Once upon a time there was a commercial. It was a silly commercial, intended to make viewers giggle with glee.
It did it’s job well.
And then one day, the Old Spice Man began responding to twitter and facebook comments. Random comments illicited random responses.
These made me giggle, too.
And then they made me giggle (and by that I mean, laugh so hard I nearly peed my pants) again.
Well, I hope these made you giggle too. If they didn’t … well, that simply will not do.
So this weekend my sister Hannah came for a visit. She left her family for a long weekend of relaxing with me Nashville-style. Now I’m certain that she missed her kiddos–and her husband, too! She called them daily, tucked her girls in by phone every night, and took lots of pictures for them. And her picture-taking prowess is your gain!
We did a lot of really fun Nashville things! Like breakfast at the Pancake Pantry, which is a Nashville tradition of the best kind! We got two speciality pancakes and shared them, so that we could have more variety. And let me just say that the cherry pancakes are AMAZING!
And then, of course, there’s the really, really amazing syrup. I love this stuff!
After the Pancake Pantry, we ran back to get a picture of this fire station. While the station was really cool, the run through the rain to get the picture was worth a thousand laughs. As we were running across the street to get a better angle, she was grabbing for my hand. Apparently she doesn’t give up being a mom of little girls very fast. We giggled about it for days!
Then there was the Bluebird Cafe, featuring some really amazing songwriters singing in the round. What I love about the Bluebird is that there is nothing like it anywhere else. It’s such an intimate night of incredible music!
Hannah and I sat on the park bench in front of the church pews (as all good venues should have). It was a hoot! And so fun!
And then we celebrated my birthday with a rousing trip to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch on Sunday. Let’s just say that where was eating of cheesecake gallor! Pretty amazing stuff!
Well, that’s a start on the trip. I’ll share more stories and more laughs later. So let it suffice that my sister is awesome, and we had a riot!
When I was in 8th grade, my English/lit teacher, Mrs. Leggett, read our class the Dr. Seuss classic, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! We were about to graduate into the big, bad unknown–also called high school. And we needed a bit of encouragement, a bit of reminding that big things were in store for us.
Namely having Mrs. Leggett again for freshman English. (Oh, so painful, but I can’t thank her enough for the foundation of grammar she gave me.)
And I still remember that book.
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
So if I have feet in my shoes for this grand adventure, I better have wickedly cool shoes, eh?
Enter the Dr. Seuss-inspired Converse All Star. That’s right. Chuck Taylors. In a Dr. Seuss design.
Could there be anything cooler? I contend not. Which is why I was forced to buy a pair. And in 7-10 business days, my feet are going to be rocking these excellent pieces of footware, which, of course, I can’t seem to get a picture of. So check out this link. You’ll be glad you did. You pretty much have to smile when you see them.
Oh, the places they’re going to take me!
Have you seen the new trailer for the final Harry Potter movie? When I first saw it, I believe my initial reaction was “SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!”
I couldn’t say anything else. I couldn’t do anything but shake violently with anticipation and pure joy! Harry is back! And it would appear, better than ever!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m miserable over the decision to split the movie into 2 parts. But not enough to keep me from the theater at midnight on opening day. Save a seat for me because this one isn’t to be missed. Check it out!
Last night I went to church, where the worship leader said something very fitting for this weekend. He said, “This week, no one told you where to worship. No one told you who to pray to. No one told you when or how to pray. No one stopped you from gathering together with others to worship.”
For just that we have much to be thankful for in this country. So, Happy Birthday, America! I’m thankful for the freedoms we so often take for granted, and for the men and women who have fought to protect those freedoms.
I hope between picnics, fireworks, and spending time with your families today you’ll take a moment to thank God for the freedom to worship him whenever and however we want.
Today, I wanted to share with you a quick guest post from fellow Love Inspired author Leann Harris. Having a rough day? Here are a few encouraging words from Leann:
Ever have one of those days when everything goes wrong? The day after Father’s day, I had to exchange the gift I got for my hubby. Well, I put the shirt in the bag and went to the store and then realized I didn’t have the receipt. I made a couple of other stops, which I couldn’t get the vitamins and other items I needed. My final stop was at the grocery story, where discovered I forgot the list of what I needed.
