sunnybiz – Denise Tapscott

A Thankful Nod in November

A Thankful nod in November 2018

As a grown up (on paper anyways, as I pride myself on the youthful glow I inherited from my parents) it seems that celebrating holidays takes a lot more effort than it used to. A part of that effort comes from adult responsibilities like working and paying bills when we are bombarded with ads to spend more. However, a part of the effort to celebrate holidays also comes from the fact that as an adult you have more freedom to make choices. You don’t have to have to cook Turkey on Thanksgiving if you don’t want to. You can choose to order Pizza or anything else you crave. You don’t have to be social. You can choose to go anywhere you want, and do anything you want to do, or nothing at all. You can partake of crazy holiday sales or boycott them. You can even choose to not celebrate Thanksgiving at all, especially because to some people it represents oppression and the obliteration of several cultures.

For me personally, I choose to celebrate Thanksgiving by reflecting on who and what I’m thankful for in my life. Above you will find photos of me and people that I’m blessed to have in my life.

I’m grateful for my awesome parents and beautiful sister who encourage me to follow my dreams.

I’m grateful for close friends and extended family that although I don’t see them everyday, I love them very much. I’m fortunate to have an agreement that we are just a text or phone call away, any time.

I’m grateful for my tribe of writers, fancy dancy friends and fellow actors in The Vamps Next Door. We get to be playful, creative and weird and best of all, we celebrate each other for it. I especially want to give a shout out to my unofficial mentors Blaze McRob @wyomingBob, his lovely wife Terri Del Campo @TerriDelCampo and Linda Addison @nyebird. They inspire to me keep moving and they remind me that writing is a marathon, not a sprint.

I’m grateful for new friends I met over the past year or two, some I met while travelling or being out solo. My adventures (and wine dinners) were more fun because of them.

I’m grateful for my day job and the people I have worked with throughout the years (this includes my favorite supervisor who I torture from time to time about how awesome my New Orleans Saints are, compared to his dallas cowboys are this season.) Every day is a treat, regardless of if the workload is hard or easy.

I’m grateful for internet friends. Although we haven’t met in person, they have been supportive and caring. If ever there’s a way I can support them, I’m happy to do so too. I definitely have to give a shout out to Papa Lou and The Broken Army www.thebrokenones.org. When researching different religions, beliefs and magic for my stories, I came across the handsome “alcohol fueled, southern born national treasure” Papa Lou. His insights in the world of Hoodoo and life in general are interesting and entertaining. I love his stories and his southern charm! What also keeps me tuning into his YouTube channel is his passion to help out other people, especially those in need. He doesn’t brag about it too often, (although he swears he is the King Of Christmas) but he’s made it known that he feeds homeless people in his area, and made it a mission to help out a few families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If/when I make to to Atlanta (for more research for my next book Enlightening of the Damned) I’m gonna find him, buy him a beer (or two) and ask for more stories.

I’m grateful too, for the friends and loved ones who wouldn’t want to be mentioned on social media. I’ve told them in person and I’ll say it again; I appreciate you being in my life.

Lastly, I’m grateful to YOU, the person reading this blog right now. Thank you for letting me share silly and serious parts of my life with you. I hope you are entertained and inspired for things in your own life.

Strength in October 2018

October is one of my favorite months of the year. The nights are finally a bit cooler here in Los Angeles. We don’t have many seasons here, but it kinda feels like Fall. Halloween is a huge holiday for me. Lots of old scary movies, and a few new ones are shown just about everywhere. There are tons of yummy candies and sweets for trick or treaters. It’s also a great time to dress up as whatever or whoever I want to be.

This year I’m struggling with my Halloween costume. I already have some great ones: Tiana from Princess and the Frog, Michonne from the Walking Dead, Flight attendant from Snakes on a plane, and as always, a Pirate (I’d dress like a pirate every day if I could). But what about this time? Maybe I could be a superhero. They have great strength. I did many google searches for costume ideas, but nothing inspired me. I temporarily abandoned my quest and decided to research Voodoo vs Hoodoo for my second novel Enlightening of the Damned.

