(Please note, I didn’t title this: “It’s a small world…” because I’d have that song stuck in my head all day. Well, too late…) As I’ve waded through the edits on my latest novel, I’ve spent hours researching the rich history of Polish Arabians (even discovering my own horses’ ancestry). You know the story behind this novel – Witez II and his incredible journey during WWII and under Nazi occupation. Throughout this process, there have been a series of silly coincidences. From discovering my horse is of Polish descent to finding a woman from Poland within a historical fiction writing loop I’m a part of. (She was able to double check...
Two {Well, Eight} Years Ago…
I officially started “dating” my now husband. It was Leap Year, 2004. I now believe good things happen on Leap Day. On Leap Year Day, 2008, my then-boyfriend proposed to me. Yes. Good things happen. (But no, we did not think a four-year long engagement to marry on Leap Day 2012 would be a good idea.) Thankfully. UPDATE {as of noon, Feb 29, 2012} I was surprised by a text of these in my truck cab from my office parking lot: I certainly won’t forget this leap day, either. What will you do on this Leap Day to push the envelope?
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My new home away from home
Not literally. But for my latest manuscript, I’ve spent hours pouring over every picture and bit of information I can find about Janow Podlaski Stud in eastern Poland. Isn’t it beautiful? I’m pretty sure I’ve dreamed about it every night for a month. In 1817, Tsar Alexander commissioned Janow Stud to supply the cavalry and stock for the nation. Years later, it would become the most famous producer of purebred Arabian and half-Arabians in the country. But the history of Janow is full of turmoil and invasion. In World War I, the horses were evacuated to Russia and never seen again. In 1939, the invading Russians took with them some of...
Remember the 7th of December
There are events throughout history that we must stop and remember. These are the days we need to take a few moments and put things into perspective. Seventy years ago, thousands died at a relatively unknown harbor. Seventy years ago, a nation looked at horror of another country’s actions. Seventy years ago, a nation united. I’m currently reading December 1941 by Craig Shirley – a 500-page book that looks at all thirty-one days of December 1941 and how those days changed America forever. On December 1st, 1941, America was still in the remnants of the Great Depression but things were starting to look up. Newspaper headlines were flooded with war...
What I learned while scanning 50 years of photographs
This past weekend, the family and friends gathered to celebrate my grandparent’s 50-year wedding anniversary. I took the entire album of my grandparent’s photos and scanned them all for a slideshow video that told the story of their life. Through this long process, I learned a little about love, life and a whole lot about family. 1. Preserve your pictures – preserve your memories. I love photos and am used to the digital age that we live in. My grandparent’s photos were in old albums in that magnetic sheeting that turns photos brown and eats them away. I promptly found new albums to better preserve these photos. There were some...