Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block

This morning on television, I had a pre-teen flashback of the "we're a lot older now" variety.
Deborah (Debbie) Gibson and Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block) were singing a duet! What a blast from the past! My very first tape (yes, I said "tape") was New Kids on the Block, with "The Right Stuff." Debbie Gibson followed shortly, with "Electric Youth." Gaw ...

Cristal for the Honeymoon

All us girls who went to the bachelorette party in Miami surprised Erin with a honeymoon gift - a bottle of Cristal! It was a special and very fun reminder of all the Cristal we enjoyed in South Beach. She was so surprised!

My Best Friend's Wedding

Erin's wedding in San Diego was wonderful. The wedding was held on the terrace of the historic El Cortez, overlooking downtown San Diego, and the reception was held indoors. With wooden ceilings and candlelight, everything was romantic and elegant. I was so happy for her.

I was super nervous about giving my toast - not because I was talking in front of people but because I wanted it to be perfect for Erin. I am happy to say that it went beautifully. Whew!

Caught Red-Pawed!

... and yet she takes time for a stretch!
This is the newest feline member of my household - Gracie. My sister has moved in with me, and this is her cat. Gracie is a nice enough cat ... but climbing on top of my ten-foot tall cabinets is a no-no!
Geez, who's in charge around here? ;)

Let the Queen of Sky Ebay Auction Begin!

Note: This is a close copy of my column this week for the Oak Hill Gazette.
The Queen of Sky and I
Those of you who know me personally or who follow my blog know that I am good friends with a woman named Ellen Simonetti. Beyond our circle of friends, Ellen is better known to the world as “Queen of Sky,” the former Delta flight attendant who was fired for her “inappropriate” blog about the life of a flight attendant. Pictures included.
Her grounding resulted in a lawsuit that still is pending against Delta Airlines and a rush of worldwide attention. While this fame - or infamy - has caught the attention of the likes of the Today Show, People and Glamour Magazines, and USA Today (and an upcoming guest column by Ellen herself in the New York Times,) this week I am writing about her because of an exciting new development in her world – the release of her new book, “Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant, the Queen of Sky Blog.”
Being billed as the first novel in blog format, this fictional story of a slightly off-kilter flight attendant named Elena will immerse readers in a similar story to that of Simonetti - the creation of Elena’s blog after the death of her mother, the perks and quirks of international travel, life as a flight attendant for “Legacy Airlines,” and the eventual end of her seven-year career as a flight attendant because of her blog. As in the real-life blog, the book is filled with many of the pictures that led to her firing.
Of course, people have differing opinions as to whether the real Ellen Simonetti should have been fired or not, and her story remains a controversial one. But, controversy breeds interest, a result Ellen learned firsthand after being thrown in to this unexpected ordeal. I do believe most who have found interest in Ellen’s story will find their interest transplanted vicariously to the character of Elena, whose story does reach a conclusion - unlike Ellen, whose story has yet to be written.
Even though we are close friends, I was surprised pleasantly to find that on the dedication page of Ellen’s book, my name is listed. Ellen thanks me for my support as she went through what has been quite a traumatic and life-jarring experience for her. Hopefully, the release of this new book will help propel her forward to a brighter, happier, and – pardon the pun – less turbulent future.
In that spirit, Ellen (who has innumerable fans and supporters) will be auctioning off five, hand-signed and hand-numbered copies of her book beginning September 18 on E-bay. This promises to be an interesting experience, as I have found many of her fans are rather hardcore. (She has had people record songs for her and make t-shirts for her – it’s crazy, really.)
Her book is available for regular purchase, to be shipped after September 25, at BlogBasedBooks.com.

Art Party X

I went to an Art Party shindig last night thrown by my friend AEJC. He has them a couple of times a year or so, and they promote different artists, photographers, sculptors, bands, etc. The parties always are great, with usually about 175 people, and are are a good chance for me to catch up with friends and acquaintances since I seem to be always off somewhere or working - like I'll be this weekend. Totally OK, though, because the reason I am working this weekend is because I'll be heading out mid-week for my best friend Erin's wedding. Remember her bachelorette party? I have my maid of honor gown ready, and now I am just working on my toast!!