I came across You Tube videos of an interesting Conjure Doctor/Root Worker named Papa Lou. Check him out on YouTube, and his website is www.brokenones.org His old school southern charm and devilish grin will lure you in. His passion for what he believes and his sincerity to help others will hold your attention and inspire you. One of his many videos really resonated with me. He spoke about ancestors and the strength they had to endure slavery. Consider this: when the slavery ships came to the United States, some of the captive people chose to drown themselves rather than live in their new world. Other enslaved people pushed on and did their best to live under treacherous circumstances. If these people didn’t have strength to survive, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m quite sure that people who have relatives that survived the holocaust and other unspeakable, horrible circumstances could say the same thing. Those people before us, our ancestors, had a special silent strength that I am grateful for. Listening to Papa Lou with his Georgia accent gave me more to be thankful for in my life.

It also gave me more appreciation for the Mexican tradition of remembering deceased relatives during Dia de los Muertos which occurs October 31 through November 2 this year. During this holiday, families gather and offer the deceased their favorite food, drink and music they enjoyed when they were alive. Families create altars and decorate graves for their loved ones. Supposedly the dead return to be with their loved ones. The movie Coco does an amazing job bringing this tradition to the big screen for all of us to experience.

When considering what strength means to me, other people came across my mind. It’s sort of a silent strength. To me, my dad is a hero. He’s my mother’s caretaker. Day in and day out he watches over, feeds and protects the love of his life without ever complaining. That in itself takes physical and mental strength, 24 hours a day. Anyone who is battling cancer, depression or any life threatening situation and is still here to talk about it has strength and is a hero in my mind. This also applies to anyone who is a caregiver for someone else.

So, what am I going to be for Halloween this year? Sorry kids, I still don’t know 100 percent. I do know it won’t be Wonder Woman (who I still love, just saying). I also know, however, that I appreciate the people in my universe with silent strength, and I should pay more attention to Dia de los Muertos.

September and a mindful Harvest moon 2018

Thanks to to my handy dandy Supernatural 2018 calendar (Hello Dean Winchester), I know there will be a full moon on September 24. According to the spiritual people on the internet, this “Harvest Moon” will be mentally challenging as it opposes the Sun. There will be a lot of “out with the old and in with the new” happening in people’s lives. We say goodbye to summer and hello to fall.

Regardless if it’s hocus pocus, tom foolery to some people or a hard truth to others, for me personally, I’ve been working harder to raise my vibrations. The negative thoughts, those pesky mental zombies that try to get me to worry about things beyond my control, have me meditating, praying or just sitting in silence and listening to my heart beat a lot more than normal. I have been busy writing, editing and submitting my work and I do love the idea that soon we will see the fruits of our labor. I have two great short stories that I adore, The Price of Salvation and Diane’s Flower. I hope to self publish them soon. Is there some truth to the positions of the sun and moon in the sky above and how they affect us? I’d like to think so.

So far in September, there are two things I’ve found very challenging to my peace of mind. While not earth shattering, these things have been quite bothersome. The first being the film The Nun. The movie trailers were foreboding and scary. I love horror films and I could hardly wait to be frightened by this ominous character! The creepy nun character definitely scared me with her appearances in other films in the Conjuring universe. If you’ve seen any of them you know what I mean. Holy Moly!

The actual challenge? The movie didn’t scare me. It was just okay. Without revealing too much, in the first few minutes of the film we the viewers have a great idea of who/what the Nun is. The rest of the movie had some spine-chilling and hair-raising moments but overall, this movie would not give me silly nightmares. I even saw it alone in a theater at 11:00pm!

Why am I so disappointed that it didn’t scare me? Why is there even a need to be frightened? For me the idea of something supposedly, possibly challenging my mortality in a make believe world is thrilling, especially if it’s supernatural or paranormal. I attended a writing seminar taught by Tim Waggoner : http://www.timwaggoner.com about fear in books, television and film. One of the many points that I keep in mind that he mentioned is that some of the things that scare us the most are situations where no one, for example not even your parents, can save you from” the monster”. Watch at Jaws or Poltergeist, read Cujo or The Shining and see what mean. I love it!

