family

All the Curves

| Melia Alexander

Ooooh! I loves me a good surprise! Which is why roads that curve intrigue me. Think about it. Anything could be on the other side of the bend. A trailhead…a roadside fruit stand…even a boat ramp where I could pull off and sit by the river for a while. How fun is that?

It recently occurred to me that life works the same way. I mean, here we are, motoring along, enjoying the scenery when life curves, leaving us no choice but to follow it if we’re to stay on our life path. And if we look around when we do that, we can come across some super cool surprises! Maybe we let go of old friends and pick up new ones. Or end up in our dream job! Maybe we even discover who we really are because the road turned when we least expected it. And then we decide we like ourselves even more!

I suppose it isn’t a surprise, then, that when I look at the following pic I see something deliciously optimistic ahead…

_dsc0125What about you? What do you see? Please share in the comments below!

Happy Travels,
Melia

Authors Who Brunch

| Melia Alexander

Last weekend, I met with some author-pals for brunch at Sanborns. What a pleasure it was to get together, especially when there were a couple I hadn’t laid eyes on in over two years. Two. Years. How the *BLEEP* did that happen?

Authors Kristina McMorris, Terri Patrick, Terri Reed, Melia Alexander, Jenna Bayley-Burke, and Maggie Lynch
Authors Kristina McMorris, Terri Patrick, Terri Reed, Melia Alexander, Jenna Bayley-Burke, and Maggie Lynch

We talked publishing — yeah…wowza…

We talked writing — HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Kristina McMorris for making the New York Times bestseller list!

And we talked about the ahmazing food at Sanborns. Like, seriously great food! Being on Day 27 of Whole30, I could only stare enviously at Terri Reed’s Bo-Bam, a German pancake filled with bacon, apple and maple syrup, and sauteed with a shot of bourbon. On my other side was Jenna Bayley-Burke and the Eggs Benedict she’d ordered. Smothered in lots and lots and LOTS of mouth-watering Hollandaise sauce.

I’d say the experience was total torture, except I had a plate of scrambled eggs with spinach and sundried tomatoes. Soooo good!

Guess this means I’ll just have to make it back there…Damn!

Have you been to a new-to-you restaurant that you fell instantly in love with? Tell us how it happened for you!

Happy Food and Wine Wednesday,
Melia

Anticipation

| Melia Alexander

Welcome to Take Me Back Thursday! (It’s technically still Thursday in my part of the world, so don’t judge. 🙂 )

Looking through some old photos recently, I stumbled onto this one:

IMG_0646 2007 06 23 with Mom at Disney WorldMe and my mommy. (Please note I am taller than she is! Just sayin’.) Anyhoo, she’s coming to visit soon – YAY!

Until then, I’ll have to flip through photo albums and relive some of our wonderful memories together…until we can create new ones. 🙂

Happy Almost Friday,
Melia

 

Hello 2015!

| Melia Alexander

Happy New Year!

This Take Me Back Thursday comes to you from the point in my life where Mr. A and I would go to the opera on New Year’s Eve. It seemed a fitting, civilized way to greet the New Year…We don’t do that anymore.

Still, pics like this are fun to revisit.

P1040323From our home to yours, we wish you all a happy, healthy, joyful 2015!

Hugs,
Melia

Santa Baby! (Take 2)

| Melia Alexander

Merry Christmas!

Welcome to Take Me Back Thursday. Today’s post comes courtesy of Mr. Alexander and the wonderful surprise he gave me a couple of years ago.

What I wanted…
What was under the tree…
Looked pretty much like an abmat to me!
What I got instead. 🙂

If you want to read the original blog post (because I couldn’t figure out how to re-post the danged thing!), please click here.

And have a wonderful Christmas!

Hugs,
Melia

More Nice than Naughty

Quote | | Melia Alexander

In a world of absolutes, I prefer to view my life as a “mostly.” As in, I’ve been mostly eating well versus not. Or, I’ve been mostly helping out around the house. Or, I’ve been mostly exercising instead of sitting at the keyboard eating chocolate and drinking red wine. Okay, maybe that whole red wine/chocolate thing’s true, but still….

The point is, this time of year, we all know the drill. Santa only brings you a present if you’ve been good. And while I’ve been sometimes bad, I think I’ve been mostly good. See how that works? I figure Santa’s got a direct line on this whole good/bad thing, and would likely find out that I’ve not always been good, so why lie about it, right? Truth should get me extra points. *Nods head sagely* Doesn’t that make sense?

Anyhoo, my whole reason for being good centers around these babies:

Aren’t they pretty? I figure that since I’ve been mostly good, and didn’t lie about it, then maybe, just maybe, Santa will realize I deserve all three this year. Wish me luck! 🙂

Have a great weekend,
Melia

Snow Saucers

| Melia Alexander

Having spent the past three days with family has made me realize how quickly time passes. One minute my nieces and nephews are in diapers, and the next, they’re these independent creatures with critical thinking skills that scare me. Seriously.

Look at how innocent they were just a few years ago.

P1040250Cute, huh?

Well, not so, when you consider they wouldn’t let me try out their new snow saucers. Yeah, I’m totally okay with it, even after all these years….*insert huge pout*

Happy Almost-Friday,
Melia

 

 

The Big 8!

| Melia Alexander

Those of you with December birthdays can attest to how hard it can be to keep the whole holiday thing out of your special day. So when I was invited to my nephew’s 8th birthday party, I definitely kept this in mind. Apparently, so did he. His menu choice for the evening? Pizza! Natch.

What I loved best about the whole thing was how truly chill it was. Let’s face it: there’s enough holiday craziness that some down time is more than welcomed. There was no formal dinner setting, no place cards, no menus at the table.

Instead, there was pizza out of the cardboard boxes, and eaten off of paper plates and napkins. We all sat around the dinner table and toasted the Birthday Boy. Candles were blown. Presents were opened. And the casual atmosphere only added to the evening. I loved every second of it!

Do you have a December birthday? How do you celebrate?

Happy eating,
Melia

Christmas in The Philippines

| Melia Alexander

I’m fortunate to have extended family within driving distance. And while I don’t get to visit as often as I like, it’s a real treat when I do make the two-hour trek to see them. Recently (just last night, in fact), my nephew practiced a speech he was to give to his class. 20141216_202241

The topic was Christmas and some of the cultural differences between his Philippine heritage as compared to that in the United States. It was adorable (because he is, after all, seven!), and it reminded me so much the traditions I’d grown up with. For instance, the typical Barong (which he was kind enough to model for me – isn’t he cute?) is worn by males during special occasions. There are also different games played, and definitely different food that graces a traditional Filipino table during the holidays (a roasted pig, for instance, complete with an apple in its mouth). Yum!

There were even visual aids used, like the FILIPINO FRIENDS book he brought with him (displayed here by his sister). And the part I’m most proud about? This little guy was thoroughly comfortable standing in front of a room full of people and giving his speech! How many adults can say that?

Even as a seven-year-old, he reminded me about the wide range of experiences (a.k.a. back story) that we all carry with us as we travel on this road called “life.” It’s these same experiences that guide us as we make choices and deal with what comes our way. It’s through testing our experiences that we grow. At least, I think so!

And as I plot my next book, remembering his speech helped emphasize the importance of my characters’ back stories. Apple, anyone?

Happy Travel Bug Tuesday,
Melia