There's a lot to be said for being stuck in bed. It allows you to wallow in self pity, read a book, stare at the ceiling, sleep for endless hours or daydream of what things could be, would be, or should be...

I chose to grab my laptop and write. Something I used to do on a daily basis. Something I should be doing on a daily basis. Something I would normally do on a daily basis. Something I wished I could do on a daily basis.

Life took a spin in a direction I wasn't prepared for. Like getting married, looking for a new house, and starting a new career. All of the wonderful things I wouldn't trade in my lifetime. Life definitely has a way of getting incredibly busy without any acknowledgement. One day, all of a sudden, the important things that brightened your day get set aside so you can concentrate on getting what needs to be done accomplished before it's time to snuggle into your loved ones arms for the night. And how did that happen? My laptop used to sit on my lap from the time my son went to sleep until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

It's funny how everything changes in just a blink of an eye. I went from cuddling with my laptop to snuggling with my husband in front of the fireplace. Instead of waking up before the birds began to sing, I cuddle deeper into my husband's arms hoping the alarm won't go off for a few more hours. When I do crawl out of bed, I run straight to the computer, not to write, but to make sure I have paid the bills, sent out important emails, checked on work emails and looked at my calendar to see what I have scheduled for the day.

I look at my journal and tell myself that I will get to it. I just need a couple more minutes. Once, I get my new daily routine finished I look at the clock and rush to get ready for work, wake my son, feed the dog, eat breakfast, and then rush out the door without even touching my journal. I missed so many important memories before our wedding because I never found the time to write them down in my journal.

Though I wouldn't change my life, I would love to compromise with myself to make sure I don't forget my love for writing. So how do I get back to my first love? Do I use the phrase, only time will tell? No. I start now, while time is on my side. While I'm stuck in this bed.

With all the excitement of publishing a novel, comes days when I forgot to do what I loved most. Write. And the more I worked on polishing the novel, the less I wrote. As much as I would love to say that everything will go back to normal one hundred percent. I cannot.

However, I am extremely excited to let you know that Gabriela Whitley: the Rise of the Kingdom, will be published in 2013. I will send you updated information as I receive it. And I will also send a sneak peek inside the book in January, 2013!

Keep your eyes open because we are heading down a very adventurous path! 

Another piece of mail came bearing my new last name. Every day for the last two weeks, letters and statements have come in with the name change. I'm sure there's another week before it will be completely changed. Every important change, like driver's license, social security and employment records, had finalized today. Staring at that new name felt strange. A bit of sadness washed over me as I thought of my last name, that I clung on to for more than 30 years, disappearing into the vault. But at the same moment I felt that sadness, a new jubilant feeling crept into my heart. Somebody asked for my hand in marriage and promised to love me for years to come. I, in return, made the same promise that I will keep forever. I became somebody's wife and gained an amazing husband.
I am proud to say that I am married to my lover, my soul mate, my best friend, my husband.

Wedding Day Dreaming

"Every little girl has dreamed of their wedding day," my fiancee explained. "It's your day, don't let anyone take your dream away."

As he says this smiling brightly, I nod smiling a little unsure. I never dreamed of my wedding day. Never had the thought that I would marry. All that I wanted throughout my young life was a business. Planning social gatherings for business meetings or family and friends was something I rather enjoyed. But a wedding? How... Where... What... Oh my. I had no idea how to even get an idea of what I could possibly want. All that mattered to me was becoming his wife. But funny enough, I dreamed of marrying him. But most details never made it into that daydream.

A vision of my cowboy standing at the alter in his tuxedo and boots grinning from ear to ear. Hands folded in front holding his hat as I rode towards him in a soft white flowing dress on horseback with my legs draped over the side and no shoes. My curly hair blows in the light breeze and my smile is just as wide as his. After a quick sweet ceremony, we ride away and watch the sun set while I snuggle back into his loving arms.

That was as far as my vision had taken me over a year ago. No more thought about it until... he proposed. My mind went blank. How do I plan a wedding that I never imagined I would have? Where do I begin to figure out what I need? What was I thinking when I agreed to have a wedding rather than elope? Oh my, what have I gotten myself into.

One thing I knew for certain, my father would walk me down the aisle. Even though he lives over twenty-four driving hours away, he had to be the one to give me away to the man who captured my heart. My father had to meet the cowboy I spoke about all the time. It had been a long time since I had seen my father and I anxiously awaited for his arrival. We had lots of catching up to do. Sadly, time was against us. Though he was here for almost a week I barely had the opportunity to visit. The week before a wedding can keep a person very busy.


