It Seems Like Everyone's Got A Plan....

It's kind of like Nashville, with a Tan....

Okay, I know that was a little random. But it was one of my favorite songs (Lullaby by Shawn Mullins) back when I lived in Nashville, and I heard it on Monday while I was driving to Nashville, and now I'm sitting here in Nashville...you get the picture...

So I'm in my very favorite coffee shop in the whole wide world (and I have traveled all over the world, and have a love affair with coffee, so that is saying a lot!) trying to get some work done on my book.

The coffee shop is called Fido (it used to be a pet store...), and it's in Hillsboro Village in Nashville, near downtown. I used to live in Hillsboro Village and was a frequent (almost nightly) visitor to Fido. Hillsboro Village is the "cool, trendy, hip" area of Nashville, and when I lived here, I felt very cool, trendy, and hip. In fact, just sitting here ingesting a large Mocha, I think I may have recaptured some of the cool, trendy, hipness of my early-twenties. Back in the day when I was just out of college and still wearing rose colored glasses.

Now I'm plagued by the cynicism that comes with being single and in my early (very early, thank you very much) thirties. Or as my friend Katherine says, my "Twirties". Which means Thirties but haven't let go of the cool, trendy, hip Twenties. :)

I'm here in Nashville for a week, visiting college friends and remembering what a social life is. I've dropped out of life for the past 4 months, but this little trip has let me know that I'm back from the abyss and ready to live again.

Which if you know what all I've been through these past months, should have you cheering for me. And if you don't know, well maybe I've just added an air of mystery to myself that will make you want to keep reading my blog. Ha! That reminds me of a great quote from a movie that I saw not too long ago...."No one is as mysterious as they think they are...."

And now, I will get back to writing my book, as I wait for my friend who is meeting me for lunch....he's a musician. After all, I am in Nashville!

Belated Blog

So I actually wrote the following post a week ago and had "blogger" problems, so am just now posting it.....

I'm writing this from my hotel room in downtown Mobile. I'm here for a week of "on site" work. (as opposed to the weeks of "from home" work I've been doing for the past few months)

The 2 day event I've been planning for the past few months is this week, and thus far, everything is going well. Of course the event doesn't start until Thursday, and there will be many a fire to put out between now and then!

This event is such a cool thing. I will definitely post pictures later in the week. We will have a mock disaster staged in the parking lot of the Civic Center. (I have a towing company bringing 2 wrecked cars tomorrow and they will put them together as if they were just in a car crash) Both days, the Fire Truck and Ambulance will be on hand, just to add to the drama of the scene.

As the busloads of students get to the event, I will put them into groups and place them in a staging area where they will hear speakers from area hospitals while they wait their turn.

Then they will be taken one group at a time, first to an area where there is a tape player set up. There they will hear a 911 call. (I played the role of the 911 Dispatcher...) Once they've heard the mock call, they will go to the scene of the accident. (kind of gruesome, with a body lying on the concrete by the cars...he is portraying a drunk driver)

Then they will go with the EMTs and actually learn what they would do for the victims. (in this case, it will include CPR, intubating, and delivering a baby!) The students actually do this hands on, working on special mannequins. In exactly 10 minutes, a siren will sound and the students will take their "patients" into the ER. (every 10 minutes, a new group moves into the exhibit.)

In the ER, students will learn to start an IV and other things that would go on in there. From there, they go to radiology/lab, where they look at x-rays with a radiologist and check out the patient's labwork with a lab tech. From there, they go to surgery where they have to amputate a leg, among other things! Then they go to the patient's room, where the nurses will teach them to give a shot and listen to the baby's heartbeat. (the baby they delivered earlier at the accident scene) Then it's on to respiratory therapy for some breathing treatments for the asthmatic boy who was in the wreck, as well as a stop at the Pharmacy to learn how the Pharmacist plays a role in the treatment. After that, they go to Rehab, where they learn to do Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Exercise Physiology. Finally, they stop at the discharge nurse/case manager, to learn what the orders will be upon the patient's discharge from the hospital.

As you might've guessed, this event is meant to introduce students to various healthcare careers, but in a very cool and exciting way. The students who attend (I'm expecting 1000!) will be hands on through the whole process, from getting the "patients" out of the ambulance, all the way to discharging them.

This is my 4th year to plan and coordinate the event, and it is always a nervewracking time. Over the course of the 2 days, I will have around 300 volunteers, as well as 1000 students and around 75-100 counselors and teachers who will all be relying on me to make sure everything runs smoothly. It's a high pressure couple of days, especially working out the inevitable kinks on Thursday morning. My favorite part will be Friday afternoon, when things are running on their own and I will actually have a chance to go through all the exhibits and watch the event in action. But there is a long road ahead of me between now and then!

Beginning at 8am on Thursday, we will have a new school group every 10 minutes for several hours. Ditto on Friday. Between parking buses, making sure the food and drinks for volunteers are replenished, and directing the numerous volunteers to their spots, it is quite a hectic couple of days.

But still a great event! See below for a few pictures!


This was the mock car crash--we put a little plug in to tell kids "don't drink and drive" by making the cause of the crash driving while intoxicated. In our scenario, the drunk driver didn't make it.


Another view of the accident scene. You can see the fire truck in the back.


Ambulance on the scene--the kids got to pull the mock victims out of the ambulance just like in a real emergency.


This is just a shot of some of my artwork! I drew and painted pictures for each career represented, and the ambulance is one of my favorites!


More of my artwork! This was in the Emergency Room exhibit.


This is the "Surgery" exhibit. The kids got to amputate the "leg" of the victim. (also see a view of more of my artwork in the background!)


