THERE SHE IS ... MISS AMERICA!!


THERE HE IS ... OUR IDEAL ... WALKING ON AIR, HE IS ... MR. AMERICA!!

Yes, Mike got to take pictures of Miss America. In preparation, he was singing the Miss America song. A few minutes later, Ryan (age 10) walks through the kitchen singing 'There she is ... Miscellaneous.'

Mike showed the neighbors boys the picture and one of them asked why there wasn't a Mr. America. Mike pointed at himself and said, 'that's him.'


The picture here is of Lauren Nelson, a Lawton girl who was crowned last year as Miss Oklahoma State Fair. She is running for Miss Oklahoma in June and Mike has been getting her ads ready for the catalog thing they do.

Dana and I leave for the Nola Conference tomorrow. I'm so excited. Yes, like Dana, I have things to get done today, but then it's two days of fun. And I'm not even going to get nervous about talking to an agent because I'm going to learn something new. I'm taking the first 3 chapters of my WIP, Deep Breaths, and the first fifty pages of my completed manucript, Sweet Heaven, along with synopsis and query letter. Anything else I should take?

I'm even going to wash and vacuum the Suburban. Too bad I don't have a sports car. Maybe that's a good thing though. Evan turned 16 on Tuesday and is going to try for his license today. He doesn't like to drive the Suburban. If I had a sportscar, I'd have a difficult time telling him no day after day. Telling him no isn't an easy thing to do.

For the next ten days I'm supposed to "baby my eyes." This was the instruction I received from my new eye doctor, Dr. Ann Warn, who is with the Lawton Branch of the Dean McGee Eye Institute. No contacts. Eyes drops several times a day.

I have rough corneas possibly aggravated by dry eye syndrome, and just opening my eyes in the morning apparently causes areas of my cornea to peel off. Yeah, it hurts. I spent Thursday in bed with a cold compress over my eyes. The pain meds I took made the rest of my body veeery relaxed but they did nothing for the pain nor did they put me to sleep. I'm so much better today, but am still walking around inside my house with my sunglasses on (over my other glasses). Not a fashion statement.

I think part of the problem is that it's winter and the heats been on. In addition it's so dry and I don't drink near enough water.

I have learned something, though, during this process (it's been going on since early January). I'm constantly creating characters and "what if" situations in my head. Driving to the store, baking cakes, trying to sleep, doing laundry ... you get the picture. Even when I'm sick I can escape to whatever story is currently running through my brain. But lying in bed on Thursday I realized that sometimes it hurts too much to plot. Imagine that.

Thankfully, though I spent most of Friday in bed as well, in the dark, by myself, I had a new story in my head to keep me company. I also listened to three of the tapes I had checked out from the OKRWA library in January. I'm listening to Susan Wiggs' seminar on pacing next.

What is the post man's motto? "Neither rain, nor sleet nor snow nor dark of night shall stay this courier from his appointed rounds." (Thank you, Google). How about this: "Neither ice, nor blogs nor calls nor laundry piles shall stay this plotter from her inspired calling.

Plot on, people. Plot on.

HIDDEN BLESSINGS ...

I was so disappointed about the weather that canceled the OKRWA meeting. I'd been counting down the days. Dana called at 6:54 a.m. to tell me Jeff didn't think it was safe to go, which thrilled Mike because he didn't want me going, either.

But ... I had a wonderful day regardless. Mike kept the fireplace supplied with logs as I cuddled up in my comfy chair with blankets, drank hot chocolate and worked on Deep Breaths. My guy, Brewer, is really starting to develop nicely and now that the initial danger is temporarily behind them, sparks are beginning to fly. I even wrote an outline so that I'll have a clearer idea of how to pace the suspence and the romance.

Yesterday I watched Evan play soccer (man it was cold). He hasn't played since elementary school because Jr. High didn't have organized soccer. He's really gotten good. He turns sixteen next week. His mama is so proud of him.

I'll be cooking at the church today. Don't know when I'll get another chance to write. Maybe tomorrow night. But I'll be plotting. I have an idea for Rinda's sweatshirts. I'll have to figure out how to get it to her. Maybe I'll draw it and mail it along with the c.d. of OKRWA Christmas pictures. I hope she's gotten her copy of SURREAL magazine by now!

Stay warm! Sara

THAT WAS JUST SO ...

I have so much to learn. Dana read the first chapter of my WIP and explained to me all about not overusing certain words such as that, was, and just. I really enjoy using those words. We've all heard of comfort food. Is there such a thing as a comfort word?

In addition, thanks to Dana and Deb's OK Corral article, I have been enlightened on the subject of weak words. Weak words? I know all about weak knees and weak vision and have listened to multiple discussions regarding the weaker sex, but the whole weak word rule is new to me.

Next thing you know someone will tell me I shouldn't switch the POV back and forth whenever I feel like it. Oh ... right.