Blog Neglect - Guilty!

Sorry I have been so neglectful of you, Loyal Readers. I have been so busy getting Glitter City Sweets ready to launch. A new business means experimenting (achieving both success and failure) and I have been using the time off from movie making (but I still went to visit the set this week) to get stuff experimented with.

My cousin Marc was a little difficult to get a hold of to help me with my website so I went the DIY approach. I'm using a site builder that came with the web hosting service I'm using. It has been a trial (I learned to save, save, save my data because it has no draft auto save function which I learned the hard way, multiple times). I didn't like the shopping cart that came with my site so I had to research other options, set up my merchant account, etc., etc., etc. I don't want to bore you with the gory details! I think it's good that I built the site myself since then I'll be able to edit and update it without assistance.

I did need help with one bit of code and since my cousin was reluctant to help me (he hates site builders), I had to beg my friends for a bit of help. Mark, one of the producers on the movie, said he would help me. What I need him to help me with probably won't be on the site when it first goes live, which bums me out a bit, but fairly shortly afterward it should be running.

I also needed a place to put my 'edible ink' dedicated printer so my mom and I cleaned and organized the spare room to use as a mini office/craft room for the two of us. I feel a little like Hitler in '38, invading Poland and Hungary. First I took over the garage, now the spare room. Next up, whole house domination!

Today will be spent working on a couple of products so I can photograph them and put the pictures on the website. Again, I'm hoping to put it into beta test next week so I feel a bit of pressure to get a lot done in a short amount of time (sure it's self-induced, but I think sometimes that self-induced pressure is the worst.) And of course I can't neglect The Graminator so I have to do things in spurts.

I will try not to be so neglectful, wonderful Loyal Readers. Once the site is up and running (and just waiting for orders to pour - or trickle - in) I will have more time for my writing again. I'm anxious to get back to Shelby and her exploits, I got an itchy writing finger! Okay off to make sweets. Have a great day!

Happy Memorial Day

Hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

We celebrated the holiday on Sunday with a BBQ/Bash fest.

Will and I barbecued some incredible tri tip and these killer baby back ribs with a homemade cherry cola BBQ sauce. They were so good. I've never been much of a grill master, but since we have had the back yard cleaned up I like grilling our food a lot more. I like a charcoal grill for the flavor and my mom bought me a chimney starter so I don't have to use lighter fluid, which I hated using. I bought natural 'gourmet' charcoal and we tried some indirect grilling for the tri tip and it came out so delicious, all smoky and wonderful yet still cooked through enough for the well done meat lovers (only my mom was upset that we didn't burn it like I usually do - apparently she likes the charred part) And those ribs were so good. We tweaked the sauce recipe I found and it was so finger licking yummy, we had to restrain ourselves.

I made some potato salad and a BBQ pasta salad (I tried one like it at Fresh & Easy and thought I could make it even better, so I did. It had pasta and black beans and corn and other veggies in a BBQ sauce based dressing. It sounds weird but it was delicious, trust me!) and we made corn on the cob. Then we topped it off with my latest cupcake flavor, Hot Tamale (a cinnamon red hot candy cupcake with bits of hot tamale candy throughout with a vanilla buttercream. Yum) Oh my heck was it all good.

Then we played the new version of "Boom Blox" (our formerly favorite Wii game) "Boom Blox Bash Party". It was a smashing (forgive the pun) good time. It was such an awesome day with my family. I hope your holiday was just as good.

Here are some pictures (my brother was playing with my new camera) of the day.


Val and Will, just chillin'. Val wants to finish her book today. Isn't that a lovely holiday, just kicking back with a good book?


Will and The Graminator, playing Wii. Okay, The Graminator mostly watched, because she prefers Wii bowling.


Screenshot of the new "Boom Blox Blast Party." it was a blast (and isn't the picture cool? I love my new camera! And my brother loves my new camera! I think he took more pictures than I have.)


Apparently we wore the dogs out. They were pooped pooches. All that running in and out of the house, then begging for bits of BBQ. It's exhausting!


Capped off with a cupcake. What a sweet way to end a sweet day. I love inventing new flavors!

Okay, I know it's a holiday, but I have to finish work on my website. It goes into beta test the end of this week. I may select a few Loyal Readers to help me test the site, so watch your inbox. Have a great day!

Pictures, Pictures Everywhere

Here are some more movie pics.

This is Kelly shooting scenes of me in "my bedroom" as I try to come up with things about the game. Christmas PJ's in this one.

This is me going through the mail. Note the stuffed animals. Kelly called me the night before this shoot and asked me to bring my stuffed animals with me. I said "Do I look like the kind of girl who has stuffed animals?" So I had to bring my mom's stuffed animals. It's a strange assortment. A turtle, a dalmatian, a dog with a diploma and graduation cap and a gopher that sings "I'm Alright". Don't blame my mom, they are all ones Will and I bought her over the years.

Here I'm reading the "Moron's Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes".

And the "Moron's Guide to Racist Stereotypes"

This is Will Edwards and I in a scene where we both are anticipating something intently (can't you tell?)

Now for some other pictures. I bought a new camera for the business. The one I had was old (in digital camera years it was 965 years old) and had no image stabilization so even when I shot with a tripod some pictures would come out blurry. So I broke down and spent money on a new one (My brother and his wife paid me some money for my wedding services so I didn't feel too guilty) I got a Canon Powershot and I LOVE it. These are some pictures I took only minutes after I got it out of the box so forgive them for not being perfect but I'm still learning. But it shoots great from any distance and in any light.

