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Photos From a Very Special Vacation

Our vacation was wonderful! Here’s a little photo tour of our time with family.

I got to visit my 96-year-old grandmother in Albuquerque. We don’t get out there very often, so I know this may be the last time I see her. I cherished our time together and am so glad I could tell her I love her.

In Topeka, KS, where my parents live, I finally got to meet my 2 ½-year-old niece, Ever!

And I spent some wonderful time with my twin sister and my brother.

One of the highlights of the trip was the 50th-anniversary party my siblings and I hosted for my parents. Their lives are a testament to true love over the years! Here’s a family photo. My parents are in the back near the center. The seated couple in the front are my mom’s parents, who are 91 and 94.

In that picture above, my mom is wearing the dress her mother wore at her 50th anniversary party … exactly 24 years before this party! On that day in1998, my grandma said she’d come to my parents’ 50th. My mom doubted that would be possible. Well, both she and my grandpa fulfilled that promise, which is pretty amazing.

Later, during the vow renewal and cake cutting, my mom wore her wedding dress from 50 years ago. How cool is that?! She looked so beautiful. Back in 1972, my dad wore a ruffled blue shirt. (It was groovy, man.) He doesn’t still have it, but my brother surprised him by getting a similar shirt for him to wear. Here they are in their finery!

Both of the pics from the party were taken by Missy Hood, our photographer.

I got quite a bit of reading time during our busy trip. I almost never miss a day reading, even if it's just for a few minutes. It’s such a good way for me to escape and relax. Here are this week’s book recommendations for you:

This Week’s Pre-Order

Grimkeeper is a Fae romantic fantasy inspired by fairy tales that comes out soon. Isn’t that cover gorgeous? Pre-order your copy of Grimkeeper here!

This Week’s Affordable Reads

The Dragon That Never Was tells the tale of a young woman with a dragon egg. Get The Dragon That Never Was for just $0.99 here!

If you love romantic fantasy novels set in magical academies, Gifted is the book for you! Snag Gifted for a great price, or read free on Kindle Unlimited.

This Week’s Free Read

Journey of Soul: The Search for Power is a military epic fantasy series with elemental powers … and it’s free! Grab your free copy of Journey of Soul: The Search for Power here.

This Week’s 20-Second 10-Minute Story

Every week, I share a super-short story or poem with you. 

This week, I’m going to share something slightly longer: a 1,000-word story that should take you less than ten minutes to read. I just entered it in a contest (and won’t find out how I did until October). 

I was given three prompts to use in writing the story: genre (thriller), location (lost and found office), and item (name tag). Click here or on the snippet below to read my short story, A Glimpse of Wings. Enjoy! 

Enjoy stories like this? I have an entire book of much shorter stories and poems! Check out The Curio Cabinet on Amazon and other retailers!

Enjoy the rest of your week!

-Beth 

You can always check out all my books at this link! Or download your free copies of these short stories: Faerie Flight (romantic-fantasy) and Straw Into Gold (gender-swapped Rumpelstiltskin retelling).