Our Third Anniversary Picture

Mike and I look happy and smiling standing in front of our new house. The photographer, a man we just met, was the construction supervisor of the partially-built houses nearby. I forced my eyes open as far as I could as we squinted into the late afternoon sun. This photo was for posterity’s sake so it had to be perfect. I plan to get it printed and place it in our anniversary album to commemorate our third anniversary. I insisted that Mike turn on the date on the camera to serve as proof. I do not want to mislead posterity with a picture that’s a few days off. That’s also why I hid my purse behind the porch post so it wouldn't clutter up the picture.

I tried to suck in my gut, but then gave up and resigned myself to looking pudgy. Posterity will never know that I used to be 25 lbs thinner, I convinced myself. Mike tried his best to smile, spreading his mouth as wide as he could, but his teeth just don’t show much. Maybe he needs to exercise his jaw muscles. I, on the other hand, can plaster a smile on my face on command, probably due to years of grinning like an idiot when I was too shy to talk. Looks good in pictures though…

What you can’t see in this picture is that the house is empty… stark empty and pristine. I hate to mess up the perfectly clean carpet, shining countertops, and spacious cabinets with our smothering volume of stuff.

I'm a Guest-Blogger!

Several years ago, when Alice Osborn had just finished her first book of poetry (she now has three), I went to a few of her writing workshops. It was a great way to try out my writing abilities and to build my confidence as a writer. I've been on her e-newsletter list ever since. So when she asked for guest-bloggers this summer, I jumped at the chance. Here's a link to my post:
http://aliceosborn.com/writing/erma-bombeck-writers-workshop/

Clothes Shopping Reminds Me of Mom

It's been six years since my mom passed away and I still think of her when I go clothes shopping. I can almost feel her presence as I wander around the racks in the petite section. It used to bring tears to my eyes as I fully realized that I would never go shopping with her again. I would stop in the bathroom to compose myself before perusing the racks again. Last night, as I shopped at Kohl’s for some desperately-needed new tops, I didn’t feel sad. Instead, I marveled at how, six years later, I still feel such a strong connection to my mom when I’m clothes shopping. I love that this connection got my attention through my distracted, racing thoughts about my job, my to-do list, my plans. Most of the other parts of my life don’t remind me of Mom. She never lived in my townhouse, never came to work with me, never met my husband. I'm so glad that something reminds me of her. Shopping was a special activity we shared together.

Mom and I were far from fashionistas, but we would poke around the petite section together. Our body types were similarly short (I had about 2 inches on her), but her shoulders were more narrow than mine and she could fit in smaller sizes. She frequently wore Alfred Dunner tops and knit pants. The same knit pants would look terrible on me for reasons I still haven’t figured out. Even the petite pants would be several inches too long on both of us.

Mom was the only one I could really go clothes shopping with. She would patiently wait for me as I tried on various tops, pants, or dresses, and inevitably, she told me I looked good in most of what I tried on. Usually I looked okay and just needed to be convinced. One notable exception was the gunny sack dress I bought in ’96 after she told me it looked fine. When I wore it a few weeks later, my boyfriend at the time joked that he got me pregnant. Even with Mom’s reassurances, I would hem and haw, debate and reason, until I finally came to a decision. This indecisiveness would annoy the heck out of anybody else and probably started wearing Mom down too, though she didn’t often show it.

Now I wander around the petite section alone, trying to focus on the tops I need to buy, and dreaming of the day I will have a daughter to go clothes shopping with.

Great Advice about Writing from the 2012 Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop

Last April, I flew to Dayton, Ohio to attend the 2012 Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop. Here are some great tips about writing I gathered from several different speakers:

• Only read formal reviews of your book/writings, don't read negative reviews, anonymous reviews, or the reviews on Amazon.com [from Kyran Pittman]. People who write formal reviews (like Alice Osborn!) know how to offer constructive criticism that will help improve your writing, not discourage you.
• To combat writer's block, work on two projects in totally different genres at once. If that doesn't work, train to run a marathon (i.e. do something totally opposite of writing for a while) [from Alan Zwieble].
• Believe you are a writer. Call yourself a writer. Prove it by having a sign on your desk that says "Don't disturb the writer." [from Nancy Berk].
• The angrier you are, the funnier you should be (when writing your column) [from Connie Schultz]. 
• A successful column is relatable/familiar to the audience, has unexpected elements, and uses interesting/humorous language, i.e. spice up the words [from Tracy Beckerman].

Vacation in New England

We enjoyed seeking out the beautiful covered bridges in New Hampshire. Impressive, solid structures made of thick, heavy wood beams. Birds nest in the rafters. Even the pedestrian walkway on the side is covered with a roof. 

Inside the covered bridge. It almost felt like walking through a tunnel, except with heavy wooden sides and birds rustling and tweeting overhead. I bet these covered bridges are creepy at night.

We took a boat ride around Lake Winnepesaukee. So peaceful on the water. Lots of people have expensive summer homes around the lake and on little islands in the lake.

 

Sand Beach in Acadia National Park in Maine. We drove a long way from New Hampshire to Maine to visit Acadia, but it was worth it. 

Waves pounding on the rocky cliffs in Acadia National Park in Maine.

Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Acadia National Park. We got there at sunset so the light was lit. Picturesque scene with the ocean and islands in the distance. My first impression was that it looked short. I'm used to seeing much taller lighthouses, like the ones on the beaches of North Carolina. I guess if you build a lighthouse on a cliff, you don't need to make it that tall.

First picture of our new house!

Myrtle Beach on my 40th Birthday

Beautiful, though windy and cold, day at Myrtle Beach in April

I stepped in the water anyway!

We paused for a moment when we reached the tip of the SkyWheel, as if we were teetering on the edge of a canyon, before we plunged down the other side in a slow free fall.