Nursing exhibit--students learning how to listen to the heartbeat of a newborn baby.


Nursing exhibit where there students learned to give shots.


Pharmacy Exhibit where the students learned what goes on in a Pharmacy.

Life as I know it

So I haven't been in a "blogging" kind of mood lately. Not sure why exactly. Since I last blogged, I went to Dallas for ACFW conference (very fun!) and to Mobile for work (also very fun, and nice to see the Gulf again). It's funny--I never would've thought that when I started working from home, it would actually mean I would be busier than when I did the 8-5 office thing.

I am finally making progress on my book! But first, I spent a lot of time clearing out some space and bought a very fun bright yellow desk. I think just having a designated workspace has helped me tremendously.

Right now I am working on some of the details of the long synopsis and it's actually going really well. I love my heroine and the hero is growing on me. I changed his name yesterday though and am now even happier with him.

I'm finding that I'm addicted to Facebook. Most of my really good friends from college have recently gotten on there, and we are all having the best time re-connecting. It's sort of changed the way I e-mail--now most of the time, we just post on walls or send a private message.

Here are a list of a few other thoughts that I've had these past "no time to blog" weeks:

1. Britney Spears--bless her heart. Not that I'm a fan or anything, and I certainly don't support her decisions. But I can't help but feel a little sorry for her. Hopefully if she and her mom can really reconcile, it will make a positive difference.

2. The new season of Dancing With the Stars! I was so sad last week to see Albert Reed have to leave. I thought he was very cute and a pretty good dancer. So now I am pulling for Jennie Garth (yes, I was a 90210 fan back in the day), Cameron Mathison, and Helio the race car guy.

3. New season of Grey's Anatomy--I'm hanging in there with it. I miss Addison being there although I like her spin off okay. I also miss Dr. Burke. And I don't like where they are going with Meridith and McDreamy OR George and Izzy. But hopefully it will get better...

I think that's enough pop culture for one day!

Reunion!

I went to Memphis over the weekend and had a reunion with some of my college friends! It was so much fun. We ate sushi and shopped, then stayed up late (okay, it was midnight, but that is late for us!)and talked.

We had such a great time, and I can't even express here how thankful I am to have friends like them. Even if it's been a month or a year or whatever since we've been together, it's as if no time as passed.

So after a very fun weekend, I am back home, trying to get ready for ACFW conference! I can't believe a week from today I will be on my way to Texas! I'm working on my pitch right now. This is the most daunting task I think I've ever faced.

I am not a good "speaker" when I get nervous. And I know I will be nervous. I am one of those introverts who hated being called on in class, even though I knew the answer. I just don't like to talk in front of people. UNLESS it is a large group and I am "performing". I can be in plays or musicals with no problem. I spoke in chapel at FHU 3 times--that's in front of about 2000 people, and was hardly nervous. I can stand in front of large tour groups and give a Civil War tour. But put me in front of one or two people and I'm a wreck.

Hopefully I will find a way to put myself at ease when I pitch. If anyone has any tips...please share! :)

What kind of coffee girl am I?

Well, this may be a bit of a cop out, but I found a fun little quiz and thought I'd post it on here! :)

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Time Keeps on Ticking...

Well, the time certainly seems to fly by, doesn't it? I had all these grand plans of having both of my manuscripts finished by the time ACFW conference rolls around, but it seems that might not happen.

Okay, not just that it might not happen, it won't happen! But I am working on finishing my cozy mystery and am also preparing to pitch my chick-lit work in progress to an editor at the conference in 2 weeks.

I'm feeling pretty good about it actually. Of course, in 2 weeks, I might not feel the same! I talked to a friend last week who had pitched something last year at RWA and she thought she had it memorized, but forgot it once she got in front of the editor. That is my fear!! Thanks to her advice, I am definitely going to take a cheat sheet with me to my editor appointments. Just in case I lose my train of thought.

And in other news, I am trying to decide what to wear to the awards banquet. Am torn between my favorite formal that I never get the chance to wear, and something a little more casual.

I'm leaning toward my formal, just because I love to get all dressed up, and let's face it--there aren't many opportunities to do that.

Of course, what I should REALLY be focusing on is my manuscript. But my philosophy (or excuse, depending on how you look at it) is that if I look good, I'll feel good, and if I feel good, I'll do a better job pitching my work. So really, it's all about the clothes! Ha!

A Change Will Do Me Good...

I know it’s been forever since I’ve blogged. Let’s just say that my life has been going through some transitions these past few weeks.

After my last day of work a couple of weeks ago, I spent a few days at the beach. Alone. And most people who heard that thought it was really weird. But I think sometimes we all need a little alone time to rejuvenate. And like I told my mom a few years ago when I traveled in Europe by myself, God is with me everywhere I go, so I’m never really alone. (she didn’t like it much when I said that because it meant she could no longer fuss about it!)

Now I’m in Arkansas, writing 2 books and enjoying time with my family. I am also doing a freelance job for my old company which gives me a purpose (and an income) but still the freedom to write and visit with people I’ve neglected for far too long.

And my big life drama (or if my life were a book, my main conflict…) is trying to decide where to go and what to do next. I am only planning on being at mom’s for a few weeks before I find my own place again and start job hunting. But I will say—it is rather nice to have so many choices! At this point, my life, which a few weeks ago I thought was pretty well planned out, is now a clean slate. I can totally reinvent myself if I want to and start all over. And you know, it’s kind of nice. And scary. But very much what I want right now.

Here are a couple of random verses I stumbled upon this week. They both really stuck out at me, so I thought I’d share:

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”

Proverbs 11:22 “A beautiful woman without good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.”