I'm Published!

Okay, so not in the larger sense of the word as I hope to someday be, like "my book" has been published, but a girl's gotta start somewhere, right?    

A few months ago I received an email from a woman at Woman's World magazine who writes the "You Deserve the Best..." column for the magazine.  The July 18 issue would be focusing on chick lit escapes and because of my reviews for Chicklit Club, she asked me to provide a couple of options for that weeks column.  I was totally psyched, but a bit nervous at the same time.  I knew she was asking a few people for their recommendations so I wasn't sure if I would even make the cut.  But this was a weekly national magazine after all and I wanted to make a good impression.  So I sent off my carefully-crafted recommendations for a couple of really good books I had recently reviewed which were being released in time for the summer reading season.  She thanked me for my personal account of the books (which felt as if what I had written was the equivalent of a 5th grade book report) and said she would keep me posted on the finished article.  I then promptly forgot about the exchange and went back to my life.

At the end of June, I received a follow-up email from her with an attachment of the completed article.  When I opened the attachment, I was pleasantly surprise to see she had chosen one of the books I recommended as the Perfect Poolside read!  There it was, my name in print!  And a quote!  I don't think it really hit me until I had the actual magazine in my hands that this was kind of a big deal...on a smaller scale. 

The day the magazine came out, I ran around on my lunch hour to three CVSs and a Borders to see if I could find the magazine.  I came away from each place empty handed but I was a woman on a mission so I made a bee-line for the grocery store when I got home.  I grabbed the magazine and frantically flipped through to find the article.  When I couldn't find it I decided I needed to slow down and check the table of contents.  I found the page the article was on, went right to it and read the whole article (even the parts I wasn't in!).  What a cool experience, standing in the middle of the supermarket reading an article in a national women's magazine with your name in it!  I bought five copies on the spot and rushed home to show my husband (he was sufficiently impressed).  My enthusiasm had the same affect on my mom, aunt, and best friend, who all rushed out to buy their very own copies of the magazine, leaving me with four extra copies I now have no idea what to do with.  If they are all this excited about a blurb in a magazine, wait until I publish my first book!

By the way, the Perfect Poolside read I recommended was "Ten Beach Road" by Wendy Wax.  Pick it up.  You won't be disappointed.  And of course, like any good reader/reviewer/writer, the other books highlighted in the article are now in my "to be read" pile.

Norm

About a week after my last post in February, my dad passed away.  Even though his health had been compromised for some time (he had battled a myriad of heart and lung issues for the past 25 years), and we knew that because of these issues he could leave us at any time, the death of a loved one is always a shock.  We had seen him come through each health crisis like a trooper, so it almost didn't occur to us he wouldn't be fine this time as well.  However, after 25 years, I believe he was just done fighting. 

The past two months have been strange, to say the least.  I'm beginning to understand what it means when people say grief is a process.  I'm not sure the death of a loved one really sinks in until days, perhaps even weeks, later, once you've had a chance to live without that person for a while.  There is a definite sadness right away; tears come almost instantaneously.  But is this actual grief or just the initial shock of learning the news?  I'm not sure.

The day we got the news, I felt numb more than anything else.  I definitely cried, and would tear up when I thought of him throughout those first several days.  However, I had more of a "what now?" feeling.  I didn't feel the need to rush home since he was already gone, but I also felt that going about my normal routine was somehow disrespectful, even though I had to go to the grocery store and finish the laundry, both of which needed to be done before the upcoming week.  It was hard to focus on what to do first. 

After returning from our trip home for his memorial service, I began to feel more of an ache in my heart, which has been with me ever since.  Once the public process of saying goodbye was complete, I let myself think more about the future and what would be missed going forward, both for him and for those of us he left behind.  The holidays which would always be minus one person or the world events no longer discussed around the dinner table.  The thought of not talking to him again is what makes me the most sad.  I've actually gone to dial his number and then remembered he's not there anymore.  That is by far the worst for me.

Up until this point in my life, when something big has happened, I've always dealt with it and moved on, whether it was getting sick or being unemployed.  I knew the situation was not forever and one day, life would return to normal.  Losing a loved one is forever.  I'm told the pain lessens as time goes by but in all reality, that person is never coming back.  And this has been the most stark realization of this whole process for me.

Luckily, I am blessed with wonderful family and friends who support me in my transition into this new normal.  People who are willing to listen while I talk about the crazy things he did during his life, such as talking to every random person we passed in the grocery store, or driving the Alcan Highway in his MG Midget for a teaching job in Alaska.  He was quite a character and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. 

Rest in eternal peace, Norm.  Love you always!

A Few Things Not Coming With Me On Vacation...

