Krista

Hey! Thanks for reading, I'm glad you found the story and like it so far. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon.

IRL I don't curse all that much at all, I have a swear jar to break the habit. I was so worried that the Kids' first words were going to be one of those no no words.. I think a lot of them have lost their meaning... although here people are still pretty reserved about expanding their vocabulary. I find it funny and a little endearing for an older guy to say a curse word in front of me, then notice that I was there and then get all red-faced and say, "pardon my language miss.." I'm like... aww.. lol. I'll personally never accept the C word though.. it is just too ugly of a word.. ugly sounding.. used in context is pretty awful too. Even in a jokingly manner.. I wouldn't appreciate it. I just don't like the word so I don't really want to hear it and I definitely don't want to be called one..

I hope to see you in your cowboy "suit," Steven.

But you should consult with your doctors. Any shortness or breath, light headed, dizziness, and the like can be the result of an underlying problem. Especially if it happens consistently. You may just be noticing it after sex, because you're on a heightened level of awareness. But it could be happening on lesser values doing other things that you're just not feeling. It also could be something you're not realizing you're doing. Like you may be tensing up or not breathing deeply/evenly... there are some people that don't relax or breathe correctly while running or exercising and that causes dizziness, trembling/muscle weakness, fainting, and such. Just being aware of those and teaching yourself to relax and breathe could help a lot. But yes, consistent problems like these - should - involve some discussions with your doctor.

Happy 4th! Have fun and be safe.

After we got home, the house had just begun to smell of overcooked food. Mom rushed into the house to see Dad fanning the oven with a dishtowel. The casserole sat neglected on the counter, the top of it a very dark brown. I watched, leaning against the wall as Mom inspected the casserole, poking at it with a spoon. From the smell, it was a chicken and broccoli concoction and I was glad I had already eaten. “I think it is still good,” Mom commented as she spooned a couple of globs of the mess

I don't like either. I love the smell of coffee though, freshly brewed. It is a nice smell, but can you even call it coffee anymore if you put a ton of creamer, sugar, and such in it? That 'is' the only way I can drink it.. and decaffeinated. I am not tolerant of caffeine in my system at all.. one mountain dew or a cup of coffee overloads me and I can feel my heart rate quicken and such. So, I stay well away from both of those. As for health benefits of coffee, I do understand those. Soda on the other hand, don't have any, so I'm leaning more towards coffee than any soda drink. There is a lot of sugar and preservatives in those and diet is far worse for you than regular. I am a water drinker. I like water and since I don't do well with caffeine it is my go to drink of choice. Also, Coffee isn't carbonated so no belching and less bloat.

Happy Birthday! Happy 18th! Behave.. lol.

Happy Birthday! :D

Jesse Bradford was a cutie whilst I was growing up as well.

Yeah a King Cobra is one venomous snake that I wouldn't try to wrangle into a garbage bin... they're too agile.. lol. I'm used to the fat rattle snakes and copperheads that move slowly unless they're coiled up to strike out at you... but the king cobra.. and well black mamba can actually run a person down to bite them. I'm thinking the Brown Snake in Australia is known for that aggressiveness as well... I know so much about snakes because of the hunky Jeff Corwin and the fantastic late Steve Irwin though... I could honestly watch them two all day everyday and not get bored. lol.

Snakes have honestly never bothered me, venomous or otherwise. I wouldn't ever own one as a pet, they're a bit too high maintenance and don't show affection. I know they're just a creature that will 'tolerate' you and not 'appreciate' or 'like' you as a dog or cat would. So I've never saw their appeal past the striking markings some of them have. I have wrangled copperheads and timber rattlesnakes into empty large garbage bins and released them farther away from the house before. I typically let non-venomous snakes go wherever they please, as long as they don't begin to nest under the house/porch.. Lizards and frogs on the other hand... completely harmless and they make me a bit repulsed.. lizards more than frogs. Tree frogs and the sort are cute little things.. but lizards they're so zippy and unpredictable.. lol. Spiders don't freak me out either.. I am more repulsed by fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and roaches... blech.

Happy Birthday!

For some reason: For Sale: Baby Shoes, never worn... Caused me a sort of small sadness. As a mother babies out grow their shoes in a blink of an eye, so I was always looking for new shoes for them to just turn around and grow out of... So the "never worn," aspect of baby shoes sent my mind to the loss of a baby that never got to wear shoes... (I blame the sad country music I'm listening to right now) of course the other version that came later was.. "maybe they were just ugly shoes.." But heh. So maybe one can write a story in six words... it is our minds that run away with the rest of it.

