Saving Camelot Part Three

I sigh as I am finally released from my confinement. I spent long enough in that interrogation room as it is. I scan the precinct bullpen, mildly noting that there were only technological differences that made it different from the 21^st century, with the clickity-clack of  a series of consecutive typewriters replacing the hums and clicks of computers. I wonder how they kept all the info, such as rap sheets and what not, on file back then.

I really need to stop thinking that I don’t belong here. It will not get me anywhere when it comes to tracing down Kennedy’s supposed killer. I am going to need to blend in with this old fashioned society to be able to work successfully.

Unfortunately, the first person I happen to lay eyes on is Mr. Paranoid himself. He glares at me, and I unflinchingly meet his gaze, trying not to smirk at the one small victory I achieved today.

“I cannot believe my brothers were stupid enough to let you go!” His voice booms through the precinct, causing more than a few heads to turn from their work.

“Look, we kind of got off on the wrong foot…” I begin

“Breaking into someone else’s apartment will.” He interrupts.

I sigh, frustrated and impatient by his loud, boisterous tone that tells me I will get nowhere by making amends.

“Look Nick,” the blond detective breaks in. “We told you that it was all a misunderstanding. We hired her to do some work for us and we gave her the wrong apartment number is all”.

“Work,” Nick scoffs, “You mean work by infiltrating the NYPD and taking all its secrets and weaknesses back to her motherland.”

Now this claim is so ridiculous, so preposterous, that I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing outright. Part of me wants to like this man called Nick. A very small part of me. The same small part of me that wants to like a certain writer who follows certain members of the NYPD around back in the century I belong.

“We showed you her birth certificate!” Jarrod interjects coming in from behind me. She was born right here in New York the same as you, Heath and I.

“Well we will just see about that,” Nick responds, his voice calmer but still angry. “Ya don’t have to be from Russia to be a spy.”

He approaches me, jabbing a finger in my face. “I’m going to prove what you’re up to lady, you can be sure of that”.

As he walks away I feel my facial muscles stretch into a grin. It’s been a long time since I have met someone truly this entertaining.

The blonde detective, apparently named Heath, smiles back at me. “Well now, if you can handle my brother’s shenanigans then I don’t think you will have much trouble with the job ahead,” he tells me vaguely.

“How do you..?”

“Not here,” he stops me. “Wait till I take you to the sight, there at least some of your questions will be answered”.

"We will meet each other again, Detective. For now, you just follow my brother's lead," Jarrod says, gazing at me in a way of respect I have never quite seen.

I nod, once again making the choice to trust these strange men. “Lead the way.”

He escorts me down the precinct’s back stairwell, until we arrive at the parking lot down below the building.

“Unit three,” he tells me. I try not to totally geek out at the 1960s police cruiser, I must do my best to make sure I appear to be calm and professional.

I wordlessly slide into the passenger side, and as soon as he sleds in and makes himself comfortable we are off. We drive in silence, as I make a note of all the buildings and surroundings, noting the discrepancies between 1960s NYC and 2015 NYC.

After what seems like ages, we stop at what seems like the most obvious of locations, the Empire State Building.

“Quite the discreet location,” I remark, unable to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

“Sometimes it’s just better to hide in plain sight,” is all he responds with as he opens the driver's side door.

We enter the skyscraper, a monumental testament of progress for the city during the time it was created. I note Heath’s body language in the crowd and how he appears to be none too concerned, but his gaze is flirting to and fro looking for any sign of disturbance. I decide to fall back on my training and do the same for now, even though I really don’t know what I am looking for. 

I cannot help but feel a general sense of foreboding as the elevator begins to ascend the skyscraper. It is not as if I have not traced down countless number of killers by now. It's just, the very act of tracking down a killer of a murder that technically has, yet has not happened yet leaves me feeling uneasy, like there should be some sort of law against it somehow, someway.

The doors finally slide open with a ding to deposit us at an unknown floor, as I have not really cared to pay attention to the numbers as we ascended. The blonde detective, Heath is apparently his name, says not a word to be but gestures for me to follow him down a whitewashed hallway, past abandoned office after abandoned office. I wonder to myself about why they were going to such lengths to keep things secret. After all, would not making things just a little more public deter whomever may be planning to kill the president?

