Conference! Whoohooo!!!  I would echo everything Colleen said about the conference experience. 

Obama says we are a post-Christian nation. Okay, whatever. I won't get into politics, but this nation's Constitution was still founded on Biblical laws. You know what I think is the worst of this? There is no personal responsibility anymore. Today, the Supreme Court ruled that rape of a child wasn't a death penalty crime. Um, that's not what the Old Testament says. But here's my concern, without personal responsibility (consequences) there is no incentive to not do something again. If your teenager stole money out of your purse, would you say, "Oh, it's no problem. Did you like what you were able to buy?" And then, NOT expect him to do it again?

Today, I heard an ad for a credit card debt company and they said, "Do you have more than $10,000 in unsecured credit card debt? If so, it's not your fault." Well, it sorta is. As a college student, I racked up $4k in credit card debt -- but I was still driving a Mustang Convertible. That was a CHOICE! Perhaps not the brightest one, but I took responsibility for the debt. Once I learned that the credit card companies are not your friend.

I'm not without a heart, I think it's wrong, wrong that people can lose their homes to pay for a child's illness, and I think what the mortgage companies did with these outlandish loans to people who didn't understand them is unconscionable. But as oil prices rise because greedy investors invest in "oil futures", and our congress did not regulate this system, I am getting really tired of the world pointing the finger at someone else. I am getting really tired of politicians tickling our ears rather than being men (or women) of honor and doing the right thing. Yes, free health care for everyone SOUNDS great, but if you'd tried to get your son's broken arm fixed at a hospital that is flooded with illegal immigrants, which your taxes are paying for, you might be less enthusiastic.

We had a contractor here doing some work, and when I talked to the working men and how difficult it was for them to make ends meet. For their wives to stay home and care for the babies, my heart just cringed. These guys are working 12 hours a day, trying to make ends meet and they're barely making a living wage, but honestly, the rich people are getting soaked with taxes, and so they aren't hiring as much and these men are out of work.

The responsible people are paying the price for this lack of responsibility and it's a system that cannot withstand. When my DH was making the big bucks, do you know we found it was cheaper for him NOT to work because we paid so much taxes? We could actually save more, and keep more of our money by getting out of the system. That is NOT God's design. And isn't it interesting that Satan can use the world's heart to make Christians sound heartless and the do-gooders spending your money generous? We don't care about the poor? Look at the world and see who is there when troubles come. It's not a government. It's Christians taking responsibility. Okay, rant over.

CONFERENCE TIME!!!
The next few months will be a busy time for the "Girls" as we get ready to go to Orlando for a conference for published authors, then in September comes our favorite time--the ACFW conference. It's open for registration now, and if you've been thinking about going, quit thinking and just DO IT.

If you're thinking about going, I'm going to give you some advice. Remember the editors and agents put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you. They sleep in cat pajamas and wear fuzzy slippers. They have bad hair days. And they get TIRED, worn to the bone, at conferences. Go to the conference with a servant's heart. Forget about yourself and what you think you can or can't do. It's just like church really. Sometimes we don't feel like going but someone there just might need the smile we send their way or the encouragement we can offer. It's not all about me. Or you. Really. It's about being part of something bigger. It's being part of the body and leaning down to help someone up that next rung. It's about running after coffee or a bottle of water for that weary editor. It's about babysitting for an editor while she talks to your friend. (This happened at one ACFW conference by Nanny Diann.)

There's something so energizing and fulfilling about serving. So tune your attention outward and forget about yourself. You never know what God is going to do with the little loaves and fishes you give Him. He might arrange for you to get that five minutes with an editor you wouldn't have had. He might bring the perfect friends to you (I met Kristin at a conference first) and the rest of us bonded tighter than superglue at the Mt Hermon conferences. The networking and friendships that are born at conference are enduring because no one else understands you like another writer, that weird slant you have on life.

This year the amazing Angie Hunt is our keynote. You will be so glad you came. Really. It just might change your life if you're brave enough to let it. Go EXPECTING the unexpected and see what God will do.

"Compani, sit down! Compani, shut up!"

I had a sixth grade teacher I just loved, but she used to say the above to me constantly. I saw her after I graduated from college and she yelled, "Compani How you doing?!" LOL (That was my maiden name, in case you hadn't figured that out.)

They didn't have fancy labels like "ADD" back then. You were just annoying and disruptive.

