My European Adventure As Told By My Travel Pillow

Do people read blogs anymore? The analytics say yes, the engagement says no.
But for you remaining readers, hello! I'm home! By now you've probably noticed I was in Europe for the last few weeks. And what a crazy few weeks it was.
I was on tour with Clog America again. Some may question the wisdom in going on a European tour whilst unemployed. But for me it was a logical thing to do. I get to network, clear my mind, find new creativity, and more importantly, do some marketing for a worthy non-profit. I took over 2,000 photos and videos while on tour, and will soon have them turned into a few articles, and a few videos they can use for fundraising and recruiting purposes.
It's always an interesting adjustment going from solo and bored to living in close quarters with 40+ people to back to solo and bored. (And coming home to less than enjoyable circumstances.) I've been home 8 days and I'm still adjusting back to civilian life.
But adjusting I am.
You've seen the pictures from the trip, so I'm not going to bother giving a full travelogue. Does anyone want to read that stuff anyway? I doubt it.
But I will hit on some highlights that didn't show up in the pictures.
First, I LOVED my new Little Cloud Nine Travel Pillow. It may look completely bizarre, but it was a life saver on more than one occasion.

I am not capable of sleeping with those horseshoe pillow things around my neck on a plane. It just doesn't work for me. And I can't sleep with my head tipped back, mouth open, etc. Normally, I try to hunch over on my tray table and sleep that way on a plane. But if the person in front of you reclines... It's hard sleeping on planes! But this funny looking pillow did the trick for me. It stands up in your lap, and you sort of tip over into it. There is a "window" for you to look out, and another one for your hands to go into.
Sometimes I used it the prescribed way. Other times I rolled it up like a log, put it by the window of the plane/bus, and leaned into it. Bus? Oh yes. It's a trademark of Clog America tours. We travel a lot by bus. And this particular tour included an unexpected 20 hour bus ride. We had expected it to be 9-12 hours. But due to the terrorist attack in Nice, France, our trip took much, much longer than anticipated. And my funny little pillow saved the day for me and others. I had the foresight to grab it and my regular pillow and pull them up into the bus when the trip started (not knowing how long we would be in there). I used it for a while, but then when a friend told me she didn't have a pillow at all, I gave her the Little Cloud Nine Travel Pillow, and I used my Tempurpedic for the next 10 hours. (She rolled it up like a log and snuggled with it.)
On my flight home I had a whole row to myself! On both flights! (It's a travel miracle!) I was so tired on my first flight from Rome to Istanbul that I fell asleep before the flight took off, and the flight attendant had to wake me up when we landed. I had stayed up for about 23 hours, and walked over 10 miles in 97 degree heat the day before. When I say I was tired, I mean it! Somewhere on that flight, which I don't remember in the least, I lied down across all three seats, and used my travel pillow in log position. The flight attendant must have covered me up with a blanket, because there was one on me when I woke up. I slept hard core for my entire four hour flight and have no memory of it.
When I got to Istanbul I was still completely exhausted, and used my pillow again. I put it in my lap, and used it in the prescribed position. I fell asleep face forward in it for two straight hours in one very loud and noisy airport. I'm not complaining.
(Of course by then I had actually had plenty of sleep and barely slept on my 10 hour flight from Istanbul to Dulles. Sigh.)
You can't do that with a horseshoe pillow! Or those dinky little airplane pillows!
So, this is my travelogue for you - get yourself one of these awesome pillows!

Special Report is FREE on Amazon today and tomorrow

BUY IT HERE : http://amzn.to/1XBA0pN

"Special Report: Prequel to the Haley and Cam Series" is free on Kindle today and tomorrow. You don't have to have a Kindle to download it. The Kindle app is free to everyone and on nearly every device or phone. 

It's a 67 page look at the first time Haley and Cam met back in Haiti. And you get a glimpse of Haley's life before she fell out of the chair on live television. Some of the story is based on my real life experiences in Haiti, much of it is not! 

All of my books are free on Amazon

All of my books that are currently available are free on Amazon Kindle December 11-15. If you haven't downloaded them yet, now is your chance. 

Links and reviews of each available book below. 

