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Elizabeth Drake

Goal Update: Month One

January 31, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake 4 Comments

As I review my New Years Resolutions, I thought I would give a quick update of my goals to show I am holding myself accountable.

goals1

Writing Goals

Release Two Romance Novels / Write Three First Drafts

I am still on track!! I finished my January goals, and while I waited for feedback from beta readers that I need to start my February goals, I did get to work on March goals. Not a lot, but with everything else going on, I am really proud of myself for completing January at all.

WunderlistJan19

Not Wasting Food

That has been more of a work in process. There were *so* many leftovers after the holidays that we didn’t make this goal in the early part of the month. We got better as the month went on, but we were far from perfect. That’s okay. February is a new month, and I have started it by cleaning out the fridge. We’ll try again.

Moving At Least Three Days a Week

Okay, I wasn’t perfect on this. And the bar isn’t all that high.

goals2

Logging when I exercise has helped me learn a bit. With the new gym at work, I do manage to get at least two to three days of movement in. But they are all on workdays. I am terrible about exercising at home, even though we own a treadmill and elliptical machine. Time to do some thinking on how to get myself and my family into our finished basement so the opportunity to move more is at least there.

Logging Food

I have been pretty terrible about this. I am okay through lunch on workdays, but once I get home, I don’t remember. And, I have learned, I may have an after dinner sugar addiction. Hard to really see, though, as I have so little data. While I have identified the issue, I have yet to come up with a plan around it. Maybe I can set reminders or something in the app to ping me to log. Not sure. But I clearly am not remembering on my own.

 

How are you doing on your resolutions?

Filed Under: Resolutions Tagged With: First Draft, Food, Goals, logging food, moving, New Year's Resolutions, Romance Novels, Romance Writer, waste, Writing

Micro Fiction: Gift or Curse?

January 29, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake Leave a Comment

GodsGiftCurse

The gods’ gift felt more like a curse.

It revealed that men he’d liked and trusted were consumed by the same darkness that had once infested him.

But rather than fighting it as he had, they embraced it and the wealth and power that came with it.

Other he’d deemed cruel and selfish shone with the light of the gods.

His entire world, everything he knew, was gone.

But the only thing different was him.

Filed Under: Micro Fiction Tagged With: Curse, Gift, Gods of Light, romance author, Romance Writer

The Constancy of Change

January 24, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake Leave a Comment

On my way into work on a blustery cold morning without a spec of sunlight yet pinking the horizon, I succumbed to a bit of wistfulness as I drove past houses that didn’t yet have their lights on.

Back in 2011, that would’ve been me.

purple-3054804_640
Calm and tranquil

My husband and I both shower at night because of my allergies, so we could get up at 7:15 am, enjoy a cup of coffee and our breakfast smoothie while we watched the birds and squirrels in our backyard. We even bought bird feeders and heated bird baths to bring more creatures to our yard.

We then left for work at 7:50 am, each of us making it to work with plenty of time to spare. No rush. No frantic frenzy.

I didn’t bother packing a lunch because I lived close to work and came home every day. My husband made his lunch in less than five minutes.

At night, we made supper in a leisurely fashion, ate in front of the TV, and gamed or read books for the rest of the evening. We considered 11 pm a reasonable bedtime, though 11:30 or midnight was not uncommon. Weekends saw us indulging in our night owl preferences, and we’d regularly go to bed at 2 am then sleep until 10 am.

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We used to know great-horned owls were nesting in our backyard because we listened to them on weekends.

I start work now before I was even awake back in 2011. My husband and I get up at 5:15 am because there are four lunches to pack. We have to make sure the kids are dressed, their hair combed, and they eat breakfast. Backpacks to remember and the car to load.

I then head to work while my husband finishes up the morning routine, wrangles the kids into the car, and drives them to school.

While I start work earlier than I ever have, I don’t get home much earlier as I have pick-up duty. As hard as the kids are to get into the car and off to school, they are equally hard to gather up and bring home.

Then comes the emptying of lunches, going through paperwork from school, and making dinner while I fuss at the oldest to do her homework.

DoYourHomework
Please.

Why does a 1st grader even have homework?!?

Our house is anything but quiet ever. Once we could hear owls hoot. Now, we’d be lucky to hear a locomotive driving down our street.

There are also a lot more hugs, a lot more cuddles, and a lot more love.

Things may be hectic and messy, and I will never fit in with the dance moms, but the noise and chaos are part of this phase of our life. A part of having young children. And while I will never like mornings, I do love the grin on my daughter’s face as she runs out to hug me when she wakes up.

So many changes.

Makes me wonder what life will look like in 2025.

I’m guessing more changes.

Filed Under: Change, Time Tagged With: bedtime, change, mornings, not a morning person, not as young as I used to be, parenting, time, Work-life balance

Micro Fiction: Their Gift

January 22, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake

TheirGift

The darkness had nearly devoured him and taken all he was.

He thanked the gods every day for saving him, for giving him a second chance.

But part of him wished they had let him die as punishment.

Instead, they had blessed him with Their gift.

Filed Under: Micro Fiction Tagged With: Gift, Gods, Light, romance author, Romance Writer

Kitchen Remodel: The Abusive Relationship

January 17, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake

I have not talked much about my kitchen remodel. Not here on the blog, not to family, not to friends.

What started out as the most exciting thing, turned into a disaster. An expensive disaster. One that has cost more than either of our cars.

KitchenRemodel

If you remember, our first contractor disappeared. But, at least he had the grace to disappear without stealing our money or causing us lasting emotional harm.

