It’s no secret that I DIE FOR OPRAH. Yup, always have.
And below is just a little proof. But there’s more. Oh, there’s so much more.
http://womenonthefence.com/2010/02/19/the-bucket-list/
http://womenonthefence.com/2012/04/18/23-secrets-to-improve-your-life/
http://womenonthefence.com/2011/05/25/25-years-the-oprah-Winfrey-show/
I am still on a high from my weekend in Atlanta. It was honestly, game changing.
For the new readers, to keep you up to speed, I attended the O You! Oprah Magazine Conference this past weekend, as a Brand Ambassador for Kleenex. The speaker’s lineup was out of this world… Gayle King, Lisa Ling, Suze Orman, Nate Berkus, Dr. Oz, Peter Walsh, Martha Beck, Bob Greene, Donna Brazile, Val Monroe, Adam Glassman, and Miss Oprah Winfrey herself.
I was in Atlanta to attend the O You! Conference, learn, enjoy, and work the booth with my Kleenex peeps. As an inspirational Top 10 Brand, the strategic move to launch their softest tissue ever, Kleenex Cool Touch, at an inspirational conference, using me, an inspirational blogger as the ambassador, proved to be fantastic. In case you haven’t seen it yet, Kleenex Cool Touch actually uses your own body heat to release a cooling sensation to a relieve a sore nose. It contains moisturizers and aloe, and is so soothing if you’re sick… OR NOT! Or if you have hot flashes, as we learned in the booth— 5,000 hormonal women, walking by our booth, cooling their hot faces with Kleenex, going crazy for COLD tissues! Not sure Kleenex realized ALL the benefits when they made the first-ever cool and soothing tissue. 
Words have always been a part of my life– from the countless diaries I kept as a child, to memorizing the lyrics of THOUSANDS of songs growing up, tape recorder in hand, stopping and starting, to write down the EXACT lyric to a Cyndi Lauper or Michael Jackson song.
It’s amazing how you can string together a few isolated and dangling phrases and make them come alive… a vision in your mind, a story, a poem.
When I shared Maria Shriver’s announcement on Twitter yesterday that she will be guest editing the April issue of Oprah Magazine in honor of National Poetry Month, I first felt envy (keepin’ it real ladies) and then one of my readers gave me a wonderful idea.
I think you readers will be happy to know that I have since recovered from last week’s nervous breakdown. 
Yes, I’m back… it’s me, Erica the overall normal individual, flawed, but still together. It’s amazing what a little support does. You women gave me perspective, a chance to take a breath and realize, we all lose it, and that’s okay. It’s how quickly we bounce back that’s the key.
One of my most popular Blog posts and concepts that really took off over the past year, has been my Bucket List Blog. On February 19th, 2010 I urged you to make a list of your dreams– or simply a list of 25 things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.” The concept pushed many, including Brooke Burke to create her Bucket List which she spoke of on The Oprah Show, on her Blog, and in her upcoming book, The Naked Mom. Because of the power of the Bucket List, and with the approach of 2011, instead of making New Year’s resolutions this year, I wanted to encourage all my readers who haven’t yet done so to make their Bucket List. I’ve re-posted mine below, added a few updates in RED (’cause it’s almost been a year), and then, I’d love to see yours.
I once read a saying that “Disappointments in life are almost always due to expectations. When you want something, you expect to have it, and if it doesn’t become a reality, you feel disappointed.” I guess that kinda makes sense. All of us over the course of our lives, at some point or another, have been let down or disappointed by someone or something. This week has been our week at our house.
I think by now, if you’ve been following my Blog for long enough, you know my glass is always half full. I’m pretty resilient and fast at getting back on my feet when I feel knocked down. But we are human beings, and after getting a few disappointments in a row, we can start to feel downright yuck.
So first I’ll give you the great news. My book launched on hard copy this week and has been climbing the ranks of Amazon thanks to you my readers, and my friends. You ladies, as well as the media have all been spreading the word, and the feedback has been awesome. SO GRATEFUL. Thank you thank you! Secondly, the proposal and life changing thing I was working on that I told you about, after we submitted it a couple of weeks ago, we heard back in 24 hours that the “big kahunas” are interested, and wanna know more. My agent emailed me while I was on my way to do carpool; “I’m on hold with so-and-so right now. They just called. Don’t shit yourself.” But of course I did! So, we’ve resent more info, and now I’m waiting… Uch, I hate waiting. Patience is not one of my strong suits. Thirdly, everyone is healthy here, thriving in school, and happy. Grateful again.
Perhaps you’ve followed this story.
Bethany Storro, 28, from Vancouver, claimed a young woman walked up to her and said, “Hey pretty girl, do you want to drink this?” and then tossed a cup of acid in her face.
