Why Do You Remember?

Tell Me Your Story Tuesday

There either is or is not, that's the way things are.

 The colour of the day. The way it felt to be a child. The saltwater on your sunburnt legs. 

Sometimes the water is yellow, sometimes it's red.

 But what colour it may be in memory, depends on the day.

 I'm not going to tell you the story the way it happened.

 I'm going to tell it the way I remember it.

Charles Dickens ~ Great Expectations

My husband and I had a conversation recently about first kisses. He doesn't remember his. 

I'll pause for a moment and let that sink in. 

HE DOESN'T REMEMBER HIS FIRST KISS!

How does that happen? He couldn't even with confidence remember the first time he kissed ME!*

*Disclaimer: I am married to an amazing man who supports me fully in everything I do. I can forgive the fact that he has let a moment on Sept. 21, 1997 at approximately 10:14 pm while slow dancing in my apartment to a local country station playing from my mini-stereo slip his mind.*

His explanation was that he "didn't catalog the information for future reference."

Then, he mumbled something about women never forgetting anything. 

But, my mind was already working. Why do I remember so well? 

I'm sure part of it is about being a girl and living for those kinds of moments, but I believe there is much, much more. 

I don't just remember my first kiss. I remember everything about it. Where I was standing, the butterfly army in my stomach, praying my mom did not choose that moment to walk into the kitchen. Everything. Just like I do so many other tiny but huge moments in my life.

But, I wonder how much of it is because I'm a writer. I love the story of each moment. I love hearing how other people met and fell in love. I love passing those emotions on to my readers and sharing the experience of moving through it together all over again. 

So, tell me your story. 

Do you remember the tiny but huge moments of your life with vivid detail? Were you cataloging it all for future reference? 

If you're in the mood for some nostalgia, you can check out this post about Remembering the Good Old Days (It's worth the click just to see my 1989 hairstyle!)

Baby Elephant Part II: Tiny Bites

Makeover Monday

Tiny Bites

LOOK! Carpet!!!!

I gave myself a built in deadline when I started this project last week. I knew that on Saturday my house would be filled with people for my daughter's birthday party. The main goal was to get everything off the floor and in a presentable pile. 

After hours of Pandora radio, dropping a shredder on my foot (OUCH! Very reminiscent of the marble chess board incident)  and a healthy dose of self-talk ("You can do this." "Don't get overwhelmed." "No, no, no sitting down to check Facebook and Twitter, Bad Dawn!")

the floor emerged.

It looks even better with the lid down!

I filled up several garbage bags with donations and had our recycle bin overflowing. 

That left this. 

The dreaded "TO-BE" pile.

To be filed

To be shredded

To be tossed

To be...um, I don't know. What do you do with Christmas cards from 15 years ago?

That's the project for this week.

I sorted everything into crates and hope to go through a crate each day this week. 

Next Monday, I'll be posting some of the buried treasures I found in this mess. 

Like this,

Nine reams of unopened paper as well as a stack of unused folders and binders. 

Previously lost in the seas of chaos, now neatly stacked in a cabinet. 

For now,

What do you do with old Christmas/Birthday/Congratulations on the New House cards? 

Eating My Elephant

The Return of Makeover Monday!

How do you eat an elephant? 

One bite at a time.

Welcome back to Makeover Monday!

It was on hold for a short time while the Mondays piled up on me like college freshman's mountain of laundry their first weekend home. 

But, I'm back and I'm confessing.

I have a baby elephant in my house. 

Wow. 

If you ever want to know just exactly how terrible a space looks, take a picture of it. 

This is my dumping ground "office". 

I have a lovely desk in the corner. 

Isn't it pretty? 

This is where all of our precious family photos and mementos are stored in an organized, easily accessible manner. 

There are multiple problems with this space.

1. It appears to have no floor. I am pretty sure one still exist under there because I don't fall into oblivion when I climb over everything looking for an envelope. 

2. Just to the left of the picture above is our front door. Yes, that's right this is what you see FIRST thing when you enter our beautiful home. As a family, we almost never come in the front door. So, this lovely scene is reserved for guest!

3. I don't have the slightest idea what's over here. In my defense, most of this was stuffed into the desk with the top closed until I had to find a paper...for our taxes.. 3 months ago. 

*Hangs head in shame*

So, it's time to eat the elephant. 

I don't expect the plate to be clean by next Monday, but I need some accountability. 

You'll ask me about my elephant, right? Make sure I'm taking daily bites and not letting it just over in the corner and grow like it has for the last few months? 

Good! I knew I could count on you. 

And, you may have noticed, this is the baby elephant. There is a mama. She lurks in the other room. 

If I survive this journey, you'll get to meet here next! 

HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO RONI LOREN!

Tell Me Your Story Tuesday

Today, I am breaking out the virtual champagne and throwing imaginary confetti for my friend, the FABULOUS RONI LOREN!

Roni is awesome. I'm a total fan of her Loving on the Edge series, especially Melt into You (Hmm, Jace and Andre....*insert dreamy stare here* Oh, sorry. Were we talking about something? Oh, right, the blog post.)

Um, as I was saying, her new release

 Not until You Dare 

is the first title in Roni's new eserial.

  A new installment will be released every week over the next eight weeks. 

I have been totally looking forward to this because 1. It is about Andre's sister. He is in the very first scene ( *insert fangirl squee) and 2. It will be longer than her regular novels, which I love, but always want to read more!

So, CONGRATULATIONS RONI!!!

Here's to a terrific release day. 

A little taste of Not Until You Dare: 

From the author of the Loving on the Edge novels comes a story of a good girl who discovers that once you dare to cross some lines, it’s hard to turn back…

On the night of her graduation, innocent veterinary student Cela decides to play a game of Never Have I Ever with the two hot neighbors she’s been quietly crushing on for the last year. Always the prim and proper student, Cela thinks she’s earned a wild night before she has to move back home under the watchful gaze of her family. But what starts out as a simple game is about to take a very sensual turn...

Ian Foster is tired of playing games. With his membership to The Ranch, an exclusive BDSM resort, and a musician roommate who brings home groupies with a taste for ménage, Foster has a life most guys would kill for. But lately, his need for dominance is no longer satisfied via one-night stands. He craves the full surrender a woman—a submissive of his own. 

But when his quiet, sweet-as-sugar neighbor shows up at their door with a bottle of tequila and an invitation, Foster decides he and Pike may have time for one more fling… 

Click here for an excerpt! 

And a few questions for the Roni fans out there.

What book is your favorite? 

What character would you love to spend an evening with? 

What character would you be terrified of spending the evening with?