Write-a-Thon

Supposedly, there is some kind of a football game on today, and since I couldn't be less interested, I have decided to hold my own write-a-thon. I'm going to try to write all day for my book (books, really.)
I have had so few opportunities for months now that I am curious to see how well I can get back in the groove and how my perspectives have changed regarding my characters and plots ... Wish me well!

Careful, or You Might ...

"Careful, or you might end up in my novel."
I saw that t-shirt design this morning, and it cracked me up. If I wore that, I wonder if people would take me seriously. Somehow, I doubt they would, and yet, they probably should ... :P

I don't know about you all, but I have sneezed at least fifty times in the last few hours, courtesy of that good, ol' cedar fever. Aah!

Juno, an Unlikely Hero. One of Many.

I saw a fantastic movie this weekend, titled "Juno." Very different from what I expected, it is a hilariously funny and touching story about a girl named Juno who gets pregnant at 16 and then proceeds to try to find adoptive parents for her on-the-way baby. And, while I was delighted the whole way through with this precocious/innocent/savvy/naive girl, I also really appreciate the underlying and tender message that comes from this storyline.

Take a moment, and picture this: a teenage girl, pregnant.

I imagine this brings up a lot of images conditioned from upbringing, society, personal experiences, etc. For many of you, it may bring up a negative reaction at first, or perhaps entirely. When I see a young girl who is pregnant, while at times there may be an initial shock, my next thought is one of love - how brave she is, and even braver if she is taking that extra step of giving up her baby for adoption. And, I think of the beautiful life that was created and is living inside her.

To me, the girl in this movie is like so many other girls I've known - not in the sense that they all became pregnant - but in the sense that they are learning how to live and how to be who they are (who they really are, not who others want them to be.) And, while some may not find her general choice of words or actions throughout the movie "appropriate," I can assure you how she talks and behaves is like so, so many girls today. It is a product of an independent spirit, and I applaud it.

Maybe if we're appalled, we're actually appalled at ourselves for not always saying what we think or doing what we feel, without regard for what others will think of us. I'm really proud of this next generation of girls, and I hope that we "older girls" (and boys) are able to learn something from them.

Back in the Day ... Songs

Back in the Day ... songs were not so different.
I was playing around with songs again on here, and it got me to thinking: This whole, "Oh, the song lyrics were so innocent back when I was younger" stuff people try to convince others of is not exactly so.
I remember the odd expression on my Dad's face when I'd go around the house, in seventh grade, belting out "Damn! I Wish I Was Your Lover!" over and over again. -- I'm surprised my parents didn't have me in Catholic school ... Oh, wait.
Then, of course, searching around I found a few other favorites from back in the day - "Naughty Girls Need Love, Too," "Bad Boys," and let's not even mention Madonna or hip hop. I'm not inclined to make a full social commentary today, but it's an interesting observation. And, hey! I turned out okay. :P

Deconstruct Your Reality

Sometimes things get stuck in my head, and I just can't move on until I get them out somehow. This can be particularly interesting when it's for someone specific and it's three in the morning, but, in this case, this one is more of a general statement and one I kept thinking as I was driving. The thought was so persistent that I fished out a gas receipt from my purse and scribbled it down at 70 miles per hour. For everyone it might mean a little something different so I'll just write it and let you interpret it for your own life. It's a simple statement, yet remarkably profound.

"Deconstruct your reality, and live, really."

Happy New Year's Everyone!

Happy New Year's everyone, and welcome to 2008! I think it's going to be a good year!

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday season! It's time to begin anew ... : )

A Lovely Christmas Season to You!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that your holiday season is going splendidly! I am back in town after an extremely brief trip home. But - responsibilities beckon and all that ...
I am working hard today, but, in honor of the Christmas season, I'm doing it in front of my Christmas tree in my holiday pajamas - all day!
A continued blessed and beautiful holiday season to you and yours!

Zilker Trail of Lights 2007

We had our annual pilgrimage to the Zilker Trail of Lights. It's always a lot of fun to walk around all the different displays and then spin yourself silly under the big tree!

I also should mention that I have been going loco - as expected - with adding music, etc. to my blog. The sidebars keep going down further and further and further ...

Oh, and we added an "audio preview" to our website, if you just can't seem to get enough of my voice. :P

Houston Rockets Game!

This past weekend, I went to the Houston Rockets versus Dallas Mavericks game in Houston with my family. It was a lot of fun and nice to do something as a family, especially since I've been so involved in my own work and social stuff lately.
This time of year - it's crazy how busy it is! I have not done any of my Christmas shopping! None!! I can hear the mall calling my name ... : )

My Appearance on San Antonio Living

I showed off gifts from the Texas Family Magazine Holiday Gift Guide yesterday on San Antonio Living. Here's a link where you can watch the television segment!

My First Issue of Texas Family Magazine

My first issue of Texas Family Magazine - as Editor in Chief - is out!

It was a lot of work, but it turned out great! I am very proud of the team that worked on it; we accomplished something great, and I look forward to even more fantastic issues to come! (Check out the awesome gift guide on our website!)

Now, go subscribe!! : )

Let the Holidays Begin!

Let the Holidays begin! And, of course, that means holiday parties! It's amazing how many things we all try to fit into this month! Fun things, though!

Here are pictures from my friend Jennifer's annual "Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Party," which was fabulous, as usual! And, then a later charitable event I attended.

I don't have my normal energy since I'm not quite well yet so I'm taking the events as easy as I can, but that's so hard to do this time of year. -- I am so ready to see myself back to normal and looking healthy and rested!