I can’t say that about the second.

Yes, he showed up. But, after only a few days, we quickly learned what’s like to live with an abusive relationship. To constantly be on pins-and-needles as you wait for what sets him off next.

But you have to be so careful. This person has access to your house, your home, and you have signed a contract to trust them with the single most important room in your home.

So, when he tells you over and over again how much he hates your cabinets, how difficult they are (cabinets he specifically quoted a certain dollar amount over and above because they were difficult – so you’re paying for them), you listen, apologize, and tell him over and over you can’t return them as they were custom ordered.

When he tells you your kitchen designer doesn’t know how to design a kitchen, you plaster on a smile, nod, and promise you’ll work with the contractor along with the designer on the next job.

When he damages a door on your very expensive cabinet, but demands you go get the replacement and he’ll pay for it, you do whatever you must to get the door.

CycleofAbuse
Cycle of Abuse by Lenore E. Walker. We lived with this for over three months.

It’s a never ending cycle, and there is always something else he’s angry about and takes it out on you, the one paying him. But he has access to your house, so you shut up and take it. There is never a moment of peace, because even when he isn’t angry, you’re waiting for the next time he is.

Still, through it all, when you get home from work, you see a kitchen forming in the winter darkness. You sneak in with flashlights, as all of your lights were torn out when the kitchen was gutted, so happy for any progress.

Yes, the contractor told you 4-6 weeks. By the time it’s “done”, it’ll be over 14 weeks. He only works 2 hours a day, by the way, from 9am to 11am. He has other jobs, you know. He also doesn’t text or like phone calls. So if you want to talk to him, or he needs to talk to you, either you or your spouse have to coordinate to go in late to work so you can meet with him at 9am.

But progress is happening.

Then, you finally get electricity two weeks before Christmas.

And see your kitchen.

And see this:

10-C5
11-A2
23-D6
23-D6
11-A2
10-C5

You nudge the kick plates on your new counters, and they fall off. So you investigate, and you realize none are attached properly.

06-A6
06-A3

 

The more you look, the more you find. It takes 121 pictures to document it all.

Sucking in a breath, you stare at the second most expensive thing you’ve ever bought in your life and fight back the tears. It looks like you and your husband did it, not a professional you paid more to do it than you spent on your first new car.

You are mortified. You don’t want to step foot in the kitchen and see all the mistakes. You’re losing even more sleep as you now have to confront the abuser in the relationship, but this is your kitchen.

So you and your spouse go into work late again a few days before the Christmas holiday to talk to him about it.

He says he’ll fix it.

Christmas comes and goes.

It’s the new year. Still not fixed.

It’s still not done (the pictures taken above were taken after his “last day”), even though he says his last day is Thursday.

You discuss with the contractor doing a final walk-through on Friday after he’s “done”, and you and your spouse arrange to take off of work on Friday to go through the three page outstanding items list of issues you’ve found.

When you get home on Thursday, he’s left his final bill on the counter along with your garage door opener and a note saying, “Thanks for the work.”

You wonder if that means he’s not coming on Friday. Your fear is confirmed when he texts you (so he can text!) saying he won’t be there, he’s starting on another job on Friday. Then follows with the threat that if you don’t pay him, he’ll put a lien on your house.

Because anyone that does good work follows their bill with a threat about payment on the same day they deliver the bill. Yes, that was sarcasm.

Interestingly enough, if he’d have done a good job, I’d have been overjoyed to pay him and have my new kitchen.

I’d also have told the three people I know who are thinking about doing their kitchen all about him. Oh, I’ll still them all about him…

The good news: the abusive relationship is over.

I have notified him he has two weeks to remedy everything on the list and provided him with detailed pictures of the issues. If he doesn’t fix them by the date listed, I notified he will be in breach of contract and I will find another contractor to finish the job and deduct it from his final payment.

I am forced, by law, to give him the right to remedy. But, he will no longer be allowed in my home on his terms. He will be forced to give me the days and hours during which he will remedy, and I have to agree to them. No more 9am to 11am until he “gets it done”. My husband and I will both be here while he is so there is no “he said, she said” nonsense.

I don’t know if he’ll show. I don’t know what he’ll say when he receives the certified letter warning him about being in breech of contract.

He can, of course, try to put a lien on our house. I’ve researched it a bit, but he never gave us notice of his right to file a lien in the original contract or within 10 days subsequent to starting work. The law in my state says he must, but it’s doubtful that will protect us overmuch.

I hope it doesn’t get to legal action, but it might. Still, I am not sure how the courts could find this complete. I have freaking holes in my window and floors. My kick plates fall off. My trim is cracked, or not stained, or not attached to the wall. It goes on and on.

But, you never know, and it would be an additional expense. I haven’t yet researched if I can make him pay my legal fees if he loses.

I bought him and each of his crew a case of beer for Christmas, but that relationship is over.

I am still eating poorly and losing sleep because I don’t like confrontation or the unknown, but I will not be bullied anymore.

The cycle of abuse ends now.

Filed Under: Home Update Tagged With: abusive relationship, cabinets, contractor, disaster, emotional harm, Home Improvement, home project, Home Renovation, Kitchen, remodel

Micro Fiction: Wanting More

January 15, 2019 by Elizabeth Drake

WantingWhatYouCantHave

The people of Tamryn had no idea how good they had it.

He stared at the stone walls of his self-imposed prison.

Even this was far better than where he’d been.

At least until he’d met her and wanted more than he could have.

Filed Under: Micro Fiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: Denial of love, Flash Fiction, love, Prison, Romance, Romance Writer, What we Want

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