0 TXWB farm to table dinner

I knew it. I knew exactly what would happen after the #Blogtober14 month was over. And it did. I haven't blogged since Halloween.

Granted, I have a pretty good excuse. I took up with NaNoWriMo (click the link to find out all about nation novel writing month!) and all of my creative energy was solely focused on creating 50,000 words in 30 days. Well, I hit 50k on November 11th, so I more than achieved that goal. However, my story isn't finished, and I don't know it ever will be, because it just keeps giving me more to write about. I'm currently sitting at 57,823 words, and feel like my story has another few thousand words in it before I can successfully tie all the loose ends and answer any lingering questions I posed earlier on in my writing.

But life goes on, and there is fun stuff  that I would like to remember later on when my memory fuzzes out. So here I am, not finished with my novel, but needing to update anyone who reads about the things that make me happy.

Texas Women Bloggers is a group of exactly what the title says. We are women, in Texas, who blog. I was added to the group when Casey told me about it, and I was instantly blown away by the high level of blogging going on by these lovely ladies. Now, I willingly call myself a bad blogger because I have a terrible time generating meaningful content, or keeping to a posting schedule of any sort that engages readers and keeps you coming back. I really felt the need to join this group anyway, and tag along to the farm to table dinner that was put on in Dallas on Saturday evening. It would give me a chance to see some of my favorite people, as well as meet more. I was super nervous that the group would call me out as a fraud for my bad blogger ways, and honestly, I thought they might consider themselves above me for being better at this thing. Low and behold, they were really cool chicks. No one judged me. No one ostracized me for not having mad giveaways, a huge follower count, or for not being sponsored in any way. They were truly lovely people, funny, nice and a pleasure to get to know.

This is called a selfie bomb. It's the newest craze. You totally surprise someone with a selfie. a la, selfie bomb.

And surprise pictures. Not the best for capturing the best sides of people. Sorry, Amber.

I did realize something interesting, though. During dinner, we had to stand up and introduce ourselves to the other 38 or so women in attendance. I apparently do not like public speaking. It made me so nervous I was shaking from the adrenaline rush, and maybe a little sweaty. This from the girl who used to lead assemblies in front of my entire junior high school. The girl who willingly wore a longhorn cow mascot costume to football games in high school. The girl who wanted to be an actress so bad I tried out for every play I could in high school, taking any role, just to have my time on the stage. What the heck happened to that girl? I guess I used to be far more introverted, and as I have aged (ugh, kill me, I hate that word) I have become more introverted and prefer much smaller groups. Like of three.

So this dinner. I took a handful of pictures, but I'm quite terrible with that, so you will have to enjoy the few below. We met at the Urban Acres warehouse, which is a community supported agriculture group that provides locally grown produce for the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It was set up beautifully with a long table decked out for dinner, beams wrapped in twinkle lights, a sundae bar, and the cutest tote bags and mugs as favors.

There was a great photo booth area with props that I did not take advantage of,  lots of yummy food from Market Street, and wine pairings from Lost Oak Winery.

I was particularly fond of the blanc dubois white that was served with our kale salad. It was phenomenal, and I don't even like wine. Actually, the moscato and the Riesling they had available were also super tasty, and I could go for a bottle of all three. I got to sit with my bestie Casey, and spent a bunch of time with my girls Stephanie and Amber.

Love this photo of the three of us. Definitely going on my gallery wall.
So what have y'all been up to this November? Anything fun? Are any of you participating in naNoWriMo also? I want to hear all about it.

Detail: TXWB farm to table dinner

0 I ate Dallas

This is the story of how I ate all the things this week. Just kidding. I really wanted to eat even more things, but this TIU bikini series has given me a small measure of self control that was bent a lot, but not broken.

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, and haven't been deterred by my less than stellar posting habits, you may remember that I lived with my friend Kate for a month before moving to Austin. Well, it turns out that Kate and her husband, and her precious little baby bump, will be following my lead and moving to Texas next month! Unfortunately not to Austin, but close enough in Dallas.

I met up with Kate in Dallas on Monday for a few days of apartment hunting and girl time. We spent our first few hours following a Realtor around, checking out some townhouses and being less than impressed with his professionalism, but it was a good start. Kate introduced me to one of her favorite chicken places, Zaxby's, that is plentiful in Atlanta where she is from, but is scarce elsewhere. I really, really wanted to just get all sorts of yummy fried chicken, but I opted for a grilled chicken salad and knew I was missing out.

