I Did It!

If you’ve read the last couple of posts I’ve made here, you know I’ve written a children’s book called Piggy and Pug that I’ve been waiting EVER SO PATIENTLY to release. I knew this day would eventually happen, but I’m still in shock that it’s here. My book is now available to order!

I shared posts of the exciting and stressful journey it took to create this self-published book on Facebook and on Instagram, if you’re interested in seeing all of that. In those posts, I thank the people who helped me along the way, but I want to thank them all again here.

Thank you to my husband, Wil, for encouraging me to write the story little-kid-me always wanted to read, and to Ariana Osborne, for giving me the best advice and guidance to be able to turn my story into a for-reals book.

Thank you to my illustrator, Vipin Alex Jacob, for bringing the characters in my head to life on paper. You captured the heart and soul of these sweet, adorable characters perfectly. You are amazing.

Thank you, Charlotte Moore, for your editing expertise, your friendship, and for being the voice of calm when I was teetering on the edge of the panic cliff. You are the best.

Thank you, Will Hindmarch, for your layout design skills. I’m sure working with a newbie is a task in itself, and you met the challenge like a pro.

Thank you to my amazing group of friends in the group text message thread that never ends. Your support, your encouragement, and your belief in my ability to see this project through to the end made all the difference.

And last but not least, thank you to Andrew Norcross for making such a great website for me. Because of your mad skills, I can share my book with everyone!

I’m sure you will have questions and even though all the answers are on the site, I will answer a couple of FAQ here:

  • Piggy and Pug is currently only available on piggyandpug.com and in the two Vroman’s stores in Pasadena, CA. It will be available on Amazon and on Kindle in early spring this year.
  • Yes, I will be reading and signing my book out in the world! The calendar on the site will show you what’s confirmed as of now, and I will update it as soon as we have confirmation of other appearances, readings in libraries, schools, etc. SO EXCITING!
  • Because the books are being shipped out from a distribution center in Nevada and not by me personally, I am unable to send you a signed copy at this time. I will try to do an online event at some point in the future where I can get a supply to personalize and send to you, but I will announce when I can do that as soon as I figure it out.
  • If you are interested in scheduling an appearance, I have a publicist who can make that happen! Her name is Susan Peters and you can email her at susanxpeters [at] gmail [dot] com.

Are you ready? I sure am! I hope you enjoy Piggy and Pug as much as I do!

Change Is Good!

In October, I wrote a post full of info on my first book that’s about to come out. YAY! But then some new things have come up that I thought I should share with you now that some changes have been made. YAY!

After much consideration, I decided it would be best to not try and handle all the shipping of books myself. Doing so would either take me away from being out promoting it, or cause a delay in shipping because I was away promoting it. Also, if there were any issues with someone’s order (getting lost in the mail or a shipment arriving damaged) I didn’t feel I could offer timely customer service in handling the situations as they inevitably would come up. I looked into some options, and decided to go with BlackBox, the distribution company the guys from Cards Against Humanity created, because they offer affordable shipping and incredible customer service. Hooray!

One thing BlackBox does not offer is doing pre-orders on items they plan to ship for people. I was originally planning to offer pre-orders through my website for the whole month of December and then ship them myself early January, but now the books will just become available for immediate order and shipping all at the same time in mid-January. Hooray for not complicating things!

Lastly, I was recently on The Great Big Beautiful Podcast if you’d like to hear about all kinds of stuff in my life, like the time my ovary tried to kill me earlier this year, choosing to raise kids out of the spotlight, and all about how I was able to turn my book idea into an actual book!

Thanks for reading, for listening, and for being the kindness we need more of in the world.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

*UPDATE* There is new information regarding pre-ordering and shipping on a post I wrote on November 10th. You can view it here after you read this post, which contains lots of other delightful details!

***

In May 2016, I had an idea for a heartwarming, delightful children’s story about a little Pug dog who set out on an adventure and met a little pig, who joined him on his journey. The book would appropriately be titled “Piggy and Pug.” I worked on the story for a couple of months and then I hired my editor friend Charlotte, to edit my story. By September of 2016, I had an official manuscript!

