Lindsay Detwiler's Blog, page 42

Life’s Beautiful Moments

“If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” ~Free Bird, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Tonight, I stood in the place where I do most of my deep thinking–the shower– thinking about life and, oddly, thinking about death.

Death isn’t something we like to think about, which makes sense. But isn’t thinking about death what sometimes puts our lives into perspective? Don’t we sometimes lose focus of our priorities because we feel like we are Edward Cullen and will live forever (minus the sparkling skin, of course)?

Morrie Schwartz says in Tuesdays With Morrie that he actually felt lucky to have the chance to face his death; he knew it was coming, so he had to prepare. He even says, “When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” Remembering death can make life that much more vibrant and valuable.

In the same vein, there was a movie a few years ago called Evening in which an elderly lady reflects on her life as she passes away. It was a terrible, boring movie . . . but the concept was riveting, and it is something that I’ve never forgotten. Essentially, both works ask the question: if you knew you were dying tonight, what would be the most important things to you? What would you remember from your life?

While lathering up the Kenra shampoo, I got to thinking about this question for my own life. If I were to die tomorrow, what would have really mattered in my life? What moments would comfort me? What moments would stick out?

Clearly, there are the obvious. My wedding, college graduation, etc. But, as I thought about it, these actually weren’t the things that were the most prominent. We always live for the big moments, tracking our lives by our achievements and major moments. We throw parties, celebrate, and announce our big victories.

But what about the little victories? What about the small moments?

For me, when I think about my life so far, they are what stick out. The moments that seemed insignificant, almost forgettable at the time, tend to be the ones I come back to time and time again.

My moments (not in any particular order)

Reading my first book (about Panda’s) with my parents.
Sitting in class in the main building at Mount during the first snow of the winter. I hated the drive and complained about homework, but there was something beautiful about the college in winter.
Many, many, many moments with my writing students when they finally realized that they had a gift for writing . . . and decided to do something about it.
All of the small laughs with my students in the classroom: from glitter glue disasters to mispronounced words to screaming goats.
As nerdy as this is, an impromptu, two class period debate on Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” with my 10th graders. I stood back and truly appreciated how intelligent, perceptive, and analytical they were . . . and found that I was okay with the fact that these students are our future. We will be in capable hands.
A walk to Main Moon Chinese with my husband through a foot of snow and then shopping at a local consignment shop. We were tired of being snowed in the house.
My 21st birthday at Atlantic City with my parents.
A surprise mini golf date with my husband last summer.
A snow day with Sophia (one of my last days with her) snuggled on the couch reading Harry Potter.
Dancing with clay with Jamie in the Black Potter’s class.
The reading competition senior year with my best friends…unexpectedly an amazing time!
Going to our small town haunts with my best friend from high school a few winters back . . . I hadn’t seen in her in forever because she had been in a different country, but we found that we fell right back into our easy conversations and laughing hysterically at stupid things :)
A day this summer when I literally spent all day in the yard reading
Boat rides with my parents
Pumpkin Fest with my husband
Hanging on the couch with Henry watching The Today Show
My mom’s first trip to NYC with my college class

Hopefully, I won’t die tomorrow. First of all, I still have a lot of big and small moments I want to experience. Second, I feel like maybe the blogging world would be a bit creeped out  (lol). But I think the point is that we never do know. Life is short. Remember to take in every moment. Remember that even the small, mundane moments can become big moments. And most of all, remember that most of the time, it isn’t what we are doing in life but who we are doing it with that matters. The people, the connections are what make every moment special.

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

School’s Not Out For Summer Anymore . . .Tears

It’s that time of year.

Back to school commercials have begun. I’ve started stocking up on as many pens and pencils as I can get my hands on (What is it with teaching? Why do we lose so many writing utensils?). I have been relishing every morning that my alarm doesn’t have to be set. I’ve been soaking in some extra sunshine and watching even more mindless television.

My days are numbered. Pretty soon, classes will begin.

Don’t get me wrong . . . I adore my job. I really mean that. I laugh every single day. No two days are the same. I get to talk about books and writing all day, and I get to connect with some pretty amazing people.

But hey, I’m human. Given the choice to nap in a lounge chair reading books or get up at the crack of dawn and teach  . . . well, option one sounds pretty nice. So yeah, back to school is tough.