My thoughts grind to a halt however, as Heath opens one particular door to an abandoned office to let me in. I am immediately filled with relief as soon as I enter.

"Thank God you're ok!" Victoria exclaims, rushing to embrace me in one of her rare bone-crushing embraces. "As soon as I woke up this morning and did not know where you were or where I have been taken I..."

"Tory. Can’t...breathe!"

"Oh, sorry," she somewhat sheepishly lets me go. "We have a problem".

 "Of course we have a problem, we have to stop JFK's killer".

"That is not the problem".

 "Of course that is the problem! Within a few months..."

"Jasmine..."

  "...the president will be in Dallas and.."

 "Jasmine..."

 "....Lee Harvey Oswald will be the one to fire the shot and, well..."

 "Jasmine!"

 "What!"

"Do you not comprehend the fact that we don't belong in this decade!?"

 "Well?"

"We have bigger problems than stopping the murder of a president who has already been dead for fifty years! We have to..."

 "Not to worry, Captain, Detective," a familiar voice breaks in from behind us. "As soon as the work here is done you both will be sent back to the same moment as when you left in the year of 2015".

 "Now why should we bother to help you?" Victoria asked as she spun around to face the man who obviously was the voice on the phone earlier.

 "For the good of the country, that’s why," the man replied evenly, not in the slightest bit phased by Victoria’s tone.

"Now we don't know your name, how do you expect us to trust you?" I ask cynically.

"You shouldn’t," Heath, who has been silent for this whole exchange, tells us. "With the nature of the work you two are about to undertake you should not take the risk of trusting anyone, not even us".

 The grey-haired man smiled. "What Heath is trying to say is that in this investigation, anyone and everyone is a suspect. As for my name, you can just address me as agent".

Now it was my turn to be infuriated. "Agent!" I exclaim. "What are you, some sort of masochistic..."

"Hardly, Detective Wilson," agent responds, raising an eyebrow. "I respect both sexes equally for what they each are capable of".

 "And that is..."

 "Okay enough!" Victoria snaps, sending me a scathing look. "Now is not the time to argue about the roles of men and women. We need to get back to business here".

I glance back at Heath, who is suppressing a smirk. That blonde detective has been too quiet so far for my liking, and I don't trust anyone that quiet.

 "Okay," I say with a sigh, resigned to the work ahead. "So the obvious place to start with is Lee Harvey Oswald".

"We already brought him in thanks to his suspicious soviet ties and questioned him," Heath counters. "We have every reason to believe he is innocent".

"Well, Detective!" I snap. "Who do you think is behind this?"

"We suspect either LBJ, the Soviet Union, perhaps a combination of both," the grey-haired man answers for him.

I  immediately fall silent, chewing my lip as I process this information. There are a lot of conspiracies floating around out there on Kennedy's murder. If we don't know for sure who killed Kennedy, and we only have three months to work, then I suppose...

Victoria looks at me, drawing the same conclusion as I have just come to. "Looks like we are about to get intimate with the most powerful family in the nation".

Yup, this investigation is only gonna get weirder.

The Getting to Know Me Tag!!!

I was tagged by Emily McConnel at The Imaginary World of Emily McConnel for the Getting to Know Me Tag!

Before we get started, just a quick side note for those of you following my Saving Camelot story. Part three WILL be up by the end of the week, I just need to finish some edits to it. It is technically midterms time for me at college right now, but instead of exams for history majors it means your professors go, "Here is an extra 50 page packet to read on top of the 350 page book I assigned" Yes, no fun :/ Next week though is spring break, which means extra writing time!!!! :D

 Anyway without further ado, give a big round of applause for, the Getting To Know Me Tag!!! (applause)

Vital Stats:

Name: Emily Miller!!! Feel free to guess my middle name ;) 

Nicknames: Em, Emmie, M&M, and probably whatever other variation of the name my professors decide to call me when there are two Emily's in class.

Place of Birth: The great Washington State!!!!

Worst School Subject: Combo of math and science. I hate both subjects with a passion. I have been out of high school for three years now and I honestly remember very little of it.

Firsts:
Best Fri and: Jesus!!!! Then I have had three really close friends in my life, all named Emily and having  a last name starting with M (not joking here ;)) Two of these Emily's have come and gone, with one still in my life (you know who you are ;)) But all of them still hold dear places in my heart.

