Bronzed love

Twelve years ago, I started dating this cutie.

Youth and red hair, how I miss you both.

Four years later, we became man and wife.

I was totes excited about it.

He makes me laugh today just as much as he did then.

And we continue to celebrate over delicious food, as we did on our honeymoon.

My travel agent friend surprised us with a table for two on our cruise.

Tonight, we celebrated our eight-year (bronze) wedding anniversary with food (hello, honey & bacon cornbread and fancy-pants S'mores), laughter, and happy smiles.

I'm grateful for these past eight years and look forward to the next eight years and beyond...

Today's post is brought to you by the number 3.

This is my 300th blog post in my 33 months of blogging! 

Blogging as a hobby, I usually save the stats analysis for the websites I have to maintain at work, but the other day I received a comment from a random visitor and wondered how she stumbled upon my blog. This led to a humorous discovery of keyword searches that have directed unknowing victims to my blog in the past six months, and of course, I can't keep it to myself.

Okay, I get the actor and character searches because of those girlie lists I made. But WHO are all these people searching for Spice Girls lollipops, and why does MY blog come up in their search? After quickly Googling on my own, I found that - yikes! - yes, I did indeed blog about them once. Busted.

Other visitors have found my blog through weirder means.

c. thomas howell "deleted scene" "outsiders" "underwear"

If you want to see an outsider in his underwear, C. Thomas Howell is not the one I'd choose.

I know I've talked quite a bit about Patrick Swayze in The Outsiders, and I've even talked about my own unmentionables (wow, that Girl Talk group really got me into trouble), but how this particular search resulted in my blog - not once, but twice - is beyond me. Furthermore, when one puts this combination of terms into a search engine, my blog pops up in the top ten results. Awesome.

how long does a sprained thumb last

Never having had a sprained thumb, and given the fact that I have no idea how long one lasts, I hope this searcher finally made his or her way to WebMD.

Then there's this gem that brought a lone visitor:

telling off quotes with

What does that even MEAN? Who am I telling off, and why am I using quotes? 

Wait a minute. *Gasp*! Does all this blogging about these searches mean that more Spice Girls lollipop sucking C. Thomas Howell fans with sprained thumbs are going to visit my blog in the next six months?! If this describes you, please leave me a comment and let me know who you are. I want to meet you.

***
If you've made it through this post, or any of my other 299 posts for that matter, you deserve a medal. Being that I'm a part-time employee for a non-profit organization, though, I can afford just one. So you'll have to fight for it. Actually, how 'bout we skip telling each other off with quotes, and I'll randomly pick a winner instead. Leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm EST on Monday, July 9th. The winner will be announced during Tuesday's post (7/10).

What are you playing for? A $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble!

Good luck!

If you're new to this corner of the blogosphere and want to check out more, here are the three posts that people most frequently take a Second Glantz at:

Another List

Still Alive, Still Obsessed

The creature from the hall floorboard

Getting back on the writing horse

You may have noticed that there's not much to take a "second Glantz" at around here lately. That's because this has been me for the past month: trapped in my own head. (Cue The Cranberries: "In your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie-e-e.") 

Over the summer, I achieved a milestone and made my lifelong dream of becoming a paid, published author a reality (and I can die a happy girl). While it may not be the best thing I've ever written or have yet to write, I was - and am - so proud of myself. I wrote a kick-ass query with a good hook

What do you get when you mix a Jewish bride, a Presbyterian minister, and an agnostic groom? A little bit of drama, a whole lot of compromise, and a beautiful wedding.

and spent the time doing the research to find the perfect market for my piece (a big kudos goes to Marla Beck for helping me find the balance between the craft of writing and the business of it).

Looking back at what I posted on my Facebook page the day my article was released...

Cheryl Glantz Nail Excited that my first freelance article was bought and published. Learned a LOT from the process and am looking forward to trying again soon.

Out of Many Beliefs, One Ceremony - InterfaithFamily.com

www.interfaithfamily.com

The wedding she'd never imagined was just as beautiful as the one she'd pictured.

...I'm a little embarrassed. I'm not ashamed by my excitement, and to say that I learned a lot is really an understatement. It's that highlighted part, "looking forward to trying again soon." I really was looking forward to it. I even created a dedicated website for posting clips (fun fact: I bought this domain in 2006 with the intention of launching a custom scrapbooking business, and no, I never did; side note: if any of you have suggestions for improving my site, I'm all ears). And then I got lost inside my own head. And in the Twitter streams and blogs of newly published authors. And in the overwhelming questions, "Where do I go from here?" and "Can I do it again?" I expected my bit of success to propel me into a chorus of "Defying Gravity" (okay, maybe I sang it once), but I let it paralyze me.

