The End...

     As I anxiously hit the send button, I took a quick inventory of myself. My hair was oily and frazzled, I hadn't put make-up on for days, I was wearing my baggy blue sweat pants and had emptied two bottles of Nutella by the spoonful. I was locked away in the corner of my bedroom ignoring everything around me and was a total disaster.
     When I started writing Family Ever After, I spent hours pouring over books about writing. I was assured that I didn't need to be the crazy cook, with tousled hair, living off of cappuccinos, alone in some remote corner, in order to be a writer. It was a lie. I didn't even know it was happening until the transformation was complete. I became the epitome of a crazy cook author. I debated on taking a picture but some things just shouldn't be recorded. After all, I am trying to sell the book.
     The good news is that Family Ever After has been sent to the publisher for editing. To all you authors out there, kudos. I never imagined it would be so difficult. I truly couldn't have done it without my mom who made a special trip to watch the kids so I could evolve into a crazy and unkempt person alone in my bedroom. A special thanks to James and Jodi for their hours of editing and critical thinking, and to Marquie and Patrick for sticking with me until the end. Thank you to many friends and family who have shared personal stories and have taught me what happily ever after really means, and thank you to my kids for their patience and love. Extra gratitude to my husband for giving me his time when he had none to give. I have enjoyed the journey.

Christmas Concludes

After our last holiday house guest departed my husband and I agreed that the holidays had truly concluded and that we had better get back reality. There were to be no more cheesy high calorie dips, pajama days, chocolaty nuts, hours of Just Dance, and late night card games. It was a sad moment for me as I recalled a recent interaction with a friend while shopping the Christmas clearance sales. As she spoke, she admitted she was not prepared to return back to her job as a school teacher. I sighed in agreement, saying that I was not yet ready for my kids to go back to school. Taken by surprise she said, “You’re a mother; you should be ready for your kids to go back to school.” I laughed, as I am usually overly eager to usher my kids off to school and let their teachers listen to their whining, but this time it was different.


I found solace having family sleepovers in the living room, painting nails with my girls, playing bey blades with the boys, attending extended family get togethers with silly white elephant games, shopping with my sisters, singing with the family, and sharing gifts of love. I realized I had so much fun, because I made my family my focus—as our patient house guests noticed. They really did notice my utter lack of attention to the surmounting laundry pile, and slightly cluttered living space, but it did not deter my resolve to enjoy the people I was with. The holidays were wonderful this year because I gave my time to the people I love the most and they shared their time with me.

Tomorrow as my kids go back to school, my husband returns to work, our good friends settle back into their cozy Texas home, and my sister flies home to her oasis in Florida, I will enjoy scrubbing the candy off the floors, finding lost pieces to the many games floating around my house, packing away Christmas decorations and finding homes for our Christmas treasures. I will enjoy it because every second of it will be a reminder of the wonderful memories I made with friends and family.