Mash-Up Monday

Evocative Orchids

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Mash-Up Monday!

I love flowers, especially ones that remind me of Guam, of home. Flowers like the rich hues of pink and purple and yellow bougainvilleas, and the uber-fragrant plumerias. But since plumerias and bougainvilleas are hard to grow in the Pacific Northwest (and since I have a self-proclaimed death thumbIMAG1415 as opposed to a green thumb), I don’t see much of these tropical beauties at all.

Orchids, however, are a bit different. These puppies can be found potted at the grocery store. The. Grocery. Store.

Not that I have an orchid anywhere in my home (note the death thumb reference above), but each time I see one, I’m transported to Guam. (Which is kinda weird since I don’t remember seeing much of these growing up!)

I feel the warm breezes like a soft caress while laying on the beach or by the pool. . ..I see the sun kissing wannabe-tanned bodies. . ..I hear the soft lapping of warm ocean water, and hard-working people taking life nice and easy for a change. . ..

As for the evenings? Well, let’s just say the evenings are best spent viewing the sunset with a special someone, a bottle of bubbly, and . . . playing out your best imagination. . .. 😉

Do you have a flower that brings you back to some place special? Please share!

Have an awesome week,
Melia

Life at The Male Observation Lab: Rescuing Sophie

| Melia Alexander

Happy Mash-Up Monday!

What I most admire about the dudes at The Male Observation Lab is their ability to make difficult construction decisions under lots and lots20140709_084829 and LOTS of pressure. Every now and then, though, these dudes take on the role of hero, like the time Sophie was rescued.

Picture it: Sophie had escaped a fenced-in yard, eager to check out the goings-on at the project site near her home where the dudes were working. Unfortunately, she had to cross two lanes of traffic to get to them. . .. And during the morning rush-hour commute. . . ..

20140709_090636That’s where our heroes come in. One of them, driving a concrete mixer truck, positioned himself behind Sophie and trailed her as she figured out which way she wanted to go, and effectively shielded her from other motorists. Another dude  then scooped her up out of harm’s way. Yay!20140709_090445

But her adventure didn’t end there. See, turns out that Sophie’s mom didn’t answer the phone when Rescue Dude called. So he packed her into his truck and brought her to the office. Correction. My office.

I wanted to keep her. Rescue Dude pointed out that we’d have a difficult time convincing management Sophie was a new employee, and – here was the clincher for me – her mom would likely miss her.

Before long, it was time for Sophie to leave. And, really, it was for the best. If I’d brought her home I’m pretty sure Bennett-the-cat would’ve packed a bag and left.

Have you ever helped rescue an animal?

Have a great week,
Melia

The Ultimate Sexy

| Melia Alexander

Lucky me to have spent an entire weekend as a spectator at a CrossFit Games this past summer! It was tough, I tell ya! I mean, an entire weekend surrounded by gorgeous, fit bodies. Bodies honed by hours at the box (gym), with good food, and a never-quit attitude. *Sigh*

And while the weekend was filled with lots of examples of sexy, I think there’s one kind of guy who depicts the ultimate in sexiness, one kind of guy who makes me think, “Yep. I could go for that!” Here are some examples.

My idea of sexy: a guy who adores his kids enough to take good care of himself so he can be around for them. And while some of you might not agree, I don’t think it gets much better than that!

So. What’s your idea of the ultimate sexy?

Happy ogling. . .. Ummm. . .. Happy Mash-Up Monday! 😉

Have a great week,
Melia

Kickass Women, CrossFit Style!

| Melia Alexander

Welcome back to Mash-up Monday!

Last week’s post was on the guys I’d . . . um . . . observed at this year’s CrossFit summer games. And while I’d toyed with the idea of a CrossFit hero, there’s a part of me that believes a CrossFit heroine would be a better fit! Check these out.

The competitors were incredibly inspiring!

I dunno about you, but it seems to me a kickass CrossFit heroine could be an interesting story character in a romance novel, too. What do you think?

Have a happy week,
Melia

CrossFit Men at Work

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Mash-Up Monday!