This is the Java dog. Isn't she cute? She's almost 14 but she's still spy enough that she stole the toy I bought her out of the bag when I got home from PetsMart yesterday.

Here is The Graminator on 'her couch'. We still haven't gotten a new couch here or painted the walls but we do have the color picked out (and I bought ceiling paint so we are sort of getting started)

And this is my beautiful Mom. She'd kill me if she knew I was posting this (but we just won't tell her will we?) You can see the new desk and the new curtains in this shot. But we are still in transition so forgive the mess.
I'll post more pics as I play with my new toy, er, I mean my knew business camera, not a plaything but a serious business expense.

Now, for Maura, who is DYING to see wedding pictures...I don't have any. Will and Val have a disk of pics which we saw on Sunday but they took it home with them. I promise I'll post a couple when we finally get a copy. But I'll be honest, I HATE the way I look in most of the pictures. I think I look better in the movie pictures. I had these false eyelashes at the wedding and do you know how some things look good in person but in photographs not so much? (I had an adorable haircut in the 90's, it was asymmetrical and totally rocking. But in photographs I just looked mentally challenged and like I cut my own hair) Well, that's how I feel I look. The eyelashes make my face look weird and I look ENORMOUS. But there are a couple of shots I don't hate (and there are some AMAZING shots of the cake and cupcakes and kids eating the cupcakes that will go on my new website they are so incredible) so I'll post those. Val is still going through the 1000 (yes, thousand) photographs to pick out the best ones. So please be patient and I'll get them to you, I promise.

Green Garbanzo Beans

In my never ending quest to find unique things to eat, yesterday I discovered fresh garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas or cicci beans, depending on where you live.)

I was at the store to buy plantains to go with my sort-of-Cuban inspired meal (with Mojito shrimp and Watermelon Mojitos - I have lots of mint in my garden!) As I was perusing the produce section of a downscale market (it isn't a Latin market but caters a lot to the Hispanic community and it's one of those stores you have to bag your own groceries to save money) to find some jicama for the black bean salad I saw these odd little papery pods. I felt them and they had beans inside. I had to root around for a sign in English to tell me what they were. I finally deduce that they were fresh garbanzo beans.

Now I like garbanzo beans. I have since I was a kid. I eat them in salads, ground into hummus, in soup, just about any way you can. But I had never even seen them fresh before (mine have always come from a can. I know you can get them dried but I never have.) They were about three dollars a pound and I decided to get a few handfuls, come home to look up what you do with them in the 'net and try them. I got about thirty or so of the little buggers and it cost me a whopping thirty-nine cents. (It would take a LOT of them to equal a pound!)

On the Web it said that mostly they are eaten kind of steam-fried in the shell which you pop open and eat the bright green bean inside (you can also eat them raw). So I toasted the pods in a little oil then steamed them a few minutes, added salt and them we munched, kind of like edamame. They were delicious. Most people likened the flavor to that of a fresh pea, which my mom agreed with, but I thought they tasted like a garbanzo bean. Heck, what do I know?

So if you see these little guys at your farmers market or gourmet grocery, give them a try (or if you are cheap like me, you can search them out at Hispanic and Asian markets.) Delicious, easy and good for you food.

A Story (Fictional)

My writing buddies, Maura and Dyann, are my biggest motivation to keep writing. A while back we decided to work on some writing exercises and try to be more accountable for our efforts. Well of course that lasted about two weeks. Oh, I have plenty of excuses (I was busy with the wedding and now the movie and then my business) and I know that Maura and Dyann also have busy lives. But we need to make time for the writing too, no excuses. I'm guilty of neglect and I can't let that happen. So I'm super glad this story is complete.

We started this as a writing exercise I found where one person starts a story then passes it on to the next writer. I'm not going to tell you who wrote what part because honestly I think the story is great and flows together so well that it seems like only one writer did it. Now this is the unedited first draft. And I think it's great. I was so excited to see how the whole thing turned out and amazed at it.

Now the only thing we didn't to was give the story a title. Hmmm. Maybe one of our Loyal Readers (the story is going on Dyann and Maura's blogs too) can suggest a title for us. The winning entry gets...our gratitude. And I want to play this game again. Maybe next time we should be really ambitious and try a novel, round robin chapter by chapter. What do you think ladies?

Okay, here it is, the as yet untitled story (please forgive the formatting, while we wrote it with proper standard formatting, my blog template made it's own format). We hope you enjoy!

As the plane slowly backed away from its designated gate, Sam realized that he didn't want to leave Chad. Yes, the living conditions at the camp where he had been working as a doctor helping with the refugees from Darfur had been dirty and cramped and often very dangerous. But he had felt like he was doing something important, more important catering to the whims of Manhattan's social elite, who only wanted the latest and greatest anti-depressant to cope with their problems. Hah, problems, like too much money and not enough compassion or understanding. After hearing the stories of violence in the camps, he marveled at the way the refugees had coped with their lives and still seemed happy, despite the cramped conditions and no food. As Keon, his Sudanese translator, had explained, their lives were better still in the camps than they were in their former homes, and that they were simply glad to be alive.

Alive. That was it, that was how Sam felt now. And it was due to what he had experienced. And Maggie. How could he leave Maggie? He could see her plainly in his mind. He remembered the first day he arrived at the Amnabak camp. He was tired and dirty and pretty sure he had made the biggest mistake of his life when he looked over to see a blur whoosh past him. She was short and red-haired with rounded curves and she never seemed to stop moving, like a hummingbird constantly in flight. The complete opposite of the women he had always dated, cool thin blondes who never did anything that might make them perspire, except the occasional Bikram yoga class.

The first time he saw her, she was playing soccer with a group of Sudanese children and he smiled at the memory of her laughter as the kids easily stole the ball from her. Maggie's laugh. She was always laughing, and she could find humor in the darkest of places.

Sam remembered the day they had left Amnabak to check on patients at the Guereda hospital. He had only been in Chad a few weeks but already he admired the dedication Maggie gave as an aid worker. She had volunteered as part of a graduate program she was in, then stayed long past her departure date.

"I can always go back to Nebraska, marry an insurance salesman and have the three children, brick house and get a golden retriever like my parents want, but first I wanted to make a difference," Maggie told him.

He watched her closely that day. No one was stranger for long with Maggie. She charmed everyone with her smile. She carried pockets full of cheap butterscotch candies, the kind wrapped in yellow cellophane, and handed them out wherever she was, leaving a trail of crinkly wrappers and happy smiles behind. Her curly hair was always trying to escape the braid she kept it in and she had a smattering of light freckles across her nose no matter how much sunscreen she slathered on each day. He learned a lot about her that day.

They stayed later at Guereda longer than they had planned and the hospital administrator urged them to stay, rather than make the drive back to Amnabak in the dark. But Dr. Mendes, the WHO doctor who had accompanied them wanted to get back to the camp and their driver Chidi assured them that he could get them back safely. It had all gone smoothly until they heard gunfire. Chidi pulled the Jeep into a deep ravine by the side of the road. The gunfire was from rival militia groups and they were caught in the crossfire. Even though the Jeep was clearly marked as an international aid vehicle, Chidi felt it was safer to wait for daylight, when peacekeeper patrols resumed. They sat huddled on the side of the Jeep, the sound of automatic weapons echoing around them.

"Anyone for a sing-a-long?" Maggie joked. "A rousing chorus of 'Kumbaya' perhaps?"

At first Sam though she was nuts, but as he saw her shiver in the darkness, he realized that she was scared too, but as always was determined to make the best of it. He moved closer to her, and put his arm around her. She was rigid for a moment, then relaxed, and leaned on him a bit. He had never wanted to protect someone more than he did at that moment, and he started to make up stories about how his mother's society friends would handle the situation, just to make her laugh.

"Now see here, Mr. Rebel," Sam said with the affected tone of a wealthy matron, "you really must stop this fighting, we have a verrry important dinner to get to you know. No time for this kind of nonsense, my good man."

Maggie chuckled a little, and they spent the rest of the night talking about everything and anything and Sam knew that was the night he fell in love.

Maggie smiled at the little boy as Dr. Mendes listened to his heart. The youngster had arrived with his mother and two little sisters only an hour ago. He appeared to be healthier than most of the children who came through here but you could never be too sure. Illness and death occurred all too frequently in the refugee camp and Dr. Mendes was doing his best to reduce the awful statistics.

It was far too often a losing battle, though. Refugees poured into the camp and supplies were precious and scarce. As were doctors. And now they were short one. Maggie kept her smile pasted in place in spite of the tremor of anger that tore through her. Sam knew what they were facing here. How could he leave now?

Dr. Mendes declared the boy healthy and lifted him down from the table. Maggie handed him a candy which he accepted cautiously before scurrying back to his mother and sisters across the room.

“Is that it?” the doctor asked wearily.

Maggie rubbed his neck as he slumped on his stool. “For now,” she said. “You should go lie down while it’s quiet.”

“I will,” he said. “Call me if you need me.”

He walked away, a distinct droop noticeable in his shoulders and Maggie’s anger bubbled up again. Damn Sam, anyway! And damn herself for allowing him to mean so much to her. He wasn’t the first doctor to bail on the camp after a short time, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. Most of them came in with such noble ideas of helping the unfortunate. But time and again they left in frustration or grief, unable to face the overwhelming odds that were against them.

But Maggie had believed Sam wasn’t one of those. In spite of his obviously pampered upbringing, Sam was one of the more level-headed doctors to have shown up at the camp in a long time. He was undaunted in the face of the staggering number of deaths that occurred. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and never once complained about the lack of nurses which resulted in his having to do work that was considered beneath most doctors in the States. He was compassionate, caring, and gifted. Dr. Mendes had grown to rely on Sam heavily, knowing the younger doctor was the best asset to have arrived at the camp in a year.

And now he was gone. Maggie did her best to understand his motives but his mother’s letter had been cryptic at best. An emergency at home and Sam was desperately needed. Ha! She’d probably broken a nail and her manicurist had quit on her.

Maggie sighed deeply, regretting her snide thoughts. God forbid something really terrible had happened. But from everything Sam had ever told her about his mother, her “emergencies” were often anything but. She had made it clear that she was not happy with Sam’s decision to come to Africa. Maggie wouldn’t put it past her to have cooked up some phony emergency to get Sam to come home and join his father’s practice. She sighed again as she stepped out of the building into the blazing heat.

“Something wrong, Miss Maggie?” Chidi was standing near the door, gently kicking a battered soccer ball to a couple of toddlers who squealed with delight as the ball rolled towards them. It never failed to amaze Maggie how some of the children had such energy in this heat.

“No, Chidi. I’m fine.”

The young man looked at her shrewdly. “You are missing Dr. Sam I think.”

Maggie smiled. There were no secrets in the camp, the cramped living conditions saw to that. Everyone knew that she and Sam were more than just friends and co-workers. But she wasn’t ready to discuss their relationship with Chidi, or anyone else for that matter. It was too new. And possibly over for all she knew.

Sam had said nothing beyond a vague promise to come back. Not when or for how long. Nor had he made any mention of the possibility of Maggie coming to see him in New York. There had been no promises between them, no discussion of the future and where their relationship might be headed. They had so little quiet time together there had never been an opportunity to discuss any of those things. Never been time to tell him how she felt about him. She hadn’t been expecting him to be called home so soon and in his pell-mell hurry to get back home, she hadn’t been able to find the right time. And even thought she knew it was unreasonable of her to expect Sam to know she was in love with him if she had never told him, Maggie couldn’t seem to shake the resentment she was feeling. His departure felt like a betrayal.

“We sure could have used his help today,” she said to Chidi. “Dr. Mendes can’t do this all alone and that new doctor still needs time to find his footing.”

“Find his footing?” Chidi looked at her quizzically. “What does that mean? How could he not know where his feet are?”

Maggie chuckled. Chidi’s English was extremely good, but every now and then a simple idiom would cause him confusion.
“Let’s go get something to drink and I’ll tell you.” Pushing her unsettling thoughts about Sam aside, Maggie linked arms with Chidi and walked across the compound, grateful for the distraction. Sam was gone and only time would tell if she would ever see him again.

Sam called his mother’s cell phone once again. Still no answer. He’d lost count of how many times he’d dialed her number since the plane touched down in New York. He even tried the house phone and his father’s cell to no avail. His fears of what the “emergency” his mother wrote to him about had grown exponentially with each unanswered call. Maybe this wasn’t another ploy to get him to come home like he first thought. However, he wouldn’t have gone all this way if he really thought that was true. This was his mother, for God’s sake. He couldn’t deny her cry for help. His mother definitely had a selfish streak, but he didn’t think she was capable of lying to him in such magnitude. Besides, he had already made it clear to both his parents that this was his life and he would decide if and/or when he would join his father in his practice. He thought he had finally gotten through to his mother, then again, he was sure his fierce stubbornness came from her genes.

He hailed a cab, telling the driver to step on it as he jumped in. He tried to think positive, pushing any dark thoughts from his mind. Already, the long and arduous plane ride from Chad had him teetering between his mother’s letter and how he left it with Maggie.

Oh Maggie. He had wanted to tell her everything – how much she had changed his life, how much he loved her, and how much he wanted to be with her when he returned. But for some reason he couldn’t get the words to come out. He looked into her haunting eyes and his tongue failed him. All he could manage was a promise that sounded more like a camp friend promising to write at the end of the summer. I’m such an idiot, he thought, and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

The driver glanced back in his review mirror. “You okay there, buddy?” he asked, the question barely recognizable in his thick Indian accent. Sam nodded and made a mental note to tell Chidi just how much he appreciated his near flawless English.

Sam arrived at the mansion and immediately noticed a lack of usual household commotion. Even the gardeners weren’t about. He threw down his luggage at the base of the marble steps, just as Elaina, the housekeeper, opened the front door.

“Sammy!” she gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. He bounded the up the steps towards her as she launched into a frantic explanation in Spanish.

He grabbed a hold of her arms to calm her. “Elaina, what’s wrong? Where is Mom? In English, please!”

She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. Suddenly, her own eyes teared up.

“Jinny is at the hospital. She was hit by a car a week ago and the doctor say he couldn’t help her.” Elaina could barely finish the sentence without crying. She put her head into his shoulder and he patted her dark hair as he took in the news. A bittersweet relief washed over him.

Jinny was the family dog. Well, you could say she was his dog, considering the floppy golden retriever only came when he called her. She was fourteen years old and before he left for Chad she was still as rambunctious as ever.

“Is that where Mom and Dad are, Elaina?” he asked.

“Si, Sammy. Jinny is being sent to heaven.”

“They’re putting her to sleep?”

Elaina nodded.

“When did they go?”

Elaina looked at her watch. “It was some time ago, maybe two hours. I’m sure Jinny is with Him now,” she said, looking up and crossing herself.

Sam closed his eyes. Even if he had taken the Mercedes kept for the staff, he wouldn’t have made it to see Jinny one last time. Dr. Crenshaw’s office was clear across town. He said a silent prayer to himself.
In the grand scheme of things, this news wasn’t as decimating as what he had been expecting, but it still broke his heart. Jinny had been a good dog and a great friend all through his life. He loved her and he was upset he couldn’t let her know one more time before she passed.

“Let’s get your things inside, Sammy. Your parents will be glad to see you home during such a trying occasion. ”

Sam’s eyes flew open at her words and realization struck him.

It was too soon to come back.

Sure he missed his family and his friends, and Jinny, and he didn’t blame his mother for considering this an emergency. Jinny was considered part of the family. He wished he could have made it home earlier to have seen her one last time.

But there was someone else who needed him now. Or at least he hoped she did. He wanted her to become part of this family and he didn’t want to miss any opportunity to have her in his life, permanently. If he stayed here, Maggie might not be available when he finally came back.

“I can’t stay, Elaina,” he blurted out.

“But Sammy, you just got here! What about Jinny? What about your parents?”

“Jinny is the reason I can’t stay. It’s that wonderful dog that has inspired me to not waste any more time in being with the ones I love and telling them so. I need to go back to Chad.”

Elaina shook her head in disbelief as he gathered up his luggage and ran toward the garage for the car.

“What do I tell your parents?” she yelled after him.

“Tell them I love them..and that I’m sorry Jinny passed...and that I’m asking a woman to marry me!”

Maggie flopped herself onto the cot. It had been an incredibly long day with Dr. Mendes and now, even in darkness it was still 110 degrees. She found herself getting tired more easily in the last two weeks. Maybe it was her body telling her it was time to leave this place. She knew she was doing good things for these people, but if her heart wasn’t totally in it they would be better off with a brighter, more bushy-tailed grad student anxious to give it all they’ve got and the energy to do it.
She went through the motions of getting ready for bed – washing her face, brushing out her hair, and changing clothes. When she finally clicked off the lamp, she realized Chidi hadn’t come to see her.

Usually, Chidi would be around to talk before she went to sleep, but she hadn’t seen him all day. Keon mentioned he was picking someone up from the air field. She wondered who, since Chidi never held back any pertinent information – or any information for that matter. It just soured her mood even more. She didn’t want to admit that her mood, along with her body, had gone downhill since Sam left, but she couldn’t deny it any longer. She missed him. Really missed him. No matter what she tried to tell herself, her heart ached for his return. As futile as that dream seemed.

She turned over, trying to block out the sounds of the night – the chirping insects, the wind, the distant voices, the rolling of tires on gravel.

Chidi must have returned, she thought, and continued to try and sleep. Until footsteps approached her door and suddenly a voice came through the night.

“Maggie!” he whispered loudly. “Can I come in?”

She jumped up, somewhat groggily, yet knew what she heard.

“Sam?”

“Maggie. I need to talk to you!”

“Uh, yes! Come in,” she said, sitting on the edge of the cot, trying to sound calm. He came back!

And Sam barreled in nearly taking off the tent door as he pulled her up and into his arms. Before she could say a word, his mouth found hers and he kissed her deeply. Her arms came up and around his neck and she kissed him back with just as much fervor.

“Oh Jinny,” he moaned, and she pushed back, falling onto the cot below.

“Who’s Jinny?” she asked, somewhere between hurt and anger.

His eyes softened and he sat down next to her. He took her hand in his, though she thought about pulling it away.

“My dog,” he began, and she felt her eyebrow raise.

He laughed, and she realized how much she missed the sound.

“My dog died back in New York. That was the emergency.”

Maggie didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Me too. I just wish my mother would have been a little more detailed in her letter. Still, Jinny was a big part of my life and it’s sad to see her go. But Jinny didn’t pass without inspiring me to do something important.” He smiled and looked down at her hand in his. She followed his gaze.

“I missed you,” she said, before the moment passed.

“I missed you, too,” he said, “a lot.”

She swallowed. She guessed she didn’t know what response that would get her if she said it. Now, she wasn’t sure she was prepared for it.

“Maggie, I love you,” he said, bringing a hand up against her cheek. “You’ve changed my life for the better and..”He fished a box out of his other pocket and reached over to click on the lamp. “..I can’t bear the thought of not spending the rest of my life with you.”

His eyes glistened as he opened the box. The ring sparkled in the lamplight and she blinked back tears.

“Marry me, Maggie,” he said, pulling the ring out for her.

She suddenly realized what Sam meant regarding Jinny’s inspiration and she reached out for the ring.

“Oh Jinny,”she said, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. “I love you.”

“Wait, did you mean me..or Jinny?” he asked with a smile, his face wet.

She laughed and kissed him. “You! I love YOU, Sam! I want to marry you!”

“Okay, okay. I just wanted to be sure,” he replied, kissing her back.

“Did you want to tell the group?” Maggie asked, grabbing a shirt from her nightstand.

He put a hand on her arm and then clicked the lamp off.

“Let’s tell them in the morning,” Sam said, trailing kisses down her neck.

THE END

Moving Pictures

Hopefully pictures really are worth a thousand words because then this column will be over five thousand words long. Here are some photos from the "You People" shoot. (Thanks to Charisma Schwarze for the photographs!)


This is a scene we shot Monday at Egg Works. I have know idea what I'm doing in this picture but I know it's the scene where I flip out on the waitress (I can tell because I'm wearing the red sweater in this one.)



Here is a picture of some of the principal cast members, taken at the CineVegas offices. From left to right there is Nathan Ferrier (Stephan), James Germano (Danny), Me (Patty), Will Edwards (Felix), Elly Brown (Nancy) and John Baniqued (Jerry). Note the red sweater with penguins on it.


Here we are at Egg Works doing a different scene, because I am wearing a different sweater (blue with snowmen this time). Will, Jerry and I are in this scene, while Kelly (in the red t-shirt) gives us some of his expert direction (I'm actually not kidding, he is a really great director, he's very clear on what he wants but gives his actors room for their perspective) and Mark (in the green t-shirt) tells Kelly how to do his job - just kidding. Mark is a producer and our lighting guy extraordinaire and he does tell Kelly when he sees something amiss. See how I'm eating soup? This is one shoot I didn't mind the sweaters, it was really cold in the restaurant. I had my sweater off between takes and I got so cold I put it back on even when we weren't filming.


Will and Val came down again on Monday to be extras (we missed you Dyann!) and here he and I are in the craft services room (craft services is the movie way of saying food) I don't know what I was saying when Charisma took this picture but it looks like I'm lecturing Will but I'm not. We actually had a lot of fun on this shooting day and he liked all the food I brought (as did the rest of the cast and crew that day. I'm pleased to say that all of the food I made was gone while the Jason's Deli food was still left over - no offence to Jason's Deli, I'm just better, that's all.


Another picture at the CineVegas offices, this time with expanded cast and extras (see Will and Val behind me? Aren't they good siblings to help me out? Yeah, they rock.)

Okay, today I have to shoot as well as tomorrow plus tomorrow is the hospital benefit. But next week I'll write more, I promise. I have some new products for the Glitter City Sweets line to share with you. Bless you Loyal Readers, and have a great weekend!

Making Movies

Sorry Loyal Readers, to neglect you so. My life has been in such turmoil lately that I'm grateful you stick around!

My filming started Thursday. It was an easy scene for me to get started with because I only had one line. But I did have a funny costume and makeup. My character, Patty, and John's character, Jerry have just gotten back from Mexico. So I look like I have a sunburn and the poncho I'm wearing has a Christmas themed cactus on it. (My character ALWAYS wears Christmas themed clothes!)

Here is the picture

I love the suitcase Charisma found for me to carry. It's a hard-sided round American Tourister. I offered to buy it from her but she wants to keep it for herself. I guess I'll have to start scrounging thrift stores!

Friday I had three scenes but I only had dialogue in one of them. It was an important scene though (since it introduces my character) and I think it went well. Kelly was happy and Will (who plays Felix) liked it too. It felt very comfortable to work with him. I didn't get any pictures on Friday and then I left my camera on set (do you think my desire for a new camera is causing me to subconsciously leave my camera behind everywhere I go so that I have to buy a new one? ) But we had fun and I kept cracking up because the actor who played the Game Company CEO (I think his name is Lincoln) had these really expressive eyes and he would make me laugh by just looking at me funny. He is from England and we had a great time talking with him.

Saturday we filmed at the CineVegas offices at The District. (CineVegas is a large film festival and their offices were really nice. They had a cool coffee bar area in the back, it was neat.) We had a lot of extras on set that day and Will and Val came down to be in the movie too. One of the scenes is where I find out I've been fired and I don't take it well. My brother always teases me about my acting (he sniffs the air and says "Does anyone else smell ham?") so this was right up his alley to make fun of me. Hey, I give the director what he wants, and if that requires a little ham, well then stud me, glaze me and serve me up. Charisma took some cast photos so I'm hoping I can grab some from her (since I still didn't have my camera at this point.) Mark took a picture and I stole it from his Facebook. In it you can see Kelly shooting the scene where Jimmy's character is firing us. I look interested, don't I? My knees hurt from that day because Kelly had me dive to the floor multiple times in the scene.


This afternoon we shoot another of my 'big scenes' where I flip out on a waitress. Dyann said she would come by and be an extra and Will and Val are going to show up again. Hopefully we will get enough extras. I have more filming on Friday and Saturday (plus I'm MC'ing and performing at a charity benefit on Saturday night) then I don't have any scenes to shoot for two weeks. I'll be working on Glitter City Sweets, to get the website up, plus I have a couple more ideas to work out. Then I resume three more weeks of shooting. Oh, and I know I have been cryptic about the title of the film, mostly because I wasn't sure how public to make it, but since the title has appeared on cast and crew Facebook pages I guess it's okay to say. The title is "You People". Hmmm, can you see the comic implications?

Okay, I gotta go make rice crispy treats for the crew, plus hair and makeup and all that jazz. I promise to try to have more pictures for you!!!!!

Wild Wedding Weekend, Part II

Okay, before we get to the reception part, my friend Maura mentioned that it's spring in Connecticut. It was spring on the wedding day (it turned to summer by Monday) and the museum had bunnies, quail and lizards running around. And I forgot to say that when the bride got to the altar you could hear an ambulance going by on the road outside the museum. It was kind of funny and my brother and I decided that it was my father saying hi (since he used to be a paramedic.)

Okay, reception. After we put The Graminator down for a nap and my mom and I 'refreshed' ourselves, we went down to the area where the reception was. The hotel has a restaurant area that opens onto a large patio with a fountain and lights, it's very pretty. All of the tables and chairs were covered and had centerpieces with creamy roses and cherry blossoms. The guests took a postcard from inside (each one with their names and a thank you message from the bride and groom) then matched the vintage Vegas picture on the photograph to a picture on one of the tables (it's a clever way of doing the seat assignments, don't you think?) Each table also had mini ketchup and mustard bottle favors with Will and Val's names and wedding date inscribed on it, along with playing cards, dice and assorted Vegas memorabilia. (See how it all went with the Old Las Vegas history theme?)

Because we were about 15 minutes early for the reception the bridal party waited just outside the patio, then Russ and I were introduced back into the room I had the pleasure of announcing the entrance of the bride and groom. Will made a few introductory remarks then it was time to eat!

Because the reception was at four in the afternoon, they had decided on an appetizer reception. The food was amazing. When they ordered the 'canape' platter I expected the frozen mini quiches you get at Costco, because I have been to may receptions where those have been served (and for the record, they aren't bad, they are actually good, just not exceptional). But what we actually got were handmade ones, with unique flavors like chorizo with cheese and one with ham and pineapple. There were also handmade spinach puffs and pastry wrapped brie. And I thought the 'antipasto' was just going to be a tray with some veggies and cheese but instead it was skewers with olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. So wonderful. There was also an herbed cheese platter with toast points and this cucumber bruschetta topping. My brother's favorites were the sliders. There were burger sliders (see how the ketchup comes in?) and some of the best pulled pork sliders I've ever had. And the fresh fruit bowl was full of fresh fruit like pineapples and purple grapes and decorated with intricately carved fruits. It was a lovely spread and soooooo delicious. I was worried that appetizers might not be enough food but there was plenty and no one left hungry (the sliders were huge!) There was enough food left over that Candice (the wedding coordinator for the hotel) put ribbon wrapped containers of food in the fridge of Will and Val's honeymoon suite to have for a midnight snack and she put one in my room as well. It was just as good reheated!

