#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About #MiriamHurdle

/ Marcia Meara

It’s time for #TenThings again folks, and I know you’re going to enjoy today’s post! Please help me welcome author Miriam Hurdle to The Write Stuff! Miriam, take it away, my friend!

Thanks you for hosting me on Ten Things, Marcia! 

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Miriam Hurdle

  1. My favorite number is 7 because I’m #7 in birth order. My mom gave birth to 13 children. My #2 sister survived but the other five older siblings didn’t. When I was born, my parents named me “Love Siblings” hoping to bring more siblings. They were thrilled that I survived. My six younger siblings survived, except one who died of meningitis at three years old. My mom got married when she was fifteen and my dad was sixteen. They never talked about the kids who didn’t make it.
  1. When I was in first grade, I walked 0.8 miles to school by myself. Back in those days, it was safe for kids to walk on the streets. The routine I took to school was not busy with cars. To these days, I still remember the stores and a theater I passed by on my way to school. The following year, my sister started first grade, and we walked to school together.
  1. As a teenager, I went to a church that had restricted practices. Going to movies was a “no, no.” I didn’t go to the theater for 10 years. When The Sound of Music played in Hong Kong, my best friend saw it 10 times and had the script memorized. I didn’t get to see it in a theater, but I bought the DVD afterward and watched it many times.
  1. I went to a pirate’s cave on Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong. According to legend, a pirate named Cheung Po Tsai used this natural cave as a hiding place from being captured and to keep his treasures. The cave is about 33 feet (10 m) deep and 289 feet (88 m) long from the entrance to the exit. It was a church youth group outing. The group leaders helped us to go in from the long-drop entrance. The narrowness of the cave allowed us to move in a single line. We had to lean at a slanted angle to walk in some part of the cave. We didn’t find any treasures.
  1. I went to a college on an island in Hong Kong. Swimming was a regular afternoon activity. My friends and I went swimming one day. I kicked into a sea urchin. The spines broke and pierced into my right heel. My friends helped me walk back to the campus. One fellow schoolmate used a tweezer to remove them.
  1. Before the seat belts and number of passengers were mandatory, I went on vacation with some friends from Portland to San Francisco in two cars. There were nine of us. On our way back to Portland, one car broke down. We jammed in one car. Probably the front seats were not bucketed seats. Three people sitting in the front with four adults holding two kids in the back seats. I was amazed that we made it back.
  1. When I finished my graduate study in Counseling at Seattle Pacific University, I moved to Los Angeles. I drove 1,137 miles from Seattle to L.A. with my entire possession in my car. Most of them were books. I put the houseplants by the rear window, leaving a small space to watch for the rear traffic. When I got to San Francisco, the glare of the setting sun blinded my eyes. So, I pulled into SF to spend a night. I drove the rest of the way the next day. The freeway system in downtown Los Angeles was intimidating to navigate, especially when I arrived in the evening. Fortunately, I visited Los Angeles previously which helped me find the right exit. That was the only long-distance driving all by myself.
  1. I took my year-and-a-half daughter with me to run an errand. There was something I needed from a convenience store. I left her in the car seat, locked the car, and ran to the store. Upon my return, I realized the key was inside the car. Fortunately, I had my purse with me. Using the payphone, I called the auto club. While waiting for the truck to rescue me, I waved at Mercy and smiled at her through the window. She waved back at me; didn’t know why I was outside. It could have been worse if I didn’t have my purse with the auto club phone number and the change to make the call.
  1. When the Phantom of the Opera toured around the world and went to Hong Kong, I was there, but the tickets were sold out. When the show came to Los Angeles to perform in the Pantages theater, I took my nine-year-old daughter to see it. I spent more money on the souvenirs than what I paid for the tickets. I still have the brochure and my daughter still has the mug with a mask that turns white when pouring hot liquid into the mug.
  1. One winter, my husband and I went to Victoria, British Columbia, in Canada, ​without making hotel reservations. We flew to Seattle, rented a car, and wanted to take the car ferry from Bremerton to Port Angeles on Washington Peninsula. From there, we would take the ferry to Victoria, BC. But we “missed the boat.” So, we drove to Edmonds to catch the next ferry that took us to Port Townsend, then drove to Port Angeles. It was late by the time we took the ferry to Victoria, BC. Without prior reservations, we went up and down the streets looking for a hotel room. Somehow, all the hotels, large and small, were fully booked. By 1:00 am, we quit looking and spent a night curled up in the car in freezing cold. By the first light, we went to get a cup of hot coffee. We found out that weekend was a local holiday. That was the last time we went anywhere without a hotel reservation.

