Won’t You Be My Neighbor—Elizabeth Seckman

Today I'm so excited to welcome the talented Elizabeth Seckman! She is a little bit sweet. A little bit sassy. And a whole lot of fun.

Elizabeth: Dip me in chocolate and I'd be perfect!

Angie: LOL!

Elizabeth: Oh, I should say, thanks for having me over. Just show me to the pool and you can fill in the blanks for me. :)

Angie: Deal. It is a balmy 85 degrees outside. I like the sun, but I miss wearing sweaters.

Elizabeth: Sweaters (and hoodies) do hide more of my um, flaws...so I do have that in my favor! It's getting chilly here in WV and the leaves are all aglow.

Angie: I'm a little jealous of the leaves and the chill.

Here is my first question for you. You live in a small town. I grew up in a small town (as in no stop light town). So we have that in common. I want to know what you like about your small town?

Elizabeth: I like that I feel safe. I can walk my dog at midnight and never worry. And I LOVE that I have a whole town of narks to report the behavior of my children. Poor guys can't get away with squat! Keeps ornery boys on their toes...a little.

Angie: LOL! Narks :) That is so true about small towns. I know when I was a teenager I never dared step out of line because I knew my science teacher would tell my parents all about it at church on Sunday.

Elizabeth: I hear ya! There was plenty of rottenness I opted out of for the same reason. I have a plaque that says small towns are like big families...and that's true. 

Angie: Are you the only author in your little town? And what do they think about your writing?

Elizabeth: That's a tough question! The town I live in now does have several red lights, so I don't know everybody (and I hate to say, yep just me...and offend someone). I've met several people who are writing books, but have not met one with one on print. According to the town bookseller (we have one bookstore), there are other published authors around these hills, but they primarily write nonfiction. In Tyler County where I grew up (and is just a few miles away from my home), native son, Austin Boyd, has several books to his credit. I've never met him...but way to go man!!!

Angie: That is pretty cool. Do they carry your book in the book store?

Elizabeth: Yes, it's available on the front shelf! And the owner's mom bakes me cookies for signings. How special is that?

Angie: Very special and sweet!

I know that you write romances. What is the easiest and hardest part about writing a love story?

Elizabeth: Easiest part is the characters. I hear their voices and putting them on paper and calling it a story is cheaper than medication. The hardest part is the love scenes. They take the most editing. I tell myself, just close the door, don't worry about it! But then my betas will complain and I'll sweat through it. They're a labor of love...pun fully intended. 

Angie: LOL. I like closed door love scenes. The kissing is the best part anyway :)

Elizabeth: Kisses? Fun to get...don't like to write them either. But I will! I aim to please..well, to a certain extent...not doing any "Shades" of anything...I'll leave that to the more creative writers. :)

Angie: Or less creative. "Shades" is not my kind of a real love story.

Elizabeth: True. Glandular love is easy come, easy go. Real love is about loyalty, not head spins. I often joke that my own husband would walk through the fires of hell to bring me ice water if I said I was thirsty, but I love him enough to never ask it of  him.

Angie: Aww :) What a sweetie. I know what that is like. True love is unselfish. My hubby would get out of bed at midnight to take the trash to the curb in his pjs so I don't have to. That is love!

Oh, *snaps fingers* I've got a question for you. What was the last book you read and what did you learn from it?

Elizabeth: Aww...that is real love!!! Last book I read was a YA story about dragons and such. I won't mention the title because its magic didn't work on me. Way too much exposition for my taste. Tell me once and I've got it. Don't beat me over the head with what a character is thinking.  A long time ago, I decided if I skimmed a passage when I edit (because after umpteen readings it bored me) then I chopped it. If I was bored, the reader would be bored. This story confirmed that the idea of "less is more" should be considered by writers. 

Angie: That is awesome advice. I know I need to work more on that in my writing! 

You mentioned before that your characters write themselves. What kind of characters are your favorite to write?

Elizabeth: Smart alecks. They can say all the rotten things this good girl never does. ;)

Angie: So true! Are you ready for the traditional pageant question? I'm going to give you a hard one.

