In Bliss

I cannot even begin to describe my emotions right now but they are vicariously close to bliss.

I received a letter yesterday from Highlights Magazine for Children accepting one of my stories.

AHHHHHHHH!

I have been spontaniously erupting into squeals, songs or cheers ever since.

Such a small step but it's a milestone marker for me.

Over the Top

My son says:

AZKABAN

When he means to say:

ALASKA

Does that mean our family is a bit too "Potterized"?

Please say no.

Honorable Mention #3

Well, I got a call back on my Library Adult Writing Contest submission. Remember the one that was giving me fits? Here's the phone call:

Lady: Mrs. X, you won Honorable Mention #3 for the Library Adult Writing Contest in the Personal Essay category!

Me: Oh!

Lady: Honorable Mention is good. There were a lot of entries.

Me: Great!

Lady: We will be having a reception to honor the winners, did you get the post card?

Me: Yes--um, did you say Honorable Mention #3?

Lady: Yes.

Me: (Huh?) What exactly does that mean?

Lady: There is a first and second place; then we number place the Honorable Mentions and you are #3. It is still a great honor.

Me: (You've said that twice and I'm beginning to wonder...) Yes, well, I wasn't trying to say it wasn't; I just didn't understand.

Lady: (Sweetly) I've been writing for a long time and I've never won anything. So, once again, congratulations!

Me: (That was nice) Thank you. Good-bye.

So, levels in Honorable Mention--who would have thought it? Oh, well...I'll take it!

Lost Valentine

Okay, my sweetheart isn't lost, in fact, he's working right now. But I had to use the title because in spite of Valentine's day we are having the LOST party tonight. Or maybe it's to SPITE Valentine's day.

I love all things romantic, don't get me wrong. I'm a girlie girl when it comes to that. I love flowers; I love beautiful cards with more beautiful words in them; and I adore chocolate. BUT, I hate the expectation to do it on a certain day and how it makes people feel left out. Yuck!

Yesterday while I was waiting to pick up my teenage daughter, I saw girls walking out of the school building holding carnations.

I cringed.

Did my daughter feel alone today because no one gave her one? I suddenly had the urge to rush in and buy all the flowers to stop the madness. I spotted her walking towards me with her golden hair flipping in the wind and a red carnation in her hands.

Whew.

Ugh.

I hate this.

Today she took money to buy flowers for her friends who may not get one. Now THAT is a sweet heart.

For anyone that's feeling LOST on Valentine's day, come on over. We can eat heart-shaped pizzas together and laugh at stupid consumerism.

Warmth On A Cold Day

Remember when you were thirteen and your Mom was an idiot? Well, now I'm that Mom. And while I embrace my idiocy with open arms like paying for fast food with a baggy full of quarters or singing Disney songs at the top of my lungs in the house, car and perhaps it's even escaped my lips in a store or two; I still want to believe I'm a pretty cool Mom.

Now sure, being the Mother of a newly turned thirteen year old, definitely has its share of battle scars from wars fought over the normal (and sometimes not so normal) teenage struggles. But this morning as my daughter exited the car with fellow students swarming around her, she called out loudly, "I love you, Mom." The door slammed shut as she strolled off to the school building. And although it was crazy cold at 7:34a.m., I suddenly felt warm--and fuzzy.

Lost Again

Tonight was the premiere of Lost. Weirdly enough, I wasn't overly anticipating it throughout the day. But I was glad when it was time to start and the Lost Clubbers arrived. My excitement rose as the opening credits began but the episode didn't move my world, so to speak. It probably didn't help that I read rave reviews about it beforehand, so my hopes were high--a bit too high. Sigh.

A neighbor lady stopped by before it began needing to borrow something and asked if it was someone's birthday. I explained that we were watching the show Lost together. She exclaimed that she loved Lost (Who couldn't? Besides you, Kyle) so I invited her to stay. She didn't take me up on my offer. Of course, we might have scared her with our over-enthusiastic enthusiasm. But it just goes to show you never know who the Lost are around you. Wink. Okay, it's a lousy pun. But I'm compelled to make them with a name like that.

Library Contest

The Library is having a fiction contest and I'm having a fit deciding what story to turn in. I believe I have the perfect one and at the end of the day I edit it and think, "This! This is beautiful". Then I wipe a lonely tear from my eye and go to bed happy.

In the morning I wake up to re-read my amazing masterpiece only to find that through the night some elf broke into my computer to demolish it because now it's crap! So I start over again, or scratch that story altogether, and hunt through my neatly arranged files attempting to find the next available contestant.

I find it. This! This is the one. And once more, I go to sleep happy. But in the morning that nasty little elf has done it again and I'm completely mortified.

So I've decided to deliver my next piece to the library in the evening before it can be destroyed - that'll show the little elffing thing!

10 Ways to Avoid the Minister's Wife Stereotype

1. Wear your fluffy Sponge-Bob slippers to church.

2. Make sure your eye make-up matches Avril Lavigne.

3. When it's time for prayer at the Ladies Tea, stare fixedly at the ceiling as if you're worried it's growing asbestos.

4. Put a temporary tattoo in an obvious place, such as--your forehead.

5. Keep a Harry Potter book under your arm at all times.

6. When someone corners you for advice, wrinkle your forehead and say, "Huh?" with the most hick-like accent you can muster.

7. If the Kitchen Ladies ask you to help serve dinner, scratch your crotch ferociously then ask where you should start.

8. When parishioners call to get a phone number on what they presume to be the Pastor's Wife Hotline, give them the number to the local prison instead.

9. Leave your kids in the church office with the staff while you go to a matinee.

10. If the elders question why you weren't in church on Sunday, explain that you overslept because you were ministering to your husband on Saturday night then give a big wink.