The new "Flipping Out" was on this week. Did anyone watch it? I LOOOVE Jeff Lewis. In fact, I married the straight version of Jeff Lewis. I watched the show with my husband this week, and it's so funny, he really doesn't see anything different about Jeff Lewis, who is OCD and probably OCPD to the nth degree. He has to have six waters in the fridge (labels out), 2 orange juices, 6 coffee creamers, etc. DH says things during the show like, "Poor guy. That woman is crazy. How's he supposed to deal with that? He's just quirky, that's all."

At least I know I'm annoying, you know? My teachers told me from early on. I cannot sit still, I'm always reading about 5 books, papers are scattered everywhere. I'd rather work than clean. I'm always running late. But I'm married to an OCD guy, so I have really had to curtail my annoyances when they bother others. And worse yet, try and teach my kids to overcome their natural sloppy lifestyles.

But I try, you know? So this week, we go out to lunch because the kids are at their grandparents -- so it's just me and the man. We should try romance, right?

DH is going to get a salad bar, and I say, "Could you not do that?"
"Why?"
"Because you'll have to go wash your hands, then you'll be gone to the salad bar, and it will take you an eternity to pick the right lettuce leaves, and I will spend lunch alone at the table."
Okay, here's his answer...wait for it...
"I already washed my hands at work before we left."
"PIck something else out."

But this presents another issue. Now he has to decide all over again. So though he's sitting there, he's studying the menu for what feels like an eternity to me. Sigh.

I'm annoying, and he's quirky. A marriage made in sitcom heaven. Is it any wonder I write humor?

Labels: Flipping Out, Jeff Lewis, OCD

There are two things that baffle me. One, when my husband says the EXACT thing that I was just going to say.  And two, synchronicity. You know, it's like where writers write stories along the same ideas.

NEWS FLASH!
Hey, I just found a Diann Hunt fan club. Look here, friends!

http://www.diannhuntfanclub.blogspot.com

DEMON TOOTHBRUSH
This morning was like any other. I watched a little Fox & Friends then got up to brush my teeth and shower. I rinsed my toothbrush then knocked it against the side of the bowl to shake off a bit of the water. I'd done this routine a hundred times, but this morning my toothbrush reacted differently. Now mind you, I've had this one several months. It's a tried and true Oral B. But when I struck it against the bowl, it came ALIVE.

I'm not kidding! It began to vibrate like an electric toothbrush. Shocked, I dropped it and stared. I could hear it vibrating against the counter. I told myself I had hit it in just the right spot and it was vibrating like a tuning fork. It would soon stop. It didn't. I have to admit I was just a little scared. LOL I finally got the nerve to pick it up but it felt alien in my hands. I ran water over it. Nothing. Still it vibrated. I somehow managed to be brave enough to actually brush my teeth with it. It felt rather good, actually. I rinsed it again and laid in on the towel. Still it vibrated. I took a shower and could hear it vibrating all through washing my hair. I got out, picked it up and looked at it. I was planning on calling Dave to talk to him about it. I was just nonplussed.

Then I saw the name on the Oral B. It was called PULSAR. And there was a little button (that I'd taken for decoration) on the front. I pressed it and the vibration stopped. LOL All these months and I didn't know I had a toothbrush that moved. Now you know what a total idiot I can be. LOL

NIGHT SOUNDS
There's nothing worse than a phone call in the middle of the night, have you noticed? I got one of those last night. 1:15 a.m. the phone jerks me out of a sound sleep. I automatically think the worst: my mom's had another heart attack, Dave's mom is having another mini stroke, or his dad with Alzheimer's has wandered off. Blinking to clear my blurry vision, I glance at caller ID and breathe easier when I realize it's not a known number.

I manage to croak out a "Hello." This YOUNG voice, a female teenager, asks for Tyler. "There's no Tyler here," I say, preparing to hang up. But no. This chick has the AUDACITY to ARGUE with me at 1:15 in the morning! She goes, "Well, he gave me this number. It has to be right." Um did she think I was lying or what? I repeat my phone number to her. "Is that what you called?" I ask. "Yes," she says. "Well it's the wrong number. I don't know a Tyler."

"He has to be there," she insists.

By now, I've had it. "I don't know any Tyler," I say. She starts to argue some more but my patience is exhausted and I hang up on her. Shocking I know. But I couldn't believe this girl was arguing with me. What did she think was going on? I had Tyler hidden away and wouldn't let him come to the phone? If I'd been his mother, I would have said, "Sorry, he's not allowed to take calls this late." I wouldn't have denied his existence. What are girls learning these days? I'm flummoxed!

Ack, it was my turn to blog. Ooops. Well, you'll forgive me because I survived a weekend camping!!! And I'm sending a picture where I'm in my pink cashmere sweater, that my girlfriend who shall remain nameless (Jackie!) took me out to coffee about two years ago to tell me it was time to retire it. But here it is!

What a week, I visited my agent and we took Karen Watson from Tyndale to Disneyland! It was packed, in the middle of the week, so we only did the important rides (Pirates, Matterhorn, Indiana Jones), but I left happy. I really respect Karen. Plus, she went to Disneyland and walked about a mile while I schlepped her through Downtown Disney to the Lego store. Dang, I'm annoying. Anyway, I'm heading into new territory with my work-in-progress, so I am so glad someone knows what they're doing!!

I camped with about sixty people from our kid's school and neighborhood, which was actually fun. We had a pot luck with Korean food, Indian Tandoori BBQ, etc. That's a REAL potluck. Most people rented a RV, but I want you all to know, I slept in an old, sorry tent. The saddest one on sight actually, and I had five kids in there and a husband. Fiona slept in the car curled in a little ball. Dang, she's cute. Next to Interlaken, Switzerland, I think Big Sur, CA is probably one of the most beautiful places on earth! So I don't have much to say today, but I am chatty. Did you know they make those little water packets with caffeine in them? Yeah, um, that's dangerous for some of us. Kristin

It's that time of year again. The birds are singing. The sun is shining. You've barely had your morning coffee and you're ready to hit the . . . 

In the Mood...

First off, In the Mood is my favorite song EVER. I used it at the end of "What a Girl Wants" because I think it's the most fabulous, lift-you-up song EVER. Glenn Miller was a genius. So now, you have the soundtrack for my day. I'll be listening to it on the iPod on my way to DISNEYLAND!!! WOOOHOOO!! Disneyland is my favorite place to be. I know, that should stop somewhere around ten, but it never did for me. It's the happiest place on earth, people!

My new editor is flying into meet with my agent, so I'm flying in to meet with both of them! And you would think, well, she'll be grown up enough to have a real meeting. She won't ask that they go to Disneyland. BUT you would be WRONG!! I am just that childish! And how can I go to the OC without either Disneyland or the mother ship (South Coast Plaza).

My DH hates Disneyland, so last year, the kids and I went alone and he wasn't there to say NO! LOL We rented a Hummer and had the time of our lives. So here are the songs that make me absolutely come alive and forget my problems:
In the Mood (Weddings & Fun Times!
Oh Praise Him & Make A Joyful Noise by the David Crowder Band (The Beach, FUN family times, writing joys!)
The Great Adventure by Steven Curtis Chapman (Running to this album!)
Stand and Deliver by Adam & the Ants (I'm 16 again, trying to catch him on MTV! Where was YOUTUBE?)

What's the soundtrack to your life? What does it make you think of?

A BLAST FROM THE PAST
Good morning! I'm sitting here sipping my awesome Echo Espresso World Blend coffee.

Graduations are taking place all over town here in my area. The country schools graduated last week, and the city schools go this week. Diann, Denise and I were driving to a booksigning at the Carpenter's Son in Lafayette, IN last Saturday. AWESOME store! We adore Vicky, Cliff and the gang. Anyway, on the way to the signing, I asked Denise to speak at the ACFW conference. Now if you know Denise, you know she hates speaking. I said, "What's the worst that could happen? That you make a fool of yourself? So what." In the shower this morning, I realized I have my growing up time to thank for not caring about making a fool of myself. I've done it so many times!

Like the time I got caught jumping up in the hallway trying to touch the bottom of a giant clock. I must have thought I was some kind of basketball whiz (NOT!) and didn't even come close. Or the time I asked my brother in front of his best friend what was going on with those two dogs. It looked like they were stuck together. Ahem. You should have seen the faces of both boys. But the embarrassing moments didn't stop with high school. There was also the time I was in the restroom at church and somehow my skirt got caught in the back in the waistband of my pantyhose. I went into the sanctuary like that until another woman came flying over and yanked it into place.

And it's not only long ago times. There's the recent incident involving morphine when Diann had her lung surgery! LOL And again I say, "So what?" We're all human. We can laugh at ourselves and go on. So what about you? Is there something you've been afraid to step out and do? What's the worst that can happen? Laughter is good like a medicine. If you're making a fool of yourself, at least you're making people healthier! LOL Share your dream or tell us YOUR most embarrassing moment.