Keli Gwyn's Blog, page 20

Romantic Proposal: “I Do” Serenade

I met Jennette Mbewe here on my blog. She left a comment on a post and mentioned how her husband proposed, performing a song he wrote, along with the others in his music group. I asked if she’d share the story, and she generously agreed to do so.

Jennette is an author, artist, mother, wife, but not always in that order. Born and raised in Minnesota, she grew up enjoying the Northern Lights and the great outdoors. From early on she knew she wanted to be a writer, but she forgot about her dream until recently. Now she balances marriage, mothering two beautiful kiddos, and her literary pursuits.

And now, the story of how Jennifer was swept off her feet by her talented husband, in her own words. . .

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Many people have asked us how we met. I’m from Minnesota, my hubby’s from Zambia, Africa, and we live in Texas. If you’d asked him, he would have told you, Ebay. Yes, he’s a comical one. No, we met in Minnesota at a camp.

When James and Jennette first met.

It was the summer of 2000. I was helping a camp in the middle of nowhere Minnesota prepare and decorate for the summer. James and the Zambian Vocal Group were in route for Canada for a tour, when they were informed that their visas weren’t ready. They were stuck in Minnesota for a week, but they knew someone who knew someone who knew of this camp. Viola! Problem solved. They would stay at the camp.

My first impression? He liked to talk a lot. When I first met him he was going on about measuring the football field with a pine needle or something, and how they were going to have the world championship of foosball later that evening or the next, I don’t exactly remember. A couple of days later, I heard James and his group sing for the first time. They asked the audience if anyone knew the song: The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and in my naivety, I raised my hand. So, there I was singing: In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…acapella style. Yeah, that didn’t go over very well. It’s not the same as belting it out in the barn with only cows to worry about.

But we had a connection. One time, he was playing the piano and I asked, “Do you know–” and he started playing the song I was going to ask him. Freaky. The song: Fur Elise. While everyone was out having fun, he and some of the Zambian dudes stayed behind to help us finish the cardboard planets and animals, so that we would be able to go watch the fireworks later. We did a lot of talking. Then they had to leave.

Phone calls, emails and handwritten letters ensued. I gave him the third degree. I wasn’t about to get serious with someone I hardly knew. We had an interesting courtship to say the least. We didn’t do the usual dating like most people. Part of that was due to him being on the road all the time and my own personal issues, but he saw something in me and persevered, and for that I’m forever thankful. We had talked about marriage, and he told me he was going to pick out the ring, but as far as how or when, I didn’t know. I just knew he would, eventually.

James and Jennette’s Wedding Day

So, there I was sitting in a living room down in Corsicana, Texas. It was December 17th, 2001. I would be leaving for Minnesota to spend Christmas with my family, and he and the Zambian dudes were preparing for a winter tour. I was watching Waterworld. I had always been curious about the movie since I love water, and I hadn’t seen it yet. So to be interrupted, I was a tad annoyed.

The group would pray before they set out, and so we stood, but suddenly I found myself in the middle of the circle. They sang the “I Do” song. My face was probably beet red. I don’t even know if I heard the whole song, but at the end James got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And I said yes. It’s been the greatest adventure ever since.

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And here’s a video of Jame’s song that he and his group sang for Jennette. . .

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Blogging Break & Guest Post

I’m heading to my church’s Women’s Retreat soon, so I’m not posting today.

I am, however, privileged to be a guest on my friend and agency mate’s blog, Simple Revelations. Amanda Dykes invited me to share the real-life romance of my beloved in-laws, who had “A Shotgun Wedding.” I love their story.

Romance with a Twist

We experienced a stretch of triple-digit days here in the Sierra Foothills of California this past week, but the high temperatures didn’t keep me from thinking romantic thoughts.

Gwynly and I are native Californians, so we’re used to dealing with the heat. We didn’t let it stop us from walking. We just slathered on the sunscreen, donned our wide-brimmed hats, grabbed our drink bottles, and hit the local hiking trail. I will admit that when I looked at the thermometer in my Sport Trac before starting out and saw that it was still 105 degrees at 5 p.m., I did take a deep breath and brace myself. Despite the heat, we enjoyed our walk.

We stopped by the supermarket afterward, where the AC felt mighty good. As is often the case, my mind was on more than the task at hand, in this case picking out produce. Knowing that romance can happen almost anywhere, I asked myself how I could possibly turn our experience into a blog post.

I’d all but given up hope of turning the trip into a post, when unbeknowst to him, Gwynly melted my heart. . .with a baggie full of tomatoes.

Tomatoes?