Elizabeth: Miss South Carolina was my coach...so I, um, uh, um, think, for the love of the kids in Afghanistan, and in, um, other places like Newark, that I am ready.

Angie: Perfect :) You are very good at this.

*Clears throat* What has been the most life changing experience of your life?

Elizabeth: And you said it was going to be hard! That's so easy, even a bleach soaked brain can answer that! 

Having my kids. Becoming a mom changed everything. Every decision, every choice I make, I have to think of them. I never once worried about Ebola, crime rates, or impact collision ratings on mini vans until I had kids. 

Here I thought you'd ask me how to bring peace to the Middle East. :)

Angie: LOL! No peace in the Middle East questions (I'm foreign policyed out from the debates :) I thought it might be too personal of a question, but your answer was awesome. My kids changed everything too. I learned to be (or try to be) unselfish from them.

I know you have all boys :) What do they think about your love stories?

Elizabeth: That they need to sell more and make more money...lol. My son's teacher asked me to speak to his class...all the kids had writing questions...my son asked, "What's for dinner?" 

Making them food...that's what impresses them. 

Angie: Boys! I have two so I can testify to that :) 

You were awesome Elizabeth!!! Thanks for stopping by today. You can swim in my pool anytime. Maybe next time we can go to the beach.

Elizabeth: I'm a beach junkie, so you betcha!!!

Can you all see why I love her so much? So much fun! You can check out Elizabeth’s book Past Due on Amazon or Goodreads. She is all kinds of awesome :)

-Angie

Save the last Dance…

Yes that is a Phantom of the Opera theme. Classy!

Oh how I wish I had a hilarious dance story to tell you all, but the truth is I only remember one of my High School dances (even though I went to them all :).

This is a picture of my first prom. I went as a Sophomore (16 years old) and I was SOOO excited. Who wouldn’t be excited to go to a dance dressed in aqua blue tinfoil?

I don’t remember the dance as much as I remember dinner. My dress was beyond freaking tight. It had boning in the bodice and I could barely zip it up. It did help me have excellent posture, though.

So I’m in this crazy constrictive dress at the fanciest restaurant in Pocatello Idaho (this happens to be out at the airport, weird I know). But I can barely breathe let alone eat. I think my date (Cody Behrend) thought I was nervous or didn’t like the food, but in reality it was a choice between air and food. Hard choice.

When I couldn’t take the oxygen restriction anymore I dragged my friend (this was a double date, of course) to the bathroom so she could unzip me and I could get a few deep breaths in.

So the night went something like this—Eat. Run to the bathroom. Eat. Run to the bathroom. Dance. Run to the bathroom. Dance. Run to the bathroom.

LOL! I didn’t realize until just now how weird that was. Cody must have thought I had a personal bathroom problem. Bawahaha!

So there you have it—my best dance story and proof that at one point in my life I was skinny :) Thanks Emily and Kelley! Super fun blogfest.

-Angie

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?—Cassie Cook

Cassie a.k.a. Miss Green Lantern 

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Won't You Be My Neighbor! Today I have a guest who really needs no introduction. She’s taken the internet by storm with her humor, Harry Potter references, self deprecating comments, and potty jokes. I now present...CassieMae! (Did you all read that in a ring master voice? That's what I was going for :)

Cassie: Oh! Now I can picture we're in some sort of circus! Let's just keep the clowns in the back. I may pee myself if they join us.

Angie: I agree no clowns! I don't want you to sit in urine the entire interview :) Alright are you ready for this? Are you wearing a Mr. Rogers sweater or sneakers? You have to pick one. It's tradition

Cassie: Crap, this means I have to wear clothes? It's not even Sunday! Okay, okay, I'll grab a sweater and sneakers, as long as I can stay in my PJ bottoms.

Angie: Of course you can! I live in P.J.'s—Don't tell my hubby though. He thinks I get dressed. I do, but sometimes not until right before he comes home :)

Alright I need a fun first question...What is your favorite house hold core? And what is your least favorite?