The Agency: A Novella

"This speedy read tells one young go-getter's adventures as she works in the ad/tech world for a woman who is in the running for the Worst Boss Ever award. It had me holding my breath and flying through the pages wondering how (and if!) Anne Marie was ever going to escape the stinging of this Portuguese Man o' War. Fun novella-length story--not a lot of depth, but just a great beach or airplane read." 

This Just In 

"I love these books and I can't put them down! I read the first one in two days and laughed, was in awe of the suspense, and felt smarter by the end of it. Definitely ideal for Book Club Books and summer beach reading!" 

But if you get "This Just In!" don't forget it's the second book in the series. You'll want to get "You Heard It Here First" as well!

You Heard It Here First

"I had read articles by this author for Meridian Magazine and always enjoyed her sense of humor and down to earth take on modern life, so I jumped at the chance to read her book. It was fun and fast from start to finish and left me wanting more. It is rare to find a "clean" love story that isn't preachy in any way. Who says being moral and honest has to be boring? Not Erin Ann McBride! I have already purchased the next Haley and Cam book and hope there will be many more in the series."

If you've already purchased or read one of these books, have you left a review on Amazon yet? Reviews of self-published books really do make a huge difference in sales for the author. Please take a minute to go leave a few stars and comments for me!

So this exists

While looking up something completely unrelated on Amazon today, I found this-
the R2D2 sexy bathing suit. Or as they described it, the "Artoo sexy swimsuit."

I just thought you all should know.

Also, this-
Wrong, so wrong.

If you're curious, this is what I was actually shopping for-

Most Influential Books I've Ever Read

A few weeks ago, at the recommendation of a friend, I read the book David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell. It wasn't what I expected it to be. I had predicted a book about how small businesses can beat out big ones.
If you've ever read a Gladwell book before, you can feel free to laugh at how little I knew about his writings style.
That was far, far, far away from what the book was actually about.
Here's the actual description from Amazon:

Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won.
Or should he have?
In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell challenges how we think about obstacles and disadvantages, offering a new interpretation of what it means to be discriminated against, or cope with a disability, or lose a parent, or attend a mediocre school, or suffer from any number of other apparent setbacks.
Gladwell begins with the real story of what happened between the giant and the shepherd boy those many years ago. From there, David and Goliath examines Northern Ireland's Troubles, the minds of cancer researchers and civil rights leaders, murder and the high costs of revenge, and the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful classrooms---all to demonstrate how much of what is beautiful and important in the world arises from what looks like suffering and adversity.

The book pretty much blew my mind. It was fascinating and an addictive, engaging read.
It was so good, that before I was even finished with it, I went and downloaded Tipping Point, Outliers, and Blink to my Nook.

 I'm about halfway through Outliers: The Story of Success.  It isn't just fascinating and engaging. It has me reconsidering my life, my successes, and how I have compared myself to others (both in and out of my generation) for years.
In a strange way, looking at the world through this new prism Outliers has given me, has made me feel better about my life. It has given me permission and understanding to take certain pressures off my past failures.
If that doesn't make sense, here's the real description of the book:

There is a story that is usually told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on intelligence and ambition. Gladwell argues that the true story of success is very different, and that if we want to understand how some people thrive, we should spend more time looking around them-at such things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date. And in revealing that hidden logic, Gladwell presents a fascinating and provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential.

It has turned my view on "low hanging fruit" around, and helped me accept why sometimes there isn't "low hanging fruit" available.
The book makes this fascinating case study about why guys like Bill Gates have experienced so much success. Gladwell presents much of this with scientific and anthropological fact. It is all quite fascinating to see what common threads these "outliers" share. And to understand why there hasn't been another success story to the same degree of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. (Although using the knowledge gained in this book I can see now the same pattern that sets Mark Zuckerberg apart.)
But in a very strange way, Outliers has strengthened my faith and belief in God. While the book may present it all as a series of events and fortunate timing, the Christian, God-believing heart can see more. I see that it wasn't a series of good luck and fortune. But that God in His infinite wisdom made sure that someone with the talents and gifts of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were placed on Earth at those strategic times so that they could be outliers.
The point is made very clear in the book that if Bill Gates had been more just a few years earlier or a few years later, +/- 3 years maybe, they would not have enjoyed the successes that we have so generously benefited from.
If you haven't read these books yet, I highly recommend them. They are, without reservation, the most enjoyable non-fiction studies I have ever had the good fortune to pick up and read. You'll forget you are reading non-fiction because the storytelling is just that good.
Go pick them up today!

