Today is the one-year anniversary of my last day of work before “pandemic furlough.” Because the funding for my salary relies heavily on tourism, and because tourism shut down last spring, our entire department was placed on furlough. Initially, we were supposed to be off for two months, but as the pandemic stretched on, the …
I’ve been on a bit of a journey during the pandemic. I don’t want this to sound boastful, but I’m really excited about the result. In terms of how proud I am of myself, this ranks right up there with my three VBACs. Three VBACs means I’ve given birth to four kids, and as is …
One of the most gratifying things I do at my job is creating egg dyes from natural ingredients, so I’ve decided to post a Saturday Six early this week, in case anyone is inspired to give it a try. Typically, we would make the dyes and take them, along with a history lesson, to hundreds …
Even though I love music, I’m not a huge concert-goer. I can’t really explain why. Music often moves me to tears, especially live music, but for some reason, attending concerts was never a priority for me. Even so, I have been to a handful of good ones (some of which will prove what a nerd …
Dear Dad, I’m sorry. Every time you pulled out your 3-disc set of rock hits from the 1970s, I rolled my eyes. Aside from the fun melody of “Crocodile Rock,” I did not understand your obsession with this music. It was old. It was boring. I wanted The Lion King soundtrack instead. Not my dad's …
Today is the first day of spring. Usually, I am ecstatic over this change. Winter, to me, often feels like a long, drawn-out, ugly season that can never be over soon enough. I long for sun, warmth, flowers, and thunderstorms. Spring is not my favorite, though. In fact, I love all the seasons for different …
In 2011, as the new mom of a 4-month-old, I was invited to my very first book group. This was in the middle of my long hiatus from writing, the decade or so during which I went to grad school, met and married my husband, moved seven times, had four babies, and started five new …
I came across a hand-written list at work yesterday, compiled a little over a year ago when I was preparing to take a natural egg dyeing museum program to almost 40 local classrooms. Not a single one of those programs happened. The note felt like it had been written in another lifetime, by another person. …
This week I participated in my very first pitch contest on Twitter. It wasn’t a contest in that there were “winners” and “losers.” It was simply an opportunity to share a teaser for my completed book and see if any agents were interested, which they would indicate by liking or favoriting my pitch. What’s a …
Continue reading Saturday Six #17: Six Things I Got Out of a Twitter Pitch Contest
I grew up just a couple hours from Cedar Point, one of the largest amusement parks in the U.S., and when we lived in Florida, we were only a half hour from Orlando, plus we visited family there and I went twice with my high school band. I love roller coasters, but I am generally …
