Way Back Into Love (full version)

{Take 1} Posting a You Tube Video ...

My Grown Up Christmas List ...

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath the tree

But heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end

Oh, This is my grown up Christmas list
*******
(Lyrics from one of my favorite Christmas songs)

Merry Christmas!!

:)

Ahhh it's the night before Christmas and all through the house ...

The holiday food drive

{Tis the season to give ...}

Special thanks to all those who donated to this year’s Jason Lee Elementary food drive! We ended up with 24 boxes of food – which enabled us to give 4 boxes of food to 6 different families. Together, we MADE a difference … !!

Cheers to Christmas and the wonderful spirit of giving.
:)

Leavenworth, Washington
{The Enchanting Little Bavarian Village}

Last Saturday, we loaded our car (with kids, sleds a couple of movies and a few munchies) and headed for Leavenworth. This little town is nestled in the mountains and is completely charming and enchanting! We wanted to be part of their tree lighting ceremony and found ourselves with thousands of others counting down 10-9-8 until the town lights were all shining! We bumped into Santa Clause, a reigndeer, Father Time and even met a big fuzzy bear. It was such a magical day for us! I highly recommend visiting Leavenworth during the holidays… There is nothing like standing on a dark winter night in a crowded street full of thousands of people singing Silent Night ...

PS: Good Morning America recently filmed their show live from Leavenworth as it was chosen as one of the top 5 places in the USA to enjoy a display of holiday lights!

Feel free to visit the Leavenworth website:

http://www.leavenworth.org/

Photo credit: Our son Kade

NEWS FLASH: Mascara and sad movies don’t mix.

Tip for the 'silver screen' eyes:
Give your lashes a break when you watch “Griffin & Phoenix” …
(Romantic Comedy, Love story) 2006, PG-13
Estimated tears: 1,200 (give or take a few)

Trust me ... Waterproof mascara won't work for this film.

:)

A night at the Ballet ...

My daughter and I attended the Nutcracker by the Mid-Columbia Ballet tonight! OH it was splendid! I think ballet is so romantic and moving.

Good night - I'm off to dream of dancing snowflakes swirling around a giant rat king!

(Could be an interesting night!)
:)

Topics for the dinner table …

I heard it once said that you should never discuss politics or religion around the dinner table (especially true when there are guests present). Lately, don’t you find that everything ties back into religion or politics? I think that is WHAT we MUST discuss around the dinner table. Below are three topic starters – feel free to toss ‘em out over the big plates piled high
with delicious grub.
1
Faith and religion in America. I’d encourage you to watch Mitt Romney’s speech given earlier today about this very subject. No matter what religion or political party you belong to … I believe you’ll find his words have merit and truth. And are definitely worthy of ‘table talk’.
You can watch the Mitt Romney speech via the below link:
http://www.mittromney.com/
2
Gas Prices. We are in need of changes in this area. Throw out those two words in any setting and I guarantee you’ll tap into a rich source of oil price woes and disgust of our current petroleum situation. (I just walked in from filling up my rig with gas and had to laugh at myself when I went to the display board and it said: Would you like your receipt? I always press yes. It serves as tangible evidence that I actually DID spend that much on one tank). Yipes! See the banter and passions are flying already!
3
Love.
After the hearty meal and passionate discussions, you’ll most definitely want to wrap it all up with my favorite subject. Throw out this quote and let the emotions run wild:

“There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.”
~ George Sand

Cheers to dinnertime and the conversations that make it lively!

Starry, starry night (Vincent)

The way to know life is to LOVE many things.
~ Vincent Van Gogh

This is one of my all time favorite songs!!

Check out my Slide Show!

Lunch with Lauren …
(My thoughts on a snowy Thursday afternoon)

My daughter and I have had the opportunity to share lunch time together for most of her life!
(She's 5 so that's a lot of Mom & daughter lunch times)...

Every day before lunch I say to her – “Lauren, I’m the luckiest Mom in the whole world.” And she then says: “Why?” And I reply: “Because I get to sit by you and eat lunch with you everyday!” And we both laugh. This little routine has been going on for a long time.

Today, we were in a rush to eat so we could get her to preschool on time. I quickly made the usual peanut butter only sandwiches (cut into 4 little sandwiches) with some chips, a glass of milk and a napkin.