No more, I say! When my friend Sarabeth tweeted me about Angela Booth's challenge to write for 100 days, from September 22 (happy birthday, Hubby!) to January 1, I knew that signing up for public accountability could be the kick-in-the-pants I need to get myself out of my head and onto the page. So here goes nothing!

Goals to end 2010:

1. Write. Every. Single. Day. Whether it's 15 minutes or two hours, whether it's for a project or only for myself - even if I have to hide in the bathroom to steal time during the holidays - I will write for 100 days straight without excuse.

2. Submit at least one article per month to 24/Savvy. I have become embarrassingly inconsistent in my contribution to this webzine, and I hope to fix that during this challenge.

3. Write and query at least one article. I may not get published again. I may not get paid again. But I'm going to try.

4. Apply to freelance writing jobs. The number of bookmarks I've created on my browser for the jobs I'm interested in is ridiculous. Have I applied to a single one? See above about paralyzing fear. It's time to start making use of those bookmarks. I'm not going to respond to calls just to do so, but I'm going to take seriously the ones that truly interest me.

5. Blog at least once per week. Really, I'm hoping for more frequency than this, but with all the other goals I have, I need to make sure I don't set myself up for failure. Blogging is something I really enjoy. It takes me out of my bubble and connects me to the outside world, and I need to learn to make more time for the things that make me happy.

6. Take my novel out of the drawer. *deep breath* This goal creates a certain amount of anxiety for me. I'm 35,400 words in, but it's been three or four months *cringe* since I've spent any consistent quality time with my characters. I miss them. They've been screaming at me in my sleep to finish their story, but those pesky "Is it good enough?" type questions have been distracting me from my original goal, which was not to publish the novel but to write it. I still want to publish it. I want it bad. But I can't even begin to try that next step until I get over myself and get re-lost in the story I want to tell.

7. While I need to re-immerse myself in the craft of writing, I can't let myself become an island again. I've become part of a wonderful community of writers on Twitter and in the blogosphere, but I haven't allowed myself to really participate as of late because it made me feel like a fraud, talking about writing without actually "living writerly." I need to jump back in - without letting it consume all my writing time. Balance is such a pesky word, isn't it? I haven't decided how to achieve said balance yet, but I have a feeling it will probably involve setting aside a limited amount of time each day to catch up on what other writers are doing.

8. This last goal is going to be the hardest: share my writing with others. With the exception of my friend Leigh, I haven't let anyone - not Hubby, not my mom - read my fiction, and even Leigh has only read parts (she showed me hers, so I was encouraged to show her mine). While I stand by the belief that you shouldn't feel pressured to share your writing until you're ready (or ever for that matter), I think it would be immensely helpful, and more than likely productive, if I was a little less protective of my writing (and my feelings). My Gram likes to remind me that "Rome wasn't built overnight," and you know, it wasn't built by just one person either. If I can't share my writing with the people who are most supportive in my life, then finished or not, the novel will never leave the drawer.

I can do this. I will do this.

"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."

~Jim Rohn (Thanks, Cheri!)

Look who's turning two!

This post is brought to you today by the number two.

image source

Break out the cake! It is not only my second blogoversary, but also my 222nd post. I wish I could say I planned that, but I'm an English major, remember?


Kelly from The Miller Mix asked an interesting question the other day: How has blogging changed who you are or how you see yourself? As I was looking through my own posts last night, awed by how much has happened in only one year, I concluded that while my blog doesn't define me, it's a great reflection of who I am. I'm a teacher and a dreamer. I may worry, but I have faith, no matter how big, or silly, my fears are. I'm a 30+ fangirl, and my blog has helped me to not take myself too seriously. It has taught me to be grateful and has helped me to heal. It reminds me to cherish the moments, both big and small. My blog has also helped me to realize dreams, from opening an Etsy store to becoming a published writer. Most importantly, it has connected me with all of you. Thank you for continuing on this journey with me.

Hold me!

As part of Hubby's birthday present last month, I gave him a coupon that he could redeem in exchange for me finally agreeing to watch Silence of the Lambs. Well, tonight was that night.

Firstly, as probably one of the few (if any) people who had not yet watched it, I feel the need to defend myself. SotL came out in 1991. I wasn't yet old enough to watch PG-13 movies, let alone ones rated R. When I did start watching R-rated movies, I actually liked scary and suspenseful flicks. But by then, SotL was old, and there were new creepy movies to watch. When I was old enough to recognize that I had missed out on seeing a "classic" (aka I didn't understand the many hundreds of references made to the movie), I had put a moratorium on all creepy motion pictures. My feeling? There's enough in the real world to creep me out. Why waste one of the few methods of escape on things that are going to give me nightmares when I have plenty of bad dreams from watching the news?

