White Christmas

Hey everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! :) Mine was interesting. It was the first time in my whole life that I didn't see my grandma on Christmas. My dad had a bad cold, so we all decided it was best if we didn't go over there. So instead, my family and I spent the day exchanged gifts and watching movies. I got the first seasons of "Psych" and "Monk" on DVD, so we watched that for a little bit too. We had egg rolls for dinner, LOL. It was still a good Christmas, though.

Christmas Eve was nice too. My aunt Maureen came over for dinner. We then all went to church for the candlelight service. I managed not to spill wax on myself this year, LOL. We then came back and watched TV while eating cookies.

We for sure had a white Christmas. We had another snowstorm on Sunday. It was so bad that I couldn't get out of our driveway, much less down the road, so I called into work and said I couldn't come in. I knew I'd get stuck again if I tried to go.

Here are a few more things that have happened since my last post:

On Friday the 14th, was our work Christmas Bingo party. There was a buffet, and after we'd eaten, some of us went over to the bar. I didn't get a drink at that point, though, but two nice women I work with were teasing this guy we work with to buy me a drink and I said later on. So then we went to play Bingo. A lot of people at our table won. There was a break after several games, so they dragged me to the bar and before I knew what was happening, I had a peppermint schnapps in my hand. It tasted like Maalox! So then we went to sit back down at the table and Brooke (a friend and co-worker), said to get some punch in it too to make it better, but it didn't really make it better. She said, "Chug it, Aubrey!" I said, "If I chug it, I'll be blowing chunks!" Somehow, I did manage to drink that whole nasty thing and everyone cheered and clapped for me, LOL.

We were on the very last game of Bingo and I won! I couldn't believe it! I launched out of my seat and screamed, "BINGO!" I won fifty bucks! It was really awesome! I was so happy because I usually suck at Bingo. Then Brooke, her husband, and a few others said they were going to another bar and begged me to come with them. I didn't really want to, but I went anyway. It was so smoky and loud in the bar and I had a huge headache. A guy I work with bought me a drink. I don't know what the heck he ordered me, but it was delicious. The bartender asked me if I wanted a small or big glass and Brooke yells, "Give her the big glass!" I got to talk with my co-workers and it was a lot of fun! Everyone is so nice that I work with. I left at 11:45 that night.

I had to work the 17th-20th, mostly doing catering. There were lots of parties to help set-up and carts to deliver. It was a lot of fun, though. It'll probably slow down in catering now for awhile.

Well, this is my last blog of the year. Happy 2008 to everyone! :)

Love,

Aubrey

Stuck

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! :) Mine was pretty good. Not too much exciting happened, but it was a quiet day filled with way too much to eat!

Anyway, on Tuesday, November 20th, I had an interesting day at work. I got stuck on an elevator! I was helping deliver trays that night and I was going to go up to the 8th floor. So I get on the elevator and it starts going up. Well, the lights shut off and the whole thing stops moving. Seconds later, the lights come back on, but it's still not moving. I was shocked for a minute, so I didn't do anything. Then I saw the phone and pressed the button and talked to a lady on the line. She came up a few minutes later and said she couldn't get the doors open. I was really getting panicked at this point, not for myself, but I was worried about my co-workers. I knew they were worrying about me and wondering where I was. So she called the man who fixes the elevators, but he lived like 25 minutes away! So I just sat there, alone, and tried not to think how bored and annoyed I was. It was about an hour total that I was stuck in that thing. Finally, after he arrived, I felt it move and then it brought me back down to the ground floor. I was never so relieved to see anything before in my life! So I went into the kitchen area and everyone was really nice to me. I said I felt bad about missing work and one girl said, "Hey, I'd be happy if I missed a whole hour of work!" But no one else I work with got stuck on an elevator, so it was something different, ha ha.

I had Tuesday, the 27th, off, so my mom and I drove to Eau Claire to do a little Christmas shopping at the mall there. We also went to Pier 1 and found some neat things. We had the soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch at the Olive Garden, yum! We also got milkshakes at Coldstone Creamery. It was a really nice way to spend my day off!

A few days later, we had a really bad snowstorm and I had to work that night. As I was pulling out of the parking lot that night, I got stuck. Thank goodness there was this nice man there who helped me push out my car. I thanked him about twenty times! So I was almost home and turned onto my road, which is kind-of out in the country. As soon as I got on the road, my car got stuck since there was drifts over a foot high. So I called my parents. At the same time they arrived, so did a sheriff who was driving by. We tried for twenty minutes, but nothing would work. In the process of all this, somehow my break hose got cut! But it was super lucky, because a tow truck went by and stopped! It was the same people we use when we get our cars serviced. So this nice man hooked up my car and brought it back to the garage so they could fix the breaks. I heard from them on Tuesday, and they said they had to order the part for my car. So I had to use this rental car, which drove okay, but it wasn't the same as my car, so I wasn't thrilled about it.

I had to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and use that car. Work went fine, but was really busy, especially on Wednesday. I did finally get my car back on Friday, so I was glad about that!