Dragon Age: Origins Dragon Age: Inquisition I can play those for ages... I'm a story-first sort of player anyway, so I'll never really be too immersed in gaming. It took my awhile to get into Mass Effect, but after a few times playing them I find the story to be growing on me. Especially towards the end of Mass Effect 2 and into 3. To Ace: My younger brother made me play Gears of War with him... and I remember that one scaring the hell out of me and causing my brother to laugh his ass off... I'm sure it is a nice story, but mercy I don't think my 30 year old heart can take it.. lol.

Eh, scratch that. I just need to focus on writing...

Thanks for reading! Sadly in some cases the 'mother' of the child gets more attention and less scrutiny in custody hearings over children - there is just this stigma to single fathers.. but I'm seeing that change a lot. I'm glad you liked the first chapter!

A lot happens before this excerpt, but the story really takes off after it as well... I honestly think after the chapter that has this excerpt I figured out what I wanted to do with this story. This story actually started out as a Heterosexual story back in my younger days in high school. It was about a girl that had a father who wanted a son. Instead he of course got the daughter... I may one day write the story - it will be distinctly different than this one.

Hell I need to go back and read the story again... lol. I've forgotten a lot and I read through some of the later chapters and really liked the characters again. Made me miss them anyway.

Happy Birthday!

Lol. Just sic Jenny on him if he starts mouthing off. She has a good right hook on her if I remember correctly. It isn't a bad idea - there are some things I left on the table not sorted out for sure. That's okay! These features are for that purpose too! To bring light to stories that may have fallen under the radar now that they are completed and years old. If you do check it out, I hope you enjoy the story.

Maybe if my mind can come up with something really juicy for them... they ended in such a happy place that I want that to continue for them... lol. Some of my reservations about doing a sequel for these characters, is that TBY "is" going to feature those big moments heading into the Senior year that you don't get to see with SiS. Even if those characters are distinctly different, I would mostly get bogged down in those scenes if I revisited those milestones so frequently. Although, I do have small snippet stories planned for TBY after it is completed already... you can likely guess what those would be if I ever get the next chapter for that story posted.. lol. (if you're reading that story, that is). But I have been known to change my mind like the wind changes directions...

Thanks for commenting. Part of the reason I chose this story for the feature as well, is that I feel from beginning to end - it showed how I grew up a bit as a writer. I remember reading the first 10 - 12 chapters and thinking that the story was a bit rough around the edges. Then as that progressed it really got a lot better... It also had my favorite cast of side-characters. I like your review, I should really put that as a story description - it is better than mine. (I notoriously suck at those as it is) Thanks for the kind words! I hope you do and enjoy the story. You have the luxury of getting to read it as completed... the poor readers that were around when I posted it had to endure 3ish years of posting before they got the complete story... poor dears. Corey's Dad is one of my favorite characters. I 'liked' writing him. I liked the contrast and interactions that Corey's Dad and Corey had throughout the story.. especially towards the end. At least I am being somewhat quicker with TBY, yes? Maybe? lol Thanks for reading the story Graeme! I may have thought about having The Best Year being a somewhat sequel-spin off from Standing in Shadows (having all the characters being from the same school)... that would have been way too much work though... A sequel right now is so far off the table right now. I wouldn't know how I would want to approach it. I once attempted a Sequel to AYC and found it to be too dark and nearly vilifying the love interest... These characters are my favorite though, Corey's gang of friends and his parents would make it fun to revisit. I just need to think of a good reason why I would want to put all of them through more trouble, angst, and laughs. I hope you enjoy the story! You do need to catch up lady... I kid, time is so precious these days. On that note I need to get the next chapter of TBY out too... haha. I like writing "boy next door" romances. I live in a rural place now and I love where I live... and I want to think that romances can be so innocent and tender like what Standing In Shadows is about. These are the stories I continue to gravitate towards, I like the realism. I like that such common people can have stories worth writing and reading about.

Happy Birthday!

Hi! Thanks for reading. I'm so glad you enjoyed this story. It was a project that took me a long time to write, so you definitely caught it when it was complete. (I feel sorry for those that had to endure 4 years of my delays to read the entire piece). This story is about friendship.. those side characters, I think are the reason I enjoyed the story as the author of it. Andy, Keith, Jenny.. we would all do well with friends like those. Cory is also a sweetheart, his characters was a nice study. I'm sorry I just now noticed the reviews! I'm sorry about the ticks in chapter 5.. lol. A lot of people felt itchy as they read that scene. The father 'is' a favorite character of mine. I like that he was so negative, pushy, borderline abusive. It made the story and Cory's growth all the more fulfilling. Or at least I hoped so. Thanks for taking the time to read the story. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.