This is Suzie Q, the pony I won first
 place for bareback equation on. This
picture was taken probably when I was
 about twelve.

Award: Honestly, I have several ribbons for kid's bible quizzing along with ribbons for craft projects I have entered at the fair. When I was ten (which feels like a REALLY long time ago now) I won first place for bareback equitation at my Co-op's one and only (so far) horse show.

Pablo and I ;)

Sport: Horseback riding!!! I love "my" crabby old paint horse, Pablo. I also know baseball practically forwards and backwards, and of course love my Seattle Mariners :) Debating baseball with other Mariner's fans during the season on the fan face book page has sort of become a hobby of mine.

Real Holiday: Last trip I took was to Seattle to see a Mariners game for my 16th birthday. It was a totally awesome experience to be able to miss school for. I would really love to see all the historical sights on the east coast.

Concert: I have not been to a concert since the eighth grade. The first, and only two concerts I went to was to a Brandon Heath concert at my church, and a concert by Kenny Rogers, an old time country music star. I would have loved to have the chance to see more old time country music stars in concert, such as Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. Part of the reason I like the old country artists is that most of them have released gospel cds during their careers along  with their other stuff. Other artists I would like to see in concert  in no particular order are:

1. The Booth Brothers-Great southern gospel group!

2. Brad Paisley 

3. Home Free

4. Kasey Musgraves

Favorites:
Film: The original trilogy of Star Wars plus Episode 7: The Force Awakens, The Hobbit Trilogy, Divergent, Secretariat, The Rookie, You've Got Mail, and Monyball, just to name a few ;)

TV Show: The Big Valley is one of my two top shows that I like. I do like watching this other comedy/drama police procedural, the show can have its naughty moments so I will not mention it here. It is another one of those shows that, like Emily McConnel was saying, can be fine for some families but not for others. So with that it mind, I will refrain from mentioning the title ;) I also really like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and the Dukes of Hazzard. I am for the most part into the older TV shows.

Color: Purple!!!!!

Song:
Favorite Hymn: The Old Rugged Cross, How Great Thou Art, Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Favorite contemporary Christian Song: Let Me Dream For You by Casting Crowns,  along with Shake by Mercy Me. There also seems to be a few new songs here and there on the radio that I really like, but I cannot ever remember the names to look them up, I really need to have a list ;)

Favorite Foreign Song: Baba Yetu and Kia Hora Te Moreno by Christopher Tinn.

Restaurant: Red Robin. I also love Olive Garden but don't go there much because its so expensive. My bosses actually took all the student workers out to Olive Garden this last Thursday, which was a real treat as I had not been there in forever :)

Books:
Favorite Fiction Book: A Hopeful Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer. This is a really sweet christian romance set in the Old West with a young cowboy who does not want to get his heart broken, and an eastern girl who wants to learn how to survive our west on a ranch, but struggles to do so.

Favorite Series: Toss-up between the Divergent series, the Lord of the Rings, and the Mitford series.

Favorite non-fiction book: Right now? Probably a book I just read for class, Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King Jr. It offers an absolutely fascinating narrative of the Civil Rights movement that I would absolutely recommend.

Favorite Textbook: While I do not think this would be considered a textbook, since I am using it for a textbook in class I am going to count it. The book is called Upon the Alter of a Nation: A Moral History of the Civil War. I love this book because it is fascinating to read and offers facts on the Civil War I previously did not know.

Currently:
Feeling: Awake, I am almost always feeling super awake at night.

Single or taken: Taken by Jesus, but otherwise not taken.

Eating: Nothing at the moment ;)

Watching: Well, I re-watched several of my favorite episodes of Star Trek earlier this weekend...

Waring: To be honest? Darth Vader Jammies. Darth Vader is my all-time favorite villain.

Future:
Want Children? Until recently the answer has been no. Yet lately I feel like God has placed on my heart to be a mother, so now for some reason that I really cannot explain other than a divine God, I am looking forward to having kids when the time is right.

Want to be married? Definitely yes! As I stated before, I fell that God is calling me to be a wife and a mother someday. Though I struggle with issues of not feeling mature enough or being able to take care of a home well enough for a husband. All in God's time though. I am slowly learning to be content with the stage of life I am at now before God brings someone in my life.

