I’ve hit the jackpot and I forgot to buy my winning ticket.

I’ve been lucky in the lottery of life.

A friend on Facebook mentioned a soccer game being played today as part of the Troy, Ohio, Strawberry Festival – near my hometown. Eleven years ago this week I introduced my oldest daughters to the man I liked very berry much.

Photo courtesy: Fulton Farms,Troy Strawberry Festival Facebook page.

We’d known each other nearly six months and dating nearly four and I felt comfortable with my daughters learning more about him. The setting of the family friendly Strawberry Festival seemed ideal. It was. I felt like a family was sprouting, much like the ripe berries on the vine.

It did!

Ten years of marriage and two more berries children make up our overflowing basket of berries. Most days, like the berries, life is naturally sweet.

Last week we were fortunate to have my parents spend time with us and we made each day a celebration. Collectively we have a bushel of birthdays in the span of April, May, and June. When you live far away from family, you tend to pack a lot of punch into gatherings when you can get them. Or you should.

Mother’s Day weekend, 2013, Breckenridge, CO. Back: Husband, Father. Front: Mother, daughter, me, daughter. Front: son. Missing oldest daughter in this photo.

As I type, I reflect upon the many blessings in my basket.  Moments ago I finished the breakfast in bed prepared for me by my ten-year-old daughter ‘because we were away on Mothers Day and she didn’t have her special tray to serve it to me.’

Chocolate milk, buttered toast with a side of cinnamon sugar, a package of muffins and a napkin which she tried to fold ‘all fancy like the restaurants do.’ I’ll keep her.

I’m enjoying the last bits of sweet aroma from the star-gazer lilies in the Mother’s Day bouquet delivered to my doorstep last week. A special surprise for my mother and I from my eldest daughter (her first delivery of flowers, making it even more memorable). Of course we cried.

The card thanking us for making her life wonderful put us into the ugly cry.

Across the room sits my son, on the floor in the sunlight, because “it is the one place in the house where it is most quiet and I am near you.” Coming from a newly minted six-year-old, I realize I’m lucky.

My son and I recently celebrating daddy’s birthday lunch.

I have a man who loves and supports me in all the ways you’d hope and he makes me laugh. I have parents who do the very same and children who often, mostly, not always, make me realize my good fortune in the lottery of life.

Remind me on those days when I might write about how frustrated I might be with anyone I’ve mentioned here today. I hope those days are limited. Like the times I purchase a Powerball ticket.

My message? You don’t always have to play it to win it. But you should be thankful when your numbers come up.

How have you hit the jackpot? You know you can think of several reasons why you have.

Joy is a key word in this book title because for me, it was a joy to read. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was this a cook book? A journal? A meal planner?

What I didn’t expect was to cry, sob really, while reading the prologue.

Don’t let that scare you away, for I value a good, cleansing cry. Davis’ eloquent writing and careful attention to detail simply allowed me inside a very personal story and I imagined how I might react to similar circumstances. You might not cry, but I’d be surprised if you aren’t moved. In my opinion, that’s the mark of a good writer. You keep turning the pages, not realizing the time you’ve invested in the story. You just want to read more.

I appreciate the author’s candor, her willingness to share the raw emotions of her story. A story which will strike a chord, especially if you have a blended family and that describes a lot of people I know. I have a blended family and while I’m not a stepmom, I have empathy and great respect for my husband – the stepdad.

My family celebrates or comforts every milestone, vacation - with food. Davis structures her story like a menu and quite creatively ends each chapter with a family tested recipe. As for the recipes, it’s as if I had written to her and requested a favorite meal be written just for me. Beginning with a Pomegranate Cocktail which includes Grand Marnier. Oh, hello!

This book shares the legend of the toast – a bit more than clinking glasses and good wishes. I enjoyed Davis’ inside glimpse of what it is like being a food critic of a major metropolitan newspaper in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco. Foodies will love this book.

I relate to her following the whispers of finding her faith and how “God revealed her life’s real recipe for joy.”

Robin Davis has been a food writer for nearly 20 years and she currently is the food editor at the Columbus Dispatch. She hosts a weekly cooking segment on a Columbus television station. For my Ohio friends, she will host a cooking class and book signing at Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton on June 20 and again at North Market in Columbus July 28. All appearances are on her website. I’m hoping she’ll find a way to add Denver to her book tour.

