Tag: AWESOME
conversations with strangers #63
strangers? here’s why i’m talking to them.
the final score (6-1) wasn’t a true indicator of the game. they were the defending league champions not to mention they’ve made it to the finals the last 3 years. we’ve squeaked into the playoffs each of those years.
and yet. we high fived after the game, as we do.
there’s never a smooth transition from the orderly line of high fives and “good games” to two teams walking back to their benches. in the middle of the mob, the girl with the hot pink spandex capri pants i’d been wishing i owned the entire game pulled me aside.
her: i wanted to let you know you had a really good hit.
me: oh, thank you!
her: it was very solid.
me: and i wanted to let you know i adore your pants.
her: thanks! they’re from tj maxx. $20.
me: i love them even more now!
our laughter sparkled into the setting sun, highlighting both our sportsmanship and wo-manship.
random acts of kindness
in the midst of a thundercloud, acts of kindness tiny as raindrops can be missed. it’s a good thing i’ve stepped out from under the umbrella.
in puddle #1: my dad dropped off and picked up a dress of mine at the dry cleaners. he also stopped by to see when it would be ready. that’s three extra trips on my behalf.
in puddle #2: my friend N shopped at my favorite book store and when asked if he was part of their regular customer program, he gave my name. essentially, he gave my account credit for buying his book and i’m that much closer to a $7 off coupon.
in puddle #3: sister E let me taste some of her limited amounts of sun tea. it was surprisingly delicious. she also went on walks with me in the scorching 90+ degree heat, did push-ups and squats and lunges by my side, introduced me to the best new sunscreen (sawyer brand), and watched over me when i had an allergic reaction to grass.
in puddle #4: my friend R offered to let me watch season 1 of the walking dead at her house because i’m too scared to watch it alone.
in puddle #5: with a simple comment, my friend A gave me some much needed honesty which reflected a bad habit i was only semi-conscious of.
in puddle #6: a crossfit coach took the time to diagnose my issue with tipping forward during any type of squat and then figured out how to remedy it, all without making me feel lame.
in puddle #7: my friend M listened, commiserated, and then pushed me out of my comfort zone.
thank you all for being so kind and generous and wonderful.
thank you notes
this arrived in the mail the other day:
and it’s the coolest thing ever for so many reasons.
(1) my niece signed her name as MMM. we (me + my family members) often use her initials when texting and emailing because it’s faster and shorter than typing her full name, but the fact she’s now using it as her signature? so cool! so grown up!
(2) the excess of O’s in the word so remind me that’s she’s 11 and i don’t have to worry about her being tooooooooooooo grown up.
(3) she finished a book in a week!
(4) her brother is bugging her to read faster so he has something to read.
(5) she lets her brother’s desires motivate and monitor her own habits, which shows what an amazing and gentle and sensitive big sister she is.
(6) they’re like me, in that, as a friend recently said about me to me, “you eat books for breakfast.”
(7) the letter was also the envelope, aka, it was a complicated and fancy folding job by MMM.
(8) handwritten thank you notes are one of my favorite things in the world (to write and to receive) and SILM and brother G have trained their kids well. in fact, i still have a postcard from when MMM was about 6 hanging on my fridge because her misspellings created the funniest note ever.
(9) i can feel the love all the way from the west coast.
wreckless cover reveal
i am pleased as punch to be a part of the cover reveal for bria’s upcoming YA novel, WRECKLESS.
i am like you all. i haven’t read the book yet. all i know about this book is the blurb:
Wreckless…Where obsession and rebellion collide.Bridget Larson’s never met a rule she didn’t like. Drawing inside the lines isn’t just a way of life – it’s the only way she can make it through the day. And through it all her BFF Leah has stood inside those lines and weathered the unspeakable with her. Then Bridget catches her boyfriend with Leah–and the last thing on her mind is staying safe.Salvation… A bad boy and his jacked up pickup.Jake Moore was everything she needed and nothing he claimed to be. With one night of freedom and a spontaneously scribbled Rebellion List, Jake leads Bridget down every path she thought was forbidden… And into the one place she’d thought was lost to her forever.
and the cover.
hold onto your horses or your hats if you don’t have any horses because this cover is simply stunning. it’s elegant, racy, bright, clean, enticing, (i want that red dress!) and perfect. i’m not just saying all that because i know bria. i’m saying this because, well, here…..judge for yourselves.
i know, right?? i repeat: simply stunning.
in order to endure the wait until the book is released (on June 13. we are almost there!), you can do three things:
(1) go to this page and read chapter one.
(2) go to this page and add it to your TBR list.
(3) *pats seat* sit next to me and twiddle our thumbs.
congratulations, bria! and congratulations to us future readers. we’re now one step closer to being able to read WRECKLESS.
Abigail Mumford 