Gesundheit

A day or so ago I visited my sinus doctor and allergist for some allergy testing. This is the third time I've had allergy testing in my adult life. (These things change over time and different regions have different allergens.) In the words of the doctor, I'm "healing like a champ" from my sinus surgery last month. However, I'm congested and snotty all over again. Why? I'm allergic to everything.
No, seriously, you should see the results of my allergy testing. On a scale of 3-12 (don't ask me why it's 3-12, and not something more logical), I registered a 12 on cats, dogs, horses, dust, mold, and pretty much all trees that grow in Virginia. I was a mere 11 for grasses. Everything else on the test I came up as a 9 or 10.
In other words, I'm allergic to everything. It's rather ridiculous. And since insurance doesn't cover living in a bubble, and life happens outside the bubble, I have to take other measures if I want to spend just one day of my life not congested or sneezing. (Seriously, I can't remember the last time I went a whole day without sneezing, blowing my nose, or coughing. It gets tiresome.)
Things beyond my control causing me great difficulties-
1. I live in a very old apartment building. Heaven only knows when the last time they cleaned the HVAC system was, or if they have ever cleaned the vents.
So I bought this today-


As strange as it may sound, I'm actually looking forward to it. The idea of stopping and blocking the dust and dirt before it blows into my apartment sounds like a good idea to me. And for $12, it seems like a good investment.

2. I live in a very old apartment with very old, nasty carpeting. (Seriously, if I don't vacuum every other day, it looks muddy and gross. In my previous homes I've been able to get away without vacuuming for weeks. One person who walks around barefoot all the time rarely tracks in much dirt. My floors are very clean usually. But not in this old apartment.)
Between old carpeting and my dog, I had to buy this-


Between the doctor's recommendation and the reviews of the product, I'm hopeful it will make a difference.

3. My bed is actually fairly new (comparatively speaking), but I have a dog who thinks my bed is her bed. Actually I think she just thinks its her bed and she lets me share it sometimes. And so I have to wash my bed linens once a week in really hot water and use special detergent. (I've been washing them every week already, but using a very gentle detergent because I've been wearing out my sheets washing them so much. That has to change now.)
Which brings us to this-

I still need to buy a few more things like an air purifier and a better mattress encasement. But those things cost a lot more, so I'll be saving up for them.  And naturally I'm taking Zyrtec and Benadryl every day. (Yes, a daily Benadryl. Why? Because I'm just that allergic to everything.)
Basically without all of these extra measures, I can expect to need sinus surgery again in a year or two. And easy as the surgery was, I'd really rather not have to go through it again.
Oh and I need to invest in a better vacuum. I admit the one I most recently bought I picked for cheap price and size. (I live in a small space and picked a small vacuum that wouldn't take up too much space in that one whole closet I have.) Apparently it doesn't have a hepa-filter that I really need.
Blurgh.
This whole living thing is getting expensive!

Reason #567 Why I Love Amazon Prime

You can thank me later.
I just discovered that Amazon Prime is doing a free trial for all of October. Free shipping, free shows, special deals. All the good stuff. FOR FREE TO YOU. 

Tomorrow I am canceling my cable (I've been planning this for a while), going to Amazon, and buying myself this-

And then I will be watching TV pretty much only via Netflix, Amazon Instant/Amazon Prime, and Hulu (all on my TV, via the blu-ray player). And by doing so, I will be saving about $90/mo.
And I could really use an extra $90/month. 

AMAZON BESTSELLER, SAY WHAT?!

PEOPLE! THE CRAZIEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE JUST HAPPENED HERE TONIGHT!

MY BOOK,  

"YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!" IS THE #2 AMAZON BESTSELLER FOR POLITICAL FICTION!!!