In between writing my story and waiting on the edits, I thought a lot about what my next step would be. Do I take this straight to a publisher? Do I self-publish? Do I find an illustrator and at least get the illustrations done and then take it to a publisher? I talked to several friends about this who are for reals authors who have for reals publishing deals. I heard the pros and cons of going with a traditional publisher, so I thought about it a great deal over the following months. During that time, I decided to go ahead and find an illustrator because even if I did go with a traditional publisher, when it comes to children’s books, they want to see the completed project before deciding if they’re going to sign with you. I found an incredible artist, and we began our journey into the visual side of my story.

As my words came to life in illustrations, I became even more attached to these characters and what they experienced in their lives. Becoming so attached made me even more hesitant to go with a traditional publisher because I would have to give up the rights to them. A publisher could decide to cut out parts of my story, or go with a different illustrator, or even change the title of the book. I knew there were good reasons to go with a publisher but I also knew that as a no-name author, I would have to accept that these changes could be made because that’s what they felt would sell a book. In the end, I decided it wasn’t about the book sales, it was about making a book that little-kid-me would have wanted to read day after day, and I wasn’t willing to make compromises. The only way this would be made exactly how I wanted it was to publish it myself.

During the first few months of this whole process, I think I only told maybe 5 friends that I was doing this book. Mostly because I had zero experience as an author so it felt weird to be all “Hey, I wrote a book!” But also, what if I didn’t actually finish it? Then I’d constantly be asked “Hey, what ever happened to that book you were writing?” And then I’d have to say “Oh, it was too difficult to turn it into an actual book so I gave up.”  With the encouragement of my husband, and the boost toward ways to actually make it work from my friend Ariana, I figured it out. It is now an official book that is currently in the process of being printed.

IT’S HAPPENING!! IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!! *runs in circles, does cartwheels*

I know most creative people share their work process as they’re doing it because it’s interesting to see that side of it. Like I said, I wasn’t sure I’d get to the finish line on this so I didn’t share any of it while it was in the works. Well, sort of. When my story was done and the character designs and a few sketches of the full illustrations had been done, I did read my story and did a little slideshow presentation of what I had on the Joco Cruise in March 2017. The feedback was so supportive that it was just what I needed to see this project through. Once I was on the final week of this project, I decided to create an Instagram account- @PiggyAndPug- to show how I did this from beginning to end, with the final post of my whole idea being a printed book in my hands. A few weeks after I started that Instagram account, I hired a publicity/marketing person to help me with my book launch and she suggested I also create a Facebook page for it, which I did on @PiggyAndPugBook. The Facebook posts are a few behind the Instagram ones at this point because I started it later, but it will eventually catch up. And once the book is released, both places will have announcements and stuff posted there.

And now the best part; launching my book! (Which is the whole reason I started this post but I’m wordy so it took a while to get here, okay?) Since you know I am self-publishing, there’s a few things you need to know about that part. Doing something you’ve never done before means it takes time. It takes longer to get the results you want and if there’s any issues, it takes longer to correct them, and that’s okay. Slow and steady wins the race, right? When my friend, Will, did the layout for me and I could see it like an actual book, the breaks in the story needed different wording in some spots. I also noticed a couple of minor changes I wanted to make in two illustrations. And then when I thought “This is it!” the final proof came back from the printer and the cover art didn’t fit right. NOOOOoooooo!! But that’s ok. I was willing to endure these delays so the book would be exactly what I wanted it to be. My illustrator had to make some adjustments to the cover art so it would line up correctly when printed, and we were finally all set. Off to the production line for printing!

In the year and four months I worked on this, I never put a deadline on myself on when it would become available. It would be done when it was done. As I shared more about the book online, excitement built around it, and I kept getting asked if it would be available for Christmas. Since I had these delays on getting it just right, it put me in a time frame of holiday delays for my printer, and they weren’t sure I’d get it before the end of November. Once everything was done and sent off, I got my answer. My printed books would get to me by the middle of December. There was no way I could guarantee anyone would get this by Christmas.

I had about 45 seconds of feeling disappointed before realizing I am really okay with this. The delays meant the book didn’t suffer the story and print quality it would have suffered had I rushed it. It isn’t a holiday themed book, and I’m not dependent on holiday sales to make this a success. It’s still a book little-kid-me always wanted to read, and that’s what matters most. I know some people will be disappointed they won’t be able to give this as a holiday gift, but it is what it is. That’s the beauty of self-publishing. Gotta go with the flow!

So now that you know my book will NOT be available for Christmas, here’s some more information. It WILL be available for pre-order at the beginning of December! I have someone building a website for me now where I’ll be posting information about the book, when it’ll be released, pre-ordering of the book, merchandise related to the book, and a calendar of where and when I will be doing readings and signings because YES! I am going to do a little book tour!

Over the past few months, I have been asked to read in classrooms at schools, do readings in libraries, participate in book festivals, be on podcasts, read in stores, and attend conventions. I didn’t schedule these bookings with anyone yet because I was waiting to find out when the book would be here. I will be doing my first official reading/signing on the JoCoCruise2018 in February because that’s where this all started for me publicly, so I want to give back by bringing it there first. So if you’re going on the cruise, I’ll see you there! Otherwise, if you would like to inquire about an appearance, you can email my publicist to set something up. (contact info below)

Here’s some useful info about my book because I’m sure these will become FAQ:

*This book is for the 5-8 age range. Even if you have older kids or no kids at all, I am sure adults will love this so yes, get one just for you! Hardcover (no dust jacket because no kid likes those things) printed on high quality, durable paper for those enthusiastic little reader hands. Book is 9 inches tall and 12 inches wide.

*Priced at $19.99 USD

*Available for pre-order at piggyandpug.com beginning of December 2017, shipping will begin early January 2018. Regular book sales will start mid-January 2018.

*Will ship internationally!

*Book will be available to order on Amazon by March 2018. Also available on Kindle reader (illustrations and all!) March of 2018.

*A select few prints of the illustrations will be available to order on piggyandpug.com starting early 2018. Special edition pins and prints will be available at appearances only.

*Contact Susan Peters at [email protected] for appearances.

I’m so excited about this so I’m showing you the cover now. LOOK HOW CUTE!!

 

I did it! I made a thing!

 

For The Love Of Rescue Pets

For several years, Wil and I have supported and participated in the annual Wiggle Waggle Walk fundraiser for the Pasadena Humane Society. It’s their biggest fundraiser of the year, and it’s always held at the end of September. This walk attracts a few thousand people (and their pups) in support of everything PHS does for the 11 cities they service, for the care they provide to wildlife, and for domestic animals in need of shelter, medical treatment, and an opportunity to find a home. In just the month of August alone, PHS adopted out 374 cats! And when Houston was hit by a devastating hurricane, PHS was asked if they’d be willing to take in Texas shelter animals to make room for the lost and abandoned ones that were rescued locally (to which they said yes, but weren’t needed after all.) They also set up an emergency pet drop-off area at a local high school when a fire broke out in the nearby foothills, forcing hundreds of people with pets to evacuate. They provided safety and care for these animals until they could return home. This is why we do what we can to support them.

For over a year now, I have been working on a children’s book (of course, it involves animals) and over the last two months especially, I have been working on it with multiple people and making the final steps toward completing it. Yay! But the downside of that is I knew I wouldn’t have time to promote fundraising, and we won’t be able to actually participate in the walk itself this year because two of our good friends are getting married that day. We still wanted to support the actual fundraiser though, so we donated to the Punk Rock Rovers; a team that spends months putting together shows, events, and merchandise sales to raise money for PHS.

The Punk Rock Rovers are very close to their fundraising goal. If you’d like to help them reach their goal, you can go here to make a 100% tax deductible donation. Every dollar counts, so whether you’re able to skip a Starbuck’s one day to afford a donation, or you’re looking for a year-end deduction for your business, your support matters. The animals (and the Wheatons!) thank you for your generosity.

 

It’s My Birthday Week!