Okay... breathe... first thing's first. A dress. Something that truly shows who I am. I found it before I could blink my eyes. It was me, or a part of me. And I said Yes to the first dress I tried on. It was so heavy and I could hardly breathe. But it was so beautiful and made of silk with rhinestones that accented the gown all around the dress. It was breathtaking and truly a diva dress. But of course I had to try a few more just to be sure. Why not? It's only been a few minutes and trying on heavy hot dresses is a lot of fun. Right? After three dresses, I wanted to be done. The wonderful Mya at Dress Gallery insisted I try on a couple more that were no longer going to be available. So another and another and still I was dead set on the first dress. Until... the very last dress. It was light and taking a breath was easy. I walked up to the mirror sure to say no and then I looked. I stood speechless. Tears slid down my cheeks. I giggled. It was the dress. Not flashy, not full, not heavy, not silk, not jeweled out like the first one. This one represented the other side of me. This is the romantic dress I envisioned over a year ago. It was truly my deeper inner self beaming out of me at that moment.

The groom chose a long tail coat with a marine vest along with black wrangler jeans and black boots. He was so handsome, so gorgeous, so ahhh... hee hee. He took my breath away. He looked exactly how I imagined.

Colors and flowers bring out the most in a person. And so choosing flowers and colors was the easiest decision to make. Orange is my favorite color and is so vibrant. It speaks loudly and is so full of energy and life. Like me! Ryan's favorite color is blue so we chose the marine blue. It represents romance and passion. Bring the two together and it's an exciting contrast that compliment each other full of love and happiness along with energy and fiery passion. Like our love for each other.

The flowers were chosen in the same way. Calla Lily is my favorite flower and Ryan always buys me roses. White Calla Lillies and Blue Roses plus the very complimentary Orange Tiger or Star Gazer Lillies were a must for my bouquet.

 For the reception tables a wild flower mix felt perfect with the rustic barn that we chose. Gerber Daisies and Delphinium along with some Anne's Lace.



  The bridesmaids wore a very beautiful shimmery marine blue medieval style dress. They needed orange Gerber daisies to make it POP!

The wedding was as beautiful as I had envisioned it. Our wonderful friends and family filled the yard while I exchanged vows with my soul mate.

Two Hearts are united as One this day, May 19, 2012, to love, honor, and cherish each other from now until the end of time. Thank you Lord for letting us cross paths.

God Bless

Identity Confusion

Recently, my wonderful husband and I exchanged vows. I thought that once the vows were exchanged and the marriage license was in hand, we were complete. Not so. Since the marriage license has been in my hand I have been calling utility places to get my name changed. From the social security office to the bank to the dental office and everywhere in between. Time can be a challenge though. While waiting for my new identity to come back, I ran into a few encounters. For example, I rented a movie at the video store. When I went to the counter to pay, the young blonde girl looked over my account.

"Hi, may I see your ID?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," I said pulling out both the paper copy and old ID. "I recently got married and so I'm not sure which one you'll need." I giggled. The puzzled expression on her face cracked me up.

This is one of the many times that I have had to present both ID's. Even at the social security office. That one wasn't one to laugh about. They are pretty serious.

It's confusing when everything's in limbo. Which name do I say? Which name do I sign? Do they think I'm stealing someone's identity? Do they think I am crazy? or maybe they understand because they remember the route to getting married.

All of these questions rush through my mind the moment they ask me for my identification. Inside I'm laughing, but I don't want to laugh out loud just in case. I do however keep all of the paperwork with me including the marriage license. That way I have proof of who I really am.

The cursor flashes on the blank screen waiting for the first word to be typed. It waits patiently. No response is given. How long will it flash before a key is touched?

Blank.
Empty.
Nothing.

It seems an eternity before the first letter has made an appearance. The first word is finally typed. Then deleted. Then typed. Now a complete sentence. Then deleted.

The cursor flashes patiently. There's no urgency. Just silence.

The Road To Success

The road to success is only successful if you try to succeed. In other words, success isn't going to fall into your lap. You have to throw yourself into the lion's den and find a way to survive. Nothing is free or comes cheap without a significant loss in the end. Hard work is the only way to achieve your goals.

For me, it's publishing my novels. I have spent thirty days drafting, two years in creative writing courses while revising my manuscript, and a year ago researching publishing companies. Now the big finish... this last year, I have one nothing. Nothing. NOTHING!

It's amazing the excuses one can make to avoid rejection. Success doesn't come from sitting around hoping. Success is hard work. There are no excuses for waiting until the right time. It's always the right time. For me the right time began three years ago and is still waiting on me.

So don't be like me and become a couch potato waiting for an opportunity to fall into your lap. Go out and seize your success. My adventure began three years ago. Today it's time to take another positive step towards the dream. And I already have. The query is ready and the research continues. A list of agents already in hand and out in the mail will go the submissions. Now we're heading towards the road to success...