Bits of Flotsam ;-)

I realized today how much I'm going to miss absolutely, 100% being able to post every day. I'll still post frequently, but it's not quite as simple when I go back to school on Monday (I always say that, "Back to school" instead of, "Back to work" ... I wonder if it's a teacher thing?).

Anyway, reentering the blogging world on a full-time basis for this past week has been a real treat, so maybe I'll find the time.

For today, here's an overview ...

1. Belle and I went to Target to get nail polish remover and some other stuff, then we went out to lunch at Friendly's. It's funny, we need to do Mommy/daughter dates more often ... I can't think of the last time she and I had a day together.

2. Addie has her second weekend of winter guard competitions. My mother drove down to watch it today, but Belle and I stayed home because Belle had to sell Girl Scout cookies at the grocery store. I'm really proud of Addie for stepping out of her comfort zone and giving winter guard a try ... the guard at her school is extremely good and very competitive, so she's really had to push herself.

3. I have plans tonight! Obviously not going to get my hopes up too much, but the possibility is always a nice feeling.

4. Belle and I have spent today (when we weren't shopping and eating) cleaning out (and throwing out, in some cases) her toys. She's moving into a bedroom in the main part of the house and out of the little barn attic room we have been sharing since we moved in with my mother. She's been sleeping in her new room for a week, and the time had come to move the toys over. I miss my little roommate :-(

5. There will be an upcoming post on this (I'm not quite ready to write it yet ...), but Belle is getting her pictures done tomorrow for her modeling/acting career. Long story short, Addie entered her in a contest, she made the first cut, she was one of 2,000 kids invited to Boston to meet with talent scouts, they picked ten ... and Belle was one of the ten. What started as a joke is becoming ... well, all too real. Anyway, that's tomorrow.

Finally, don't forget about the amazing, wonderful giveaway ... deadline is midnight on March 8, so make sure you enter (which you can do right HERE).

Ta :-)

Sustained by Laughter

I love to laugh. In fact, I think it's safe to say that, in some ways, laughter has saved me. I know a lot of people that become bitter and jaded and cynical when faced with ugliness, and while I've had my moments of feeling that way, I've always been able to search deeply for the humor in a situation and ultimately come out laughing.

During my blogoversary (how do you spell that, anyway?) week, I've been doing a lot of rereading (how fortuitous that it's coincided with school vacation week).

And I found that my blog contains quite a few really hysterically funny life adventures. Since I have a lot more followers now than I did when these were originally written, I figured I'd do some recapping. Definitely check out the original posts if you get a chance (there are links) ... remember, laughter is the world's best medicine :-)

My sister and I had a ridiculously funny Facebook exchange. It involved horse urine and lettuce from a different country. You can find it here.

If laughter is your panacea, teaching is the career for you. Only in education can tampons come up in a conversation about spare tires and the yearly occurrence of 4/20 bring hysterical laughter.

Then there was the night that Belle and I spent hanging with a giant chicken.

And then there was the whole Andy adventure, which was of course a laughter-fueled train wreck. If you haven't read about Andy before on here, he was my best friend for a long time--we reconnected for awhile when I decided that, for my own healing, I had to tell him about the rape. Anyway, we had some great adventures during our reconnected whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-it that were incredibly funny, including:
* Going to a Monster Truck show (I'm not what you would call a Monster Truck kind of girl)
* Why I ended up leaving my final divorce court date laughing like a loon.
* I walk into a men's room for a stupid purpose and see a man ... in action.
* The skiing adventure (with video ... my personal favorites are when we got Addie and her friend on the real chairlift when they were snowboarding for the first time or the last one, where you really get a feel for what tools Andy and I are together)

Andy isn't my only funny friend, though. Take BJ, for example, who received a mail order prayer rug and nearly had a nervous breakdown over it.

Hope I was able to brighten up your day a bit :-) ... which did you find to be the most humorous?

Oh, and don't forget about my wonderful, amazing giveaway. Enter now!

Blogoversary Giveaway: Living, Thinking, Writing, and Reading in New Hampshire!

As of March 8, 2011, I have been writing this blog for two years. Many things have changed in my life since then, but one thing that hasn't is my location. I have lived in New Hampshire my entire life, and it's safe to say that the beautiful state I live in (and the interesting people I get the chance to interact with on a regular basis--can we say "Old Yankee", anyone?) has shaped the person I am, both as a human being and as a writer.

To celebrate, I'm holding my first giveaway!!!!

Living, Thinking, Writing, and Reading in New Hampshire

So, if you're interested in these lovely items ...

A Prayer for Owen Meany [Mass Market Paperback] by John Irving, a wonderful book that will make you laugh, cry, and ... think (it also has the distinction of taking place not just in New Hampshire but in my little part of New Hampshire)

Delicious maple sugar candy made right here in the Granite State

REAL maple syrup, also made right here in NH

Dunkin' Donuts coffee, because it is one of my favorite things in the world






and, finally, a mystery prize ;-)

Enter the giveaway to win :-)

To enter, you must be a follower of this blog. Please leave a comment on this site with your e-mail address. This gets you one entry.

For additional entries, you can:

Follow me on Twitter (+1)

Tweet about this giveaway (+1)

Add The Philosophy of KLo as a Networked Blog (+1)

Read through the prologue to my completed novel, Unbreakable, recently posted on this blog (yes, I know it's long ...) and leave a comment with feedback (+2)

Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave a link to it in the comments here. (+1)

The contest will close at 12:00 a.m. (EST) on March 8th (my blogoversary, if I hadn't mentioned that ;-)). The winner will be selected from random.org.

Good luck!

Soliciting "Giveaway" Advice ... Help!

So, my two year blogaversary is coming up on March 8th ...

I'm very excited and grateful and want to do a giveaway ... but having never done this before, would love some advice on how to proceed/organize/what sort of thing is good to give away?

Advice (I'm always soliciting advice ... it must get old sometimes ;-)) left in comments or via e-mail is much appreciated!