As long as I can remember, I have always counted down to my birthday. (Even now, as I am about to turn 48 years old because 48 on 8/8! Woo! Numbernerd!) I have also always been SUPER uncomfortable with receiving gifts. I prefer to do something with friends rather than receive presents. Like, even when I was 5 years old I felt like this. I know. Weird.

Years ago, as my birthday was approaching, all I could think about was my close friend, Kris, who was in City of Hope cancer research hospital receiving treatment for leukemia. Kris, and hundreds of other patients there, were fighting so hard just to see another birthday, so I wanted to do anything I could to help her reach her goal. I didn’t match Kris’s blood type so I couldn’t donate much-needed blood transfusions to her, but I donated anyway, so another patient could benefit from it. I decided I wanted to do a marathon in her honor to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Wil joined me. Together, we raised $26,000 to aid in cancer research, but it still didn’t feel like enough. Kris is alive and well now, thanks to a life-saving stem cell transplant found on a donor registry from a woman in the midwest, so I signed up to be a donor myself in the hopes that one day I can help someone the way this woman helped my friend. (I still haven’t been called yet!)

I do what I can throughout the year to help people in different ways, but my birthday is always a reminder to give life-saving blood to those who are fighting for their lives. My birthday isn’t for a few more days, but I’m writing this today because I am taking a much needed off-the-grid vacation this week to spend with friends who are like family to us. If you’d like to help me celebrate my birthday (and you’re physically capable of donating blood) please do so this week at your local blood bank. If you aren’t able to (or if it freaks you out too much) please consider signing up to be a marrow donor (also only if you’re physically able to do so) at https://bethematch.org.    

There are so many ways to help make life better for others. Whether you donate blood, take a little time to deliver for Meals On Wheels, volunteer your time or some supplies to a local homeless shelter, or read to kids in a library, you can make a difference in the lives of others. That is the best gift, ever.

 

What Doesn’t Kill You (Supposedly) Makes You Stronger

Do you ever look back on a time in your life and think “Holy crap. Did that really happen?” That’s been me all day today.

On Thursday of last week, I woke up pretty uncomfortable and it quickly escalated to excruciating pain that landed me in the ER for six hours that day. It’ll be easier to just have you read what Wil wrote on that than for me to explain it, if you haven’t already done so. I was misdiagnosed by the male doctor in the ER on Thursday because he completely missed my issue on the CT scan. He acknowledged seeing a cyst on my left ovary, but since my pain was on the right, that cyst wasn’t the cause of my problem. He decided I had a kidney stone because I had complained about pain up the right side of my torso, even though no stone was visible on the scan, and my blood and urine tests also did not show that to be the case. “I’ve had big guys, football players even, come in reacting this same way. It’s a kidney stone. Probably a small one stuck in the valve trying to leave your kidney. It should pass in a few days. But also, sometimes people can just have abdominal pain for no reason. Anyway, come back if it gets worse, but see your regular doctor sometime in the next three days as a follow-up.” I went to my internist on Friday (for only the second time ever since becoming my doctor because my doctor for the past 21 years recently retired. And no, I will not be going back to this guy either, for reasons.) I ended up back in the ER on Friday night, where I got a proper diagnosis and then emergency surgery early Saturday morning, which Wil also wrote about so I won’t elaborate on that part either.

At the end of my stay in the ER on Thursday, a woman came in to collect the $100 emergency room deductible for my health insurance. As Wil was paying her, I thought back to all the things done to me–the multiple doses of morphine, blood tests, anti-inflammatories, anti-nausea medication, checking blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, urine sample, CT scan, prescription for narcotic pain pills, and occupying space in the hospital, and I was so grateful to have good health insurance that covers most of it. I couldn’t imagine going through all this and then have the fear of not being able to pay the bill because of not having health insurance. Or not even going to see a doctor at all because you can’t pay the bill, which is a real concern for millions of Americans.