A short siesta at the hotel followed, and then excitement happened! Amber, of Brunch with Amber blog fame, showed up to get a hair cut from me. Yup, if I am in your city, you better believe I am willing to meet up and do a little hair. Amber is so sweet and wanted to donate hair to the Children with Hair Loss Foundation, and I am all about helping people donate to charities, especially when it benefits those who have lost hair for some reason. Amber's hair was long. Like looooong. Minimum donation is 8 inches, but we got 10 inches and still had plenty of length to achieve the style she wanted.

Seriously, how cute is Amber? And how awesome is she for donating her hair to such a great cause! I highly recommend looking into great charities like CWHL if you would like to donate your own hair.

Much chatting, good belly laughs, and fun was had by Amber, Kate and I, until Amber had to head home. Kate and I decided to check out Northpark Mall, where there is a Kate Spade store that my own Kate, who works for KS back in CA, wanted to visit. I should have been smart and stayed away. I went in blindly, having no previous knowledge of Kate Spade goodness.

Y'all. My eyes have been opened.

I need more Kate Spade in my life. It's an expensive new addiction, and it won't be completely scratched. Ever.

We found ourselves at the Kona Grill happy hour, where we enjoyed all sorts of goodies before calling it a night.

Day 2 had me up early, using the hotel gym to get 3 miles in on the treadmill and a Tone It Up workout before we started our day. Which was visiting a local ENT to check out Kate. It was sad folks. Poor Kate's ears never cleared after her flight to Dallas, having had to pressurize twice from a layover. Turns out that 5 months preggo Kate had a double ear infection, sinus infection, and bronchitis. Serious trooper, right there. She had to have a double myringotomy, which is a fancy way of saying the doctor poked holes in her ear drums to relieve pressure and help them drain. Ouch. Some antibiotics and a change to her return flight, and on she went. Total badass right there.

We met up with an apartment locator, Beverly of Dallas Apartment Locators, and toured a few properties and had the best time. I highly recommend using Beverly if you are looking for a place to live in Dallas. She was a breath of fresh air after our previous day's experience with a Realtor. I will end my review there, or else this will feel like a Yelp review, and you better believe I am going to give her a glowing review!

We grabbed Pinkberry, took a little nap, then ventured out to Trinity Groves to have dinner at LUCK (Local Urban Craft Kitchen) thanks to a Yelp scan.The food was amazing. We started with tempura battered fried green tomatoes with chili aioli and Texas caviar (get in my belly), and Kate had pot roast and brussel sprout hash, while I got pan seared mahi mahi with quinoa tabbouleh. The service was a little slow for an unknown reason, so while we got our appetizer before our drinks, it took another 45 minutes to get our entrees. Our server was very friendly and quite chatty, so he felt bad our food took forever and gave us free dessert--apple fritter funnel cake for Kate, and chocolate chip brownie for me. Free dessert? Of course I ate it, even though it was in no way Tone It Up approved! I was super sugar high after eating just half that dessert, my heart hammering well into the night haha

Wednesday I again hit the gym for 4 miles on the treadmill and a few TIU workouts. We had plans to head to the super cute Konx street so Kate could meet up with the Kate Spade store manager of that neighborhood store for a little meet and greet-- or so we thought. Knox reminded me a lot of Campbell, where my CA salon is located, so I loved hanging out. Turns out Kate pretty much got herself a job at that store, and a promotion, to boot. It's not quite clear to us, and maybe not even official if it's true, but we both got the impression that our meet up turned into an unofficial interview. Funny that Kate had thought she would not be working when she got to Dallas, and now it looks like she will be the visual merchandising supervisor for Kate Spade on Knox!

We got a lunch recommendation for Sissy's Southern Kitchen, which we were more than happy to try. Another round of fried green tomatoes was had. What can I say? I'm totally in love with them. Fried okra also made it to our table, and became a new obsession as well. I opted for the purple hull pea patties, while Kate ordered the renowned fried chicken. We were both pleased, and quite full, from our delicious lunch. Definitely a must have if you are in Dallas. Sissy's has the cutest decor, from a china plate installation around mounted deer heads, to the coolest light fixtures and a side room that is all Victorian and amazing.