Cassie: Household chore? What is this you speak of? ;) I guess I would have to say I don't mind cooking. I make cookies and bread on a daily basis. (Not sure if that's a chore or not, but there you go.) And I hate laundry. I've told several people I'm ready to join the nudists just so I'd never have to do laundry again.

Angie: Laundry is the bane of my existence! I swear it multiplies like bunnies in my basement. You’d think I was playing Barry White down there! I wrote a flash fiction piece about laundry I'm going to link it here. It will make you laugh :)

Cassie: Oh my gosh, do it! The worst part about doing laundry is I swear I fold all the clothes but when I open the drawers all the clothes I've previously folded are strewn everywhere in there... including my hubby's drawers. What is the point, I say!

Angie: There is no point. Blast that laundry!

Okay, question...You are so open on your blog about your life and writing. Will you tell me something I don't know about you?

Cassie: Is there anything? haha! I talk in my sleep, but I think people assume that since I talk all the time, lol. Seriously, I've lost my voice due to talking too much. Anyways, one time the hubs tape recorded the conversation I had with him while I was sleeping... all about how Luke's light saber changes colors throughout the movies and I didn't understand it. I'm quite the thinker when I'm not fully awake, lol

Angie: What are you talking about? The color of Luke's light saber is super important. I love it when people talk in their sleep! It's so funny for those of us who are awake :) My son screams in his sleep, usually at his brother...or me. LOL!

Cassie: I freaked out all the leaders last year at girl's camp cuz I bolted upright in my sleeping bag screaming, "Where's the bacon!"                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Angie: But that is crucial information. A person can't be expected to sleep well if they don't know the bacon is safe. Why don't people get it?

Ooo, I have a good question...What has been your biggest accomplishment as a writer SO FAR ?

Cassie: Oh gosh, I have no idea! You come up with some tough questions!

Everything seems like an accomplishment. From putting down the first word to finishing the first draft, to having the guts to ask people to read it, then having the thick skin to hear honest answers, then rewriting and sometimes moving on to the next project. Querying alone is an accomplishment no matter what response you get. Same with entering contests and starting a blog and connecting with other writers and readers. It all feels so unreal to me, so I guess my biggest accomplishment would be just to have the right to call myself a writer.

Angie: I love this answer! It is an accomplishment just to have the gut so follow your dream.                                                                                         

Cassie: That and when you tell people, it's kinda like you're a celebrity, lol. They have no idea how to respond!

Angie: It is like you've said, "I'm Cassie and Princess Leia is my mother." People get this weird look on their faces and say, "That is nice." It is hard to tell people you are a writer especially when you aren't published.

Besides telling people, what specifically is the hardest thing about writing for you?

Cassie: Waiting. I'm totally not a patient person.

Angie: LOL! I can see that about you :) If it makes you feel better I'm not patient at all either!

Here’s a very revealing question...What would be the perfect day for you? Sun up to sun down (keep it PG Cass :)

Cassie: A PG perfect day, hmmm? Well, I'd wake up to the sound of crackling bacon (any Office fans out there? ;) ) then me and all my peeps would head to Harry Potter world and spend all day drinking butter beer and riding the rides. We'd taste all the candy in Honeydukes, then we'd hide behind bushes or walls and jump out at people walking by calling out random spells. I'd use Levicorpus the most because it's my fav. ;) Then we'd pass out in the Gryffindor common room while the HP theme song played in the background. 

Angie: I almost asked you what book you would live in if you could, but I was pretty sure I knew the answer :)

I can picture you jumping out and pelting people with spells! Under what circumstances would you use an unforgivable curse?

