DWTS results, March 26th--Suprising. And Sad.

Wow. So I didn't really see that one coming. I mean, I knew Dorothy was hurt, but I wasn't sure she would pull out of the competition. Okay, well, before the show I didn't see it coming. When she was called safe up there with Andy, the look that crossed her face...I knew. I knew she was at that moment being eaten up with guilt that she was safe and couldn't really continue, while someone else who could was going to be going home. The woman definitely wears her emotions.

So farewell, Dorothy. You had so much potential and I was so excited to watch you learn to dance, but like I said before,  your health of course is number one. Tristan is such an understanding and good hearted person. He was out first last season, too, so I hope if he is back for season 17 he gets a really good partner.

The suprising part of the show. DL and Cheryl being called safe! I was in shock. Had to rewind it a couple times to see the looks on their faces again, because THEY were in shock, too. There was a pretty big point spread between them and the next couples. I think it was maybe 9 points or so? I'd have to look back at the scores to know the exact numbers. Anyway, it is a large spread. Which means that Cheryl and DL have way, WAY more fans than I gave them credit for, or, what I tend to think is more likely, the bottom two couples have next to nobody voting for them.

Let's face it--Lindsay and Gleb are new pros. They aren't coming into this with hoards of fans of their own like Cheryl, Derek, Mark...and I'm going to count Val in this as well, because I would bet a lot of Maks' fans are behind him. And they don't have decent sized fan bases like the rest of the pros, Karina and Kym especially.

Lisa is a "real housewife". Not sure how many people would be voting for her, though I do find her likable. Victor comes across as a sweetie, but he, to me, is forgettable, and I'm a hardcore DWTS fan who tries to pay attention to everyone. The general voting audience...do they even remember him? I'd bet not.

Here's to next week. I'm very curious about this "DWTS prom" theme. I am a romantic and a pretty sappy person, so I'm sort of excited about it, too. Don't judge. :)

Ciao.

Ryann

A DWTS week 2 review

Yay for DWTS last night! All in all I really enjoyed the show. Here are my thoughts on the couples and dances. Be warned though...there were a few that didn't hold my attention so I might not have much to say about those! And I don't remember the order they danced in, so the order I discuss them is going to be completely random.

Kellie and Derek. Wow. Let me say it again. WOW. I really wish Kellie had a different partner, because man does it tick me off to root for a Derek team, but I LOVE this girl. I have always been a fan, but she can dance her booty off! She stunned me last night. I'm not sure about the "jazz" part of the routine. I don't really know what constitutes a "jazz" dance, and the three we were shown last night seemed to have lots of different vibes. I love the song they danced to. Lights by Ellie Goulding has long been on my wish list for music on DWTS. I always pictured it as a paso, but it worked with the routine last night. Kellie is one of my top three picks to win this whole thing. I can't wait to see her do something soft and sweet like the V. Waltz or full of raw emotion like the paso. (Paso Doble is my very, very favorite dance, btw. Just for future reference.)

Zendaya and Val. I liked their routine, too. Zendaya's age still skeeves me out a bit, but she's just such a cutie and is really giving this her all. She's another one I have pegged to go all the way. I hope Val can keep up the choreo like he has these past couple weeks. Val tends to get cocky. I hope he doesn't let that happen this season.

Dorothy and Tristan. I felt so bad for this poor team last night. I know Dorothy was trying so hard and hated being seen as vulnerable. Her jive had no oomph to it, though, I have to admit that. Her kicks and flicks were almost non-existent. I hope they make it through, but her health and well being definitely comes first.

Aly and Mark. I was glad I got to see Aly this week! I e onjoyed their dance and it put a smile on my face, but...they ticked me off! Last season, I was hot when Derek and Shawn broke the rules in the QS by breaking hold in the middle of the dance AND put in a lift, and they rightfully got reamed by the judges. Last night, Aly and Mark did nearly the exact same thing and the judges didn't even mention it. I like when the couples play by the rules on DWTS--to me, it makes it more of a level playing field, because there are some the judges would skewer for breaking them (like Derek last season, as much as I don't like him I have to admit that) and some they would not say a word to (like Mark last night). So I was peeved with this pair last night.

Sean and Peta. I just don't really like Peta. I know nothing about Sean and he seems like an okay guy. I really liked Peta her 2nd season with Donald, but I think that may have been by association with Donald! She seems like she's trying way too hard, and I'm not fond of people like that. Just be yourself.

Andy and Sharna. Still not fond of Sharna. Still not fond of Andy. But I have to give credit where credit is due. Their routine last night was entertaining and that man is doing one million percent better than I ever imagined he would. The dance and music suited him extremely well. I have no idea how he'll do when he gets a more demanding dance though.

Ingo and Kym. I'm sorry, I didn't really pay attention to these two, so I don't have anything to say about them. Same with...

Lisa and Gleb. Gleb gives me the creeps. He is the male Peta in my mind.

Wynonna and Tony. Gosh but Wynonna is heavy footed! She's trying to hard and is really giving it her all, but she was not very quick in her quickstep. I would like to see her paso, though.

Victor and Lindsay. I tend to forget about these two. I'm not sure why I'm not connecting to Victor. Lindsay seems like a very sweet girl, but I can't help but resent her being there a tiny bit. I was a pretty big Chelsie fan, and I see Lindsay as the "Chelsie replacement" this season. Even though, to me, she does not measure up to Chelsie in any way.

DL and Cheryl. DL tried harder this week. Cheryl seems fed up. I almost think she'll breath a sigh of relief tonight when they're eliminated, because this is the team I do think will be leaving us on the first week. They both seem like they're over it. Cheryl has NEVER been voted off first, so that is sort of interesting to me. She has a pretty big fanbase all of her own, much like Maks and Derek, but I'm not sure the CherBears can pull her through this time. Hopefully she will take this time to re-charge and if she comes back next season she will be better than ever. I do so miss that season 3 Cheryl!

Jacoby and Karina. I softened on Jacoby a bit last night, seeing him dance with the little girls. I still think he holds himself in much too high a regard. Karina is awesome and I love watching her dance. I could just watch her dance for hours. I think they'll make it to the top three as well, and I'm really not sure who would win between them, Kellie/Derek and Zendaya/Val. Sort of boring to me since Derek and Val were both in the finale last season, but I love Kellie so much and I like Zendaya a lot, so I can deal with it.

That's all for now! :)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with a dash of Glitter

So, I guess I'm an awful blogger, because it's been a while! Sorry about that. Sometimes life gets in the way. I promise to try and be more proactive on here.

Book News: My cover isn't ready quite yet, but I promise as soon as it is I'm uploading that baby to KDP and it will be available!

For this blog, I thought I'd share one of my very favorite recipes. Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. My husband LOVES it. I seriously thought he might lick his plate the first time I cooked it. It's very, very good, but it is also a pretty heavy meal. I found it on Pinterest (of course), so I can't take credit for creating this masterpiece myself.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 ham steak, cubed
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
6 slices Provolone cheese
about 20 -25 crackers
dash of Paprika
dash of Garlic Powder

Directions

Pre-heat over to 350. Spread cooked white rice on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. On top of the rice, spread the cooked chicken pieces. Lay out the slices of cheese in two rows of three. Spread the cubed ham on top of the cheese. In a bowl, mix soup, sour cream, and milk until smooth. Pour/spread this on top of the ham. On a plate, crush up the saltine crackers, then sprinkle with Paprika and Garlic Powder. Top off the casserole with this.

Pop it in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Voila. A yummy dinner. A salad would make a great side, but we rarely have stuff to make salad in the house, so we usually don't eat anything with it.

Now for the side of glitter. I decided not to write a full review of the DWTS premier, since the new episode is you know, only a little more than 48 hours from now. But I thought I'd bullet point my main thoughts.

* Kellie Pickler was AWESOME. As much as I hate to root for the Hough, it looks like I won't be able to help it this season.

*I liked Lisa Vanderpump and thought she was funny, but Gleb skeeved me out a little. I can't put my finger on why.

*Andy Dick was much better than I expected, but I still don't care for him.

*Wynonna seemed very heavy on her feet. That woman has some courage though. She was out there trying her best and seemed to have a lot of fun. I liked seeing her mother and sister in the audience. I've always loved Ashley Judd. Some of her movies are my absolute favorites.

*I missed Aly Raisman and Sean Lowe b/c my TV fritzed. Couldn't care less about Sean, but I was bummed I missed Aly and Mark.

*Zendaya was incredible too, but her being 16 still turns me off a little bit.

*I couldn't believe how lost DL seemed. I cracked up at Cheryl dancing to Apple Bottom Jeans though.

*Karina, I love, love, love you, and you are still my favorite pro. But I am not a fan of Jacoby. He still seems cocky to me.

So Kellie was by far my favorite, and she is who I voted for. We'll see what happens this week. I'll try and write a proper review for you DWTS fans out there.

A Survivor Breakdown

Sorry it's taken me so long to write another blog. It hasn't been a particularly busy week, it just seems like there was never any time for "extra" stuff. Or maybe I was just tired and being lazy :)

As you know, I'm a big TV fan, and Survivor is one of my addictions. The current season is Fans v. Favorites 2. Brandon Hantz is part of the cast. He's the nephew of the notorious Russell Hantz, who has done 3 seasons of Survivor and not won yet. He's a despicable excuse for a player, in my opinion. He does things like hide important camp items, dump out food behind his tribemates' backs...and he might be the most arrogant person I've ever had the displeasure of viewing. And he doesn't even have reason to be arrogant! He has zero social game, he is far from a dominating factor in challenges, and he's a crappy provider or helper around camp. Anyway, that is a little background on Brandon. See, he came into the game the first time wanting to erase the Hantz legacy, make it better and not centered on Russell's disgusting escapades.

This time around, Brandon was set on proving himself a different player, because his plan didn't go so well the last time around. But Brandon seems really delicate to me. Not in a sense that he isn't masculine, because he is. In a sense that he hasn't always had a lot of support during his life. He's around 21 years old or so, and he is already married with two kids and one on the way. I don't think his home life was spectacular growing up, and I get a sense that he fell into the wrong crown at an awfully young age. There was a lot of pressure on his very young, shaky shoulders. And that can turn out to be a situation that goes very, very wrong. As it did Wednesday night.

You see, also on Brandon's tribe is a man named Phillip Sheppard. He might be the 2nd most arrogant person I've ever seen, and, like Russell, has no reason at all to be arrogant. He's a joke. He fancies himself the secret agent of the tribe (because he apparently really was one in real life) He is annoying, rude and just seems like a person I would tire of in about 5 minutes. Phillip and Brandon in close quarters for an extended amount of time? Bad combo, dude. Really bad.

Brandon tired of Phillip's attitude and rude behavior, rightfully so, if you asked me. And probably much like the rest of the Favorites tribe. But the difference between the rest of the tribe and Brandon? They know to bide their time with Phillip. Just like Boston Rob learned on Phillip's previous season, he is the ULTIMATE goat to take to the end, because nobody likes him nor has any respect for him, therefore they won't vote for him. You just have to be able to put up with him for that long. Brandon, on the other hand (while a pretty good goat himself, but still) just can't take it anymore. He has a nervous breakdown. Like, really.

He dumps out the tribes rice and beans. He is comabative toward Phillip without ever actually getting physical. So badly that the tribe decides to forfeit the next immunity challenge just so they can vote Brandon out of the game. Brandon isn't going to let this happen though. He's going out on his terms. So he tells the Fans tribe he is giving them this gift, and he proceeds to let loose on a tirade that lasted no telling how long in "real" life, but was a pretty good chunk of the episode, so it was probably a while. He was so irate that Jeff Probst had to separate him from the other players and rub his shoulders to calm him down.

I won't get into the whole spiel word for word, because I don't remember it and because that would be boring to read. But it's interesting, because do I think Brandon had a nervous breakdown? Well, yes, I've already said that. Do I think he was actually dangerous or is really and truly "crazy"? No. I think he's a kid that was fed up, and hungry, and tired, and missing his family, and had a lot of pressure on his shoulders to begin with. Who would I rather be on a survivor tribe with, Brandon or Phillip? Surprisingly, Brandon. I would take him any day of the week over "secret agent Sheppard." That man might drive me to my breaking point, too.

So, here's to Brandon feeling better now. And hopefully to Phillip being voted out SOON.

See Ya,

Ryann

Happy Monday! ...or maybe, happy that Monday is almost over!

I know I said I was going to blog Survivor next, but I've decided to wait until after this week's episode, because some craziness is supposed to go down at the Favorites camp. Put a Hantz on the island, expect pandemonium. But, I digress.

Anyway, today I've decided to post a little teaser! I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get my book onto Amazon in 2-3 weeks. It will be here before I know it! And so...I present to you the first chapter of Hearts Don't Break Quietly. You can let me know if you like it, or if you think it sucks. I just love feedback of any kind, and I've developed a pretty thick skin over the past few years!

When I was five, I’d come home to find a stack of twenties on my mother’s bedside table and a strange man in her bedroom. Nothing was ever the same after that.

I tried my best to focus on the silver haired woman standing in front of me, the craggy lines of her face sunken in around her eyes and mouth. She looked like somebody’s sweet old granny. Just goes to show that appearances could be deceiving, I guess. Because, sweet? She was more like satan. I decided to beg anyway. It was the only thing I had left.

“Please, Mrs. Golden. This is all I have right now.” I pulled a wad of crumpled cash from my apron pocket. “It’s everything I made today, okay? I work a double tomorrow, and I’ll give you whatever I make then, too.”

She sighed as she counted out the money, clicking her tongue against her teeth as one dollar bills slipped from one sandpaper hand to the other.

The sounds she was making made me want to smash my head into the ugly mustard colored walls around me, and the apartment behind her was so foul smelling it made my nose itch. It reeked of soured food and must. Her pet birds cawed in their cages, flapping their wings as they bounced around. 

“This is only forty-seven dollars, Audrey. Your mother owes me over a thousand! It would take you years to work it off at this pace.” She shook her head. “That woman should be ashamed of herself. Sending you to work at that restaurant all hours with her out doing God knows who—“She stopped, studying my face.

            I chewed on my lower lip and shuffled my feet back and forth on the thinning carpet. Ignoring what she said about Mama, my mind spun, trying to come up with something, anything, that would hold her off just a little while longer.

            “Mrs. Golden, please. I’ll get the money somehow. Just… don’t kick us out. We don’t have anywhere else to go.” I looked anywhere but at the old lady’s face. Embarrassment flamed on my cheeks.

            Mrs. Golden hesitated, closing her eyes and putting her hand on her forehead. Finally, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Audrey. It’s not my problem. I have to have the money. You have until Friday.” She backed into her apartment and closed the door.

I blinked at the cheap brown wood that seemed to taunt me. I didn’t feel like I could move. I could barely breathe. A lot of shitty things had happened lately, but at least it had been somewhat bearable. But this? It made me feel helpless and angry, because there was nothing I could do to stop the whole world from crashing down around my toes.

            I tried to calm myself down by taking a few deep breaths, but it didn’t work very well. I had to prepare myself to face my sisters. They would know something was wrong in a millisecond if I didn’t pull it off just right. I raised my eyes to the ceiling, wondering if I should try to pray, but the thought left my mind almost as soon as it had entered it. If there was any higher power, he’d never been any help before. What would make now any different?

 No, I would do it on my own. I always had anyway. My blood turned to steel in my veins and my mouth sat firm as I forced myself back into the armor I normally hid behind. Turning, I headed for the staircase. It only took a few seconds for me to climb the drafty old stairs and trudge to the door of our one bedroom apartment. I inserted my key into the lock and pushed, the door groaning as it moved forward. Piece of crap.

            The plain white walls seemed to mock me, just as the door had, as I entered the bare living room and looked around. Our one worn out couch stood forlornly in the center of the floor. That was the only piece of furniture we had. All of my money went to the electricity and food, there was nothing for anything else. And Mama’s money…I didn’t want to think about it, any of it. Not the powder she sucked up her nose or the needles she stuck in her arms. They revolved through my mind anyway, pictures of her sunken in eyes and glazed over looks, the result of many drug induced sleepless nights. Before anybody could see me, I ran to the bathroom.

            The door slammed harder than anticipated, making me even more jumpy. I gripped the porcelain sink as I looked down, taking deep breaths until my smile felt like it could look real. Finally able to muster up the strength, I raised my head. What I saw only made me want to turn away, fast, and the cracks in the mirror seemed to magnify it by a thousand. My thick chocolate colored hair, which used to be my best feature, hung in greasy strands around my face. I was too thin. My big brown eyes looked buggy in the pale face looking back at me. Somebody who didn’t know me would have thought I was strung out, at best. If they saw me and Mama together, they would probably think the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

It was still amazing to me that Zach Cochran had even asked me out. The name made me pause, my mind wandering to the leather jacket wearing pretty boy in my homeroom class. Zach hated that he was so good looking. He was extra tough to make up for it. Which was probably why he had asked me out in the first place. I sure looked like I was into guys who were tough, even though they kind of scared me. Oh well. He was hot and I needed something to get my mind off of my shitty life. Besides, the thought of me having a boyfriend at all would be enough to make Mama blow steam out of her ears. I didn’t care. She deserved it.

            Gulping, I smiled, even though I didn’t want to. I smiled so hard my cheeks ached. When it looked halfway natural, I opened the bathroom door.

            “Hey.”

            A voice came from the bedroom, and I whipped around. My youngest sister, Sadie, was sitting on Mama’s air mattress. She held a notebook and pencil, but a quick glance at the blank paper told me she hadn’t been working on anything.

            “Hey kiddo.” I said, walking in and sitting down beside her. My voice sounded normal at least. “Where’s Sierra?”

            Sadie rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me kiddo. I’m only two damn years younger than you. And she went to look for a job.”

            It felt like my eyebrows shot up to the top of my forehead as my chest tightened. The fact that Sierra was looking for work got me worked up so fast I hadn’t even noticed Sadie had used a curse word.

 “What? Why? I told her to quit worrying about it. We’ll be fine.” Hopefully my sister wouldn’t pick up on my frustration, but it was hard to keep my voice from thinning.

            “We know, Audrey.” Sadie looked around the empty bedroom, decorated with only the air mattress and a three legged bedside table that held a tattered picture of me and my sisters. “But I mean, it’s not like we couldn’t use some extra money or anything.”

            Dried ketchup and mustard painted the apron tied around my waist, and I picked at it, watching a few flakes fall to the floor. I could barely make enough to keep the water turned on, and we were pretty much eating crackers and spam every day. The lights were still on, for now at least. But none of that mattered, because we were about to lose the roof over our heads.

            My nails picked at the apron more furiously. Mama could whore herself out for drug money, but she couldn’t care less that her kids were dirty and starving. One day it would be different though. Eighteen wasn’t that far away, and I was getting the hell out of here…but Sadie and Sierra had a few more years after me, and I wasn’t sure I could leave them behind. My mind wondered to whether or not Mama would have me arrested if I took them with me. Probably not. It wasn’t like she cared all that much about any of us.

            “I might just have to go and get a second job, that’s all.” The thought made my heart beat faster and my fists clench, but no way was I letting Sadie and Sierra jobs and have to worry with school and work. No way.

            My lips pursed together and my shaking hands burrowed into my lap, hiding. Hopefully I looked calm, for my sister’s benefit. It almost felt like she could see straight through my skin to my insides churning with worry.

            “You can’t do that.” She stared at me, but my eyes refused to meet hers.

            “Sure I can.” Keep your voice above a whisper, Audrey. Make her believe everything is going to be alright.

            “But Audrey, you would have to drop out of school to do that. You only have a few months until graduation.” Sadie’s mouth hung open, and I wondered how hard it was for her not to say what I was sure she was really thinking. That I was being a stubborn ass and sacrificing myself. Again.

            My sister twisted her hands together as I shook my head. When she was little, she would do it so much her skin would become raw and start to crack. She could try to be tough all she wanted, but that was a sure sign that she was more worried than angry.

            “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just get my GED, it’s no big deal. Sierra doesn’t need to get a job. You guys need to concentrate on getting good grades so you can try and get a scholarship when you get done. It’s too late for me to do that. It’s my job to take care of y’all now.”

            “No, it’s Mama’s job to take care of us, and she sucks at it. Like, major.”A sour voice spoke up from behind us, causing Sadie and me both to jump.

            Great. Sierra was home. I looked over my shoulder, and there she was. Leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, the same disgusted look on her face as always.

            “Hey, sis.” I forced my lips upward into a smile.

            All I got in return was an eye roll. “Whatever.”

            Sadie leaned forward. “How’d it go? Did you find anything?”

            “No.” Sierra sighed as she flopped onto the mattress with us, her corn silk hair brushing against me as she landed. “Nobody will hire me because I don’t have any job experience. Idiots.” She looked down and started picking her nails. There wasn’t much to pick—she’d already bitten them down to the quick.

            “Duh.” I couldn’t help it. It slipped.

            “Well how are you supposed to get job experience if they won’t hire you for your first job because you don’t have any? It makes no sense.”

            Both my sisters avoided my gaze. I swallowed hard and raked my fingers through my dirty hair, trying to figure out how to reassure them. Not to mention myself.

            “Guys…I know things have sucked around here lately.”

            “Lately? Try forever.” Sadie cut in, her tone edging on angry. I chose to ignore her and continue.

            “I know things aren’t the best around here. But we’re going to be okay. It could be a lot worse.”

            “How?” Sadie spoke up again. She was scrubbing her hand against her cheeks, trying to wipe away the tears rolling down them. The sight of it made my heart shatter into a million tiny pieces. My breath caught in my throat, but my head forced the words out.

            “We could be on the streets.” Mrs. Golden’s image splashed into my mind. I didn’t have a clue how to get the money we needed. My entire body seemed numb from hopelessness, but I had to figure something out. All I wanted was to spare my sisters that same feeling, just for a little while longer.

            “Yeah. Maybe.” Sadie wiped her hand across her face and sniffled as she tried to come back from the moment of vulnerability she’d let come to the surface. Her eyes were giving her away, though. The sadness was all but pouring out of them.

            Sierra didn’t say a word. She was more intuitive than Sadie, and she was probably onto my act. Hell, I was having trouble convincing myself. Why should they believe me?

            I cleared my throat. “So, no more self-pity, okay? We’ll be alright. After all, we’re together, aren’t we?”

            “Til Mama sells us to the highest bidder.” Sierra mumbled. She probably didn’t think anybody heard her. Sadie let loose an audible gasp.

            “Sierra.” My teeth ground together. “Don’t ever say anything like that again.”

            “You don’t think she’d go there if she wanted her stupid crack bad enough? Grow up, Audrey.”

            My mouth opened to yell at her, but someone knocked at the door, causing us all to look in that direction. Frowning, I prayed silently it wouldn’t be Mrs. Golden. The last thing I needed right now was for my sisters to hear that we were going to get evicted. Given some time, I could maybe fix it somehow.

My stomach lurched as I walked to the door on wooden legs. The air in the room seemed to close in on me, a knot forming in my stomach, knowing this couldn’t be good. Nobody ever came here.

            “I hope that isn’t anybody we don’t want it to be.” Sierra muttered. It was a wonder I was able to keep walking instead of smacking her. I knew she was thinking of Mama’s…customers. She needed to shut it, though, before she got her hair yanked out of her head. She was going to make Sadie even more jumpy than she already was.

            “I guess we’re about to see.” My voice came out terse as I turned the knob and pulled the door open.

            An unfamiliar woman was standing in front of me, flanked by two police officers. I took in the sight of her black suit and the tight bun pulling her hair back from her face. She clutched a briefcase in her left hand and a clipboard in her right. I knew this couldn’t be anything good. Did Mrs. Golden already call the cops on us? I thought we had until Friday!

            “Hi. May I help you?” My tone was polite, but my insides felt razor sharp. A little voice screamed inside of me as I stared at the woman. Panic was starting to set in.

            “Are you the Emerson children?” The stranger asked. She looked at the papers on her clipboard. “Audrey, seventeen. Sierra, sixteen. Sadie, fifteen.” Her blue eyes flashed back toward me and I couldn’t help but notice how emotionless they were. They were as blank as the expression on her face.

            There was scuffling behind me. My sisters stood there, hanging onto every word. My legs felt like noodles and the thought that I might collapse entered my mind, but I forced myself to be steady. I looked at the policemen. The older man was looking at me, his kind face wrinkled around his mouth and forehead. The younger one avoided my gaze entirely.

            “Yes ma’am. That’s us.”

            “Is your father here?”

            Father? Ha. We didn’t know who our fathers were. And we were pretty sure they were three different men, since we didn’t look one bit alike. Plus, our mother wasn’t exactly known for playing hard to get. It was pretty much a given.

            “We don’t know where our father is.” I couldn’t help but put a sarcastic infliction on the word.

            The woman didn’t even blink. “I see. When’s the last time you knew where he was?”

            My brain screamed at me to lie and warning sounds blared in my head, thumping so hard it felt like my brain was moving. I tried to think of something to tell her, but rational thought failed me. Besides, if this no-nonsense woman was all of a sudden at our door asking these questions, my hunch was she already knew the answers. I knew I could be a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.

            “A while.” I told her, holding her gaze. My hands were shaking again, so I crossed my arms to hide them.

            She looked past me to Sadie and Sierra, and her face softened a bit as she saw them dressed in jeans and t-shirts that looked every bit as old as they were. The woman sighed.

            “My name is Mrs. Anderson, girls. I work for the state of Alabama Department of Child Services.” She paused for a second before motioning toward the police officers. “This is Officer Cane,” she said, pointing to the older man. Her finger flicked toward the younger officer. “And this is Officer Wilder.”

            “Hello, girls.” Officer Cane cleared his throat. “We…do you have somewhere we could sit down?”

            I glanced toward the ratty sofa. “Not really. Why?” Cold sweat covered my face and hands. I wished they would just tell us the inevitable news and leave. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had to get Mama out of jail, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last.

            Officer Cane looked at his partner, but Officer Wilder looked like he was about to hurl. He must have been new on the job. Poor schmuck. The older man met my eyes, his unwavering. “Well, I’m afraid we have some bad news. Your mother…I’m sorry to have to tell you that she’s dead.”

 

DWTS Season 16--Sizing up the Pairs

I don't know how many people are actually interested in what TV shows I watch, or my thoughts on them. Probably not many. But I've always been sort of a TV addict. Maybe it comes from the creative part of my brain that my writing also stems from...I love to watch the drama, the heartfelt stories, the comedy. I love escaping into another world, just like I do in books. I figure there are worse things to be addicted to, as well. So I'll take my TV/book obsession any day of the week.

Dancing with the Stars is one of my favorite shows. I started watching in season 3 after hearing some of my cousins rave about it. I don't even think they watch it anymore, but I'm still a loyal viewer. I can't get enough of the glitter, the sparkle, the music, the pretty people. It's a great way to just stop thinking for two hours on Monday and Tuesday nights and just let myself relax.

Last week, the new celebrities for the upcoming season were announced. This is exciting for me. I know, I know, but I'm not hard to please. So now, like you all care, but here is what I think about each new celeb and their pro partner. I'm actually really, really excited for this season. It has been a long time since there were this many celebrities I thought I could root for.

Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough I love Kellie Pickler. She's so cute and real, and I'll never forget watching her initial audition on American Idol back in 2006, and seeing her sink to her feet crying after she got her golden ticket to Hollywood. I'm hoping Kellie can do well on DWTS. Now her partner, on the other hand...that is a different story. I'm not the biggest Derek fan. Mostly because I like to root for the underdog sometimes, and let's face it, Derek is never the underdog, just because he is Derek. Maybe back in his earlier seasons he was. But not since season 7. I also get a slight sense of arrogance from him. I hate arrogance more than anything. He doesn't let it through too often on the actual show--he's too smart for that. But I have a feeling it's there. Maybe I'm wrong. Oh, and there is the fact that, I read about TV shows, books, etc, pretty extensively online. There are some crazy fans out there of this stuff. Some seriously unhinged people. And a lot of the Derek fans are complete witches. So much so that sometimes I find myself hoping he'll get voted off just so they can go cry in a corner. Which puts me in a bit of a pickle this season, because I really do love Kellie. We'll see if that's enough to bring me over to the dark side.

Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas I'm excited for this pairing, too. I liked Aly in the Olympics last summer. I thought she showed maturity and grace, and I'm happy she's getting this opportunity. I like Mark, too. I don't get an arrogant vibe from him. The only season I've actually disliked him was season 12. Other than that, I think he seems fun and kind, and if I had to pick one of these pros to teach me to dance, he'd be one of my top 3 picks, because he never seems to make his partners feel stupid. I just hope Aly won't rely on the stuff Shawn Johnson did last season, because it will work my nerves.

Ingo and Kym Johnson I don't know how to spell Ingo's last name, and I'm too lazy to look it up right now. I don't know much about him, other than he is on General Hospital, he's Australian, and he's good looking. I like Kym okay. She has never been my favorite, but I think that is because the other female pros have much more dynamite personalities, so she doesn't stick out to me. But I do think they'll be fun to watch so I'm looking forward to them, too.

Dorothy Hamill and Tristan MacManus Dorothy was admittedly before my time. But she's such an iconic name, I know who she is. I like Tristan very much, as he reminds me of a more mature, less spastic version of Mark. Yet another pair I'm excited to see.

Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff I get a huge cocky vibe off this guy. I've only seen him in the superbowl and on the cast announcement, so my first impression may be way off, and I hope it is. I LOVE Karina. She's my all time favorite pro, so I hope Jacoby is personable and good at dancing so I can root for them. Because as much as I love some of the pros, I vote on the celeb.

Andy Dick and Sharna Burgess Okay, seriously? Andy Dick? I'm disappointed that he was cast. I don't know a ton about him, but enough to know he's crude and pretty much an asshole. I hope he's first out. Sharna was in the troupe the last few seasons or so, and I think she's full of herself. So this is my least favorite pairing.

Victor Ortiz and Lindsay Arnold I know nothing about either of them. So I don't really care about them.

Lisa Vanderpump and Gleb Another name I can't spell, and another pair I know nothing about. Unlike Victor and Lindsay though, these two intrigue me. So I'll be watching them closely to see what they're all about

Zendaya Coleman and Val Chmerkovskiy I think I spelled Val's name right. Haha. I only know that Zendaya is on a Disney show that my kids sometimes catch a few minutes of after their cartoons go off. She's only 16, which I sort of creeps me out, because some of these dances are really sexy, the costumes are sexy, and Val is sexy and a grown man. I don't know how I feel about this pair yet. I think they'll be good, but I'm hoping watching them doesn't make me uncomfortable

DL Huguley and Cheryl Burke I know DL Huguley is supposed to funny, but I've never seen him in action. Cheryl is the female version of Derek to me, so they're not on my list of pre-show favorites. Prove me wrong, Cheryl. I used to love you, and I want sweet, down to earth Cheryl back! I saw a glimmer of it last season.

Wynonna Judd and Tony Dovolani I can't believe Wynonna Judd is going to be on DWTS! I'm excited about this, as she's a country music legend, and I love me some country music. I've always been a fan of Tony's too, because he's just so nice and patient, and I was overjoyed when he won last season with Melissa. Big Melissa fan here, even though I've never watched a single episode of the Bachelor.

So that's it. There are online murmurrings of a 12th pairing, and people are assuming it will be the current Bachelor, Sean Lowe, paired with Peta Murgatroyd, and that it hasn't been announced because his show is still airing. If it is true, yawn. Don't care about them either. And Peta really rubbed me the wrong way last season when she was paired with Gille, so I'm not a fan of hers. We'll see if she's better now that she and Maks have broken up (glad that one is taking a break. Yes, he is super good looking. He's also super cocky).

Looking forward to the start of the season in a couple of weeks!

Next Time...Survivor! I haven't blogged about it since the premier, but boy do I have some thoughts!

Ryann

Party on the Blog!

I'm so sorry I haven't blogged like I promised--literally as soon as I wrote my vacation post last week, I was thrown up on by my 3 year old. Then my husband and I both got sick. My 4 year old had strep throat. It was not the vacation we had dreamed of...and I had to miss two days of work, because we were supposed to come home last Wednesday. Since we were in absolutely no condition to drive, we ended up staying in Tennessee until Saturday. Let me tell you, I have never, ever been so excited to see my house.

But all of that is in the past now, and I'm hoping and praying the four of us can stay healthy for a while! Today, I want to throw a little blog party for my friend Angela. She is one of my best friends, and I've never even met her (that will change in May. Yippee!)

Angela and I met online on Absolute Write, the writing forum I joined when I decided to learn about the publishing world. Then I joined Twitter, and she was my very first friend there. We began e-mailing each other, and swapping chapters of our books. She'd crit mine, and I'd do the same.

But our friendship grew from there. We grew so close, talking through e-mail almost every single day and confiding in one another about everything--relationships, children, growing up, losing friends, our parents...just everything you could ever imagine. I always knew I could open up my computer and shoot her an e-mail or a tweet, or a message on fb (she's actually the reason I re-joined, so we could connect on a more personal level), and she would be there almost instantly.

Ang has helped me through not only personal things, but writing things as well. She has a keen eye and a sharp wit, and she's honest, which I love. She'll tell me if something sucks, but she'll do it in a loving and helpful way. She's just an all around great person, too. Full of sass and fun, and she has such a strong and everlasting faith. She and her husband Josh are part of a wonderful Christian band called Particle Blue--check them out on ITunes. They live in Tampa and perform at churches in Florida, and are incredible!

So, why am I throwing this blog party for Angela? She's recently been signed with a literary agent! She has been querying her wonderful book, Cinderella's Glass Stilletto, and has signed with an agent at the prestigious Larsen Pomada Literary Agency. It's sort of a big deal. It is a HUGE deal. I'm so proud of her. And I'm happy that I can say I've read that book in every stage, and two of her amazing books before it.

Ang can create a character and make you feel like you know them like nobody I've ever seen. Her dialouge is intriguing and real, her worlds sparkle, her scenes draw you in and make you want to live there. She has an amazing talent, and I'm overjoyed that someone in the industry has picked up on that and will be her champion in what can be a tough business.

So, here's to you, Angela. My friend, my soul sister, one of the best writers I know. I'm throwing confetti and blowing bubbles in your honor. You deserve it, you rockstar you.