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 Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 30 JUNE 2025: Just a little about me. I've been married for 33 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. 50 STATE TRAVEL BLOG PROJECT, SUMMER 2025:
Merit Badges Collected from Virtual Blogging &Virtual Blogging Friends: ![Merit Badge in Let Dreams Take Wing
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To my upcoming virtual traveling blog companion. Dream big and fly high!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Let_Dreams_Take_Wing-2335469_1.gif) ![Merit Badge in Normal Is Boring
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here's to another week of creating adventures!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Normal_Is_Boring.gif) ![Merit Badge in Blog Camping
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Thanks for completing [Link To User elusive4lyn] July 2025 blogging vacation!! Great job!!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Blog_Camping-1788309_13.gif) ![Merit Badge in Travel
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Woohoo! We’re halfway through!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Travel-1975.gif) ![Merit Badge in BCoF 2
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Thank you for your participation in BCoF's 50 States Virtual Blogging adventure.
*^*Heart*^* Lyn](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-BCoF_2-1901868_14.gif) ![Merit Badge in Endurance
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51 days of blogging takes commitment, and you rocked it.
*^*Heart*^* Lyn](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Endurance.gif) BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Nonfiction
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Halloween
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to Witchy Woman   for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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| EAGLET UPDATE Friends of Big Bear are reporting that an Eaglet died in the winter snow storm that hit 2 days ago and they think the remains might be in the nest but it's hard to tell because there's still a lot of snow. Sad news indeed! I'll keep on top of the story. FAST FOOD So my husband just sent a text and asked us if we wanted Frostys from Wendy's. Since I'm on Weight Watchers and just ate my fair share of thin mints, I said I'd pass but the boys are in. It got me thinking... What's your favorite Fast Food Restaurant? I suppose my #1 favorite is IN & OUT BURGER because the burgers are very fresh and they have great tasting fries. Service is good and the price is good but they only do burgers. They have a special menu like "animal" style and "protein" style -- I'm more of an protein style person myself. #2 would be MC DONALDS because I like their small fries and hamburgers. And I like their pies. #3 POPEYES - I like how crispy the chicken is. Of course I'm a wing lover and they have good pies too. #4 EL POLLO LOCO - because I like the flame grilled wings and salsa. Okay, the hubby is bringing back a thin mint frosty. I can't pass it up... Sigh.. Smiles to all Steph |
| Oh no!! The 3rd Eaglet is missing!! Here's the update: I think about 2 days ago the 3rd Eaglet was there and then there was a winter storm. They have video of Jackie all covered in snow sitting on the Eaglets and now that the weather has cleared, there's only 2 eaglets. Curiosity has my cat! Where is the 3rd eaglet? I hate to suggest it, but did it die? Is it in the nest? Did one of the parents take it out? Where's Shadow? Hunting fish? I want answers!! To that, I find the story of Jackie & Shadow and their eaglets have really have interested me. I'm invested. Why? Is it because I'm watching nature in all it's gritty glory? Do I appreciate the fact that Jackie and Shadow are two committed parents and working hard to be good parents? I believe Jackie & Shadow have been together since 2018 and come back to this nest ever since. They've laid eggs every year since 2018, but they've only hatched in 2019, 2022, and 2025 - every 3 years. I want to see what happens. That said, eaglets are pretty ugly. Just my 2 cents. Question: do you want to see what happens to the Eaglets? |
| Thought I'd share some random misc thoughts today before I gotta go nap before going to work. CHEESE I like cheese. Mind you, I'm not a fan of the smelly cheeses. Right now I'm eating a Fritos mild cheddar with my chips and really enjoying a quick snack. My favorite I suppose is mozzarella, but I like asiago on my bagels. Bruschetta anyone? I haven't had that in a while. PARTY CAKE PEEPS So I found these at the Ralphs today and brought home a pack. Not quite my Dr. Pepper peeps, but I haven't been to Walmart in a bit. Me and Andy tried a peep and the damn thing was so sweet it made me pucker. I'll have more about peeps in upcoming blogs... HAMBURGER SOUP So it rained a lot today in So Cal and I made hamburger soup for lunch. It was simple but perfect for the day. I'm staying on track with the Weight Watcher goals and the needle has moved a lil but I'll report more in a bit. BASKETBALL Well the NBA doesn't have much left to the season. I'm not a big basketball fan, but I follow when I can. My favorite team is the Celtics, having grown up in New Hampshire. I like the Clippers and Zubacs - never was much of a fan of the Lakers, but I like them more now that they have Luka Doncic. He has to be my favorite player. I got his Mavericks jersey when they announced the trade. Still not a LeBron James fan, but I'll watch the Lakers for Doncic. Can't wait to see what shakes out with March Madness Collegewise with basketball. Last year the USC women's team made it to the Sweet 16 and being a USC fan, that was exciting. I'll be sharing more basketball thoughts as March & April wear on. Question: Why kind of soup do you enjoy when it's raining out? And if you have a favorite Basketball team or player, give them a shout out! See you later... Steph |