So to not only agree to watch this movie, but to also offer to watch it, you know I must really love the dude.

I was trying not to be a baby about it, but as my date with Anthony Hopkins approached, I started tweeting and Facebooking things like:

(And I may or may not have texted a few of my friends asking them to come over and hold me.) My dear, sweet, supportive friends thought it would be hilarious to build the suspense even further:

You will let me know what you thought... won't you, "Clarice"??? =)

Yes clarice...

I'm scared 4 u.

Um, not sure I'd want to be in your position. It's a great movie, but man. Prepare yourself.

Hope you enjoy the fava beans and chianti... (PS. I had no idea what that meant, but it scared me nonetheless.)

(I now know who not to call when I'm trying to hide from the bogeyman, thank you very much.)

The verdict? Maybe it was because I had built it up in my head for so many years, but I didn't start getting nervous until the very end. And the only time I closed my eyes was when Buffalo Bill started playing with the moths. (Insects? Definitely creepier than Dr. Hannibal Lecter.) I admit it. That movie is GOOD. I loved it. Now if only I can get Hubby to watch a musical...

Nablopomo, it's been real

30 posts in 30 days.

It hasn't always been easy, it hasn't always been fun, it hasn't always been interesting (for you or me). My scrapbooking took a backseat, as did my blog reading. And there were nights I struggled to keep my eyes open in order to post before the clock turned midnight. But I don't regret it; in fact, I'm grateful. Thanks to the "need" to post daily, I participated in some wonderful memes and communities (looking at you, Girl Talk Thursday- thanks for introducing me to it, Jenny!) I didn't know about prior to this challenge, and through those, I've continued to make great connections through the blogosphere and Twitterverse. Furthermore, I credit Nablopomo for helping me get back in the writing groove, so I can't call it anything less than rewarding.

Thanks for sticking with me through this adventure. I can't promise that you'll continue to see me in your reader on a daily basis, but I can promise that you'll see me more often than you used to. And a special thank you to my friend, Jenny, (who also successfully Nablopomo'd... you go girl!) who was an encouraging force, especially on the nights I wasn't bitten by the blogging bug.

Thank you!

A huge thank you to everyone for both your financial and emotional support as I (and Hubby) geared up for today's Memory Walk.

We doubled our original goal and quadrupled the amount from the first time we walked, raising $823 this year. WOW.

To say we're pleased is an understatement, but we're not stopping there. It's our hope that we can grow our team next year and raise even more money. We'd also like to encourage you to take a moment and let Congress know that you support increased research funding of Alzheimer's programs. Again, thank you.

Another thank you is in order for helping me to reach a bloggy milestone: 100 posts and 25 followers. What started out as just "something to try" has turned out to be a passion, and that's largely thanks to all the friendships I've made in the blogosphere. So as a surprise thank you, I'd like to reward the first commenter on today's post with a little goodie. ☺ (And speaking of goodies: Jenny & Kristen- your blogoversary gifts are on their way; Teena- please email your address to me.)

Oh, and one more thing... GO GATORS!

Happy blogoversary to me!

To all of you who have indulged my thoughts - no matter how random, silly, or vain - this past year, THANK YOU!

I wrote my first post in January 2007, but being a perfectionist, it was another 20 months before I made my public entrance into the blogosphere. When I created this blog, I was mulling over the idea of starting a small custom scrapbooking business (I got only as far as creating the website), so I thought this would serve as a "behind the scenes" look. Putting my business idea aside for the time being, I didn't know what the blog would morph into. Should it be a scrapbooking blog? A "life update" blog? I felt pressure to force it into a niche, much in the way I felt obligated to post regularly. But the flip side of that was I didn't want to feel pigeon-holed. Ultimately I threw the blogging "rules" out the window and decided to post what I want when I want. Free of limitations and obligations, I'm a much happier blogger. J

So now it's time to celebrate! I have three fabulous gift packs to give away that I think represent my interests nicely, and each comes with a surprise gift. Enter stage right: a pretty-handed home shopping lady...

1. The "Green" Gift includes:

-a reusable coffee cozy from Two Florida Girls

Here's a close-up of the pattern:

Fold this cozy up, stick it in your purse, and use it whenever you go to Starbucks. Fashionable and environmentally conscious. Love it! (This one is so hard to give away because I love the colors, but I cannot forsake my Gator coffee cozy.)

-a reusable canvas bag from Hot Topic

This bag is nice and roomy for a quick trip to the store, and it has a long enough strap that you can carry it on your shoulder. And the best part about the bag is that the proceeds from purchasing it go to helping keep art and music programs in schools, a cause near and dear to my heart.

