Sheila Roberts's Blog, page 14

Go Fly a Kite!

Ah, there's nothing like the kite festival at Ocean Shores, Wa. And there's nothing like getting to spend time with my nieces! We went down for a girls' weekend and had so much fun together. Games, shopping, eating, kite ogling, and, of course, good old yakking. Family is important, and those relationships, like all relationships, need to be nurtured. I'm so glad I took time to enjoy those important young women in my life. Who's special in your life? Maybe it's time to make some special plans together. :)

Angela, Loretta, and Me

With the recent passing of the accomplished and influential Maya Angelou I got to thinking about strong women, women who make a difference. I know a lot of those women! I think of my sister-in-law Marliss, whose whole life has been dedicated to caring for kids - her kids, the neighbor kids, foster kids, grandkids... me, when I'm acting like a child (and not in a good way).  I also think of my daughter. Life has hurled a lot of lemons at her over the years but she each time she puts on her catcher's mitt and says, "Bring it on. I like lemonade." I think of my first ever writing teacher, Colleen Reece, who is in her eighties and just beat breast cancer. It was Colleen who taught me how to write a query letter - something every aspiring author needs to master! Colleen has probably helped hundreds of beginning writers during her years as a writing instructor. I sure owe a lot to her.

And then there's Loretta. Just this week I had lunch with this woman, who started out as a friend of a friend and has become a treasured pal over the last few months. I think of Loretta as a cross between a warrior princess and an honorary guardian angel. Having battled breast cancer and won, she makes it her mission to help and support other women who are battling the disease in some form. So many times she'd message me on Facebook, asking how I was doing, offering support and advice. It always lifted my spirits to get a message from Loretta. And it lifted my spirits to visit with her at one of our many local restaurants on the water out here in the Pacific Northwest. We swapped "war stories" and laughed at some of our adventures. And I came away inspired. This woman taught spinning classes when she was doing chemo and radiation. How did she do that?!
None of these women are famous. They may never be. And it may never make the news when they finally wend their way heavenward. But they'll all leave every bit as big a hole as the amazing Angela. And right now, they're all impacting other people with their lives. Angela would be proud.

A TON OF FUN IN THE SUN

Afternoon garage sale. Will we still find treasure? As stressful as our life is these days, Gerhardt and I need to run away often. Memorial Day weekend found us at our favorite ocean playground, Ocean Shores, WA, where the three day weekend kicked off the summer's garage sale season.
Not that there's anything I need anymore. In fact, we're having a garage sale this summer to get rid of some stuff! Still, it was fun to go look and see what everybody else in town was getting rid of, and our pal Scott found all kinds of treasures.
Karol making a sand castle. We hit the beach, too, in between showers. Is there anything more relaxing than watching those waves crash to shore? Every time I see that sight I'm reminded of how small I am. And how big God is!
We ended the weekend with some miniature golf. Little Sheila did not win. Those courses are harder than they look! I must go back again next time we run away and see if I can improve my score. Crummy as it was, that won't be hard.
Of course, the weekend is really about remembering the fallen. My father-in-law was career army and a World War Two veteran. We lost him last year and he's still missed. His generation sacrificed so much. Big shoes to fill. I hope we can do it!

ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Kathleen, hard at work. I've reached the point where I'm not into home parties that involved buying and selling of merchandize. But it's hard to turn down my pal Kimberly so I found myself partying with the girls, looking at cookware and eating. Mostly eating. And visiting. And making new friends. This was a pampered chef party and some of the proceeds on a few select items were going to be donated to cancer research. In light of my recent journey, how could I turn that down?
    It's a lot work hosting this type of party but look at that big smile on my friend's face. I don't think she minded at all. And I sure didn't mind getting a chance to spend time with friends and enjoy an amazing Southwest chicken salad, set out on a teak platter like a work of art. Of course, I vowed to make such appealing presentations myself in the future. (I doubt I'm going to do it though. We've got company joining us at the ocean this weekend and the fare will consist of hot dogs and paper plates!)
Kimberly, our hostess, ready to serve up the baked brie.

KID'S AND MOMS

At Christmas Ah, kids. Funny how when you're first pregnant everyone is so excited you're going to have a baby. It's all they talk about, the baby. No one ever tells you about what happens when the baby grows up, that the baby will become a teenager who turns your hair gray or an adult that you can't make behave with threats of "I'm going to send you to your room." Nobody tells you that the baby will fall in love and bring more people into your life to worry about and turn your hair gray.
Ah, but nobody will tell you about the surprise visits, the free labor you get when you're moving, the mother-son talks and the mother-daughter craft projects (that sometimes even turn out!), the fun and laughter you share and the flowers you get on Mother's Day. Yes, children are a blessing, even when they grow up.
I have to admit that there are times I wish mine were little again and I could keep them safe in the backyard under my watchful eye, have the final say in who their friends are, and make their choices for them. I wonder if my own mother ever felt this way about me. Probably. I think, too, I sometimes find myself wishing they were little again so I could be a better mother. A perfect mother. Hmmm Is there such a thing? Probably not.
This Mother's Day I'm thankful for my children. I love them dearly. Happy Mother's Day, kids. Without you what would my life have been?
A swing dancing lesson with my son, just as my energy was coming back after chemo.

