It was a typical day at the ranch. We awoke before dawn so that we could get all of our chores done. Later that afternoon, while we were still finishing our backbreaking work, we could hear the sizzling sound of the Texas heat as the sweat beaded up on our brows. Off in the distance, a lone tumbleweed rolled by. As the day came to a close, my children, the good little Texans that they are, rode bareback as their stallions galloped off into the sunset. That night, as we ate our dinner by candlelight, we thought, “Boy howdy, we sure are roughing it.” Just another typical day at the ranch.

Or…maybe not so much.

A while back, we were lucky enough to be invited to “The Ranch” for a weekend filled with fun, food, family, and friends. Life doesn’t get much better. I grew up with horses, but realized that my daughter really is a “big city babe” when she became so captivated by this saddle stand and kept looking for the horse.

The first evening, it began to storm and our electricity went out. Rather than complaining that our weekend was ruined, all 45 of us had the best time eating by candlelight, hanging out on our porches, talking, telling stories, living without electricity … just Welcoming The Rain!

And as for roughing it, I’ll let you decide:

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." ~Flavia Weedn

Last weekend, I said goodbye to two dear friends, who happen to be one of the greatest couples that I’ve ever met. While we don’t get together all that often, there is still that idea that they will be moving away.

Continue reading "Saying Goodbye" »

So, it’s kind of like that feeling you get after the big Thanksgiving Day meal. You’ve eaten so much that you have to undo the top button on your pants. And while the weather outside can be rather chilly, you’re inside the cozy, warm house, resting on the couch, trying to watch the big game on TV. But you keep dozing off. Yet, this feeling doesn’t only come at Thanksgiving, it happens most days. Ah, the sleepiness of it all!

Continue reading "The Sleepiness Of It All" »

I’ll never be one of those tall, elegant model types. For me, at 5’3”, it’s never going to happen. I’ll also never be the mysterious stranger or completely happy-go-lucky and carefree. And I have great rhythm when the music's on, but turn the music off, and I’m a total klutz. But, I am who I am.

I can become so caught up in my own thoughts that I don’t always look around me to see what obstacles are in my path. I have a friend that I’ve known since childhood. She knows how easily I can trip, fall, or run into things. Even now, when we’re talking and walking down the street together, she’ll say pole or curb, right in the middle of the sentence. I know to look up, move over, and we just keep going.

Continue reading "I Am Who I Am" »

This picture was taken five years ago, on our last vacation before we had children. Little did I know that my world was about to be turned upside down forever.

Continue reading "Little Did I Know" »

We’ve taken five mini-vacations so far this year. Nothing big. But still, there’s packing, traveling, sleeping, socializing, abundant eating and drinking, dancing, sleeping, traveling, and unpacking. A few weeks will pass and then we do it all over again. Most of our travels this year have taken us to visit family in Mexico. So, for me, the trip looks something like this: pack, travel, sleep, socialize, listen, translate in my head, talk, listen, translate in my head... Even though I’m quite comfortable speaking Spanish, I’m not a native speaker. It still takes my brain a day or two to switch gears and once again be able to easily process this foreign language.

Continue reading "No Place Like Home" »

I’m a little slow when it comes to technology. Marketing types would never call me an “early adopter” by any stretch of the imagination. It’s not like I work by candle light or have completely banned all signs of the modern age from my life (I listen to my MP3 player, have a digital camera, am now on facebook, and use my GPS system to get from place to place), I’m just not that great with all of the fancy gadgets or technology terms. In fact, when my web designer has technical questions, I try to stay out of it. I send him directly to the IT team. If the question goes through me, he might as well be talking with my 4-year-old son, because it will most certainly become lost in translation.

I must say, I come by it naturally.

Continue reading "Life In The Slow Lane" »

Women’s Edge magazine recently interviewed me for an article about my book for their July issue. Actually, it was Gary Tomlinson who did the interviewing. Thanks, Gary! The article is in my media room. Thanks for checking it out!

I’ve added a new feature to the website: podcasts. So far, all I have is an audio clip of me reading my Welcome The Rain poem. I’m not sure what I’ll podcast about next, but hey, this is a good start.

I’m experiencing that feeling you get when you hear your own answering machine message or, to bring things up to the twenty-first century, voice mail message. Where the voice that you’re hearing is not the same one that you hear from inside of your head all day long. It’s like I’m listening to a close relative: I recognize that voice, I’m familiar with the cadence, accent, and annunciation, I just don’t happen to own that voice. Strange, really.

But back to the podcasts. I hope you enjoy hearing the poem, read by me. Not the me that I hear in my head, the other me. The recorded me.

Last weekend, I had my second book signing. On the eve of both signings, as I was ironing my tablecloths, I had this sneaking suspicion that no one would show up. In my mind, I pictured a signing with my only patrons being my husband, parents, and kids. I thought the whole signing would look like this:

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

Continue reading "Book Signings" »