I can't even believe it! I'm crying happy crazy tears of joy! 
I'd love to see it hit first place tonight, before the free promotion ends. Chances are that it won't stay in second place for long after the free promo is over.

BUT!
THAT IS NOT ALL!
"THIS JUST IN!" will be going up on the FREE PROMOTION tomorrow! Which means, maybe, just maybe, it too will make the bestsellers list!!!!!

Help me get it there, won't you please!?
Click here on Thursday or Friday and you can DOWNLOAD "THIS JUST IN!" for FREE!!!! And help it make the bestsellers list! Even if you don't have a Kindle!

OH!
And did I mention?
My book, "Increase E-Book Sales With Social Media Marketing" is the #4 bestseller in its genre too?!
(hey, talk about credibility! One of my e-books is #2 and the other is #4- I'd say maybe, just maybe, I know what I am talking about!)

I'm going to fall asleep a very happy writing girl tonight!

This is one of the best days on the books ever!

Another Season, Another Brazilian Keratin Treatment

As mentioned a few posts ago, I tried another Brazilian Keratin Treatment (also known as Brazilian Blowouts) in my hair this week. The brand I have used in the past, Coco's Brazilian,  (read my experience here - "Brazilian Blow Out Before and After"), no longer sells in single applications. You have to spend over $300 and get a salon size now.
That doesn't work for me, so I have been looking around for a different brand of the same quality. I loved the effectiveness and results of the CoCo's brand, so all other brands have a lot to live up to.
A few months ago I saw this cheap brand at Sally's Beauty Supply. It was only about $30, so I bought it and gave it a try. It was completely worthless. Three days later there was no evidence that I had even used it. (And yet, the application and amount of time it takes to apply it is the same as the other brands. So really, I lost about 3 hours of my life to this worthless product.)
I went back to Amazon this week to try and find something in my price range with good reviews (at least 4 stars and under $100). I found the Complex BrazilianGlobal Brazilian Complex Keratin Hair Treatment  for $79. It only had one review (which gave it 5 stars), but the ingredients, application, and everything else sounded exactly like the CoCo brand, so I decided to buy it. Here are the before and after pictures!

Here is my hair, clean, blow dried, but not flat ironed or curled, and no shiny substances, or hair serum.

It's always a little bushy, slightly frizzy, a few waves and crinkles, and (as all blonds have experienced) you can see every single hair ending. It's just not shiny or smooth without a lot of work.
(Also do you have any idea how hard it is to take a picture of the back of your own head?)

The first step to a Brazilian Keratin Treatment is to use a clarifying shampoo (comes in the kit). You can tell immediately it removes all of the conditioners and other substances out of your hair. You wash it and then blow dry completely.
My hair after it has been "clarified."

It is a gigantic, poofy mess, and I can't run my fingers or a hair brush through it.
You then apply all of the keratin treatment to your hair (using a paint brush and parting hair into sections), and blow dry it. Some brands will warn you to do this in a well ventilated area. There is a very good reason for this. IT STINKS TO THE HIGH HEAVENS!! My eyes, nose, and throat were burning!! IT WAS AWFUL!!! I had the window open in the bathroom, and had to periodically stick my face out and just breathe in fresher air. Finally it got so bad I took the blow dryer to the back deck and dried my hair out there. (What? It is totally normal to stand on your deck at 11 pm at night and blow dry your hair!)
After the hair is totally dry (and really, I've never managed to get my hair "totally" dry. I did get it drier with this brand than I have with others in the past.), you take a very, very hot flat iron and straighten out the hair, piece by piece. The hair will steam (and STINK!) as the keratin gets "fused" into the hair. I had to leave windows open, and have a fan blowing on me the whole time. It just smelled BAD. (The CoCo's brand smelled like chocolate. It still smelled bad, but only like burned chocolate. It didn't stink so much I wanted to run away from my own head.)
In the past it has taken anywhere from 2-4 hours to do the straightening on my hair to the point where it was "dry" with the keratin in it. This time it only took me 1.5 hours to do alone because my hair was so much drier than the other times.
Another strange difference in this brand compared to the others was you only have to leave it in overnight. The other brands suggest 2-3 days. I chose to leave it in about 36 hours, just to be safe.
Here are the after pictures-

My hair is very shiny, very smooth, and very little wave to it. I'll be honest- it isn't as perfect as it was after my first treatment with CoCo's, but it is good enough. I still had to use a hair brush while I dried it. (With CoCo's I could wash it, and comb it out with my fingers while blow-drying to get these same results.) All I have done in this picture is blow dry it with a paddle brush, nothing else. No round brushing, no flat iron, no serums, etc.