 Kate had changed her early Wednesday flight from Dallas, to a Thursday flight from Austin because of her ears, so I had a road trip buddy to accompany me back home. Kate was a great DJ, playing a fun mix of music ranging from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, to Kacey Musgraves. We even stopped in Waco to visit my friend Stephanie of the Vintage Modern Wife blog. I finally got to meet her cute puppy Pearl, and it was fantastic to catch up and introduce the two preggos while we were at it.

We made it back to Austin without incident, which is excellent in my opinion, and headed to dinner at Jack Allen's Kitchen in Round Rock, because obviously I needed more delicious food! We met up with some mutual friends of ours for a fantastic dinner and great conversation.

I was sad to see Kate leave early Thursday morning, but I am excited that she gets to be a permanent Texas resident in about a month's time! Now if only I can convince more friends and family to move out this way...

Detail: I ate Dallas

0 Happies and Crappies

Today, I am linking of up with Stephanie and Amber to participating in their Happies and Crappies hop. I figured since I really love Stephanie to death, I should definitely get involved with her fun link up, so here you go, my very first H&C post!

Happies

Last week I convinced Casey to be my model for a little impromptu photoshoot. Hair, makeup, and a good hour of crawling around in the grass and searching for the best sun flare while gasping in delight later, I had so many beautiful images of one of my best friends. I'm still dying over the images. I'm waiting to figure out what Casey would like to do with them before I blast them out onto the interwebs, but here is a peek.

I found a new salon to work at! I didn't tell anyone I had a meeting with the salon owner because I had doubts about finding the perfect salon home and didn't want to get even my hopes up. I walked into the Beauty Jar salon and was instantly at home and happy. The salon is decorated and set up exactly how I would do my own space. Tiffany blue walls, a super cool mason jar chandelier, perfectly lit makeup stations, adorable accents. It was love. Brizy, the owner was also a doll. I was nervous to ask my most important question, "can I still maintain my business, and do weddings on my own, while working here?" "Of course girl, you're independent! You do what you need to, and you have a beautiful salon space to do it in," Brizy answered with a flourish of her well manicured hand. A weight was lifted off of my chest. I had feared that if I found a great salon that was cute, trendy, had great products and staff, I wouldn't be able to do my own thing. It was such a relief to have found everything I wanted, and the freedom to continue my thriving wedding business. I am super excited about all the Beauty Jar has to offer, including the braid and bun bar, my favorite Kevin Murphy products, and for being well awarded for weddings as well. I go in on Tuesday to discuss my schedule and set up my station. I can't wait to make this my salon home!

Source

I created a new spicy chicken soup recipe in my crock pot this morning, and had a delicious bowl for my late lunch. It helped clear my sinuses, and filled me up. I was just throwing stuff together, so I was unsure what the outcome would be. I am pleased and will be sharing the recipe on the blog for my next Tasty Tuesday post.

Tomorrow is the #TxValentineBlogiday blogger meet up that I am helping Stephanie and Casey host. I feel like I won the lottery with much needed friends here in Texas, and so special that Stephanie would want me to help her with this! We have about 16 people who will be meeting us in Waco at a great restaurant for brunch. I helped put together some cute Valentine's themed gift boxes, and can't wait to meet all of these fabulous bloggers. Hopefully it means more friends!

Crappies

I'm sick. I developed a sore throat and head congestion a few nights ago, after babysitting a family of kids with colds, and spent yesterday and so far today feeling under the weather. It's not a horrible cold, by any means, but I hate being even the littlest bit sick. I've been eating chewable vitamin C tablets, Airborne, Zicam and throat lozenges by the handful, drinking tea with honey, and even made that lovely spicy chicken noodle soup. Cross your fingers this goes away fast and I can feel 100% healthy again. Like tomorrow.

Setting up a station and getting a second set of all my salon supplies is going to be expensive. I have everything I need back in California, but I plan on working in salon anytime I head back for weddings, so it all has to stay there. I can write everything off {next year when I file my 2014 taxes}, but as I haven't been working other than occasional freelance stuff for over two months, it's hard to part with the little money I have, even if it means making more later. 

