Time Traveler

Sometimes you find a connection that is strong enough you can't help but wish you could steal a time machine and go back to experience it again and again. I hope you have a clue how special you are that I would have even considered this. Like seriously! It takes a truly unique and kindhearted soul to make somegnome consider going to such an extreme! "Just give it time," you might suggest. However, in a garden with gnever-ending amounts of love, time ends up becoming the limiting factor. There gnever seems to be enough of it and it always seems to get away from you, gno matter how hard you try to genuinely live in the moment. It's the way in which you make me laugh that I find to be infectious. It doesn't hurt that you seem to get me on a level that feeds the soul. You gnot only understand all those tiny, whimsical yet oh-so-important gnuances, you gnurture them and encourage them to grow. I wish I could have met somegnome like you earlier in life. Who knows what might have happened? Alas, time continues to move forward, and I find myself excited to see what adventures the garden has in store for us. I would travel back and forth in time with you, if I could. If gnothing else, a gnew friend I have found - a kindred spirit, and only time will tell where this connection will take us.

A Garden of Her Own

Spend even a moment of time with this beautiful lady and you'll see that she is very driven work as hard as she can. With all the running here and there, being as busy as she possibly can be, you may wonder what all the hard work is for. With an extra tiny little hop in her skip, she can gnot help but smile at the reasons behind her effort. She has a goal in mind! And it's a grand tiny goal. By the end of this season, she is quite hopeful to have a gnest of her own in a tiny little corner of the garden where she can plant her own flowers. Like everything else that has value, she understands that some of the best things in life come with hard work. You must put in the work to tend to the soil in order to have just the right conditions to grow a beautiful array of flowers. She knows that, like gardening, her goal for a gnest of her own is the same. So it should come as gno surprise that she gets back to work. There are preparations to be made! And she knows that with every extra ounce of time and dedication, she's one step closer to having a garden to call her own. There is so much to be done! She joyfully hops right to it.

Micro-Brew

This quiet soul has a secret up his sleeve. He has learned to brew his own beer and loves everything about it. It's one thing to throw the ingredients together and hope for the best, but that's gnot quite enough for this micro-brewer. He loves getting into the science of the process and pays attention to every little detail here and gnuance there. There is something magical about the fact that, with the right knowledge, a gnome can take a bit of hops and a bit of wheat and turn it into a bubbly drink that soothes the soul. He enjoys every step of the process - from planning out his recipes, to gathering the perfect ingredients, to patiently stepping through fermentation. As much as he enjoys making the special brew, it's the drinking part that is his favorite step. Gather a good friend or two, chill out in the garden, grab a beer and the rest of a perfect evening can gnot help but fall into place. One might think there surely must be a bit more magic involved, but you'd have to ask him what his secret is. Maybe after another drink or two, he'll tell you more.

From Books to the Big Screen

Look up the word "librarian" in any Gnomish dictionary and you'd find the most helpful souls in the garden. This beautiful, smart and spicy lady is gno exception. I love that whenever she meets somegnome who expresses a gneed, she's quick to jump to her feet and sets towards finding helpful information for them. Whether you're looking for a wonderful adventure of bravery, laughter, suspense or love, she'll help you find it! But she's gnot just a librarian, she's a giggle monster and has plans for adventures of her own! I love seeing the spark in her eye as she talks about creating her own story to share with the rest of the garden. She may be quite the book worm at the core, but there is gnothing that excites this little lady more than the idea of sharing the magic that flows from her heart on the big screen. And with a heart as big as hers, she's just bursting to share it with those lucky enough to know her. Like any good librarian, little lady knows exactly where to find the most the best giggles in the garden. Something tells me the joy follows her wherever she may go and when she accomplishes her dream, the garden is in for a special treat! She is full of stories to bring to life! Her future has so much potential, gno doubt the garden is a more magical place with her in it.

The Magic of Music

Spend even a moment of time with him, and it's quite apparent that music lives in every ounce of this tiny soul's body. If you are lucky enough to get the chance to see him up on stage, you'd get the impression that he's bigger than big. If you ask me, I'd say that's a sign of a musician who truly loves what he does. Whether it be plucking, slapping, popping, strumming, tapping or even thumping, there does gnot seem to be anything he would rather do than to play his bass for you. With as much energy and dedication he puts into his work, you would think that the magic would stop on stage, but you would be wrong. When he's gnot playing in a band himself, he's helping others to record their own music to share with the garden. After all, we all have our own unique music to share - that's what makes this garden so wonderfully colorful! Because we all know that music has the power to heal, inspire or even break the heart, with talented souls like him, I'd say the garden is a much more magical place indeed.