Careers in Mind: Curator at a Civil War museum!!!

Where do you want to live? I don't know. I want to live back east where the civil war history is. At the same time I would miss my family, friends, and my favorite baseball team here in the PNW.

Do you believe in...

God-YES!

Miracles-YES!

Love and first sight: Such a cliche thing that I don't believe is true.

Ghosts: I believe demons can take on human form and be the ghosts some people think are actual spirits of dead loved ones.

Aliens: No, it's all government aircraft. They just don't tell us the truth ;)

Kissing on the first date: Definitely NOT! Currently, I am on the fence as to if the first kiss should be saved for the actual engagement or the wedding. I am kind of leaning towards saving your kiss for your husband at the alter.

Yourself- Yes, you have to have a basic sense of self worth to be able to succeed. That, in combination with God's help at granting you success, will take you far in life.

Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to respond to each of you ;)

Saving Camelot Part Two

I don’t know how long I am left sitting on the floor mulling over the recent turn of events in my mind, but eventually I hear someone turning a key in the lock of the apartment door. I bolt up, hoping against hope that it is Victoria and that we can finally talk things over, but instead I am met with quite the surprise.

The dark-haired man who enters and I study each other for the longest moment, both quite taken aback to see each other.

“Um, Hi?” I say, breaking the silence and delving into what is about to be an awkward conversation.

“Who the heck are you?” he asks in a gruff, brazen manor, shoving the newspaper he had been carrying underneath his arm.

“Detective Jasmine Wilson, NYPD,” not thinking of anything better to say. Inwardly I kick myself. If this is the 1960s there are going to be few women cops, most certainly not serving as detectives.

“There isn’t no female detectives that I know of,” he answers me quite predictably, narrowing his eyes.

“Are you some sort of spy working for the Soviets? Looking to break into my apartment and go riffing through my notes to see what kind of government secrets you can take back to your motherland?”

Yep, definitely 1960s.

“Now, one thing I most certainly can tell you is that I am no Soviet spy. But the reason why I am in your apartment is kind of far-fetched,” I say, attempting to keep my voice even. “I don’t think you would believe me if I told you the truth.”

“Try me, or I will see if the uniforms at the 12^th will buy your so-called explanation.”

Dang it! Ummm…

The dark haired man smirks. “Uniforms’s it is then,” he says, heading for the landline.

Later, I am studying the walls from within one of the 12^th precinct’s interrogation rooms. They are noticeably the same, except with a color of paint in the most obnoxious hue of green imaginable. Why the color is anyone’s guess. It sure as heck is not part of 21^st century regulation.

The walls divert my attention from the fact that I currently have bigger problems right now, along with a little teeny tiny detail that I don’t belong in this decade. I hope that whomever the mysterious caller was from earlier, has a way to get me out of this mess. Otherwise I will most likely be charged with B&E along with espionage, if the man from the apartment has his way.

A detective enters, and we lock gazes, his brown eyes meeting my blue ones. His eyes are not those of a person who is about to interrogate me. Rather, they study me thoughtfully, almost if he is sizing me up for something. Finally, he takes a seat across from mine, a strand of blonde hair falling across his forehead that he halfheartedly attempts to brush aside.

“I took the liberty of calling an attorney for you.”

“Oh how nice,” I sigh sarcastically. “As I remember I did not request for one to begin with.”

“You are going to want one if you want to be out of here within the next couple of hours and onto your real destination,” he tells me flatly.

Real destination?! He could not possibly be in on this whole Kennedy thing, could he?

Suddenly, A man enters the room, and I am at first taken aback by how he looks like a slightly older and more mature version of the man I met at the apartment.

“My name is Jarrod Barkley, and I am here to serve you as your attorney. I apologize for any inconvenience my brother may have caused. He is a journalist, and that has caused him to go a little bit off his rocker. Lately has been suspecting anyone and everyone he comes across of Soviet ties.”

I raise my eyebrow at this bit of information. I can’t blame the man really. If I found someone in my apartment one morning, which was apparently his apartment before mine, I would naturally think they were up to something. I am a cop, after all.

“Did you get him to drop the charges?” I am getting tired of sitting here, and the green paint color is staring to make my head spin. I have work to do.

“I can talk him into it, especially when I tell him the truth.”

“What truth?”

