Happy Birthday Madison 22

Twenty-two years ago, at 9:41 in the morning, I became a mother. Madison came fast (literally) and furious--ready to see what the world had in store for her, and in the process, she changed our world.

The love for a child is powerful. The responsibility is enormous. The results are wonderful, scary, and priceless. Motherhood has been my greatest joy, and nothing since has come close to my experiences with my children.

After her quick entrance and her rough beginning in learning to eat, Madison chilled. She was awesome--a happy-go-lucky baby-- except when it came to sleeping. The kid never wanted to close her eyes.

Afraid to miss something, Madison was curious, investigative, and her little brain whirled constantly. As she grew, she asked a million questions; how did things work, why did they work that way, who made it work this way?

We talked to her--from the moment she was born--as if she understood everything we said. I once had a lady stop me in Sears to peer into the stroller and then shake her head.

Lady: "I thought you were talking to yourself. You know she doesn't understand a word you're saying, don't you?"

Not true. Madison soaked up and took in everything and everyone. She listened when we read her books, and she'd memorize the words. 

One of the best memories of Madison was her reading The Rainbow Fish book at two years old to her Uncle Dick. She had the entire book memorized and my mother had educated her on many of the "big" words in the book and their meanings, but we let Dick think our kid was a genius while she read, and then when he asked if she knew what "emerge" meant...

Madison: "It means to come out. The fish came out of the cave."

She was a great big sister when Darcy arrived. She talked to her, answered for her, played with her, and she made damn sure that everything was alright in her sister's world.

Madison has always been a giver, a sharer. If another child took a toy away from her, she'd nod let the kid have it. She never started fights and usually defused them with her practicality and reasonability. Nothing has changed in twenty-two years.

My firstborn is kind and gentle, calm, and full of empathy and understanding. Madison is the first to interject in an argument to point out each other's sides. We call her the lawyer, but she just wants everyone to get along. She is full of love for everything; people, animals, life. She handles life with grace and poise. The kid is truly one of a kind.

Happy Birthday, Madison. You arrived with a bang and made us parents, opening our hearts widely. I wish I could hug you tightly today as I did when you first came, but that will have to wait until the Christmas holiday when college is out for a month.

I love you to infinity and beyond. Always and forever. xoxoxo

Easy peasy now

My SIL lives about 15 miles north of us. We're about thirty-five minutes from one another, give or take five minutes depending on the driver. That being said, we hardly see their family unless its a holiday or a birthday. Life gets in the way. They have a high school senior and a middle schooler and are very busy with golf and dance. Those are terrible excuses, of course, and despite our plans to do better, we haven't managed to do so.

Every time we go to my SIL's, we tend to get lost. As pitiful as that sounds, it is the truth. One year we actually went to the wrong house and knocked on the door. It was embarrassing to have the neighbors point out our SIL's home. Another year we drove past it because they had painted it and we were sure that it was the wrong house.

It has now become a joke. We are always late because we can't find the right road, or the right house, or the right anything. 

This year Tom insisted we leave an hour early so that we'd actually be on time. That is if we could find the house. Which we actually did.

Tom: "Have I gone too far? It's the next road, right?"

Me: "Yes, the next road, and you turn right."

Tom: "Okay, I'm going to turn down this first entrance on to their street. Let's see...is this the house?"

Me: "Uh..it looks like they got new windows and maybe a new door. It doesn't look right, but this is it."

Tom: "Are you sure?"

Darcy: "Yes, we are sure. How can you not be?"

Tom: "How can you be so sure this is the right house?"

Darcy: "Because they have a sign on the house with their name."

Me: "That's one way to help us out. You think your sister did that for you?"

NFL Monday morning recap week 12

Steelers: Big group at my buddy's house. Too much activity. Way too much talking. An unhappy ending to our party.

• Ugh. Way too many mistakes. Let me count them. Blocked field goal attempt, Xavier Grimble fumble in the end zone, Ben Roethlisberger interception, James Connor fumble, Ben Roethlisberger interception. Not going to win games with that many turnovers. Not happening.
• Trick plays were tried, and while one didn't work, the other did. Funny thing is I called it. Not when they executed it but when Boswell kicked the field goal that tied the game at 3. I suggested that he become the quarterback and throw it into the end zone, and while he didn't do it then, he did it the next time, and I was outside moving my car. The entire group went crazy and had me sit down to replay it. I'm so good.
• Juju Smith-Schuster was the man of the game for the Steelers. Key catches. The big play of 97 yards for a touchdown. The kid is incredible, humble, and hopefully staying out of trouble.
• Ryan Switzer stepped up when things looked bleak. He made some crucial catches and plugged away yard after yard after yard. He also helped recover his own dropped ball on a kickoff. He's like a little mighty muscular elf. I love him. Plus, he's a Tar Heel alumni.
• Steelers have a hard road to the playoffs. Next up is the Chargers (Yuck), the Saints (Double Ugh), the Patriots (Groan), and the Bengals (Yuck, Ugh, Groan, Sigh).

Other:

• I gotta start with the fight during the Jacksonville/Buffalo game, which began with a football caught between a player from each team that was ruled a touchdown for Jacksonville. While the two men, Donte Moncrief (nice butt on that guy, by the way) and Levi Wallace lay atop of one another on the field in the corner of the end zone fighting for a ball, a brawl broke out between several players. The Bills outside linebacker Shaq Lawson pushed a Jaguar player and suddenly Jags running back Leonard Fournette, who hadn't even been in the game during the series and had just been shown kneeling on the sidelines with his helmet off, came out of nowhere and shoved Lawson and then added a punch for good measure. The two men began scuffling, ended up against the wall, and despite the refs blowing their whistles like they were performing a musical number in a concert hall, they wouldn't quit. Eventually, the two men were ejected from the game. They were led off the field, and they continued shouting at each other through the tunnel on their way to their respective locker rooms. While the loss of Lawson wasn't that big of a deal, the loss of Fournette was HUGE for Jacksonville. And for what? The refs had already made their decision (one that was overturned upon replay as it showed Moncrief at the one-yard line). Fournette knew it too as he walked off the field with his head down. That loss is on you, buddy.
• Seattle pulled out a massive win over the Panthers on Sunday by doing what they do best--getting behind quarterback Russell Wilson and hanging on while coach Pete Carroll, who has to have the biggest backbone of all the coaches, kept insisting his team play forward on fourth downs. Gotta love a coach that has faith in his boys.
• Kudos to the Browns who hung on and discovered they have a chance now with their quarterback and a hot running back. And really, did the Bengals seriously hire fired Browns coach Hue Jackson for inside information? If Bill Belichick had done that, it would've been the story for the rest of the season.
• How about aging quarterback Phillip Rivers of the Chargers? He's just quietly going about business, heaving the ball into the hands of his receivers. Rivers was 28-29 for 259 yards and three touchdowns, tying the NFL mark for consecutive completions and breaking records for most starts in a game and for the highest completion percentage in a game. The Steelers will have a tough match against them Sunday night for sure. 

NFL picks week 12

Last Week - 6-7

Overall - 104-54

Chicago over Detroit - I made this pick before Trubisky ruled out. Crossed my fingers, but what a game! Enjoying this Bears team.

Dallas over Washington - I didn't believe the Skins without Smith would beat the Cowboys on a holiday at home.

New Orleans over Atlanta - The Saints will march on.

Buffalo over Jacksonville - I felt the need to pick an underdog.

Cincinnati over Cleveland - There was talk of A.J. Green coming back. Plus, it's a division game in Cincinnati. And, well, it's the Browns.

New England over the Jets - I don't see any other scenario in this one. But then again, I said crap like that last week. CBS' amazing (insert rolling eye emoji) computer that does their weekly picks likes the Jets this week. Hmmm...interesting, but that thing is 105-53 for the year, so maybe if I ponied up the money to see more than two picks each week, I'd be just as good? Oh, wait. I am. Without relying on the computer (insert winking emoji).

Philadelphia over Giants - This might actually turn out to be a good game, but after last week's loss for the Eagles, I see them coming out strong against a mediocre team. Although, the Giants have gotten their shit together the past two weeks. It could be a fun one to watch.

Tampa Bay over San Francisco - In the life of the revolving quarterbacks here in Tampa, we are starting with Jameis Winston, but don't be surprised if Fitzmagic makes an appearance. I think Winston and Evans put on a show today, however, and Ryan Fitzgerald sits on the bench. But with Tampa, one never can predict.

Seattle over Carolina - Two quarterbacks who can dodge and run as well as pass. I just think the Seahawks defense will give Cam Newton more trouble than the other way around.

Baltimore over Oakland - Yeah, yeah, last week's picks sucked on my end. That's what I get for being cocking, but truly, this pick can't possibly go the other way unless the Ravens just want Harbaugh gone?

