Things I Learned In NYC

I've lived in Texas all my life. Crowds aren't my thing, yet I was so thrilled at the opportunity to see New York City and take my proverbial bite out of the Big Apple.

What did I learn while I was there?

Well, what I learned at the RWA Conference was vast, so I'm going to focus on non writerly things I discovered:

1. Batteries are a girl's best friend. Seriously, I took so many pictures in NYC that my camera was going through batteries like a teenager at a buffet.

2. Said batteries in a purse in a high volume get you noticed by the cute security guard scanning your stuff at the Empire State Building. Yeah, that was NOT too much fun.

3. Claustrophobic people with no patience will meet their private hell while trying to get to the top of the Empire. Fortunately, awesome friends with patience are a prized possession. My dear friend and fellow writer Mo Boylan definitely earned her friendship badge that day when we got into those elevators and got crunched in like sardines.

4. Variety may be the spice of life, but it is NOT your friend when you're a sardine in a sky-bound can.

5. Times Square will change if you blink more than once.

6. Dogs who hang their head out a window are BRILLIANT! Bless Mo, Terri Brisbin and her wonderful son for enduring my photographic needs while we drove in to NYC.

7. Drivers in NYC are just as crazy as those in Texas. I would've fit in just fine. hehe

8. Black really is the in color in Manhattan.

9. When in doubt, shove your way through the crush of people. There is space somewhere in front of you if you push long enough.

10. The don't walk signs are a suggestion apparently. There is safety in numbers when you're in the middle and getting directed across the street like a helpless cow in a cattle car.

11. I loved NYC.

Those are the learnings that popped up in my head first. My week in NYC is one I will never forget and I look forward to returning.

Here's to the next grand adventure!!!!

Next stop for me?

Akron, Ohio for the Ellora's Cave Romaticon convention. It will be blast!

Happy Mother's Day

For all those who are mothers around the world, and for all those blessed with mothers, I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day, whether you are in a country that celebrates it or not.

I've never personally been one of those people who put much stock in those "holidays" created by someone for honoring people on certain days. I believe that there are some people who should be honored for who they are on a daily basis, and for me, my mom would be at the top of the list.

She taught me to be strong, determined and to not be afraid to be who I was meant to be. She showed me through example what I could achieve if I strived for the most from myself, both intellectually and professionally.

She gave me my hunger and love for the written word. From her I learned that devouring books opened worlds and incited a bone-deep need to tell the stories locked within my mind. From her I learned the beauty of crafting worlds and the joy it would bring to simply let my fingers fly across the keyboard.

My mother taught me so many things while managing to somehow also keep me and my little brother in line. This was a monumental task for a woman who was single-handedly running the household.

I could sit here for hours and never come close to the end of the enormous list of things I learned from my mother. So perhaps the best I can do is what I do every day when I speak with her on the phone.

I love you.