Yup. Tomatoes. Tied with a knot rather than closed with a twist tie.

I have an aversion to twist ties. Seriously. I refuse to use ‘em. I was never fond of them, but an experience when I was cleaning out my in-laws’ house while settling their estate left its mark on me.

Mother and Dad had been raised during the Great Depression. As a result, Mother had a hard time parting with anything that might be of use. I found a stack of aluminum pie tins and another of plastic strawberry baskets. There were shelves of empty mayonnaise jars in the pantry and a cupboard full of margarine tubs.

One day I pulled open a kitchen drawer and found the entire thing filled with used twist ties in all colors. And not just the small ones used to close baggies. She’d even saved the large ones from heads of lettuce.

This struck me as sad. My in-laws lived in a lovely home they’d designed themselves, and yet Mother couldn’t shake the feelings of deprivation from her past. Whenever I see a twist tie these days, the surge of emotions I experienced when I opened that drawer return.

Gwynly doesn’t share my twisted view of twist ties, but since he loves me, he’d done things my way. He saw me smiling and gave me a quizzical look.

“You tied it,” I said.

“Yeah,” he replied.

A blog post practically wrote itself, one talking about how understanding my guy is. About how, after fifteen years, my patience had been rewarded. About how I’d never have to deal with twist ties again.

And then reality returned in the form of a bag of apples.

Yup. Gwynly closed it with a twist tie.

Since he knows me very well, I was able to tell him what had taken place in the produce section. How delighted I’d been when he put the tomatoes in the cart. How disappointed I’d been when he added the apples. And how the romance post I’d been planning to write had just fizzled.

Gwynly explained that he’d tried to do it my way but couldn’t bring himself to continue and listed his reasons. He likes to reuse the bags when he cleans the cat box and can’t if they’ve been tied shut because, unlike me, he can’t get the knots out. Knowing how “green” my science guy is and now much conservation means to him, this made sense. It also showed me that his use of twist ties has nothing to do with me and everything to do with practicality.

So, being the reasonable and understanding wife I am (I’m chuckling as I type this), I decided to accept Gwynly’s reasons, give the guy a break, and put an end to the twist tie tussle.

When I informed him of my decision–telling him that even though I’d continue to tie my produce bags but would not be a pain when he used twist ties on his from here on out–he grinned and said the words that made my post possible after all: “Compromise can be quite romantic, don’t you think?”

Yes, it can. Lesson learned.

We left the supermarket with Gwynly grinning because I finally “got it.”

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What’s something you and your special someone have compromised on?

Do you have any quirks that drive your special someone nuts?

Have you met anyone who dislikes twist ties as much as I do?

Bookstore Destinations

Having spent three hours at my book signing last month when the wonderful staff of the Barnes & Noble Birdcage store in Sacramento hosted me, I had ample opportunity to people watch.

This particular B&N sets up their signing station just to the left of the entrance, so I had a great vantage point from which to see where customers went when they entered the store.

Some were obviously on a mission and headed straight for a certain section. Others had come to meet friends in Starbucks. But a good percentage of customers were there to browse.

Many customers passed by the signing table en route to the periodicals, where there are seats inviting them to stay awhile. Some lingered in their favorite sections. Others wandered throughout the store reveling in the bookstore atmosphere. At least that’s what I imagined them to be doing, since I do the same thing myself.

One area that generated a great deal of interest was the New Arrivals section to the right of the signing station. If you look in the picture above, you can see the corner of one of the tables filled with new releases.

Only one group of customers came with the intention of seeing me: my friend Karen Hansen (beside me) and two members of her book club, pictured below.

Gwynly took advantage of the proximity of the New Arrivals table. He would engage customers with the line, “If you enjoy new releases, we have one here you might like to check out. It’s a historical romance set in our area, and the author is right here.” His method worked. We sold several books to those he engaged in conversation. Gotta love a supportive hubby!

The experience got me thinking about my book store shopping habits. I tend to be a browser, but I gravitate to two sections. I have to check out the inspirational fiction shelves and see how many of the books were written by my friends. Once I’ve done that, I spend a fair amount of time in the gifts and games sections. Yeah, I know it’s a bookstore, but I have a soft spot for the inspirational plaques, bookmarks, note cards, and other great things I can find.

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What are your favorite sections in a bookstore?

Do you peruse the periodicals, spend time in the coffee house, stand in the stacks searching for a great read, or gravitate to the gifts and gadgets like I do?

 

Friday Fun Victorian Style

The Victorians drank both coffee and tea, with tea being

the most popular of the two at the beginning of the era.

At what point did coffee surpass tea as the most popular beverage?