The Nun is creepy, but in her stand alone movie she doesn’t challenge my mortality in a make believe world.

The second thing in September that challenges me mentally is that one of my favorite holidays, Halloween, is around the corner. What on God’s green earth will I dress up as? I have a charming/saucy pirate costume (I love love love pirates). I have a sexy/spicy witch costume and last year I dressed up as an enchanting Goth Vampire ala Anne Rice Interview with a Vampire style. People that know me joke that on Halloween I simply dress in my natural form. Well now it’s 2018. Do I dress a superhero? One year I dressed as a devil in a blue dress and one year I dressed as Michonne from the Walking Dead. Both costumes were clever but not everyone understood them. I could dress as the Nun, but I bet a dollar I’d have to explain who she is, which is no fun. One should never have to explain too much who they are on Halloween. I’ll just have to see what the Universe thinks I should dress up as.

This harvest moon is got me spinning my mental wheels. I’m giving thanks for my blessings and looking forward to what I will personally Harvest in the near future.

Dear friend, is there something that is challenging you mentally silly or serious in nature? Do you have any costume recommendations for me? Feel free to hit me up on social media.

I hope all is well with you.

August Vibrations 2018

After my interesting July, I decided to re-read the book “The Game of Life and How to Play it” by Florence Scovel Shinn. I wanted to find a way to consistently raise my vibrations. I wanted out with the old, negative thoughts and in with new and positive thoughts.

Although the book was originally written back in 1925, the ideas and principles hold true for today. Changing one’s perspective really changes your focus and attitude. Here are a few examples in my life this August, that made a difference.

- I played trivia at Scum and Villainy in Hollywood. On one hand I felt as though I weren’t very smart. Aren’t I smarter, and more clever than that? Changing my thinking I considered that I visited a very cool bar I hadn‘t been to before and I saw Kevin Smith (who is very cool by the way) up close.

- I got stuck in my apartment elevator AGAIN (yes, it true, only for about 5 minutes). I could have been very angry, but I took it as a reminder to be healthy and take the stairs more often.

- After off-loading some boxes at work, I got a strange spot on my work pants. After I washed them the spot remained. I could be cranky about the ruined pants, or be happy to get new ones (that I don’t pay for) which fit better at a smaller size, now that I’ve lost some weight.

- I recently downloaded a new audio program because I want to do an audio version of my short story “The Price of Salvation” which will come out in October. The new system doesn’t work with my current microphone. I could either be frustrated at technology, or take it as a chance to practice reading out loud more often until I get the mic to work the way I want.

I’m not saying that it’s easy to change every single thought I have, but I can say that the more I consciously pay attention to positive things and situations, and focus on what I want and expect from the Universe my life seems a bit better. I have way more blessings that I thought I did, and I recieve more unexpected nice surprises which I’m grateful for. It also helps to have a few affirmations when those nasty, demonic negative thoughts cross my path. The next time I dare take the elevator maybe I’ll be stuck with some smoking hot or super cute man…

So friend, what do you do to raise your vibrations?

Balancing Emotions in July

As I may have mentioned previously, when I create characters in my stories I try to be as thorough and specific as possible to make them interesting. When choosing personality traits, as well as searching for my own inspiration in the real world I visit a website by the lovely Dr. Loretta Standley. She states that “Astrology is not Law; God is the Law! Astrology is ‘the rules’ and the rules are often broken.” You can also find tons of information about holistic health, Angels, prayers and other things spiritual. Thanks to her website, I learned that the beginning of July is ruled by astrological sign of Cancer. It’s motto is “I feel therefore I am”. www.drstandley.com

I can certainly say that July has toyed with my emotions right from the start. I began the month in fear. When I woke up on July 2, I couldn’t see out of my left eye for 10 minutes. I was terrified! After talking with my sister and making multiple phone calls, I was able to make several appointments in one week. I saw my regular doctor (who I think is wonderful even if I only see her yearly) and I visited an eye doctor for the first time (!) where had my eyes dilated (I’m pretty sure I looked like one of the PowerPuff girls afterwards). Guess who has 20/20 vision at the age of 298? This woman!. I had an ultrasound of my carotid arteries to make sure there were no blood clots. By the end of the week, I was given a clear bill of health. My panic and fear changed to gratitude. It turns out, I had an ocular migraine, which isn’t as scary as it sounds. Most likely I slept like a monster after sitting in the sun too long and drinking one too many glasses of sangria.