As I went into the dining room, she said: “Mom, why are you soooooooo lucky?”
I looked at her and said: “Because I have you for a daughter and we get to sit together and have lunch!” “YUP” she yelled.

And even though we were in a big hurry, we still had time to chat about letters of the alphabet, the falling snow outside and would it still be there after she got done with school, and could we make a big snowman later, and did the word Milk really start with M b/c on Blues Clues Steve said cow started with C ….

I love you Lauren. Thanks for all the wonderful lunchtimes. I thank Heavenly Father everyday for blessing me with three awesome kids who add more meaning and magic to my life than I could ever express in words.

Signing off –
The LUCKIEST MOM!!
:)

PS:
I can’t wait for the kids to get home from school so

we can build a snowman or snow creature in the backyard ….

An ‘Enchanted’ Evening …

What happens when an animated princess from fairy tale land lands in modern day New York?

First .... She becomes REAL and so do her dreams!
************
I know I’ve said this before but I feel I need to say it again. There is just something wonderful about seeing a movie on the BIG SCREEN! As a family, we went to the newly released Disney movie: Enchanted. This movie is absolutely adorable. The actress (Amy Adams) is purely enchanting and actually makes the character believable! And Patrick Dempsey makes the perfect leading man. The movie is full of songs, critters, dancing, laughs and is sure to be a classic. I loved it and laughed out loud through many parts of the movie!! Favorite quote: Patrick Dempsey (talking to Giselle) :
“What did you do…Escape from a Hallmark Card?”

Rated: PG / Genre: Romantic comedy with a twist of real and animation.
GO SEE IT!! (5 stars)

The enchantment didn’t stop there… After the show, we walked outside to a winter wonderland of falling snow. That’s another thing I find magical – the first snowfall of winter!

Cheers to the enchanting moments ... :)

I’m thankful for …

- love, a home, books, the opportunity to serve, my relationship with our Heavenly Father, music, the earth, time, life, good health, a sense of humor, my family, knowledge,
friends and freedom!

(My list goes on and on….)

What are you thankful for??! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Wendy

Life’s a dance, put on your dancing shoes, take a chance

(lyrics from "Put on your Dancin' Shoes")
Steve Winwood

I love that sassy red shoe ... :)

Don't you??!

You've Got Mail
A movie that makes me laugh - out loud!

Kathleen Kelly: I love daisies.
Joe Fox: You told me.
Kathleen Kelly: They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?

It's been a dark and really cold November day... I woke up with the flu and felt really yucky. Luckily, I don't get sick very often :)!! What did I do to lift my spirits? I watched "You've Got Mail" and laughed really hard. I think Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are so adorable in this movie...

Cheers to the flu and movies that help combat the tough days.

Love is …

Have you ever sat down and decided you just needed to write something? Tonight I had a writing flash … I grabbed a piece of paper and decided to do a free write. Let it all just flow.

The first thing that came out of my pen was: Love is. Have you ever tried to write about love? It is a beautiful experience and one worth the time!

Try it – grab a piece of paper and at the top write – Love is … And let the feelings that come to you rush out onto the page.

Here’s a few of my thoughts –
Love is … patient, kind, funny, vulnerable, serious, honest, good, forgiving, respectful,
love gives us wings to fly, there is no fear in love, love helps us become
our greatest potential, love is air … love is all around us!
(and my list goes on and on).

{Bottom-line - love is a beautiful and powerful thing}

PS: I like what Oprah says about love:
“Happiness is never something you get from other people.
The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.”

Tis The Season for Pumpkin Pie ...

I think it is safe to say that the Holiday Season is upon us!
I am amazed at how fast the years fly by!! You blink and miss it ...

I looked out my window this morning and enjoyed the wonder of fall and the falling leaves full of orange, brown, red and yellow. It's gorgous out and I have some major leaf work ahead of me!

This time of year makes me want to watch old movies, bake (and eat) pumpkin pie and
make crafty things for Christmas ...!

Cheers to the seasons that fly by ...
mmmmmm I can taste the pumpkin pie --
(Little rhyme for the road)

:)

Book Expo & Publicity tips for Authors

Publicity TIP
Authors Take NOTE ...