Oh, and a friend "elfed" me! I'm not sure how long the link will last, but it's fun for now!
I sure can get down, can't I? ; )

Alivia's First Birthday Party!

My niece Alivia is a year old and is walking! She had a wonderful birthday party with lots and lots of relatives and presents. Adding to the excitement is that my sister-in-law and brother found out their next child is going to be a boy! It was a fun afternoon all the way around!


This is me and Alivia and my mom and Alivia.

Music on My Blog!

* I just added another one, one I can't believe I didn't think of right away!! ; )

One of the new things I'm playing around with on this updated version of Blogger is the music video feature. If you scroll down a bit, you'll see that in the sidebar I've added a few songs for you to enjoy while you peruse my written meanderings.
I will try not to go too crazy with this feature - I do love music after all - but I make no promises. : )

I Upgraded (Blogs, that is.)

I'm resisting the change no more. I held off and held off upgrading my blog because it involved re-doing my entire template, and that was a scary thought, considering all the customizing I've done. My final temptation, though, was the new slideshow feature that Blogger is offering. That was just too cool to miss out on.
Turns out, upgrading really was pretty simple. With the process, I didn't lose my links or anything, and now I can label better. Sure, I spent a couple of hours tinkering around, but it wasn't so much necessary as interesting.
Hopefully, you'll enjoy the changes; I'm sure I'll be tweaking things for a while.

Good Luck, Jennifer and Matthew!

Two of my very good friends are moving away from Austin. They will set off tomorrow morning on a 20-hour drive, three cats and a dog in their backseat, and all of us here wishing it wasn't quite this way. I'm really going to miss them. Whether it is a party or an event or just hanging out, if Jennifer and Matthew are there, it's always fun. They are that kind of couple.
When we last were all together, someone remarked on our conversation topics, and I realized how special it is to have friends who you literally can talk about anything with. Our conversations have been all over the place, about topics I'd never dream of engaging in during "polite" conversations. It's really valuable when you can find friends who you can be yourself with and who won't judge you. I am so going to miss having them as part of our group!!
Best of luck, Jennifer and Matthew! Hopefully, I will see you soon!

Quite a Long Time

I don't think I've ever gone this long without posting before!! I'm still quite sick, but I just keep on going forward the best I can - I don't know what else to do at this point. I plan to work hard for a couple of days and then spend time with my family later this week and hopefully finally get well. I'm more of a natural health person, but I have taken the medications they prescribed, just to no avail. My mom actually called me this weekend to ask if I'd heard about that deadly virus the news people are talking about that puts young, healthy people in the hospital! I told her if I have that, then I guess I'm actually doing pretty well! :P

I plan to serve Thanksgiving dinner this evening to people who would otherwise not have one. I've done a lot of volunteer work, but I can't recall ever actually serving food so I'm really looking forward to it. It's always a learning experience for me when I get in there personally and do something like this. And, it always is rewarding - even when it's tough.
(Note: It's well established that I'm not contagious.)

Some Things I Like

I've been sick for over two weeks now and doing an awful job of resting - I'm too nervous and high-strung these days for that. I am trying to surround myself with good, positive things, and I came across some I liked:

"Sometimes you just have to take the leap and grow your wings on the way down."
(Otherwise known as "The Story of My Life" for the last few years.)

"She believed she could do it, so she did."

"Low-rise jeans are so impractical when you are flying by the seat of your pants." (OK, this one was just funny.)

I also came up with a great title for a new book - one I'm tempted to start before finishing the other. I'd love to print it, but I'm afraid it'd get stolen. I'll say this: it sounds like it could be a funny country music song, and it was inspired by someone.

I love "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie (I can't not sing this song when I hear it.) Then I heard another song and was like, "Who is that? I have to hear that again!" I did this morning and, turns out, it's Fergie again with "Clumsy." I'm not big into celebrities, but I guess I identify with her music - probably stems back to afternoons watching Kids' Incorporated, one of the best. shows. ever. :P

All Saints and Souls

I meant to wish everyone a Happy Halloween yesterday, but now I'll just wish you a Happy All Saints' Day and Happy All Souls' Day instead! (For Catholics, on All Saints' Day, we celebrate the lives of the saints, and on All Souls' Day, we remember those who have died.)

In that "spirit" (ha ha!) AP-Ipsos released results from a recent survey:

48 percent of people believe in extra-sensory perception. (ESP, the "sixth sense," includes such psychic abilities as precognition, clairvoyance, clairaudience, remote viewing, and telepathy.)
34 percent believe in ghosts.
30 percent have woken up from sleep with the sense of a strange presence in the room.
23 percent have seen or believed themselves to be in the presence of a ghost.

Very, very interesting ...

Give Me Daylight - or Give Me Sleep

Usually I'm a newsaholic, but with working so much lately, that's one of the things I haven't been following as closely. (And, I'm pretty sure not a lot will have changed in the world of politics by the time I catch up anyway.) I did happen to hear, though, that we are delaying the time change, and I, for one, believe that is a great idea! Since I was in high school and learned the initial reasons behind the change, I've never understood why it still continues. There are always technical reasons given, but, simply, I like the extra daylight. It allows more time for all sorts of the generic-type house and life things we all do, and it just feels too dark too early otherwise (and I'm a major night owl even!) ... Of course, I won't complain about the extra hour of sleep it brings! ;)

Btw, I've noticed that Blogger has a new feature to help people keep up with comment threads. Many times we get some great threads going here - so that might end up being a neat feature to have.