The second week of July I stepped into my apartment elevator to go to work. The doors closed but nothing happened. I hit the lobby button and there was no movement. I hit the open door button and nothing happened. I was trapped! I was all alone in the elevator for about 40 minutes. I wasn’t scared (that was soooo last week). I was frustrated, irritated and annoyed. One of the cool apartment managers waited outside the elevator to make sure I was okay until a technician arrived. A close friend called to check up on me, I played Words with Friends on my cell phone and my beloved sister constantly texted me until I was free. Once again my emotions were amok. Maybe there was a reason I was delayed form leaving? What could have happened if I left earlier than planned? Would I be alive to tell the tale? Thank God I didn’t have to go to the bathroom! After dreaming up different scary scenarios, I shook the gloomy thoughts and chose to be grateful. Friends and family checked up on me. People sent me positive vibes. I thanked God and the powers that be that I was, and still am just fine and dandy.

Week Three is my mother’s birthday. I posted a photo of her along with my sister and myself on social media (as you can see above). I love her smile in this photo. The Tapscott girls are happy and I’d bet a dollar my dad had a huge grin too when he took this photo. Sadly, because of advanced Alzheimer’s Mom doesn’t know what day it is. I chose to post this picture to remind me and those who have known her throughout the years of brighter times. Lots of friends took the time to send her birthday love. Their touching messages caused me to choke up. There were many tears of joy and pain. I have a beautiful life thanks to my mom, while today her brain betrays her. Once my tears cleared I reminded myself to be grateful. Through highs and lows I have an amazing life that I am thankful for, every day.

As we leave the influence of emotional Cancer and make our way to feisty Leo “I will, therefore I am” , I’m especially grateful for all things great and small, and am doing my best to raise my vibration and positive energy. Next week is my sister’s birthday. May God have mercy on our souls.

Butterflies in June 2018

On my walk around the neighborhood park, my sister and I noticed black and red caterpillars slinking across the sidewalk. We weren’t sure what kind they were until we overheard a dad say to his daughter “Look sweetie, that’s gonna be a Monarch Butterfly someday”. How impressive! Based on the little spikey critters that were out, it looked like there would be lots of Monarchs in the near future.

After some sleuthing on Google, it turns out that no, the little guys I saw on the sidewalk weren’t Monarch caterpillars. We might have an interesting group of moths or Mourning Cloak butterflies in a few months? I also found out that the regal Monarch butterflies are possibly an endangered species. I did spot a few Monarch butterflies that day, but it was a challenge to take a photo of one. At any rate, it was cool to see nature at work.

It’s always a treat for me to watch butterflies dance in a blue sky on a nice sunny day. Observing the caterpillars struggle across cement made me wonder how something so small (and menacing to some) could end up so light and colorful, floating off to exotic lands. The answer is metamorphosis, a change that takes time and energy. There’s a bit of a struggle and hard work too. I don’t want to impress on anyone that life always have to be rough. However, sometimes we have to push a little more, do a little extra to grow, and soar toward our goals and dreams.

So friend, I encourage you to keep pushing toward your goals. Do a little extra whenever you can, to grow into the person you want to be. When life gets busy or hard please keep going. We all get tired. We all need a break from time to time. If you fall, that’s okay. The important part though is to get back up. Pick up that pen! Get on your feet! Dust off that goal! If you need help, reach out. Ask questions! Butterflies don’t just pop out of their cocoons by pushing a button. The struggle is real. Floating off to new adventures and turning your dreams into reality is real too, if you put in the work.

