Actor

My writer friend, Julie Klassen, just returned from a tour of England. She is a regency fiction author who decided it would be fun to plan a trip to England for her readers and her literary agent. She quickly found many who jumped at the chance to go. Spaces filled up quickly.  It was worth every penny they spent.   I  would have gone in a heartbeat, but my daughter was walking down the aisle the day they left!

Below is a recap of the adventure on her blog.

http://inspiredbylifeandfiction.com/england-tour-recap-the-trip-of-a-lifetime/

While there, she was blessed to meet actor Benjamin Witrow. He played Mr. Bennet in the 1995 movie version of Pride and Prejudice. Sadly, he passed away on September 28. I'm sure Julie was shocked as she just saw him a few weeks ago. Such a talented individual. May his soul rest in peace.

Have you seen the 1995 movie? Which adaptation is your favorite? 

A resounding no

Sometimes the answer is no.

Oh how we want it to be a resounding YES.

I'm taking some advice from Winnie the Pooh...

Just remember
you are BRAVER
than you believe,
STRONGER than
you seem and
SMARTER than
you think.

Michelle Griep

Meet my BFF, Michelle Griep.

We met a few years back now while attending a writing group. We hit it off right away because we both LOVE England. I think she may love it more than me. GASP!

I got to know her even better while spending the weekend together at a writing retreat.

I asked her if she would look over my writing and tell me how to improve it. She let me know all right...GULP!

I'm so thankful for her honest critique. She has made me a better writer. She told me I was "teachable," which apparently isn't always the case among writers.

Michelle is zany and super fun to hang around. She is a gifted writer.

This book...died laughing reading every page. Hysterical.

Michelle was in Texas this weekend and won a huge award. A Carol Award. It's the equivalent of winning an Emmy in Hollywood! So very thrilled for her. 

This is her latest project. Dickens! I can't wait to read.  Thursday evening of this week she is having her book launch at the Barnes and Noble in Edina at the Galleria. I'm excited to celebrate with her. 

https://michellegriep.com/

My forever friend

Weddings are a preview of what heaven must be like.

How wonderful to have family and friends gathered in one place.

At our daughter's wedding, we were blessed to spend time with  loved ones we haven't seen in a long while.

One in particular I couldn't wait to see was my childhood friend, Alicia.

I was beyond excited when her reply came back stating she would be attending.
We have been friends since the 5th grade. Sleepovers happened frequently.  Mostly at her house.  We would stay up all night  talking about boys and laughing until our bellies hurt.  I have the fondest memories of those days.
They were the best of times and yet they were the worst.

You see, life sometimes isn't fair.  I will never forget the day when a boy on a bicycle peddled at breakneck speed up my driveway notifying me I need to get to Alicia  immediately.  "She needs you RIGHT NOW." That's all I remember him saying.

Oh the heartache that ensued.

I love our friendship with all my heart. She is one of my dearest friends. We always said we would be in each other's wedding. A promise kept.

We both married really great guys. She has four girls who are lovely beyond words, and
 I just married off my beautiful daughter and danced the night away with my son.

Alicia and I reminisced as much as we could. I made sure her and Joe were seated at my table at the wedding! We decided to try our hardest to meet at least once a month from now on. I can't wait to see her again.

I hope you have a friend like Alicia in your inner circle. A friend like this is rare. I know how blessed I am.  

Sigh

News of the subway attack in the UK makes my heart ache. Thank goodness there were no deaths, but to be sure, many many have been injured.

Why? We can ask that question continually and never get answers.

I chose to go back in time and remember some moments of complete bliss.  It's a fairy tale land over there across the pond. If you've ever thought of travel to England-GO!

Need a push? Maybe a few of these photos will assist in your decision.

Wells Cathedral. Magnificent place. Warning: You will cry upon entering. Takes your breath away.

I'm speechless.

  

Like Royalty

Our wedding was the stuff of fairy tales.
The bride was stunning. The groom, dashing.

Everything was perfect. (Except for when the bride got a nosebleed! It stopped eventually. Whew! Something has to go wrong! At least it didn't get on her dress.)

The memories will last a lifetime. Even the water bottle speech from the wedding coordinator at the rehearsal in the church. Makes me laugh when I think of it!

The weather was spectacular. Planned just for us! I can't wait to see the photos.

I want to remember it all.  The father/daughter dance, my son dancing (yep, stories. wink wink) I wish we could do it all again this weekend! It all went by so fast.


Remember Princess Diana's wedding cake? The 5 ft. high, 255 pound, had to make two just in case? Yeah, that one. Well, ours was better! WAY better!

All because of her.

My dear friend Yvonne made it all. Her hubby John was instrumental in the engineering of it! I'm guessing he made sure a sign that read Wedding Cake On Board was visible in the back window of the car while they delivered it to the venue!

Yvonne's daughter Lisa helped too. Everyone raved about the cake. And I mean everyone.

The caterers, the wait staff, our guests, security at the venue...EVERYONE. The photographer said it was the best cake he has EVER had. Now there's a compliment. He does weddings all the time. A cake is a cake, but not this one.
The caterer told us "We want her to make them for us! That is the most stunning cake we've  ever seen. AND (emphasis on AND!) the cake inside is even better."

All we could say is, "WE KNOW!"

Look at it! It's the most amazing piece of art I've ever seen.

Thank you doesn't seem enough, Yvonne. It was everything Kayla dreamed it would be, and more. Way more.

(I'm off to eat a piece for breakfast!)





  

Wonderful news

With all the tragedies and natural disasters dominating the news these days, I wanted to be sure you all have heard some good news.

The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting!

Yep. The royal couple are having their third child. But, not without complications. The poor dear is once again dealing with hyperemesis gravidarum. I can't imagine. Most women, including me, have dealt with a bit of morning sickness. It lasts for a short time and then you feel pretty good moving forward.

I feel bad for her. She's not just any woman. She's the Duchess of Cambridge. I'm glad she is able to stay out of the public eye for now and just rest.

Congratulations to them.