I had the privilege of meeting Rick Frishman while attending the Publisher’s Marketing Association (PMA) University courses in Washington D.C. during BookExpo in 2006. If you are an author I highly recommend you sign up for his newsletter. Below is a powerful reminder about believing …

******"A Rick Tip"******

This week- it will actually be a "Harvey Tip". This is from my friend Harvey Mackay. We at PTA have handled Harvey for years and consider him to be a mentor. Below are 3 Tips from Harvey. You can sign up for his newsletter at http://www.harveymackay.com

Tip number 1:
Believe in yourself - even when no one else does.
Life is not a parabolic curve. It doesn't go straight up. There are a lot of lumps and bumps. A lot of throttling up ... and throttling down. I've never met a successful person who hasn't had to overcome either a little or a lot of adversity.

Anytime I feel like quitting I just look at a framed poster I have hanging in my office
of one of our people:

He failed in business in '31.
He ran as a state legislator and lost in '32.
He tried business again in '33 and failed again.
His sweetheart died in '35.
He had a nervous breakdown in '36.
He ran for state elector in '40 after he regained his health.
He was defeated for Congress in '43, defeated again for Congress in '48, defeated when he ran for the Senate in '55 and defeated for vice presidency of the United States in '56.

He ran for Senate again in '58 and lost.
This man never quit. He kept trying till the last. In 1860, this man Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States.

So it seems like if we want to triple our success ratio ... we might have to triple our failure rate.

Reprinted from "Rick Frishman's Author 101 Newsletter" Subscribe at http://www.author101.com and receive Rick's "Million Dollar Rolodex"

The Call Reunion in Afton, Wyoming

Breathing in Memories
A random Tuesday post about the people and places that help make us who we are ...

During the summer, my family and I were able to attend a The Call Family Reunion in Afton, Wyoming. This reunion occurs every other year and has been running for 30+ years. My Grandma Call (she is 91 and still kicking) had 14 children and my Mom is number 10. I spent many summers at my Grandmother’s ranch in Wyoming. We looked forward every year to seeing our cousins and exploring the mountains, streams, grass and fields that decorated my Grandma’s land.

Many of my favorite memories as a youth happened at the Call Family Reunion. I learned about cowboys and farming, about working the land, about the power of uniting as a family and the importance of relationships! Most of all, I had FUN…

I had not attended a reunion in about 10 years and my children had only heard stories of the infamous Call Reunions of my youth. I heard that this would be the last official Call reunion and decided I needed to return to my roots and give my children the chance to experience the ‘magic’ for themselves! As we were driving into the town of Afton, all my memories came flooding back. The tears flowed and I couldn’t believe I had waited so long to return!!

We pitched a tent on my Grandma’s land and enjoyed every moment of that reunion. It rained the first night (all night crazy rain) and our tent had a hole so you can imagine the riot we had!! That didn’t deter us from the fun and memories of that awesome weekend.

On the last day – we were all saying our goodbyes. There were over 250 people in attendance!! I was sitting in my Grandma’s living room with my cousin Kendall and he was so quiet and still and I asked what he was doing? He looked up at me and said: “I’m breathing in memories!” And so I sat down with him and in silence we remembered many wonderful times from our past.

One particular memory stands out with him… Every year his family would bring their 4-wheelers up to the reunion and let everyone use them. I had never driven one before and Kendall was brave enough to tag along for the ride! We drove up my Grandma’s canyon and much to our shock and dismay I drove the 4-wheeler up a tree! The tree bent way over and lucky for us, flung us back safely to the ground. Kendall and I laughed very had about that memory and many others.

And then we hugged and said goodbye. And every time I think of my Grandma and her heavenly place in Afton, Wyoming, I breathe in memories of people and places I love.

Feel free to visit the Afton, Wyoming website: http://www.aftonwyoming.net/

"I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too ..."

I love Halloween! This year, I dressed up in three different costumes ... Can you believe?
The first costume I was a retro 50s gal (Poodle skirt and all), second time I went to a dance with my husband and he was Superman (I was Lois Lane) and last night - I couldn't resist being a witch! The funnest part about the costume, was the eyelashes - WOW ... talk about make your eyes jump out! Ladies, if you've never tried wearing big, full, black lashes - I highly recommend it... Amazing things happen!!

I do hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! I am feeling the 'Halloween jet-lag' today and I think the peanut butter cups might help give me the 'kick' I need to resume the warp speed pace of life these days!!!

Signing off -

Witch Wendy... Hee hee hee
{Riding off on my broomstick now} Zooming out of web site ... (LOL)