Birthday Hijinx and Shenanigans May 2018

After my last post in April about irrational fears, my sister/best friend reminded me that Grandmother Zenobia (from Gypsy Kisses and Voodoo Wishes) also has a phobia of the number twenty-three. It’s called Eikositriophobia. Google it, I dare you. I didn’t see the movie “The Number 23” starring Jim Carey when it first came out, but I remember researching the superstition about the number. When the time came for me to decide the birth date for my cursed twins David and Anton, the answer was crystal clear to me: 5/23. Born under the sign of Gemini, it would be clever that they are twins under a twin sign! Without revealing any spoilers, I threw as many weird things as I could at the boys. There were lots of strange facts that sparked my imagination, such as each parent contributes twenty-three chromosomes to their child, or that it supposedly takes 23 seconds for blood to circulate throughout the body.

This peculiar date was perfect!

In my excitement it didn’t dawn upon me that there was an even greater significance to May twenty third. What could be greater, you might ask?

It’s MY birthday.

So yea, the twins are cursed, and blessed. Blessed I say, because I love my birthday. It isn’t about receiving gifts; however, if you give me a present I will graciously accept it (wink wink). To me it’s about celebrating your personal New Year. What were the astronomical odds that you were even born? You made it this far and thank God, you’re fortunate to experience another year.

It genuinely makes me happy when someone – anyone – wishes me happy birthday. I do my best to acknowledge other people’s birthdays too, especially on social media. If we’re friends on Facebook, I will wish you all the best for your special day, even if I might be a day late.

This year I turn 298 (or something there about) so I have many fond memories of my personal New Year. My most recent, favorite birthday memory happened in 2016 on Bourbon street in New Orleans (no shocker if you know me and my love for NOLA.) I wandered into Maison Bourbon http://www.maisonbourbon.com to hear some old school jazz. There was a delightful four-piece jazz band, playing great songs to a packed bar. The band leader asked if anyone was celebrating an anniversary or a birthday. Not a soul spoke up. I was solo, and didn’t want to draw attention to myself but the band seemed disappointed that no one responded. So, I stepped out of my comfort zone. Nervously I raised my hand and said “It’s my birthday.” People applauded! The band asked for my name. I smiled and answered “Sunny,” a nickname that fits my personality when I’m not writing dark, paranormal stories. The band broke into a lively version of “Happy Birthday” and the entire bar sang along. To my delight and surprise they then sang “When the Saints Go Marching In”. My heart soared.

The next night, two of my gal pals flew in from Los Angeles and I took them back to my new favorite spot. When we walked through the door, the band remembered me. “Sunny’s back!” they exclaimed before playing “Let’s go Fly A Kite”. It was the best time ever in terms of birthday shenanigans! The memory still brings me tears of joy.

I enjoy receiving gifts and using celebratory coupons from my favorite restaurants for my birthday month. (A little known fact unless you’re one of the cool ones born under the sign of the twins: we Geminis celebrate for a minimum of a week.) However it’s the wonderful memories I get to reflect on and share with others that I treasure most.

Regardless if you are a Gemini or not, I hope you take the time to celebrate YOUR personal new year too.

Irrational fears and April Fools April 2018

One day after a grueling shift at work, I dragged myself through my front door. As I put my belongings down, there was a very loud buzzing sound. Low and behold there was a bee in my apartment! Finding an insect, bug or spider in a living space isn’t unusual; what puzzled me is that my roommates and I live on the top floor of a multi-level apartment building. No one was home, and all the windows had been closed all day. This situation was unusual!

Terrified, I ran for cover. The beast was not going to get me. Not today, not ever! Waiting for my roommates to come home seemed like an eternity, even if it was only 20 minutes. As I look back at an evening filled with shrieks, boisterous laughter and a roommate armed with a trusty dusty broom and fencing mask, I realize my fear of bees is mostly, but not entirely irrational.

It comes from moments when I was much younger, when I wore floral lotion, scents that attracted many a stray bee to land on me. “Hold still, there’s a bee on you” haunts me to this day. I remember being on Summer break, playing outside, when nefarious buzzing broke up our playful shenanigans. I was a hostage to the black and yellow monster (even if it was no bigger than a quarter). I would stand as still as a department store mannequin until the bee flew off to find a flower, or another victim.