Cassie:  I would NEVER use an Unforgivable Curse! They probably wouldn't work anyway cuz I wouldn't mean them. Okay, maybe that's a lie. I would use the Imperious Curse on the hubs in an argument, just so he'll say I'm right and then move on. :)

Angie: Oh I wish we weren't muggles :)

You write terrific male characters. In fact one of your MS is from the POV of a teenage boy. What do you think teenage girls can learn by reading male POV's

Cassie: The reason why I love reading male characters, whether it's in their POV or not, is I like getting inside their heads. Men fascinate me, lol. I think the stereotypical thing about men being on a one-track mind is a bunch of fooey. Girls can read about a guy and realize, "Hey, he worries about some of the same things I do." It may not be all at once, but he worries about them. :)

Angie:  I think that is SO true! Men have feelings too :) How revolutionary. I love to write men. I steal A LOT of my material from my hubby who tells me how he feels about everything.

Cassie: I just channel my inner dude and hope it comes out sounding like a guy, lol.

Angie: You do dude very well :)

Time for the pageant question. You don't even have to change. I'm going to use my homemade elder wand on you...Somunium Vestio! I hope you like green.

Cassie: Not to strum my own guitar, but I totally look hot in green! 

Angie: Yes you do!

Now to the question...Who are you more like, your mother or your father?

Cassie: Definitely my mommy. My daddy is an introvert all the way, but my mom and I are the loud ones with no filters. Our family dinners are epic. We once had a whole discussion on animal pee on trees, and if certain kinds would change the quality of the paper. My dad kept his head down during the convo while my mom laughed her butt off while my brother debated and I. My mom also talks to herself and often gets ignored cuz we have no idea if she's talking to us or not.

However, if you’re talking about looks, I take after my dad. Big round eyes, big round butt, dark hair that’s turning gray, long toes and hairy legs.

So, I look more like my daddy, but I act a hecka lot more like my mommy.

Angie: That is so funny! Your mom sounds awesome!!! I would love to meet her :) And does your dad know you think he is a hairy long toed introvert?

Cassie: Haha! I'm not sure. But he will now!

Angie: I'm going to tell him :)

Thanks for stopping by Cass! You are one of my favorite people on the web :) I'm so glad you wrote me an e-mail asking me to cohost a blogfest with you—before we were even friends.

Cassie: Thank YOU Angie!!! Gotta say, once you started this neighbor thingy, I was like, "Oh! I hope she asks me!" Hehe! I like feeling special like that.

Angie: You are special. Thanks for answering my weirdo questions. 

Well there you have it. Everyone check out Cassie’s blog and give her a thumbs up! She also shares a fun blog with her CP’s—Falling for Fiction. It rocks :)

I won’t have a Neighbor post next week, because I’m going to be too busy getting ready for my writing conference. But don’t worry. I will have some fun ones lined up when I get back.

-Angie

Mostly Back

I had such a great spring break! I stayed up late with my kids watching movies. Finished off 4 books and 150 pages of critiques. Let my kids play the iPods until their brains turned to mush. And kissed my sister’s one year old twins until they were chapped :)

I had a fantastic idea for today’s post inspired by all the fun reruns I got to watch at my parents (they really need to get a DVR).

But while I was coming up with ideas at 1:00 am about all the things we could learn from Murder She Wrote, I got tired. I mean as AWESOME as Jessica Fletcher is (how many Russian ballerinas can one woman help defect anyway? The woman is a nation treasure) it turns out there isn’t all that much to learn in Cabot Cove.

So I’ve taken this day to recoup and catch up on laundry. But I missed all your awesome posts. And I’ll be back tomorrow with a brand new Won’t You Be My Neighbor. Believe me you don’t want to miss this :)

-Angie

Lessons in Storytelling—“This is my partner Ghee Buttersnaps”

This is possibly my favorite quote from Psych, but it is SO hard to pick!

Shawn Spencer: If we end up catching the Devil, and he starts acting all... devil-y, I know what to do. First I'll buy a fiddle. Play a quick tune, so he underestimates my abilities. Then I'll challenge him to a wager. If he wins, he gets my soul. I win, we get his cooperation—

I love Psych! It is my 12 year old son’s favorite show. If you have never seen it…shame on you. If you have then you know how deliciously funny it is.