I filed my taxes today, and as usual had to pay. Owning your own business or being an independent contractor can suck when taxes roll around. I thought that buying a house in 2013 would mean we got all this money back from closing costs, moving expenses, property taxes, PMI, etc. Because we closed at the end of the year, we didn't meet the standard deduction, so we don't get anything for the house until we file 2014 taxes. Here's to next year. 

Link up with Amber and Stephanie and write your own Happies and Crappies post!

Detail: Happies and Crappies

0 Thankful for friends in Texas

I am so incredibly thankful for good people. I feel like people come into your life for a reason; sometimes you see that reason right away, other times it takes a while to present itself. I love when there is a connection with these people that goes beyond the surface reasons you can easily spot. Sometimes those people are just what you need, at just the right time. I have met a good handful of those people that I cherish with all of my heart. I would do anything for those people. 

My sweet friends here in Texas are no exception. I tell Casey all the time that she is the best thing that has happened to me since I moved to Texas. She laughs, but it's true. Stephanie is the girl who wasn't afraid to meet a strange blogger from California, and invited me to a blogger event where I met even more awesome ladies. I would be a very lonely, sad person sitting at home by myself, texting and missing my friends back in California without them. Instead, I see my friends here at least once a week, and text them often. It makes me happy to know that I have friends here in Texas who have come into my life for a reason. I just hope I can repay their generous friendship with tons of love and bless them in some way in return.

Last weekend, I invited Casey and Stephanie over to hang out. Stephanie wanted a haircut, and I had ulterior motives for wanting company, which I'll explain later.

I am seriously so sad this picture of Wilder is blurry. He's the freaking cutest and this would have made a great photo. I still like it.

Annnnd Wilder totally used the dog door. Sadie won't even use it, but he is brave and went in and out of it all afternoon.

Um, how gorgeous is Stephanie? She needed a little trim and some long layers. I couldn't help styling her all up and snapping this. Straight out of camera and no editing at all.

This, my friends, is my ulterior motive. I wanted Casey and Stephanie to help me with some crafts. And thank goodness for them, because those tissue paper tassels are way harder than I thought they would be. The tassels became a garland, and then we made burlap bunting which helped decorate my vendor table at a wedding venue open house. 

This is what the finished product looked like at the vendor show on Sunday. I was super impressed with how it turned out. And I totally re-purposed all of the decorations and put them up in my office. It's better than putting them into a box waiting for the next fair or show. 

That burlap table runner with the purple lines? Made that too! My friend Sarah taught me how to use a sewing machine while I was home in San Jose. I sewed the panels together, and she attached the purple bits for me. Now I need to find myself a sewing machine so I can practice and start making more things. Not clothes though, this isn't Little House on the Prairie. 

The florist in attendance at the open house gave me that flower wreath, which I was more than happy to wear. Until my allergies to all things growing kicked in and I felt like death. The ceremony site at Angel Springs Even Center is pretty awesome. I would totally get married there.

This post is just one of the many reasons why I am thankful for friends. New and old. Near and far. 

Detail: Thankful for friends in Texas

0 Escaped Book Tour

Oh, loves do we have something fun today!

I am hosting my blog friend Rachel Robinson on her book tour for her new book, Escaped: a Samantha Scott novel. This is a paranormal romance, one of my absolutely favorite genres, and I am so stoked to read it! So read on for an author q & a, an excerpt from Escaped, and an amazing giveaway for a Nook! 

Rachel created an author interview book trailer to give you a little insight into Escaped, and I love it! It's not like your traditional book trailer, but comes straight from Rachel herself in a vlog interview format, or at least that's how I look at it.

Here's a question and answer session with Rachel, enjoy!

Tell me about your Paranormal Romance, Escaped: A Samantha Scott Novel and where you got your inspiration for it?A place exists like your hometown or like mine that can never be seen or visited unless it lets you. Cadiza, is set deep in the Iberian Plateau of Portugal, far away from any civilization and inhabited by residents that are unable and unwilling to leave. Unfortunately, Cadiza is still close enough to large cities to prompt temptation in the young, willful hearts of teenagers. Or at least one, Samantha Scott.

She is unlike a normal human as are all the residents there. They are Bruxas—witches. Powerful ones. With her talisman now granted, a golden wrist tattoo giving her the ability to cast and spell at will, Samantha decides it’s time to bust out of Cadiza to fight for a life of her own in the human world.