This summer I had a much-needed break from reality when I made a road trip to one of the CrossFit games in my part of the world. I spent a couple of days surrounded by incredibly fit dudes who made me wonder just how much time they spent at the gym. Don’t believe me? Take a look!

He made it look so easy!
Rippling muscles . . . . *Sigh!*
Great . . . uh . . . “form”
I think I could watch this all day!
There are no words. . ..
Hand stand walk . . . Better them than me!
An example of what the guys looked like after a round!

Should one of the heroes in a future story involve a CrossFit-like hero? Maybe. But first,check in next Monday and see how the women did!

Have an awesome week,
Melia

 

Around the Block

| Melia Alexander

And a happy Mash-Up Monday to you!

Summer block parties in our part of the world are so much fun! One of the more popular ones brings in arts and crafts vendors, includes local breweries and wine bars, and sports at least six band stages throughout a three-block area. Oh, and there’s food, too! Between the food carts and local restaurants, with everything from grilled meats to vegan, there’s no way you’d go hungry.

The whole block was one huge party. Check out the pics!

Fun!
Beautiful blankets for sale
One of the stages – I couldn’t get close enough, but trust me, it’s there!
Stuff for sale
A band on one the front porch of one of the homes
Food!
More fun!
Another impromptu street band. They were quite popular!

All in all it was a totally fun time with Mr. Alexander!

Do you enjoy block parties?

Have an awesome week,
Melia

Bouquet

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Mash-Up Monday!

Ah, summer flowers. . .. I love the variety of available bouquets available this time of year. And since flowers grown in my garden are pretty much at my mercy, I try not to plan on too many of them surviving. Thank goodness our local farmers’ market has vendors who have a much greener thumb than I do! Here’s some of what was there recently:

P1170419And, of course, I had to take one of them with me. 🙂

P1170422Once I got the bouquet home, I realized I wasn’t the only one who appreciated pretty flowers!

P1170428Don’t you just love summer bouquets?

Have a happy week,
Melia

 

Champions in Motion

| Melia Alexander

Happy Mash-Up Monday!

A few weeks ago I spent an afternoon watching world champion athletes in a track and field competition. They were the best of the best in the junior division and came from all over the world to our little neck of the woods. They used poles to jump over raised bars (what the heck are those called?), they ran (a lot), they jumped across sand boxes, and they threw stuff (these disc-like thingies).

Here are some pics:

It’s all in the deets!
What the women looked like at the end of one of the races where they ran. . .. A lot
Jumping into a sand box
One of the men’s competition. They ran a lot, too!

And all the while I thought about the dedication these young people give to their sport, working to hone their skills so they’re able to compete at such a high level. I imagined the hours spent learning form, and pacing, and actually going through the motions needed to embed it all into muscle memory.

Then it occurred to me that there isn’t much difference between sports and writing – at least as far as the dedication part is concerned. As a writer, I had to learn craft, including pacing, and I had to go through the motions of actually getting words on the page.

In my crazy-busy world with a husband, two nieces, and a demanding day job, this isn’t always easy, and there are a ton of excuses I could use NOT to sit my butt in a chair and get the words cranked out. (Especially before I actually sold a manuscript.)

But one of the best pieces of writing advice I’d ever gotten was from my writer-pal Delilah Marvelle. She told me that the habits you create BEFORE you’re published are what will help you once you’re published. . .. Because the writing doesn’t get any easier. You know something? She’s right!

Learning and studying craft are one thing, but actually developing habits that let you exercise your craft are another. These habits help build and improve on your writing skills. And these become the building blocks for becoming a great, productive writer.

What do you think?

Happy Monday,
Melia

At the Car Washer

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Mash-Up Monday – my chance to blog about something that doesn’t fit into the other four blogging days. 😉

This one’s way silly, I know, but on my last trip through a car wash, I got the urge to take photos just to see how they’d turn out. Yeah, I’m weird that way!

Check these out:

Not sure why, but this particular trip was exceptionally wonderful. I thought it was cool, and it gave me the giggles! Trust me, it doesn’t get much better than that. And, yeah, I’m easy. 🙂

Have a wonderfully cool week with lots of laughter,
~Melia