A. After the Gold Rush Began (1849)

B. After the Civil War Ended (1865)

C. After the Invention of the Telephone (1876)

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You can find the answer to the question by clicking this link.

There’s a password required, but it’s simple. It’s Romance with a capital R.

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Images are from the Victorian Goods and Merchandise

CD-ROM and book and are used by permission.

Romance Super Hero Style

My guy knows how important romance is to me, and he works hard to add that all important aspect to our marriage.

I can’t begin to count the number of romantic movies Gwynly’s watched with me. Seriously. He deserves a T-shirt. I can see it now, “Survivor of 792 romantic comedies and counting.” Or how about, “Proof I love my wife: I know who Mr. Darcy is.”

Every now and then I take pity on my poor fellow. A couple of weeks back when things got really busy for me and I didn’t have time to update our Netflix queue, I asked Gwynly to add some shows he wanted to watch.

Guess what? He didn’t pick a single romance. He chose super hero shows. I watched Green Lantern, Captain America, and the first two Batman movies with him. That gave me an idea.

Yup! I bought two tickets for Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. One for me, and one for my very own hero, who is super in my eyes.

On a hot summer afternoon, my fellow and I headed for the theater ready to see the rest of the story.

Did I like the show? Yes, more than I thought I would. But the best part was spending time with Gwynly doing something he enjoys.

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What kind of movies do you and your special someone like to watch together?

Who picks the show when you and your special someone go to the movies?

Have you seen Batman: The Dark Knight Rises? What did you think of it?

 

Endorsements: Helpful or Not?

This past weekend I got to indulge in a rare treat. I was able to read a long-awaited book from start to finish.

Normally, I only have time to read a few chapters of a book at a time, so being able to devour A Bride Sews with Love in Needles, California by Erica Vetsch was a rare treat. The reason I was able to enjoy this pleasure is that I have the privilege of writing an endorsement for Erica’s book.

Before I  began writing, I didn’t understand how endorsements came about. I just knew how cool it was to see that some well known authors had recommended a certain title. If I liked their books, I could be fairly sure I’d like the one they were endorsing.

These days, I hold endorsements in even higher regard, since I understand how they come about. Authors work hard to get those all-important blurbs that grace covers and/or first pages. Those who agree to endorse a book are, in essence, giving their stamp of approval.

What I didn’t understand was that authors ask other authors to “consider endorsing” a book. After reading the book, the author asked has the option of providing an endorsement or declining to do so–without giving a reason.

Since an endorsement is a reflection on the one giving it, this is an important decision. Authors wouldn’t want to endorse books unless they felt the books were deserving of praise.

I knew even before I began reading A Bride Sews With Love that I would love the story, and I was right. I’d read some of Erica’s other stories, so I know she’s a talented author. What I didn’t know was just how much I would love it. I think this is her best book yet and look forward to zapping my endorsement to the publisher.

My focus on endorsements got me thinking. How much emphasis do readers place on endorsements? Do they affect a potential buyer’s decision-making process? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

Friday Fun Victorian Style

I was thrilled when Gwynly agreed to wear Victorian attire to my author events. Talk about a supportive guy!

Being a writer, I was curious to find out what differences Gwynly would find between his Victorian clothing and that of today.

The things he remarked on were that the trousers ride much higher than pants today and that the shirt is fuller in the sleeves and body than those worn now.

Gwynly is unaccustomed to wearing suits, so I expected him to be a bit uncomfortable in his new outfit. He had one major complaint: the heat.

It took some talking to convince him that a Victorian gentleman would wear his frock coat in spite of his discomfort. If he was working or was at home with his family, he could remove his coat, but if he was he was at a formal event or in the presence of ladies, he would suffer in silence. Being the nice guy he is, Gwynly did just that.

My handsome hubby turns heads when he’s decked out in his finery. If you look at his entire outfit, what one part of it do you think the majority of the people found the most impressive?

To make it easier, I’ll list everything he’s wearing: top hat, frock coat, silver brocade waistcoat, white bib-front collared shirt, braces (aka suspenders), silk puff tie, pearl tie tack, and trousers. The shoes are modern. Since Gwynly’s a teacher and has stood for much of his thirty years on the job, he has trouble with his feet and wasn’t able to wear Victorian boots.

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You can find the answer to the question by clicking this link.

There’s a password required, but it’s simple. It’s Romance with a capital R.

 

Extreme Romance

What would you say if your special someone invited you on a hike in the wilderness that would take you down a boulder-strewn path, require two stream-crossings with no bridges in site, and force you to tromp though acres of waist-high undergrowth?