Anyway, I'm glad the year is almost over, because I don't want to get stuck anywhere else in 2007! Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Love,

Aubrey

Sixth Book Signing

Hey everyone! I hope you are doing well! I've been busy with work lately, but it seems to be going well. I've still been delivering trays and catering. I had to help waitress another event, but I didn't spill on anyone, yay! :)

On Saturday, the 10th, I went out to lunch with my friend Dee. She gave me the Girl Scout cookies I ordered from her granddaughters. Those cookies are addicting! I also worked that night and delivered trays and had no accidents, so that was a plus. I worked on Sunday as well.

Anyway, on Monday, I had to get two shots, which wasn't pleasant. They didn't hurt too bad, but I had to get one in each arm. One was a flu shot and the other was a hepatitis shot, which they make you get if you work at the hospital. My arms were sore for about three days. The worst part is, I have to get another hepatitis shot in April, and after that, they need to draw blood to see if I have enough machine in me. I am not good with blood draws. So I'm not looking forward to that! I also had to work that night, passing out trays. I had fourteen late trays to pick up (and that's a lot!), so it was about 8:40 when I finally left. This other girl was still there, so we walked out together.

I also worked on Tuesday and Wednesday in catering. I worked for a little bit on Thursday as well. Friday morning, my boss called me and asked me to come in and help with dishes. I was tired, but I figured, "What the heck?" and went in. I got a little break and then did my evening shift of delivering trays. I didn't have as many late trays, so that was nice.

Yesterday, I had a book signing at the mall. I sold only three copies, but one was to a librarian from Dallas, so she said she'd spread the word, so that was a good sale! It wasn't even as crowded in the mall as I would've thought! My friend Dee stopped by, which I thought was really nice of her. I went out to breakfast today with her at Perkins.

So I guess it was still a good experience at the book signing, even though the sales weren't that high. I like meeting new people and talking with them, so it was nice.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :)

Love,
Aubrey

Fifth Book Signing

Hi everyone! Sorry about the lack of blogs lately! I've been really busy! I guess I'll start where I left off. On Friday, the 19th, my mom, grandma, and I left early to head down to Illinois. We got to my aunt's around 11:15 and my cousin Elizabeth was there with her son, my Godson, Wyatt. He is SO CUTE!!!!! He gets cuter every time I see him! I also got to see my little nephew Bobby, who is adorable too. My aunt made egg salad for lunch, but I had a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich. Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread I first tried when I was in Germany, but it's really popular here now too. We had Chinese food for dinner and then had a cake, and my cousin opened her cards and the gifts we brought for Wyatt.

On Saturday, the 20th, I pretty much slept all morning until it was time to get ready for my signing. After we were ready, we went to the mall for lunch at Panera Bread. When it was time for me to walk down to the bookstore, I actually wasn't that nervous. The staff at Borders Express are just super! They treated me so kindly and even offered me a drink! (Water, not booze, LOL.) It wasn't too busy in the store that day, so I didn't sell many books. But I still had a great time and they invited me back in February, so that's good too! I met a lot of nice people. This girl around 11 years old came up to me and asked me if I liked being a writer and said she wanted to be one. I said I loved it and it was always my dream. I told her to keep writing and she promised she would. I love meeting new people! We came home the next day. It was a really nice weekend!

I was pretty much at work for the rest of that week. I also had to work that weekend and waitress a dinner on the 27th. There were almost 200 people there! Luckily, it was buffet style, so they got up and we just had to watch the food and replace it when it was low. I didn't get home until 10:15 that night, so I was really sleepy.

Tuesday, the 30th wasn't the best morning for me. In catering, I spilled a huge pot of coffee all over the floor, but luckily, no one got hurt or anything. That night I was also trained to take trays into patients. It seemed to go pretty well. I didn't do much on Halloween except work, so it wasn't too exciting. I did go out to breakfast with my friend, Dee, though, so that was fun. It was nice to see her again!

I worked on Thursday in catering and also worked on Friday night. I had to do dishes all night, but it wasn't that bad. It was nice to have Saturday and Sunday off! I went shopping at Hallmark on Saturday. It was nice to see some of my old co-workers. After that, I drove up to my aunt's place and had lunch with her. We then got dessert from this great place called "2510." Then, I helped her clean-up some stuff in her living room and then went home. I had lunch with her and my family on Sunday at the Golden Corral, yum!

Well, I guess that's all for now. Thanks for reading! :)

Love,

Aubrey

Scrubs

Hi everyone! I'm not talking about the TV show, although I am sad it will be the last season. Anyway, I have been at work a lot lately. I need to wear scrubs for one of my jobs and the other I just wear black scrub-like pants and a white shirt. On Monday, the 1st, I did my first day of actual catering. I just followed a nice lady named Lori around and learned where certain places were to drop off breakfast or lunch carts.

I had the next day off, so I took advantage of it and went to Plover with my mom, about 40 minutes away. We went to Kohl's and bought a few things, but mostly they were gifts for other people. We also went to the Petco there and Michael's. Anyway, we went to Hudson's for lunch. There are only three of them, I think, in Wisconsin. It's designed to look like a 50's restaurant. They make awesome malts and shakes! My mom and I split an order of deep-fried pickles and a grilled cheese sandwich. Yes, deep-fried pickles! It made sound nasty, but man, are the good! The batter they use isn't greasy or anything. It was a nice way to spend my day off!

