Nick woke up today asking, “what day is it?” And before we could answer him, he yelled out, “It’s Blue Friday, Game Day.” Nick loves football and especially the Seahawks playing football. He knows that football season is over each year in February with the Super Bowl and starts up again with the pre-season games
If you ask my cousin in Ireland how he is doing, the reply often is “Keeping the bright side out.” He explained this to me as when he is under pressure, he finds is easier to smile through the day, while working on keeping his thoughts moving toward the brighter side too. It is a
25 years ago we purchased our log home in Carnation from our friends Allen and Leonie Hunt. They are visiting with us this weekend. We remarked how both families have been blessed by our friendship. When we bought their house, we inherited their friends too. That has been a great blessing to us. Allen and
Yesterday Arden and I witnessed another Nick miracle. I took a picture. Over the weekend I had been playing Bananagrams with friends. It is a game where lettered tiles are used to spell words. Nick was struggling to pick up the tiles. We searched the internet and discovered that there is a similar game with
Last week we were at a family reunion in Ireland. We had a wonderful night with our relations. Nick had his picture taken with his 3rd cousin Gary Doherty. Gary is 5 months younger than Nick. Gary and Nick are both retired. During his career in the premier soccer league, Gary was called Doc or
Today I took Nick to his day program. He calls it school. The name really is Bridge of Promise and the program is based here in Carnation, WA. Nick loves it. They go on field trips and do group activities in the school room. There are students, teachers and volunteers involved in the program. This morning,
In the early 1980’s there was a dessert place in Seattle, that had the marketing slogan, “Eat Dessert First, Life Is Uncertain!” Arden and I adopted this as a family motto. Circumstances always remind us that life is uncertain. It is important to find enjoyment in life and don’t put off things that you want
Nick has been having a wonderful time in Ireland, until just after 10:00 pm Sunday night. Without warning, he had about 30 minutes of pretty intense seizures. It was particularly terrifying. Once the seizures had stopped, it took a little while for him to fully recover and now he is sleeping. Arden and I are
We took Nick out to the Malin Hotel to see his favorite singer, Shunie Crampsey. Nick is typically predictable. Some of this is his autistic behaviors, some is his determination. When we go out in Ireland, he likes a specific beverage that he only orders in Ireland – blackcurrant syrup with white lemonade in a
One of the main things that we recognize about Nick, is that he finds joy in many things. Situations that many people term the simple pleasures of life. Everyday he experiences something in his life that he feels is wonderful and it lights up his face. You can see an example of this in
Announcing that I have finished a book with the working title of “The Fairy Fort.” I am currently pitching it to publishers. Keep checking back to watch the progress of my newest novel.
Here is a quick glimpse of the story.
Sarah Doherty is an 18-year-old living in rural Ireland at the tail end of the Great War. Plagued by severe epilepsy, she is protected by her parents and lives a sheltered, secluded, lonely life. The Fae, local Irish fairies, interfere with her life. She falls forward a century in time through the local fairy fort of standing stones. She had a seizure in 1918 and woke up in 2020. The 21st century world includes life-saving prescriptions, physical comforts and the independence and freedom she seeks. The locals are welcoming and Andy Mclaughlin, a handsome young historian, is intriguing. She doesn’t want to return home.
Then a letter arrives from Boston divulging the story of Sarah and Andy’s lives that are deeply entwined in the previous century. They are not yet in love but as they seek to verify the letter through online resources, they feel a growing obligation to their unborn family and to each other. What would happen to their posterity living in Boston if they don’t return to 1918? Even if they do make it back, her parents can never know what happened to her or that would change everything.
This Young Adult time-travel romance explores the question: Do we have the freedom to make choices or is free will an elaborate illusion?
This is my third book. I love reading time travel romances. I am an advocate for epilepsy awareness because my 43-year-old son has intractable epilepsy. As a genealogist specializing in Irish research, I live part of the year in the village where the story is based. I wrote the book to help young adults understand that difficult situations can change your life. Sometimes miraculously.
