Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Can You Handle The Truth Blog Fest?

truth
                                                                               


To celebrate the release of her new book 18 TRUTHS,  Jamie Ayres  is hosting the Can You Handle The Truth? Book Release Blog Fest. Each participant is asked to write two events that actually happened, and one event that is completely false. The challenge is to see how many fake stories you can sniff out, while meeting new bloggers along the way. If that isn't enough incentive to join in on the fun, Jamie has graciously teamed up with other authors in providing some incredible giveaways. Be sure to visit all of the lovable liars here.

My earliest memory of feeling completely out of place, was when my mom enrolled me in Wendy Ward Charm School. One of her dear friends signed her daughter up, so my fate was sealed. Some of my acquired skills included: drinking tea with my pinkie extended, knowing which occasions called for white gloves, and walking down a runway as all the moms were snapping photos, while my mom conveniently left her camera at home. Did I mention that I was only four at the time?

When I was seventeen, I went out with a twenty seven year old waiter that I met at a restaurant with my parents. Not only did my parents approve, but my dad went out of his way to be helpful. One day my dad overheard us talking on the phone in the kitchen. I was trying to tell him the best route to our house, when my dad heard me stammering. He quickly jotted down directions, and silently slid them across the table. Thanks to my dad, my date continued to believe that I was a confident college student instead of a nervous teenager with no sense of direction.

Years ago I began suffering from plantar fasciitis, so I went to the podiatrist. He suggested that I get fitted for orthotics, and sent me across the hall to have molds made of my feet. While there, I noticed that a man kept staring at me. I thought that this guy had some weird foot fetish, so I ignored him. Then he told me that he worked for an orthopedic shoe company that was unveiling a new arch support line. He complimented me on my high arches, and asked if I would be interested in becoming a foot model. He wasn't concerned that I was limping at the time, because they just needed me for still photographs. It was a good thing, because the shoes were nearly impossible to walk in, and that division of the shoe company went under within less than a year.  Little did my mom know, that this Wendy Ward Charm School graduate, would go on to become an unsuccessful geriatric foot model before I turned forty.



49 comments:

  1. Great and interesting post . Enjoyed the read.

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  3. I'll guess number two is the false one although I debated between it and number three.

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  4. I liked all of your stories. They made me smile. I will guess number three is the false story because you used words I do not know. On the other hand, that might mean it is true. Hmmm.

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  5. All good stories. Because the waiter was 10 years older than you and you were still in high school, there is a question in my mind about your parents approving. However, he could have looked younger and you could have fibbed to your mom and dad about his age. I say that because I did that in my youth, but got caught.

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  6. Julie, these are all so well-written that they COULD be true. I am going to say that number three is false (even though I have doubts that parents would really approve of a 17-year old dating a 27-year old) just because I don't recall anything about you having foot problems. Of course, you could have posted about all of that trauma before I started reading this here blog. But, I am still saying #3.

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  7. This is such a fun blog hop to read. Yours are pretty tough because you put so much detail in them. I'm going with dating the older man with your father's approval/help.

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  8. Thank you Yvonne!

    Delores - I won't be able to reveal the answer until next week. You should enter this blog fest, as you would be great at it!

    Alex - Looking forward to your big reveal next week.

    Shelly - I really had fun writing this. Thanks Shelly!

    Yvonne - Sorry that I won't be able to say which one is the lie until next week. I also had a hard time finding the lies on the other blogs. Thanks Yvonne!

    Arleen - I would love to hear how you got caught with your older man! Hope it wasn't too traumatic.

    Robin - I hate leaving people hanging, but I can't disclose the fib until next week. Hopefully, it won't be forgotten by then. Thanks Robin!

    Julie

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  9. Hi Julie - you have some great memories .. charm school at 4?! My goodness me I was about to join you in remembering the pinkie and tea stylised drinking .. but 4 - I was more like 14 and a few years.

    Fun memories though ... and good for us to laugh with you - cheers Hilary

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  10. Elsie - I probably got a little long winded with all of the details. Thanks for trying to guess, and I'll announce the big lie next week.

    Hilary - It made a lot more sense to attend charm school when you're around 14 than 4. I can't say if I really went or not, as one of these stories isn't true. Thanks Hilary!

    Julie

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  11. I'm guessing number three. You made it tough with all the details!

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  12. Wow! LIES LIES LIES! LOL . . . you made them all sooo convincing! I'm going to guess it's #3 though. Just tooooo funny, toooo good to be true :-) THANKS FOR PLAYING!!! Can't wait to see if I'm right next week. Maybe there are some future detectives in our group??

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  13. Sherry - I probably got a little carried away with the details, but I thought they enhanced the stories. I also had a hard time guessing which one of your statements was a lie.

    Jamie - Thanks for hosting this fun blog fest! It's a lot trickier than I thought it would be.
    Looking forward to the big reveals next week! Thanks again Jamie, and best of luck with 18 Truths!

    Julie

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  14. It's between the 2nd and 3rd one. I'm going to go with #2 because of the age difference.

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  15. JJ - Though this is trivial, I'm surprised that you didn't want to try your three step "THINK" process, as described in your new book, Are Your Beliefs Logical? Unless of course, you THINK you have an unfair advantage!

    Susanne - It's interesting that so far no one thinks that it was strange for a four year old to attend charm school! Thanks for playing, and I'll reveal the lie early next week. In the meantime, it's not too late to join in the hop.

    Julie

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  16. Hahaha! I think the waiter is the lie. But what do I know?

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  17. Is the second one fiction? That would be my guess. And all your stories are entertaining, by the way.

    If the third one is true, I just want to throw it out there that there is a market for parts modeling (e.g. hand modeling, foot modeling.) So if you kept those pictures of your feet, you can use them in your portfolio. =)

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  18. Excellent stuff. I almost believe that all of it's the truth. You put your best foot forward with this one, Julie.

    And I wont make mention of this being another blog hop!

    Gary :)

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  19. Carol - Oh we all know that you're one smart cookie! I've been having a really tough time detecting the lies in the other posts, so I know it's quite a challenge. Thanks Carol!

    Cynthia - "Parts modeling?" Right now I'm more of a candidate for falling apart modeling! Thanks for your kind words, and helpful tips, Cynthia!

    Gary - My life hasn't been quite as exciting as Penny's, but I still have a few stories left to tell! Thanks Gary!

    Julie

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  20. Hi Julie .. I hadn't realised the 'truth' aspect of this blog hop - comes of being wrapped in my dusters! Charm school though .. could be fun!

    Thanks for revisiting and letting me know how moved you were after watching Madelaine's film about her baby brother .. thanks so much ...

    Have a happy weekend .. cheers Hilary

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  21. Hi Julie,
    Here I am again,having joined the blog hop.
    I would guess that the second story is the lie because most dads are very sensitive about their daughters' dates.
    I have horrible feet and no-one would want to photograph them. As for Charm school - it's a great idea for kids.
    Sorry about the gatecrashing earlier.

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  22. I imagine that all of these are at least partially true, but I'm going to guess that when your dad overheard that conversation he totally freaked out and told the dude to stop talking to you. That's what my dad would've done.

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  23. Hilary - I could use a refresher course in charm school.

    Thanks for bringing awareness to this dreaded disease. Madelaine is wise beyond her years, and has given her baby brother a beautiful gift.

    Fanny - Glad you joined Jamie's hop, but you were never a "gatecrasher." Though participating is always encouraged, everyone is still welcome to read and comment on all blog posts. The object is to get the word out about 18 TRUTHS. Thanks for making an extra trip, and I look forward to finding out which one of your great stories is a fib!

    Shell - Interesting theory! When I finally thought I was getting the hang of this game, I realized that the more I played, the more I started second guessing myself. Your statements were tricky too. It will be fun to see the results next week.

    Julie

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  24. I'm going to go with number 2! :)

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  25. Kristina - Thanks for following me, and I'll head over to your place soon!

    Tyrean - Thanks for playing along! Hope you'll stay tuned next week!

    Julie

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  26. What a brilliant idea this is. It must be very challenging not only trying to make a lie look plausible but also guess who else is lying. All your stories in this post sound true to me. I'm gonna try number 3 because it sounds so crazy, ha ha ha.

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  27. I'm going with #2 though they all sound like they could be true.

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  28. 1 and 3 sound believable, but I'm skeptic about 2 so I think that ones the lie.

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  29. Rum-Punch Drunk - Jamie really did come up with a great idea to celebrate her 18 TRUTHS release. It's a fun challenge to try to decipher everyone's stories. Thanks RPD!

    sjp - I know the feeling! Thanks for playing!

    kford - The hardest part is that most of the entrees in the blog fest do sound strange enough to be true. Thanks kford!

    Patricia Lynne - We'll all find out in a few more days. Thanks for the insight on your thought process, Patricia Lynne!

    Julie

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  30. Julie: You did not date the 27 year old, and the foot/shoe tale is just that - a tale. You are a charm school girl!

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    2. JJ - The aim of the game was to tell 2 truths, and only 1 lie. Thanks for thinking that the girl who often writes silly stories about unpleasant bodily functions, isn't without charm.

      Julie

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    3. Julie: Au contraire!!! I misunderstood. That was my one truth. I thought the other two were lies. I suppose the foot/shoe tale must be true!

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  31. What a fun idea for a blogfest! Gee, has anyone ever told you you're a terrific liar? (I'll bet you're a killer player at Scruples!)

    Okay, I'm gonna guess #3 is the big fat fib, but #2 is a goodie, too. (Which probably means #1 is the lie!)

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    1. Susan - You are absolutely right about Jamie's blogfest theme! I kept on going back and forth with everyone else's too. I always pride myself on being a good house detective, but I felt more like Inspector Clouseau, as I ran down the list. Thanks Susan!

      Julie

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  32. Great stories. All sound possible. I am going with number two, mostly because I don't remember a 27 year old. However, my memory isn't that great any more.

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  33. Love the stories and details you offered, making it very tricky. I'm going to guess #2.

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  34. I'm going to guess that #2 is the lie. Love your stories!

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  35. Mmm... I also think it's #2. Maybe you were a bit older or he was younger?

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  36. I'm going to guess #2 as the lie as well. I really hope the foot model story is true because I love it LOL.

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  37. Rhonda - My memory is fading too I'll check later to see if you posted yet. I know your choices will be lots of fun!

    Elsie - Thank you, and I enjoyed reading your stories too!

    kdrausin - Thanks for playing, and for the kind words!

    Misha - I'm sorry that I have to leave everyone hanging until Tuesday. Thanks Misha!

    Julie - It's great that we've always had a similar sense of humor! Thanks Julie!

    Julie

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  38. All of these are fantastic and I WANT them to all be true. I'm going to guess #3 as the lie and be sad because I want that one to most be true. So... did this charm school also teach you how to walk straight and proper with a phonebook balanced on your head? Because that's the first thing I imagine.

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    1. A Beer For The Shower - Actually I did practice walking with an encyclopedia on my head, but that wasn't until high school. I highly recommend it for improving posture. I'll reveal the lie tomorrow. Thanks for making my day, B & B!

      Julie

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