The only hiccup in her plan is that her Bruxa Skill can’t be defined. Some witches have speed, others have the ability to use cathartic magic to control emotions, Samantha has multiple skills which make her dangerous yet valuable to Cadiza and to The Elders. Escaping was never going to be easy but now being on the run from Jade, the Eldest is going to be downright dangerous.

Jade will play dirty, even tempting Samantha with her Match—a Bruxa’s one true love to lure her back into her clutches. This proves a confusing triangle completed by Malakai, Samantha's first love and a human intermingled in Cadiza's widespread web of lies. For Samantha Scott the human world proves to be full of deceit and lies leaving her wondering if any choice she makes will be a wise one.

With her two best friends in tow, how far is Samantha willing to go to keep her magic and establish a life of her own outside of the Bruxa commune? How far will she go to protect the lives of her friends? To fall in love with whom she chooses?  Most importantly, how far will she push the limits to find herself?

I get my inspiration from everything around me. People and places of every variety imaginable.

How do you overcome writers block? I give myself deadlines. I work on a tight schedule and don’t sway from it. It’s the single-most important thing I take away from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) each year. You can always edit out the garbage later, but you can’t get back the time you should have been writing.

Do you believe in love at first sight?Have you ever experienced it? I don’t believe it happens between people. Humans are too complex for such a silly notion. I do, however, believe it happens while shoe shopping.

Do you recall how your interest in writing occurred? I’ve always been fond of words. I recall writing a poem while riding in the back seat of my Grandpa’s car. My mother cried the first time she read it. It went on to be published in a poem collection. I was probably only eleven or twelve years old at the time. I remember thinking, “I was just bored.”

If you gave one of your characters the opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say? They speak for themselves all the time! It’s why I get ulcers when they stray from my plot line. I hope one of them would say, “Go take a break, Rachel. We got this.”

What’s your favorite love story? Pride and Prejudice is the epitome of a great love story. It’s the only time I've rooted for a man so odd. It speaks volumes of Jane Austen’s talents. I’m also a sucker for a miserable, tragic love story.

Do you have a writing process? If so describe it. I’m what some call a burst writer. I have ideas, characters and plotlines that bounce around in my head at all times. I let them simmer there and make notes in my notebook here and there but never outline anything. When I sit down to write it all comes out in a big jumble. I’m obsessed; I’m crazed and completely dedicated to the story that’s finally being evicted from my mind. I like to use sticky notes for plot points. The wall in my office is covered with sticky notes when I’m writing a book.

Have you ever killed someone in a novel and regretted it later? I did this recently. I walked around for days like a depressed zombie because I knew it had to be done. It didn’t make it any easier. The good thing about writing Paranormal is that sometimes you can keep your options open for bringing characters back from the beyond in one form or another.

If someone came up to you and wanted to tell you about an idea or a book they were writing, what would you do? Or what advice would you give? To be a writer all you have to do is write. Tell the story that needs to be told, the one that can’t be quelled in the back of your mind. That’s the story people want to read. After you write the story go back and rewrite it…a couple times. Lastly, when you think your story is a perfect, scrupulous masterpiece rewrite it one more time just for good measure.

Are the names of characters in your novels important? Yes and no. It’s like a child, after you name them you can’t picture them going by another moniker. Personally, I like names that can be shortened into nicknames.

Are you mostly a clean or messy person? I’m the messiest clean person you’ll meet. My house is meticulously cleaned because of a spouse with a loving helping of OCD, but my pile of clean clothes is always lurking nearby. My office is a perfect balance of organized chaos.

Which do you find more embarrassing to write, violence or sex? Is violence embarrassing to write? My Grandma wouldn’t bat an eye at a bloody nose, though I’m sure she’d gape with unabashed horror while reading a sex scene her granddaughter wrote.

What would you do with 1 million ping pong balls? Crafting is one of my hobbies. I’d find something fantastic to do with that many balls. (No pun intended) I’m thinking a lot of spray paint and perhaps an entire wall covered with colored ping pong balls.

What do you like most about being a writer? It’s basically a free pass to be crazy. I look like a normal person so no one can guess, unless I tell them, or if they read my books, exactly what’s going on inside the noggin. The creative freedom is a rush.

An excerpt from Escaped:

"You're lying. I don't know why." I knew him better than he thought. After years apart I still had it. He remained silent and stony. He looked at me in earnest with his blue eyes. In that moment I knew his silence was as close to the truth as I was going to get.