My rational side of that fear comes from the fact that to this day (and please note that I’m approximately 297 years old) I have never been stung by a bee. When I have had the unfortunate luck of getting drained by a mosquito, the bite area swells up and turns red. Antihistamines such as Benadryl and I are best pals. Obviously bees are different from mosquitoes, but the question does arise. If I’m allergic to a horrendous blood sucking skeeter, how will I react to a bee sting? I don’t plan on finding out any time soon.

As a writer, I do my best to know my characters intimately. I know their favorite colors, songs that might be played at their funeral, etc. One way I try to make them interesting or memorable is to give them specific likes or dislikes, intense hopes and fears. In my novel Gypsy Kisses and Voodoo Wishes, no matter how mean Queen Patia is, she will always love sweets. Another example that will be revealed in a future story is that Grandmother is deathly afraid of frogs!

So friend, do you have any fears, rational or irrational that you’d like to share?

Thinking outside of the Box March 2018

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to Roosevelt the Blue Crab. At my day job, we ship lots of the cranky crustaceans every morning. Roosevelt caught my attention because A) when the crabs do escape, they are very, very angry, and freak me out (I will chat about irrational fear in next month’s blog), and B) he reminded me to appreciate freedom and to acknowledge one’s life path.

Lucky little Roosevelt managed to get free from his brothers and sisters. Whenever challenged, he wielded his sharp claws. I was too scared to put him back in his box so I asked one of my co-workers to help me. Jokingly, my coworker gingerly picked him up and instead of Roosevelt being returned back with the others, he found himself perched on a yellow, 10 inch wide pole. He got to see life as I do, my view of an open space with fresh air, instead of his view in a dark, cramped, smelly box.

Eventually he was put back in his box, safe and sound (no animals were harmed!).

The moment he sat on the pole made me think about how lucky I am. Instead of being stuck with wherever life finds me at the moment, I have the freedom to challenge myself and I can encourage other people to do the same. I can change my view. There’s no way to escape the end of our path (poor Roosevelt couldn’t change his fate that he was going to be someone’s meal), but we can try to enjoy our path while we’re here. We can appreciate moments like enjoying great conversation with a friend over a steamy cup of coffee. We can be brave and push ourselves to learn new things instead of sitting on the couch watching negative news. Chasing our dreams and working towards our goals, while still remembering to hug loved ones, makes our paths more interesting. Instead of daily grumbling about punching a time clock, I’m inspired to create stories for Grandmother Zenobia and the characters of Carrefour County. I savor the times I get to binge watch Supernatural or something on Netflix, rather than feel guilty that I’m not “doing” anything. I no longer complain about being bored; I get out and walk, appreciating the sun on my face and the birds that fly in the sky.

Our paths are not easy; I’m pretty sure the Universe does that on purpose. Delightful things, heartbreaking things, sweet things, and horrible things pop up all the time. I think it’s okay to be happy or sad, angry or fearful, as long as we experience those emotions and then move through them. Life is meant to be experienced and savored, not disregarded or ignored.

So friend, I ask what will YOU do on your path? I’d love to hear about it! When you are freed from your box, like Roosevelt the crab, I hope you have the time of your life.

Love Notes – February 2018

Almost every day, I take a brisk walk. It doesn’t matter what my schedule is like. I walk at work, I walk at the gym, I walk when I plan to lounge around at home, and I even walk when I’m on vacation. Why the daily ritual? It’s a way for me to shake off any negative energy that might cloud my day. The cardio gets my blood pumping (which is definitely needed after creating dark stories and peculiar characters, letting words spill from my brain through my fingers, onto a keyboard). I also walk because my mother’s neurologist recommends doing 30 mins of exercise a day, or two and a half hours a week to fight the chances of getting dementia. I love walking outdoors because helps fuel creative ideas that simmer in my head and keep me healthy.

The other day as I was on my last lap around the employee parking lot (I call work my muggle job, because it’s a great place but lacks magic for me), a seagull flew up and perched a few yards away from me. I stopped in my tracks because I noticed something peculiar about this bird, who I shall name Sammy the Seagull. Sammy held a folded up, yellow Post-It in its beak. If I didn’t know any better, I swear that my new friend was delivering a note. I wondered, could seagulls carry messages like Carrier Pigeons? Did Sammy have a message specifically for me? Is Twitter down?