It's no secret that old man winter is on the very last nerve of just about everyone in the country this year.  We have so much snow in our yard that if the dog sunk through to the ground, he'd be lost until April.  You can't even go to normal winter retreats this winter, like Dallas and Atlanta, without getting hit with snow and ice, for crying out loud.  To that end, it's time to get away for a nice little break we like to call vacation.  And as I make my packing list for the trip, I am also making a mental note of those things that most certainly will NOT be accompanying me on this trip. 

1.  Antibiotics (or any type of cold/flu meds for that matter, including the Neti Pot).  We are currently six weeks into 2011 and I have been sick for approximately five of those weeks.  Between the flu, a cold, and then a sinus infection, I'm so done with being sick.  The only thing I plan to take with me is Dramamine for the flight because honestly, I'd rather not be alert for that part of the trip.

2.  Boots, my Eddie Bauer down coat, or any other cold-weater gear that makes me look like the little brother, Randy, from A Christmas Story.  Now granted, I'm not exactly going someplace tropical.  Utah is known for still having snow this time of year.  However, the majority of that snow stays in the mountains, where it belongs, so the spring skiers can enjoy it and I won't have to deal with it at the lower elevations.  It's a win-win.

3.  The dog.  We have actually talked about taking the dog with us on several occasions.  He's our baby and I'm sure he would like to meet his grandparents at some point.  However, he would still need to be fed, watered, walked, and treated to numerous kongs throughout the day.  Not exactly relaxing for mom and dad.  Not to mention the extra cost and potential headache of flying with a terrier across the country.  Luckily for us, we can board him at the equivalent of a five-star resort, where he will be treated like the little prince he thinks he is, and mom and dad can get a much needed parenting break.  How many of you with actual 3 year old children can just drop them off on the way to the airport and come home a week later to a freshly groomed child?  Furry children are a wonderful thing.

My hope in leaving these items at home is that I will be able to relax and enjoy our much-needed winter break.  Plus, without all of this extra stuff taking up space in my suitcase, I now have room for everything I'm going to buy when mom and I go shopping! 






     

If Walmart had a restaurant...

...it would be Cracker Barrel.  Now before you get all up in my grill about how wonderful Cracker Barrel is and how great the food is for the price, blah, blah, blah, let me just say that I am a big fan of Cracker Barrel.  When I need my greasy, bacon cheeseburger fix, Cracker Barrel is the only place to go.  If I'm craving pancakes with a crunch, I head to Cracker Barrel for the crazy-good pecan pancakes.  The food is delicious, plentiful, and reasonably priced.  The trifecta of restaurants, in my opinion.  But if you are also looking for the ultimate in people watching, you can't beat Cracker Barrel for the shear pageantry of humanity on display every single visit.

Depending on when you go, and in my book, nothing beats Sunday morning, the vast array of people is astounding.  You have your after-church crowd, usually the elderly couple who have just come from the early service and are enjoying their eggs and toast before heading home to settle in for their mid-day nap, or the incredibly loud family with six little kids all under the age of 8 who leave their table looking like a tornado hit it.  Then you have the twenty-somethings who partied a little too hard the night before, rolled out of bed and threw on whatever was closest to them on the floor.  They have a wicked case of bed head and would love nothing more than to mainline coffee if they could.  There are the uppity tourists on their way home from a ski weekend up north who decide to stop in for one last breakfast out. They are the ones with the surly teenager listening to her iPod who can't be seen out of the house without a full face of Taylor Momsen makeup and who would rather die than be seen anywhere with her lame-o parents.  Then there are the rest of us, who get up on Sunday morning, decide to go out for breakfast and pick Cracker Barrel for the good coffee and delicious food.  And of course, the people watching.

But the best thing about going out to eat at Cracker Barrel?  No, it's not the food, or the price of the food, or the people.  The best thing about going to Cracker Barrel is that no matter how bad I look when I head out the door for Cracker Barrel, there is always someone else who looks worse than I do.  Guaranteed.

1/1/11: Make it Happen

New Year's Day.  A day for reflection, resolutions, and a "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" marathon.  

January 1 is also a day for putting those resolutions into practice.  I have great ideas (just ask me) and a list of things I want to do in my life, but my follow-through leaves a bit to be desired.  I'm always under the impression there will be plenty of time for crossing things off my list.  I'm not sure if it's the end of the year, or middle-age, but I've recently realized this is it, the only life I have, and if I'm going to attempt all of the things on my list, I better get a move on.    

So on this first, auspicious day of 2011, I resolve to get on with it.  Books, blogging, baking...it all starts now.  First order of business?  Entering the HGTV Dream Home Sweepstakes.

Happy New Year!