To say that I was busy this weekend would be an understatement.  My calendar was packed with opportunities to visit with friends and help some worthy causes along the way.  I came away completely exhausted, yet satisified knowing that I had contributed in helping others.

Friday night I got to go to a purse party at Lisa's house.  What is a purse party you ask?  Well let's just say that it a little slice of heaven for those women who loves bags and accessories. After browsing around for a while I ended up getting a new laptop bag that conviently happened to match my purse.  I figured that I needed soemthing a little more safisticated to carry around with me than my daughter's pink tote that is embellished with hearts. Lisa felt that it was a good choice because I would require something nice for when I go to speaking engagements.  I like her thinking!

On Saturday I worked the Brianna Bowl III fundraiser at the bowling alley. One of my oldest friends holds this annual fundraiser in her daughters honor and all of the proceeds go to the Austism Task Force. They were able to raise $2,077 dollars which will provide 4 college scholarships to help autistic children continue with their education.  Way to go!!!!

Sunday was the Parent's Of Special Children Jamboree and I couldn't resist offering to help work this as well. This parent driven originization provides respite for families who have children with all sorts of disabilities. Each year they hold this event to raise money to put towards the allocation money that each family receives.  The event consists of a chicken BBQ, a live band, activities for the kids, and of course raffles/prizes.  My daughter and I supervised an art & craft activity there and she was very excited to win a prize after playing some of the games.  If you would like more information on this originization there is a link to their homepage under my "links" tab above.

Working full time can be daunting sometimes.  On days like today I long to just be outside and breath in the smell of fresh cut grass. I am one of those people who could lay in the sun all day long and soak in the rays until dawn is upon us.  Unfortunatally this doesn't always pay the bills.

That is why I love my second job so much.  It can take me anywhere at any time and I am in charge of when I want to put in the hours.  I love it so much that time often gets away from me. I am more than willing to trade sleep for time spent finishing my deadlines.  Yes, my passion and my heart belong my writing.

I was inspired to sit down by the water this afternoon to work on revisions with a friend.  Watching the waves rock back and forth removes all of my stress from my day job and allows me to focus on my writing with a clear head.  It is a peaceful time that always renews my hopes of seeing my efforts pay off one day.

My new summer office will be located on the sandy shores of my local beach in just a few short weeks.  My desk will consist of a tote bag filled with paper, pencils, sticky notes and a laptop.  Blankets will be layed down to form the perimiter of my work space and within the man made walls I will work until the tide washes me away. 

When the fall comes I must travel like a nomad to find a more suitable place to call my office.  Perhaps it will be under an apple tree, or maybe just in a quiet resturant as I watch through the window as the wind carries the last golden leaf off the trees once again.  Wherever I am doesn't really matter because my second job is the one where my passion is at.

Diamonds...how else could two months salary create a lifetime of happiness for a woman. It's true that we all love showing off those sparkling rocks, and of course bigger is always better.  Over the years I have collected quite a few pieces of jewelry that I love just as much my best friend, but it seems that I have trouble maintaining my relationship with them.  

Just this past Monday I had told you how excited I was to find my diamond earring that had been missing. After it was found I breathed a big sigh of relief and then carefully placed it inside my jewelry box for safe keeping. Just when I thought the world was right once again, I woke up this morning only to find that I had lost yet another diamond earring out of my ear..what are the chances?  The two that I lost were both only acquired this past year, one for Christmas and the other for my anniversary.   It seems like our new found friendship is off to a rocky start. (no pun intended!)

I am no stranger when it comes to loosing my jewelry. Three years ago I lost another pair of diamond studs when I had to remove them while at the emergency room prior to getting an x-ray. I was in so much pain at that time that I never gave it a second thought and left them sitting on the silver tray next to the x-ray machine.  It wasn't until two months later that I even realized they were gone, and by then it was way too late to call the hospital and search for them. (Next time I get injured I'll have to remember to do a jewelry check before getting examined)  So now I am on another search for a shiny stone that hopefully didn't wander too far from home. 

Now don't get me wrong, I take good care of my stones.  They get a professional shinning each time that I go to the mall and I never knowingly let them out of my sight.  I keep them near and dear to my heart, but sometimes they have a way escaping.  Thankfully they always seem to turn up sooner or later, with the exception of the ones from the hospital.  I have confidence that they will realize how much I miss them and show up in the strangest place when I least expect it...or at least I hope they will!

This weekend our state college will be celebrating the graduating class of 2011.  One of my dear friends will be proudly walking across the stage and accepting her diploma.  She had originally planned on earing her degree years ago, but one semester short of graduation her father became ill and she had to leave her schooling to attend to his needs.  While she never regretted taking care of her family, she did feel a void in her life and wanted to finish pursuing her dreams.  Several years later she received that opportunity and returned to school.

