A Book Signing, A Review, An Article...and My Bad Jamaican Patois

First, a little housekeeping:

• I'll be signing books at the Sugarhouse Barnes & Noble this Saturday, March 24th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. If you're in the area, please swing by and say hello! I'll throw some extra gum in my purse to share.

• I was thrilled to see a review of To Mormons, with LOVE in Deseret News!

• A piece I wrote about shunning appeared on LDSLiving.com last week. Check it out and join the discussion.

*****

While we were in Orlando I received an email from a Utah reporter who asked if she could interview me about my book for a local daytime television show, Fresh Living. YES! Who cares if I'm post-vacation puffy and have zero experience being interviewed...especially on camera. I can do this!

The lovely Kate Valentine and her camera guy, Dave, arrived at our home last Friday morning less than 48 hours after we'd returned from a 12-day Orlando vacation. The house was dusty, but orderly, and the kids were cooperative and excited about "TV people" coming to our house. We made our beds, brushed our teeth, and spent a little more time than usual consulting the mirror.

Mary (the dog), apparently still angry that we hadn't taken her to Florida, threw up and pooped on the carpet a few hours before Kate and Dave arrived. She did this in the room where the majority of the interview occurred. My good friends OxiClean, Febreze, and ShamWow handled the misfortune beautifully.

I don't remember each question or my exact answers. I felt nervous, self-conscious, and didn't want to blow an opportunity to generate interest in my book.

At one point I struggled to express myself; I said, "Don't worry, be happy," in a very bad Bobby McFerrin imitation. ??? The phrase...the accent...had nothing to do with our discussion.

The 60-90 minutes Kate and Dave spent in our home filming, taking notes, talking with the boys and me, will be reduced to a few moments. And until it airs, I have nothing to be self-conscious about. The piece was supposed to air on Monday, March 19th, but buzz surrounding some new movie...The Hunger Games...bumped it.

I know the show is local, so I don't have delusions of grandeur, yet as I've shared prior, I'm not in a space of false humility, either. The boys and I are anxious to see the result of our spit shining, babbling, and smiling. I'll share the date and time when I hear from Ms. Valentine, and if there's a link to the piece after it airs, I'll post here and on Twitter.

And for some reason, if the interview doesn't find it's way to television, the boys and I are still thankful for the unique experience. And we won't worry...we'll be happy...mon.

Getting miked = the same fear I feel on thrill rides and results in the same facial expression.

Spring Break 2012

Our kids have a two-week spring break that occurs earlier than most other schools. This allows us to avoid peak crowds if we travel, and schedule time to regroup at home before merging back into life's routines. Staycations are luxuriously long, too. Plenty of time to accomplish some spring cleaning, and refortify with a few pajama days.

This year we decided to go to Orlando. We did Disney World and Universal. For twelve days.

We got off to a rough start in typical Ross fashion, complete with a trip to an urgent care facility the night we arrived in Orlando. Redmond (6) passed a kidney stone or crystal. Extremely painful for him, but other than feeling tired the next morning, he recovered and was fine for the rest of the trip.

We've been spoiled by past spring break experiences. The California theme parks we visited in prior years have been crowd-free in late February and early March. In spite of the tips we received from supportive, Orlando veterans, and encouraging friends (Thank you, all!), we weren't prepared for the monumental task of parking, getting from the parking lot to a theme park, the massive amount of people...with strollers...even in the rain, the long lines, and the pushing.

One woman hip checked me as we tried to board a tram from the parking lot to the Magic Kingdom. She ended up sitting directly across from me on the tram (karma) and I could tell she felt sheepish.

Although the days were full and I need one of those post-vacation vacations, the boys had a great time. They hit it hard every day, with Chris tethered to Parke (14) and Duke (12), and me to Redmond. The older boys enjoy thrill rides, Redmond does not. Chris has an iron stomach, I get motion sick. We were all happy and well-matched in our exploratory small groups.

Redmond and I braved one thrill ride on our own.

Jurassic Park

Then Chris, Parke, and Duke talked us into another.

Expedition Everest

And one more. 

A family that screams together, stays together!

Redmond and I cried uncle after getting soaked on Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. Several times during the ride Redmond said, "I hate this."

For a mother who poo-poos violent video games and doesn't own a gun or hunt, I got an odd charge from the shoot-at-target rides.

I LOVED this, and all the other shoot 'em up rides.

Redmond and I may scream like girls on a vertical drop, but when Chris and the older boys joined us (after several practice runs) we kicked tail on Men In Black Alien Attack.

When I get rich and famous, I'll have one of these in my backyard. For the record, I outscored all of my fellas by 100,000 points.

Thrill rides, kidney stones, hip checks, and 26-hour days aside...we had fun trying on hats, watching shows, exploring Tom Sawyer Island, *avoiding characters, sipping slushies, butterbeer, or beer beer, and generally...not being at home for a while.

Happy!*Redmond has an aversion to people dressed up in big plush costumes. We had to implement a family "character alert" code to ensure well-intended park employees didn't approach him. Redmond tried to crawl up my shirt every time a four-fingered hand waved at him.

Love and Links

Hi. How ya been?

February flew by and I didn't write a post about Valentine's Day, love, or angst. A few of my favorite topics. If you're still in the mood for that type of thing, here are posts from the past three years:

2011: V-Day BK [before kids]

2010: True Love

2009: February 1978

I'd at least like to spread a little February link love before the clock officially strikes midnight and March arrives. I have less than two hours.

One: Veronica, or V-Grrrl as she's known around the Internet, is a gifted writer, poet, photographer, and artist. She also happens to be my friend. :) She generously shares her talents on the lovely Compost Studios site. I purchased these beautiful handmade cards from Veronica a few weeks ago, and gave Chris one for Valentine's Day. Check out her work, and if you like handmade cards, Veronica's are something special and worth every penny.

Two: Photographer Justin Hackworth continues to capture gorgeous moments. You should subscribe to his blog, follow him on Twitter and Facebook, and keep an eye on the trail he's blazing. And? His wife Amy is a writer, blazing a trail of her own, parallel to Justin's. Watch these two.

Three: Darrell Driver's art speaks to me. I don't know what else I can say. PLEASE go to his site, click on every tab, view each piece, and return often to see new paintings and sketches. Visit Darrell's Etsy shop where you'll find prints at prices that I tell him are too low. His original work is available at art shows and via the contact information on his site. Buy quickly if you like something. His pieces are moving fast and one of these days, he's going to figure out he can charge much more.

And finally, with less than an hour left in February, it's probably no secret that...

Valentine's Day cake for Chris and my sons.