Belly Dancing Birthday

Over the weekend, we celebrated the birthday of my friend, Prabhakar, at a Middle Eastern restaurant. I haven't had a lot of experience with that kind of food, but I tried several appetizers and a shish kebob - everything was good.


We all ended up belly dancing with the restaurant's performer, and she said we were the best group she's ever seen. ;)

September 11, 2001

* I decided I did want to say a couple of things.
Every time I see 9:11 on a clock, I remember.
And, it was worse for the first year or two after the attacks, but still, every time I hear the ring of the Fox News Alert, I'm waiting for the bottom of the earth to fall out again.
In lieu of a post today about the five year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, I encourage each of you to spend a moment remembering the emotions you felt while you heard and watched those terrible events unfold.
May God bless us all.

Texas Family Magazine Associate Editor

This is exciting news! -
I have been named an Associate Editor for Texas Family Magazine!
I am quite happy about this! : )
Since the beginning, I have been a supporter of this magazine, and I really encourage people to check it out/subscribe. It is a great publication, in my opinion, so I am very happy about this development!

150 "Candidly Caroline" Columns

I was turning in my "Candidly Caroline" column for the Oak Hill Gazette just now and realized it was my 150th column for them! It's hard to believe people have been listening to me for so long - three years!
A lot of you, not living in Austin, are like, "The Oak Hill what? Where's that?" But, a lot of people here, who aren't familiar with the scads of other work I do, identify me with just that paper.
My nice, little, fragmented world. : )

Under the Weather

Well, I've been pretending it wasn't so, but it looks like I really am sick. I need to just crawl back in to bed and stay there, where all these "I could be, I should be's" will be running through my head. Blah! I rarely get actually sick, and I definitely don't like it. Okay, off I go. Maybe I can watch some more of my "Murder, She Wrote" DVD's when I wake up again.
Meanwhile ... My column on "Back to School Shopping" was published in Brooklyn Family Magazine, and my story, "Nagging - the Grudge Work of Parenting," just came out in Western New York Family Magazine.
For a little twist to my norm, Kidz on the Coast Magazine in Destin, Florida, used parts of my "Teaching Work Ethic" article for a local television news broadcast.

New Sidebar Link - Bio and Publications

I just created a new link on the sidebar - my Bio/Publications. It has examples of some of my work. There are a lot of other goodies over there in the links, too, btw.
Also, I wanted to let you know this site is best viewed with Mozilla Firefox.
As always, you can reach my blog at www.CarolineShearer.com or www.CandidlyCaroline.com.

Caroline's Publications

Caroline A. Shearer is a bestselling author, speaker, and the founder of Absolute Love Publishing. She established herself as a writer in virtually every medium possible - and then finally began fulfilling her own life purpose. Known as a fresh, distinctive, spiritual voice, Caroline’s vision is to promote goodness and love in the world through the inspiration of others. Her popular books include "Dead End Date," the first mystery in the Adventures of a Lightworker series; "Love Like God: Embracing Unconditional Love;" and "Raise Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life," a min-e-book™.

Previously, Caroline was a journalist for publications across the U.S. and was the editor in chief of a statewide magazine. Caroline is respected for her conscientious approach to the written word and twice has been recognized as a finalist in the prestigious Austin Under 40 Awards. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University, from where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, with a minor in Psychology. She also began an Interdisciplinary Studies Masters' Program focusing on Children's Literature and Psychology at Texas State University.

Thousands of Caroline's stories and articles have appeared in such publications as Texas Family Magazine, Best in Texas Music Magazine, Birmingham Magazine, Connecticut Parent Magazine, Metro Kids, Baltimore's Child Magazine, Cleveland Family, Mahoning Valley/Trumbull County Parent Magazine, About Families Magazine, Florida Family Living Magazine, Kansas City Parent Magazine, Western New York Family Magazine, Sonoma Family Life Magazine, Cecil Child Magazine, River City Renaissance Magazine, the Oak Hill Gazette, and the Downtown Planet. Hear her speak, as a notable Austinite, here on the Armadillo Podcast. 


Her blogs, under the nom de plume “Candidly Caroline,” are, of course, more casual than her professional writing. Some columns, articles, and recipes are available for paid reprint - follow the links for previews.