Chapter One - There Was Drama

Well here I am in sunny Florida with my family. Our new book starts now.


Chapter one begins with drama. I suppose it has to, right? That is how you hook the readers. Conflict is how you get a person to turn the page and find out what happens next. This is what makes the joyful ending so sweet and worthwhile. (That is what I am telling myself right now anyway!)

Our new home for the next month or two is a downtown hotel in Pensacola. I remember thinking to myself before we left, "Living in a hotel might be fun." Um, yeah.....what the hell was I thinking? It's far from being fun. It's small. Think typical hotel room size with a couch and a small kitchen thrown in there. But it could be worse, way worse. It's not the Bates Motel and so far, there has been no sign of roaches or other critters.


When life throws you lemons, you have to make lemonade, right? Or in my case, I prefer lemon vodka martinis! So rather than go on and on (and I could, believe me) about the drags and stress of our move, the trip and our first few days here in Florida, I am determined to focus on the good things. I will offer you a few snippets of conflict and resolution of the Fernandez family trip to Florida.


Here are the overall points with a few extra things worth mentioning so far. The good, the bad and how I'm coping with the drama by turning it into a positive aspect:


The Good: We had people pack our belongings for our move.
The Bad: I have no idea where those belongings are right now (some storage facility?) and when I'll see them again.
My positive spin on the situation: All those belongings are just "stuff". Everything I really need is with me already - my husband, my daughter, my pets, etc.


The Good: We're not living in Alabama anymore.
The Bad: My last few moments in Alabama were spent with my daughter's day care director telling me what a rotten child I have and how she has major discipline issues and I will have my hands full with her. This really upset me for days and I could not understand why no one ever mentioned any of these issues to me before or why this was not brought to my attention sooner, instead of when I was literally walking out of the doors for the last time.
My positive spin on the situation: I've decided that my daughter will thrive in a loving, nurturing environment - at home with me. And yes, Vivian is dramatic and a hand full (hence why I refer to her often as a Diva) but what she needs is someone to show her the way, provide some discipline and also give her another chance. What she does NOT need is some two-faced, elderly cow who probably doesn't have any children of her own or anyone to love her (and you can obviously see why).


The Good: Our hotel has free complimentary breakfast.
The Bad: The reason it's free is that most of it tastes like crap. Cardboard flavored eggs coming right up!
My positive spin on the situation: I won't have to worry about gaining weight from eating too much food at this buffet. Cheers to me! Pass me that banana or a bowl of Special K and I'll head on down to the fitness center instead (one treadmill or one bicycle. I like choices!)


The Good: Our pets seem to be doing fine, even in these close quarters.
The Bad: When we sit on the couch, we have to wipe the kitty litter off of it since there is no other place to put Sam's litter except next to the couch.
My positive spin on the situaion: This litter actually provides extra padding for my butt when I sit to watch television and it will force us to change the litter more often so our tiny room will stay smelling fresh and clean.


The Good: Our hotel room is conveniently located near the pool.
The Bad: I often forget to close the blinds while I'm peeing and you can clearly see out onto the deck so I'm guessing folks can see in as well....???
My positive spin on the situation: Everyone deserves a free peep show from time to time, even if it is a fright show or early Halloween scare!


The Good: I don't have an oven so I don't have to do baking.
The Bad: I don't have an oven so I can't do baking (as in Vivian's birthday cake or my usual October pumpkin bread).
My positive spin on the situation: I'll just have to find a place that makes great cakes and breads and I won't stop sampling and visiting places until I find just the right one!


The Good: My husband and I have moved to three different states and into four different homes in our seven years of marriage. We made it through each move.
The Bad: Each time we move, (this time included), we argue, snap at each other, try each other's patience and generally stop talking for a few hours.
My positive spin on the situation: Silence can be good for any marriage. Making up can be really enjoyable too, as we have done and things are fine now.


The Good: After two nights of eating potato chips, pop-tarts and other junk, we enjoyed a homestyle meal in our hotel.
The Bad: The homestyle meal was a frozen bag skillet meal and we ate it while watching "Elmo's Potty Time."
My positive spin on the situation: The frozen meal was actually tasty and we cracked up every time Elmo said the words, "toilet," "potty," and other words like poo and pee.  After all, my family and friends know that I love to discuss bodily fluids.


The Good: I got my period just after we arrived here.
The Bad: I freaked out because it was late by a few days. With everything we have going on, I was scared that a second child might be on the way and let me be very candid -- I am not ready for that right now!
My positive spin on the situation: Either outcome, I know we would make it work but I'm so glad the result came out the way it did!!



The Good: We are looking at beautiful, affordable homes in and around our new community.  Since it is still a buyer's market, we should be able to find a lovely home perfect for us.
The Bad: Trying to look at six homes in two and a half hours with a toddler is challenging.
My positive spin on the situation: Vivian doesn't seem to mind looking inside houses.  It's all the getting in and out of the car that she doesn't like.  But I'm learning to bribe her with treats.  And she follows me like a dog.  Note to self:  Make sure the house we choose has a fenced in yard for my daughter Vivian, our dog Bono. 


The Good:  Vivian is getting a little bit more hair on her head.
The Bad: Her hair looks like a comb over.  She's starting to look like Donald Trump now.
My positive spin on the situation:  If she grows up to be a real estate mogul, then I'm sure she can buy me my own building and mansion someday. 


The Good: Our family is adjusting from this move.
The Bad: The adjustment period is difficult and exhausting.
My positive spin on the situation: I'm learning to be more humble and appreciative of where I've come from and where I'll be heading next.


That's about all that I can say about the last few days. I hope you weren't expecting lots of sunshine and beach cocktail talk yet. Not everything can be rosy, easy and happy right away - especially not in the beginning of the book.


As weird as it may sound, I honestly believe that we're right where we are supposed to be right now (even with all this craziness). I just need to be more patient that we will find a great home for our family and be settled by 2010.


Until then, I look forward to sharing my stories with you.  There will be more pages to turn and new chapters to read coming soon.