“You know what I am talking about,” his baritone vice tells me seriously as he takes a seat next to mine. 

They are in on this! I don’t know if I should be relived or nervous. I feel like they are both sizing me up for the task at hand and its starting to make my skin crawl. Instead of letting it show, I fix both men with a steely glare in turn, hopefully getting across to them that I am not easily intimidated. 

“As soon as the charges are dropped and the paperwork is filled out you will be on your way to your destination,” the blonde detective adds after a pause.

I sigh. I don’t know who these men are or what they have to do with my situation, but right now my only apparent choice is to trust them.

Saving Camelot Part One

I wake up with my head beating savagely. A moan makes its way past my lips as I lazily move to stuff my head underneath the pillow. 

I vaguely register the honks and angry shouts of the streets below, the sound of New York City at rush hour. I try to pull up any scrap of information from my sore brain that could help me recall what exactly led me to this state. Yet no matter how had I try, I cannot possibly think of any event last night that could lead me to feeling like someone dropped a ton of bricks on my head, followed by several bags of cement for good measure.

I glance at my clock that usually reads the numbers to me bright and clear no matter what time of day it happens to be. That is when I noticed the first anomaly of the morning. My 21^st century clock on the night stand had been replaced with one of those old fashioned circular ones, most certainly not mine.

My teeth sink into my lower lip out of frustration. SHE must have put it in here late at night after I was asleep. And they say one has to worry about the little sister getting into the big sister's stuff...

The metallic taste of blood enters my mouth as I plot out ways that I might kill Victoria and get away with it. 

Dang it! I run my tongue along my lip. You think after a while one would be able to kick this particular habit.

With a sharp inhale, I haul myself out of bed and over to the window, where down below lies another anomaly. Instead of the modernized taxis that are a staple on the New York streets, the roads are lined with cars that look like something out of an old-time car show I had to investigate once.

The beating in my head increases in intensity, causing me to stagger back as the room begins to sway. I stumble out of the room and go crashing into the wall, defiantly an impediment to my progress to the bathroom where a bottle of Tylenol that may as well be the Holy Grail is currently calling my name. Rather pathetically, I pull myself up using the hall table, and stagger into the bathroom, grabbing hold onto the sink to prevent myself from miserably crashing down once more. 

Tylenol, Tylenol. I rummage through the cabinet. I swear if Victoria took the last of it I’m gonna.... 

My thoughts stumble to a halt when I do not find my painkiller of choice but instead a bottle of aspirin, A quite oddly labeled bottle at that. Ah well, beggars can't afford to be choosers. 

Unscrewing the cap, I quickly shake out and down two pills, gulping water from the faucet that a vaguely notice looks different from usual, almost like a faucet you would find at your grandmother's apartment.

Sinking down to the yellow-tiled floor, which also looks old school, I drop my head in my hands as the pain starts to slowly subside. My detective mind begins to race through the evidence that I have so far been presented to me on what is turning out to be an absolutely terrible morning.

Now that my head is clearer, I try to think about what happened the night before. Was I hit on the head chasing down a suspect? My fingers cautiously probe around my hairline feeling for the telltale sign of a lump or bruise. I wince as my fingers probe the back of my head and come across a nice-sized lump.

I cannot recall a single event from the previous evening, most certainly not one that could have led to this. More importantly, where was my sister? For a women who always happens to be up long before I am, unless there happened to be a body drop somewhere in the city, she has been noticeably absent ever since I woke up. Unless…

A long ringing shakes me from my thoughts. I make a move to stand and head back to the bedroom where my cellphone lies on the nightstand, only to be stopped in the hall by what happens to be a land line telephone sitting on the very table that I used to pull myself up with.

My fingertips brush the phone, as tentatively, I pick in up to answer.

“Detective Wilson,” a mysterious, older-sounding, male voice answered.

“Who is this?”

“My identity you will find out soon enough. All you need to know for right now is that officials have sent both you and your sister to try and stop the murder of our President, John F. Kennedy. Your sister is currently safe, and you can expect to see her soon enough. When a man comes to the door later on this morning, go with him. He will protect you and ensure that you arrive to the destination unharmed.”

“What destination?! Who is…”

My questions are cut off as the line goes dead. I am left staring down the hallway of my apartment clutching the receiver without really taking note of much of anything as I try to process the phone call I had just received.

