Melissa, Oh!

Category: Friends & Family

  • Tomorrow is big, you guys

    I’ve been too quiet here lately, but it’s for a good reason. I’ve been helping Amy publish her very first book. It’s amazing how much time and effort goes into creating a book if you want to do it right. There are multiple drafts. There is line editing. There is book cover photography and design. Font…

  • A stranger is on my mind today.

    She touched my heart almost two years ago with a message through Facebook, and I have not stopped thinking about her, in some capacity, since. She is not a complete stranger. In fact, I’ve probably known her most of my life. But I cannot think of one conversation we had together. We didn’t go to a…

  • I lied.

    Not intentionally. I just changed my mind. A couple of weeks ago, I told you about my plan to write Mia’s memoirs as a part of NaNoWriMo. My grandmother and I worked on them for years, and she died before I was able to finish interviewing her. But I have stories and interviews and other…

  • In case you missed it …

    Just in case you missed our blog post over at Melissa Oyler Designs yesterday, I wanted to tell you here that one of my closest friends has written a book. She previewed her cover art (which I had the pleasure of designing) and announced her book yesterday on her own blog, so check it out…

  • Coffee. Feet warmers. Creativity.

      What I love about working from home: – I don’t have to wear shoes at the office. Hell, I can wear my pajamas all day if I want to. –  If I feel creative at 3 a.m. on a Sunday, well, then that’s when I do my work. – Speaking of work, it’s different…

  • No spoilers here …

    You won’t get much from me the rest of this week. Why is that? I’ve been spending the past few days editing a book written by the very awesome and talented Amy, who also happens to be one of my best friends. I gotta tell you, this book is fantastic. Not giving up any spoilers…

  • No more dresses, please!

    So, if you’ve been keeping up with this post, you know there’s been some drama in the department of getting rid of old wedding items. I wanted to give an update to let you all know where things stand with Sonya Fogle and It’s a Bridal Thing. After writing the blog post, complaining to the Better…

  • She was a terrible singer.

    But when she called me to belt out her rendition of “happy birthday” when I turned 33 this year, the terribleness made it all the more endearing. The other voicemail I’d saved from Mia was recorded after the last daywe spent together. She had called me to thank me for a wonderful day and to…

  • Such a rebel …

    Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her, wish I could talk to her, want to see her. I miss my grandmother, Mia, like crazy, since she passed away in June. If there was anything she taught me, it was to make my own way in this crazy life. That rules are…

  • A girl’s guide to a beer festival (ok fine, it’s for guys too)

    So, I’ve been to a few beer festivals over the years and I’ve always really enjoyed them. This past weekend I attended Charlotte Oktoberfest, and it was so much fun! Every time I go to a festival, though, I see people walking in the door with their pretzel necklaces on, and I think, “Oh yeah,…

  • Minnie Mouse, here we come …

    So. Disneyworld. My apologies for not updating this sooner. In fact, Crystal emailed me several weeks ago telling me she just had to know Mia’s response, and I was so grateful for the reminder! I wrote recently about how my niece, Mia, is getting a trip to Disneyworld for her 5th birthday (technically, all the…

  • Dive bar + a little bit of humor = a fun Sunday afternoon

    Meghan kicked ass at this past weekend’s Warrior Dash, and I was able to see her fly across that finish line as if dealing with walls, fire and mud were no big deal. A celebratory drink was in order so where better than to go than a nearby dive bar? Little did we know we’d…

  • When lack of communication is actually good …

    The good thing about beginning marathon training on the West Coast is the flat ground and dry heat. The bad thing about it is re-entering the SouthEast, and while everyone else is grateful that the humidity is finally starting to break, I walk outside and can barely breathe. Acclimating = fun times. The lucky thing…

  • Proving Mia wrong

    Her 95th birthday party was supposed to be tomorrow. We had been planning it for months. My grandmother’s major desire was that we all be there. That’s why the party was to be 10 days after her actual birthday – because that was the first time everyone could be there. And it totally sucks that she’s…

  • Disneyworld. Disneyworld. Disneyworld!

    I’m going to DISNEYWORLD! Ok, that in and of itself is not all that exciting; I’ve been to Disneyworld a million times. So, let’s try again: I’M TAKING MY NIECE TO DISNEYWORLD! Mia is turning 5 in a couple of weeks, and I’ve always always wanted to take her and my other nieces and nephews.…

  • Have a bucket list. Check it off. Life is short.

    I was hanging out with Mom and Dad last week in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Dad had a rather awkward trip down the resort’s water slide. I felt badly that I’d convinced him to give it a try and he’d clearly not had a good time, but at the bottom, he turned to me and said,…

  • Sometimes, adventure is loss

    When I was 15, I went on my first adventure. It wasn’t by choice. I grew up in Fort Mill, SC, a small town where everyone knew each other. My friends were mostly friends I’d had since childhood, and there was a certain security about knowing that my closest allies were always just a phone…

  • It’s not about me. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

    It’s not about me. It’s not about me. It’s not about me. I keep telling myself that, but it doesn’t make this any easier. Things are changing too fast. In the past four weeks My grandmother died. My parents who live with my grandmother now have to decide what to do. And what to do…

  • A moment of time in travel

    Some moments in my travels, thus far over the past few weeks … I edited all these photos using the Best Camera app, which I talk about a little more here if you want to see some “before” photos. I love that I don’t have to keep up with anything but my iPhone!

  • Item of the day: Scaring teenage cashiers (a Mia story)

    So, you probably know that I recently lost my grandmother, Mia. I was just thinking about the last time I hung out with her, a few days before she died, and I wanted to share this story. I took Mia to run some errands. The first place we went was Lowe’s Home Improvement. Mia hobbled with…

  • What if my friends hate each other? Hey, what if they don’t?

    So, I blogged recently about running a race in Atlanta and how much fun and motivating that was. What I didn’t really tell you was that it was such a fun weekend that I had a hard time choosing which parts to share with you. The background: It really wasn’t my trip to plan. Scott…

  • So close I could taste it (literally)

    Kevin reminded me this was not the first time I’d seen this. He says that when we were kids driving out west, we saw a dust storm that actually formed a funnel cloud. How did I forget that? No clue. But, there I was on Tuesday night, hanging out with Anil at his place in…

  • So close I could taste it (literally)

    Kevin reminded me this was not the first time I’d seen this. He says that when we were kids driving out west, we saw a dust storm that actually formed a funnel cloud. How did I forget that? No clue. But, there I was on Tuesday night, hanging out with Anil at his place in…

  • Something is missing

    This time was not supposed to be any different. I’ve run a million races by now, and there was nothing to indicate that a short 10K would be too much of a challenge for me. So when Jeff and Scott made a bet  that ended with me getting a free race entry into the a 10K…