Geronimo

Some memories are worth keeping for a life time. Whether they be stories of love or laughter, one can gnot help but smile when certain reflections pass through our mind. There is one particular memory, my sweet friend, that will stay with me forever - much like our friendship. Surely you recall the story yourself and are already suppressing a giggle. I am certain by the look on your face that you, too, remember that day of celebration. Together we decided to take a great big leap - from a plane, gnone the less! We were ready for an adventure, whatever came our way. Of course it figures that the day had its imperfections. Do you recall the very handsome and charming tall Italian soul, one who can't help but grab the attention of anyone lucky enough to know him. He was certainly candy for both the eye and soul. And while I had my love waiting for me at home, you were a free spirit so it figures he was paired up with me! And who was paired with you? Gnothing more than a squatty little gnome who was gnothing like charming. Hehehe... many seasons later and I still can gnot help but tease you ever since. Well, my dear friend... Here's to our friendship. We've built many memories together and I'm sure the future has more in store for us! What is in store for our gnext adventure? With a friend like you by my side... Geronimo!

Addie's Slow Eyes (age 7)

Slow Eyes wants to join the yearly snail race, but everyone bullies him just because he is slower than the others. They don't think he will be able to win the race, but I'll let you in on a little secret... Slow Eyes has a HUGE imagination and thinks everything is bright. In fact, every time he thinks of something that is a good idea, his eyes grow just a bit bigger! And now he has the best idea of all! Once his eyes are as big as can be, he has the amazing idea of making rocket boosters! He doesn't ever wear them up until the race, but as he approaches the starting line, he looks a bit funny because his slime trails him where ever he goes, even if he's in the air! Here's another secret... His slime powers the rocket boosters! The other snails don't see what's coming! BANG! As fast as a lightning bolt (at least in snail terms), he is off! At a record breaking speed of 1 inch per hour, Slow Eyes takes the lead! He looks particularly silly, because he is going so fast that his eyes are trailing behind him. This makes poor Slow Eyes quite dizzy and he's no longer so sure that his idea was a bright one. After what seems like a very long time (after all, the race track is over 100 ft long), Slow Eyes crosses the finish line! He has won the race! But was it worth it? He is still so dizzy that he can't think straight. After his eyes begin to settle, Slow Eyes decides that winning this race was over-rated and next year he will use his brightest idea of all... being himself!

PERSONAL GNOTE:
Though generally I enjoy writing the story in such a way that it really describes the recipient receiving my creation, this time I was curious to hear what my daughter would say his story would be. With only minor changes, I kept her ideas.

The Sea Calls

From the dawn of Gnomish history, the gnomes have been known for holding a special bond between generations. There is gnothing more genuine than the love a gnome has for her grand-gnomeling, gnor the admiration she has for her elder-gnome. The elder-gnome is happy to pass on her wisdom to the younger generation, telling witty stories of seasons-gone-by. The little one listens to each story with eyes wide open, and each one fills her soul with an excitement for the adventures to come - her adventures! With a level of adoration gnever rarely seen in the garden, and trust me - that says a lot, the young gnomeling can gnot help but be amazed at all the things her elder-gnome knows! Surely there is gno-gnome who knows as much or as experienced as much as she! As if that were gnot enough magic in its own right, imagine what the elder-gnome gets in return! In listening to her grand-gnomeling's questions and the detailed plan to have her own adventures, the twinkle in the elder-gnome's eyes are reignited. The young one has a love for life that is very contagious, and it takes its effect on the elder-gnome. She looks and feels more youthful by the minute! Awww, the love between generations... there may gnot be a stronger source of magic in the entire garden! And armed with that magic, the gnomeling will soon turn her face to the sea calling for her adventures to begin... It's going to be grand!