"Fine. If you can't tell me what all this is about." I nudged the closest stack of books with my boot and then returned my gaze to his.

"Are you with me or against me?" If he wouldn't answer me straight I needed the next best thing―his alliance. He took a step in my direction. My stomach filled with butterflies as he gently grabbed my hands and stared intently at me. As he interlaced our fingers, I felt the strong, safe warmth I'd never been able to forget. The buzzing throughout my body I'd come to know when I was close to Malakai began. He released my hands and brought his hands to my waist. His grip was strong and tight as he crushed our bodies together. He pressed his chiseled chest and stomach against my body. It left me wanting more.

"I'm as with you as I can be." He trailed his hand up the side of my waist, grazing my breast as he brought his fingers up to lightly touch my neck. I closed my eyes to relish his touch, a touch I'd been without for so long. I opened my eyes to find his gaze darkened and more out of control. This was another look I knew well.

My head kept screaming it wasn't a direct answer. It could be taken one way or the other. My heart cancelled all other lucid thoughts as Kai leaned down and kissed me so passionately that I forgot I even owned a brain.

Rachel’s Bio

Rachel grew up in a small, quiet town full of loud talkers. Her words were always only loud on paper. She has been writing stories and creating characters for as long as she can remember. After living on the west coast for many years she recently moved to Virginia Beach, VA. Escaped is her first Paranormal Romance novel.

Rachel Robinson blogs over at the Mean Girl Diaries, you can follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, and check out her website for more Samantha Scott news! 

And now, the coveted Nook Simple Touch and a signed copy of Escaped giveaway! Make sure you are a Google Friend Connect follower; my GFC is on the right hand side of the page ;) Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Detail: Escaped Book Tour

0 Friday's letters

Linking up with Ashley for Friday's letters because I really miss that girl :(

Dear Ashley, I saw a car that looked like yours this week and it totally sunk in that you are across the country and no longer 10 minutes away. I miss you. Hope Michigan is treating you well. I think I will be visiting that beautiful state in the next year, because you are now one of many wonderful friends I have who live there.

From our friend Kate's bachelorette party at the Dry Bar back in September

Dear Billy, I'm so sorry you've been sick this week. Four days is a long time to be cooped up inside, feeling like death. I really hope you are on the mend now, and that I did all I could to help you feel better. There's only so much a girl can do for colds. OTC cold meds, throat lozenges, Airborn, vitamin C, water, and rest were what I ordered and what you complied with. Hope work treats you well today!

Dear Mermaid duathlon, I have absolutely no idea if I am ready for you. I have been training for the Nike Women's marathon, rather than a little sprint duathlon, but I figured it was worth the entry. I can blast out the 1.5 mile run, 12 mile bike, and 2.5 mile run no problem...I think.

This is my first race bib with my name on it! 

{The text says "I am fast enough, I am strong enough, I am good enough, I am mermaid athlete}

Dear Nike Women's half marathon, I just want you to be over already. You have been looming over me for far too long, and I am sick of being afraid of you. I will rock that hilly course, get my Tiffany's necklace, eat my Ghiradelli chocolate, and conquer you like the mythical beast you are. I may come out of the race battered and broken, but I will finish. 9 more days!

Dear self, I'm sorry you are kinda broken. I know I haven't been the best to you lately, but I am making up for the ouchies with lots of chocolate this week. But frankly, the candy has got to stop. I will NOT gain my usual October-January 5-10 lbs of weight from excess candy and junk food intake. Also, I never fully got rid of last year's weight! I'm doing something different this year, I swear. 

Dear Dr. JP Bourget of Mission Chiropractic, thanks for lasering, taping, adjusting, PTing me {story to come}, and generally geeking out with me the last two weeks I've been in to see you for various injuries. I think it's cool that you think I am weird in the best way, that my back is an anomaly and you have no clue how to begin treating me because I am unlike anything you've worked on before. I also think it's pretty neat you brought in the other two doctors to feel my crazy crackly scar tissue, which we have decided is probably tendon moving over rod and not to be worried about. Oh, and the fact that you are a hockey player from Calgary, Alberta made me think highly of you, if only because my girls Alison, Leigh, Nicole and Leslie are pretty stellar and make Canadians awesome. 

Detail: Friday's letters