View From the 5th Grade Trenches: December 2012: Heartbroken

I am shocked and heartbroken by the unthinkable sorrow the families at Sandy Hook Elementary are going through. I know you are as well. 

I found a post on Facebook passed along from teacher to teacher that I've never met. It puts into words what my teacher's heart is feeling. I paraphrase a bit, but the sentiment remains the same.

Five days a week, we teach your kids. That means we

 Educate your kids

Play with your kids

Discipline your kids

Joke with your kids

Console your kids

Praise your kids

Question your kids

Beat our heads against a wall about your kids

Laugh with your kids

Worry about your kids

Keep an eye on your kids

Learn about your kids

Invest in your kids

Protect your kids

and yes

Love your kids

WE WOULD ALL TAKE A BULLET FOR YOUR KIDS

It's nowhere in our job description. It isn't covered in the employee handbook. It isn't cited in our contracts, but we would all do it.

Hug your kids tonight, really really tight and know they are always in our hearts as well.

The truth is, in this day and age, we do practice lockdown drills at school and teach the kids what to do in the event of a malicious intruder. It's tragic that we have to train our students for a potential outcome such as that, but it is a necessary precaution to keep our precious children safe.

Fangirl Heaven

Prologue: Monday and Tuesday - December 10th and 11th - the Kindle version of Journeys of Wonder Volume 2 can be downloaded for free. GO FOR IT.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Yes, I'm a fangirl. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Comic Con, Dr. Who, Firefly, The Avengers...

This weekend my daughter (Yes, I've raised a second generation fangirl) and I reveled in a Lord of the Rings marathon - all extended versions - at the Arclight movie theatre as we gear up for The Hobbit. Total Middle Earth immersion. There really is nothing like seeing films on the big screen.

Today, on his birthday I want to salute the person who awakened my fangirl self, lo those many years ago:

Donny Osmond

I have no proof, but I'm fairly certain he was singing Puppy Love to me. I was in hog heaven back on March 15, 1972 when D.J., Robert W. Morgan, played Puppy Love for 90 minutes straight on KHJ radio in Los Angeles. 

A lifelong dream came true this week when I FINALLY got to see Donny Osmond perform live on stage in:

It was AMAZING. I sang, I swooned, I was inspired. The performances by both Donny and Marie were stellar. So many times we build idols up in our minds to a place impossible to live up to. Not so in this case. Donny surpassed my wildest expectations. I hereby nominate him for national treasure.

Happy Birthday, Donny.

Who makes your fangirl/fanboy heart go pitter patter? Any stories to share?

Make Believe Anthology Featuring Lynda R. Young

Exciting news!

Lynda R. Young’s short story, Birthright has been published by

J. Taylor Publishing in the 

Make Believe anthology 

launching on  

December 3, 2012! 

 

Virtual cake for everyone!! 

Make Believe is currently available in e-book format and includes Paranormal Romance and Fantasy stories inspired by the image on the cover. This will make great holiday reading by the fire while you wear your fuzzy socks.

Blurbs from all the stories included in Make Believe can be found on the J. Taylor Publishing website HERE. 

Hop HERE to grab your copy. 

  Birthright by Lynda R. Young Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible. She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she's never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her. Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.  

About Lynda R. Young: Lynda R. Young lives in Sydney, Australia, with her sweetheart of a husband who is her rock, and a cat who believes world domination starts in the home. She writes speculative short stories and is currently writing novels for young adults. In her spare time she also dabbles in photography and all things creative. You can find her here: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads