10 things I learned at the Liberty Bowl

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So the Arkansas Razorbacks played in the Liberty Bowl this weekend and I was one of the 62,000 fools who attended.

It was farking cold.

Here are a list of things I learned from our trip this weekend:

  1. Bud Light with Lime tastes like Kool-Aid.
  2. If you drink a few Bud Light with Limes while traveling to Memphis, you will have to stop to pee 5 times.
  3. There are NOT ENOUGH LAYERS IN THE WORLD to keep you warm when the wind chill is -100.
  4. You will stop partaking in adult beverages after you use the port-o-potty.
  5. If you’re walking to the port-o-potties and every person along the way warns you away from potty #3–you listen.
  6. It’s okay to leave the game early.
  7. Sometimes GPS systems are stupid.
  8. Nothing brings white boys to the dance floor faster than Vanilla Ice.
  9. Guys today think that “dancing” is the same as “leg humping.”
  10. McDonald’s for breakfast tastes really, really, really good after freezing at a football game and being leg humped on Beale Street.

We had a great time. The Hogs won (finally) and it only took me two days to thaw out. Now we have snow here in little Rock…school didn’t start back today. But I still have to go to work. How uncool is that?

brrrrr

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I’ll be at the Liberty Bowl today and taking Memphis hostage tonight. It’s gonna be c-c-c-c-c-c-c-cold! The high is only 34 degrees, so Ima gonna be bundling up with lotsa layers and a blanket. I may be a fool for sitting outside watching foozball in dis here weather, but I ain’t stupid.

GO HOGS!

Woo Pig Sooie!

and one last time: Shirley Q Liquor’s Razorback Fight Song

2010: day the 1st

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Last year, I chose 3 words to describe the previous year (2008) and 3 words to describe the coming year (2009). Let’s see if I did a good job predicting what 2009 would be for me.

2009
centered
bright
determined

I believe the first half of 2009 was very much these things for me. And I believe determined made it all the way through the year. Bright managed to finish the race, but I lost my shimmer every once in a while. Centered fell away sometime in the summer and never returned.

Overall, I feel pretty good about the words I chose. I think Centered was replaced by Frustrated.

2010
focused
sparkly
fun

What three words are you going to use to describe the coming year? What 3 words would you describe 2009 with?

Here are the things I planned to accomplish in 2009:
Be a better mother (Check)
Be a more disciplined writer (Nope. Not even close)
Run the 10K and keep training for a half-marathon (Did 5K and decided I’m more a walker than a runner. Also lost 35lbs)
Get a tattoo for my 40th birthday (Check)
Laugh every day at least once (Check)

2010’s list:
BE A MORE DISCIPLINED WRITER. (maybe if I put it at the top of the list and in all caps…)
Cook something new at least once a month.
Continue to exercise 4+ days a week and lose final 30 lbs.
Spend more fun time with the boys.
Teach Ian how to drive.
Laugh every day at least once. (this should be on everyone’s list every year, don’t ya think?)

I don’t think of these as resolutions, just goals I hope to accomplish. What are your goals?

Welcome 2010. It’s gonna be a great year.

Dear 2009,

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Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.

My friends and I were talking yesterday and we have decided that 2009 has been a year of either REALLY BIG HIGHS or REALLY BIG LOWS. There has been no in between. And dealing with both highs and lows with barely any time to catch our breath, we also decided that we’re exhausted.

So hasta la vista 2009.

I consider myself a very lucky girl. Even though we had a few scares over the year (a scary car accident with my niece and SIL and my BIL’s heart attack) my family remains healthy. And I’m very grateful for that. Several of my friends are struggling with illness in their lives and it breaks my heart for them. So knock on wood, we have our health.

I want to end this year on a positve note, so I think I’ll name all the good things that have happened to me over the year. If I focus on the good, the memories of the bad will fade into the distance.

  1. Wrote LOVE SUCKS!
  2. Won money at the horse races (not a lot, but hey, it paid for dinner and drinks!)
  3. Reconnected with some dear old friends and have rekindled some fantastic friendships that will last forever
  4. Got my awesome tattoo
  5. started working on a 40 things to do at 40 list and have accomplished many things on the list
  6. Ran my first 5K
  7. Celebrated the Month of Mel
  8. Turned 40 with style
  9. Went to two conferences, one in Florida and one in DC
  10. Spent some time at the beach
  11. Began to plot out a new series
  12. BUNCO BABES TELL ALL and BUNCO BABES GONE WILD both hit the stands
  13. CAN’T STAND THE HEAT also hit the stands
  14. oh yeah, and my debut novel BITE ME! finally made into the wild
  15. I found more than 100 four-leaf clovers over the summer
  16. Spent a weekend at Beaver Lake with my Thursday Girls.
  17. Got an email from CNBC’s Melissa Francis
  18. BITE ME! went into a 3rd printing
  19. After two years we finally sold our house in Oxford
  20. Saw Staind in concert!
  21. Did a local interview on a morning show
  22. Saw my ‘wee Scottish lad’ and his family in Nashville
  23. did the Race for the Cure
  24. Lost 35 pounds (and depending on the clothing) 2-3 sizes
  25. Had several successful book signings, an author talk, and visited the book club at my former high school

Looking at my list of good things that have happened this year (and I know I haven’t listed them all, but this is what came to mind this morning) I realize even with all the lows, 2009 wasn’t all that bad. Sure there have been some tough times, but I’m going to believe the good out weighs the bad.

The Universe wants me to know that 2010 is all mine. I thought I’d share that with you as well. The future’s so bright…I gotta wear shades.

Have you ever noticed how folks instinctively know that creating wealth is
much more fun than spending it, yet they dream more about spending it than they
do about creating it?Could it be, Melissa, they’ve momentarily forgotten that
they’re supernatural, that they can have whatever they want, and that life is
but a dream? 2010 is all yours, baby – The Universe

let it snow (flurry)

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Here in central Arkansas, we rarely get snow. Sometimes we’ll get a couple of inches and it will literally be 50 degress the next day, so it melts. Immediately. If we get anything, it’s usually ice. And given the fact that I live on a hill and that my driveway is at an 85 degree angle, ice is never, EVER, my friend.

So when there’s even a remote chance of snow, we (okay I) get a little excited. I mean, it’s SNOW! Which means SNOWBALL FIGHTS. and SNOWMEN. and SNOW ANGELS! Stuff we never get to do, see, or play in…

Last night, there was a 50% chance of snow. There was a little thrum of excitement pulsing through the heart of the city. Could it be? Would we see…actual snow?

Around 11 pm, I was driving my friend home from the airport and that’s when I saw them. Snowflakes. They were wind surfing in the night sky and I was totally mesmerized. And disappointed. They were little flakes. Nothing to be excited about. Even when they began to fall a little faster, it wasn’t worth getting worked up over. There would be no blanket of snow when I woke in the morning.

I wish I could tell you at this point that I woke up surprised. But nope. The temperature actually climbed overnight and I woke to rain. Miserable, cold, yucky, depressing RAIN. (and we NEVER get rain around here… /sarcasm)

I don’t wanna live where it snows all the time. I like being in an area that actually gets shut down at the mere threat of snow. I like the fact that sometimes we’re stuck at home for 3 days because of weather. I can’t imagine ever having to take the kids to school when there is more than an inch of snow on the ground. And as irritating as it is, I like that every grocery store sells out of bread, milk, and velveeta when snow is predicted.

I just hope we actually get a little of the white stuff this season.

a picture’s worth 1000 words…

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Yes, it’s a bit blurry, but this sums up my boys like no other picture can. Can you believe they are separated by 4 years? Me either.

The favorite gift I gave (My mom will kill me for this. If you don’t hear from me for a couple of days, call the police and have them search her property near the pond. Or in the pond…)I had this blown up to an 8×10, framed it and gave it to my daddy. Best. Present. Ever. (Please forgive me, Momma.)

Even Ruby got a gift:I don’t think she liked her Snuggie very much. Hmmmm. She sure was cute in it for 10 whole minutes though!

Mel-ancholy

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I’m ready for 2010. This has been a tough year for me, the holidays were even tougher, and it’s time for me to bring in a new year with a new attitude. I don’t know how I’m going to do that yet, but give me time and I’ll figure it out.

I do know one thing for sure: Next year, I’m going tropical for Christmas.

How was your holiday? Was Santa good to you?

Santa was very good to my kiddos and they’re happily staying up late, sleeping late and enjoying their time off of school.

(Even though my #2 child has 3 projects he has to have finished by Monday…and he better get with it)

I’m looking forward to Saturday…I’m going to the Liberty Bowl to see the Razorbacks play! YAY! Memphis, you better watch out!!

how lovely are your branches (on my floor)

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I came home last night to find this:

I know my cats are not to blame, they can’t be bothered by the tree. I’m quite sure my dog Pete was barking out the window at someone (probably the mailman) on another street. Because HOW DARE YOU WALK ON THAT STREET OVER THERE! I found LOLDog that sums it up perfectly:

holiday spirit, loldogs n funny dog pictures - I has a hotdog!

I tried to set the tree back up but it appears the base is completely broken. Now I have to decide: do we celebrate Christmas around the broken tree or do I just undecorate the pile, clean up the mess and do without this year?

What do you suggest I do?

words. I haz them.

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funny pictures of cats with captions

Me and my friend, Kitteh (aka Kristen Painter) apparently had the same idea this week. We’re both posting Catmus Pictures…and so far, we’ve managed not to copy each other! Pop over and see what LOLZ she’s been posting.

So, last night was my signing and visit at the Bryant Library. I grew up in Bryant, and even though the town of Twelve BILLION Thousand no longer resembles the town of 2800 that I knew, it is still one of the warmest places on earth.

I felt honored and humbled by the show of support. It was amazing.
cat

The room was standing room only. (okay, it was a smallish room, but still SRO sounds so AWESOME, right?) and we sold out of books (YAY!) and then people sat down to hear me talk.

Me. Talk.

As if that’s ever a problem.

Well, it is a bit different to talk in front of a group. Thankfully I knew most of them, so that helped. And so I rambled on about why I started writing (I was bored), why I continued writing after we moved to Oxford (I was really bored), how I found an agent (luck!), how I decided to write about a teenage vampire (more luck!) and how I got published (A BUCKET LOAD OF LUCK). So my talk went something like this:

One day I was bored and started writing. I moved to Mississippi and kept on writing. I got lucky and signed with an agent who totally gets me and a few years later I got even luckier and sold a book. The End.

Don’t you wish you had been there to hear all that in person?

I had a fabulous time and hope they’ll invite me back again someday! I’ll have pics for you soon, just didn’t get them downloaded last night.

I’d like to give a big shout out to awesome librarian Jill Martin who made these signings happen. And a huge, huge thank you to all my friends who showed up on a rainy Tuesday evening to shower me with love.

Y’all are all smothered in awesome-sauce!

Say What?

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My signing and talk went well last night. It was a small crowd but they were very attentive. Especially my new biggest fan…a 13 year old boy who decided I should be a comedian. Yeah, maybe. Except for the whole being-funny-all-the-time-in-front-of-lots-of-people-who might-not-find-me-funny-at-all thing. And I got to see two old pals from a long time ago…My high school prom date’s Dad stopped by. And good ol’ TTB brought her 9 year old son by…Parker, my youngest and most awesome fan.

Tonight’s signing at the Bryant Library should be a bit larger. I’m excited about it. I’ll get to make a fool of myself in front of old friends, and really, nothing is better than that! Hopefully I’ll find my camera today so I’ll be able to post pics tomorrow!

Now on a more frustrating note: if you post negative anonymous comments on my blog, you will be deleted. If you continue to post them multiple times, your IP address will be blocked. It’s okay if you don’t like me or what I write (hopefully you’ve actually READ the book if you’re going to hate on it…) and it’s okay for you to tell me that. It’s not okay for you to be hateful about it. You may not think I’m the most positive of influences on impressionable young minds…but IMO, anonymously posting hateful messages is pretty negative behavior as well. DOes that make us even?

Whew. I feel better now.
funny pictures of cats with captions