During her absence the school requirements had changed and she would now have to attend for a year and a half to make up for that one semester that she lacked.  The setback did not deter her and she took the challenge on with fierce determination.  While working one full time job and a part time job, my friend went to school full time and maintained a great GPA, while playing nurse and primary care taker for both her father and grandmother.  Did I mention that she also played in both the college concert band and orchestra? Wow... I'm tired just thinking about it all. The only thing that she did not do for the past 18 months was sleep!

I wanted to take a moment and tell her how proud I am of her and all of her accomplishments.  She is proof that hard work and dedication pays off. She has not only earned her degree, but she has also earned a much needed vacation.  She is a strong woman who will go far in life and I am very honored that she is my friend.

Love Ya "E squared" !!
xoxoxox

Monday...the dreaded day of the week when you know that there are 5 long days filled with demands ahead of you before the weekend comes again.  I was awoken to a beeping sound mid dream bright and early this morning and I tried to convince myself to no avail that it was my husband's alarm instead of mine.  Disappointed, I crawled out of bed and headed for the shower.  I turned on the water and open the curtain only to find out that I wasn't alone.  Now for those of you who had your mind out of the gutter you can take it back out now. Crawling along my perfectly steamed shower was a big black hairy spider.  AAAAHHHH. Not how I wanted to start my day.

I proceeded off to work, and then continued on to class afterwards.  12 hours later I came home very tired.  Thankfully goodness my husband had taken care of dinner for my daughter so I was able to wind down a little before she dropped her cup and glass went splattering everywhere.  The kitchen floor needed to be swept anyways so I killed two birds with one stone I guess.

The day was not a total lost.  I ended up finding my diamond earring that came up missing last week (guess where it was...on the kitchen floor that I had to sweep!)  and I dropped 1 1/2 pounds!  (The key to this is to trick your body every once in a while by eating ice cream for breakfast!)  All and all it was a typical busy Monday. Right now I am about to slip back into bed in hopes of waking up tomorrow with a little bit less on my agenda.

For Mother's Day this year I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than with the very person who made me a mom... my daughter.  For once she actually slept in, so I missed out on the traditional breakfast in bed which consists of toast with a tiny dab of peanut butter dead center on the bread, followed by a cold bottle of pepsi.  Yumm..the breakfast of champions!  While I did miss this tasty entree, I decided to compensate by sitting on the patio deck while the morning birds serenaded me as I ate a bowl of chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream. Since it was my day I convinced myself that I was allowed to make poor health choices if I wanted.

Once sleeping beauty awoken (sometime around noon!) we got some mother /daughter bonding time in.  She offered to take a walk with me and I agreed that the park would be the perfect destination for us.  A win win for all!  Along the way we chatted about her friends at school, our plans for the following weekend, and of course planned for her upcoming birthday.  

As we walked something special caughter my daughter's eye and off she went to retrieve her treasure....thus this amazing dandelion became her very own Mother's Day gift to me.  A thoughtful present that came straight from the heart. She was so excited to give it to me, but then thought that daddy might feel left out, so she picked one for him for Father's Day. Gotta love her for plannng ahead!

So home we went, with two flowers in our hands.  A symbolic gesture from a sweet little girl who will remain forever young in my eyes no matter how old she grows.  The years may change you, one thing will always remain the same...I am your mother and I love you!!

Another night spent pouring over the details of the words that I hope to share with the world.  I want to make sure that not only am I getting my ideas out clearly for everyone to understand, but that they are poetic enough to engage the reader where they want to get to the next chapter to find out what will happen next.  This may take three, four, or even five times or more before I am completely satisifed with my work.  Occasionally, there is a sentence or even a paragraph that gets thrown in the scrap pile and replaced with something new that will take the book in a whole different direction.  It is true that success is 1% inspirtation and 99% persipration.

I am greatful to have a wonderful friend to bounce ideas off off, and for her daughter who keeps my own daughter occupied while I work.  The input that I receive in invaluable and allows me to see what the reader is thinking and feeling while reading my story.  This allows me to tailor my book more to the readers needs, and not just for my benefit of writing.

Lisa and I enjoyed yet another nutricious dinner together with our paperwork spread throughout the table.  We whined about parking spaces and the realiability of the bathroom scales, but when it came to our work we were all business.  There is no room for joking around when it comes to our books!!  I have to admit that we are both very commited to our projects and neither of us will be satisified until we are doing book signings at Barnes & Noble.  At which point I hope to see all of you standing in line waiting to get the first autographed copy from your favorite author  <3

1970's..a nostalgic time when yellow kitchens were considered modern and the youngins' typically bathed two at a time in the sink.  It was a much simplier time back then. Kids actually played outdoors and knew when the street lights came on it was their clue to venture back home.

