Off I go...

...in about 8 hours anyway. Yikes! I better get to sleep. :) Michele and I are leaving on a 7:40 bus, but we have to get there an hour before. And I have to drive an hour to get to her. :) We'll take lots of pictures while we're there and I'll post them when I get back. Be good, or at least, be yourself. I promise to do the same.

San Francisco, here we come!

Getting Ready

I'm getting ready for RWA National in San Francisco. Yup! Michele and I are traveling together for the second time, and are rooming with Chris and Cory for the second time as well. Chris, Cory, Betsy and I did the roomie thing at the Crusie Con last October too, so we really do have this four-ladies-in-a-room routine down pat. It's honestly not as crowded or hectic as it sounds. You just have to be good friends who are easygoing and flexible. Having a great sense of humor is a plus. While the Cory, Michele and I do have that, Chris has enough for all four of us. Chris also feeds us Wisconsin Cheese curds, kringles, and knows the importance of Diet Coke. We love Chris! Cory sometimes brings baked goods but always brings booze. We love Cory too! :)

I went clothes shopping this weekend and bought some new jeans and tops. I couldn't believe the bargains I got at Ross. I love Ross. Michele also hit Ross, Marshall's and Suzie's Deals and did just as good as I did. Seriously, why does anyone pay full price for anything? We got half price lunches, dinners and treats. Coupons, coupons, coupons. How much do I love thee?

I can't wait for Wed morning. True, the alarm is going to be ringing at an ungodly hour, and the bus ride is going to be way too long, but when I get to spend 10 hours talking with my best friend, and I'm meeting up with a bunch more of my closest friends when I arrive, and we get to spend most of our time talking about writing, I can't think of a better way to celebrate my 40th birthday. Yay for friendship! Yay for writing! Yay for hubbies who tell you to go to San Francisco!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I sure did. Not as good as next weekend will be, but not bad at all.

Thursday Things VII

I've been away a while. Sorry. Turning 40 requires much reflection. At least it did for me. Of course, I update Today's Beautiful Thing every day, but I don't really know if a couple of sentences counts as actual "blogging." At least it helps me to remember that life really is beautiful, in small ways every single day. Actually, Today's News is BIG. It's part of where I've been. Check it out.

And now on to something easy--Thursday Things! And Away we go:

1) I hate celery. Even one itty bitty piece of it in my salad and the whole bowl tastes like it. Ruined! Which is especially awful for me because I love a crisp green salad.

2) I watch CNN like a fiend and I listen to political talk radio too. (I know, I know. What a geek!)

3) I still remember a few moves from a tap dance class I took when I was like 8. I quit because the teacher wanted each of us to dance by ourselves in front of the class. I don't think so! But I can shuffle-hop-toe all night with my niece, who is taking tap dance & ballet class right now. :)

4) I dug out my old manuscript, read all the rewrites and notes (warts and all) I'm in love with it all over again. This is my decade to finish it and get it published. My 40's are going to be great. Who knew? ;)

If you miss the faux pearls, you get the ducks

I'm just sitting here letting my mind wander, reminiscing about the last decade of my life. I've been thinking a lot about my thirties in the last few months, but especially tonight--the eve of my fortieth birthday. (Damn, that's hard to type.) I found myself googling thirty, thirty-nine, the thirties, and thirty-something. I found a bunch of clips from the old TV series, Thirty-Something on You Tube and chose one at random. Funny how it wasn't a random choice at all. I'll always try to remember to appreciate the two minute increments of my life, and try not to fret over missing out on the pearls. I hope all of you will do the same. Enjoy!

Countdown

Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

Oh! It worked! What fun. So bright and cheery. How could turning 40 possibly be depressing with a countdown clock that looks like that?

Edited to add: No. Your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm scooting the countdown clock up as I go along. I don't want it to run off the bottom of the page. :)

ETA II: Oh! One more day!

Thursday Things VI

1) My lucky number is 4.

2) I'm afraid of doctors, but dentists are ok.

3) I've been robbed at gunpoint three times, within three months time.

4) My birthday is in less than a week.

Last week was hectic with the wedding cake and work has been very stressful, so that's all I've got.

Hope everyone has a happy Thursday!

Celebration

Here's what the cake looked like after it was all set up. Kristin and Joe were very pleased with it, so I was too. Nighty night.

Edited to Add this morning: Here's a pic of Mom and me with the cake. (Not a good photo of Mom at all but at least I have one.) The wedding was at a Winery and the reception was in the "Barrel Room." The atmosphere was really unique and the cake table was made of a huge wine barrel with a round piece of glass on top. Pretty cool, huh?



My camera died last night, so I'll have to rely on family to send more pix.

Ribbon & Crystal-Tipped Pins

Kristin wanted black ribbon around the cake and simple polka dots. I wanted to do something to jazz it up. Her sister, Staci, had these long, crystal-tipped pins in the table decorations at her reception and I took some. (In retrospect, I wish I would have taken more.) One night, I stared at the pins wondering what I could do with them and it hit me. Pin the ribbon in front with these pretty pins. Kristin's cake top is crystal, after all.

I have two pins and the florist is going to get me some more. (Let's hope she does, cuz don't they look pretty?) The florist is going to add hot pink roses as well. Hopefully, I'll be there to help her because I wasn't wild about how she placed the rose petals on Staci's cake and I certainly don't want her pinning the ribbon on.

Note: Please ignore the ugly cardboard and messy bottom of the cake. The cake will be lifted off the cardboard, stacked on top of the next largest cake, and the bottom border will be added at the reception hall.

Wedding Cake Round 2

9 layers baked: check. (Only used 8)
Cakes trimmed: check.
Strawberries sliced: check.
Fudge filling spread: check.
Layers stacked and filled: check.
Sides filled, evened and crumb-coated: check.
Pretty board made: check.
Icing mixed till it's smooth as silk: check.

I'm all ready to start frosting Kristin's wedding cake. Don't tell her I made it square. I want it to be a surprise. :)

Thursday Things V

1) I'm an only child and was never lonely. In fact, the term "lonely only" makes absolutely no sense to me. You can't miss what you never had.

2) I am terrified of spiders and bees. I'd rather run into a snake or a bear in the woods than a swarm of bees or a tarantula.

3) I couldn't do low carb if my life depended on it. I'm so grateful that low carb is all hype and eating a balanced diet with all 4 food groups is healthier.

4) I'd rather have dessert than alcohol.