Something tells me that every bit of this is real. While I am relieved to know Victoria is all right, I am also filled with a certain sense of anxiety and dread, as a billion questions race through my mind.

We have to stop JFK’s assassination?

Why?

How?

Have Victoria and I really been taken back to the 1960s?

The Infinity Dreams Award

I was nominated for the infinity dreams award by both Faith P. and Emily McConnel! I would like to thank them both for the nomination. I really had fun with this one, so I answered both of your questions, included facts about myself, as well as questions of my own. So this is just a warning for kind of a larger than usual blog post ahead. Hopefully though you have as much fun reading this as I did writing this!

Facts about Me:
1. I am a daughter of the King
2. I love following and debating about my favorite baseball team, the Seattle Mariners.
3. I am super obsessed with Star Wars and to a lesser degree, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Voyager. I am not one of those Star Wars vs. Star Trek people though, I just can't decide!
4. I love drinking hot or iced teas. I am a coffee person as well but in the long run I prefer tea over coffee.
5. I go to college on a beautiful forested  campus we call Narnia when it snows in the winter.
6. I am majoring in history with a minor in political science. My dream is to work in a museum in the future.
7. I am kinda addicted to pens. Whenever I see a set of pens in the store that are of a unique size/color, I have buy it. I also buy a new set of pens at the beginning of every school year regardless of the fact if I need them or not.
8. I rarely ever wear tennis shoes. I don't know why. I really don't have anything against them. I just prefer boots in the fall-spring and flip-flops in the summer.
9. I would rather be hot than cold. I utterly despise winter and the snow that comes with it and prefer 80 degree summer temps. Right now, I have an electric blanket, a comforter, and several thinner blankets on my bed because I hate being cold that much.
10. I love the American Civil War and Old West eras.
11. My favorite foods include buffalo hot wings (and just any kind of dish that includes chicken), macaroni and cheese, and pasta salad with a vinaigrette dressing. I could live off of these particular foods for a while without growing tired of them.

Questions From Faith:

1. What's your favorite color?
Purple all the way! It is such a fun color

2. Do you like movie soundtracks?
Yes and no. I honestly like bits and pieces of movie soundtracks but never the whole thing. The music has to inspire me in some way, or else I won't like it or get bored with it rather quickly.

3. Would you rather run a 5k or do extra chores for two weeks?
Running a 5k would kill me, so I would take the extra two weeks of chores. As much as I hate chores, doing extra for two weeks would probably help me to feel more humble about doing them.

4. What's your favorite kind of pizza?
Anything without loads of veggies on it. Now I have nothing against veggies. Eating pizza with a lot of vegetables just kind of contradicts the idea of eating a junk food like pizza in the first place. Yet, that it just me ;)

5. Any books with 2016 releases that you're looking forward to?
Honestly I don't think so. I prefer to stick with book series or authors I know, and as far as I know they don't have anything new coming out this year. Plus with being a college student and all I have very little time for reading for fun, unfortunately :( I am slowly but surely, as time permits, re-reading the Mitford series by Jan Karon this year, which I would highly recommend.

6. Favorite school subject? Least favorite?
History is my favorite subject! I am majoring in it in college and just love the stories individual people can tell to make up the bigger picture. I HATE science. I have always thought it to be weird, and have never quite understood it.

7. Favorite classic book?
Little Women! I just got a copy of the book on my kindle that I am very excited to read.

8. Would you rather walk a ridge-beam or spend 6 hours in total darkness?
Spend six hours in total darkness, the reason being connects to the next question...

9. Do you have a fear of heights?
I have a fear of being up high without being supported by anything. I can not get up onto a roof or even a ladder without being terrified of falling. Despite this though, I love going on rides like the Ferris Wheel and Super Round up (though I hate roller coasters). I also can ride a horse without any problem.

10. What's your favorite animal? Least favorite?
My favorite animal is a horse. My least favorite is a snake.

11. What's your favorite book of the Bible and why?
The Psalms. I find that book to be so uplifting and encouraging.

Questions from Emily:

1. You have been thrown into  Western story! What sort of job would you have in this story and would you find yourself in trouble a lot?
A pony express rider! I think I would find myself in trouble a lot as I would get too curious about the places I ride to and start to nose around.

