Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Evolution of a Mood

I woke up in a ridiculously bad mood today.
Can you guess why?


I was very well tempted to call in sick to work. I am sick of this weather. But I didn't. Instead I went to work and pretended to be happy for other people's children. As the snow pelted my face during recess duty, I thought of ways to lift my spirits. Historically, I turn to one of two things for therapeutic purposes: cleaning or cooking. Today I opted for cooking. Set to music. And then I cleaned the kitchen. I think it worked.

Could there BE a better song to cheer you up on a snowy day at the end of April?


Don't fresh veggies look pretty when they're being sauteed? The colors remind me of a beach towel.


And then I ended up with something that looked like a Hawaiian sunset. (I've never been to Hawaii, so I'm just assuming here).


Of course a hot bowl of pasta with homemade sauce is just the thing to warm you up when it's cold outside.


Even the little flowers on the window sill started to perk up.

And so did I.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Ready, Set, Go

My husband gave me a watch for Christmas. I love watches. The watch he gave me is a designer watch. It's soooo pretty. It's gold and shiny and it has lots of pretty little dials. So this watch got me to thinking. I'm not someone who usually cares about designer-type, fancy-schmancy things. I'm just as happy with a ten-dollar watch from Target as I am with the one currently on my wrist. I know people say things like that all the time, but I really mean it. I was completely shocked and awe-struck at this fine gift. Dan simply said, "you deserve it." I guess that's the part that got me thinking. I do deserve certain things life. Don't we all? At the very least, I deserve to go after the things I want. And the thing I really want is to write books. So I have been writing and revising, editing and submitting. I've heard back from two publishers, both of whom said something to the effect of, we like it, we think you're publishable, it's just not for us at this time. And so the hunt continues. But that's okay. It's nice to be told by multiple publishers that I am publishable. It would be nicer to be told they would like to publish me, but that will happen eventually. Hopefully soon. So I signed up for a conference. A big one. I'm excited. I know of a few writers who got their breaks as a result of this conference. One of them is teaching the class I will be attending. So look out Book Industry. I'm coming after YOU!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

And We're Back




I heard once that fall is a fickle season. If that's true, then what the heck does that make spring?
Here's what we woke up to today. Thankfully, Dan is currently in the kitchen making his famous Oh Boy! Waffles and buttermilk syrup. I don't drink, so I have to drown my sorrows somehow.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Oh Happy Day!






Today we did something we haven't been able to do in months. We went to the park! It was 70 degrees outside! Nevermind that it is raining and thundering right now; we went to the park! We played catch and swung on the swings. Today is the springiest spring day yet... We're all giddy with delight!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Swiss Miss

March was truly one of the busiest months for me that I can remember in a long time. I've had busy days, busy weeks, but a busy month? This is one fool who is glad that it's April 1st.

One of the biggest contributing factors to my busy-ness was a little thing called the Swiss Miss Pageant. The first settlers of Midway were Swiss immigrants, and their descendants are mighty proud of that fact. Many of the houses here (including the one I live in) are based on Swiss-themed architecture. The bell tower at the local resort plays Edelweiss* at 4:00 every day in the summer. We also have Swiss Days, a two-day festival before Labor Day that causes the entire state of Utah to descend upon our tiny town. And every year in March, there's the Swiss Miss Pageant. Local girls, age 9-13 can try out, and if so crowned, five of them become Midway's ambassadors for the year. My daughter was so crowned. And my year just got a whole lot busier.

But I am bursting at the seams for this kid. She's a good one. She came home two months ago and said, "I think I want to try out for Swiss Miss." I am sooooo NOT a pageant person. But she dedicated herself to it, practiced a piano piece for the talent number, and kept a positive attitude the entire time. The day after winning the pageant, trophy in hand, she said, "I'm a little nervous about seeing my friends at church. I don't want them to feel bad because they didn't get in." I told her that as long as she left the trophy at home, I didn't think she had anything to worry about.

Three days after winning the pageant, she played an original composition on the piano at her great-grandmother's funeral. I had the vantage point of being able to see everybody's faces as she played. There are times when I have been proud of her, but that one takes the cake.

Five days after winning the pageant, she brought home a straight-A report card.

I know. I know. Nobody likes to hear someone go on and on about how wonderful their children are. But sometimes, a mom's gotta brag.

*Yes, I am aware that Edelweiss is the AUSTRIAN national flower (but nobody in Midway seems to care).