My cousins and I would spent endless hours visitng our grandparent's house.  The grown ups would be huddled around the dining room table while we were allowed to roam free amongst their vast land.  It was never the same adventure twice.  One day the field was for berry picking that would turned into strawberry shortcakes, and the next it would be mowed into a baseball diamond for the whole clan to choose teams and spend quality time together.  And yes, there was enough of us to have an actual baseball team!

The pond served as a place to bring the canoe out into as well as a swimming hole on hot summer days.  The supply of fish was endless and could easily be caught by baiting our poles with popcorn. There was a time or two when we would catch a crab instead of a bullhead, but they all got tossed back in just the same.

Of all my memories the campfires down back serves as the fondest.  It would not be unusual to keep the flames burning until the sun rose the next morning.  We would sing rounds of dated songs, some in tune and some not, but we all sung in unison just the same.  Our bellies would be full of s'mores and kool aid that supplied us with enough energy to catch fireflies deep into the night.  Yes, it was a simple yet memoriable time.

Those days may be gone now, but they will forever be etched within my heart.  My grandparents may have passed on but each time I see a willow tree I am reminded of my youth and the times that I was able to spend at their place.

I was caught off guard the other day when I received an unexpected but very exciting phone call.  The Oswego Reading Council had awarded me 2nd place in their annual writing contest ! Each year the topic is chosen by the council and everybody in the entire county is eligible to participate. This year's topic was "The person I most admire is...".  Each entry was subjected to two rounds of judging.  Over 600 submissions went to the preliminary round of judging by the Oswego Reading Council board.  The top 10 entries were then given to a group of professional writers authors for the final judging. The award ceremony will be in a few weeks but for those who cannot attend I wanted to share with you.

"The Person I Most Admire"    by Amy Quonce

For years I have seen the subject of the annual writing contest come and go without much thought of it sinking into my mind. Then before me was presented this year’s topic: The Person I Most Admire. I was captivated immediately and without hesitation I had already begun composing drafts within my head. There was no doubt who I admire most in this world…my daughter.

My little girl (who will remain forever young in my eyes) has been overcoming obstacles since before she was even born. The doctor had crushed the excitement of my first sonogram when he sadly announced that my baby was going to be facing serious disabilities, and immediately sent me to see a specialist, who in turn tried to convince me to terminate the pregnancy. Tears streamed down my face as I stared off into space, trying to envision my future daughter’s life. And that’s when it came to me…she did have a future, and it was my job to make sure that she had the best life that I could provide for her. Six months later my beautiful baby was born and she has been the inspiration for my life ever since. Faced with many medical difficulties, she has persevered through it all. Never once has she grumbled about having to go to yet another doctor, or undergo another surgery. She takes it all in stride and has amazed her physicians every time. I will never forget the time that one prominent doctor, who has seen her since she was an infant, came up to me and proudly announced that he tells all of his colleagues about her because he cannot believe how far she has come. He never expected her to walk or talk, and now she has been a dancer for 12 years, and will happily tell anybody all about it who will listen.

My daughter was born with the good natured attitude that I dream of having for my own. In her eyes each person she meets is her best friend, and the world is full of individuals who get along with everyone, despite their differences. It is an innocence so rare that it simply must be cherished. Even after suffering from a personal tragedy, she picked herself up and never let the sparkle go out of her eyes. She possesses a special quality for finding the silver lining in everything, and I can’t help but smile each time I realize that this special child is my own. I have been given a gift so precious, that I often wonder what I did to deserve it.

During her short 14 years of life, she has turned every mountain into a mole hill without ever complaining about the journey that it took her get there. While she may still be facing a life with obstacles stacked against her, I know she will take each step with pride and give all that she can. And I will be standing behind her, awaiting to catch her if she should happen to fall. When this day does arrive, there will still be a smile upon my face because I am so proud of her in all that she has done. I wish that someday I could be more like her.

I would like to thank the Oswego Reading Council for bestowing this honor to me!

By now surely everyone in the US has heard the news that Osama bin Laden has finally been brought to justice for his terror attacks against the United States on 9/11.  This is no doubt a joyous victory for our country, but the intranet has been flooded with debate as to how we he was descended to his final resting place.

According to recent news articles, Osama bin Laden was buried in strict accordance with Islamic religion, which required that his body be washed and placed in a white sheet, and then into a weighted bag. Religious remarks were offered by a United States military officer before his body was slipped into the sea.

I will not state my opinion on what I feel about how his body was handled, but I would like to offer you to voice your opinion.  Do you agree with the way it has been carried out, and if not what would you have suggested that be done with him instead?