WANDERLUST IN SUBURBIA by Marilyn Brant – Launch Party!

“A mother would have been always present. A mother would have been a constant friend; her influence would have been beyond all other. ” ~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Wanderlust-Brant 400x600

It’s celebration time! I have a different kind of book release out this week—my first nonfiction essay collection—and I’m so excited to get to share a little bit of it with you all today!!

As some of you already know from Facebook, for the past few months I’ve been working on this surprise project in honor of Mother’s Day here in North America. (I know those of you in the U.K. celebrated Mothering Sunday back in March—you’re all ahead of us over there!) Wanderlust in Suburbia and Other Reflections on Motherhood is a collection of personal essays and just a few poems that I wrote over a ten-year period for a variety of national and regional parenting magazines when my son was little. All were on the subject of motherhood and on the experiences I had as a new mom.

These essays were my absolute favorite magazine assignments. Once I got my first novel contract for According to Jane, though, I wasn’t able to do nearly as much freelancing. And, at the same time, many of the print publications I used to write for also changed direction. Some closed their doors altogether, which meant that none of these previously published pieces were available to readers anymore, not even digitally. So I figured the time had finally come to make a compilation of my favorites!

For those of you who enjoy quick reads or only have time to snatch a short chapter here or there in the middle of a busy day, you’ll find 21 essays in this collection, each of them just a few pages long. And while this isn’t a purely Austen-inspired project, the truth is that I’ve loved JA ever since I first read P&P at age 14. So, I found a way to slip in Austen references whenever I could…including this essay, entitled “Wanderlust in Suburbia” (where the collection gets its name), which I’m sharing here *exclusively* today! Hope you’ll enjoy it. If you’d like to read another one of the essays from the book, I also have “Leaning Toward Optimism” up on my website HERE.

 

Excerpt:

Wanderlust in Suburbia

I have a confession: Beneath my fruit-snack-toting, suburban mother façade hides the soul of a travel junky. As I drive my seven-year-old son to birthday parties, taking the sluggish I-94, I imagine whizzing toward exotic European locations via the Autobahn instead.

After my good friend recounts her walking tour through northern Scotland, I envision myself trailing in her footsteps, battling the fog, the mist and the shadow of Nessy as I trudge through rain-soaked, northern Illinois soccer fields.

When my young, single brother—who, like Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy, is in possession of a good fortune—plans his two-week vacation to Hawaii, I vicariously feel the sun warming my face on a stroll along the historic Dole Plantation grounds. I need only to plunge my fork into a bowl of tangy pineapple chunks to inspire the illusion.

For a few moments every day I engage in a version of Walter-Middy Mom. I forget all about play dates, classroom volunteering, cell-phone calls, and the unholy mountain of laundry in the hamper. I’m a traveler, and I’m going somewhere.

Somewhere besides the grocery store.

“Why are we buying THAT, Mommy?” my little boy asks, tones of horror lacing his voice.

We’re in the middle of the store’s Aisle 5, and I’m reverently holding up a jar of artichoke hearts, reminiscing about a delicious salad a Sicilian friend once made for me. The recipe calls for marinated artichokes, black olives, diced tomatoes, brightly colored peppers, and rotini pasta, among other ingredients. Although I’ve never visited Palermo, I can almost feel the pulse of Sicily’s capital city and smell the enticing aroma of oregano and olive oil.

“Mommy, I want macaroni and cheese. You promised we could get some. And SpaghettiOs.”

Well, okay. This is the accepted pasta of my son’s generation, although somewhat less authentically Italian than what I had in mind. Before we shuffle to the checkout line, we work out a compromise and agree on fresh (not canned) ravioli, but the gourmet chef in my imagination insists upon a bolder dinner next time. I try. Yet, some of my more ambitious attempts at foreign cuisine are met with grimaces that could turn a mythic goddess to stone.

“No chicken drumsticks or stuffing tonight?” my husband asks, inspecting my homemade attempt at Thai vegetarian spring rolls on his dinner plate. He stabs an extra-firm square of tofu with his knife and wrinkles his nose thoughtfully. “Kind of squishy, this stuff.”

All in all, sometimes Chef Boyardee is the way to go.

I love my husband, my son and our family life—make no mistake. Because I love them, I willingly defrost chicken and try to come up with acceptable, yet healthful, ways to fix it. I watch PBS Kids, viewing episodes of Arthur and George Shrinks I’ve long since memorized. And I spend my free time hunting for library books on the terrible T-Rex or the equally intriguing SpongeBob. Although I tackle these chores joyfully most days, this still does not keep me from daydreaming about faraway places and decidedly non-suburban adventures.

It is, perhaps, the prerogative of families to form a unit onto themselves. To merge and become “one” from the collective of individuals who share a life together. Every member sacrifices a little bit of his or her freedom in order to keep home routines running smoothly. The tendency, though, is for such a cohesive family to forget that the people who comprise the unit—especially for those of us taking on the roles of “Mommy” or “Daddy”—are people who once lived very different lives and played very different roles.

When I was in college, I belonged to a dance troupe that toured Europe for six weeks. We performed all styles of American dance at folk festivals in four countries. We met fascinating musicians and dancers from around the globe. We feasted nightly on “specialties of the region.” And, when we returned home, I swore that dancing, traveling, and exotic dining would remain part of my lifelong personal identity.

Uh, huh.

Nearly twenty years later, my dancing repertoire primarily consists of wiggling and jiggling to tunes from a Disney soundtrack. The last time I tangoed was in 1993. Travel-wise, my husband and I consider a visit to my native Wisconsin a “Big Adventure” these days. And I can’t tell you the last time I ordered anything from a menu that a first grader wouldn’t recognize.

But call off the detectives. There are no hidden mysteries here. In the dozen years since our wedding, we went from two singles to a married couple with a child. From two full-time incomes to only one. From a one-bedroom loft apartment to a three-bedroom house. And let’s not even talk about taxes, inflation, and the skyrocketing cost of education. We used to have time, money, and energy to pursue our individual interests with ease. Then times changed.

And they’re likely to change again.

As our son grows and breaks away from our family unit to forge his own identity, his father and I must be there to support and encourage him. Just as we lovingly camouflaged some of our own individuality during his early childhood in order to create this strong familial unity, we must be willing to let him break apart from it so he can thrive and evolve into his own man. A man who seeks the tasks and hobbies that stir his soul. Voyages to distant places in search of the people and locations that resonate within him. And tries new dishes to determine his own taste and style.

It is then, perhaps, that my son might welcome my culinary adventurousness. When my dancing time might be reclaimed. When my husband can enjoy more frequently some of his long-lost pastimes also—his chess games, tennis matches, biking. When we two parents can plan that dreamed-of cruise to the Caribbean…with the expectation of actually going on it.

Maybe.

Once braces, soccer uniforms, driver’s education fees, and college tuition are paid. Once our monthly bills don’t have us seeing hazy green spots when we close our eyes. Once we feel assured that we really did put our child first and he is happily settled into a life of his own choosing.

Until that time I must be content with my Walter-Middy Mom world. I read and often review novels that allow me to escape to Paris or Sydney or Rio de Janeiro, and I imagine myself in a more glamorous, fruit-snack-free environment. I rent movies where the heroes and heroines lounge in Tuscany, sipping red wine on a veranda, never going faster than a motor-scooter spin through the hilly countryside. A place where they probably eat meals with marinated artichoke hearts daily, and everyone loves it.

I’m reminded, too, of that Nitty Gritty Dirt Band song “An American Dream,” the one where we’re supposed to “think Jamaican in the moonlight…” I’ve never been to Jamaica. But someday soon, I know, when I’m sprinkling shredded coconut on someone’s birthday cake, I’ll imagine what it might like. Sandy beaches. Rum. Love every night. And getting there by just closing my eyes.

**Question: If you could close your eyes and be transported right now to anywhere in the world (present day) for a week, where would you go?? Let’s say you can bring one person along…would you? And, if so, who would it be?** 🙂 

88 comments

Skip to comment form

  1. Congratulations, Marilyn, on your new book! I hope you and your husband get your ‘gap year or years’ very soon-seems to me that’s what our generation are doing now when we retire. Until then, I’m glad to hear we’ll have more of your lovely imaginative renderings of places, as yet undiscovered!