Great questions but, no, no and no. Sammy dropped the Post-It once she figured out it wasn’t edible and eyed me for a few moments before I walked on my merry way. The discarded note reminded me of my dark fiction novel GYPSY KISSES AND VOODOO WISHES when young Will Jalio sends a message to the love of his life. It was short and sweet. In the story, the words inspire his true love to follow her heart.

Last year my father shared with me a beautiful letter my mom had written over 10 years ago. He discovered it when doing some spring cleaning. In the letter, she told of how ever since high school she loved my dad. I already knew that Dad always loved Mom; he would tell my sister and I how he clearly remembers the day he stood in a sandbox as a little boy, pointed at her and declared “that is the girl I’m going to marry”. We’ve seen the yearbook where he signed it “Love, always and forever”. My sister and I have a high standard of what we look for in a mate, thanks to the love my parents share.

But this letter Mom wrote? It was a surprise! Its honesty was endearing. As of November 2017, my parents have been married for 50 years. Today, Mom suffers from Alzheimer’s and doesn’t know what day it is, let alone who are her family members. The heartfelt words, written years ago, gave my dad an extra spark of life. He knows she loves him, even if she can’t say it often, and this discovery was a beautiful reminder that what they have is very real.

I should mention that all notes don’t have to be romantic. I constantly try to remind friends (in person and through social media) that I appreciate them. Sometimes at work I randomly leave little silly notes for a few coworkers, just to get them to laugh. I love to torture my sister with corny Haiku poems or scribbles on napkins that say “TAG you’re it”. It’s a treat to see how the smallest of gestures can have an impact on people.

The saying “It’s the thought that counts” means a lot to me. Communicating with others in a positive way matters because words have power and meaning. I bet Sammy the Seagull didn’t know how it affected my day. Thanks for the note, Sammy. I’ll see you and your cousins on my next walk.

New Years Treat January 2018

Hello 2018! If you’re reading this, thank goodness, you’ve made it to a New Year. This January I’ve noticed people aren’t necessarily making specific New Year’s resolutions, but they are making choices to eat healthier, to be more active or to get a better hold of their finances.

It dawned upon me that these are great things to do, but some have restrictions and limitations. Considering what I was going limit myself to in 2018, a question popped in my mind. What are you going to treat yourself to, in 2018? What special thing, big or small are you going to indulge?

My treat? Beignets. Warm, fluffy, French doughnuts covered in mounds of powdered sugar where only the best of the best are found in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carbs be damned! I try to visit New Orleans often. As a matter of fact, I’ve gone to my home away from home several times to research things for my novel GYPSY KISSES AND VOODOO WISHES.

Taking a class from Chef Toya Boudy when she was at the New Orleans School of Cooking to see how Grandmother Zenobia might prepare her gumbo was essential (and not to mention delicious). While enjoying a swamp tour, I discovered contrary to popular belief in the movies, the bayou does not stink. It is a thriving ecosystem and has a charm of its own. Visiting Marie Laveau’s resting places (yes, there is more than one) was creepy and beautiful. I’m drawn to New Orleans because I am madly in love with the food, music and culture the city offers. If you’ve been there, you know there’s nothing quite like it.

Ah, the beignets from Cafe Du Monde are literally the sugar on top of my happy place.

It seems to me that the past few years have been rough. As a country we’ve seen lots of political changes that separate us more than unite us, we’ve mourned a lot more deaths, and we’ve fought through several life altering natural disasters. Now that 2018 is upon us, I suggest you take a small moment to be nice to yourself. What one special thing are you going to treat yourself to?

Happy New Year

Well gang, we made it to another fresh and shiny New Year. Hello 2018!

Did any of you make any New Years Resolutions? I don’t usually make specific goals or rule, but this time around I did make an agreement with myself. Eat better, move your body more, be kind to others and share more.

So as I sit here, munching on Blueberries instead of Hershey’s Kisses, I’m here to let you know, Dear Friend, that on or around the 20th of each month you’ll see a blog post from me.

Before dashing off to take a walk, I wish you prosperity and love. Here’s to new adventures with laughter, surprises, new friends, and a few scary stories.