At this point, I had to laugh. The Lord reminded me I could laugh at myself or get mad and put myself in a rotten mood. I laughed and thanked the Lord He was with me. Roll with the punches, you’ll enjoy your life so much more.
Why do I have a picture of a chia pet longhorn? It was a funny thing I saw one day and thought only in Texas.
Looking for a great summer read? Check out Leann’s Guarded Secrets.
And look for Second Chance Ranch, hitting shelves in January! Visit Leann online at: www.leannharris.com.
MizB of Should Be Reading hosts the Teaser Tuesdays weekly event
Here are the rules:
* Grab your current read
* Let the book fall open to a random page
* Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12
*You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
* Please avoid spoilers!
This week’s teaser is:
” Zarah hoped her expression showed her friend just how insane she thought Flannery was. She could count the number of dates she’d had since moving to Nashville on two hands, with a couple of fingers left over.”
pg. 62 – Love Remains by Kaye Dacus
– Last week my friend Kaye brought me a treat, an early copy of her upcoming book, Love Remains, the first in her Matchmakers series. Now the book doesn’t come out until August, but it’s well-worth your wait! This contemporary romance is mingled with lots of comedy, as Zarah comes face to face with her teenage love Bobby, who she hasn’t seen in years. Of course their grandparents are determined to get them together, so the Matchmakers set to work. I’m really loving Kaye’s wit and zing, and her sense of setting in Nashville. Don’t miss out on this book!
In case you didn’t pick it up from the headline, my birthday is just a month away! And while I’m not as young as I once was (who is?), I’m still in the mood to celebrate. And to kick this party off, I thought that I could give you a gift!
So we’re going to do an impromptu giveaway of my new book, Vanishing Act–before it’s available to purchase!
Here’s the deal. Leave a comment on this post with your favorite birthday gift (to give or get), and I’ll pick one winner on Monday, June 28 (so make sure you leave your comment by Sunday night). I’ll even personalize and sign it for you, or someone you want to give it to as a gift!
So get ready for a little pre-Liz’s birthday celebration!
It feels so good to get a new book in the mail. As I’m sure you noted in my previous post about the arrival of final copies of Vanishing Act. It really is an excellent feeling.
But do you know what else is an amazing feeling?
Finishing your book a month ahead of schedule. 🙂 Yup. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, I finished my manuscript this week, 30 days ahead of my deadline.
Of course, finishing the story doesn’t exactly mean, I’m done. It’s certainly not ready for me to ship it off to my editor, but there’s something ridiculously wonderful about knowing that everything left to do on the new book–tentatively titled Code of Justice–is tweaking what’s already there. Sure, maybe there’s a scene or two to add. Maybe there’s a whole chapter to rewrite.
And I have 30 days to get it done!
I’m taking a week off to clear my mind before I dig back in, so I’m going to enjoy this week without any other writing I have to do. I’m going to celebrate–pedicures with the girls and a night out to see Letters to Juliet again. And then I’ll dive back in, knowing that when I do finish, I’ll have to wait another 8 months before it arrives on my doorstep.
Deadlines are a dance that seem to never end, but when you meet one, it gives you enough encouragement to just keep going. To keep waiting for the final book. Then seeing it on the store shelves.
But right now, there’s not much sweeter in this life than watching that deadling approaching closer and closer. And knowing that somehow God gave me enough strength to meet it, and even beat it–even in one of the most chaotic times of my life.
So just to be clear–I’m elated. I certainly could not have done this on my own, so God gets the glory. And finishing doesn’t mean I’m really done. 🙂
MizB of Should Be Reading hosts the Teaser Tuesdays weekly event
Here are the rules:
* Grab your current read
* Let the book fall open to a random page
* Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12
*You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
* Please avoid spoilers!
This week’s teaser is:
” She was at least free from the offence of Mr. Darcy’s further notice; though often standing within a very short distance of her, quite disengaged, he never came near enough to speak. She felt it to be the probable consequence of her allusions to Mr. Wickham, and rejoiced in it.”
pg. 102 – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
– I recently joined a bookclub with some girls at work. Every Tuesday we get together at lunch to talk about the book we’re reading. Right now, that would be Pride and Prejudice. If you can believe it, I’ve never finished this book, so I’m super-excited to get all the way through it. Oh, that Mr. Darcy!
