I was nominated for the One Lovely Blog award by my friend Mek, a talented writer at 1000 Hours Left. I would like to thank her for nominating me and for also giving us some wonderful insights about herself. She has an interesting creative writing blog, and I invite everyone to check it out. The rules say to reveal seven facts about oneself. I tried to think of ones that you all might not know, but I think most of you pretty much know everything about me.
Seven possibly new things:
1 Writing: I have been writing since I was in jr. high school, and I currently have two children’s books and another book of my southern stories set in the 1960s to be released in the fall. Lately, I’ve become less enamored with writing. My favorite time of the day is 3:00 – 5:30 PM. School is out at three o’clock for me (usually), and in the past, I would go home and spend most of that time writing. These days, I come home, run around the kitchen singing “School’s Out For Now” and sit on my sofa in the big sunroom with my cats and enjoy the sunlight streaming through the windows. I guess that’s because I’m a Leo, the sun sign, cat thing, and all. My motivation is rather disappearing. Sigh.
2 I spent way too many years in college. I wish I had gotten my PHD in English and become an English professor. Or I wish I had become a psychiatrist. Either one. Now I just want to grow up to be Yazemeenah Rossi and take off to Europe or hang out on a Malibu beach in cool outfits and jewelry. Oh yeah, and her hair simply rocks, who wouldn’t want that hair?
3 Speaking of jewelry, I’m a jewelry crafter, and I love making things. It also sells much better than my writing, lol! I call my shop, Willa’s Beads, and currently only sell locally in a downtown shop called The Alley Cat Vintage Boutique. The owner, Julie is so cool. Plus she has cat shirts! I may start an Etsy store at some point, but the last thing I feel I need is one more Internet site, channel, avenue to manage.
4 I have three kids. My two girls are older than my son. It was so hard to send him off to college, but I’ve finally reached a point to where I’ve stopped whining about it. I don’t get to see any of them very much as everyone is so busy. I contemplate moving closer to Houston, but current events have not helped much in making that decision. Plus that commute, it was more than hideous when I lived there years ago and now it is compounded times 10.
5 My significant other is a rock star. I call him the Rock Guy when I write about him. He is one of the most talented musicians that I have ever met. Original hard rock music. In the late 80s, he quit his Austin Texas band, Dangerous Toys, and moved to L.A. So he could “make it.” Not long after he moved away, Dangerous Toys signed with a major record label and appeared on MTV. That is so funny and ironic that you can’t even write this stuff. Except that I might. Someday when I’m not sunning in my sunroom.
6 I am an also would-be musician. I love music! If you found my iPod, you would be amazed. Yes, I still listen to an iPod. I have songs from every decade starting with the 1950s. No joke! I saved my lunch money back in the seventies to buy a guitar. My mother found out and would not let me use the money to buy one. She cited dishonesty. So that kinda killed that dream. Who knows what might have happened if I had gotten my hands on one? I’d probably have been playing with Dangerous Toys! I can’t sing although I often dreamed of being Madonna in the 1980s (she’s a Leo too, you know). I have not recently wanted to be Madonna, perhaps because she has those gold grills on her teeth. Take those off, girl, and get back to the old music you wrote and not this “trying to be young with gold teeth” thing. But that’s just me. I still love you, Madonna, you are truly the greatest, just in case you read this, please don’t sue me just because I have an opinion.
7 My favorite things are iced tea (well it is the south!), chocolate (I try just eating the dark, bitter stuff but it isn’t the same), Halloween, naps, sunny days, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Diane Keaton, books, books, books. Jewelry. Flowers (I used to garden). Friday nights. Friday nights with high school football. When I say I like football, I mainly mean high school because I teach the kids and I know them. Football is pretty much the only thing there is in some of these towns that are so small. There’s a lot of excitement and maybe to quote Forest Gump, “It gives people a reason to hope.” Sports are great for kids, they learn many lessons. I also dream of disappearing. I would like to go and live in a foreign country: Italy, France, Spain. I should go to Spain, I speak the language, but not as fluently as I should after spending over two years in college studying Spanish literature. Did I mention I spent too much time in college? Most of that was studying English literature which has paid off in spades.
