Wednesday, May 16, 2012

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

Lacy Williams here today, to talk about the craziest thing you’ve ever done.

My husband can tell you, I’m not a very impulsive person. He is. Sometimes it drives me crazy when he wants to make plans at the last minute. But sometimes it turns out really good. Like the last-minute trip to New York City we took once several years ago when his family lived on the East Coast. We got to see a Broadway play (matinee) and visit some of the touristy places and had a great time.
Probably the craziest thing he’s ever talked me in to on an impulse was driving to Topeka, Kansas, when we were still newlyweds. We went because he had a hankering for a certain Mexican restaurant there. We took a couple of friends on our road trip and made a round-trip all in one day.

So… not very crazy, even at my most impulsive.

But the heroine in my newest book, THE HOMESTEADER’SSWEETHEART… well, she’s a different story. Her name is Penny Castlerock, and her impulsiveness tends to get her in trouble, even though she tries to behave because her father is a big-time banker and on the town council.

But the craziest thing she does is get on the back of a bucking bronco in a cowboy exhibition (that’s what rodeos were called back before they were called “rodeos”). And she does it for love. Here’s a short excerpt of part of her adventure:

She shouldn't be doing this.
Of all the things Penny had ever regretted because of her impulsiveness, this decision topped the list.

She couldn't stop shaking as she waited outside the arena, Oscar at her side. She kept her head down, hoping no one could tell there was a woman hiding under Edgar's shirt and trousers. She'd tucked her braid up into the hat, praying it wouldn't be knocked off during her ride.
She felt sick.

For Breanna, she reminded herself silently.
Oscar's turn came and he left her with a final squeeze of her hand. She focused on her boots, unable to watch him ride the bucking horse while knowing she would be next.

The crowd went wild during Oscar's ride, cheering and clapping. Perhaps he'd done well and she didn't have to ride, after all—
And then a shove to the middle of her back sent her reeling up to the prep stall and she was being boosted onto the back of a sweating, snorting animal.

"I can't—" She started to gasp, but a grinning, snaggle-toothed cowboy slapped her on the shoulder.
"Have fun, young'un."

"But—"

Photo courtesy of www.sxc.hu

She swallowed her words as the gate swung open.
For Jonas.

Penny forgot about showmanship and everything else as she clung to the animal's back. The bronco bucked and see-sawed, whirled and wheeled. She thought once that all four of its feet left the ground.
All she could think about was those feet landing on her if she fell off.



I’d love to know, what is the craziest or most impulsive thing you’ve ever done?








15 comments:

  1. I'm not a very spontaneous person.

    In fact I'm so different from my spontaneous parents and brother that if there weren't phisycal evidences to it, I'd think I wasn't one of the bunch.

    Spontaneous for me is having just a few days (can I have a week?! :)) to organize and plan everything.

    Your heroine seems very determined - that's what a call to a spontaneous with a worthy goal in sight.

    Wishing you all the luck!

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  2. hard question. Agreeing to be a bridesmaid for my online friend in Canada who I had never meet.
    Also the first time I went to Canada it was for a retreat with an online group. I decided I could go then had to convince mum. It was my first trip overseas.

    I can think of some spontaneous things involving cricket like the first time I had a photo with a player. I finally got up the nerve to ask and it made my day. Then getting the photo signed and talking to much to him. My brain said stop talking Jenny. But he was so nice. he remembered me.

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  3. What a fun scene, Lacy!!! Thanks for sharing the excerpt. :)

    I'm not one to do crazy things either. In fact, I can't even think of one! LOL

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  4. I'm the spontaneous one in our family, and he's obviously related to Teresa. Sometimes when I'm going a mile a minute, he just stands still.
    I may overbook, but his need to be organized often gets us to events hours early. Me, I pull out a book. He, complains.
    Lacy, your book sounds wonderful. I'm looking forward to reading it.

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  5. The craziest thing I have ever done was marrying my hubby.

    Not because it was a bad thing (it wasn't) but because I was only 18 years old.

    It was very spontaneous. I mean, I didn't even have a ring and we both lived at home with our parents.

    I don't know why I jumped into marrying him so fast, but 15 years later, we are still going strong.

    P.S. We have since moved out of our parents' houses and I had a beautiful ring by the time we tied the knot. :)

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  6. My hubby and I are both spontaneous people. We like to do things at the last minute, but wish we could find other people who would join us. We had some friends when we lived in Dallas who would join us at the last minute to go to a movie or out to dinner. We miss being able to call them at the last minute for a fun time.

    I'm not sure about the craziest thing I've ever done--maybe the time in college some friends and I took a weekend trip to Florida from Tennessee to go to the beach. I'd never been to the beach before. We drove an old Volkswagen Bug that we had to push to get started. But we had a great time even with the sunburns.

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  7. I am a very spontaneous person. Especially when it has to do with helping people. My husband is the exact opposite and always balance our equation!

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  8. Did anyone else notice how many couples mix one spontaneous spouse with a planner? How wonderful! You get the best of both worlds.

    I tend to be the planner in my marriage, though I've been known to make crazy-dumb decisions, especially when traveling. The latest crazy-dumb decision came when vacationing in Yosemite a few years ago. It snowed, and the road we planned to travel that day was closed due to the snow. My pea brain came up with a brilliant solution. We'd head south to Sequoia National Park. If it was south, it must be warmer, I reasoned. What I forgot to take into consideration was the altitude. We ended up in the snow on a mountain road with no chains. It's the only time in my life I've driven in first gear, and every switchback brought sheer terror, wimpy flatlander that I am!

    Congratulations, Lacy, on the new book. It sounds delightful!

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  9. I'm a spur of the moment type of person, but something wild...

    Hmmmmm?

    Still thinking...

    Love your story, Lacy! And your heroine! She's adorable.

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  10. I've done lots of stupid things, but crazy things...not so much. My hubby is also more spontaneous than me.

    Penny sounds like quite a gal, Lacy...looking forward to reading her story.

    Just curious...what restaurant did you make your trek to Topeka for? I was born and raised in Kansas, and lived in the Topeka area at one time, so you've got me wondering...and was it worth the drive? =)

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  11. I'm a play-it-safe kind of girl so the craziest thing I've ever done was marry a dare devil ;) (also the smartest thing I've ever done!)

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  12. Lacy, I don't mind doing crazy things. In fact, in high school I was known for it. But I've slacked off lately. :-)
    (Not telling.)

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  13. Hi, everyone!
    Sorry I'm late to the party--had some family stuff come up and been offline all day. Trying to catch up on all my emails and blog posts now. :)

    The restaurant in Topeka was called Casa, a Mexican restaurant/buffet. Not sure if it is still there, this has been years ago.

    I was also young when Luke and I got married (we were 20), and now have been married 10 years in August--seems like it's been a journey but I've had a good partner.

    And I agree, it's nice to see the mix-ups of having someone who is a planner and someone spontaneous. They keep us fun and we keep the bills paid (j/k honey!!).

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  14. I married my hubby. We had been married for 2 weeks before we'd known each other for 5 months. And he's the spontaneous one... Me? Not so much. I need an itinerary and an iPhone so I can google places to go and gps for directions. Lol!

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  15. Lacy...Casa is still there! Our family has eaten there for years...at least since the mid-70s (although I haven't been for about 15 years). My mom makes my dad take her there for her birthday...a two-hour round trip. Good stuff!

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