long since thought I could not achieve.

I never believed I could do science. I didn't think I was smart enough. And now I'm striving to disprove these misguided assumptions and push through. I am smart enough. I just need to apply myself and focus. Studying Geology and Anthropology will help me to achieve my long term goals, allow me to work outdoors, and provide me with opportunities for travel and exploration more than any other subject ever could. That is what the next ten years have in-store for me. My degrees will lay the foundation to tackling my dreams and making my next 60 years on this Earth a wild experience!

Ever since I was a child I knew that the meaning of my life was to live it. There was never any doubt as to why I was here. But over the years I got distracted and I forgot. I got lazy and complacent and comfortable in settling into the traditions and conventions of life. I forgot who I was and how to put my needs first. With the support of my husband these last few years I've slowly begun to remember and emerge from the muck of what I view as my wasted twenties. It's time to get down to the business of living and I mean to do it! So what are the next ten years going to bring?

I'm going to become a woman of science!

I'm going to travel somewhere new every year!

I'm going to learn a language (or two)!

I'm going to master my finances!

I'm going to chase my dreams and remember why I'm running!

I'm going to learn to play at least one instrument!

I'm going to be in the healthiest shape I have ever been in!

I'm going to believe in my intelligence and abilities!

I'm going to continue to build in my strength of self!

Flirty Thirty means spending my thirties participating in the play of life. Dancing by the Rhine, discovering minerals from faraway places, loving new friends, and making life happen. So this summer I will be visiting friends and family on the west coast, traveling through at least two National Parks, camping, hiking, rafting, writing, laughing, jumping, eating, visiting the ocean, and playing my heart out. I'm going to spend the summer in a way which reflects how I plan on spending the rest of my life - living. I'm even starting a little early!

#FlirtingWithLife

What did you do to celebrate turning 30?

Writing Prompt Ninety-Two

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

Review: The Scarab Murder Case

The Scarab Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

S. S. Van Dine is at it again with a plot filled with more twists than a back country road.

Taking place in a brownstone mansion equipped with its very own Egyptian museum, The Scarab Murder Case involves murder, love, jealousy, and corruption. All important ingredients to a truly excellent murder mystery.

When an Egyptologist's patron is found murdered at the feet of Anubis inside his personal museum hobby detective Philo Vance is forced to play a deadly game of real life chess with the murderer. With only his intuition to guide him, Vance predicts the ensuing actions of a deranged and desperate killer, but will he be able to do so before they kill again?

This was a particularly fun read because of the subject matter. Van Dine certainly went into considerable depths to research the history of Egypt's pharaohs and ancient artifacts to bring readers a comprehensive murder mystery that felt full and complete rather than relying on the murder itself as a crutch. The mystery itself, however, is not without merit. While my own intuition pointed toward a particular suspect I found myself in the same evidence lacking boat as Vance.

The Scarab Murder Case was a quick read, loaded with motivation and page turning hooks. I recommend this book (and any of Van Dine's Philo Vance works) to anyone who enjoys a good, clean murder without all the sensationalism of gore. You won't be disappointed.

View all my reviews

- Saturday Night -

Live music, guitar
"Lovin' you is what I got."
A Wyoming bar.

Belts and Feathers

They named her Francis the day she entered into their home. A lost and wounded woman forgetful of her nature, name, and needs. They named her Francis for the way her face drooped to the side like the monks of Franciscan art, their heads tilted downward inspecting their inner depths as if their ears were bent to the calling of the Lord and so she too strove to hear it. This art littered their hallways - dark caverns of ancient stone floors and molding wood walls - and filled their minds like a daily bread loaded with reminders of sacrifice and perseverance. Solemn and quiet stirred throughout the still house. The shuffling of habits brushing slate tile under the murmurs of unconscious prayer.

Francis was not their first visitor to slip in through the black shall of night, her demon deliverance a quiet and common affair turned ritual as they traded her damp clothing for dry woolens and blessed her with holy waters. Her head would rest on down pillows that night and, like so many others, would stir no more.

Writing Prompt Ninety-One

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

Foresight

This seems to be the mantra floating around my house at the moment and it bears sharing with the rest of you. In today's world we are seeing that with the fluctuations of the economy it is becoming absolutely necessary to be capable of doing more than one thing as well as have an ability to adapt to changing tides. This could mean doing any number of things, but the bottom line - the key point here - is to do something. We need to be constantly growing, learning, aspiring, and charging forward... we need to be proactive about our lives, our families, our health, our careers. We need to be on the look out for opportunities and we need to be willing to take a risk every now and then.

What is the biggest risk you could imagine taking? In my world, that means taking a risk in myself. Not playing the stock market or investing in a company... but investing in me. My health. My success. My abilities. My intelligence. But it's a risk that I must take if I ever want to achieve the goals I've set out for myself. It's because of this that I'm leaving a secure, safe job as a secretary to go to school. That's right, as mad as it sounds, I'm leaving a job that is Monday-Friday, 8-5PM, full benefits, retirement, and paid vacation. It's a cushy job, too, where I could probably earn a distance degree in business administration or Social Science without batting an eye. But there would be no risk and there would be no reward. I want more for my life and so I am taking time each day to do something that will get me closer to the future I want.

This means writing and writing every day. It means exercising and eating healthy every day. It means going to school in the summer - moving to a new city - leaving my comfort zone - building a business - learning new skills - and challenging myself to take on a difficult major. It means not taking the easy route even though it is well paved and clear of pot holes. It means having faith in myself.

For my husband this means developing a second skill. He is a college mathematics instructor who enjoys teaching, but like all of us, would love to be able to own his schedule and be free of the confines of a conventional job. To this end he's been researching programming and the different languages that exist in that world.

So what are you doing today for tomorrow? Where are you investing your time? How are you building yourself? What does your future look like?

Writing Prompt Ninety

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

Pigtails

On a backdrop of war and tyranny the laughter of a child slips through to the aging cracks of my consciousness. With brown eyes bulging out, head tilt back, and the tip of her tongue pressed up against her nose she burst forth with magical energy that sent shocks of life back into bones I not so long ago thought crushed.

There was a war raging, hadn't she heard?

In her blue dress and pigtails she danced on mortared soil. Her stage and curtains market by the yellow sheets of her mother's once fine house hanging from wires. And though I was not one of them, my desert tanned skin pale to their milk chocolate complexion, so careful were they to tend my wounds that every kiss that girl placed on my hand, my forehead made each scar worth the burden it carried when it was earned.

If ever, in my years to come, I wonder why I fought; if ever, in those years ahead, I miss my limbs too much, I will remember her song as she collected burnt flowers and the sweetness which followed when she would bow her head.

Inspired by: Photo

Writing Prompt Eighty-Nine

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

Writing Prompt Eighty-Eight

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

Writing Prompt Eighty-Seven

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

Writing Prompt Eighty-Six

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

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Writing Prompt Eighty-Five

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.

Writing Prompt Eight-Four

Guidelines:

Length: 800 words or less

Deadline: None

Submission: 

• Submit via email to beauxcooper@gmail.com
• Copy your story into the Message box:
• Include:
• "Writing Prompt #____"
• Your return contact information marked with a "(P)" for private if applicable
• Public contact information you would like me to reference if your piece should be selected for feature.
• This can include your website or blog as well as your social media outlets: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.
• Optional: A photo of you
• Your story
• Please copy and paste into the body of the message, however, if you have a special format design for your story (such as moments of centered or right alignment, size, etc.) attachments are accepted.

Award: My favorite submissions will be featured on beauxcooper.com as well as all BC's social media outlets with all links connecting back to your blog/social media/website/etc.