I am supposed to nominate 15 other bloggers for this award, so I will just put it out there for any of you who would like to reveal seven things about yourself. Please let me know in the comments section if you would like to participate so that I will be sure and check your post for interesting tidbits!
Well that was fun! Though you forgot to mention you write beautiful poems…….. Oh, no that’s right – we all know that 🙂
Congratulations LT!well deserved! It was nice getting to know more about you.
Wow so many facets to your creative (and sporty!) side. Thanks for accepting the award – congrats and thanks for the kind words! More comprehensive comment to follow (I’m at work sshhh!).
I won’t tell, ha ha! Very welcome, Mek 😀
Congratulations – on your nomination and your life so far
Thank you, Derrick 😀
Lana, congratulations on the nomination and I’ve loved learning more about you in this lovely post, with elements of stream of consciousness running through it! 😀 You make jewellery!!! After book shops, these are my other favourite window shopping experiences and when I didn’t have my head in a book you could find me on the floor of my Mother’s bedroom carefully sorting her jewellery, polishing them. I’m so glad they’re selling well. So you spent too much time in college…why do you say that? Oh yes, disappearing sounds good to me!! Great countries to go to, although at the moment there is so much upheaval I’d pause a moment or two. I could go on and on…your love of life and books shines through, your sense of humour and thoughtfulness evident in all you do – enjoy your sunroom…see where the breaks take you. Thank you for opening this up to us all…I just did the same with a book tag…I’ll keep it in mind for later! 😀❤️
Oh good, Annika, I hope you do consider accepting the Lovely Blog award and posting some things. It is rather fun! Thanks for the compliment. I do make jewelry, and it is my favorite past-time and can be a neat form of self-expression. Not to mention a rather pretty form of expression. I can just see you sitting on the floor of your Mother’s bedroom sorting and polishing her jewelry, so wonderful! I guess it isn’t a good time to travel or disappear right now, sigh, hopefully, things will get better. Oh me and the college thing, it went like this…I went to night school for two years and earned an Associate Degree in Business, then I left my office job and earned the full degree, Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in English (that’s a rather weird one). Then I decided I would get a Master’s degree in English. They made me level for twenty plus semester hours and put thirty hours of foreign language requirement on that. By the time I finished the Spanish and leveling to pursue the English Master’s degree, my friend told me that I’d never get a job and that I should do what she did and get a Master of Library Science. So I did, lol. Then I could not get a job locally, went back and did another thirty semester hours to become a certified English teacher for the State of Texas. I’m still without a regular teaching position because I live in a small town and there is so much politics and networking involved, and I’m not good at that. My only option would be to move and that is a difficult one. Whew, have I made you tired yet, ha ha! I do hope you consider the award, much love. xo
Phew…I see what you mean now!! 😀😀 All great subjects and you’ve learnt so much along the way and it seems you could take on any variety of jobs from using your languages, librarian, teaching, business….grrr…small town politics is such a downer. I do hope you find something inspiring and permanent soon…❤️
Well Done. Carry On. 🌟✨💫
Thanks so much! 😀
Oh, how nice to find out more about you, You have multiple talents and teach high school kids too! May some of those dreams come true for you. Congratulations all around!
Thanks so much, Jo. I love high school, they are my favorite age group 😀
Creativity literally oozes out of you, doesn’t it, Lana? If you won’t write, it will manifest itself in other ways: jewelry, music, dancing, languages, kids and pets, teaching and learning. I denied my inner writer for decades saying I had no time for it, yet I stole hours to sketch, sew, knit, quilt, decorate, travel, cook, bake, fix up old cars, paint walls, lay tile, peck out tunes on a keyboard, play a kazoo just for fun (any maybe annoy people). Writing is in the same creative category, yet quite different… other pursuits, I could pick up and put down whenever. With writing, I need time to immerse myself in the process, space to let the words flow, an interruption-free zone. Maybe it is the same with you? Writing classes, poetry group, and my weekly blog keep me responsible, keep my pen moving. Anyway, thanks for sharing your enlightening facts. As I suspected, we have much in common. Here is a link to one of my old posts from a similar blogging award, seven fun facts about me and links to a few of my favorite blogs: https://justjoan42.wordpress.com/2016/04/10/blown-away-and-grateful/ 🙂
Super cool, Joan, I’ll check your link out. Yes, we are both creative spirits, you and I. We could have such a good time together if we ever get a chance. I think with the cars and tile laying that you have me beat! Creative folks are more interesting and so much more fun, my opinion. 😀
So nice finding out a bit more about you, Lana! You’re one busy lady, you know. How you ever make time to do ALL the things you’ve listed makes my head spin. I haven’t spent near enough time beading jewelry of late — my publisher would say book promotion is more important!!