2. Time to travel! You can only go to these countries: Germany, Denmark, India, Serbia or Mexico. Where do you go and why?
Germany! There is so much WW2 and Cold War lore about the place that would be fun to explore.

3. You are going to travel in the USA for the summer and these are the states you can go to: Georgia, Texas, Utah, Colorado or Missouri. Where do you go and why?
Texas, partially because I want to see if there is still a down home good ol' boy feeling about the place (I feel like I am very much a southern person at heart). Then there is of course the opportunity to live on a ranch and go horseback riding each and every single day. Then of course the Seattle Mariners have division rivals down in Houston and Arlington, so I could go see them play on a fairly regular bases. Texas is also very warm, and I love it when it is warm outside :)

4. Would you rather fish or hunt turkeys?
I would rather fish because since my mom hates fish, eating it is such a rare trait at my house.

5. You have been kidnapped by vikings! Do you
Let them push you around and tell you what to do
talk their ears off and drive them crazy or
make best friends with them and join their gang?
Join their gang for a share of the loot.  

6. You have the choice between either working with the characters from Star Wars or the characters from Indiana Jones. Who do you choose and why?
Noooo! Such an impossible question for me! I think Emily came up with it just to torture me ;) Anyway, just because I am a history major I would have to pick Indy and the gang. I just think it would be cool to fight Nazis to get historical artifacts.

7. Do you prefer animated movies or real movies?
Real movies, because I think they have a deeper message. Not saying cartoons don't have a good message. I just think I watch cartoons for more of the enjoyment aspect of it instead of the underlying meaning. Real movies on the other hand I watch for the storyline and the bigger meaning that transcends the film.

8. What’s your favorite Christian movie?
War Room! Would highly recommend it. It is the first Christian movie in a while that has deeply convicted me to rejuvenate my prayer life.

9. If you were to meet one character from any book, movie, TV show, etc. Who would it be   why?
Noo! Yet another impossible question for me! I can only pick one though, and since I am currently re-reading the Mitford Series, I will have to say Cynthia Coppersmith Kavanaugh. She is a children's book illustrator in the series, and I just think she would be a really neat person to talk with and get to know. I would love to have her as a spiritual mentor.

10. Monkeys are attacking your house! Do you call pest control or take care of the monkeys Yourself?
Take care of them myself! Who doesn't love monkeys? 

 
11. And finally:
If you were to meet one of the disciples of Christ, which one would you want to meet and what three questions would you ask him?
I would have to say John. I would first ask him what exile was like. I can be a very introverted person at times, but I don't think even I could live in exile. Then I would ask him what Jesus himself and being a follower of him was like. Lastly, I would ask him if maybe, possibly, if God were to allow him, could he share any more of what he witnessed or at least go into more detail about what God showed him that led to him writing the book of Revelation.

My Questions:
1. If you had to pick one sport to follow for a school assignment, which would you pick and why?
2. Would you rather ride a horse or ride your bike?
3. Someone offers you an undisclosed amount of money for you to ride the ride you are most afraid of at the amusement park. Would you take the offer?
4. What is your favorite parable in the bible and why?
5. What is your favorite book series that you would read over and over again?
6. What is your favorite/preferred kind of footwear and why?
7. If you had to choose one kind of food to live off of for a year, what would you choose?
8. If you had to pick just one foreign country to visit for your whole entire life, where would you go and why would you go there?
9. What is your favorite tv show?
10. What is one foreign language you would like to become fluent in?
11. You have been sent to jail for a crime you did not commit. Would you...

...File an appeal?
...Try to escape?
...Hunker down, do what you are told, and try to make the best of it?

Did you make it this far? Congratulations if you did! Leave a comment answering the questions if you would like.

A Courageous Love Part Three

I'm Back!!! Real life had just been, crazy to say the least.  I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas! Here is the long awaited part three to my Civil War story!

To read part one of this story, click here!
To read part two of this story, click here!

General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army

I awake later with a start, trying to find my bearings. I am lying on a bed that feels like it has been stuffed with rocks, and as I glance around, I recognize the stagnant smell of the camp hospital tent. Jim is in the bed next to mine, lying fast asleep and quite frankly looking no worse for the wear.