I saved for last the fact the author and I are friends from high school. Facebook brought us back together and we’ve had fun chatting about being on the drill team together and where our paths have taken us since school. I had a feeling I’d like her latest book but it is refreshing how much I enjoyed this read and I sincerely appreciate sharing it with my trusted readers.

Just as social media has brought Robin and I back together, no matter your journey – this book should present you with hope. Rethink the impossible and most likely never say never again. Cheers.

Once you’ve read it, maybe we can discuss over a Pomegranate Cocktail?

I want to know how often you take it offline? How often do you spend time offline, living your life? Do you unplug? I mean completely. A quick internet search led me to this post about how much time we average online and how we spend that time. Dated 2010, we know these stats have gone up, but it says the average US citizen spends 32 hours per month online.

How do you think this compares to yourself? I think I spend more than that online. Yikes. Yes, a good part of that is for work.

Do you really think about it?

Do you make yourself turn off your computer? Do you feel compelled to check your phone each time you get a notice?

Beep. Did you just check your smart phone?

I recently wrote about having your smartphone out while you’re enjoying a meal. Is your smart phone your dinner date?

This has been on my mind a lot. I just enjoyed a week away with girlfriends. I had many days where I didn’t check in on any of my social media accounts. I haven’t posted here in well over a week. And you know what? It was all here for me when I returned home.

Here I am last weekend with dear girlfriends in Greenville, South Carolina. Offline. Unplugged. They were smart to wear sunglasses for photo, my eyes are squinty but I was very happy in that moment. Offline.

Did I miss it? Maybe a little.

I am amazed by all the people I saw in the airport, on the streets – walking swiftly with heads down buried into their phones. They rarely looked up. Like collision rarely. No smiles as they pass you by. Blank stares downward. Really? Really?

I think it is important we take time offline. Don’t think of every milestone in our lives as a blog post or social media share. Goodness, it hasn’t been all that long ago that none of this was in my life. I was living a full life without the internet and all my connections online.

That’s not to say I don’t appreciate and value the many friendships and business associations I’ve made because of my footprint online. I do. Very much. My online community provides enrichment in many ways.

I simply think we need to remind ourselves to unplug. We need to not feel guilty when we do. Know it is healthy to find the balance and check ourselves when we feel a tilt or a shift to living online more than off.

I’d love to hear how you strike a balance. I could use some fresh ideas. Of course that means I need to remain online to read them. Grins.

A group some don’t consider in how they are affected during and after an event like that of the Boston Marathon explosions is the news media. Many are quick to accuse journalists of being heartless or insensitive because they are filming or asking questions in the moments following a crisis.

And some are just that, or appear to be that way.

Others are conflicted. Many journalists struggle with remaining professional, calm, on task and unbiased while covering the event and not being part of the event. Some do become part of the story.

Yesterday, if you were watching any of the live television news coverage, you likely saw images you wouldn’t normally see. Why? Because the photojournalists who were there to cover a marathon were thrust into covering a breaking news event.

The point of this post is to remind everyone we all have our jobs to do at certain moments in our work day and sometimes those jobs require us to step outside of our comfort zones.

So what happens in a newsroom during a time of crisis?

1) Phones ring. A lot. Calls in and out of a newsroom, including cell calls are on hyper-function. Witnesses call to report what they have seen or what they are seeing.  Public relations people call to ask if the stories they have scheduled for this day are still happening. Reporters and assignment editors scramble to call and cancel what they had planned for the news that day. If the newsroom is in a television station and programming switches from what is regularly scheduled to live coverage of what is happening, viewers call to complain. A lot. Once scheduled interviews are scrapped, those people are calling to either complain or inquire when their story will be covered. Law enforcement agencies and hospitals call to seek the media’s assistance in announcing the latest information or to announce press conferences. Newsroom staff call other staff in on their days off. Staff arranges coverage for school pick up and child care, pet care, cancel personal plans or obligations. Live shots are scheduled. Logistics are coordinated. Sources are checked, and sought out. Lots and lots of sources are called. Often the first called are not available or willing to talk. Hometown connections are established. This cycle continues throughout the day or days and weeks following a crisis.

2) Police scanners go crazy. Things echo throughout the newsroom no one can truly prepare for and often such hectic conversations and screaming is not soon forgotten. There is no editing in the time of a crisis.

3) Again, in a television newsroom, crews bring back or stream back raw video which, if not live, needs to be edited for the newscast. In a print newsroom, photos from the scene are reviewed and selected to help illustrate the story. Just like the scanners, so much of the video and the photos are such that will never make a newscast or publication. So many of the images are unimaginable. Certainly hard to put out of your mind.

4) Lunches/dinners are skipped. Or lost. (remember the horrific images I mentioned?).

5) Tension is high. Tempers can be short. Mistakes are made. Individuals are doing the work of multiple people under enormous deadline pressures.

6) Social media is monitored and shared. Often, it is how sources are found, more depth of detail is learned.

7) Competition is monitored. Yes. You need to see what the others are covering, how they are covering it. See what you might be missing or what you may have that they don’t. Yet.

8) Quitting time is ignored. No one punches a clock in times of crisis. You simply jump in.

9) Crying. Yes, journalists are human. Bottling up all those emotions while conducting an interview or anchoring the newscasts has to be released, and preferably, not for public consumption. The damn has to break sometimes.

10) Special reports and series are planned.

Much of what I’ve written can be said about responders in a crisis. I’ve worked in newsrooms and emergency rooms during times of crisis and I have been amazed at how the teams work together. The ten things I’ve mentioned is by no means an exhaustive list, so much more goes on behind the scenes.

We all have our jobs to do and sometimes they are not all that pleasant or popular. In my public relations career I have always tried to put this fact in the forefront of my mind and I try to approach any assignment with mutual respect for what it is we are faced with in the jobs we must accomplish. We don’t always have to like it or agree with it, but I think it is important for us to have mutual understanding.

If you work as a member of the news media, in times of a crisis, you get up the next day or sometimes sleep a few hours at your office and start all over again. People want answers. We deserve answers.

*Photo credit: Images found on NBC News Facebook Page.
 

That happened late last week while I was driving. I knew the female voice I heard was Pink. While I was familiar with the male voice in this duet, I couldn’t come up with his name. I just knew I liked his voice and I had heard it before in a band.

That band is the Grammy-awarded Fun. Oh, no wonder his voice is also familiar. Grins. They’ve been all over the radio. I like their sound and vibe. Just as I like Pink.

The duet is Pink and Nate Ruess. The song is Just Give Me A Reason. The melding of their unique voices seems smooth and natural. Part of that natural sound is likely the fact the duo cowrote it. Which confirms this is not a remake and I did just hear it for the first time. I love the hook of the song.

But we all know, just because we like the singers, it doesn’t always make sense when they are paired together. It doesn’t always work. I like how this works.

“We’re not broken, just bent.” This can be said of just about any relationship along the way. With or without love. I personally think it’s okay to be slightly bent.

Now that I’ve researched the song, I realize this is not a brand new release. It’s been out since late 2012. But I don’t think I’ve heard it before last week. I’m happy I did.

What do you think? Do you have any favorite duets?

I’ve not pranked anyone today but I do love lots of people. Especially those who make me laugh. I think my foolishness can’t be contained to just one day a year. My calendar is mostly made up of April 1st on repeat. If you’ve read my ’about me’ page you know this already - I was elected class clown by my peers in our senior year of high school. My parents may have wished for the most likely to succeed or best student award but I’m still rather proud of the honor by my classmates.

Speaking of classmates, many of us have been sharing little facts we think others may not know about us and a theme has arisen. Many of us, yes, myself included, don’t love clowns. For me, some of the scary movie clowns – like that one in Poltergeist (shivers) sit front and center in our nightmares. I do like the friendly ones under the big top, golden arches or center stage at a comedy club.

This clown I like. So do my kids. But look at that girl in the background. I don’t think she likes him much.

Sometimes I laugh even when I’m sad. I’ve laughed during what may seem like inappropriate times, like at a funeral or when I’m in a long-winded meeting. If I ever seem insensitive because of my laughter, please know it is not intended as a slam or a form of disrespect. It may be my best coping mechanism.

But it’s funny. I seem to cry just as easily as I laugh. I should probably go get that checked out. I vlogged about what makes me giggle.

As for the origins and traditions of April Fools’ Day, I think I like the Flemish tradition best.

An excerpt from Wikipedia:

“The April 1 tradition in France, Romandy and French-speaking Canada includes poisson d’avril (literally “April’s fish”), attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim’s back without being noticed. This is also widespread in other nations, such as Italy, where the term Pesce d’aprile (literally “April’s fish”) is also used to refer to any jokes done during the day. This custom also exists in certain areas of Belgium, including the province of Antwerp. The Flemish tradition is for children to lock out their parents or teachers, only letting them in if they promise to bring treats the same evening or the next day.”

A hat tip to my partner in crime from high school, Jack Belme, the male choice for class clown. He still makes me laugh.

Also, a special birthday shout out with love to my god-daughter, Lindsey. She’s no fool but she has a really fun date to claim as her birthday. One where many folks are laughing or figuring out how to make someone else laugh.

Have you laughed today? If so, share what made you laugh. I found this little scene this morning in front of my door and it made me giggle . In fact, it inspired me. I love young minds and I wonder what my kids were thinking when they lined up these shoes? I especially like the Barbie boots.

Oh…I just thought of something else that is slightly funny. Maybe a gas. April Fools’ Day falling the day after Easter has its own funny twist. All those hard-boiled and deviled eggs consumed yesterday might be the joke of today and days to come that keeps on giving.

Think about it.

Guess what? This was not an isolated case of one jilted blogger. I personally know of several who have a bad impression of how the brand is handling this event. I wonder if the brand knows how it is being represented.

Yes, bloggers talk to each other. Just like public relations and media colleagues do. We all share the highs and lows of working with each other on campaigns, projects and individual promotions. We form lists of whom we’d love to work with and whom to steer way clear of and why.

Which list would you rather be on for yourself or your client or brand?

Public relations firms plan press tours, familiarity tours, blogging events, VIP events and I’m sure there are other names floating about - all with the intent to introduce the working press, and thus their readers, followers, viewers – to their products, mission and/or destinations and amenities. These events are often comped, or greatly reduced in price or offer added benefits.

A win for everyone. You invite people who are often your target audience to try what you have to offer and give feedback in the form of a blog post, news story, photo spread, social media sharing.

I’ve planned such events and now because I am a blogger, I’ve been invited to them.

These blogging friends, owners of well-respected blogs and brands with impressive social influence, shared their dismay at how poorly a resort blogging event is being planned. At my request, one friend shared specifics.

UNINVITED? What did she do to have her Evite revoked the next day?

Let’s see. She replied to the email invitation with a positive RSVP within seven minutes of receiving it. The deadline for a reply lists a date two weeks from now. To the brand’s credit, it is clearly stated in the invite, space is limited.

This is a big brand. One you would instantly recognize, where you have likely enjoyed the perks of what they offer guests on a vacation or a business trip.

She received a generic copy and paste reply within a day of the original invitation stating the trip was no longer available to her. AFTER she had replied yes and had begun to make arrangements, including telling her young son they were going to have a mommy/son trip.

How do I know the reply was a copy and paste job? Because others say their reply is the same. No personalization.

Here are my suggestions for covering the basics of planning a press tour or blogging outreach event. Most compiled simply from how the brand has mishandled this invite:

Invitations:

1. Do your homework. Know the statistics and niche of the blogger, journalist, VIP and what they can offer you (if that is important) prior to the invite.

2. Clearly state if space is an issue and simple directions for confirmation and offer a reasonable time to reply. If you need to know in five days, give the full five days before opting for plan B. Always have a Plan B.

3. Invite just slightly more than your goal number of attendees. If you only have the space and budget for 12, invite no more than 15. This differs from other party invitations. If in a rare circumstance all give a positive RSVP, you make accommodations for the additional three attendees OR if that is simply not possible, offer something comparable, such as a private preview, an invite to another similar event or in this case, a tour of another similar property.

4. DO NOT uninvite ANYONE prior to the stated deadline. EVER. If they RSVP past deadline, that is not on you.

5. IF you copy and paste the Evite, DO personalize it and triple check that you’ve done so properly prior to hitting SEND.

Pre-event:

1. Offer a media kit so the invited guest can share a preview with their audience of what they will experience, should they choose to do so. This also gives attendees a chance to formulate a plan and questions.

2. Schedule advance interviews via phone or email and/or on-site interviews for during the event.

3. Invite the guest to follow you on all your social channels.

4. Build excitement. Offer a hashtag to assist all invited in getting to know each other and tell them what they have to look forward to prior to the event. Make the hashtag brief, preferably less than 12 characters.

5. Pay attention to the social sharing in advance of those invited guests.

Blogger and journalist outreach is a critical component to any public relations strategy. Don’t blow a perfectly good opportunity to tell your story by botching your first impression. If plans change or you do make a misstep, apologize and do what you can to make it right.

I’ll write about what to do during a press event and also how to orchestrate the follow-up post event. I’d love to hear your best and worst experiences on a press tour or at a brand event.

The mug and the event where I earned it is not in direct relation to the subject I’m writing about today, but it is what immediately comes to mind when I hear the word respect. Because that is where I met Aretha Franklin and while some associate the multi-awarded soul singer with some of her other hit records, I always think of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

I’ll write more about my experience with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame another time. Today I join others in spreading an important message.

I urge you to think of that word when you hear mention of the r-word and not use another word which begins with the same letter, (mental) retardation. Any other use of the word to mean stupid, silly, asinine or other forms of a waste of time.

You can do your part to spread the word to end the word by pledging and supporting the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promoting the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.

Follow the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign on Facebook. There are so many inspiring, heartfelt stories shared there throughout the year. Maybe you have one to add? You can take the pledge on that page now.

Help spread the word. Please and thank you. Those are nice words to spread around as well.

If there is one thing I’d like to see wiped out in my lifetime it is bullying. Of course, I want cancer and a myriad of other diseases and horrible things also mentioned in the past tense, but bullying has escalated beyond the schoolyard words that sting for a bit and we, collectively, can stop the nonsense.

When people take their own lives or die at a young age following a fight at school as a direct result of someone else’s rotten behavior it is time to stop. We can make a difference with education and intolerance.

A few days ago I found a video and I knew I had my Tuesday Tunes pick of the week. I’ve watched it a handful of times. I hope you’ll take six minutes out of your day to watch and share. It speaks to my desire to help wipe out the bullies who might begin honing their skills in grade school and often, not always, carry on into adulthood. The video also points out, I think, more eloquently than words alone, the importance of fostering extracurriculars, especially music education and the arts so our children find a true sense of pride in what they can accomplish with instruction and practice. Such confidence can change how they are seen by others and can allow them to be seen the way the see themselves.

My husband had the good fortune of being selected to play with the group featured in this video during the 2011 Colorado Music Festival. He came home from the first rehearsal and told me he thought I’d enjoy the music and the passion of Time For Three. He was right!

Their energy is infectious. Time For Three is a group of classically trained garage band musicians with an obvious love and joy for their craft and a means to bring a younger, broader audience to listen to the type of music produced a very long time ago. They also put a decidedly classical spin on hits of today, as is the case with their take on Stronger, by Kanye West.

Photo Credit: Time For Three Facebook page

Side note, while I’m not a fan of West or his music in general, I do like the music and some of the lyrics to this particular song and how the message lays a soundtrack to the fact we must do everything we can to stop bullies in their tracks. Unfortunately, West showed he can be a bully with the stunt he pulled on Taylor Swift at the Grammy’s a few years ago. He apologized and hopefully he has grown from the experience.

I have pinned the message on Pinterest, “Bullying Stops With Me,” won’t you help me get the anti-bullying message and the music of Time For Three out to all your friends and share it with the children in your lives?

Bullies, we have a message for you, enough is enough, we’re stronger, smarter. There are more of us than there are of you.

Here’s a bit of a back stage look at Time For Three. You can find them on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. I’ve enjoyed tweeting with them and hearing them perform live.