The next day, I went to my regular doctor because the pain was worse. This doctor looked over all of my medical records from the hospital the night before as well as reviewing the CT scan I’d gotten while there, without comment. He stared blankly at me as I described what had happened, all while the pain in my gut worsened. He had me lay back, listened to my heart with his stethoscope, pushed on my gut in a couple of places, which sent shooting pain throughout my body, and handed me prescriptions for everything from pills made specifically for constipation due to narcotic pain meds (because our nation is so overloaded on opioids that medication to counteract them was invented. Great.) to a medication he described as “something we usually give male patients to open their urethra to release the stone, so maybe it’ll help you” to yet another prescription for opioids. Wil went to the pharmacy to fill them all, fortunately only having to cover a small co-pay for each and not the full price. Again, it made me think of the out-of-pocket expense that people without insurance endure, and I was grateful for the coverage. I took them all as prescribed, but none of them worked.

Wil had to rush me back to the ER Friday night at 2:30am because I was screaming in pain. I’d been trying to “ride it out” until this so-called stone passed, but something was seriously wrong. I kept screaming “I feel like one of my organs is shutting down!” as I walked hunched over out to the car, and writhed in pain on the short ride to the hospital. Once in a wheelchair, and finally into a room, a female doctor came in to see me. I explained to her my diagnosis of a kidney stone the day before, and how I thought maybe all of the pain across my pelvic region was constipation due to the narcotic pain meds prescribed to me. She seemed unsure about that, so she pushed on my abdomen and released her hand quickly, which made me scream louder than any pain I’d experienced during the birth of my two children. “This isn’t right” she said, apologizing to me for the pain and assuring me she’d figure out what was going on. She left the room to look at my CT scan, and came back in to tell us there’s a visible cyst on my left ovary that’s just over 2 cm big (which the ER doctor mentioned the night before) but the right side is black and you can see a shadow of something that’s clearly more than 5cm big. She looked frustrated that this was overlooked by the male doctor who saw me on my first visit there, and sent me off to get an ultrasound.

I’ll spare you the gory details of the ultrasound but let’s just say it is possible to go from zero to launching yourself 2 feet straight up a gurney in half a second from pain.

The ER doctor came back in to see me after my ultrasound. She said the CT scan from the night before showed a cyst measuring 6.4cm on my right ovary. The ultrasound shows darkness around the ovary now, which is a sign that the fluid-filled cyst just ruptured, and there’s something called an “ovary torsion.” The ultrasound, which can detect blood flow, confirmed that the blood flow had been cut-off as a result of this twist. The ovary was dead. It had to be removed as soon as possible because a dead organ can cause severe sepsis, which can kill me if it’s left inside. She said they called in an OB/GYN surgeon and she was on her way in to do the surgery within the hour.

I was shocked.

How the fuck do you miss something like that? It was right there on the CT scan all along, and both male doctors didn’t think to look there.

I’ve been home since Saturday evening, resting, and relieved to finally be free of that pain. On Monday morning, still weak from all the trauma my body went through, I stepped into my shower because boy, did I feel gross. I got in and I put my head down, allowing the warm water to ease the aching muscles in my neck and down my back. Everything was sore from the hours, the days, of clenching my whole body almost to a point of rigid spasms from the pain that I experienced. I looked down at my arms, both laced with needle marks from two separate ER visits. Old medical tape adhesive on either side of those puncture marks, one arm with more adhesive than the other from taping tubes to my arm before surgery. Too weak to scrub any of it off, I glance down at my side, which is also covered in squares of old adhesive from the EKG they had to do to make sure my heart could handle the surgery. I look down at my abdomen, swollen and bruised from the from the four incisions it was given, ranging in size from one to three inches long. I marvel at modern medicine advances that allow these incisions to close up by using superglue instead of sutures. And then I start sobbing uncontrollably.

I cried for the terror my husband endured at seeing me in so much pain. How relieved I am that we chose to go back because something clearly wasn’t right, even though a medical professional–TWO medical professionals– told me it would pass because it was just a kidney stone, when what I actually had could have killed me. I think of the unbearable grief my children and my husband would have experienced if I had died as a result of this negligence . All of it preventable, if these doctors had just taken the time to figure out why there was darkness where there should have been an ovary, instead of deciding I had something that no tests had confirmed.