I shift slightly in an effort to sit up, but immediately regret it when pain starts to shoot through my arm like a knife. I glance over, recalling the bullet wound I sustained in the forest. Someone has removed my uniform dressed me in what I suppose is a male nightshirt with how baggy it is. There is a hint of a bandage peeing out from the shirt, and my arm itself has been done up in a hasty sling. My quick evaluation leads me to the conclusion that I probably will fully recover, but that is not the real issue here.

They know I am a women. I will be sent home and forced to re-integrate myself into the normal, boring life of being a women. It may even be worse, I could be sent off to prison, or to a sanitarium, or...

Jim starts to stir sleepily in the bed next to me, and I immediately shove these thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Ohhh," he groans as he wakes. "My body been through better days. I feel like I have been marked over by the entire Yankee army."

"You still look every bit like the charming man I married," I respond with a smirk. Despite the shades of grey that are currently clouding my fate, I still flirt with my husband. Heaven knows I have not been able to casually flirt with him since before the start of this war".

He charms me with one of his dazzling siles that I love. It is perhaps not so shining as I remember, however, due to the pain he must be in right now. He is about to offer a reply when both Generals Robert E. Lee and J.E.B Stuart stride into the hospital tent towards our beds, and my fears about what will become of me come rushing back. My husband's eyes shift from the generals to me and back again, his gaze filled with worry.

"Madam," General Lee was the first to break the ominous silence, removing his hat.

"What is your name?"

"Kathleen Hotchkins. sir," I respond.

"This here is my husband, Jim," I gesture over to the next bed.

"Ah, I see," the General said, nodding his head toward my husband in greeting with a knowing twinkle in his eye. The next thing he had to say to me caught both me and my husband completely off guard.

"Major Harpor, or should I say Mrs. Hotchkins, I hereby promote you to Brigadier General over my entire Calvary "General Stuart here is set to be your second-in-command".

Stuart sends me a loathing, hateful look at this announcement which clearly caught him off guard. I make a mental note to never be alone with him without a gun. i am pretty sure he is the kind of man who would shoot me without a second thought, regardless of the fact I am a women.

On the other side of me, Jim is looking between me and Lee, grinning widely. While this news is welcome, I know there is one thing that presents and issue I just have to ask about.

"With all do respect, sir," I begin slowly. "Won't the men have an issue serving under a women?"

The General sighed and rubbed his temples. This was clearly a problem he foresaw as well.

"Unfortunately, Madam, I am afraid you will have to keep up with your disguise. If this becomes an issue, then..."

"It will not be an issue, sir," I say, cutting him off in the surge of excitement  I was feeling without thinking of his rank. This earns me another scowl from Stuart.

"I volunteered to fight this war, and I intend to do anything under my power to see it through until the end".

"Very well then," Lee says as he replaces his hat. "I want you to report to my headquarters for further instructions as soon as you are fit for duty".

We both salute each other, then Lee turns to leave with Stuart, who is eyeing me over his shoulder as he retreats. I then turn to clasp my husband's hand in relief. Sure this war is not over yet and there are set to be long days ahead of us both. For now though, I am content to just sit back, relax, and think of what lies ahead.



There it is finally finished! Sorry for the wait! Please be sure to comment and subscribe and I will do my best to respond. For my next post, what do you guys think of doing a "Write This Piece Challenge"? If you have not heard of them I will post a song, and you guys write a scene based on any inspiration you get from the song. Thanks for reading!

Never Forget

No matter how old you were, or what your current view on politics is, it is important to never forget what happened on this day fourteen years ago. Only twice has America been attacked on her home soil, at Pearl Harbor and on 9/11. The  images of smoke billowing from the twin towers, from the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania have become engraved in our Nation's history, images that we have been determined to never allow to take place again.

Yet, these images can teach us something on a personal level. It can teach us to live out each day as our last, because we can truly never know when our last day will come. So I encourage you today to do a few things:

1. Pray for wisdom for our Nation's leaders-this is something we should be doing now more than ever.
2. Pray for the families of the victims of 9/11, who are still dealing with their loss fourteen years later. Also pray for victims suffering from various illnesses from the attacks.
3. Pray and ask God if there is something he wants you to do right now, today, that you have been putting off for too long.

Lastly, here is a song by Alan Jackson, titled Where Were you When the World Stopped Turning, to commemorate this day: