Menopausal Mother

     Welcome to another edition of Fly On The Wall, hosted by Karen of Baking in A Tornado. Each month, several bloggers share posts on what would be seen if you were a fly on the wall in their homes. In my case, the fly went along on a road trip with me earlier this month.

     I recently returned from an adventure that proved to be one of the most entertaining weeks of my life. I'm not talking about a trip to Disney World or a vacation on a cruise ship. I'm talking about the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, a special conference held in Dayton, Ohio every two years for aspiring writers. This was my third EBWW conference, and I swear, they just keep getting better every time. The conference offers a multitude of classes on the craft of writing, along with the opportunity to network with other writers, editors and agents. There's also a whole slew of famous keynote speakers to inspire us on our writing journey as well.

     As much as I enjoyed helpful classes on topics such as the secrets to getting published in magazines, memoir boot camp, using humor in the dark places, and busting writer's block, to me, one of the most important aspects of the conference was the camaraderie among my writer friends. We booked hotel rooms side by side, ate all of our meals together and brainstormed ideas for books, blogs, and personal essay writing. These people are my tribe, the people who encourage me to keep going when I feel like quitting. Because of them, I'm back to working on my memoir---something I had put off for awhile during a long bout of writer's block.

     Rather than go into detail about the incredible energy and excitement I felt at the conference, I'd rather express the experience in a collection of photos taken at the event. Enjoy!

   

     My husband accuses me of talking too much, especially when I get together with my gal pals. He might be right, but I swear, there are times when I know to keep quiet. And there are plenty of sentences you will NEVER hear me say. Ever. This would include:

"Can I hold your pet tarantula? He looks so cute and fuzzy."

"I'd like to purchase an airline ticket...."

"Please invite me to your baby shower so that I can watch you open 30 gifts over the course of three hours."

"Of course I'd love to go to a Miami Dolphins football game in 90 degree heat and drink a warm beer with you."


"Keep driving---I don't mind holding my leaky bladder another 50 miles until the next restroom stop."

"I can easily give up wine for Lent."

"We don't have to order dessert after dinner."

"I'd love to go swimsuit shopping!"

"Yes, I ate the entire box of chocolates by myself."

"Nap? I don't need to nap. That's for old people."

"I can give up social media anytime."

"This cabbage soup diet sounds like a lot of fun."

"Sure, invite me to your Essential Oils party."

"A Cross Training program at 5:30 a.m.? Count me in!"

"I don't need under eye concealer."

"Yes, let's stop dying my hair. I'd be thrilled to go natural gray."

"I don't need any more dogs."

"I'd be happy to babysit your rambunctious toddler in the hotel room while you go bar hopping for five hours."

"We should turn the thermostat up to 80 degrees to lower our monthly electric bill. A little sweat won't hurt me."

"I don't need to keep blogging because hey, who has time for humor?"

   
     Humor is EVERYTHING. As Erma Bombeck once said, "When humor goes, there goes civilization." I couldn't agree more. Keep laughing, my friends.

***WANT MORE MENO MAMA? I was on Her Story this week sharing an article about losing my sister. You can read it here: http://herstryblg.com/true/2018/4/10/soaring-with-eagles I was also featured on Blunt Moms with my aviation traumatization story which you can read here: http://www.bluntmoms.com/why-you-wont-catch-me-on-a-plane/