It's the time of year for everyone, from Entertainment Weekly to Garden & Gun magazine, to recap their year. We get lists of the Best and Worst in innumerable categories and I thought to myself, "Who am I to be different from other writers?" So I give you my Top Events of 2018.
1. January - Ben and I celebrated the one-year anniversary of our first date. If you had told me even at the beginning of 2017 that I would meet the man of my dreams, I would have thought you were still hung over from your post-New Year's revelry, yet here we are. Yay me!
2. February - As we were not going to be together on Half-Price Candy Eve (otherwise known as Valentine's Day), Ben and I decided to celebrate the weekend before, returning to our favorite fancy restaurant, Parkers' Lighthouse. After delicious seafood, he proposed; an event that was so far from what I had ever thought possible, I was caught completely off-guard and rendered, literally, speechless. So speechless that while I cried a little bit and hugged him and proceeded to Google what hand you wear an engagement ring on if you are a dude, I forgot to say "YES!" leaving him momentarily concerned.
3. March - Being as conservative as me, Ben shared that he didn't want to move in together until were actually married. Never one to dismiss people's values, we got married almost immediately, on March 12, at the courthouse. Our "honeymoon" (if you want to call it that, and we most certainly do not) was a trip back to my alma mater in Mississippi for my 25th college reunion, where I also had a book signing and reading for Almost Odis, which had just been published the last day in December. I am halfway to being a Golden Girl, which is what MUW calls the graduates who have reached their 50th reunion year. I feel sure there are many who would say I am already a Golden Girl, most likely Dorothy. I was able to take Ben to Louisiana (we flew into New Orleans) and Alabama (we literally drove past the state line, took a photo and immediately returned to MS).
4. April - This month was focused on talking. I spoke at the TORCH (Texas Organization for Rural Clinics and Hospitals) State Conference on "How to Build a Dynamic Leadership Team" and had an impromptu book signing in the lobby of the hotel. I also returned to the boons of my youth and spoke to the senior class of Rivercrest High School (accidentally cursing while imparting my wisdom) and held a successful book reading and signing at the Community Center, followed by an even more successful potluck lunch and gossip/reminiscing session that lasted until late in the evening and included fans from as far away as Omaha (Texas, that is). I also had a book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Long Beach where I sold 30 books and the staff agreed to keep my title on the shelf for the foreseeable future, ensuring I felt all successful and whatnot. However, to keep it all in balance, I sold exactly one copy of Almost Odis at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.
5. June - We moved into a new, larger apartment and The Sister visited for her annual trek out to the West Coast to laugh, sleep, float in the pool and eat Nick's Butter Cake. After explaining what frolicking was, Ben and Shontyl frolicked all up and down the beach at Laguna Beach, while PawPaw Dusty observed from a surprisingly comfortable bench in the shade.
6. July - traveled to Greece, via Boston for BFF Christopher's Birthday on Mykonos Island, the nightclub of the Greek Isles. We stayed in a lovely villa with bad plumbing so we couldn't flush paper products down the toilet and had to keep them in a lovely can next to the toilet. I traveled thousands of miles and spent thousands of dollars to relive my childhood in a hunting cabin, except with beaches and Eurotrash. We did have delicious food, though.
7. September - I started my new job at the VA Long Beach. My dream job that I wasn't even aware was a job until it was created. I am the Chief Experience Officer, which pretty much means, if VA Long Beach was a college, I am the Dean of Students. I am finally putting both my degrees to good use, which is wonderful considering I've been paying graduate school student loans for 20 years, so far. Yay me!
8. October - Ben and I celebrated our birthdays by attending an album launch party in LA with my good friend/actor/musician John Kapelos, he of 'Breakfast Club', 'Seinfeld' and 'The Shape of Water' fame. We got hob-nob with all sorts of actors and producers and singers. It was a veritable who's who of 80s and 90s character actors, like Bad Billy Pratt from 'Overboard'. We also ate red velvet churros for the first time. Our church also moved into its new building at Westminster Mall, so every Sunday I know worship between JC Penney and Victoria's Secret, which is fitting, I suppose.
9. November - I took Ben to meet the rest of the family in Ohio, where my brother and his family reside (Dayton) with The Dad. The visit went well and The Dad was as charming as he could be, only farting and blaming Ben twice. Lots of red meat and visits to Cracker Barrel were enjoyed.
10. December - We returned to the Panhandle of Texas (Amarillo) for our annual Christmas jaunt to the boonies, staying with my niece Payton and her lovely cowboy hubby, Colten. It was our first chance to meet my newest Great Niece, Acey Elizabeth, and spend time with her slightly older sibling, Slade Catherine, along with my sister. Ben showed he was the baby whisperer and I demonstrated that I was still the uncle who buys things so as to not have to change diapers or rock children to sleep. We enjoyed delicious home-cooked meals and dangerous amounts of queso, sweet tea and sopapilla cheesecake and introduced Ben to the wonder that is Fried Twinkies and Payton's heart-stopping 4-cheese macaroni and cheese. We were the envy of our fellow passengers on the flight home when our in-flight snacks were leftover Ribeye steak and Chicken & Dressing. You can take the redneck out of the boonies...
2018 was a fantastic year and I can't wait to see what 2019 brings. I hope to finish my next book some time in 2019, so keep your eyes peeled for an announcement. While you are waiting, you should read either A Gone Pecan or Almost Odis. You can find both on Amazon or AuthorHouse or contact me for an autographed copy of Almost Odis.
Happy New Year, y'all!
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