I promised Dad before he died that my children would know his stories. I kept my promise and accidentally changed my life. This is my why!
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Do you ever notice the tumbleweeds at the beach?
They're usually clumped together on a bush near the sand bank, or they're rolling ferociously along the beach - herded by the wind. Have you ever wondered what they might say to each other?
I did...
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I’ve been looking at a blank wall all winter, imaging how special it would be to have a fire in that blank space. Spending money on a wood-burning fire was not high on our priority list, so the blank space haunted me with its nothingness until I became impatient and fixed it …
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I’ve been away for a while, and I’m sorry about that. If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, I don’t blame you. I’ve been relocating! And yes – it’s a relocation that’s taken me four years…
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You may have noticed, but social media was initially quite tricky for me. It came from years of social conditioning that told me to be seen and not heard. However, jump forward a few years and this little girl can be both seen AND heard these days. Apparently, always participating in oral expression is not so bad after all…
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Have you ever made a choice and then found yourself wondering what may have been if you had chosen differently? This week I found myself reflecting on the idea that our life path is nothing more than a map of the choices we make.
Last Sunday, we were in Gilroy. We made a small decision which inadvertently changed our lives …
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When our vacation in the heart of the Sierra Nevada happened to coincide with one of the largest snow-falls of recent Californian history - I was ecstatic! How lucky were we? Breaking 20 year records, the Squaw Valley reported it’s snow bank at 246 inches high (or 20 feet tall). It was a childhood dream of mine to visit Narnia and this was beginning to feel pretty close…
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It’s exactly 12 months since we moved to California and I’m beginning to feel grammatically challenged!
During my Mum’s recent visit, we were commenting on the fact that none of us have developed a US accent (yet). What we had developed, however, was a different vocabulary. There was no change to our intonation but we were saying things like candy (lollies), trash (bin), practice (training). It’s funny how we can sound the same while sounding so different. The thing is, it’s quite a funny story…
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Let me tell you a joke.
3 Mathematicians are out hunting when they suddenly stumble across a deer.
The first mathematician takes aim and overshoots. The second mathematician takes aims and undershoots. The third mathematician leaps in excitement and screams “We got him!”
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It looks like a cheesy tourist photo on Golden Gate Bridge with people I know, but to be honest I have no idea who these people are. I don't even know their first names, but I want to draw your attention to the orange arm band he's wearing. This makes him a "Bridge Angel" or a volunteer who gives his time to walk up and over the bridge watching for those people who are sad and lonely and contemplating jumping over. It seems sad but actually it was quite beautiful. Every "angel" we passed either smiled or wished us a happy New Year. She wore an arm band too. Some folks are just beautiful are they not...
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Bliss found a home in New York… until she didn’t.
I'm guessing you think I'm super excited to tell you this news.
When the email came through earlier this month, my instant reaction was to screen shot the front page of the contract and share it with everyone. My social media sites were primed and ready to go before I took a moment and thought ... "Hang on; pause a sec’ Wend. This is public announcement stuff and you haven't accepted the offer yet!"
I’m so glad for that pause. It probably saved me thousands…
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November marks the 2nd anniversary of my first book launch.
The road to self-published author was much longer than I anticipated. It took 7 years from the day I sat down to write Dad’s story until I had something to share. Most of this delay was because I was so determined to “do-it-alone”, but there were other delays like finding an illustrator, finding a graphic designer, finding a printer, and so the list goes.
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