I was thinking about all the ways they add humor to the show and how writers could use the same principles to “funny up” their stories and today’s post was born…

 

Lessons on adding humor to your story complements of Psych

Have a “strait” character—(obviously not “not gay”… you know what I mean :) A funny character needs a strait character. You need someone serious to bounce all that crazy off of. Example:

Burton 'Gus' Guster: Great. Now you've gotten me kicked out of a funeral. Just add it to the list. Kicked out of Petsmart, kicked out of Santa's Village, kicked out of the Salvation Army... 
Shawn Spencer: Dishonorably discharged!

Trifle with words—My hubby always tells my kids not to do this! LOL :) Jane Austen uses this technique a lot and it still works today. Find something funny in a word and use it. Example:

Juliet O'Hara: Detective Lassiter is literally on fire today. 
Shawn Spencer: "Literally on fire" as in Michael Jackson in the Pepsi commercial, or as in a misuse of the word "literally?"

Character chemistry—Shawn and Gus can banter with the best of them. You can really get a sense of their relationship. This works amazingly well in stories: Example:

Shawn Spencer: Life insurance policy? 
Burton 'Gus' Guster: It doesn't make any sense. 
Shawn Spencer: Tell me about it... Dude, seriously, tell me about it. I have no idea what this means. 
Burton 'Gus' Guster: You never could understand legalese. 
Shawn Spencer: Oh, really? Remind me who it was who set up our Psych 401ks? 
Burton 'Gus' Guster: Oh, you mean our 601ks? Because India doesn't have 401ks. 
Shawn Spencer: It's a growth economy, Gus. We've already made like, 500 rupee. 
Burton 'Gus' Guster: That's thirteen dollars.

Mocking—Who doesn’t love a little well placed mockery? It always comes off best when the person doesn’t realize they are being mocked: Examples:

Juliet O'Hara: I had no idea you were so serious about bowling. 
Shawn Spencer: Quite serious, quite serious. Matter of fact, Lego wants to sponsor me this year. 
Juliet O'Hara: Oh, that's great. 
Shawn Spencer: They also want me to wear shoes made out of Legos... So I'm torn...

Shawn Spencer: Good morning detectives, collecting money for the Policeman's ball? 
Carlton Lassiter: We don't have balls. 
Shawn Spencer: I honestly have no response to that.

Funny nicknames—This won’t work for all story types or characters, but it is a fun way to add quirks. This is one of my favorite reoccurring parts of the show—when Shawn introduces Gus using a ridiculous name. Examples:

Shawn Spencer: I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my partner Ghee Buttersnaps…

Shawn Spencer: I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my associate MC Clap-yo-hands…

Shawn Spencer: I’m Shawn and this is my partner Dequan “Smallpox” Randal…

Shawn Spencer: I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my partner Lavender Gooms…

Shawn Spencer: This is my Vice President Longbranch Penny Whistle…

Shawn Spencer: I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my partner Control Alt Delete…

Shawn Spencer: I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my friend Ovaltine Jenkins…

Shawn Spencer: I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my partner Squirts Macintosh…

Oh my goodness, I have to stop! I could go on all day.

Humor is so important. I don’t think you need to be a standup comic to write it :) So add a little funny into your story.

Got a favorite Psych episode? I want to hear about it!

 -Angie 

Friday Funnies—Paraprosdokian

My mother-in-law turned me onto this—Paraprosdokians. It is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected.

When I learned about it I thought, “How have I never heard of this? I’m a writer.” I had to share a few of my favorites with you. 

• Where there’s a will, I want to be in it. 

• If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. 

• If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child?

• Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. 

• I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. 

• A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory. 

• There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away. 

• You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. 

• To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the  target. 

• Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.  

• If it weren’t for the gutter, my mind would be homeless. 

Hope you all have a great weekend!

-Angie

Won’t You Be My Neighbor—Shelly Brown

I have a treat for everyone today...*cue dramatic music*...Small Town Shelly Brown or Shelly Morris if she would rather. I never know what identity she will choose.

Shelly: Depends on what I'm writing about. If it helps, you can just call me Gorgeous.

Angie: Oh, I like that! No need for false modesty. I'll call you Gorgeous and you can call me Good Lookin'.