While everyone ate and mingled, the wait staff poured champagne for everyone (there was a cash bar for all other alcohol) and then it was time to make the toasts. Russ made a lovely toast as best man and mine was nice except for the blubbering (yes, I cried, just for you Chan!) Then Randy, Val's stepfather made a nice toast too (he also cried) and the Will and Val said a few thank yous and toasted each other. Then they started the dancing. Now my brother doesn't dance (as he said when they started dancing, their first dance was truly their first dance) but it was nice to see them dance together. They danced to The Flaming Lips song, "Do You Realize". (In a very touching moment, my Uncle Gary asked my mother to dance since my father wasn't there. Thanks Uncle G!) Then Randy and Val danced to "My Girl" and my mom and Will danced to "Time in a Bottle". They opened the floor for open dancing and I danced with Russ, then I danced with my brother to "Falling Slowly" from the movie "Once" because that's "our song" (since we saw it live at Sundance). After that nobody danced really, everyone just sat and mingled. it's too bad because my brother put together a killer playlist with lots of really cool songs. It was all just very relaxed and convivial.

I was so busy talking that I almost missed the cake cutting. Due to wind, the wedding cake I made them sat on the table instead of on top of the tower of cupcakes. I had warned them ahead of time that since the cake was covered in fondant that the cake was more for looks than taste. But Val shouted out to me that it was delicious (and you know what, it was!). Then everyone got cupcakes. Chocolate flew off the fastest, followed by the Cherry Cheesecake then Tiramisu. Pina Colada seemed to be the least favorite (my mom says that's because it was the least impressive, since it had rounded, coconut covered tops instead of towering swirls of icing like the others.) It's too bad because they were all good (even though I didn't take any cupcakes at the wedding, I did eat some of the 'rejects' at home - rejected because the didn't look perfect, but they still tasted great!) I had also brought small boxes so we encouraged people to take some home too. There were only about six or so cupcakes left at the end of the night and those went to the staff that helped us out, who gave them rave reviews.

As the reception went on, people mingled and talked and had a good time. The flower girl, Gabby, played with Tina and Jay's son Avi (isn't it cool how quickly kids make friends?) and they were funny to watch. They ran and jumped and colored and threw pennies in the fountain (although I don't think that is something Gabby had ever done before because she wanted to dive in and fish her penny back out.) We also had to draw the line when it became apparent that someone was either going to fall in or try to drink from the fountain. Also, spitting in the water seemed popular. Hey, they're two and a half, that's fun when you're that age, especially when grown-ups tell you not to.

As evening fell, the crowd dwindled down to family. Then even that dwindled to just my family, who sat around for one more glass of champagne. It was a lovely night, made more special by being together. Finally my Uncle Gary said, "Okay, let's go, they want to get up to their room", to which my brother replied, "Yeah, let the snoring begin!", which made my mom laugh so hard that she did a champagne spit take. It was very funny. Russ and I loaded their gifts up to their room and everyone said good night. I stayed in my suite for the night because I was too tired to drive all the way back to town. Which turned out to be a good thing because Candice came tapping at my door really late, because Will and Val had left their marriage certificate behind. I kept it safe for them.

It was a wonderful wedding but it flew by so fast. It was a whirlwind of memories that I tried to savor. I'll be glad to see the pictures and wedding video so I can see it with different eyes. But it was so lovely and I think everyone had a really good time.

I don't have lots of pictures (yet) but here are a few.


Val with a ketchup bottle (because I think a bride with ketchup is cool).


Will and Val's first dance.


Val and her father Randy in the father daughter dance.

Wild Wedding Weekend, Part I

Sorry it has taken me so long to blog this Loyal Readers, but I have been in a tired coma since Sunday afternoon. Here is the first installment. (Part II Tomorrow, then on Friday begins the YP filming saga!)

Wow, what a weekend. Jam packed, but ultimately wonderful.

Friday started early with making frosting for the 80+ cupcakes. I set Mom to work on the Pina Colada while I did the Chocolate Ganache, Tiramisu and Cherry Cheesecake ones. Then I decorated the two tier wedding cake I had covered with fondant the night before. Bless my Kitchen-aid mixer, it got a workout. After the icing and decorating was done I packed everything for transport to Boulder City. I lined the plastic boxes (the kind you store clothes in under your bed) with gripping liner which worked out pretty well (there were a couple that fell over but nothing that couldn't be fixed.

Will came over with the large SUV he had rented for the weekend to help me get it all to the hotel. Val was supposed to be there but she still wasn't ready so the groom jumped in to help. I think he was a a bit nervous and needed something to do. We were able to get everything into the car (cupcakes, cake, cake stand, flowers, suitcase, dress, favors, toasting glasses, etc.) it was awesome that he helped because now I know my little Corolla wouldn't have held it all. We made it to BC on time but the wedding coordinator was late. By the time we got everything unloaded and put into various coolers and offices and got checked into the hotel we were running about a half hour late (starting a trend that lasted all day.) But at last that gave the accident on the way back into town a chance to clear since we weren't sure we would make it back (the accident stretched for over two and a half miles of backed up traffic.) We raced to pick up Val, their dog Pax and all of the assorted things they needed and rushed back to my house where we left the superhero Will to deal with all of that while Val and I literally jumped from his car to my car to race to our mani/pedi appointments (we were 20 minutes late).

