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You have a blog, you’re writing a book, you own your own business, you have kids, you have a home, you have a life, and they all seem to run like a well rusted machine. How do you do it? What is the secret to keeping a balance between all of life’s obligations? The crank shaft in life is seizing up and you don’t know how to get the oil between the gears. I have asked many professionals throughout my…
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This morning I was on a writers’ check-in (DelveWriting.com) and we were discussing what the definition of a writer is. Several of my fellow writers felt they were not being taken seriously by their family and friends. We all know we are writers yet the lack of outside support brought the whole idea into a bit of a question mark. When is a writer a writer and how is that defined? Just over 3 months ago my personal life made…
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I have just returned from a wonderful weekend in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado! This was the Vietnamese Heritage Camp at Snow Mountain Ranch. Our whole family had an incredible time and this is our view on the event. We went up on Thursday evening to allow us time to get settled and find out the where and when of things. We had dinner at the Buckboard Grill which is right there at the ranch. The menu was your basic…
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The artistry of Bat Trang is well known throughout Vietnam for its beautiful ceramics that have been created for over 700 years. Vases of the finest quality have graced the homes of aristocracy, rice bowls have held the food of the farmer, and electricity goes across the country using Bat Trang insulators. Young men, in expressing the strength of their love for a woman, promise to build a home from Bat Trang bricks. Thanh Hoa potters founded Bat Trang sometime…
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Vietnam is a destination. The reasons for travel to this wonderfully complex country very, for us, it was for our son, Cody Luong. This emotional adventure began 1996 when my husband and I made the decision to adopt our second child rather than going at it the traditional way. Our first step was to contact Jefferson County Social Services in Colorado. Our intent was to adopt a child at least 2 years old, but younger than our daughter who was…
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The boats skim smoothly across the water as a drummer sets the cadence. Oars push the boat headlong through the water at speeds exceeding four meters per second. Over the past 2000 years, Dragon Boat Racing has spread across the world. Hidden in legend and folklore is the origin of the race, but the common tale is the tragic legend of Qu Yuan (c. 340 to 278 B.C.) born in China during a time of great political changes. He was…
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It is a known fact that Dust Bunnies can take any shape, size or color, and the little bits of matter that collect on them are unique to every one of them. Every time I sweep under my bed, move the couch, or just look in a corner where they like to mingle, I see them up close and personal. One rolled out just the other day with green particles clinging to it like a tail of a dog. It…
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I recently completed editing my Great Grandfather’s book that was about his life as a railroad man in the early 1900’s. It was inspirational to read his words and be a part of something he started to write when he was 70 years old. Grandpop was 70 while he was writing his book and is now long dead. It is only now, in 2013 that his book is nearly ready to publish. As I sit to write my own book…
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What is going to happen tomorrow? Where are my children? What happens if it never stops raining? How will I get all this done? Why do people have to lie? When will the world end? Why am I here? What are they going to do? Where are they now? How am I going to survive this? Will she be OK? Paper or plastic? That constant pressure of worry that precedes the future with questions that cannot be answered. The window…
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If you are under 40 you may want to stop reading now as you may not “get it” yet. If you are over 40 then read on and feel free to nod anytime you hear something familiar. Aging sucks! There it is. Bold as brass and hanging out there for the world to see. If you are still in your youth, you too will get older and get those cranky moments in the aging process. The first thing to go…
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