☀️It Dawned on Me… (#4)
Living Our Best Year and The End of an Era @ (in)courage; speaking of writing …; Why am I the only one eating cake?; baseball's been berry, berry good to me; what I’m reading, watching, listening to
My (in)courage articles usually reflect what’s going on in my life. Here are the links to the two most recent:
Living Our Best Year
My mother passed away on my 38th birthday. I’m now the age she was when she died. I’m determined not to take these days for granted. Life is a gift. And so I’m dedicating this year to my mother, to living my best year — our best year — and doing all the things she could have done if she’d been healthier or if she were still here with us. Join me at (in)courage for Living Our Best Year or listen to the podcast episode.
The End of an Era
This spring we graduate the baby of our eight children, and it’s a big deal emotionally. I cried three times in one day recently and that is NOT the norm. I know some moms look forward to this stage, so I’m looking for the gifts in it. Join me at (in)courage for The End of an Era to hear all my thoughts on this.
If you’ve graduated your youngest, I’d love to hear from you. If you’re graduating a senior this year, how do you feel about it?
Speaking of Writing …
{My editor, looking over my shoulder.}
In January I told you I was working on a novel, my first attempt at fiction. Welp, something interesting happened recently. A month ago I dreamed up a new book idea (literally—many of my best ideas arrive in dreams), set aside the one I’d worked on for months (which had become a struggle), and hit the ground running. I should pass 9K words today. The best thing is, I’m enjoying it.
Writing fiction fascinates me. I keep thinking, “Where did this come from?” Sometimes it feels like taking dictation, especially when writing dialogue. Stephen King believes that “stories are found things, like fossils in the ground” and I’m beginning to see his point.
Why Am I the Only One Eating Cake?
I find myself coming back to this article again and again.
“I can’t help but feel an underlying sense of indignance that women feel the need to deprive ourselves of anything at all. Haven’t we earned as much cake as we want at our age? Can’t I have a birthday party, at least once in my life, where everyone in attendance gives themselves permission to eat the cake?”
Do you eat the cake? I’d love to know!
Baseball’s been berry, berry good to me
We love baseball. Although we’ve never had cable, at the end of last season, we got an MLB.TV subscription and a VPN (I don’t know why MLB thinks people will pay the big bucks to NOT watch their home team; please don’t turn me in). Ordinarily, I hate having a TV run in the background, but I love being able to watch the games. We got a projector and a big screen and should be watching backyard baseball as soon as we figure out how to set it up. 😁
We decided to see a game live at Truist Park on Tuesday, which unfortunately ended in the L column. You can get great last-minute deals on resale tickets (we paid $25 for two seats plus parking). We sat on the highest row in the stadium, behind home plate, but it was a great view. And you’re covered if it rains ( we saw people in rain ponchos on the Jumbotron; otherwise we wouldn’t have known it was sprinkling).
Follow the link below to one of my favorite recent plays: Ronald Acuña Jr. adds a stolen base to a walk. 🔥
https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1660821392047370240
What I’m Reading, Watching, Listening to, or Otherwise Enjoying
📖 I recently read The House of Wolves, a sports drama by James Patterson and Mike Lupica, about a family football dynasty. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the short chapters that ended in cliffhangers—hard to put down.
The Codebreakers Secret by Sara Ackerman is WWII historical fiction, a personal favorite category. It took place in two time periods and I like the way the author wove them together.
{FYI: I earn a small commission if you purchase through my Amazon affiliate links. This doesn’t affect your price. Find my Amazon Influencer page here.}
📺 We’re watching Citadel on Netflix. It’s good, but not great, but we’ll finish it. Someone recently recommended The Newsroom on HBO Max; we’re one episode in, but I’m hooked. It boasts an incredible 8.6 IMDB rating, so my hopes are high. I recently rewatched Slumdog Millionaire (also on HBO Max, which we get free from our internet service provider) with two of my sons. Love this movie, love Dev Patel (who also stars in The Newsroom).
🎬 We saw Air in theaters, but it’s on Prime Video now. It’s a fun, true story of the history of Nike and Air Jordans. Great cast, and great acting. You’ll especially enjoy it if you’re a child of the 80s, like me.
Other movies we’ve seen lately: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (rounds out the trilogy, good backstory), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (better than expected), Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (dang, this was good—incredible performances), and You Hurt My Feelings (“a novelist whose long-standing marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book”—had to see it 😂).
🎵My youngest daughter and I saw Lauren Daigle in concert in 2021. It was a rescheduled Covid concert and we got cheap, last-minute tickets. She performed a song from her next album and we were blown away. I’m not positive if it was her new single “Thank God I Do,” but what a beautiful song.
I took my youngest daughter to see Taylor Swift in Nashville recently. For whatever reason, her first album didn’t count as an era in the Eras Tour, but it does for me. Some people adore her and some people don’t, but she sure loves what she does and she loves her fans.
Delayed Desktop Wallpaper & Phone Lockscreen
I planned to offer you a new desktop wallpaper and phone lockscreen today, but Lightroom and Photoshop wouldn’t sync up for me. I blame it on a software update. I hope to finish and publish these soon.