I’ve received thousands of messages on social media and several emails from people who have been extremely supportive, and I am very grateful for that. But what really stands out is how many women have told me they have also been misdiagnosed by a male physician in an emergency situation with something specific to the female body. Several had the same ovary torsion where the doctor thought it was a kidney or appendix issue, one whose mother died because the ER doctor diagnosed her pain as gall stones, when it was actually ovarian cancer. Many with postpartum illnesses or infections that the male doctor in the ER either dismissed or seemed uninformed about and therefore, misdiagnosed treatment for. This is unacceptable.

Experiencing a female specific health crisis that a male doctor is not trained to look for, and then hearing how often it happens to others, makes me feel like more advocacy needs to be done to insure there are educated doctors on staff at all times in emergency rooms. I know there are excellent male doctors out there. The one I had who retired was great, and I’m not sure I’ll ever find one as knowledgeable about the male AND female body as he was. The male OB/GYN I’ve seen for over a decade is part of a group of 4 doctors, where they all pride themselves on being up on the latest technology and medical research for females. The negligence so many of us women have experienced doesn’t need to be this way, yet hospitals seem to be allowing it, and that needs to change.

I have yet to see my medical bills but I know they’re going to be way up there, even with my health insurance covering 90% of it. When I think of women who constantly get misdiagnosed and have to endure that expense, or don’t even see a doctor because they don’t have health insurance, it makes me so upset and angry that our country does not provide universal health care coverage. And when our government keeps taking away federal funding for health care centers that focus on the medical needs of women, it’s even more upsetting that as half of the nation’s population, we are treated as disposable people. This isn’t right, and something needs to be done about it. I’m not sure how, but I will find a way to help make it right. I will keep you posted.

 

All The World Is Waiting For You And The Power You Possess

Let me start by saying there will be no movie spoilers in this post, so you’re safe to continue reading. Let me also tell you that I am not normally a superhero person, but Wonder Woman has always meant something to me. Not because she’s a badass (although that is an added bonus) but because when I was little, I thought I was related to her. I’ll get to that part in a moment. First, a spoiler-free comment about the movie:

It’s amazing and you should definitely take your kids to see it or go see it with a group of friends. There are a couple of little things in the movie that seem more like the studio wanted it than what the screen writer and director, Patty Jenkins, (who did a phenomenal job, by the way) had a vision of. I could be wrong, but those moments weren’t deal-breakers for me, so it’s fine. I would definitely go see it again.

Ok, now that we’ve gotten that part out of the way, let’s get to the part where I’m an adult who ugly-cried in a superhero movie.

If you’ve been around for say, the last 75 years, you’ve probably heard of Wonder Woman. If you were around in the 70s and had a tv, chances are you watched the Wonder Woman series where Lynda Carter brought this character to life. If you were like me, not only were you fascinated and impressed by this person who could deflect bullets with cuffs on her wrists, or use a lasso to get people to tell the truth, but you learned a valuable lesson in compassion and empathy for our fellow humans, and wanted to work hard to make the world a better place for all.

Before this movie came out, I hadn’t watched the trailer for it. The first time I saw the trailer was today when I searched online to watch it before I started writing this post. I knew the movie was coming out soon, so I figured I’d eventually go to the theatre with a group of friends to see it weeks after it was released. But my friend, Jenna, had passes to go to the premiere last night and asked me if I’d like to be her date, so of course I said yes. When we arrived at the Pantages Theatre for the screening, I took this silly photo of the empty carpet behind us as we entered the theatre and posted it to Twitter, saying “The Invisible Jet was parked on the carpet AND I GOT A PHOTO OF IT!” And yes, I’m still laughing at my stupid joke, but whatever. IT’S FUNNY.

Once inside the theatre, we made our way to our seats, and the movie began. Again, no spoilers, but there was a moment early on in the movie that made me tear up, which I didn’t expect, so I quickly wiped my eyes. Throughout the movie, there are many funny parts, a ton of incredible action sequences featuring many badass women (Robin Wright being one of them, whose character trains Diana to be the Amazonian Warrior Princess she eventually becomes.) When the movie ended, I found myself in tears. Like, big time “oh god I feel like I’m about to ugly cry let’s get to the bathroom quick” kind of tears.

Again, no spoilers, but this story hit me right in the feels. We all know she’s about fighting for justice, how she cares about people and wants to help them in any way she can. She sees suffering and wants it to stop. She sees how the selfish actions of others will cause lives to be destroyed and even though she has the best intentions, she knows she can’t save everyone. Growing up, she was constantly reminded that she’s stronger than she believes, and her own efforts can and will make a difference in the lives of others if she tries hard enough. All of this sound familiar? Hello, current state of our country. I know it took a couple of years to make this film, but it feels relevant to our lives in so many ways that it almost feels like the filmmakers knew this is just what we needed to see right now.

After finally composing myself, Jenna and I made our way over to the after party. We walked around so she could take pictures of the costumes on display from the movie (which are posted on @ComingSoonnet Twitter account if you want to see them) and we eventually found a couple of our friends there so we stopped and chatted with them. My friend, Courtney Simmons, whose job is SVP, Publicity & Communications (and an all- around awesome person) at DC Comics, found me and came over to ask what I thought of the movie. I won’t give details on that conversation because MOVIE SPOILERS, but I also told her why I thought Wonder Woman was related to me when I was a kid. She thought it was a great story and said “Come with me. You should tell Lynda Carter this story.”

WHAT.

I was a little hesitant at first because I didn’t want to bother her, and I am not normally one to ask for a photo or an autograph from a celebrity, but that wasn’t what this was about. This was about a person who created a wonderful childhood memory of mine and she has no idea. It was about gratitude. And in a world where things like gratitude should and need to be shared more often, I agreed to follow Courtney over to her. She introduced us, and then I sat down on the sofa next to Ms. Carter and told her this story.

When I was a kid, I was CONVINCED I was related to Wonder Woman because my (maiden) last name was Prince. Diana Prince was obviously just a relative I hadn’t met yet, but when I did, I assumed I’d get to ride in her Invisible Jet where she’d take me to the family vacation spot known as Paradise Island. You know, like family does. Although we never met (and I grew older and realized we weren’t actually related) the values Wonder Woman had stuck with me for my entire life. I finished my story and Lynda smiled and said “I just love stories like this. You have such a sparkle in your eye when you tell it so I know how happy it makes you. Thank you for sharing it with me.” We talked for a few more minutes about how Gal Gadot, in her own (super kick-ass) way did such an incredible job carrying on this torch of a character Lynda first got to play over 40 years ago. I showed her my silly picture of her Invisible Jet parked on the carpet out front, which she thought was hilarious, and then I said my goodbyes and made my way out of the seating area.

Courtney stopped me as I was leaving to introduce me to Lynda’s husband, Robert. Courtney told him I had a childhood Wonder Woman story I shared with Lynda, and Robert thanked me for telling her about it. He said all she ever wanted was for the Wonder Woman character to live on and inspire others, and it finally happened. As he was saying this to me with a huge smile on his face, tears of joy filled his eyes, which of course, made me cry as well. I walked back to my friends, and looked down to see I had a text message on my phone from Courtney. She had taken a photo while I was on the sofa talking so I could see how happy I looked when I told Lynda my story.  I didn’t know she was going to do that, and I don’t know what I was saying at this exact moment, but I love everything about this picture.

It was getting late, so my friends and I made our way out front to the sidewalk to wait for our ride. As I was standing there, I turned to see Robin Wright next to me. We made eye contact, so I leaned closer and quietly thanked her for being part of this movie. The things she gets to say to encourage Diana to be the superhero she eventually becomes is so inspiring to hear, and I wanted her to know that. She thanked me and said “Isn’t it great that kids get to see this and hear those things? I’m just so grateful I got to be part of it!” and then she hopped in her car and left.

