Blogging For The Love of It

Getting ready to leave for BlogHer '12 and feeling the squeeze; lining up dinners, figuring out clothes, scheduling what's a Must Do and who is a Must See over the next five days.

And that's just for my three children left back home.

To help you get a feel of what I'll be doing with my time once in the Big Apple, I'm excited and honored to be on a BlogHer panel for The Personal: Blogging For The Love of It. 

If you'll be at BlogHer, please come join a roomful of us who blog because of what it brings to our lives and how it's enriched our days. I know it's done that and more for me.

Click here to see the line up of BlogHer '12 presenters and :brushing imaginary lint off shoulders: I'm the fifth one down. *a cool little thing happens when you float the cursor over my picture*

Thank you all so much for being a huge part of why I know I will always live here online. Keeping this blog has been life changing for me and to say it has turned into one of the most unexpected joys in my life is an understatement. Because of your love, support and encouragement, I need to say Thank You. Thank you for reading my blog and linking to it on twitter and FB and passing it on to others. I humbly say I love every post I write here as well as the ones I've written for the other sites I'm fortunate enough to have opportunities with. These people believed in me and offered me a chance to stretch what I knew of myself, and because of that, incredible things* came my way.

I am humbled and grateful to be a part of your lives.

Life can be funny -- the parts that don't hurt, anyways -- if we write it down, even if what happens doesn't make sense to us. It may make no sense, but reading the words to the narrative of our lives helps us see the moment we're in.

All of you are 99.9 % of the wind in my sails and the strength behind my voice.

I appreciate you and can never thank you enough times.

Signed,

verklempt

*Part of 2011 Listen To Your Mother cast in Madison. Wisc. Part of 2012 The Moth cast, where I read live with Molly Ringwald. 2011 BlogHer Voice of The Year for Humor, where I read in San Diego.

We're Just Visiting

What does a little girl think, when she sees her family continue on as if they don't even realize they're in America? Why don't they even want to try and fit in with Americans?

What thoughts and answers pop into a five-year-old's head as she notices other families staring at her at the beach, curious about what her family packs and takes for a day in the sand?

There can only be one reason for this determined behavior... we are just visiting. My post today at TikiTikiBlog -- where I'm proud to be featured monthly.

TikiTiki -- cultura, color, y sabor!

A Latina blog celebrating Latin culture

What Is The Serenity Suite At BlogHer?

Since 2006, BlogHer has been creating a place for conference attendees to find some quiet when they seek it; a comfortable room they can go to -- to help calm social anxiety nerves, take a breather, or just ::center:: (I can't be the only that needs to sit and press two fingers to my temples, alone). This year is no different.

That place is The Serenity Suite at BlogHer.

Last year, a team of dedicated and caring bloggers led by Maggie and Heather, made sure someone was always there to greet you as you walked through the door -- and they are back!

What the Serenity Suite is is an alcohol free zone, which makes it the perfectly convenient place to take a break away from booze and not have to be alone somewhere if you don't want to be.

 And there's a bit more:

This year will be very special. Serenity Suite will be honoring our beloved Susan Neibur, of whymommy, whom we lost much too early, this past February. We'll have note cards in the suite, where we want you to tell us your memories of Susan, or of anyone in your life that has battled or is now battling cancer. Write their names down, talk to us about them, let's have everyone who comes into the Serenity Suite know about them.
 
I am honored and excited to be one of the crew volunteering my time with The Serenity Suite this year. I'm so happy that The Suniverse will be there with me, on Thursday night, 7 - 9 p.m.

So if you find yourself in need of some personal space and wishing for a place to go, stop by and talk to us, or come and sit quietly. Take a nap if you'd like, sit and stare into space if that's what recharges your batteries. Whatever you need, we'll be your haven for as long as you need us to be.

Any way you're there, we'll take you. And we'll be so very pleased to meet you.
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*The Serenity Suite will be located in suite 4246 at the Hilton*

• Coffee, tea and water will be provided
• If you are looking for an onsite recovery meeting the suite is the place for you!  Visit the suite and times will be posted.
• Heather is updating her site often with new and exciting details - check it out!

P.S. For those of you in recovery (of any kind), we will have local recovery meeting times and locations available on site.

Who's Going To Find Out How To Get Blacklisted From The PTA

Buy the book

 Using Random Number Generator, the winner of the awesome book giveaway from last week, Lela Davidson's Blacklisted From The PTA, is commenter number 11.

Dear lovely Marta of LostandForgotten, you've won!

What you're going to receive is a personalized, autographed copy of  Lela Davidson's collection of over 60 very funny essays from her book, Blacklisted From the PTA, all guaranteed to make you feel normal in this world (no small thing.)

Congratulations! And thanks for entering this book giveaway. Please let me know your addy and what message you'd like Lela to write. You can have Kindle, if you'd prefer. Lela will be sending out the books the second week of August.

Thanks again to all who entered!

Hazards of Summer

My husband thinks he was born with a grilling spatula in his hand. He assumes there's nothing to barbequeing: any one can do it. A can of charcoal lighter, a Weber grill, some briquets, and there you go.


But life, the great teacher, has taught him to bow down and make room for another: a griller who respects the power of the untamed fire flame.

At Aiming Low today, Lessons Learned from a once cocky grill-meister.

Respect the CharBroil, y'all.