Riding high…

Its been a crazy couple of weeks. It all started in Palm Springs with 8 of my college roommates in a fat pad in a fat city, followed by one of my besties second-chance-at-love weddings (the best kind, I’m convinced) in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

My cup is runneth over.

Somewhere in between I got word our kitchen cover had hit newsstands but with less than 24 hours in between trips, I had forgotten to hit the book store for a copy.

Airhead.

So mixing a little business with pleasure, out scouring antique stores in Destin, hoping to get lucky for a client in Watersound Beach, I got stung when both lighting stores I drove down for were CLOSED. Who closes on Saturday? Oh well, I thought, and remembered a Barnes and Noble nearby. I’ll just run in and see if they have the recent issue of Consumer Reports Kitchen.

I’d known for months Lisa and I’s kitchen project (heard around the world on Pinterest, a little brag brag there, don’t mind if I do ;-)) would be gracing the cover and had even caught a glimpse of it on line but nothing, nothing could compare to the moment I saw it sitting there next to the likes of House Beautiful, Elle Decor and every other design mag I’ve been reading for the past 25 years. Holy. Shit. That’s us! We did that!!!

I was all smiles. And naturally with every peak life experience since the age of 22 (first television live shot, wedding day, birth of my babies, my first blog) I instantly thought of Mom.

Here come the tears.

Like wipe your face in your sleeve, look the other way before anyone sees you, tears. I tried to compose myself and instagrammed, tweeted and facebook’d it straight away but that just makes you cry more! EVERYONE IS SO NICE!  The world is full of good people, I don’t care what anybody says. Including the sweet ladies at the check out counter…”you do realize you’re buying three of the same copies right?”

Sucking back the tears,

“yes ma’am”

wait for it….

wait for it….

“uh-um, I designed that kitchen on the cover”

and there go the flood gates!

“WELL CONGRATULATIONS! Look, she designed this kitchen on the cover, good for you! People need to hear that every now and then, congratulations!”

I didn’t have the heart to tell them the reason I was crying like a fool, was because this is what transpires when something really really good happens in my life. Internally I’m sharing it with my angel Mother in heaven. I’m half really happy, and just a bit half sad. Bittersweet is the perfect word every time. Ultimately though, I’m a believer. I know she is very proud and I also know she’s not the least bit surprised. I can hear her voice now, “I told you you could be whatever you wanted to be.”

So Mom, this one’s for you. I may never ever publish a book, where all those lucky authors say, “this is dedicated to my ever-encouraging mother in heaven” and this day may never come again. ALL FOR YOU. Consider it an early Mother’s Day present from your baby girl.

Well, it’s time for me to say goodbye to these last two (awesome) weeks of debauchery and hang up my bragging rights. You were a great ride! Back to my clean eating, pure barre exercising ways. Back to work (my to do list for tomorrow is flat out UGLY, front and back).

Thank you for stopping by and if you were one of those sweet souls that had nothing but sweet words for your girl, Jenny from the rock, you are some tasty icing my friend. I won’t forget it!

xo
Jennifer Sunshine