The sweet smell of success!

Ah, that just finished smell of a newly printed manuscript. How good it feels to see your words printed on paper...proof of your hard work.

I have finished my story, The Guitar. I am now making a couple of copies to give to friends to proofread. I love this part. I love to find out what people think of my work. Is it as good as I think it is?

The first time I handed out a manuscript, I was a bundle of nerves. When I received it back, I was broken hearted to see so many corrections and red marks. I took a couple days to feel sorry for myself then went to work. It was my first story after all, and I was a complete amateur--never having written a dang thing before--and it did have quite a few errors! In fact, I have re-written that story four times! I think I finally have it down how I like it! That story, I call The Gatekeeper.

It is a youth/fantasy story and I'm paying my thirteen year old son read it and find any mistakes he can! He's not a huge reader so the twenty bucks is a huge incentive for him. So far, he says it's fabulous and since I am writing that story for that age group, I'm happy.

So, I now have two finished manuscripts. I hope to have them both ready for the conference in April. I am bound and determined to have them published! Wish me luck!!!

Hugh Jackman

You know, there has always been something about Hugh Jackman that makes me melt. I've always loved his movies. I even dragged Lisa to see Van Helsing with me once,which she scowled through the entire time! I just love him...in anything!

I had NO idea he could sing. Now I'm really in love! If a man can sing, he has my heart! Hugh did the ocsars last night, for those of you who didn't watch, and he was in a few numbers that down right floored me! I had no idea he had such talent!

The whole show was very different from those in the past. They cut costs and tried to give everything an old time feel. I really liked it. They pulled it off well. I wish they would do it this way every year. All the performances were great, funny, and entertaining, but dang! That Hugh! He's my man!

Here's to the man!

So, here it is. My fourteenth wedding anniversary. I can't believe how time has flown. I have so many wonderful memories to look back on so far. I can also remember those times when I swore if I saw Bryan's face that day, I'd kill him! lol I can count those times on one had but they're there.

It makes me wonder what Bry and I have done to make it last, and not only last, but to make it so good.

Like you may have read in an earlier post this week, he was not who I had in mind when I thought about a companion. Sometimes I feel we have nothing in common, but then there are those moments when I look into his eyes and can see the god in embryo.

I am so glad Bryan puts up with me. I am so glad he never gave up and moved to Montana like he'd planned. I am so grateful for the life we've made together.

What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty fine man! (know that one?)

This morning before he left, he gave me a beautiful card and a gift certificate for a massage. He also dug my car out of the snow and planted a big one--all before leaving for work. I couldn't ask for anyone more giving, more patient or more loving.

I love his sense of humor (yes, it does exist). You have to know where to look for it and it may be like pulling teeth to find it, but Bryan is fun--especially in his element...the outdoors and in bed. Oops! Is this supposed to be rated PG?

So, here's to my man! May the next fourteen be just as fabulous as the first fourteen!

A good book!

I just finished Josi's book, Lemon Tart. It was such a good story. I know if a book is good by the fact that I take it to my room and continue reading. Normally, I read in the tub for about a half hour after I work out. It's the only time I really get to read.

But once in a while, if a book is good enough, it warrants a trip to my bedroom. Ooh la la.

I finished Lemon tart in bed. So, Congrats Josi.

I have now started "Her good name." It was finally on the book mobile. I have only read two chapters and I'm already hooked. In fact, I have a feeling this is going to be a bedroom book as I still can't stop wondering what is going to happen with the main character, and that guy she meets in the restaurant! Dang! I want something to happen there! I am very impressed so far!

So, got to go so I can fold a million batches of laundry. I need to do a couple chores so I don't feel guilty laying in bed reading. =)

Marriage meme

I found this meme on Josi's blog. I loved it and had to do it too, and since my fourteenth anniversary is Wednesday, I thought it was fitting. Enjoy!

1. Where did you and your husband meet? We met at Bear Lake when I was 16 and he was 23. He was drinking a beer in the back of my brothers truck. He was wearing cut off Levi's, no shirt and was sitting in a lawn chair. I lectured him about drinking and he thought I was a brat. I didn't like him much either.

2. How long before you kissed?

I was 19, I kissed him and then wouldn't talk to him for a very long time. That was the story of our courtship. I would lead him on, then reject him for months at a time.

3. Who kissed who first? See #2

4. How long from the time you met until you were engaged? 9 years! Much of which was spent telling him we were just friends and to leave me alone! Sounds funny now, but he didn't think so at the time.

5. How did he propose?

He didn't really, we both just knew it was right. We went ring shopping and after we bought it, I did make him kneel in the cold, wet snow to ask officially. I was mean. But he was a sucker!

