What's next?

-

 My daughter's open house is over! Wedding prep that has lasted over a year for the three weddings is finally over! My sister got engaged last August. As her maid of honor-type person, we did a lot of talking about how and what to do for her wedding. As she was nearing 48, and her first wedding, we wanted to make sure that we properly celebrated. We decided on a Hallow-wedding! She loves Halloween and has skeletons hanging, not in her closet but in her garage. So between August and October it was a race as we picked a color scheme. We designed wedding invites. We planned. Mature brides have different priorities than young ones. No attendants. So that was nice. She paid for a large chunk of the party herself. And she had a huge invite list. Her bridal shower as a "mourning the death of her single life," including an obituary and macabre decor. Perfect for October. Her reception was a costume party with prizes and dress up. I was a German barmaid with my daughter. MCed the thing. It looked like a carnival--ball pits, cotton candy, candy bar (lots of giant glass skulls filled with different types of candy), popcorn favors, and nachos. It was a blast.

My mom was the second one to get married. While my sister was planning her nuptials, my mom started dating after being widowed for over a year. As an even more mature bride than my sister, her dating and engagement were even quicker. They started dating in September. Engaged in November and married in January. Again, I helped decorate and be an emotional support. I made little flower corsages and boutonnieres for all the kids--all 13 of them on both sides and spouses!

In the middle of all this, my daughter got engaged with a May wedding date. So around my sister and my mom's wedding, I planned my daughter's wedding. Not because I'm a busy body mom. She doesn't like planning activities and didn't care what we did. Which meant it was super low-key. As the last of the weddings within 7 months (and spanning three generations), I was a little pooped out. But since she's an avid reader, we did a book-themed wedding. I bought tons of hardbacks from the thrift store and wrapped them in bundles with ribbon and baby's breath. I also secured books from my author friends and wrapped them in a tulip wrap (that's what I call the booktok book wrap) and we did "blind date with a book" as the favor. I ordered bookmarks the groom designed. In one week, we (I attended a conference for two of those days), got the dress, ordered the cake, found a photographer, secured the venue and bought the dress. It was a busy time. 


I am wedding-ed out! But the last was here. This last weekend, we hosted a small open house for people to come and visit and meet the groom. I sent out save the dates in Feb. so not surprised that people forgot and only a few of my friends came.  But it was perfect. I had a perfect amount of food, drink and snacks. Our house never got too crowded and the people who came had a great time. it is humbling to see how gracious people are. I am grateful that we still celebrate and commend marriage. That we still want to support those young kids just starting out. It's hard. It's a sacrifice. I'm so grateful to my good friends who supported my daughter and her new husband.


But man...I need to sit and stare at the wall for a bit and relax. But I can't. I've got my Backerkit launch next week. I have another Sugar Creek Summer book to revise! First draft is done! Despite the crazy, being sick, people in town, going out of town and wedding stuff, stories must be told!


What do you do in times of stress to take care of yourself? I read.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top Ten Tips for Fighting Discouragement

-
I asked my most ardent fans (my daughter and my husband) what I should write about on my blog and my daughter said I should write about encouraging others to keep writing. I feel like I've learned a lot in writing for the past ten years, and I'd love to share. Writing, and almost any other creative endeavor is a long process. From the spiritual creation or idea of it until its execution and finished product can take months if not years. Keeping going during that time can become a challenge. Here are my tips to stay motivated. 1. Remember why you started in the first place. I am a storyteller. I always have been. I'm horrid at asking questions but learning. But I think of funny scenarios. I'm the dreamer. Someone tells me a detail and I create a story. I don't write for the royalty check. I don't write to be famous-- although that would be nice. I write because I believe fiction can heal. I write because I believe we all need to safely escape. I write becaus
Read more

Spring Break Bookaplaooza book feature

-
Image
Need a book to read this spring? Are you having a book slump? Need to find a new author to enjoy? Looking for sassy heroines, alpha males, tissue romances, or a feel-good, funny read? Well, I have just the thing for you! Enter the Spring Break Bookapalooza. Be sure to click on this link to check it out. My romantic suspense book Baker's Dozen is being featured today! I talk about my dream spring break (hint: it's in France) and what I love about spring. And while you are there, check out many of the other authors featured on the site. You may find something that catches your eye. Leave a comment to interact with the authors and let them know what you think about their cover, their except or their dream spring break. Many of these authors are also published under my publisher, The Wild Rose Press. PLUS you can enter to win one of many Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift cards with this link to the rafflecopter contest. You can earn bonus entries by following participating aut
Read more

At what point do you call yourself a writer?

-
When I was nine years old, I took a piece of blue construction paper and stapled it around some blank computer paper. I titled the book, Young Author. I didn't know what I was going to write in there, but I knew it was going to be good! I wanted to write mysteries. I read a whole lot of Nancy Drew at the time, everything in the local library and bought a few dozen more with my own money. (My daughter has them on her bookshelf as I write this--no way was I getting rid of those.) I attended a few workshops, dreamed, scribbled in notebooks, started a dozen stories, wrote a play (in fourth grade) and a scene I took to drama competition, took some Creative Writing classes in college. But it wasn't until nine years ago that I decided I was going to do it. I had read a book that contradicted the thought that I had to be wildly talented to get published (a popular belief that I held or held me back), I only had to work hard, gain experience, and learn skills. In roughly ten years,
Read more