There is one huge bright spot, however: the back to school clothing shopping.

That’s right. Teachers do it, too. Teaching is a wonderful excuse to never stop back to school shopping. Every fall, I get to purchase several new outfits for absolutely no reason . . . other than it is a new school year.

I’m still searching for my perfect back to school outfit. I usually like to dress it up a bit on the first day, but all of the dresses I’m seeing are less than dressy or school appropriate. But I’m keeping my eyes open and probably picking up a few extras along the way as I search for that perfect outfit.

Okay teachers out there . . . do you have your first day outfit yet? If not, I have some classy ideas for you on my Pinterest Board called “Teachers Have Style.” Check it out at https://www.pinterest.com/ladetwiler/teachers-can-have-style/

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

Voice of Innocence Book Review

A huge thank you to Sandra The Bookworm for reviewing Voice of Innocence! She had such kind things to say. Check out the review here:

http://sandrathebookworm.blogspot.com/2015/08/voice-of-innocence.html

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

Voice of Innocence

Only $4.99 for Kindle or Nook!

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“The lines were blurring again, and I wondered how we would spend a month together and not ruin everything. The loose ends of our friendship were tangling in a way I never imagined.”

Everything changes for college student Abby Abernathy when she meets the on-campus “fighting legend” Travis Maddox. He is a rough character, a “don’t mess with my kind of guy.” He is exactly the type of boy she is trying to stay away from.

However, when Abby loses a bet and must move in with Travis along with her best friend and her boyfriend, things heat up. There is an undeniable chemistry between Travis and Abby from the beginning that is endearing and also searing. There’s something about a bad boy character who has a soft spot for a girl that just makes any book great.

I thought that this book would be your typical “college life” romance, but it was so much more. It focuses on Travis and Abby overcoming past demons and helping each other become better people. There is also a lot of action that happens in the middle of the book. I absolutely loved the couple by the middle of the book and was also pleased with the ending.

The only criticism I have of the novel is that at times, it skips over periods of time without any warning or orientation for the reader. In a few spots, she skips weeks in the matter of a sentence. I felt like there needed to be a scene break to denote the change. At the beginning, I also felt like Abby and Travis were too absorbed in a high-school like atmosphere. Although certainly freshman year of college is a transition period from high school, I felt like there was too much of a junior high or high school like feel to the worries about gossip. This quickly dissolves, however, as the novel continues.

McGuire writes in a simplistic, straightforward way that allows the characters and the story to speak for itself. This book really absorbed me unexpectedly. I didn’t think I was going to fall for Travis or root for him, but he completely pulled me in by the middle, just as he does to Abby. This book offers amazing characterization and memorable characters as well as many tender moments. No matter your age, this book will make you relive your first real love and the moments that define you as a couple. It is also a novel about family, the past, and finding yourself through the love of another.

Lindsay Detwiler, author of Voice of Innocence

View all my reviews

Must. Buy. Makeup.

So if you’ve noticed, I haven’t blogged about makeup for a while now.

Why is this, you might ask?

Because I haven’t bought any. (cue crickets or sad crying).

It’s not that I set out to do this on purpose. It’s not that I’ve thrown away makeup. I’m not that brave. It’s just that I haven’t had any major wishlist makeup purchases lately.

I got my contouring palette a few weeks ago. Check. I have two Urban Decay palettes now. Check. And I have about 950 other products that are oozing off of my bathroom counter.

I just haven’t seen anything new that has caught my eye lately . . . which is making me a bit sad. I’m sure that once the stores start switching to their fall makeup lines, my wallet will be crying again. But until then . . . I guess I’m in a makeup buying rut (although you won’t hear my husband complaining :) ).

Anyone have any suggestions? What are your newest must-have products that are worth my hard earned cash?

Please help me save Ulta and Sephora. I mean, I haven’t bought anything in a few weeks. . .  their sales are probably hurting :)

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

Sometimes It Just Takes Hi

A few weeks ago, I was angrily grocery shopping by myself. With my husband working on Sundays again, I’ve been left with the annoying task of grocery shopping alone again. I’m fine with throwing things in the cart and even unloading them, but bagging my groceries alone (we shop at Aldi), loading the car, and carrying them all in leaves me  a bit cranky at times.

I was at the bagging counter avoiding eye contact with everyone and just trying to hurry up. I noticed a family in line with a boy who had special needs. He was talking animatedly about the pizza he was carrying, his father looking a bit frazzled. I continued bagging my groceries when the family walked by.

All of a sudden, the boy was standing very close to my cart. “Hi, how are you today?” he said, making eye contact. He had a smile that was simply contagious, and he was just so happy to be talking to me.

Despite my anger at household chores and grocery shopping, I couldn’t help but smile. I told him I was fine and asked him how he was. And then he left, skipping out of the store with his family.

It was a major “non-moment.” It wasn’t anything spectacular or big. But I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it for weeks.

Here was this boy who many would look at as “deficient” in some way. They look at him with pity.

But who should be pitied? Who is deficient?

So often in life, we go through our days with our heads down, grumpy thoughts constructing a barrier between us and others around us. How many people do you pass in the store, on the sidewalk, at work? How many of those same people do you ignore?

This boy, however, realized something many of us forget. Connections are the key to life. I’m not saying we should forget about “stranger danger” and go around hugging random people. I’m not even saying we have to awkwardly start conversations with everyone we meet But I do think there was something special about this boy who realized the value of a hi and a smile.

It was just a hi, but it completely changed the way I approached my day. It made me think about my priorities, about how in the scheme of things grocery unpacking wasn’t that bad of a thing. It also made me think about myself and how I interacted with others.

Sometimes it just takes a hi to get through to someone.

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

Locked Away: Lyrics, Movie Trailers, and Adam Levine

“Is your book going to be a movie?”

Author friends know that this is a typical question, and one I don’t mind thinking about. Voice of Innocence is nowhere near being considered for a movie . . . but one can dream, right?

Today, while scrubbing the carpets for the third time this summer (do not every have light tan carpet if you have a mastiff. Seriously), I heard the perfect song for a Voice of Innocence movie trailer. Seriously, I think this song was written for my book.

It’s called “Locked Away” by R. City ft. Adam Levine (sigh).

The lyrics say:

“If I got locked away, and we lost it all today, tell me honestly. . . would you still love me the same?”

Check out the song below!

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

A Love Kindled

Later, she would say it fell from the sky.

Not a graceful, floating fall from the heavens, but a slamming, bone-splitting fall.  Slamming into her chest with a force undeniable, it seemed to bruise her heart, threatened to split her in two. Once it fell into her, she subconsciously knew that nothing could ever be the same.

It was a dreary day when her world collided with his. A day of dismal clouds, of the threat of rain, of really no significance. Just an average Wednesday, a nothing commemorative kind of day. Until it happened.

Strolling through the doors of Barnes & Noble, the wafting smell of roasted coffee beans tempted her toward the café. She was usually a pumpkin spice or vanilla kind of girl, but today she was feeling like a dark roast only person. Maybe she was maturing, her taste buds growing up from the froofy lattes of her twenties. Then again, maybe she just wanted a plain coffee and nothing more.

Mindlessly reaching into her wristlet to gather crinkled dollar bills and a wad of change, she waited patiently in line as other customers dictated elaborate orders. She tapped her foot, feeling a bit self-conscious. This wasn’t her type of place, her usual haunt. She didn’t even know now why she had come. The threat of boredom and the lack of a desire to go anywhere had somehow meshed into her arrival at the book store. She had decided recently to start “working on herself,” to better herself body and spirit. She had decided a few weeks ago that instead of watching mindless television and dull commercials, she would start reading. Classics even.

The motivation had taken a while to build. In fact, her presence in the book store wasn’t really a result of her motivation—perhaps just the lack thereof. Tired of sitting at home and not wanting to hit the gym, she had decided that coming to the bookstore might not be so bad. Plus, she knew there was a café. She convinced herself this was for her “betterment” project; deep down, though, she knew it was nothing more than a wasted afternoon.

When it was finally her turn, she headed to the counter and spelled out her overly simplistic order, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the low price.  When her name was called (why do they have to call her name for a simple black coffee? It’s not like anyone else would order something so menial), she added a touch of cream, popped on the lid, and decided to take a rest at a table in the café. Self-betterment was hard work, after all; she didn’t want to go too fast.