6. Did he pick out the ring or did you? I did! Months before we had even started dating...for the fourth time.

7. Do you still like the ring? yes, I love it! Of course! I picked it out!

8. Where was your wedding and reception? We were married in my sister's living room. Bry was baptized a month later. Tina's house was beautiful and had hardwood floors and floor length windows across one whole wall. The reception was there too. We didn't spend a lot of money as my mom had just died two weeks before. It was a hard time, but we felt her there through out it all.

9. How many bridesmaids did you have, and who was your maid of honor? My sisters were my bridesmaids, so I had four.

10. What color were your bridesmaid dresses? burgandy lace. Really pretty.

11. What was your bouquet made of? Red roses and white orchids

12. Who gave you away? My dad, and it was wonerful.

13. Did you cry during your wedding? Yes! I cried as soon as I took his arm and the music began. My wedding was the most beautiful I have ever been too. I even played my guitar and sang to bryan up there in my wedding dress. I sang, "For You," by John Denver.

14. What style was your dress? Gorgeous! Tight bodice, long sleeves, lace, full skirt. It was rented as I didn't want to buy one. It was exactly what I wanted and it was the first one I saw. It was like my mother was there helping all along. Everything fell into place with no effort.

15. Was your wedding kiss sweet or sexy? It was right in between. It was perfect.

16. Who caught your bouquet? This sounds terrible, but I can't remember! lol

17. What flavor was your cake? K, can't remember that one either. I think it was spice cake because I like that best and I bought it from Dick's market in Centerville. It was white with red roses on it. Real roses.

18. Did you smash the cake onto each other's faces or feed it to each other nicely? We smashed! How could we miss such an oppurtunity. Actually, Bry was nice, I smashed the cake into his mouth. He's always been the nice one! lol

19. What was "your song" that you danced to at your wedding? There was no dancing but our song has always been "She drives me crazy," by Fine Young Cannibals. It's kind of a joke, but kind of not. We still laugh about it, so it really has become our song. lol

20. What did you serve your guests to eat? Can't remember! But I know it was good. One of my dear friends mom made it all.

21. What did your friends do to decorate your car? Can't remember that one either! lol Bry, just told me that he hid our car, so they trashed our apartment. I was furious with my brother for a VERY long time. Sometimes my family goes above and beyond!

22. What was your favorite wedding gift? I don't remember that either! Man, I'm old! I did love the cutco knives, and my mother in law bought us a tv. I sound ungrateful, but truely, I do know we received some really nice things and I loved them all. I just can't remember what they were.

23. What was the worst wedding gift you got? Yep, you got it, can't remember! lol

24. Where did you go on your honeymoon? To a bed and breakfast in Salt lake. Then, six months later, we went to Alaska. That was wonderful!

25. Looking back, is there anything you would have changed about your wedding? About my wedding? No. About my wedding day? Yes. I would have liked to be surrounded with family as I got my hair done etc...Kind of like My great big fat Greek wedding. But that didn't happen. I was all by my lonesome. I don't know what the crap my sisters were doing. That did make me feel bad, but granted, my mom did die just two weeks before. We were all having a hard time.

All in all that day was fabulous. I adore Bryan even more today then I did when we married. We are very different but very alike too. The anniversary of our sealing was on Valentines day. I love that!

Are YOU an ogre?

My life is exciting. It really is. There are days when I have to convince myself of that fact, but for the most part, it is.

I watched a news program this morning that talked about how a happy wife is very sexy. Husbands don't want to come home and hear about how awful their wife's day was. Men feel that their wife is an extension of them in some form, so when the wife is unhappy, it must be their fault. (On an unconscious level, of course.)

I don't doubt that this theory is true. I can't count the times my hubby has said that he just wants me to be happy.

So, I have made an effort to remember how happy I am--sometimes this takes a vast amount of effort--so that I can enjoy my life.

I really do have a great life. So why then, am I so ornery? Why do I look forward to seeing my kids after school, only to argue and bicker with them all afternoon. How can I say I adore them, yet I can't wait for them to go to bed?

I really took this to heart this week as it has been constantly on my mind. My kids don't know this, but I have been pretending that they aren't my kids, but friends of mine. I ask myself, "if I were with a girlfriend, how would I respond to whatever my kids are doing or saying?" I wanted to see if I would say or do something different than normal.

As I have done his, I have found that with my children, I am impatient, ornery, negative and irritable. I have had to face the truth because I don't want my kids growing up saying I was no fun at all.

Now this is not to say that I let them get away with murder, or get away with anything for that matter. It just means I'm trying to be nicer. Trying to make my first reaction to whatever they do or say a little more pleasant.

