Hey There, It's Christa!

05.10.05

I love whenever May 10th rolls around.

In the world of Will and Christa, it's a national holiday because it's the day we got engaged back in 2005. Speaking of which, I can't  believe that was eight (!!!) years already. Time is, indeed, flying right on by.

Back in 2005, we were in Chicago because that's where U2 was. While Will had seen those fabulous Irishmen in concert already, I hadn't. So needless to say, that needed to be remedied, and the "Vertigo" tour was the perfect initiation.

While U2 was just as spectacular as I thought they'd be live, not even Bono could top a proposal from the one I loved more than I ever thought was possible. Will surprised me while we were eating deep dish pizza from Gino's East, and I was so happy that I can't even remember what we talked about afterward. I do remember ordering a post-engagement frappuccino, calling my family and my friend Tracey to share the news and strolling down Michigan Avenue, but that's about it.

Now eight years later, we've decided to celebrate that beautiful day yet again. Since we won't be in the Windy City, however, we're opting for the next best thing. Yes, we will be having a slice of Chicago delivered to our home from Gino's East, and we can hardly wait. :)

Missin' the Eternal City

All the talk about the new Pope, not to mention a friend's recent Facebook post about missing Italy got me thinking about how it's already been two years (!!!) since Will and I traveled on the overnight train from Paris to Rome.

Yes, back in March of 2011, I was like any of the random people Will snapped in this picture, a tourist just taking everything in—and loving every minute of it.

The architecture, the warmth of the Italian people, the pizza (trust me, there's nothing like it), the broccoli trees, I loved everything about this city and would've been content to stay a long, long time. For whatever reason, I just felt like I belonged there, even if my Italian is pretty much limited to "hello," "goodbye," "thank you," "you're welcome" and "spaghetti."

Like Audrey Hepburn in my all-time favorite movie Roman Holiday, our time in the Eternal City was short but thoroughly memorable all the same. Taking a cue from Princess Anne, I even stuck my hand in La Bocca Della Veritå and lived to tell about it. Now if I'd only thrown a coin into the Trevi Fountain to "guarantee" a repeat trip...

My guess is that we'll head back anyway, though...it's an absolute must!

Who's Ready for a New Year? I Know I Am...

Happy New Year!!

While 2013 still doesn't sound quite right, and I know I'm going to write the wrong year on checks for the next month or so, I'm so grateful for its arrival.

I'm officially in the process of de-Christmasing our house, save for our adorable tree that I'm just not ready to part with yet. Mind you, if it stayed healthy, I could sooo see us keeping it until Easter. But since I'm guessing it's a great big fire hazard to do so, I'm thinking we'll part ways later this week.

I don't know about you, but Christmas was definitely bittersweet this year. In the midst of the carols, the gingerbread lattes and all the usual merriment, I couldn't stop thinking about those families in Connecticut (and Colorado earlier this year) who lost their loved ones in such an unimaginable, violent way.

Perhaps more than any other Christmas in recent memory, I simply wasn't in the mood to write about it. I'd planned all sorts of blog posts for December and promptly deleted them. 

It's been 22 years now since my dad passed away on Christmas Eve, and yet the hurt always feels so fresh when that day rolls around. So I couldn't even begin to imagine how those parents were coping only a couple weeks after their lives changed forever. 

As I thought of those sweet kids who wouldn't be running down the stairs in anticipation of what Santa brought on Christmas morning, I couldn't help but tear up. I thought about presents that had probably already been purchased and were removed from under the tree. I pictured how awful it would've been to be the sibling(s) left behind, and it broke my heart. Yes, I was basically a blubbering mess—good thing I work at home, right?

Really, the only thing that helped me through was my incredible family and friends. Your calls, your cards, your thoughts from near and far helped make this gray-ish season bright. Well, that, and the timeless words of one of my favorite Christmas carols, "O Holy Night."

Although I never sing along because it's written in an otherworldly key that my voice isn't capable of reaching, the words below never fail to encourage me. And after a year with so much unimaginable tragedy, I've probably never been more grateful for "the thrill of hope."

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, 
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. 
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! 
O night divine, the night when Christ was born; 
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine! 
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

A Tribute to One of My Writing Heroes, Nora Ephron

Although we've never chatted over a cappuccino somewhere in Manhattan or exchanged friendly banter about where you can score the best tiramisu in the West Village since she was a major foodie, I've always thought that Nora Ephron and I could be great friends.

You know, if we actually knew each other...

See, in my book she's right up there with Jane Austen and Judy Blume as a writer who has a particularly profound influence on me—and my own work. Not only does her quick wit, ear for dialogue, cultural observations and clever turns of phrase still make me insanely jealous in that "why didn't I think of that?" way, but her stories were born crowd-pleasers and smart to boot. Imagine that.

Funny enough, when I think of Nora's movies, it almost always reminds me of being sick. Whenever  I'm red-nosed, achy and blowing my nose every 20 seconds, my M.O. involves wrapping up in my favorite down blanket, plopping on the couch and watching one of my favorite sick-day movies—You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle or Julie & Julia.

Just in case you were wondering, I adore When Harry Met Sally, too, but it's more of a Christmas or New Year's Eve movie for me, and (gasp!), I still haven't seen Heartburn. I have the book but not the movie and am guessing I'm going to need to remedy that. It has darling Meryl in it, after all.

Anyway, as you can imagine, I, along with the rest of the world was saddened to her of Nora's sudden passing late last month. It's hard to believe there won't be any other Nora Ephron films, but I'm thrilled she ended on such a fantastic note as Julie & Julia was one of my favorites, a rare instance where the movie was totally better than the books.

From the sounds of it, she had quite a send-off, a fitting tribute to a terrific lady who wrote little gems like these...

Harry Burns: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally Albright: Which one am I?
Harry Burns: You're the worst kind; you're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.
Sally Albright: I don't see that.
Harry Burns: You don't see that? Waiter, I'll begin with a house salad, but I don't want the regular dressing. I'll have the balsamic vinegar and oil, but on the side. And then the salmon with the mustard sauce, but I want the mustard sauce on the side. "On the side" is a very big thing for you.
Sally Albright: Well, I just want it the way I want it.
Harry Burns: I know; high maintenance.

—When Harry Met Sally

Joe Fox: The Godfather is the I-ching. The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question. What should I pack for my summer vacation? "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." What day of the week is it? "Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday."

—You've Got Mail

Annie Reed: Now that was when people KNEW how to be in love. They knew it! Time, distance... nothing could separate them because they knew. It was right. It was real. It was...
Becky: A movie! That's your problem! You don't want to be in love. You want to be in love in a movie.

—Sleepless in Seattle

Julia Child: You and I are vaches enragées.
Simone Beck: That's exactly what we are. Mad cows.

—Julie & Julia

So Long, Farewell, 2011...

In the beginning, I wasn't so sure that 2011 and I were ever going to get along...

While it naturally takes a couple of days to get up to speed with writing the new year on your checks (and yes, I still write checks—sooo old school, I know), I was still using 2010 in June, which might explain why this year felt like it whizzed by so quickly.

But whatever the reason 2011 felt so incredibly short, despite the blistering hot, record-setting summer that I was sure was never going to end, a quick glance through my dayplanner (a New Year's Eve ritual of mine) revealed that it was truly an eventful year—and not just on the work front (although I'm very thankful for how crazy that was, too, given the rather challenging climate for freelance writers these days).

So as we say "so long, farewell" to 2011 (and here's hoping I get onboard with 2012 pronto), I'm so incredibly grateful for so many amazing family memories this past year, for good health and great friends, for such gorgeous glimpses of brand new places (like in the picture on the left) with my illustrious hubby by my side. And most of all, I thankful for new mercies every morning and breath in my lungs. It's truly a wonderful life—and I wish the same to all of you in 2012.

Love, Christa

P.S. Here's hoping that 2012 doesn't end up shaking out like its horrible John Cusack movie namesake. Yikes.

A December to Remember

Oh, December, you truly never disappoint...well, except for that last Packer game maybe.

Like always, you've been jam-packed with activity, but you won't hear me complaining.

After all, there's been gingerbread lattes, fresh-baked cookies and the faint smell of fresh Christmas pine in the background while I've been running around (and writing, of course) like a madwoman.

There have been movies good and bad (but mostly good, definitely an exception to the rule in my world, trust me), holiday hymns sung in church, lovely cards nestled next to the boring ol' bills in the mailbox and the best part of all? Well, all the celebrating with family and dear friends...

I feel like I've had several Christmases already, whether it was hanging with my dear friend Heather and seeing Breaking Dawn at our mall of choice, reconnecting with my pal Andrea and her adorable son Jack or flying out to Colorado where the bulk of my family lives.

While it wasn't much of a white Christmas, which I'm totally okay with since I grew up in snowy Wisconsin, it was truly memorable all the same. Not only did I get to see my sister and her hubby graduate from college (cue teary eyes), but I got some seriously awesome hang time with my Mom, Casey, Lindsey, Shayne, and of course, Princess Adelyn (she's really into princesses these days). The only sad part really was that it all went by much too fast...

By the way, this is Miss Adelyn Grace after she discovered the wonder of mini Reese's peanut butter cups. Like my hubby who's also been known to down an entire bag in a single sitting, she thought they were so incredible that she hid under my Mom's dining room table and ate them long after she'd been told not to.

Yep, she's got a major sweet tooth. Just like her Mama and Auntie Christa. :)

Kicking Off the Holiday Season With Serendipity

I don't know how this "tradition" got started, but for the past couple of years, Will and I have officially kicked off the holiday season by watching Serendipity.

Now if you're not a fan of this John Cusack-Kate Beckinsale romantic comedy, I recommend skipping this post altogether because the following paragraphs will address exactly what makes the movie so downright lovable.

But then again, how could anyone not like this film? I mean it stars everybody's favorite Everyman, John Cusack. Even if you're not into romantic comedy (and really, these days, I couldn't blame you for that—they've been sooo bad.), Cusack makes what could've been an awful ordeal downright enjoyable (the same cannot be said, however, for Must Love Dogs, but I won't bother going off on that tangent).

What also helps is there's a pretty good script, not to mention a plethora of engaging side characters. Sure, like most sitcom characters, these supporting players are much too outrageous to resemble anyone from real life, but you still can't help loving them all the same.

Not only is Molly Shannon fantastic as the kooky owner of a New Age bookstore who doesn't exactly believe in what she's selling, but who could forget John Corbett's wackadoodle (yes, I just made that up) world musician Lars? Not only does he insist on sporting totally hideous scarves as part of his everyday wardrobe, but he really gets into his own music videos.

Memo to Lars: Yes, those bloodthirsty vikings hate the music—along with everyone else.

What also doesn't hurt the cause are all those adoring close-ups of frozen hot chocolates from Serendipity, the restaurant. And if that didn't already send your sweet tooth into overdrive, there's the chocolate cake that neither Kate or Molly (yes, I forgot their characters' names, so sue me) even bother taking a bite of when celebrating Molly's b-day. Lemme just say they should both be arrested for leaving that behind.

But more than anything, as frustrating as the journey can be on occasion (the first time I saw it with my pal Jessica, all those near misses between John and Kate were just grrr!), it's this sweet story of the lengths two people will go to for true love. But (SPOILER ALERT) when John Cusack finally gets the girl, Nick Drake, rather than say, cheesy Celine Dion (it does take place in the '90s, after all), is playing in the background.

And who's not a sucker for that, along with some pretty memorable NYC scenery to boot?

R.I.P. Borders: Thanks for the Memories!

Given how insanely popular the e-reader has become, I should've known this day was coming—and fast...

But when I heard that Borders was closing all its remaining stores, I was still sad and rather bummed out all the same.

Naturally, my petty gripes about missing a bookstore pale in comparison to the 10,000+ people who lost their jobs as a result. While I'm mourning the loss of a place where I read, drank coffee and played the occasional game of Scrabble with my favorite people on the planet, I can only imagine how devestated they are and hope that everyone will find a new gig that'll pay the bills—pronto.

I guess the reason I've always loved Borders so much is that I have a bazillion memories there. Back when I was covering the police beat (and whatever else my editors dreamed up) as an intern for the Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire, Wis., it was my post-work watering hole of choice.

While my peers probably opted for something much, much cooler like mojitos after a long day at the office, iced caramel lattes were my poison of choice. And considering that the coffee bar was conveniently located next to practically every magazine known to mankind, well, it was the perfect entertainment option for a cash-strapped college girl.

As a bonus, when you'd already read Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone and flipped through the current issues of People and In Style, there were still more than enough actual books to keep you mesmerized for months. It's during this juncture  that I finally discovered the wonders of Austen (better late than never, right?), read countless travel books from cover to cover (and started planning my future itineraries) and caught up on a few of the classics I'd missed in high school.

A couple of years later when I finally decided that newspaper reporting wasn't for me and moved to Nashville in hopes of covering music for a living, Borders was there for me again when I was new in town and needed something to do on a Friday night. Now to be totally honest, I was an equal opportunity bookstore lover and wasn't afraid to step into a Barnes & Noble either (it was my only chance to sip some Starbucks back in 1998, after all), but Borders was still a regular part of my social life.

Fast forward almost a decade, and Borders also played a key role in one of the happiest nights of my life, namely my first-ever book signing back in Eau Claire for Around the World in 80 Dates. When I walked in those familar doors this time around, howver, the store manager told me the coffee was on the house, and the books on the endcaps were (gasp!) mine. Even as I think about that night now, I can still remember how thoroughly elated I was. And as I read my sample passages to the audience filled with family members, friends and former teachers, I never imagined there would be a day when Borders would be no more.

If anything, it's a reminder that life is always changing. Back when CDs were being phased out and my beloved record shops were closing, I resisted getting an iPod for a long, long time. Now I'm a bonafide downloading convert.

Will the same eventually happen with books? Well, I can never  imagine preferring virtual pages to the feel of an actual book in my hands, but I guess I should probably never say never. After all, a world with stories is always better than a world without. But a world without bookstores anchoring the malls I frequent is still a sad, sad place.