| Retirement is two years away for me, so I decided a retirement seminar at work. Mind you, it was on the off time in the middle of sleep cycle so my body's a bit annoyed with me right now. I thought I would learn more about what to expect, but I've been to a retirement seminar before so for me it was a tune up. I'm in pretty decent shape, but there I need to make sure my retirement system for the city of LA (we call it LACERS) needs to make sure I'm "married." Can you believe it? For the past 25 years they thought I was single and I've been married for 33 years now. Sigh... City govt snafus, right? I plan on retiring in 2 years on 28 FEB 27. I'll have 27 years with the city of LA and after buying 7 years of my military time, I'll have a total of 34 service credits. Just means more $$ in my pocket when I retire. Right now I'm looking at a rough estimate of $8,000 monthly when I retire and that's not counting what I'll get from deferred comp. And if I wanna collect Social security when I hit 62 that's another $800. When I retire, I'll be 59 years old and I'm ready to enjoy it, trust me. I could retire tomorrow if I wanted to, but the hubby doesn't retire until FEB 28 so I'm going a year before him. We are not staying in California upon retirement. The state is absolutely INSANE with it's taxes. We are moving back to New Hampshire. It's a long story, but the hubby said we're moving out of state when we retire. I said, Okay, I'm willing to go to Nevada or Arizona. He said he wanted to go to Idaho because that's were all the cops go. I said Idaho has 4 seasons and snow and if you're willing to do that, I'm going to New Hampshire were all my friends and family live so I can spend the rest of my years around my family and enjoy the tax reprieve. Shockingly, I didn't get any blow back and he was looking at houses in Canterbury the next day. There are lot of benefits, but I need to organize the madness and get my duckies straight. haha. What are your thoughts on retirement? Do you have plans? Cruise the world? Fish? Move? |
| I started writing short stories for VICTORY TALES PRESS back in 2010 and I think my last story for them was 2014. I enjoyed writing stories for their anthologies. They were always "seasoned" themed and I wrote the following for them: Christmas in Bayeux Gifts Feast of Candles Mr. Christmas Elf Young Witchcraft Night of Magic A Polish Heart Arrow Through the Heart Journey of the Heart Unfortunately, they stopped publishing in 2018 so I've been working to re-publish, going back and doing and edit where I can to add more to the story. Most of them now you can find on Amazon. The only ones not on Amazon are Gifts and Feast of Candles, and I'm working on Gifts. I always wanted these stories with Victory Tales Press to have an "international" flavor and so I see "A Polish Heart" in Warsaw, Poland during the springtime as Sofia and her family are preparing for Easter. Mind you, I don't know a lot about Poland so when I wrote the story, I did a lot of research, and I hope it shows in the book. It's a sweet romance, so there's no mainstream sex scenes. I vary my heat levels when I write as I realize some don't mind the sex scenes and some do. Why Poland? I thought I'd explore my Polish roots, as I'm about 1/4 Polish which I get from my mother's side. I've only been to Poland once, when I took a USO tour while stationed in Germany in 1996 and we visited a pottery factory which was pretty cool. Here's the Blurb for story which is avail on Amazon Kindle and in print.  With Easter around the corner, Darrin is assigned to work in Poland for two weeks. Outside of his comfort zone, but up to challenge, Darrin is determined to do his best. Sofia is assigned to work with Darrin upon his arrival, but will their attraction hinder the job, or will a higher power give them the nudge they need to finish the project and find their way to each other? Here's the link to the Amazon page:
If you decide to pick up the book, it's much appreciated. Leave a review and I'll send a Merit Badge of your choice your way. Finding your Roots question for you: where are your family roots? Have you visited the country of your roots? |
