It's our experiences that make us writers.

Good afternoon!






So tomorrow I'm going to be completely unreachable. This is unusual for me, since I'm so connected to computer and cell phone. But I'm allowing myself a front seat to an experience I never thought I'd be part of...much less with the Boy.





I won't go into great detail until Thursday, when I know more about what's going on. So you're just going to have to deal with THAT!





In preparing myself for tomorrow, I have, today, been thinking about the experiences I've had in my life. I have always thought my life was so boring, but looking back, I realize that boring is what you make of it.





Did I live anyplace exciting? Not really. A year in a Detroit suburb that was exciting for me, but otherwise, I'm a medium town girl from the Upper Midwest, currently settled in the suburbs.





Have I gone anyplace exciting? Not really. I mean, I've been all over the country, and I went to Canada when I was a kid (I threw up in my dad's shoes one night.) But I'm hardly a world traveler.





Have I been a part of something historic? Other than my mother's 1 Millionth burned pan of potatoes, no.





Yet, as I look back at what words of wisdom I can give The Boy I realize that my life hasn't been boring. I played with a marching band on the steps of the Capital building in Washington DC. I never owned a horse, but my 4-H poster of the gaits of an Arabian got a blue ribbon at the Wisconsin State Fair and it was on special display. I've been in countless plays, I've spoken to groups large and small, and I spent four years selling candles and candle holders to complete strangers. I've worked a hundred different jobs in my adult life. I've been married to one man for twenty years and that in and of itself is amazing these days.





I've always known that maybe I wasn't destined for greatness. But I have always also known that as long as I found the humor and the interest in my own life, I wouldn't be forgotten either.





There are two things that make us writers: 1) the ability to tell a story. 2) The ability to make a story out of something mundane, like a normal life.





I love reading historical romances. I love murder mysteries and thrillers. But who is my all time favorite, number one best author ever? Erma Bombeck. Erma made a completely normal life hilarious. Reading her books, long before I could completely appreciate them, I realized that in real life there is a story.





So maybe I haven't lead a tremendously exciting. Hey, that's sort of the theme of "Dream in Color." But the experiences I've had are what make me a writer.





And tomorrow will be a big one for the Boy and for me.



STAY TUNED!