What I've Been Doing on My "Summer Vacation"...Part 2

When it comes to music, I've always been a bit of an old soul...

Even when I was a kid, I always liked the artists my friends hadn't even heard of, let alone listened to. In fact, when my peers were rockin' out to NKOTB, I was still in my Billy Joel phase. 

Basically, while everyone else was hangin' tough and crushin' on dreamy Jordan Knight, I was wishin' that Billy had written "Uptown Girl" about me instead of his model-perfect, now ex-wife, Christie Brinkley.

When I'd had my fill of Billy, I moved on to Duran Duran (and yes, I believed frontman Simon LeBon was my future hubby even years and years after "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" were radio singles) and eventually, my attention turned to the Fab Four when sporting flannel and listening to Seattle's finest was the thing to do.

While the grunge scene and The Beatles shared very little in common, I still felt pretty cool listening to them, even if seemed "dated" to my fellow high schoolers. Whether it was the happy pop of their early years or the crazy, tripped-out vibe of their records toward the end, I knew I'd stumbled on to something revolutionary every time I listened. To me, great songwriting and spectacular hooks never went out of the style, even if the accompaniment didn't exactly scream "now."

And like the girls back in the era of Beatlemania, I was very taken with Paul and those big, sad brown eyes of his. Truth be told, I've always said that if I were required to cry on cue (and I'm not sure exactly when this scenario would play out, since my acting ambitions are, oh, non-existent), all the director would have to do is play the first few bars of "Eleanor Rigby," and the waterworks would show up right on schedule.

There's just something about Paul's voice and poetic songs that has always resonated with me, so you can only imagine how excited I was when Will surprised me with tickets for his recent show in Vegas. Really, it was like two presents in one since Will and I always have so much fun in the city where we said "I do" five and a half years ago now.

Now I'll fully admit, since Paul is gettin' a little closer to 70, I tried to keep my lofty expectations in check. After all, there has been the odd award show—or even that halftime Super Bowl performance a few years back—where he's sounded a little rough. Thankfully, that sooo wasn't the case during the Vegas show. Funny enough, you could've told me he was 40, and I would've believed you. He looked that young and was full of energy—and his cheeky jokes and quippy stories between songs were a hoot, too.

Not only did his voice sound terrific, but he played flawlessly for nearly two and a half hours. And with 22 Beatles' songs on the set list, not to mention the best of Wings and recent solo efforts, it was a longtime fan's dream come true. Both Will and I felt like we were experiencing something truly special that night, namely one of the best shows we'd seen in a long, long time.

As an added bonus, Yoko Ono was even in the audience, too. And no, she didn't get onstage and sing or do performance art in a box. However, we did spot her joining in on "Hey Jude," which was pretty darn cool considering the song's context.

When all was said and done, the whole night was as close as I was going to get to seeing the Beatles play, which was pretty much the perfect way to spend part of my "summer vacation."

What I've Been Doing on My "Summer Vacation"...Part 1

In honor of the first day of summer and my utter shock about the calendar actually reading June 21st (seriously, where has this month gone?), I thought I'd blog about what I've been doing on my "summer vacation."

Now you might notice that I put quotation marks around summer vacation, and trust me, that's intentional. See, when you're a freelance writer, there's really no such thing as a true vacation—let alone a summer break like all the school-age kiddos and their long-suffering teachers get from June through August.

But if you work ahead on your assignments, you may be able score a few days off, so that's precisely what I did when my sister Lindsey and my cutie patootie niece Adelyn (see left for evidence of her sheer adorableness) came to town from Colorado Springs a couple of weeks ago.

I have to say it was really fun shopping in the ol' toy department at Target before they came. Not only did I get to buy a new edition of Candy Land, one of the best board games on the planet, but Memory, a hot pink beach ball and a ladybug pillow pal, too.

With my cart full of all things pink and enough groceries to feed a family of sixteen, I was so excited for them to arrive. And even though our time together went way, way too fast, having Linds and Adelyn stay was clearly one of the highlights of Will and I's summer—especially when Will taught Adelyn how to shoot a super soaker. Let's just say she was a quick study and didn't mind getting us all wet, which was actually pretty perfect considering it was about 1,464 degrees.

Other highlights of our time together include...Adelyn's impromptu performance of "Jack in the Beanstalk" at Barnes & Noble (I'm convinced she's a future thespian), Adelyn's first ride on the mall's merry go round, fajita night at Mi Cocina, our homemade chocolate chip waffle breakfast that Adelyn decided were cookies and lots of catching up with the coolest sister on the planet while watching LOST.

All in all, a really great time. Now I'm already looking forward to Adelyn's third b-day next month...