Cia

Hmm... yours is good Renee. I like Simon's sassiness too Frostina. I have to say this is my favorite though, it highlights 'Richard' so perfectly to me.

LOL. Curtains be damned! Nice glutes lady! and abs... shoulders... Yoga has done that body good!

Or... what a concept... use paper and pen. OMG! Who would have thought? Snickers. I hate writing by hand but I know a lot of people still do. Boggles the mind, right?

I'm a packers fan though not one of those rabid ones. I'll be around on Superbowl time. I watch but can't sit for a whole football game on tv. Mostly it depends on how good the game is. I hope it'll be a close one, those are the best to watch!

As posted elsewhere these stories are not available at this time.

This sound weird but she will be family but not 'in' the family, so to speak. I've got some odd family dynamics, case in point that 2 weeks ago I was at my stepsister's stepsister's baby shower 2 weeks ago and knew all my stepmom's ex-husband's family as if they were my own, to the point where one 2nd cousin still calls me cousin too. You can make just about any dynamic work and seem normal to a child, as long as everyone is on the same page. You're trying to do what's best for the kids in the long run keeping in contact and good terms with the mother. She will be some part of them so being a part of their life won't be uncalled for. But you and Mike will be the parents and she has to understand that. And don't feel bad about the passive/aggressive thing. I am a bit more 'agressive' about it but if I feel someone is hinting or making oblique comments about things to get me to do what they want rather than just talking to me I'll do the opposite almost every time. I hate it, especially when it's snarky type comments. I think a lot of people object to that sort of treatment because it smacks of manipulation. No one likes to feel as if they are manipulated. Yesterday was Wednesday, where's our ultrasound results? You've made this a community event now!

I'm going to echo the preceding comments. Your take on the surrogate isn't anything like your take on parenthood. Besides, umm... it's not like you have that warm mushy feeling about women, even if they are carrying your child/children. It should not be expected at all. If you are polite but firm about the role she has in your family consistently throughout the pregnancy it will be easier for everyone,I think. I'm sure your contract is quite clear on legal claim on the baby/babies and while that sound might cold it's for your kids sake. They don't need that sort of ambiguity, even as newborns. Neither you two nor the surrogate need the stress. Oh, and all parents want their kids to leave them alone or just go away at times. I can remember wailing once when my daughter was about 4 months old and wanting to nurse while I desperately wanted my lunch. We were alone with no help and we both had a good cry. Then she got to eat and I got to enjoy re-heated soup. Such is life. Just last night both my kids piled on my lap and were squirming while I was trying to read. I dumped them both off and said, Not right now! You can be a good parent and still need your own time and relaxation for yourself. You're not nearly as good a parent if you don't have some balance.

Awww... sympathy overcomes hostility and then lust shows up. Gotta love it! Poor Blaine has to feel for another critter without a home to go to, they can be homeless together! The only thing I noticed in this chapter was that you switched who the pov was coming from a few times, but it's not distracting and easily marked by the story around the sections.

Yeah, Christian would wake up to slashed tires, busted headlights and non-existant windows were it me! You really do set the mood for the story in this first chapter! I remember this is the first story of yours I ever read, well before I 'knew' you and I was impressed with it back then. Still am!

I have brothers who are twins and my dad is one too. Yeah, glad this story did not continue in that vein! It's a great read though

Uranus!

So you like soccer, huh? Nice pic! Hey Patrick, your fugly is showing!!!

This is definitely a lovely story about how just because you're young doesn't mean you don't know what always means. The awkward teenage moments made me smile and the ending was just right, a good blend of just enough future information to know how it turns out but a good repitition of the events when they were teens to make it blend seamlessly. I have to say one thing though, a good photographer can never see a spectacular sunset or landscape photo opportunity without at least wishing they could take a picture! Though as it was his first day with a camera I suppose he might not have gotten bitten by the camera enthusiast bug yet.

Horny young men! I liked how you wrote that in though, showcasing how close it made them feel emotionally and physically. The scene at the end with the initials in the rock was just sweet. That Jarrod is a smooth talker, though you can tell he means what he says. Loved the story, thanks for posting!!

Thank goodness I've never gotten sick up in the woods. That'd be miserable. We have ticks everywhere too but I've never gotten sick from a bite. The rescue in the beginning was quite dramatic, I could almost hear the waves crashing over them as they struggled to get out of the break. The tension between Jarrad and Joel is just growing and growing. Great chapter!

LOL, awww, oh yeah you have NO life. Sounds like you have more than enough life to keep you going! And treats along the way, sweeet!