We had a great time getting our manicures and pedicures (at A Wild Hair on Buffalo and Washington) but they took forever (nearly three hours) and so we were again running late. We rushed back to my house to change clothes and put Val's dress and suitcase in my car then run to David's bridal to pick up the silk flowers for our hair then fly to the rehearsal dinner (we were about 20 minutes late.) This consistently late thing really bothered me because I'm an 'always on time' person. But we made it. We had a nice time with all of the blended family and a fairly nice dinner although I was terrible upset and angry with the restaurant, Buca di Beppo. I have eaten there many times and even been to other large parties there but the service this evening was terrible. We were never offered beverages, even though they were included in the price we paid, and we only saw wait staff when they ran in to drop of paltry amounts of food. I have since written to complain but I didn't want to embarrass our guests which is the only reason I didn't raise holy heck right there. I figured out that we could have gotten the same amount of food off the regular menu and paid less than half of what we were charged for out banquet. Appalling. Plus they never asked who the host was and they gave the check to my uncle. Thank goodness it was one of my family members who directed the check to me, I would have been mortified if the check had gone to someone in Val's family.

Will gave Russ (Val's brother and the best man) an engraved pen as his gift (It said Russ "Best Man" White). I really like Russ, he's a totally cool guy and I'm glad to add him to the family. Val gave me a bottle of perfume (Pink Sugar, I love it, it makes me smell like cotton candy) and an engraved business card holder. It's lovely, it says "Glitter City Sweets by Shae" on the top and "For My Sweet Sister" on the bottom. (By the way, that's the name of my new company, and the website should be up soon.) After dinner Val and I stopped by Walgreens (see, all of that crazy running around and I forgot my toothbrush) then headed to Boulder City to spend the night at the hotel.

The suites we had at the hotel were beautiful, really nice, but man was that bed firm. I hate beads that hard and finally gave up trying to sleep on it at about a quarter to five in the morning. I laid down on the couch in the living room of the suite. Val and I went to The Coffee Cup for breakfast (as seen on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network then back to the hotel to shower. Marcy, the girl who did our hair and makeup came at a little before nine and curled my hair and set it. While she started work on Val, I went down to the kitchen to put the gumpaste cherry blossoms on the cupcakes. (Moisture is the enemy of gum paste so I didn't want to put them on too early.) After scurrying to and fro to get the last minute details done I headed back to the room. Will made it to the hotel (he had to go to the weigh out for his company's wellness fair and he had lost seven pounds. Unfortunately his teammates gained weight so his team won't win anything. He changed in my suite while we got ready in Val's. He looked so handsome in his suit and his blue shirt (the much discussed blue which the bride's family thought should have been pink) made his eyes look very blue. He gave me the keys to the SUV so I could drive Val to the museum (he was taking the shuttle with the guests, where he played the video I made. I heard it was a success and I was asked for extra copies.)

When Val's hair and makeup was done it was time to do my makeup and finish my hair. We both looked great but Val looked extraordinary, she was glowing. We had to rush a bit to put our dresses on and the flowers came off our flip flops. Oh well the sequins looked good anyway. I went out the front of the hotel to get the car and snuck Val out the back way so none of the guests could see her. We made it to the museum where Val had to use the restroom so I got to hold up her dress. It was just like the scene in "27 Dresses" We went to the Heritage Street here the wedding was to take place and I hid Val in the house on the end.

The museum is lovely and the Heritage street is just that, a little street with houses on both sides. There is a gazebo at the end of the street where the wedding took place and the museum set out these nice white wood benches for the guests to sit on. The men (Will, Russ and the bride's dad Randy) had gone out the day before and swathed the gazebo in ivory satin and cherry blossoms - they did a great job! The trees that lined the street were mature enough to provide the guests with shade as they waited for the ceremony. A string quartet (students from the performing arts high school where Val teaches) played classical music. It was one o'clock (the time the ceremony was set to start) when we all noticed that the minister hadn't yet arrived. No one had her phone number (it was on Val's phone which was back at the hotel.) I tried calling information but there was no listing and I tried calling the minister who recomended her but there was no answer. My final plan was to grab Russ and head to the museum's center to find a phone book and start calling the nearest chapel to see if we could find an emergency minister to come out and perform the ceremony. Randy's dad is a former minister and Randy was going to ask him to officiate (but he isn't licensed to perform ceremonies in Nevada.) Russ and I were halfway to the center when mu Uncle Stuart called to say he had found the Reverend and would have her to the site in just a few minutes (which earned him the official title of "Reverend Wrangler".

So the ceremony started a bit late, but we were finally in place and I signaled the quartet to begin the ceremony music. I walked down the short aisle, followed by Gabby, Val's niece and flower girl. Gabby ended up in front of me but that's what you get with three year olds. Then Val and Randy came out of the house and down the aisle and the tears started. Not me, but Val, Will, my mom, Val's mom and randy were all crying. The ceremony was short but sweet with Will and Val writing their own vows. Will's were simple and heartfelt and Val's took the form of a poem (which is only fitting for an English teacher.) The minister pronounced them married and I let out a whoop. We took pictures while the guest were invited to tour the museum. We took lots and lots of pictures, none of which I have because I left my camera at the hotel (see why I don't like rushing?) There is even a picture with all of both families (it's good to have a small family sometimes.) We headed back for the shuttle (I took Will's seat so he could drive Val back in the SUV.) We had a great shuttle driver and it was awesome to have the handicap shuttle so The Graminator didn't have to even get out of her chair.

Okay, Part II - The Reception, is tomorrow!