Chargers over Arizona - The Cardinals are 2-8. The Chargers are 7-3. We play the Chargers next week, and I'd prefer them happy and sated.

Pittsburgh over Denver - Always pull for my boys, but this won't be an easy one. Long trip cross country. Cold conditions. Mile high altitude. If the defense can play well and Ben can hold firm, and our running game gets back on track, well, I'm always pulling for these guys!

Indianapolis over Miami - Andrew Luck is on a streak. Unless he is totally off today, I don't see him having much trouble, but then again, the Dolphins like to play well against good teams.

Green Bay over Minnesota - I don't know. I felt this one? Another pick for the underdogs? I don't know enough?

Houston over Tennessee - Nothing will live up to last week's MNF game. I missed it because I went to bed at 9:30 p.m. due to a lack of sleep during the week. I also forgot to tape it. Thank god for the morning NFL shows! This one won't be like that one for sure. I know that the Titans are the underdogs, but I've seen what they can do. I felt them, but I went with the safe pick. Kinda regretting that now.

Thanksgiving 2018

In preparation for writing my Thanksgiving post, I read last year's entry. It was a good one, and it said everything I would've said this year. Of course, it did. This is why I had gone to it in the first place because something told me as I wrote inside my head that I'd said the same thing every year. But then again, it is the same almost every year, isn't it?

Work and work and work in the kitchen preparing the turkey and all that jazz to devour it in twenty minutes? The same damn thing every year.

So, a quick recap of past Thanksgiving entries:

1. It's not my favorite holiday. 
2. I don't care for turkey that much. 
3. I definitely don't care for the preparation, cleaning the house, chopping food, standing, setting the table with dishes that must be hand-washed.
4. I enjoyed the holiday as a kid and love the traditions of the holiday. 
5. I like being with family and friends. 
6. I love football.

And this Thanksgiving:

1. I'm thankful. I try to be all year long, but today I spent extra time on the who, what, where, and why of being thankful.
2. I won't have to eat turkey because my only job is to bring Honey Baked Ham. I'll eat ham. Delicious Honey Baked Ham. It costs a fortune, but that's okay because it is worth every penny, and I'll make a split pea soup with the bone.
3. Hubby made breakfast. I didn't even make my bed. No other prep necessary because my SIL hosted and didn't require a thing from me but the Honey Baked Ham.
4. I'm no longer a kid, and the traditions of that time are nil because the older generation who saw that they continued, is now dead. Instead, the next generation began new traditions, and this year my hubby and daughter kept one of theirs by running the Turkey Trot. Then we watched the Macy's Day Parade, one of Tom's traditions, and we did it via Facetime with Madison who couldn't make it home from college. After that, I watched the Westminister Dog Show--a tradition started by my friend Kelly. I watched the last fifteen minutes. The dog I wanted to win did not. Traditions completed. Check.
5. I'm looking forward to spending time with my niece. She makes me laugh. Hopefully, I'll see my friends tomorrow. 
6. I'm watching football. Right now. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Thanks for reading about my nutty life. I'm thankful for all 12 of you! 

A romantic jolt for research

The thing about romance writers is that we wander around daily with romance in our heads. All of the time. If we aren't writing it, we are reading it or dreaming it--there are so many troupes and so many cliches, and all of it rattles around daily. Does it work? Could we put that in our book? We observe others and take down their names, or their descriptions, or their mannerisms. All to maybe be used in our romance novels.

I once had a waiter approach me from behind off the left of my shoulder, and his voice, holy god, his tone, was that of "a baritone crooner on a late-night radio show." (That's from my book btw) His voice was deep and sexy, and immediately my mind went to a man on the cover of a romance novel. That's the voice I wanted for my book! I turned around...

To find a skinny, twenty-something with glasses who was the complete opposite of what I had envisioned. It was a colossal letdown, but he had a great sense of humor, and he flirted just enough with us old gals that I truly believed I could ask him to whisper things into my ear, so I describe his tone accurately. Much to the horror of SueG's kids.

Them: "Oh, god! Please don't. No. Just...NO."

Recently I took a picture of a buff guy on a motorcycle. I was behind him, and the width of his shoulders and his calves were prime for a description I needed. I have a folder of such pictures on my computer--never know when those will come in handy.

Today while at my volunteer job, I was given the assignment of calling our electric company to report that three of our light poles in the parking lot were not working. I discussed the situation with a woman who answered, and I made it clear I was not calling about the lights inside the building, but about the lights in our business parking lot. More a burned-out light bulb than a power outage issue. She said someone would be out shortly, and I promptly forgot about it.

The door is locked on Fridays, and visitors must push the intercom button, and the ring goes to my phone, where I can communicate with the visitor and let them in if I deem them worthy. At some point, while we worked, we heard banging on the door. What, the what?

Our cleaning lady, who happened to be in the office, trotted off to deal with the person, and I promptly forgot about it. People come and go through this building all of the time without coming through the office. Then, as I got up from behind my desk to deal with an issue, I turned around...

Holy Hell! 

Standing in the entranceway to my office was a guy straight off the cover of a romance novel. 

No doubt about it. 

He was wearing a construction hat and a tool belt (if he'd had a cowboy hat on I genuinely might have passed out as westerns are a bigger draw than construction guys in the romance world) and yep, he was the smitten image of one of those sexy, hunky guys that adorn the cover of these books. Only he had on a shirt--which was a shame--or at least that flittered through my head. Thankfully, I did not say this aloud.

I totally froze, and for a brief moment, I thought I had conjured him up and literally made him appear. I was quite confused because I hadn't been thinking about an electrician for a novel, nor was at the point of auditioning sexy men for my cover, but still...how the hell was this guy here?

Behind him was another good looking guy--not up to the same par as Mr. Hottie Romance Bookman--but other guy's face fit every description written about the hero's sidekick--the look that reads, yep, I know what you're thinking, you wanton woman. But, hey, I'm used to it. 

And trust me, my face was every description written about the heroine-- mouth gaping, eyes wide struck by how GOOD LOOKING...and people, this guy before me was SMOKIN' HOT. 

If I had touched him with my finger, we would have heard a sizzling sound. I know this without a doubt--and also because his sidekick's face said so too. 

I refrained from touching him and stuffed my hand behind my back, and immediately his co-worker sidekick smirked his all-knowing look.

Yep, I know what' you're thinking...

I will never make fun of those cliches because when it really happens...whoa, it is absolutely spot on--except for the part where the heroine bites her lower lip. I've never understood that one before, but now, I believe it's to keep her tongue from licking the hero from head to toe.

It was a crazy moment.

I tried hard to pull myself together--to remind myself that I was a middle-aged, overweight, menopausal woman, and this guy was only research material. I stumbled my way through a conversation, where he told me they were not the right guys for this power issue and how I'd need to call back the company and order another repair. 

Oh, the romance analogies that hopped about in my mind...cue the fanning.

I thanked them and moaned silently at the agony of sending Mr. Hottie away. He tipped his hat and bid me goodbye, and I enjoyed their backsides as much as I had their fronts.  

FYI. The book cliches are SO spot on.

My boss missed the whole episode. The electric guys never entered the office, and she never came out of her dark hole of an office. I sat down, turned on my desk fan, collected myself, and began to handle the situation, calling a different number for the power company.

This number got me a male operative who actually heard me when I said the building had power, but the streetlights in our parking lot did not. He took down the numbers of the three poles, discussed in-depth our issue, and then I told him what I truly needed, much to the amazement of my boss.

Me: "Now, William, let me just say that we've already had two repair guys who were unable to service us. They were power outage guys, not pole guys--more the pity because these guys were SMOKIN' HOT, and I'm not kidding when I say this, William. SMOKIN' HOT, as in SIZZLIN' in capital letters. I'm going to need the next two guys you send out here for the correct issue to at least be as good as, or better, than those first two guys. If that's even possible."

William: "Okay, so I've put in a work order for two HOT repair guys to fix three street lights in the parking lot. It is too bad, I know that I cannot come out there myself, right? I know that is what you're thinking."

He was on speakerphone, and my boss' mouth fell open--in horror or laughter--it was hard to tell the difference. She kept hitting her head on the desk and mumbling. 

William said it would take three workdays for these HOT guys to appear, which was disappointing to me since I only work Fridays, but hey, what could I say. I thanked him and completed my job, and my boss kept saying, "I can't even...oh, my god, you are hilarious."

Two minutes later, the cleaning lady stuck her head in.

Her: "Did you send them away? What the hell?"

Me: "Send who away? Oh...oh, I know who you mean."

Her: "Those two gorgeous-sex-on-sticks electric repair guys that I let into the building. Holy, mother of god!! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!"

So, it isn't just us romance writers obviously.

It was, however, the writing jolt I needed. I experienced romance cliches I can now describe in honest detail, and I'm already plotting my next book, hoping Duke Energy will allow me to tag along on some ride alongs--you know--for research purposes...