What if the destination was the crash site of a WWII B-17C struck from the air in the midst of a violent thunderstorm?

What if you would be the only woman among ten men embarking on this trip?

In years past, I would have run the other way. But I’ve come a long way, baby.

Trail to the Tells Peak B-17C Crash Site

Gwynly had taken two parties into the forest to locate the wreckage that was spread far and wide when the plane was torn apart and fell from the sky on November 2, 1941. Both of those times, I wished him well, stayed home, and did my own thing.

And then I read Sarah Sundin‘s WWII Wings of Glory series about brothers who served as B-17 pilots: A Distant Melody, A Memory Between Us, and Blue Skies Tomorrow. Her masterful storytelling grabbed me, and I devoured the three tales. No longer do I wonder what makes my husband’s eyes light up when talk turns to WWII aircraft.

When Gwynly planned his trek this year, I couldn’t wait to go. I enjoyed surprising with him my enthusiasm.

On Monday, July 30, we rendezvoused with nine pilots eager to join us. Seeing the plane was interesting, especially since we had such knowledgeable traveling partners. We were jazzed to learn that one of them restores WWII planes for a living. He was a wealth of information.

The trek delighted me for three more reasons. I was entering Gwynly’s world and sharing in his interest.

Me Traipsing Through the Undergrowth

I’d been afraid I might not be able to keep up with the men, but my exercise regimen had prepared me well. Not once did I hold things up. In fact, the men stopped for a break on the way back and ate my dust. OK, I’ll ‘fess up. Two of them did catch up to me just as I reached the trail head, and the others weren’t far behind.

The writer in me rejoiced at this rare opportunity to spend time in a man’s world. The guys didn’t give me special treatment or modify their behavior overmuch, so I was able to witness men in their element. I got to hear lots of malespeak, see how men interact, and watch fellows having fun together.

They had fun with me, too. At one point they got to talking about rivets, which led to talking about Rosie the Riveter, which in turn led to some good-natured teasing aimed my way. When the gentleman nearest me taunted me about women being less capable than men, I gave him a playful punch in the shoulder, resulting in laughter–and acceptance.

One of my favorite memories took place when the man who’d teased me studied the magnesium wheel that was part of the landing gear. He sat on a log, a look of appreciation on his face, and called the wheel “beautiful,” using the same tone a woman would when looking at an elegant piece of jewelry. When I remarked about this later, he defended his use of the term, telling me the wheel has curves–just like a woman. Yes, guys are fun!

The outing was a success. The men enjoyed seeing the site–a memorial to the pilot who gave his life to save his crew–but I think I had the best time of all. I got to spend time with my guy, who was proud to have the only wife who’d embarked on the adventure, one that resulted in some extreme romance.

The Right Wing with #4 Engine Nacelle in the Foreground

 

The Left Wing Tip

 

The Tail Section

 

A Fuel Tank and the Proud Woman Who Located It

 

A Portion of the Landing Gear

For those interested in WWII aircraft, here’s a video overview of the outing.

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What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done with your special someone?

When have you been able to spend time observing guys being guys?

Book Browser vs. Book Buyer

While spending three hours at my first bookstore signing, which took place at our nearest Barnes & Noble, I had plenty of time to engage in some people watching. I took advantage of the opportunity to learn about readers.

Every so often, I left the signing area to walk around the store. On row after row I saw customers standing in front of racks examining book after book.

What I didn’t see were customers heading to the registers in great numbers. Those who did buy books left with one, two, or sometimes three titles. The majority left the store empty handed.

I was left with questions. Why had they come into the store? To enjoy the delightful ambiance of a bookstore? To spend time sipping a beverage at Starbucks? Or to escape the 99° temperatures outside?

From what I could see, many came to with one objective: to browse.

I asked myself, why didn’t they buy? Was it because they didn’t come in planning to make a purchase? Because they didn’t find what they wanted. Or because they found what they were after and planned to shop online?

Asking those customers wasn’t an option, but I can ask you. What’s your goal when you go into a bookstore? Are you there to browse or buy? If you’re a browser, do you plan to buy later? At the store or online?

One final question: Do you love the bookstore atmosphere as much as I do?

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 Book Release Blog Tour Appearances

A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California was officially released July 1. Many wonderful bloggers offered to help me get the word out by hosting me on their blogs. The following posts wrap up my official blog tour. Thanks to the many who have followed me throughout the blogosphere.

July 30

Gabrielle Meyer ~ A Victorian Tea and Book Giveaway

July 31

Divine Detour – Interview and Book Giveaway with Kathy Harris