Author Miriam Hurdle

Miriam Hurdle is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She published four children’s books at twenty-six years old. Her poetry collection received the Solo “Medalist Winner” for the New Apple Summer eBook Award and achieved bestseller status on Amazon.

Miriam writes poetry, short stories, memoir, and children’s books. She earned a Doctor of Education from the University of La Verne in California. After two years of rehabilitation counseling, fifteen years of public-school teaching and ten years in school district administration, she retired and enjoys life with her husband in southern California, and the visits to her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters in Oregon. When not writing, she engages in blogging, gardening, photography, and traveling.

Miriam’s Books and Buy Links

Buy Tina Lost in a Crowd HERE


Buy Songs of Heartstrings: Poems of Gratitude and Beatitude HERE

You can reach Miriam on social media here:

Website/Blog 
Amazon Author’s Page
Goodreads 
Twitter 
Facebook

135 thoughts on “#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About #MiriamHurdle”

  1. Reblogged this on The Showers of Blessings and commented:
    I’m very excited to be a guest over at Marcia Meara’s blog today for Ten Things You May Not Know About Me. I share about my favorite number, a private’s cave, the longest solo drive, and more. I hope to see you there! While you’re visiting make sure to check out Marcia’s books and many of her blog features.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Great to have you visiting us today, Miriam, and thanks for sharing such an interesting #TenThings list! I’m glad it looks good to you, and I know folks are going to be pulled right in. Very interesting life you’ve led, for sure! Thanks again for taking part in the series! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Hi Marcia and Miriam, what an interesting 10 things. I didn’t realise that Miriam had lost 5 older siblings. That must have been very hard for her parents. My mom is one of 8 children and no babies were lost. All survived and most are now in their 80s and 90s. It is lovely to learn more about Miriam’s early life and school days. Thanks for hosting, Marcia.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  4. Oh my gosh, Miriam. It must have been so hard on your parents to lose so many children.

    You must have been freaking out when you realized you left your keys in the car.

    I love this series, Marcia. I’ve been following Miriam for nearly three years, and I’d heard virtually none of this before.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • It must be hard on my parents, Pete, but they never talked about that! I was so scared to find out I left the key in the car. I was so thankful to have the purse with me. Before remote keys, I don’t know how many times I needed AAA to use the coat hanger to open the car door for me!!

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

    • I’m so glad you are enjoying the #TenThings series, Pete. Me, too! It’s been so much fun, and I hope to keep it going a long time. (Waiting for YOU to come visit, too!)

      Also glad you learned a lot of new stuff about Miriam today. Pretty fascinating post, eh? Thanks so much for stopping by to let us know! 😀

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  5. I loved learning more about you, Miriam. I can’t imagine how hard it was on your parents to lose so many children. I have always wanted to see Phantom of the Opera, and will make it someday. I used to walk far to school too. It was never a concern to do it then. Very lucky you had your card and change for a phone when you locked your keys in the car. I used to do that all the time, until I needed my key to lock the door.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • I wish to have learned more about what happened to my siblings, Denise, but my parents never talked about it. Oh, you needed a key to lock the car door was an improvement for safety. And now, I couldn’t lock the car if I left the remote key in the car or didn’t turn off the button to shut down the engine. Cars these days have so many safety features. I sometimes rely on the warning beep to tell me that I shouldn’t change lanes because a car in the next lane is too close.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. It’s lovely to learn ten things about you, Miriam. My mum was one of 17, and Nan suffered losses too. Such difficult times.
    I love your stories about packing all nine of you into one car and locking in the keys that day … all of these being back “how things used to be”.
    Thanks for sharing, Miriam… Wonderful to get to know more about you! 💕🙂

    Thanks for sharing, Marcia 💕🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • You’re welcome, Harmony! It was a pleasure to have Miriam visiting today, and I’m glad you enjoyed her #TenThings list. (But … um? … 17??? Holy Moly! 😲 )

      Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking a moment to say hello! 😊💖😊

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    • Oh, Harmony, your Nan won the prize of having 17 kids. Were women only made for making babies back in the old days? I remember when the seatbelt law was reinforced, I was still not used to it. I told my daughter to wear a seatbelt but I sometimes forgot to do it. She would say, “Mom, wear your seatbelt.” I also remember seeing a whole bunch of kids in the back of a pickup truck. But there were not many cars on the road back then.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  7. How nice to see Miriam here today and getting to learn so much more about her.
    Miriam, it must have been devastating for your parents to lose so many children. And they were so young when they got married!
    I remember those days of walking long distances to school alone. I did the same thing as a kid and thought nothing of it (showing my age, LOL). And wow, that story about Victoria is certainly a memorable one, LOL!
    Marcia thanks so much for having Miriam as your guest today. Hugs to you both! 🤗❤️

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • It was totally my pleasure to have Miriam visit us today, Mae, and I’m so happy you enjoyed her very interesting post! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to let us know! ❤ 😀 ❤

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    • There were many interesting childhood memories, Mae. Our long flat had four tenants. There was no TV. We didn’t have a radio but one tenant had one. We only listened to the radio. We kids roamed the streets by ourselves to buy candies from a stall and did many fun things.
      I think my parents were matchmade. I would like to learn more about some of the Chinese culture back in those days of why people got married so young.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  8. Seven is a lucky number in many cultures and clearly you were lucky for your mother. She was very young to be married – and during the war years too – and it must have been a really difficult time for both your parents. Your sibling dying at the age of three must have impacted on you as well. We’ve been down the coat hanger route to free one of our children who pushed down the central locking ‘mushroom’ but was too young to understand our desperate pleas to get her to pull it up again. It’s an experience that never leaves you! I really look forward to this series. Many thanks to Marcia and Miriam for today’s delight. xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • It was my pleasure to have Miriam here today, Trish. I just love this series! You never know what you’re going to learn about your online friends, eh? 😁 Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to let us know how much you enjoyed the post! 💖😊💖

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    • I think my parents were in Hong Kong by themselves during WWII without too much help, Alex! They went back to China to stay with my grandma when the Japanese took over Hong Kong. I didn’t understand life during the war until I watched the news lately.
      My mom was superstitious and didn’t believe in medication when my little sister had a high fever. She hired a monk from a Buhhda temple to come to our home to cast out the evil spirit in her. When my mom finally took her to the hospital, she didn’t make it. Yes, I remember that scene of the monk at our home, and mom crying when she came home from the hospital.
      Marcia has a brilliant idea in this series, Alex. Thank you for your comment.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    • Our youth group did many exciting things, Priscilla. We went mountain climbing once and took one steep spot. I lost my footing and slid down, pushing my friend behind me to slide down also. I think we only slid down several feet before we grabbed something to come to safety.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. I loved learning more about Miriam, Marcia! I remember walking alone to school in first and second grade. It’s such a different world now. It makes me sad for children. Losing so many children must have been so difficult for your parents, Miriam. My grandmother lost three boys and then had four healthy girls. I don’t think she ever got over the loss.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  12. Marcia, thank you for another wonderful author spotlight.

    Miriam, how nice to get to know you better. You and your family have endured some tragic losses, for which I’m terribly sorry. But you’ve also shared some interesting memories with us. What a remarkable life. Wishing you all the best.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  13. Hi Miriam, It was fascinating to learn so much about you – so tragic about your siblings, and surprising to hear that you couldn’t do things like attending the cinema. I love The Sound of Music too. Thank you for hosting Miriam, Marcia. Toni x

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • I think my parents were distracted by surviving WWII with many tragedies around them. I went to many cowboy movies with my dad. I remember going to see Gone with the Wind, The Longest Day, and Dr. Zhivago with my dad. I was busy during those 10 years anyway and probably didn’t miss too much by not going to the theater. Thank you for your comment, Toni.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  25. I enjoyed getting to know more about you, Miriam. You’ve had quite a few adventures. I’m with Jacquie – you should give Victoria another try. My husband and I visited there about ten years ago (a port of call on a cruise). It was beautiful!

    Thank you for hosting today, Marcia!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you for stopping by and commenting, Joan. I appreciate that. Yes, I would like to schedule another visit to Victoria. I still may take the same route going from Seattle. I’m even thinking of going from Portland to Seattle and taking the ferries from Seattle to Port Angles, and then to Victoria! The driving would be three hours from Portland to Seattle.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  26. Hi Marcia, thanks for hosting Miriam. I loved reading about her early life, but I was saddened to find out she lost many of her siblings. I can’t imagine the heartbreak her parents experienced. I, too, recall those days before seatbelts. Crazy times, and it’s a wonder we’re alive to talk about those memories. Those days were also different for children; the world is a bit scarier for our young sons and daughters to venture out alone. Your church youth group outing definitely sounds like an adventure, and I’m relieved #8 ended happily. I look forward to reading your books, and thanks for sharing.
    Lauren 💞

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Thank you for your comment, Lauren! After the seatbelt law was reinforced, I still had a hard time remembering to wear it. In fact, I got two tickets for not wearing a seatbelt. One time was on Thanksgiving morning, I only needed to pick up a small item from a store 1/4 mile away. I didn’t bother to wear the seatbelt. The cop caught me. It was the cheapest ticket – $25.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  27. I can’t even imagine what your parents went through, Miriam – my heart goes out to them. I’m not really a fan of musicals, but I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera about four times. I just love the music – glad you got a chance to see it. Sure enjoyed learning more about you – thanks, Marcia!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Oh wow, you watched Phantom of the Opera four times! That’s amazing for someone who is not a fan of musicals Teri! I saw the stage show two times and the DVD about three times. Then I watched YouTube for a few popular songs, like the theme song and “Think of Me.”
      I don’t know how my parents did it. They were so young when they got married and probably those kids were born during WWII. Watching the news on Ukraine gave me a little insight into having babies during the war.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  28. It was so fun to learn all these new things about you, Miriam. The first thing was a little sad – all those siblings that you didn’t get to know. You would have had a huge family! I love how you never seemed to be held back by circumstances, and if you couldn’t do something the first time, you found a way to do it later. That seemed like a theme. And the last thing was a bit daunting. Definitely make reservations from now on! Lol. Congrats on the feature, Miriam, and thanks, Marcia, for hosting another wonderful 10 things.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  29. That is so interesting finding out more about Miriam’s background. My Christian youth group in Australia had a few hair raising outings, but nothing as dramatic as a pirate’s cave.
    My husband and his brothers did not know their mother had had two baby boys that died till a while after her death when one of them was tracing family records. My mother lost twin girls, one was born dead and no one knew there was another baby, though my mother insisted she could feel it moving. The second baby only lived eight hours, she was christened, but Mum was advised not to see her! Unlike Miriam’s parents we heard that story many times.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you very much for your comment, Janet! Sorry to hear about your husband’s loss of two siblings and your mom’s loss of the twin girls. It was good that your family talked about that many times. It’s healthy to talk about situations like that.
      Our youth group leader was the pastor’s son. When I think back, he didn’t seem to be an outdoor person but he led us on many adventures.

      Like

      Reply

  32. I Loved learning about Miriam. We ended up in Vancouver without a hotel reservation. What a nightmare. Never again! And I also have the Phantom of the Opera mug with a mask that turns white when hot liquid is poured into it. What a coincidence. You have had an interesting life, Miriam.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • We live in a different world today, Sharon! Good to know you remember walking to school and the seatbelt thing. I have to expand on these ten things and write about them to pass on to my grandkids. Thank you for your comment.

      Like

      Reply

  34. What a fascinating life (so far) Miriam. Your adulthood is so different from your childhood. To think of your mom having so many children – and so many not surviving. A different world indeed. You are a resilient, creative, and intelligent woman – all aspects shown in your writing and blog. THANK you for sharing this, and Marcia, thanks for highlighting Miriam!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  35. Thank you for sharing your stories here, Miriam. I learn new things about you each time. These experiences make us who we are today. I remember cramming a lot of people in cars, also with no seat belts. When I was 3, my family drove from NJ to Florida in a convertible, with the top down. I sat in the front seat on my mother’s lap!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a reply to Marcia Cancel reply