Shelly (Gorgeous): You got it, Good Lookin'. You know it fits. Probably because you're wearing that evening gown. I feel a little silly sitting here in my hoodie with kids climbing over me when you look so Oscars.

Angie (Good Lookin): It is second hand, so don't be too jealous. There... I'll change into my Mr. Rogers sweater so we are both more comfy.

Shelly (Gorgeous): Throwing a ratty sweater over your Vera Wang doesn't make you look any less stunning. If I didn't already love you--I'd hate you. 

So Good Lookin' did you come here to ask me some questions or just have me gush over your wardrobe?

Angie (Good Lookin): Of course I have questions. Burning questions that everyone wants to know. Okay, Gorgeous...What animal is the most like you and why? 

Shelly (Gorgeous): The Mexican Mole Lizard.

Why?

Because I only have two legs

I am semi transparent

I hail from the sunny land of Mexico

I spend most of my life below surface only coming out at night, or after a heavy rain, or to hunt small invertebrates.

I can't decide if I'm a mole, a lizard, or an earthworm

I can sometimes be found under a pile of leaves

I am neither endangered, threatened, or useful.

Angie (Good Lookin): You are a little hairless :) As I read your list I kept thinking...check...check...check. How did you answer that so perfectly? I'm in awe.

So you're an actress (super talented by the way) and I want to know how acting is like writing? Do both skills complement each other?

Shelly (Gorgeous): As an actress I step up on stage to tell my character's story. Even if I am not the main character of the play I am there to tell my story, it is the only one I am able to tell. I use my body, my voice, and my words to express to you my joy, my sorrow, my frustrations, and my anger, in hopes of helping you to feel them too. I am trying to get an emotional response out of the audience, be it laughter or tears.

As a writer I get to play every part in these stories. I even get to play the part of playwright. I try to shape stories that will elicit an emotional response out of my readers much the same way that I did on stage.

But as a writer I have quite the learning curve ahead of me. It's not as easy as celebrity writers make it look. In fact you might even say it's as hard as your high school english teacher made it feel.

Angie (Good Lookin): The best writers make it look effortless. But when you start writing you realize how much work effortlessness really is.

I know you write MG, which I think is SOOO hard to get right. You have to think like a kid. How do you alter your adult perspective to see the world like a child?

Shelly (Gorgeous): I'm not sure that I have an adult perspective. ;) 

I spend more time talking to children, my children, theater children, primary, elementary school, my kids friends, than I do EVER speaking to adults. Kids are just my surrounding. I think in 'kid'. My husband's maturity level doesn't help. ;)

Angie (Good Lookin): Most husbands operate at a 12 maybe 16 year old (if you are lucky) level :) Do you use your kids for inspiration or characters?

Shelly (Gorgeous): I make notes of quirky things that they do but I have yet to write much of it into my stories.

My husband, on the other hand, wrote a totally boy-crazy, talks-too-much, silly twelve-year-old girl into one of his stories and didn't even try to hide the fact that he based it on me.

This actually might refer back to your 'how do you write middle grade' question...

Angie (Good Lookin): I think that is kind of sweet. I would hate my twelve year old self immortalized in a book. I wasn't very nice at twelve. Not my finest hour.

Shelly (Gorgeous): I think Dale Basye said it best in his first Heck book when he said:

"There is a time that chafes against childhood and adulthood, leaving a rash that never quite goes a way. Sometimes it itches uncontrollably, and no one can see it. It's like when you wear swim trunks for too long out of the pool. Heck is like that..."

Adolescence. It's a painful time.

Angie (Good Lookin): What a great quote!!! I love it. I think I still have a rash :)

Now, I've got the best question for you. I'll even make it multiple choice so it is easier...

Have you ever:

A) Eaten an entire bag of chocolate chips in one sitting?

B) Gone to the movies in your pj’s?

C) Saw someone from high school you didn’t want to talk to, so you hid in the potato chip aisle?

D) All of the above but not in the same day.