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| I love a good sci-fi story. I think the first one I saw that really resonated with me was Star Trek. I loved going into Space with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. Then came along Star Wars and I was on the ride with Luke and Leia. I think what I love about sci-fi is the far away future and what it implies. In Star Trek there was a community of space travellers in the federation and in Star Wars, there was the technological world of Coruscant. What both stories/series do well is capture the human condition. I always wondered what it meant when Star Wars started "A Long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." What happened to the advanced past? Did humanity blow up only to start all over again? Did AI take over? Is the lesson not to let AI take over like in the "Terminator" movies? There's near sci-fi and far away sci-fi. Star Trek & Star Wars is probably far away sci-fi, but the series, Capri, and Terminator could probably be near-sci. Near sci-fi is kinda interesting. What's lurking around the corner? Which leads me into past life regressions and QHHT - If you are willing to suspend belief, some of the things you'll discover are mind blowing. But do you believe it? Question: How do you think the world will change sci-fi wise in the next 20 years? Will a pill cure everything? Will we use med beds that contains vibrations and frequency to heal us? Will we become telekinetic like Jean Grey from the X-Men? Will cars fly? Enjoy a couple of my sci-fi stories:
PS - believe it or not, Dr. Pepper Peeps are real. |
| Today, the boy's old boy scout troop, Troop 2 out of Newhall, will have their annual chili cookoff. Even though the boys are out, I still enjoy a good bowl of chili so I reached out to the organizer who said, come on by and be a guest judge. Who am I to refuse? While I'm not actively involved in Boy Scouts anymore (now Scouting America) , I think I will probably always think of it as Boy Scouts. Andy joined the troop in 2013 and Joey joined in 2017. At first, I wasn't very active. My husband enjoyed all that camping stuff and he was pretty active with Andy. When it was Joey's turn he was all gung ho, but then got a job working vice in LAPD and the hours conflicted with the time Joey would need to go to scouts so I got involved. At first I just took him, but as less dads stepped in to be leaders, I reluctantly raised my hand. I started off as a Den Leader, then Cubmaster and became an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 2. I was an active committee member and I my position was activities. I helped to plan several summer camps and weekend overnight outings. Most were car camping outings, but there were a couple of backpacking adventures. I never camped when I was kid and honestly, I didn't really get into camping until my husband started camping with the boys. The one thing camping reminded me of was growing up in New Hampshire and being out in nature. Honestly, my appreciation didn't really hit me until I started camping. There's something to be said about getting up early, camp breakfast and camp dinner. It builds character. Back to chili. In 2018, Milia and I hosted the first annual chili cook off for the troop and it's been going ever since. We started meeting at Castaic Lake, but the venue has switched throughout the years. Joey's patrol won several awards for their "BIG BEEF CHILI" - that's what they called it. The boys did all the cooking. I just supervised the dutch oven and the coals and made sure no one got hurt. The last year Joey's participated in, their patrol won 2nd place. Not bad. If anything, I learned that everyone likes different kinds of chili. Question for you: Do you like your chili with beans or without?  |
| Good day to all -- I'll try not to ramble, but I wanted to check in and do a post. This will probably be about Misc. things, but one of the big motivators for my checking in is --- did you know --- There's a post 7 days in a Blog and get a merit badge? I had no idea. And it's kinda' motivating me to check in.  I've got lots of misc thoughts but I thought I'd ramble a bit about home improvements. We've owned our home now for 25 years. I'm pretty impressed. We moved in DEC 1999. At time, we could barely afford it. We've refinanced twice, made it manage, and here we are. Our kids went from 0 to 23 and 18 in this house. It's a decent sized house, about 2700 square feet, but I've found that as we gotten bigger, the house seems to have gotten smaller. Heck, we thought it was HUGE when we moved in. That said, 25 years in the same house and you're bound to have natural wear and tear. We replaced the dish washer, washer, and dryer at least twice. We've had the house repainted in 2020. The hubby painted inside about 10 years ago. And back in 2019 we had the AC replaced - and we needed to give it some maint. last year. Now it's time for flooring. Our downstairs carpet has seen better days. There are 25 years of stains from pets and boys. Hubby and the boys are at the local flooring place looking at samples. It's the next great house adventure. I just want to say it hasn't been easy being a homeowner. I think one thing we didn't think about was having a budget for "home improvement," and if I had to do it all over again, I'd set aside some money for home improvement. Mind you, we had some pretty lean years. I didn't figure out about 529 plans until Andy was in Jr. High. It was about that time I started setting aside a little money for the boys to go to college. I also started using an envelope system. I started putting cash in envelopes to help out with misc expenses like car maintenance, saving for my USC football tickets, emergencies, vacation air fare, and my 52 week savings plans so I have some spending cash at the end of the year. Question for you: Does anyone else save using an envelopes? |
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