Well, actually, most of those were things I was doing in the past. These days it is just teaching, blogging, animal and house care. The jewelry thing is fun, but it is also an income stream for me which is how I rationalize the time spent in my head. Book promotion is truly difficult. Unfortunately all the libraries around me are duds, and I have exhausted most of the free avenues for promotion. Now, I would have to take time off from my job and go to Dallas and surrounding areas for promo opportunities, or take out expensive ads or join expensive organizations or order book merchandise. That’s a bit like gambling if you don’t recoup it in sales. My publisher always has some pretty good ideas though, so guess we shall see. I’m not sure when I can expect the first preview copy, hopefully October. Maybe I’ll have new ideas by then, lol.
Best of luck with it. Not easy living in a small town. My problem is TIME, or rather, not having enough time!
Yeah, I know that one too. We can only do the best we can…..
Wonderful and happy for you, Lana! 👌
Thank you, Iris. Have a super weekend! 😀
You too! ❤
It´s been so much fun to read this lovely post, Lana! I never knew you made jewelry – that´s so awesome! I love to make it too, just bought a new batch of feathers for making earrings 😉 I haven´t sold any yet though but gave away as presents. It´s a wonderful thing to do, isn´t it? Would love to see some of yours one day 🙂
Wow! A Rock Star! That´s one of the things a girl can normally only dream about of saying about her boyfriend 😉 Lucky you! 😀
But the story about the guitar? That´s so sad and I hope you don´t spent too much time thinking about what could have been… I regret something similar, for me it was acting. It´s strange when you think you might have been really, really good and possibly even successful at something but realize as you get older that the chance will never present itself it again. It´s a bit heart-breaking, isn´t it? But we have to do the best of what we have, and I believe that people like you do find ways to express themselves even better like with your writing. 🙂 Most rock star don´t have the time to write novels too 😉
And I hope, no, I know, that your motivation will come back to you soon! Just enjoy sitting with your cats in the sun and don´t worry too much. The mind and heart take their own time to heal.
Wish you a beautiful and sunny weekend, my dear friend! 🙂 xxxxxx
Oh Sarah, you are so kind and lovely. I know the part about the guitar is sad, as is the way you think maybe about acting, but as you say, we evolve into other creative avenues where we can enjoy a different art. It is true that if I had became a musician, I would probably written songs but nothing else. I know what hard work it is since I watch the Rock Guy (who would be a really great writer but doesn’t have the patience beyond song writing). I’m not really worried about writing so much, I guess I’m just tired of working all the time, and even though I enjoy it, two hours after an already 8 hour day is still work. I will get back to it, I still have pipe dreams related to writing. We still have the sun on this first day of fall and temperatures up into the high 90s, so it will definitely be a summer weekend, hope you also have some sunshine to enjoy! I always appreciate your beautiful and supportive comments, dear friend! 😀
I´m sure you and the Rock Guy link each of your talents perfectly together and this way you can both produce even more art, inspiring each other like it wouldn’t have been possible if you´d shared the same profession.
And never give up your dreams, they´re treasures in themselves, helping us to achieve things seemingly out of reach 🙂 xoxo
So cool Lana. I loved learning more about you and your passions. It seems we like a lot of the same things, from music to Spain, jewelry and sunshine! And I’m with you on the gold teeth with Madonna, lol. <3
Glad you enjoyed reading, Debby. I know we would get along really well, you and I 😀 Yep, those gold teeth, gotta go, lol!
Lollllllllll, no doubts my friend! 🙂
Congratulations, very well deserved.
Thanks so much 😀