All in all, I am happy with the results. The bottles came with enough product in them that I will be able to get a second application out of them in a few months. I like the results enough to use it again.

I came, I saw, I shopped

I got a little wild and crazy today. 

I got paid. 

And therefore, I shopped. 

A lot. 

And I did most of it online. (But not all of it. Obviously I also had to go to Target and other places. The national economy can thank me later.) 

And now I need your feedback. 

Just a few of the things I purchased today-

It is time for another Brazilian Keratin Treatment. (I'll do a full before and after report after the weekend.)

See?

And since the brand I have used previously has TRIPLED in price, I'll be trying this one out now.

And obviously I needed a rice cooker, right? (I used to have a great one, but it has been sitting in storage forever. I miss it.)

A few months ago I bought this dress when I was in a major rush.

(Except my dress doesn't have the ruffle thing.) I love this dress, but because I was in a rush, I didn't realize just how far down the arm holes go. I will never understand why dresses (and shirts) are made this way. No one wants to see into your armpit and to your bra. It's just ugly and tacky.
But with it being a red dress, deep v-neck, empire waist, short sleeved, etc., I'm finding it very hard to make it work.
So today I bought this "nude" camisole (that I'm hoping will barely be visible under the dress, and yet provides the coverage I need), and this long sweater.




I'm hoping the long sweater will help make the dress work a little bit better for winter.
And then I decided that OBVIOUSLY I need shoes to go with the dress, sweater, and all of my other clothes too.

And that is how I came to buy these cute little booties. I'm still not convinced that I like booties with dresses. The fashion world wants me to believe that the look goes together, but I'm still not a fan.  I actually have no shoes that will work for the winter, so this wasn't too much of a stretch to convince myself to buy. And I'm pretty sure the boots will look cute with the sweater, (and I'll at least try them once with the dress).

I also bought a hand mixer, carpet runner, Swiffer thingy, and a bunch of other random things. Oh and a lot of hummus. I've been craving hummus big time. I have no explanation for that.

Now, I must go. I have this ridiculous urge to go use the Swiffer and "mop" the living room. Funny how new household items can do that to you.

Sleepy Baby!

You want to know what is awesome?
This is - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.
Let me put it this way- when the babysitter is telling you how easy it is to put a two year old to bed, the system works.
The little guy I was watching all week is on this program. Let me tell you how easy bedtime is. He gets dinner, a bath (which is adorable because he does the full naked baby RUN for the bathtub), and then I put a diaper and pajamas on him. I personally chose to sing him a little song, and a little hug and kiss, and plop him in the crib. He usually dove head first to get into the crib. He calls out a little, "night night!" I shut the door, and we're done. He wakes up about 12 hours later, but doesn't cry. He just hangs out in his crib till someone comes and retrieves him.
The routine repeats at naptime. Lunch, diaper, crib. He sleeps 3 hours.
Does your baby go to bed that easily?
A 2 year old who goes to bed so easy that the babysitter is impressed?
Does your baby go to bed at all for the babysitter?
Seriously, that's how good this program is.
I highly recommend it.
Don't know if I'll ever have little kids, but if I do, I will be using this book!

I'll take Mr. Darcy for $3.99, please!

Things I Love-
Amazon Deal of the Day
More specifically, the Amazon Instant Video Deal of the Day.
Download an awesome video for a dirt cheap price, and love it and call it yours forever and ever, or until you delete it to make room for your next true love.
Today's download? BBC Pride and Prejudice (oh yes, the Colin Firth version) for $3.99.
You know you want it.

Shop Amazon - $0.99 Instant Video Deal of the Day