I remind myself of my mother. She was great in her own way, but she was ornery. A lot. At least that I remember. She battled depression, she battled rebellious teenagers, and my family didn't have much money during that time. She hated her body, hated to cook and most often tried to escape through books and alone time.

Even though she did a lot right, like make us take piano, taught us to clean, taught us to be independent and made us close, she seemed unhappy most of the time. I have found myself falling into this rut. I find myself escaping into books, or the bathtub or my writing when I could be enjoying my kids company. They really are fun kids who would love a mom to be fun back once in a while.

To sum up. I have the bad habit of being an ogre 90% of the time. It's only a habit. Habits can be changed. I'm just grateful I have been given this little vision into myself before it's too late.

Want to lose weight?

I've recently had an "Ah ha!" moment. I have discovered that the way I was eating and exercising actually SLOWED my metabolism.

I was mortified! Here I have been trying to lose weight for the last couple of years and have had almost NO success, then I discover I am not only doing it wrong, but I am sabotaging my efforts!

Sigh... Well, at least I can change things.

Here is what I was doing wrong--for those of you out there doing the same thing. I figured, if I cut my calorie count down as far as I could, and not starve, I would lose weight. So most days I would actually eat a thousand calories or less. But not always. Just often enough to totally freak my body out. It decided to hold on to it's fat for dear life! This way of eating slows your metabolic rate.

The second mistake I made was with exercise. I would get on my treadmill daily, hoping to up my miles, to run longer and to lengthen my endurance. That had to burn fat, Right? WRONG!

No, when you do not eat enough calories in the right food groups, it won't matter how much you work out. Your body will hang on to it's food stores until hell freezes over!

So, I did a little researching and found a method that I have implemented that supposedly works wonders to restore a balanced metabolism. It is the 6/9 rule. Give yourself a good warm up, then run as fast as you can for six seconds, then slow down to a slow jog, or walk for nine seconds, then run for six again. Alternate until you can go no more. You only need to to this for fifteen to twenty minutes at the most. So far, I can only go for ten. The thing is, it tricks your body and will raise your metabolic rate. I can already tell it's working. Plus, I'm not as tired and have more energy because I'm eating more.

Let me tell you where I went wrong with food. In the morning I would eat just a banana, or an egg, or a yogurt and that's it. For lunch I would usually eat no more than 3oo or so calories. With a 500-600 calorie dinner, that still gave me less than a thousand a day. I thought it was genius. My body thought it was bull crap. Guess who won?

Well, the tables have turned! Now I'm on top! Woo Hoo!

My blue heaven

Once again, another week has gone by. I sit here in my room enjoying the tantalizing aroma of the chicken I'm baking, and watching a Harry Potter movie--for the millionth time--with my kids.

My room is a pale blue. Very soothing and very cozy. I bought a new white Chinese lantern that now hangs in the corner, creating a soft glow. I love it. Slowly but surely, I have been turning my little sanctuary into an oasis. It has now become a safe haven for me. As soon as I cross the threshold of my bedroom, I'm in heaven.

The problem is, my kids feel the same way. By the end of the day, my room is a mess. It's used more than any other room in the house. Everyone is drawn in. On one hand, I love it. I love spending time with my kids, on the other hand, I am forever taking out dirty dishes, toys, papers, little shoes and dirty clothes.

It's not a bad trade off, I just make them empty out their stuff as the day goes by. I have a king size log bed with a beautiful white quilt with delicate blue flowers covering the top. Many a time it has visited the washing machine, yet has still held up to the abuse my kids dish out.

Sure wits I could change the forest green carpet! Yuck!

By the way, this is not a picture of my room, but it's the very same color. My room is a little smaller and not quite as fancy. Close, but not quite.

Keeping a journal

Most of us know that it's a commandment to keep a journal. For those of you who are unaware, it is.

So, journal writing is something I have always struggled with. It almost feels like a waste of time. I have so many other things I'd rather be doing. Plus, writing with a pen makes my hand ache. Guess I'm getting old. So, a few years ago, I decided to print out my blog posts one month at a time, then keep them in a binder.

I figured this was as good a journal as I was going to get. My mother, bless her heart, would hopefully approve. She was an avid journal keeper. I can go back to the day I was born and read about it. I love that. I want my kids to have the same thing.

I should probably be more like my mom, making them write their entries now, on a daily basis. Personally, I hated this. I have also found, that it did not create good journal keeping habits for me. It had the reverse affect. So, in a moment of brilliance, I thought... print that baby!

I knew I was a bit behind. I was very surprised to find I was two YEARS behind in my printing! I couldn't believe it! So that is what I did this morning. I printed two years of my life so my children and grandchildren will know who I was and what I did and thought about. It felt pretty dang good.