-a surprise green gift J

2. The Scrapbook Gift includes:

-Pink Paislee Office Lingo Clear Stamps

I absolutely love the stamp that says, "This memory is one of a kind and will never be duplicated. Keep it close to your heart." And isn't that what scrapbooking is all about?

-American Crafts Remarks Sticker Book (Accents Book 1, Color Sets 1 & 3)

So many shapes and sizes, and the colors are awesome!

I purchased these scrapbooking goodies from Peachy Cheap- a site I'm totally addicted to. Their prices are unbelievably low!

-a surprise scrapbooking gift J

3. The Vampire Gift includes:

-a set of Twilight Trading Cards

Did you really think I could have a giveaway without showing some Twilight love?

-a True Blood keychain, featuring Eric Northman (handmade by yours truly)

(front & back pictured)

Note to self: make one of these for me.

-a surprise EDWARD gift J

How to Enter

There are SIX chances to win! For each of the following you do (or have already done--some of you are ahead of the curve), leave me a comment. Each comment is an entry into the drawing, meaning if you do all six things, you need to leave me six comments on this post. Winners will be drawn by random; the first person selected will get first pick and so on. Comments after 11:59 pm EST on Monday, September 14 will not be counted. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, September 15.

1. Tell me what your favorite post is, or just leave me a random comment.
2. Tweet about the giveaway.
3. Blog about the giveaway.
4. Add me to your blog roll.
5. Become a follower or subscribe.
6. Add my button to your blog's sidebar.

*If you tweet or blog, leave me your Twitter name or blog address so I can follow you back if I'm not already. J

And for those of you who are newer readers of my blog, here's a trip down memory lane with my top 10 non-scrapbook related posts (in chronological order because I'm OCD like that) that will help you get to know me a bit better:

Mimi, I've a feeling we're not in Florida anymore

The FL girl and her northern challenges

I figured out Victoria's Secret

I've been tagged

What do a vampire and a castaway have in common?

My name is Cheryl, and I'm addicted to bad TV

It could always be worse

On turning 30

Dear Neighbor

Rock on!

And if you made it this far in the post, you should win a prize just for that. J Thanks for your continued reading. Here's to another great year!

Tweet x 4000

I've always known that I was addicted to Twitter, but I don't think I realized the extent of my addiction until today. In 13 months, I've managed to rack up 4,000 tweets.

As I found out from TweetStats, my addiction has grown exponentially from last year.

When people question my twittering, it's easy for me to defend. Working from home, it comprises the majority of my socialization during the workday, as is evident from the following two graphs that show 1) I tweet most often during the workday, and 2) more than 60% of my tweets are conversational with other tweeps.

It's no surprise that the majority of my conversations take place with IRL (in real life) friends.

So what in the world am I tweeting about?

It appears as though I LOL a lot (shocker). And apparently I remember to say thanks (my mom will be proud of my manners).

I also talk a lot about reality TV and vampires (another huge surprise). Oh, but look! I "bookend" a lot, which is a work strategy, so that's good, right? (Let's overlook the RPattz tweets, shall we?)

So what's with the tweet analysis, you ask? First and foremost, I'm a dork, so I love to analyze things (and I love pretty graphs). Secondly, I was curious as to what in the world I've been tweeting so much about. Now I know. And while knowing is half the battle, don't expect me to ease up on the tweeting anytime soon. I think I'll go tweet this blog post...

Tweet, tweet!

On Turning 30...

Okay, so it wasn't that traumatic (turning 25 - aka a quarter of a century - was, though).

I was actually looking forward to turning 30. I had even been claiming it as my age months before it was official.

Don't get me wrong, my 20s were good to me. In fact, they were a blast for the most part, and I might even relive them without being paid to do so, but I wasn't sad to see them go.

When you're in your 20s, even the latter years of the decade, I think people sometimes still see you as the fresh-out-of-college, party-all-night kid, who is pretending to be an adult (despite the fact that you're usually asleep before 11). As a thirty-something, you're not considered old, but the higher digit out front seems to be equated with maturity in most people's minds. And I'm okay with being taken more seriously in some venues of my life, even if that means having to trade deeper lines in my face and a few more gray hairs for it.

I think about the age-old question that people always ask, "Where do you see yourself in X number of years?" If you asked me if I'm where I thought I'd be at 30, I'd have to say that I honestly had no idea. My life plans changed so many times in my early 20s that I think I eventually gave up on the "life plan." That's not to say that I don't have dreams or goals or direction. But I no longer try to plan everything out the way I did when I was younger (I was that eighth-grade kid who had all four years of high school classes mapped out well before meeting with the guidance counselor). All I know is that I am HERE (like the red dot on the mall directory), and HERE is a happy place to be.

So to Thirty, I say... Hello. And welcome.