E) Something WAY worse, that I will disclose now…

Shelly (Gorgeous): That is the BEST question.

A. Not chips but I have downed my share of chocolate items in one sitting. I do not actually recall one of these incidents but I know I am capable of such a thing.

B. I can live in my PJs and not even think twice about it. I do remember going out to the car during Gettysburg and getting a blanket and laying across three chairs instead of finishing the movie. I don't believe I was actually in my PJs but I was not very subtle.

C. Once my friend and I thought these creepy guys were following us through the grocery store so we tried to lose them by hiding in the chip aisle. I thought that we were just being paranoid until we heard them say, "Where's that girl with the red coat?" I gave away my second-hand plether coat shortly thereafter. It was nothing but trouble. I don't really run into high school people much. I moved too far away from them.

D.& E. There was always that time that I got out of the ride on It's A Small World and waded through the water (THE STORY IN ALL IT'S GLORY)

Angie (Good Lookin): I totally remember your Small World story (if any of you haven't read it--you should)!!!

Okay, last question and I will let you go.  Tradition dictates that it MUST be a pageant question...I'll put on my pageant judging hat, but it clashes with the gown and the sweater so don't judge me.  

Tell us one time in your life where you overcame an obstacle. What did you learn?

Shelly (Gorgeous): I’ve always seen my life as charmed. Everyone has their trials and troubles but the ability to look outside myself has shown me that my troubles are so small by comparison.

Probably one of the most difficult things I faced was when my twins were born. (Yes, this trial is fertility. I know many that would love to have that trial.) I found recovery from a C-section to be more complicated than I would have suspected. I was also trying to feed two babies, which was time consuming, exhausting, and frustrating. I really began to see myself as a milch cow.

And though they were pretty good babies they weren’t sleeping through the night those first several weeks. Not even close. Nor where they on the same schedule. Not even close.

I had a three year old son at the time, as well as a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. They mostly slept through the night. Mostly. I mostly did not.

Then to add insult to injury our plumbing had an issue and leaked through the ceiling, putting our upstairs bathroom out of commission for while and a big mess downstairs.

And then I got an abscessed tooth. I have no idea how this happens but the infection went into my sinuses and I looked just like this kid.

Which was miserable but only horrible because I had to be at my brother-in-laws wedding. You know weddings. Lots of family you only see once a year. A photographer. And here I was looking like a monster, trying to dress four kids and a husband for the occasion, dragging four ‘babies’ around a formal event, in actual pain from the infection and not quite recovered from the C-section.

Oh, and post-partum like I never had before or since.

So that was the first two weeks after my twins were born.

What did I learn?

-- Sometimes when it rains, it pours (and sometimes it does it right into the living room!)

-- I’m a survivor. I can do hard things.

-- Bad things happen to good people. Life can sometimes just be hard. God’s not mad at you. He’s just refining you. And, ugh, refining fire is HOT!

Angie (Good Lookin): What a perfect answer Shelly! You get a 9.5 for the answer and a 10+++ for tenacity :) Thanks so much for coming today Shelly. You are awesome and make me laugh so hard all the time!!! Shelly and I both have the flu. If you want you can picture us lying on the ground staring up at the ceiling talking.

Shelly (Gorgeous): Thanks for having me Angie. I'm glad you put that disclaimer in there. Yeah, I'm in bed sniffling but I drug myself out of bed to put this dress on for the pageant question ((I've attached the picture)) Yeah, that picture gives me the creeps too but remember I have the flu and my leg is out of joint. I hope the next time I come on this blog in a schmancy dress I won't be so ill.

Thanks EVERYONE for reading :)

Angie (Good Lookin): Has anyone ever told you, there's a striking resemblance between you and...gosh, I don't even know her name...some movie star I think :)

Shelly (Gorgeous): I've never been told that I look like anyone else but I have been called striking on many occasions. Usually in the middle of a bar fight.

So there you are ;) Shelly and I can’t stop talking when we get together (I’m finding this a common theme on Tuesdays).  Give Shelly a cyber hug and wished her a speedy recovery.

-Angie