* Ray Sorensen, Maria Sorensen, and Me Part 2 *

I was digging through some of my various boxes of old photos last night....(I am not at all organized when it comes to my photos!)....when I found these. I spent a couple of weeks in Iowa in September of 2008. I visited my brother and sister-in-law first in northern Iowa, and then my cousins in Greenfield. This is when I actually met Ray and his wife, Maria. (I had heard of him for years, and about his painting of The Rock, and other murals in the town.)

I'm the one on the right, in case you can't tell....the one having a very bad hair day and looking as if I'm wearing a maternity top!! Acckkk!! Believe me, if I had a better picture of myself with them, this one would not be posted on my blog!

Aren't they just the cutest couple? They look like they're 16 years old!! This was taken inside their newly opened studio.

This is what The Freedom Rock looked like in 2008. Every Memorial Day, Ray repaints it with different patriotic images and sayings...honoring the military, both past and present.

So, in little over a week, there will be new images, on both sides, and actually all around the rock. It really is impressive.

** Ray was interviewed on the Fox Channel yesterday morning, and you can watch the video on the Sorensen's blog.   He was intervied via satellite from the TV station in Ames, Iowa. BUT, they left out the best part....that The Freedom Rock is right outside of Greenfield, Iowa!! It seemed to me as if they implied it's near Ames, which is about 100 miles away.

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him". -- Abraham Lincoln

** Hey, I Know This Guy!! I Know This Guy!! **

(photo: courtesy of Redbook Magazine)

Ray Sorensen - Winner of Rebook Magazine Husband Contest

This good looking young man just won Redbook Magazine's "Hottest Husband" Contest!

Ray (Bubba) Sorensen and his wife, Maria, live in Greenfield, Iowa. If you've known me or read my blog for very long, you know that the very small town of Greenfield holds a special place in my heart. My parents and grandparents were from there, and although they are all deceased now, I still love going back to visit. I wrote a weekly column for the newspaper there (Adair County Free Press), for the past two years, until I just recently went on hiatus to complete my book.

I met Ray and his lovely wife, Maria, the last time I was in Greenfield. They had recently opened their photography and art studio and proudly showed me around.

I knew of Ray's painting, though, for a few years. He is famous for painting The Freedom Rock outside of Greenfield on a two-lane country highway.

You can learn all about Ray and Maria Sorensen on the three links above.
Oh...and his prize for being the winner??...a trip which will finally be their honeymoon!

“It's not true that nice guys finish last. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts.” -- Addison Walker

(P.S. Please don't forget to scroll down and leave comments for my book give-away!)

** Ouch!....A Rejection E-mail This Morning **

Gee....I haven't seen one of those in a long time, and it's NOT because I'm constantly receiving acceptance e-mails. It's because I haven't been in the habit of submitting my writing lately. Partly because I'm working on my book, partly because even though I see tons of Calls for Submissions and Contests, I rarely send anything in, and partly because I'm just too busy blogging! (That's a whole other story, for another day!)

The rejection I received today was from Silver Boomer Books for a Grandparents anthology.

(I have no idea where I got this drawing! I remember cutting it from a newsletter or something, years ago.)

Oh well......I had my moment of disappointment, but then immediately got over it, because that particular story will be included in my book! ☺

“I'm disappointed, but I'm not going to run around like Dennis Rodman and head-butt somebody.” -- Greg Norman

(Is that quote hilarious, or what?!)

Please scroll on down and don't forget to enter my book(s) give-away!

** My New Contest -- Win Some Books! **

Welcome to my newest contest! This will be a little different from my previous contests. I have quite a few kids' books that I "won" at a silent auction last year, and I would like to give some of them away. Today's contest consists of three groups & each group has three books.

The first group (above) has: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball.

A to Z Mysteries: The Absent Author

Junie B., First Grader, Cheater Pants

This second group (above) are all Magic School Bus books.

The Magic School Bus Gets Caught in a Web.

The Magic School Bus; Field Trip Facts, Notes From Ms. Frizzle's Kids.

The Magic School Bus; Chapter Book, The Truth about Bats.

The first two groups consist of chapter books: for ages 7 to 10, and they are all Scholastic Books.

The final group of three are all middle grade novels by Judy Bloom: for ages 9 to 12.

These three are Dell Yearling Books.

Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself.

Iggie's House

Blubber

(All of these books are new. I've tried not to even open them, so they won't look used!)

** Contest Rules & Fine Print *

1) To be eligible, please leave at least one comment, per set of books. (ie: If you'd only like to win one set of books: leave one comment.....two sets: two comments....all three sets: three comments.)

2)  If you are not already a follower and you become one, your comment(s) will count twice.

3)  If you send over a friend or more and they leave a comment(s), you both will have your comments counted twice.

4)  The contest will end at midnight on Saturday, May 22nd, and I'll annouce the winners on Sunday, the 23rd.

I hope to receive many comments. In fact, I'd like to see at least 20 (not counting any doubles or triples!)

Please round up your writer/reader/blogger friends and send them over!

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." -- Jacqueline Kennedy

** Microfiction Monday **

I decided to give this a try, after seeing it on Janel's Jumble for a few weeks now. Hope I did it correctly! (Hey, Janel, give me a critique, ok??)

Susan at Stony River hosts Microfiction Monday. Susan posts pictures every week and writers take on the challenge to write 140 characters or fewer. (Twitter-sized) stories about the picture.

"Oh dear! What if my husband comes home early and sees his new bride receiving these jars from a delivery service? I told him I could can!"

** Another Manic Monday **

The weekend was a busy and fun one, and this week will be more of the same. It's the week of THE GRADUATION!! Yes, my "baby" graduates from college this week......sniff, sniff..... Where did the years go?

I think I've had about 2 hours of sleep since yesterday. Between Tiger and my new friend, "Arthur", it's getting more and more difficult to get a good night's sleep. Who is Arthur you ask? Why, he's the new pain in my neck....Arthur-Itis! (well....it seemed funny at 3:00 am)

I'll be back later today with news of my May Contest Give-Away.

“Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.” -- George Carlin

** Yikes! It's Sunday Already! **

I had the best intentions to write on my blog sometime Saturday, but obviously that didn't happen. It's just past midnight and I think I'll hit the old hay in a few minutes.

Later today, I hope to post my new contest for the month of May. I think it's a good one and will have slightly different rules than the other ones.

*Note: I wasn't able to send any e-mails most of Saturday. Every time I tried, they would get "stuck" and then I'd receive a message saying "try again later". So, if you've been expecting one from me, it may be in my "Mail Waiting to be Sent" folder.

“If you can read this, thank a teacher.” -- Unknown

** Alive & Well on a Friday Night **

As the title above states: I am alive and well and it's Friday evening.

I'm in the midst of another one of my many "projects".......which does not include writing my book. Never fear, though, the book is only getting temporarily pushed slightly aside, NOT going all the way to the back burner!

For those who asked and/or are curious: I'm still waiting for my lab results, but did receive my x-ray results. I have....and to quote my doctor, "a fair amount of arthritis in [my] neck, and a loss of disc height." (Hey! I can't afford to lose any more height!!) She also said she "was surprised [I] wasn't in any more pain than [I] described." (Well, I actually was happy to hear all that! It proved I wasn't complaining for no reason. And also, I've always thought I had a very low pain level, so I must be quite a tough broad, after all!)

I'm blaming my husband! He's a foot taller than me... and I've had to look waaaaay up... all these years!!