Once home, I tried to give Wil a re-cap of the night, but I was still pretty emotional about my whole experience, which made cry again. GEEZ. I know not everyone is going to have the same reaction that I did when they see it. I’m sure some moviegoers just love that Wonder Woman FINALLY gets to have her own movie. Some may want to see it because it’s an action/superhero movie and they love those types of movies. But I have a feeling that women especially (of all ages) will see this and be inspired because we truly are stronger than we believe, and in our own unique way, we are all Wonder Women.

 

Ladies! This Entire Week Is Dedicated To YOU!

It’s National Women’s Health Week! The wonderful people at the Office on Women’s Health have been designating the week of Mother’s Day (May 14-20 this year) as a time to remind women to make their health a priority for the past 18 years. Hooray! And for the 4th year in a row, I’m an Ambassador for NWHW! Hooray again!

As women, we are pretty great at multi-tasking but one of the things we tend to do is take care of literally everything else in our lives before ourselves. Whether you’re a student, a career woman, or a mom (or all of those things at the same time!) this week is the perfect time to schedule those annual wellness exams, evaluate what’s going on with you as far as stress and mental health go, and make sure you’re eating right and exercising.

Stress and mental health have both been a big topic of conversation for a lot of people lately, and they both seem to be things we don’t always think of in relation to our health. Stress can really take its toll on the heart, the brain, and our body, so if this is an area of concern for you, it’s important to discuss it with your doctor.

If you don’t currently have a doctor, or are in need of low/no cost healthcare, check out https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov to find a facility near you. And if you’re looking for info on a wide variety of health related topics at any age, check out https://www.womenshealth.gov to find what you’re looking for. Celebrate the gift of life by keeping yourself healthy!

Somebody To Love

This morning, as I sipped my coffee while seated next to my rescue pup, who was sprawled out on my sofa occupying way more space than anyone should require, I opened my email and started reading.

One email was from a woman who works for a company where they help people find a match with a puppy. She said she “came across my site today and thought [I ] would be a perfect fit for a project [she] is currently working on.” Since I love animals and I do talk about it frequently,  I was intrigued and kept reading.

The project is promoting “Love Your Pet Day” on February 20th and they wanted to provide me a graphic from their company for my site in support of this “holiday.” I looked up their company to see exactly what they do.

I’m not sure if she came across my site at Tumblr, which is called “Rescue Pets Are Awesome” and features heart-warming stories from people around the world who have done everything from finding stray puppies abandoned along snowy roads that they rescued, finding kittens that were thrown away in a dumpster that they cared for and found great homes for, or simply adopting a pet from a shelter. Or if they found me on this site, where I talk about all of the work I do with Pasadena Humane Society to help stray animals find their forever homes, and have shared my own stories of finding animals that I’ve fostered and found homes for. All I know is that company is a service that matches people with puppies; puppies from breeders.

WHAT.

So, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of this really amazing holiday coming up on February 20th called “Love Your Pet Day.” If you have a pet, you probably already love the hell out of it every single day and don’t need someone to remind you to do so. And if you don’t have a pet but have been thinking of getting one, please support this holiday by going to a shelter or to an adoption event near you and give the gift of being a family to one of the thousands of animals who are eagerly waiting to go to their forever home. You will both be so happy you did.

 

The Thing I Made Is Back!

At the beginning of December 2016, I wrote this post about making a thing. It was exciting and scary but I did it! I had a limited supply printed and put them in an Etsy shop with the plan of selling them until the middle of December. That way, I would have time to ship them out to people and they could receive them before Christmas. I was really surprised to see my entire stock sold out in 5 days!

I didn’t want to add to the supply back then because it was more than I felt I could take on just before the holidays. Since then, I’ve received several emails and requests on social media to make them available again, and since there’s no deadline of a holiday looming over me (unless you’re trying to order these as some sort of Valentine’s Day gift OH GOD PANIC) I had more printed up and added the stock back to my Etsy store!

I will eventually work up to having more things available but since I’m just doing this for fun, I don’t feel the need to quickly have a lot of options in my store. It’ll get there someday! In the meantime, here’s a link to my tiny store if you’re interested.

OH BOY!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/497703877/10-blank-notecards-watercolor-tree?ref=market