Graduation!

Yeah! We made it through another high school graduation, our last in fact. Number 6 of 6! With ours being a blended family there was a bit of a gap between the older kids and David, our youngest. Like 9 years to be exact. So long I'd almost forgotten how to do a grad party! Nonetheless, we celebrated commencement on Friday, June 5th, 2009 with David and 410 graduates from Lakeville North High School. We had our open house celebration on Sunday, June 7th. Although the weather didn't cooperate at all--extremely cool & dark, looming clouds--we made the best of it.

As with many stages in life, we now look forward to the next phase...college. David has plans to attend North Dakota State University in Fargo to study Architecture. And for John and I, empty-nesters. It'll be the first time in our married life without any kids in the house.

And so it goes...another one of those life changes. For the first time in 26 years my life won't revolve around a school calendar. Rather than look behind and feel sadness, I look ahead with breathless anticipation of what God has in store. Right now I have three writing projects going simultaneously, each one amazing in story, depth and dimension.

So while I may have an empty nest, I do not have an empty desk!

Until next time,

Barbara

Working Weekend

We had our first camping weekend of the summer this Memorial Weekend. It felt great to get outdoors and spend some time around a campfire again. We went to northern Minnesota with three other couples, just like we've done the past three years. Typically the focus of our weekend getaways is to ride Harleys (well, one couple has a Honda motorcycle) during the day and gather around the warmth of a campfire in the evening. (Actually the Honda guy brings the firewood, so we have to let him ride with the Harleys!)

I had a lot of writing to get done over the weekend, so I decided to stay back and write while the others went riding. It worked out really well and I was able to accomplish quite a bit...thanks to my helper, Abbie...our Golden Retriever. I think if she has her way, she'll be going with us every time!

Next on my mind is graduation...our youngest is graduating from Lakeville North High School is less than two weeks!

Barbara

Maui Shower Sponsors NASCAR

I had a fun project to work on last week. A family from our church has a business called Maui Shower, a mobile shower facility in a bright yellow-and-orange semi that they take to large-scale events like NASCAR where thousands of campers are in need of showers. Maui Shower is now in their fifth year of business and they have four semis that travel all across the United States.

The owners, Tim and Sam Watts, (father and son), were pretty excited to have an opportunity to sponsor a couple drivers at Talladega Superspeedway a couple weeks ago. I wrote a press release for them and thought I would share it here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Minneapolis, Minnesota –
The Maui Shower Company teamed up with Tonya McCallister and McCallister Precision Marketing (MPM) to sponsor drivers at Talladega Superspeedway, April 24-26, 2009. In a show of support to NASCAR and the sport of racing, Maui Shower went 3-for-3, sponsoring drivers in all three events.

Sponsorship started Friday night at the ARCA series when Maui Shower took an ad on the side of Grant Enfinger’s #83 red Chevrolet. Enfinger started in the 8th position—his second start of the season—and finished 3rd, after a wild race with five cautions. Tonya and MPM took it to the next level, bringing Maui Shower a sponsorship opportunity with Joe Nemechek in both the Nationwide and Cup series.
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY - NATIONWIDE SERIES: On Saturday, April 25, 2009, Maui Shower sponsored driver Joe Nemechek. The Maui Shower logo dazzled bright and bold on the front hood of his yellow Chevrolet Impala SS throughout the race. Driving #87, Nemechek started in 19th position and stayed clear of trouble to finish 11th in the Aaron’s 312. Television coverage was provided by ABC Sports, giving Maui Shower great national exposure.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY - SPRING CUP SERIES: On Sunday, April 26, 2009, the Maui Shower logo splashed across the front hood of Joe Nemechek’s #87 Toyota Camry. The highly visible spot throughout the four-hour race earned a 25-second mention by FOX Broadcasters. Nemechek started the Aaron’s 499 in the 17th spot and avoided two major crashes to finish with a season’s best at 14th .

Working in conjunction with McCallister Precision Marketing, Maui Showers is committed to the sport of racing. Look for the Maui Shower trailers on the infield at future NASCAR events throughout the 2009 season.

Contact: Tim Watts, CEO President
Sam Watts, Vice President
Maui Shower Company

952-641-6000

http://www.mauishower.com/

Sleetmagazine.com

Flash News!

There's a brand new online literary journal created right here in hidden Twin Cities literary circles, called Sleet Magazine. The first issue was released in April with three categories, Poetry, Fiction, and Flash. The staff includes Susan Solommon, Editor, Nate Thomas, Poetry Editor, and Kathleen McEathron and TJ Kampa.

My short story, One More Chance, was selected as one of three fiction pieces for the first issue. Check it out at Sleetmagazine.com, Current Issue, Fiction. By the way they are currently accepting submissions in all three categories for their Fall 2009 issue.

On a side note, it was 85 beautiful degrees in the Twin Cities yesterday. Wonderful!
Blessings to all,
Barbara

Brule' Concert in Willmar

This past Thursday, April 16th, John and I were once again treated to an amazing performance by the Brule'/AIRO gang. Paul LaRoche continually finds ways to improve his concerts, bringing in new dancers and drummers, adding a story or new song, and sometimes he simply hooks us all with a good old fashioned joke. Altogether it really defines the direction he is going...all the way to the top!

This spring Brule'/AIRO has been on a tour sponsored by DMM Productions with several stops in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In reading the message board on the Brule' website, it's evident that scores of people are thrilled to see them in person, right in our own backyards.

The reason hubby and I chose the Willmar stop is because John's stepmom, Lorraine Majchrzak, lives near by. She has followed the Brule' journey along with us and never thought she'd get to see them in person. I was a little hesitant because at 84 years of age, I didn't know if she'd be bothered by the pounding drums or loud music. Not to worry, she loved every minute of it, completely enthralled with the dancers.

This summer it will be 10 years since we first saw Paul performing on the sidewalk in front of the Buffalo Stockade in downtown Deadwood. It's amazing to think all that has transpired since then, fulfilling my dream to be an author. I never fully understood why God chose Paul's story for me to write, it's simply one of those "trust & faith" things that comes along in life, sometimes when you least expect it. Needless to say, it's been an incredible journey and opened so many doors. And what's especially neat is knowing the journey isn't over.

Right now Paul and I are taking the Hidden Heritage story to a new format...television. More on that to come...

Blessings,
Barbara

A Word of Advice for Freelance Writers

As we all know it's rather amazing what we can find out by doing searches on the internet these days. Recently I was amazed to discover two stories I had written nearly four years ago were published---and I had never been informed or paid! It all started when I decided to Goggle my name to see if Hidden Heritage was included in the class-action lawsuit against Google Books. The book cover and information came up, however the contents were not uploaded.

As I continued looking through the list of books that came up with my name search, I found several stories I had written for different anthologies, such as the Cup of Comfort series. Then I noticed two stories that I'd written but as far as I knew had never been published. One was titled, Second Blessings, shown in a book called Blessings for Mothers by Regal Books, and A Guide for Life was listed in The Bad Hair Day Book by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson. Both had publication dates of 2006.

Needless to say I immediately checked my submission records from 2005 and found both stories had been submitted to a "middle-man" type editorial company that worked with inspirational publishers. From what I could tell he collected and edited stories for a themed project and then sold the entire contents to a publisher as a package deal. I contacted both publishers who directed me to this person. My purpose in sharing this information is not to "bad-mouth" him or his business...I was told he went through a "perfect storm " of changes and events that caused the breakdown in connecting with all the authors. Regardless, it took a full month after my initial query and further prompting on my part to get a resolution.

It's a lesson I think many freelance writers can learn from. Keep good records and take the time to search your name and articles/stories by title. You never know what you might discover!

Blessings,

Barbara

Mexico Amigas and Amish Sisters

Another Minnesota February means cold nights, cloudy days, and a recent rain that turned the snow into a dirty drab landscape. Even though it is tempting to not leave the comforts of home, I am thankful we have reached beyond our four walls and made connections to those in other cultures. For the past several years our family has participated in a short-term mission trip to Central Mexico through our church, Trinity Evangelical Free Church, in Lakeville, Minnesota. Last week my husband John and son David traveled to Iguala, Guerrero, in central Mexico along with 21 others to help Paul and Teresa Stillwell and Missions to Latin America. This is a construction-type mission trip and their team mixed 75 tons of cement by hand in just four days. Four long days, according to hubby. Because wood is so expensive in Mexico, most building are made with concrete. The team did a roof pour on two small churches in Igaula and a small addition to the Sunday School room at Paul's church in nearby Tepecoa. I've gone with John twice before and it truly is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. The people in Mexico are so appreciative and thankful their American amigos have come to help, yet somehow we come home far more blessed. David really came into his element as a young man this year (according to dad) and says he wouldn't miss it for the world.

Meanwhile, awhile back I made friends with two Amish sisters who were selling homemade baskets one cold December day at the Dairy Queen in Staples, Minnesota. I stopped to buy their baskets and made time to visit with the girls before I hopped back in my warm car. As I resumed my drive back to the Twin Cities, I knew their horse and buggy offered no such break from the cold! I planned to use the baskets as a display for my photo cards whenever I had a book or speaking event. After the next book festival, I sent a couple pictures to the girls so they could see how I'd used their baskets and sent a letter with the photos. The sisters were so happy to hear from me, they immediately wrote back, and we are now best friends. For the past year we've been exchanging letters and little gifts back and forth. It's funny, in this day and age where texting and cell phones, facebook and email are the norm, I've rather enjoyed our old-fashioned letter writing.

So...here's to our amigos in Mexico and my Amish friends "up north", I send blessings and love,
Barbara