SOMETHING FOR NOTHING

Our neighborhood ladies have so much fun! The neighborhood "Something for Nothing" gang was at it again yesterday, trading treasures at my house. Of course, we started with breakfast where I served my Danish Puff pastry and cantaloupe. The pastry was great. The cantaloupe tasted like old gym shoes. Yuck! But a good time was had by all.
Many of us got our closets cleaned out. I got rid of a bunch of old cookbooks I haven't opened since I bought them. (I really do need to break my cookbook addiction.) Others of us found new treasures. I got some very cool brand new goodies for gift baskets and I even came away with a couple of baskets to put the goodies in. Needless to say I was excited. My buddy Liz took the leftovers for her church's upcoming garage sale so I didn't even have to cart the leftovers to Goodwill.
If you have some closets in need of cleaning why not get together with some of your friends and do some swapping? It's easy enough - just take numbers and take turns picking out treasures. Or, if you're as polite as our bunch is, just dig in. You can donate what's left to your favorite charity thrift store. And who knows what you might come away with? One woman's junk is another woman's treasure!
Just some of the goodies we had.

LADY ELK FOR A DAY

The ladies at my table, whooping it up. I had such a great time yesterday speaking at the spring luncheon for the Tacoma Ladies of the Elks. This luncheon is their big fund raiser and they give to so many worthy causes, including helping young people transitioning out of foster care to make a new start.
These women go all out for this event, with individuals offering to decorate a table. With 25 tables, each one sporting a different theme, it was quite a sight to see! My friend Norma, who invited me, went all out decorating not only our table (with a chocolate theme - oh, baby!) but two other tables as well. We had everything from a garden fantasy to a tea party. It was a feast for the eyes. And the dessert buffet was a feast for both our eyes and our taste buds! I was both honored and delighted to be able to join these women for an afternoon of good fun for a good cause.
A few of the lovely tables. A big thanks to Norma and Roxee for the lovely thank you gift bag!

GIRLFRIENDS GETAWAY

A very fun game with very fun friends. The last couple of weeks had been so stress-loaded it was ridiculous. And the big stressers seemed to hit right after I'd finished a treatment and was ready to celebrate. The first crisis came the day after I wrapped up my chemo treatments. The second after I'd done with radiation. Not conducive to healing!  So, needless to say, I was ready to run away and recharge.

Which is exactly what I did last week. My good buddies, the Game Girls, and I ran away to the ocean mid-week where we stayed in two neighboring condos. We played games (we're playing a card game called Golf Ten in this picture), ate amazing food, yakked, and walked the beach. Just what the doctor ordered. I came home feeling refreshed and ready to face life's challenges again. And while we were enjoying our getaway I discovered I can now walk up a flight of stairs - no, make that two flights - without being winded and having to stop. No racing heart either. Yay! I am well on the road to recovery.
And I'm sure a good deal of that recovery has to do with the emotional support I've had from family and friends. I'm convinced the best medicine a girl can take is down time with people who are dear to her. Changing up the environment, changing focus - those can help bring about positive emotional changes. And I'm so thankful for the good buddies I have who make me laugh and listen when I cry. Do you have good friends like that? I sure hope so!
We went out to dinner one night and had to stop for a pic of this lovely sunset.

FUN NEAR HOME

    You don't have to go far from home to have a good time. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. And to prove it, we took a Sunday drive to the charming town of Port Townsend. Founded in 1851, the town lies about 40 miles northwest of Seattle and is chock full of fun shops and beautiful, old Victorian houses. And, with it being on the water, visitors don't lack for beautiful scenery. Coming from the Kitsap Peninsula, the drive there was gorgeous, too.
    We kicked around town, ate in a fun, old soda fountain restaurant with authentic soda fountain equipment, counter tops and juke boxes dating from the fifties and even earlier. Prices have gone up since the good, old days... a reminder that we hadn't actually gone back in time.
    Enjoying the sunshine and prowling old book stores was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Now Gerhardt and I are all rested and raring to go. Let the week begin!
At Fort Worden, above Port Townsend, overlooking the beach. This old fashioned soda fountain does a booming business. Gerhardt checking out the table top jukebox. Let's play "Woolly Bully"!

It's a Party!

Some authors are shy, quiet things - rivers that run deep. And then there's, well, me, the shallow rushing stream, the queen of the ham bones. You will not see my face next to the word "shy" in the dictionary.I love to do book signings, love to party with readers.

I've had so much fun this month, visiting bookstores and hanging out with a lot of wonderful people. It's really a thrill for an author to meet people who love to read and appreciate what we do. (Speaking of writers, I'm pictured here with my great writing pals Anjali Banerjee, Elsa Watson, and Kate Breslin, all wonderful authors.) We've enjoyed contests on how to simplify your life (the theme of my new book THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE), given away gift baskets and sampled lavender cookies. Now I'm down to my last signing of the month, which will be tomorrow (Sat, 4-29) at the Bellevue Barnes & Noble at 2 p.m. And that will be it for the fun until I return to Leavenworth, WA, the inspiration for Icicle Falls, in May. I'm a little sad to see the fun come to an end.

But with the end of the book signing parties comes time to do something else I love: write. After all, it's hard to have a book signing if you don't have a book to sign! So, a public thank you to all the great people who have showed up to support me this month. I hope you had a good time. We'll do it again soon!