Donna Hatch

The last few years have brought several major changes to my family and to me. One of the biggest changes involved our family moving lock, stock, and barrel from the Phoenix area to a town outside of Seattle. Talk about a climate change! We did trade blue skies for gray, but we also traded brown and dust, to green and lush.

We do have blue skies, too. Some of the locals refer to them as Sun Breaks. They come and go, amid sunshine and rain, almost daily, providing a wonderful diverse weather all year long. We even usually get a little snow—well, it falls anyway, though it usually does not stick for more than a day or two. My children were super excited when they had their first ever Snow Day but felt a little cheated that they only got one!

Our move came as a result of a job opportunity for my husband. Four of our six children still live at home, so the drastic change has been an adjustment for everyone. However, two years later, we are all settled in quite happily with new schools, friends, and jobs

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Not only has Washington been better for my husband’s career, but it has also improved my health. I enjoy the great outdoors much more now and have become an avid walker, hiker, and even camper—although I still don’t love to rough it. I suffer from fewer migraines and cluster headaches now and have even taken up a little (very little, mind you) gardening. So far, most of my plants are still alive (knock on wood).

Best of all, the move also took me away from my day job in Arizona so I decided to make a career out of writing. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Writing full time has been a rewarding experience. April 18, 2017 marked the release of my nineteenth published title, my sweet Regency Romance, The Matchmaking Game. It never ceases to amaze me that the more I write, the more my Muse talks to me.

This past weekend, I did something I’ve wanted to do for years—go on a hot air balloon ride. This all came about as a result of a scene I wrote in my current manuscript. I wanted to get the sensory details just right, which is difficult to do second-hand. So with my husband’s encouragement, I booked the flight. It was unforgettable. If you’ve never been on a hot air balloon, you’re missing out. The Puget Sound from 3000 feet in the air is one of the most awe-inspiring views I’ve ever seen. I gained a whole lot of details for my book, as well as a memorable experience.

This summer I am going to England for the very first time. Like the motive behind my hot air balloon ride, I have reached a point where I am no longer content doing second-hand research; I want the full sensory experience. In my three weeks’ there, I will visit London, Brighton, Bath, Jane Austen's Chawton Village, and the Lakes District. I can hardly wait!

Despite our new adventures, we haven’t forgotten our roots. Our family still travels back to Arizona frequently to visit family and friends. We sure wish we could see them more often! We’re always happy to return home to the good ol’ Pacific Northwest where it’s cool and green. Now, if only I could convince my son to move here with his wife and baby daughter so we could see them and our sweet little granddaughter more often!

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HEAVENLY HOT AIR BALLOONS by Sarah Raplee

SARAH RAPLEE

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Hi, I'm paranormal romance author Sarah Raplee. I've written stories published in two anthologies by Windtree Press. My first full-length novel, BLINDSIGHT, is coming out this fall.

The amazing, magical, loving, and slightly freaky way my father comforted me from the Other Side (of death, for those of you without access to tv, radio, print media, or the internet) while my mother hovered on the brink of death was a life-changing experience for me. He had died six years before, but he proved he's still around, keeping an eye on his loved ones.

* Keep in mind what some tv character on some show I once watched said: "One connection to an event is a coincidence, two is a pattern, three is a plan."

When my husband and I arrived the day after Mom was admitted to the hospital with a life-threatening infection, we introduced ourselves to her nurse, Diana. Not Diane, Diana. 

My only sister is named Diana. I smiled at the coincidence.

Later, Mom's condition worsened. She was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. Her new nurse was named Sally. That's my childhood nickname. Dad always called me Sally.

I remember thinking, O-kay, Dad, is this your doing?

The next day I received a resounding, "Yes."

The new nurse on duty was named Catherine. Guess what Mom's name is? Yup! She never goes by Cathy, always Catherine. With a 'C'. Just like her nurse!

I found it comforting that Dad was watching over Mom and would be there if she lost the battle with the killer bacteria.

Another nurse was named Lisa, like Dad's eldest granddaughter. The hunky male nurse was Dave, like my daughter's first husband, who was a professional pilot like my father. Another of Mom's nurses was Amy, which was an inside joke that I'm not going to explain. Apparently people keep a sense of humor in the Afterlife.

Dad loved to fly almost as much as he loved his family. When he was dying of cancer, he hoped to regain enough strength to soar above Oregon’s high desert one more time—in a hot air balloon. Unfortunately, he was too sick to accomplish his goal.

Fast forward to six months after and two thousand miles away from his death to my youngest son’s house in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The kids had climbed in bed with their parents because it was a Sunday morning. No one had to get up early.

Then the danged Siamese cat jumped onto the bed. Instead of pouncing on someone to wake them up, he ignored them all as he walked across them to the headboard and stood on his hind legs to peer through the window into the back yard. Whipping his tail back and forth, he yowled like a banshee. Three-year-old Lily stood up to see what had scared him. “Mommy, Daddy, look! Look!” 

Her parents sat up and checked out the back yard. A rainbow-striped hot air balloon was landing - in their back yard! How often does that happen???

Back to my mother’s hospital room. Dr. Boddie (pronounced body - ain't that a hoot?) explains that my mom’s condition is deteriorating. Her infection may have spread into her spinal fluid, causing meningitis. He needs to do a spinal tap to be sure so he will know how to proceed with her treatment.

I held Mom’s hand as they rolled her to a procedure room where they would draw fluid from her spinal canal. My throat ached with fear. I closed my eyes and mentally reached out into the ether. Tell me she’s going to be all right, Dad. We stopped. I opened my eyes and looked inside the procedure room.

A poster of five hot air balloons soaring high above the ground greeted me. 

I knew Mom would make it. After a stay in the Intensive Care Unit, she did.

I've learned that messages from the Next Life don’t usually come in the form of email, snail mail, or phone calls (but I’ve learned to never say never). 

No doubt the Afterlife  has immutable Laws that govern one’s actions, just as in this life gravity happens, fire burns and in a vacuum, no one can hear you scream. That doesn’t mean the people who have moved on from this earthly plane don’t try to offer comfort, assistance, and the occasional laugh to their loved ones.

It means they have to get creative - and we have to pay attention.