11.21.2013

The Day the Crayons Quit


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   I am thrilled to be guest posting on The Nerdy Book Club's blog today!  When I was asked to write a book review for them, I was allowed to pick the book.  I knew it would have to be one of Oliver Jeffers' simply because I needed an excuse to buy one of his newest.  We spend most of our time with Oliver's work in Lost and Found and Up and Down.  So, I took Baby Girl to Barnes & Noble, laid out a few choices, and let her pick.  I quickly flipped through the pages with her and then sat three books on a table.  She immediately signaled at The Day the Crayons Quit.  Then, she alerted me that her lemur would make the final decision.  At which point she climbed on the table, set her lemur next to the book, put her feet back on the ground, and looked up at me, smiling. 





   It was exciting to have my first deadline and actually be able to use the phrase "word count" in daily conversation.  When I turned it in on the deadline (yesterday), it wasn't supposed to be posted for another week.  But a change in scheduling moved it up to today.  You can follow the Nerdy Book Club on facebook and twitter to stay updated or check out my page to hear about my favorite posts.  I'm their newest fan!


My first bike was thistle.  The metal slide at school was raw umber.  My first car was midnight blue.   My prom dress was carnation pink.  After that, my memories become a little hazy and smeared in grey.  Then a book like The Day the Crayons Quit comes along and reminds me how a colorful life feels, smells, and tastes- with crayons.  Drew Daywalt’s hilarious tale and Oliver Jeffers‘ childlike morsels brought me back to the crush of gravel beneath my feet, muffled giggles heard through a classroom wall, my mother’s perfume overpowering maple syrup in the morning, and the first nosh of ice cream after chasing the truck down the street.  How could I have forgotten?
 
 
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11.05.2013

Come on in. The water's cold.

photo source


My Galapagos. Part Four. 
{this is the part where I write about writing}


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   Wide-eyed and desperate for an adventure, I booked a trip to the Galapagos.  Despite my initial struggles, I committed and bought real estate.  "But after a few months of saltwater hair and banana rum, the corners of your postcard life are worn and bent.  No longer at a resort on the sand but now trying to survive at a condo inland, reality sought you out and found you.  Far from your family and friends, you crave an escape.  So, you go back to the place that first gave you comfort- the hotel bar."