The best thing that happened to me that week happened on the 3rd. I called the Borders Express bookstore in Joliet, Illinois, and the lady there said for sure she wants to do a book signing, and the books are already in! She is so nice and I'm very grateful to her for allowing me to have a signing there. I'll be there on Saturday, October 20th, from 1:00-3:00 P. M. So if you live or know anyone in the Joliet/Chicago area, please come by and see me! And pass on the word! Thank you to everyone who already has! It's in the Louis-Joliet Mall.

I had the 6th and 7th off, so on the 6th, my mom and I drove up to Wausau since my aunt Betsy was in town visiting with my aunt Maureen. The four of us had lunch at this place called "The Mint Cafe" and the food was pretty good. We later walked around and shopped, but I didn't buy anything. We then went to this place called "Helene's Hilltop Orchard" and got fresh apple dumplings to eat with hot caramel sauce. It's always crowded with little kids, since they have a big pumpkin patch and a playground and a corn maze. We met them at a Chinese place to eat for lunch on Sunday and my dad and brother came with also. My aunt Betsy also bought several copies of my book to give away to schools that my uncle sub teaches at.

This past week, I've been at work a lot. I did a waitressing job for catering on Tuesday night and did okay. I also worked on Wednesday and learned a new "station" as they call them. You have to serve potatoes and soup, or sometimes rice. Thursday was a really long day. I catered from 6:30 until 12:45 and then had to work again from 4-8. I found some of the rooms by myself while catering, so that's getting easier too. I also got to put some cookies on a sheet to hand to the bakers, so that part was pretty fun. It was relaxing and let my feet rest for a little bit. They were actually throbbing when I got home last night. But they are feeling better now.

Anyway, I'm getting excited about my book signing and having three days off, yay! :) I hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

Love,

Aubrey

New Job

Hello Everyone! :) I hope you had a nice September and enjoy the last two days of it. I've been busy lately with my new job and other things. On the 19th, I went to buy some scrub tops and pants for my job. It was fun picking them out!

On Friday, the 21st, my mom, grandma, and I went down to Illinois to stay with my aunt for the weekend. We arrived around 11:30 A. M.. My cousin Elizabeth was there with her little boy, Wyatt, who is also my Godson. We held him when he woke up. He's gotten so much hair since the last time I saw him! He's such a CUTE baby! My other cousin, Melissa, arrived soon with her son, Bobby. He's really cute as well. He can already crawl! I just remember when my cousins and I were kids and it's hard to believe they have kids now! Where did that time go? They always say the older you get, the quicker the time passes, and that's SO right! We were all really hungry, so we went to Panera Bread. I took my friend Taylor's advice and tried the Vegetarian Fiesta Con Queso soup and it was extremely delicious! Anyway, we went to get some things at the grocery store afterwards and then got some gelato to have after dinner. We ordered some really good pizza for dinner and then had the gelato later that night. It is so good that it's hard to believe it's lower in fat than regular ice cream!

On Saturday, my aunt, mom, grandma, and I went to the mall by my aunt's house. I went into the Borders there and talked to a manager. She said my book looked really good and she wants to have me there for a book signing on October 20th! I was so happy that I almost started to cry in the store, LOL. She's going to call me to confirm the date and everything. I also found some good deals at Charlotte Russe and then we headed for some lunch in Orland Park. We ate a place called "Harrison's" and it was pretty good. We then shopped some more and went to World Market, one of my favorite stores! They have items from all over the world. We had my grandma make Palacsinta for dinner that night. Palacsinta is a Hungarian dish pronounced "pul-a-cheen-ta", and it's the same thing as a crepe. We filled them with jelly and enjoyed them. We had more gelato for dessert! We always eat so much when we go to my aunt's house in IL, but we have a blast! We came home the following day.

On Monday, I went in the morning to get my other TB test and thankfully, didn't get dizzy. Later on, I got into my scrubs and went to work. I met with my supervisor, Betty, and she was really nice. It was actually my first time meeting her. I met other supervisors in the department, but she was sick the day I was supposed to interview with her. She said I'm the first person in seventeen years she's hired without interviewing with personally, so I took that as a huge compliment!

After I talked with her for awhile, I talked with Paula, who heads up the catering department. They deliver in the whole clinic and hospital, so it's A LOT to memorize! I hope I can handle all of it! Everyone seemed pretty nice though, so that's good. I was trained by a girl named Tiffany who was kind also. I mostly help with getting the trays ready to send to patients and then help clean things up.

Tuesday I had orientation, which was mostly computer training. After the instructor was done, we all had to take tests on the computer and then we could leave. I was done in about an hour, which wasn't too bad.

On Wednesday, I was trained by a girl named Amber who was really nice also. It went pretty well. I also did the same thing on Thursday night. Before my shift on Thursday night, I also had my first day of catering duties. It was an easy day, since I served punch and cake for a retirement party. I got to wear an apron and I really enjoyed talking to people!

Yesterday was the first day of the 35th Annual Cranberry Festival in Warrens, Wisconsin. People (mostly women), come from all over Wisconsin and the Midwest to attend. There are thousands of vendors and the whole town is loaded with things to buy and things to see. I went with my mom and aunt Maureen. We ate some junk food and walked around for hours. I found a pretty picture to hang in my bathroom, which was just painted and wallpapered recently. We stayed until 5:00 P. M. (It closes at 6:00.) We then came home and ate grilled cheese sandwiches and watched "Ghost Whisperer."

That is all the news for now. Thanks for reading! :)

Love,

Aubrey

My Birthday

Hello everyone! :) I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and a nice start to your September! Happy Birthday to anyone who also has a September birthday! My birthday was on September 6th. That morning, I went out to breakfast with my good friend, Dee, and her adorable grandson, who's a year and a half. He kept making this cute little laugh. Dee gave me an ornament from Hallmark that I wanted and several of my favorite candy bars, which have all been eaten, LOL. Later on, my mom and I went to the town of Rudolph, which is less than thirty minutes away. We went to the Grotto Gardens which was just too beautiful for words! It was mostly religious statues that were so pretty and gorgeous flowers. Some of the stones were from Italy! It was behind a Catholic church and school. There was also a cave you could go in that had pretty light-up religious things. Some parts of the ceiling were really low, though, and I almost cracked my head twice! But I made it without hurting myself. We also got this really good ice cream that they make in Madison, yum!

That evening, we went to my brother's and met my aunt at Noodles for supper. I got a free meal since it was my birthday. We then got a yummy cake from the Coldstone Creamery and went back to my brother's to eat it. I got a lot of nice gifts and cards. All in all, it was a pretty great birthday!

On Monday, the 10th, my mom and I went back up to Door County. I checked on the bookstores I'd given books to. We then went to downtown Sturgeon Bay, which is a really cute town. We went into a HUGE Hallmark store which had two levels. I hate to admit it's nicer than the one I used to work at, but it was the best one I'd ever been in! We walked across the street to one of the Door County Confectionery shops, yum! It smells like melted butter and chocolate before you even enter the building! It was too good to pass up, LOL. We then headed on to Ephraim for lunch at Wilson's. It was QUIET in there compared to last time. After lunch, we walked around Egg Harbor, but didn't buy anything.

Last Friday, the 14th, I went with my parents down to Illinois to say with my grandparents. We went out to eat at this place called "Meson Sabika." It was really delicious! We each ordered a cold dish, then a hot dish, then dessert. We went shopping and to a wine festival the following day. I got in for less since I don't drink wine. There were other things to drink and lots of foods to sample. It was interesting! We came home on Sunday.

Today, I had to go to the hospital to get my picture taken for my badge and to get set-up on the payroll and all of that. Then, I had to go to the Employee Health room and get a TB test and have my blood drawn. I went down this LONG hallway to a part of the hospital I didn't even know existed! Anyway, I had a lady named Ann and she was SO nice to me! She checked my pulse and all of that, and then said I could lie down and she'd draw my blood. She even checked both arms to see which one would work better. I talked the whole time she was doing it, because I didn't want to think about what was going on. Then, she let me sit for a minute and then did the TB test, which didn't really hurt, but it pinched. Then I sat up and sat in the chair and felt really faint. She had to get me some water and then asked me what else I like to do, so I told her about my book. I felt less and less light-headed the more I talked, and then it went away completely. I gave her one of my pens and she thanked me. I thanked her for being so patient with me. I wish I didn't get so light-headed sometimes, but I do. :(

Anyway, that's it for now! Have a great week! :)

Love,
Aubrey

Fun at the Fair

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a wonderful August! I can't believe it's September already, and in five days it's my birthday! Time sure does fly by!

Anyway, lots has happened since my last blog. Sorry about not writing sooner! :( I guess I should start where I left off. On Friday, August 10th, my boss gave me and two other ladies a "good-bye breakfast" at Perkins. I got a nice card from everyone and a beautiful church that plays "Silent Night", my favorite Christmas song. August 14th was my last day at Hallmark. I will miss everyone because they became nice friends, but I know I did the right thing. I got a job at the hospital, but don't start for almost four weeks!

I went to see Hairspray on August 15th with two ladies I used to work with. We had a fun time and it was a cute movie! Two days later, I went to Steven's Point (a city about 40 minutes away), with my friend Dee. We ate the IHOP in Plover, the town right next to Steven's Point. We looked around some shops in the area, but didn't buy much. We also looked at the furniture store, since Dee was looking for a new recliner, but she didn't see anything. So then we went to the Coldstone Creamery for ice cream, yum! :) We stopped at an antique store on the way home, just to look around. It was such a fun day! It got even better, because shortly after I got home, I got a call from the Book World store in Marshfield, saying all five copies of my book sold, and she wanted five more copies! So I was really glad to hear that!

I didn't do much exciting for the next few days. On Thursday, August 23rd, I went with my aunt Maureen on the road again. We stopped at several places, but the two places I had luck in were Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo. Wisconsin Dells is a big tourist attraction and known as "The Waterpark Capital of the World." I dropped off some copies at the Book World there. We had lunch in Baraboo and I also dropped off some copies at the Book World there as well. We got stuck in some rain on the way home. It rained pretty much the whole week!

On Monday, August 27th, I went for my interview at the hospital. The kitchen area (where I'll be working), is HUGE, but really nice. I heard about the job on Thursday. I spent the rest of Monday and most of Tuesday, baking things to enter in the fair. I went with my mom to judging on Wednesday. I entered five things, and won 4th place on three of my things! My corn bread, peanut butter cookies, and whole wheat cookies all won 4th place. It wasn't as good as 1st, but I was still happy, since I won a pink ribbon and a $1.00 for each item.

My mom and I went back to the fair on Thursday for the photo judging. I didn't win anything, but I still had fun. We went on two rides. I get sicker on rides than I used to, so two rides were enough for me! We also got some ice cream. They have amazing soft serve there!

Anyway, I guess that's it for now, so I'll write again soon!

Have a great Labor Day weekend! :)

Love,

Aubrey

On The Road

Hello everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend! :) I can't believe how fast summer is going by! It seems like it was just June! Anyway, sorry about not posting sooner! I've been pretty busy lately. On July 30th, my mom and I went up to Door County. We stopped at the Lang Store in Sturgeon Bay, which has a lot of awesome things, from candles, to calendars, to figurines, there is so much to choose from! Then, we headed on to Bailey's Harbor, where I stopped at Novel Ideas, which sells books and games. I talked to the owner, and she said to call back in a few days, since she had to talk it over with her dad, who is her business partner. (I did call back later on, and she said she'd sell the copy I left there, and I can send more when it sells.)

Then, we stopped at the Book World in Sister Bay, and I just caught the manager as he was on his way out, so that was good timing! I left three copies there. We then headed down to Ephraim and ate at my favorite restaurant, Wilson's. It was built in 1906 and looks like a 50s diner. They have awesome food and wonderful ice cream! :) My mom and I each got a chocolate shake. We stopped at a few more shops on the way home. It is so beautiful there!

On Saturday, August 5th, I met Dee for lunch at McDonalds. It is always nice talking with her. She can always make me laugh! I later went to kitty-sit for my Aunt Maureen's new kitten, who I think is named Melody. She is such a cute little kitten! The following day, I went back up there with my family to go to a Gin Blossoms concert. It was during the fair, so we got something to eat and then watched the concert. It was a good concert, but they all looked really tired, since they'd been touring all summer. The lead singer came into the crowd and high-fived a few people, me being one of the them. My hand was sticky from previously eating a funnel cake, so I hope I didn't get his hand all sticky.

On Wednesday, August 8th, my mom and I went to Plover to go shopping. We went to Big Lots and Ben Franklin Crafts. I like both of those places! We stopped at the Kohl's further down also. Plover is really getting built-up! There are lots of new stores and restaurants there now. We then headed over to Wisconsin Rapids, where we went to the mall there, and then headed to Book World. I had left three books there before, but couldn't find where they were, so I asked the girl. I told her the title was Thirteen and Surviving, and she said, "Oh, are you Aubrey Waters?" I said I was and she showed me that they were under the "Local Author" section. I thought it was so cool that she knew my name from just the title! There were two copies there, so someone had bought one! :) Thank you whoever you are! :)

On the way home, we stopped in the town of Rudolph (it's a small town and their motto is "Home of the Red-Nosed Reindeer"), and got some cheese at the cheese factory there. We also got some ice cream, which was the really good kind that is made in Madison.

The following day, we went to Eau Claire and saw my book was still on the "recommended" shelf, so that was pretty awesome too. We did the soup, salad, and bread sticks lunch at the Olive Garden. It was delicious! I won't be on the road as much this week, so I'll be glad to relax a little bit!

The other thing I wanted to mention was that I recently purchased Taylor Ware's CD. You might remember her as a finalist from America's Got Talent from last season. She is a fantastic yodeler and singer, and has an excellent CD out. Please visit her website at: http://www.taylorware.com/ You can read more about her and purchase her CD. She is a friend of mine, so please check it out! :)

Well, I guess that about does it for now, so I'll say good-bye and have a great week! :)

Love,
Aubrey

Fourth Book Signing!

Hello everyone! :) Yesterday was my fourth book signing. It was held at Thimbleberry Books in Marshfield, Wisconsin. It was also Hub City Days, which is a small festival held on Central Avenue, the main street in Marshfield. Thimbleberry is on Central, so lots of people walked by. I sat in a rocking type chair and had a big coffee table to display my books on. There are also two cats that live at Thimbleberry's, and they are so sweet! One slept on top of the fireplace the whole time. The other stuck around by me a lot, and kept me company. It was pretty quiet for awhile, but then things began to pick up. I had a nice older lady come in and buy a copy for her granddaughter who loves to read. Shortly after that, this nice guy came in and bought one. He is part of a group that meets at Thimbleberry the last Friday of every month and invited me to come sometime, which I might. Then this nice lady named Bev came in. She's a regular customer where I work. She is such a funny and kind lady! I love talking with her. She came in and bought two books for her granddaughters. She also gave me a dollar for signing them, which was extremely sweet of her. She also talked this guy she knew who'd come in, into buying a book from me, so he did. So I sold five books, which isn't bad at all! I had a great time! Thank you everyone who came in to support me! :) You guys are the best!

Other news that has happened since my last blog:

On July 12th, I went with my Aunt Maureen on the road again and dropped off six copies of my book at "Cover to Cover" in Tomahawk. They wanted me to sign them, so that was pretty cool!

On July 13th, I went into work to help set up the ornaments for the Ornament Premiere, which was the 14th and 15th of July. Dee and I worked from 10-6:15, just taking a break to go to McDonalds for some ice cream, LOL. I love their Take 5 McFlurry. I worked for several hours on Ornament Premiere and we had lots of big sales. I also bought some ornaments. They are just so cute!

On July 17th, after I got home from work, my mom and I went to Aunt Maureen's Tupperware party. There were a few other nice ladies there. My mom and I got a few things, but not tons. After everyone was done ordering, we ate the food Aunt Maureen had made. It was all delicious! She had also made two desserts, but hardly anyone ate any, since they were trying to stay away from sweets. I had some, though. :)

On July 19th, I went with Aunt Maureen up to Door County, the peninsula of Wisconsin, and in my opinion, the most beautiful place in the world! I'd like to live there someday. We stopped in Shawno on the way and I dropped off two copies of my book at the Book World there. We stopped at a few more places, but there were no bookstores around. We had lunch at "Perry's Cherry Diner" in Sturgeon Bay and it was delicious! We also split a piece of cherry pie. (Door County is famous for their cherries.) I dropped off some books at the Book World in Sturgeon Bay. We also went to Sister Bay, but the manager at the Book World had left, so I am going to go back sometime soon. We went shopping at a few places, including this place in Juddville that sells nothing but cat items. I love going in there! We stopped at this restaurant in Green Bay called "Victoria's", which has awesome Italian food. They give you HUGE portions, so I had to take most of mine home. It was 10:30 by the time I got home.

On July 21st, my mom and I went to our friend's place to celebrate their daughter's 2nd birthday, which was actually the 19th. I've known Melody (the mom of the little girl), since I was 8. They are such great friends of ours, but live two and a half hours away, so we don't get together too often. It's always fun when we do. Melody bought a copy of my book for her niece and also announced it, so that was pretty cool. She made a safari-themed cake and it was adorable! (It was also delicious!)

I had to work on Monday and Tuesday, and neither day was too busy. On Wednesday, Thimbleberry had run a nice ad about my signing in the paper. On Thursday, Aunt Maureen and I went to Madison, where there used to a bookstore near the mall, but it turned into a salon! :( I didn't have any luck with my book that day. It started to pour on the way home, but we made it home fine. I saw tons of frogs in the road as I was driving home. I also saw a snake go across the road, which was really gross!

Anyway, that is all my news for now, so I wish you a great Sunday and a wonderful upcoming week! :)

Love,

Aubrey

My First Godchild!

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Mine was nice. We had several family members over and grilled brats and burgers. (And veggie dogs for my mom and I, who are both vegetarians.) I made a cheesecake pie for dessert, which was easy to make. I think it was a Cool Whip recipe, since it calls for Cool Whip. Anyway, my brother and uncle set off tons of fireworks. We were out until 11:00 P.M., so that was fun. It was a little chilly and damp outside, but it was great! 4th of July is my second favorite holiday. (Christmas is my favorite.)

Now onto my Godson! :) I finally got to meet him on June 29th. He is adorable! He's only a month old, so he likes to sleep a lot still, but he's an angel. I also got to see my other nephew (really my 2nd cousin, but I will be "Auntie Aubrey" to them), Bobby, who is almost six moths old. He's sweet as well. I love those two boys so much! We had a great weekend visiting. I also got some business out of the trip. We went to a Borders nearby and I talked to a very nice manager who said she probably wants me back for a signing, so that was awesome! My aunt Kathy is also going to help by passing some copies around. We went out to eat several times, so that was also fun. We went to the place with Steve, the cute waiter, but he wasn't there that night. :( We also got gelato from this awesome place called "Fiala's" in New Lenox, IL. I got a birthday cake flavor, and it was awesome! (Gelato is like ice cream, but with less fat and served at a warmer temperature.) They were playing the movie The Brave Little Toaster in the ice cream shop and it brought me back to when I was a kid. I loved that movie, but it always made me sad. I always felt sorry for the electric blanket. The part they showed while we were in there was when the blanket cries, and it made me sad. :( I'm a dork, I know. :)

I also went with my aunt Maureen on the road on June 27th. I dropped off a copy of my book at a cute bookstore in Fort Atkinson, WI. We ate at a place called "The Velvet Lips" and it was really cool! I got a mushroom sandwich, which I liked. We also stopped at a few more places. I dropped off two books at Book World in Portage. We also stopped at this popcorn place that had awesome popcorn! I love popcorn! :)

I also called up a few places in Michigan and Minnesota, and they said they'd stock my book for me, so that's pretty cool. I mailed some out last week and also some today. Oh, and my mom and I went to Eau Claire last week and into the Waldenbooks there. There were five copies of my book, each one with a sticker that said, "Local Author", and they were on a shelf that said the store recommended them! I can't tell you how awesome it felt to see that. I almost cried! I am so grateful to the store for doing that for me. And for everyone who has read my book, or whoever is reading this. Your support is very much appreciated! :)

The only other news is that my parents decided to re-do my bathroom. It looks somewhat disturbing at the moment, all naked and torn apart. My dad painted the ceiling the same color white as it was. The paint for the walls and wallpaper should come in this week. The paint is a pale blue and the wallpaper is a blue floral print. (If you haven't guessed by now, blue is my favorite color!) :)

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful week! :)

Love,
Aubrey

Moving Forward

Hello again everyone! :) I hope you are having a nice summer so far!

Last weekend, I went with my family to meet my dad's relatives at a resort in Oconomowoc, WI. (By meet, I mean we were all meeting at the resort, not like I was meeting them for the first time, LOL.) There was a cute bookstore right by our resort, so I dropped off three copies of my book there. The ten of us went out to lunch that day, so that was fun. We then hung around the resort and just relaxed. We went to a bar in the resort and ate some appetizers which were pretty good. We had the place to ourselves, so that was nice too.

The following day, we went to a place called "Ten Chimneys" in Genesse Depot, WI. It was once the home of actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. I had never heard of them before, to be honest. They mostly did Broadway plays. The house and surrounding grounds they owned were so beautiful! It was over 90 degrees that day, so I am glad most of the tour was inside and air conditioned! Later on, four of us girls went shopping at Ben Franklin Crafts. I found some stickers and stationery for my pen-pal letters. We all ate dinner together at the resort and then went to a club right down the hall to watch two comedians. It was so smokey in the place that I left early.

We went home the next day, which was Father's Day. My brother, Adam, and I gave my dad a card and a computer game he wanted.

I spent most of my day Friday (the 22nd), calling up bookstores and have two possible signings pending, so that is exciting. I also am going to drop off bookmarks at our library soon. My good friend Nancy is also going to give away bookmarks too. I am moving forward with that, and I am not giving up. So many people to say to always fight for what you want, and I believe that is true. I once heard this saying that goes, "People who don't have dreams, don't have much", and I feel that to be right. How would we get through life if we didn't have a goal or dream? Wouldn't that be boring and maddening?

Anyway, that's it for the moment. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend! :)

Love,

Aubrey

Third Book Signing

Well, on Saturday, June 9th, I had my third book signing. It was in Steven's Point, Wisconsin. It was another beautiful day outside, so not many people were shopping. :( I had a sweet guy come up and shake my hand, wishing me good luck, but that was about as exciting as it got for awhile. It's a really nice store and the employees there are all kind people. During the last thirty minutes, a mother with her two daughters came in and bought a copy of my book! It was the only one I sold, but that's okay. I still had a great time. I really love doing book signings. It's what I've wanted my whole life, and it's amazing that it's actually happening!

It was also my dad's birthday that day, so we went out to eat in Steven's Point. I got a grilled mushroom cap with red peppers on it. It was delicious! We then stopped at the Coldstone Creamery and got a chocolate peanut butter cake. The cakes and ice cream at Coldstone are expensive, but they are so worth the money!

I went with my 2nd cousin (who I call my aunt), on the road on Wednesday. (June 6th.) She sells insurance. I was hoping to drop off some of my books at bookstores along the way, but there weren't many. We ate lunch in Sparta, WI at a really good place. They had excellent ice cream there as well! I got a chocolate malt. If you haven't noticed, ice cream is my favorite food! :) We also went to the mall in La Crosse, WI. I hadn't been to that mall in years and it seemed a little smaller to me. They still had a lot of good stores there, though.

Anyway, that's it for the moment. Have a great rest of your week!

Love,

Aubrey

Updates

Well, it has been awhile since I've written on here. I usually post my blogs on my MySpace page, since I have several faithful readers. They know who they are. :) I thank them all for their support. I appreciate everyone's support and encouragement! :) It means the world to me!

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day. I had to work, but got paid overtime, so that was nice. After I got home, we went to my grandma's to eat. My Auntie Bertha and Uncle Mike were there. They are so funny! I always laugh when I see them, since they just crack me up. I made a chocolate trifle for dessert. I always make it when they visit, since it's Uncle Mike's favorite.

The day before, (May 27th), I went to my cousin's husband's 30th birthday party. It was outside and very windy that day, so I had to hold onto my paper plate with quite a grip. It was nice otherwise, though. I did get a sunburn on my neck, however. :( My neck and shoulders are a magnet for the sun. And they never tan; only burn. :( Anyway, I did get to see a lot of relatives I hadn't seen in years or had never met before, so that was a lot of fun. I wish I could see them more often.

Some pretty exciting news is that my cousin, Elizabeth, had her baby on May 30th! :) His name is Wyatt, and he's my Godson. This is my first time as a Godmother, and I'm excited and honored that I was chosen to be one! :) She lives about five hours away, so I won't get to see him as often as I'd like. :( I can't wait to meet him! My other cousin's baby is almost five months old already! Time really does fly! It almost scares me when it goes by this quickly!

The other good news is that I set up a book signing at Thimbleberry Books on Saturday, July 28th from noon to about 2:00 P.M. I am also having one this Saturday, (the 9th) at Book World in Steven's Point from 1-3 P.M.

Oh, and someone my dad works with bought a copy of my book for her daughter. Her daughter wrote a book report on my book and got an A+! :) How sweet is this girl? I am so proud that she got such a good grade! Having kids enjoy reading is such an important thing. That's why I like writing so much. Encouraging reading is something I firmly believe in.

Anyway, I'll post a new blog soon.

Take care!

Love,

Aubrey

Second Book Signing

Today was my second book signing in Marshfield. The whole mall wasn't too crowded, so I didn't sell too many books, but it was still a blast. My mom sat with me at our table, and it was a fun experience for both of us. My first customer was my friend Dee's daughter. She was there with her daughter and son. (Dee's granddaughter and grandson.) Her grandson is a little over a year old, and he is so cute! He's always smiling. Dee and her whole family are such sweet people.

Friends of our family stopped by also and bought a few copies. One of them gave me so many good ideas for promoting my book. We are planning to meet them for lunch on Friday. They are wonderful friends and it was so great to see them again.

So all and all, it was a fun day! I really love doing it. Signing books has been my dream since I can remember. Except for the time I wanted to be a ballerina, but we won't get into that phase! :)

Last weekend was my cousin's baby shower. Not a lot of people showed up, but we still had a nice time. It was at a pizza place and it was good. The best part of the whole trip was on Sunday night, when we went out to dinner. We had this super sweet waiter named Steve. He was extremely cute and very polite. In fact, after my aunt paid, he went, "Thank you so much! You guys were wonderful!" I mean, we've never had service like that! My aunt seemed to think it was because he was flirting with me, but who knows. Maybe he's just a genuinely nice person.

Well, that's all my news for the moment.

Happy Mother's Day tomorrow to all the mothers out there! :)

Love,

Aubrey

Spring Has Sprung!

Well, even though it was cold during the week and it rained, it seems like spring is finally here! :) I love warming weather. Spring is so great because everything has a new start.

Anyway, I didn't have too much of an eventful week. I am trying to set-up a signing in Steven's Point, WI, but we'll see how that goes. I have to call back next week and talk to the manager. I will call some other book stores in the area soon and try to get dates set.

This past week, I went with my mom to Target to get some things for my cousin's baby shower. She is due next month to have a little boy and I am to be the Godmother! I am so excited! :) I've always been the youngest, so I've never been around babies much. I can't wait to be a Godmother!

I have been spending time outside with the cats. There are five of them that live in the barn and around the yard. Four girls and one boy. They are all so sweet. They come when you call and love to be brushed. It's so relaxing to be outside in the light breeze, petting the cats and just thinking. I get this good feeling that I can't explain when I do that. I also get inspired when I'm outside on a nice day.

Well, that's about all my news for now, so I'll end this here.

Love,

Aubrey

First Book Signing

Yesterday was my first book signing. It took place at the Book World in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The weather was beautiful yesterday, which caused the store to be not-so-busy. Everyone was outside, starting to get their gardens ready or just enjoying the awesome weather. I guess the book store did sell a copy right after it was listed in the newspaper. But I only sold five yesterday, so that makes six total. The manager told me that six wasn't half-bad, considering the lack of customers in general. One lady that bought a copy for her niece was so kind and wished me the best of luck!

It was about a two hour signing, but it flew by. My family came by towards the end, and my grandma bought two books. Three of my co-workers, who are such supportive people, came in and spent about an hour with me! It was one of their birthdays and she had two of her granddaughters with her also. They are such sweet girls! One of my co-workers I hadn't seen for a long time, since she was in Arizona, so it was great to see her again! The other one I don't get to work with too often, but she is such a kind person and has been behind me and my writing since I first met her. If any of the three of you are reading this, you know who you are! :) Thank you all again for coming and supporting me! You're the best! :)

I'd also like to thank two of my friends, who both happened to be named Nancy. One helped me with the whole layout of this webpage, which I never could've done without her help! The other one helped me with my MySpace page and also made some of the graphics on my website. They both did an amazing job, and I am so lucky to be their friend! :) Thank you guys so much!

After the signing, I stopped by work to give the three girls there each a pen and a bookmark. They are all supportive too and wished me good luck for my next signing, which is May 12th at the mall in Marshfield.

I was a little sad after it was over. I'm not sure if it was because not too many people came, or because it was just over in general. I have to say it felt awesome being in a bookstore, sitting at a table with my book in front of me! That has been my dream since I was a little girl! Thank you everyone who was behind me the whole time and told me never to give up! :)

Well, I'm signing off now.

Happy Earth Day!

Love,

Aubrey

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my first blog on my webpage! Before I do anything else, I'd like to thank my friend Nancy for helping me with my website. ( http://www.aubreywaters.com/ ) It never would've been possible without her help! :)
I am having my first radio interview tomorrow over the phone, so I am excited about that, but also a little nervous.
For those of you who don't know much about me, I will soon be posting more on my website, so you can check it out. I recently published my first novel, Thirteen and Surviving. You can look it up here http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=39355 at the publisher's website. It's the cheapest to buy it there, although you can also use www.amazon.com or www.bn.com as well.
I'm sorry this blog is short and boring, but I will post a new one soon. I am still getting the hang of this! :)
Have a good day!

Aubrey