Waiting for her coffee to cool, she gazed around at the other customers. A few were reading, a few were pretending to read, and a few were just shoveling in muffins. Nothing exciting to see here, she decided.  After a few more mindless moments of taking up the chair, she took a sip of her coffee (which was still way too hot and burnt her tongue), stood, and headed toward the book section.

She browsed the fiction, mystery, and self-help section, deciding that books were way more expensive than she thought. Twenty bucks for a collection of paper? She wanted to be better, but not twenty-dollars for a book better. So when she saw the “bargain” sign, she decided that a bargain read is still, in fact, a read. Mine as well start cheaply, right?

Like a woman on a mission, she plodded to the table. She saw some authors’ names she actually recognized, applauded herself for showing a sense of literary knowledge, and began to touch the covers. Too plain, she thinks. Too exotic. Too girly.  Nothing looked like a good fit.

It’s when she circled round the table to the other side that it happened. The sky-falling incident. The chest-slamming incident. Her splitting in two incident.

On the other side of the table, handling a $4.99 book with a weird cover, was him.

She eyed him with both curiosity and fear, contemplation and hesitancy. He wasn’t her type. At all.

Her type was the guy in the kitchen department at Lowe’s—burly, manly, I’ll fix your cabinets man. Her type was her mechanic, facial hair and rippling muscles with a deep, sexy voice. Her type was the guy at the grocery store in dirty pants and a juvenile T-shirt—a working man, a man’s man. That’s her type.

The man holding the book was none of the above. He was the stereotypical bookworm, complete with the thick glasses and overly-styled hair. He wore a button up—a freshly pressed, crinkle-free button up—and a pair of designer jeans. Even his sneakers screamed clean, formal, fashionable. He was clean-shaven, he’s scrawny. He was nothing that she’d be interested in.

But then she couldn’t help but feel the slamming feeling in her heart. Something happened, and it wasn’t just caffeine jitters. Something monumental was happening.

Get a grip, she told herself.

He looked up at her, eyes connecting with hers. They had a moment, a long moment. The slamming feelings settled in, subtly shifted to something else.

He felt it, too, as evidenced by his breathy pause, the undeniable look in his eyes.

The other book buyers strolled past, heading to read about life-changing moments and beautiful happy endings. They didn’t even realize that something from a novel was unfolding right in front of them.

They can’t be faulted because at first glance, it truly looked like nothing was happening. Just an average girl standing by the books, unsure of which to commit to, and an average guy, pawing through old best sellers. There wasn’t a stream of light framing them or soft love song playing in the background. It was a basic, simplistic, normal moment.

But for those two people standing by the bargain book rack, everything had just happened with a single look. The average Wednesday had become something special, something memorable, dreary clouds and all.

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

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Giveaway: Still Life by A.M. Johnson

It’s giveaway time again! This week, enter to win an ebook copy of A.M. Johnson’s Still Life! Read more below and scroll to the bottom of this post for the entry link :)

Loss… a word Elizabeth Haddington knows only too well. Despite the tragedies she’s endured, she’s been able to rise from the adversity she’s faced and begin her life again. Being a self-assured and strong woman, she knows she doesn’t need anyone to make her whole.

Hate, pain, and twisted memories are all Sawyer Bryant’s ever known. He’d slowly lost who he was and what he should’ve become. His only escape was the military… Eight years later, as an ex-Navy SEAL, he’s forced to confront his father and their disturbed and violent past.

Then one day, his life is turned upside down, when he glimpses a woman singing in her car at a set of traffic lights. Thinking he’d never see her again, amazingly he finds her performing with her band at the local bar. This chance encounter brings these two lost souls together. Once Sawyer gets a taste of her melodic voice, there’s no turning back.

For Elizabeth, when she meets Sawyer… she realizes she’s fallen hard. But is this really love she’s feeling or does love build slowly over time?

What happens when fate turns things around on you, creates flashes you can’t turn from… moments that will shape your life?

They are faced with the choice of darkness surrounding them or to rid themselves of the guilt and pain and move toward the light.

This story is about life’s moments. How they can make you or break you, and one man’s hope that… Love, won’t judge him.

Enter now on my FACEBOOK PAGE !!!

Thanks!

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence