Author Archives: rkpaulus

About rkpaulus

Writer. Mom. Wife. Basketball coach. Lover or all things chocolate. Winner of bubble gum jar! Grace is my oxygen.

In Search of the Seat that Takes You There!

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When I wake up on a writing day, I ask myself the one question that will determine the fate of the day! Where will I write? 

I often write at home.
This is a great choice if I’m thinking purely economically. Once the hubby is off to work and the kiddos are in school, I have the house to myself and the fridge and coffee maker are a hop, skip and an arm’s reach away. Literally. If I sit at my kitchen table, I simple stretch out my right arm, and the coffee pot handle collides with my fingers. No rising necessary. Continue reading →

The Giants, “Warrior,” and a very Messy Banana Peel

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“Who left this banana peel here by the kitchen sink?” Hubby calls out before breakfast.

I’m around the corner, putting the yogurt back into the fridge. Yeah, our refrigerator is not in the kitchen, but that’s a blog for another day.“I was just about to throw it out.” I say as I emerge from the pantry/shoe room/coat room/fridge housing room.

“You mean you forgot to do it. Don’t say you were going to do something when you actually forgot to do it in the first place.”

These few lines of interchange nearly started World War III last Sunday morning. Wait. That was yesterday. Continue reading →

When Life throws You in a Pot…It’s Bound to Get Hot!

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Learn More About Bonnie Calhoun
I first met Bonnie Calhoun on line. And the woman I “met” possessed equal parts passion, humor and professionalism. And she seemed to be awake all hours of the day, because no one has ever answered my emails faster. So when I went to the ACFW conference in St. Louis, I just had to find her, and meet her face to face. I didn’t catch up with her until shortly after she won the Mentor of the Year award at the Saturday night Award’s Gala. Now was probably the worst time to approach her. Celebrity status made her a hot commodity, and I’d be lucky to get two words in. Fortunately, Bonnie made room for me, and I’m so glad she did.I spotted her in the lounge of the hotel late Saturday night sharing laughs with fellow writers, and I decided to say hello and identify myself as the girl from the email loop. Not only did she recognize my name, she greeted me with a hug and a “Sit down!” gusto. So I sat. And it didn’t take long to understand why this woman swept the Mentor award that evening.

A month later, when she gave me the opportunity to review her debut novel Cooking The Books, I felt humbled and honored. But the best part was reading it! Continue reading →

From Yesteryear to Eternity…

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When I first meet my best friend, “R,” junior year in high school, we don’t really care for each other. In fact we annoy each other. I think she is too quiet. She sees me as a loud mouth. I wonder why she sits at the back of the class. She feels I just draw more attention by sitting near the front. Funny thing is, we are two of only a handful of Asian students at our Livonia high school, but the common heritage does little for our friendship. 

One day, I skip school.

Pink Toenails…A Cinderellaish Story

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I have pretty feet. It’s just a fact. I’ve had many a paw praise ever since I was old enough to recognize a foot flirt when I heard one. Back in high school, while attending a family wedding, few noticed my white lacy dress Dad brought back from Italy, but my feet and the dainty anklet I wore above my right strappy heel drew plenty of attention. It was a cheap imitation silver thing, but it had lots of little parts that made a distinct jingle as I walked. 
That piece of tarnished jewelry began a collection of anklets I have invested in over the years.  I love the summer time especially, since I can upgrade my flip-flops to casual wear by throwing on a pretty little anklet. I even have one from Disney that displays a delicate Micky symbol hanging off a twirly silver chain. 
And pedicures. A must for this girl who loves colors, especially on her toes. Continue reading →

Storms, Love, and a Magic Scarf

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I arrive at the airport early, and the sale signs on the shop windows begin to lure me away from my destination, but I say to myself, “No! First find your gate so you know for sure where you’re going and if the flight is still on time.” 
I stroll up to E20, proud of myself for not oversleeping, and as I begin to read the screen with the flight number and time, an airline employee announces, “Last call for flight 456 to Charlotte, North Carolina.” 
Being the detail oriented person that I am, I need to investigate. Is this the same Flight 456 that connects to Birmingham, Alabama? I approach the desk casually.
“Excuse me.” I pull out my boarding pass to read Flight #456 is the first leg of my trip. “Is this the same flight…Uh, never mind. I see that the flight time is 8:02 AM, not 8:32…This must be my flight.” Continue reading →

It’s all about…

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Hubby comes into the bedroom on January 1st morning and takes my hands that are trying to make the bed and twirls me to the music pumping from the living room stereo.

“I made one new year’s resolution for 2012! To dance with my baby more!”
I giggle. He’s always been the morning person in our marriage.
Then he says, “I made one for you too.” He has been awake for over an hour. He’s had time to think this over. I inhale the scents of fresh coffee and eggs.   Continue reading →

Zipping into 2012 with the letter “P”

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Give me a P! P! Give me and E! E! Give me an R.S.P.E.C.T.I.V.E.!
What does it spell?
PERSPECTIVE! Yes! Perspective!
Okay, I’ll hang up my pom-poms before I get thrown off the page. 
How often have you told a little kid, “Eat everything your plate. Don’t you know there are starving kids in Africa?” I heard these words when I was growing up. Now I say them to my kids. Why? Perspective.
What? You don’t want to help fold the laundry? Don’t you know that there are kids in India who own nothing more than the clothes on their back? Hello? Perspective.
What? You don’t have time to go here? Do this? Read that? Did you know that a mother in Rwanda spends six hours to walk to and return home with clean water? Daily. Six hours! Just to have water. Every single day. Perspective. Continue reading →

That Letter I said I Wasn’t Going to Write…

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Happy Holidays all you Beautiful Waterfall Seekers! 

Wanted to let you know that you are all recipients of my first official Year End Reflections Letter! [After a ten year break.] If successful, I might just have to make this a tradition! Next to my annual leaf pile picture which I have yet to apologize for. My neighbor is never home! I swear! But one creative reader did suggest I take a copy of the leaf picture and place it inside a thank you card and simply say, “Thank you for the leaves. Sorry I didn’t ask first.” Not a bad idea. So once I get this lovely letter out, I need to get on it. 

As I was saying… Continue reading →