LOL. Yes it does. I never thought that I could write more than a short story or that I would fizzle out if I tried to write a longer one. That's really hard to do when you have readers who leave reviews and comments. It's easy to stay enthusiastic about writing when you get feedback. It's a wonderful outlet so keep going!!

I love that you used that in a story! I try to do that sometimes, like taking photographs and specific images. For one story I had a guy fall out of a tree with his camera, which I've done. Thankfully I didn't hurt myself though. Anyway, I love hearing what inspires stories for people. For me it's been photographs, memories, emotions, magazine articles, dreams. I've found that I will get small flashes of ideas or scenes, stories, or even just lines by characters at random points so I try to keep a notepad and pen near me at all times. I knew you used scenery and landscapes from your own trips, but that you actually came across a hiker carrying a surfboard is a really cool bit of inspiration.

Long term goals are best served with short term goals. Set a weekly goal with small steps along the way. Say, have so much of the book re-read by a certain date or have a talk with one family member about a certain thing that you feel needs to change. Pick your battles, take your time, don't get discouraged. Life is complicated.

LOL, thankfully he loaded up 2 more chapters!! That cliffie is quite evil I love this story and Iarwain's posting here on GA finally!!

Now I remember why I like your stories so much! So many things I love in them. The ocean and swimming, though I've never surfed, hiking, camping and last but not least, photography! The characters are so well rounded and 'real'. You give just the right amount of detail that I can 'see' the setting and characters but it's all so naturally delivered that a reader aborbs details without realizing it. You have been one of my favorite authors for quite some time and I'm really glad you decided to start posting here as well! Can't wait for part 2!!

I sooo don't do that! When I can't sleep I plan house layout and decor in my head for my dream house. I've done it since I was a kid, the more detail the better. Usually I don't make it upstairs before I crash out. Sometimes just the landscaping does me in

I'm glad you like the character! Dane is... well he's a teenager. I tried to stick as close to a shy teenage boy as I could, not having been one myself and all. Thanks for the tips and suggestions, by all means, feel free to do that with any reviews you do. I find myself often in the same boat when I read and as a writer I am always trying to learn so I welcome anything a reader has to offer that might be helpful. Thanks for much for the review!

You've created a good setting for your characters and I like the varied secondary characters in the first chapter. That being said I think something you need to focus on is showing the story, not just telling it. You have large patches of dialogue without any speech tags which can be confusing and you don't use any sort of descriptive language throughout the story, with those scenes epsecially. A good example would be in the beginning when Jim and Adam meet and introduce themselves. Do most well off, most likely 'manner-schooled' men not shake hands at that point? Another spot could be when Adam tells Jim he's gay and talks about his ex and you have, 'I could tell this was very difficult for him to tell me.' How could he tell? Was Adam hesitating at parts when he spoke? Was he fidgeting, clenching his hands? Try including small details like that throughout the story and it will be much richer and your readers will be able to 'see' it much better.

Dates are definitely hard to pinpoint. I was initially due with my son mid-september. Then I had an ultrasound at 10 weeks and they said, oh no, you're 12 weeks along. I said, No way! Not possible (he was a very planned child) and my doctor shrugged and said well then you have a baby that implanted and starting growing right away. Then due to problems I ended up having him July 29th. So yeah... even after the first ultrasound I had him 5 weeks early from that due date. See, all babies grow about the same rate in the first trimester so when they measure the fetus from crown to rump they get a good indicator of how 'old' they are Any ultrasounds before you get at least that measurement are not to be taken as set in stone, if ever, like 10% of women have their babies on their due dates. Also, if you get pics of the ultrasound and it's a 4-5 week one don't be surprised if you don't even see a 'bean' shaped baby yet. Often those early on ones look like a ball with a pulsing spot inside, the lovely heartbeat. My niece was born to a military family on 9-11 this last year and it actually meant something very good to them. Something to celebrate that is a reminder that the joys in life goes on, even if people we value do not. The twin thing... extremely hard to know until those ultrasounds and you get past the first trimester. My twin brothers are identicals so they split off from one egg and were born just fine, at term no less, the same with my dad. I have another sister who was initially a twin as seen on an early ultrasound but the other embryo did not make it past the first trimester. Right now you are a parent to be and now subject to the rollercoaster we all live on. Kids keep you guessing from the second you decide to try to have them, through all the perils and joys of conception,pregnancy, and childhood. Your days of being certain are OVER! Welcome to the theme park of parenthood. We'll go over the 50 million things you MIGHT sometime need that you stuff the diaperbag/backpack with in a few months. Oh, and remember, breathe!