This weekend was the busy weekend for me. I’m just breathing now. In and out. So let’s recap the adventure.
For work, I teach Advanced Placement Government and Macroeconomics, so this weekend is busy. What I love about my subject matter is that I have a lot of content to discuss and there is no free time really. It’s not my opinion on the AP tests. It’s the topics, so all day long I’m miss Social Studies. Voting efficacy, turn out rates, committees of congress, monetary versus fiscal policy, aggregation graphs. The students test this week, so it’s been review heaven at the day job. So I talk full speed with no breathing room including Friday.
Now for books, Chaperoning Paris hit a delay in the editing process, and the publisher pushed the release back until we finish the edits. After I type this up, I have grading to do and I’ll get editing done somehow. It will be as soon as possible. Then Soul Mate Publishing will release it. However in good news, the edits for Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush are done. Jupiter Press loved them, and the release date is June 12th. I’m waiting for cover art, but I might have two releases around the same time. One is set in Miami. The other Paris.
For the bridal shower, I chose Paris because I wanted to remember and talk about the book. C’est la vie. Soon.
My sister Sabrina organized the entire party. If you look closely at the picture you can see the waiter standing in front of her and one of her five children. How she managed to throw the party with five children, I’ve no idea. Oh did I add she lives in Boston still, and I live in Miami? She’s a miracle worker of a sister. I had no idea what to wear to my surprise bridal shower. All I knew was the date and time, so I chose a white dress. My fiance’s mother sent jewelry, so I’m sporting it here, but it’s hard to tell.
At the shower my sister asked everyone for their first kiss story. I heard quite a few tales and most of my friends are romance writers. One friend has pictures of how she kissed the lead singer of Kiss, Gene Simmons. (Forgive me if I spelled his name wrong.) One friend admitted to never being kissed, and she’s an awesome woman. In our memories there seems to be alot of grabbing from those first kiss moments. Mine was I climbed up a cherry tree in Washington DC and a boy on the school trip followed me up the tree and kissed me. But the winner of the best kiss story was Cynthia Thomason. She writes for Harlequin Heartwarming and she’s just as funny in real life as in her books. As I’m friends with lots of romance authors, it’s unclear entirely if people just made up the stories. Either way it was alot of fun to hear.
Post bridal shower, we went back to Aleka Nakis‘s condo on the beach that overlooks the cruise ships, and four of us readied ourselves. A few others would meet us there. Sheena Snow, a young adult author of the upcoming book Sparked, provided the sash and tiara. I had no idea where we were going that night, but Sheena the trouble maker decided to tell my fiance all about the strippers I would see. I told everyone repeatedly no strippers, and I missed her teasing my poor favorite guy. However with Kristin Wallace there, I knew there would be no strippers. She’s a hard core Christian, her books are inspirational, and she’s a nice person. We saw a cruise ship out there and we all want to hop on that ship. Next year though we have our biannual FRW conference cruise, so we will. 
My books are not inspirational or young adult, but I do write mainstream. I also like Britney Spears, and bubblegum pop once in a while too. Sometimes the books can go darker or lighter, depending on the story. Anyhow I am sidetracked. I had no idea where we were going. Demi Alex is part of the planning committee, so one never knows with her on board. Besties Kathleen Pickering and Traci Hall were to meet us there. So I hopped into Aleka’s car and we took off down the beach of Fort Lauderdale.
She stopped at a place called LIPS. I had no idea what this was inside. I’ve never been there. I don’t live in New York. It wasn’t on the radar. We walked inside and boom I understood. Drag Queens. It’s better than the feared strippers, so I followed my friends.
I also saw the exhausted mother of five, my sister, sitting there with friends. As it’s the bachelorette party, the show girls took me on stage with another bride to be. The funniest part was when they thought I was Jewish and when I sat down I had to explain to my sister that white people in Miami are assumed to be Jewish. I love all religions, but she had this look of ‘why would anyone think that?’ Considering the fiance is Persian, the face was funny. I also had to explain what a chonga is. Miami life is when you know.
Notice how I said that was the funniest thing because one doesn’t really tell what happens at a bachelorette party. It’s a girl’s night of fun and party with your friends.
I did show a few pictures to the finance to prove there were no strippers. The truth is I don’t want to touch some random dancer’s body that I don’t know. It doesn’t interest me. The only man I want is the one I’ll say yes too.
Oh to discuss family drama. Sisters are fighting. One doesn’t show up if the other is there. And now my father has flared up as more drama. I’m actually happy despite this, and forging my own life in the fashion I desire with the sweetheart of a man is all that matters.
Soon I’ll post pictures of the venue, cake, and all the fun stuff I’ve been planning.
A wedding is the party to celebrate, but what truly matters is the marriage. Two people uniting to be one family and the promise of one unit, whatever else happens doesn’t matter. All the wedding stuff matters far less than the relationship. I can see how brides lose sight of this in the details, but it’s what the entire day is all about.
Anyhow take care and reimagine your life to how you intend to live it. Then go for it.
Talk to you soon.
Vicki