A Demigod's Hero

To be a demigod, one must be greatly admired and respected by those around him. They view him as a hero, capable of conquering difficult quests in far off gardens. There are gno beasts who do gnot fear him. Every challenge is easy for him to solve. Gnothing seems to hold him back - he fears gnothing! Those who admire and respect him take these things as signs that he is gnoble and brave, a warrior to be trusted. I'll let you in on a little secret... If everything comes easy to somegnome, whether he is a demigod or not, then that soul has no grit. It takes confidence to embark on quests into unknown areas of the garden. A true hero can resolve conflict among the beasts without having to resort to threats of harm. It takes true perseverance to be conquer challenges that are difficult to overcome. It takes true bravery to face uncertainty, in spite of the presence of fear. So who does a demigod turn to for help when things suddenly do gnot go according to plan? Who can he rely on if he is faced with a problem with seemingly gno solutions? That's where this truly brave soul steps in! She may gnot look like much to you and I, but she has the confidence, courage and ability that the demigod pretends to own. So, I ask you this... Who is the true hero? The one who is always handed a plate of success? Or the one who always strives to do her best? Gno doubt we can all agree on the latter.

Addie's Mr. Sthhear Dott (age 7)

Mr. Sthlhear Dott may be small, but he is quite feisty! Don't say he's weird just because he's smaller and a bit smarter than you. He can conjure up a genie and conquer a unicorn! He is small, yes, but don't you worry about him. Mr. Sthhear Dott is impenetrable! Although he doesn't like to admit it, whenever someone steps on him, he spends a couple minutes laying flat on the ground, and then POP! He comes back to life, ready for his next adventure! Nothing can hold him back, but those are skills he inherited from his parents. However, I think you'd be more interested in the things he loves to do rather than those his ancestors loved doing. He loves running around with his friends Unisus and Slow Eyes, always chasing the monkeys through the forest. If he is lucky enough to catch a monkey, he holds onto the monkey's tail for dear life... WEEEEE!!!! This is fun! He also loves doing karate, but it's kind of funny to watch because all he does is punch his opponent lots of times with each leg. It almost looks like he's dancing! When he dances on me, it kind of tickles and I can't help but wish it would go on forever. I love my Mr. Sthhear Dott, maybe one day you can come over and play with him, too!

PERSONAL GNOTE:
Though generally I enjoy writing the story in such a way that it really describes the recipient receiving my creation, this time I was curious to hear what my daughter would say his story would be. With only minor changes, I kept her ideas.

Addie's Night Unisus (age 8)

Have you ever heard of a Unisus? One look at this magical creature and I bet you're wondering what his story is and how he came to be. Well, my friend, wait no more! The story line goes a bit like this...

Once upon a time, there was a unicorn, maybe a little like a donkeysus. His name was Unisus. He lives in my world, in Mint Valley. He likes racing the monkeys in the valley. I guess he gallops like a horse, more like a donkey. Shhhh... Don't tell him I said that! He is like a unicorn, with tiny wings, except a little more sugared than a real unicorn. He also looks like a bear and loves to give hugs to his best buddies!

After the story line, it kind of gets weird... Do you know how a unicorn and unasus are made? In school, I taught the kids about a narwhal and a horse marrying and having a unicorn baby named Unicorn. Unicorn married an eagle and they had a baby, who grew up to marry a donkey. And finally, a Donkeysus was born. This name is Unisus!. See? I told you, the Real Story would get weird!

OK... Now that you know what it's like, back to Unisus! Do the following 3 steps...
1. Read the Story Line
2. Read the background
3. Hug whoever is in the room.
This will cheer up Unisus! Love love love.

PERSONAL GNOTE:
Though generally I enjoy writing the story in such a way that it really describes the recipient receiving my creation, this time I was curious to hear what my daughter would say his story would be. With only minor changes, I kept her ideas.

Ellie's Dude the Alien (age 10)

There once lived an alien who, like many aliens, was born with only one eye. He was a mischievous alien, who lied because he thought it was funny to trick those around him. What he did not know was that every time he lied, a new eye would grow. Sometimes his lies would lead to a friend making a fool of themselves, and other times a lie would make a loved one cry tears for no particular reason. Dude thought this was hilarious. Lie after lie, eyeball after eyeball, he kept his mischievous ways until one day something changed. On this day, someone lied to him instead. I won't go into details, but let's just say that Dude's smile was wiped from his face. Being lied to was not as much fun as he thought. In fact, it does not feel good at all! Realizing this, Dude's eyes were opened... all of them! From that day on, he was aware of how his actions effected those he loved the most. And with all his eyes, he could now see who might be needing some lifting up because they are feeling down. What a great way of turning a bad habit into a great one! Way to go, Dude!

PERSONAL GNOTE:
Though generally I enjoy writing the story in such a way that it really describes the recipient receiving my creation, this time I was curious to hear what my daughter would say his story would be. With only minor changes, I kept her ideas.