    1. Many thanks, Jane, for your kind words and good wishes!
      We are in the midst of high school now with our son and enjoying seeing the young man he’s becoming. Still, these years are busier than I ever expected… I thought things would calm down as he got older, not speed up! LOL 😉

  2. Yay!!! Congratulations on your essay collection, Marilyn!! The humor is just the kind I enjoy–reminds me a little of Anne Lamott’s non-fiction trilogy (starting with Traveling Mercies). Wonderful!! 🙂

    Of course, I’d love to be whisked away to Canterbury and stroll the cathedral again, by myself. Perhaps slide into a pew just in time for Evensong. I’d write in my journal in a cozy corner, and I’d once again run my fingers over the stone steps worn into dips by pilgrims’ kneeling in prayer. I’d watch the single candle flicker solemnly over the spot where Saint Thomas was murdered while pondering the philosophy and theology of it all.

    Thank you for a lovely essay! May your book do extremely well, far beyond your expectations and even your dreams! 🙂

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    1. Susanne,
      Ohhh, thank you!! Truly, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that huge compliment — being compared in any way to Anne Lamott — I *love* her writing! Another reader emailed me this week about Wanderlust and mentioned Anne L., too…and I just want to hug you both!! 😀
      Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Canterbury! There are parts of England I’ve not yet explored but would love to visit, and that is one of them.

    • Deborah on May 6, 2015 at 7:02 am
    • Reply

    Congratulations on the release. I’d love to be whisked away to Derbyshire and the Peak District. I’ve heard it’s lovely there.

    1. Deborah~
      Ahhhh, yes — the Peaks! What are men to rocks & mountains, right?! 😉
      I think we’d all love to visit there…sigh. It’s such a beautiful region. I’ve only had the chance to see it once, but it was so memorable. I expected Mr. Darcy to appear around any corner. xo

  3. Congratulations on the new release, Marilyn!! I loved the excerpt and the hilarious food story. Sounds so familiar! I enjoyed the wistful reflective part, too. Good luck with the release. I hope it does well.

    1. Monica, thank you so much for the congrats and the luck, too! I loved having the chance to put together this collection in between fiction projects, and I hope those who read it will enjoy it as well 😉 .

    • Stephanie L on May 6, 2015 at 9:23 am
    • Reply

    Lovely new release! I am not a mom, and will never be, but I’ve experienced a section of this when I married and had to merge our very divergent personalities into one functioning unit and there are days I dream of not being nauseous after I pay the bills and being able to just travel for two weeks because we want to. *le sigh* If I could pick up and travel anywhere, I would go to England (by myself) and go all the places I dream of and to see if I can find any traces of my ancestors. Meanwhile I’ll use all of the books you guys write to escape my own sort of suburbia a little bit at a time.

    1. Stephanie,
      Oh, I hear you about the merging of two different personalities… That was quite an adjustment for me too when my husband and I first got married. 😉 Like you, I consider reading a wonderful escape — to different worlds and foreign places and other lives. I love getting to travel that way. Although, a real trip to England would be absolutely marvelous… <3

    • Pam Hunter on May 6, 2015 at 9:43 am
    • Reply

    Congratulations on your new release, Marilyn! I miss those hectic years of having young children. It’s over before you know it. My three kids are all adults now. I now get to enjoy the wonderful experience of being a grandma to a three year old boy. 🙂

    I’d love to visit England. I’d take my good friend, Patty, with me. She’s a fellow P&P lover, and i know she and I would have a blast!

    1. Pam, thank you!
      It’s so fun to travel with good friends, isn’t it?!! I’ve gone on a few road trips with mine and have always had such a wonderful time. We’ve never gone anywhere as exciting and distant as England together, though!!
      And, yes, you’re so right about the years with young children and how they fly by. I can’t believe it, actually. A decade and a half went by in a blink… 😉

  4. Congratulations on your new book release. I’ll have to buy a copy for my mom for mothers day. I know she’ll enjoy reading your new book. If I could be anywhere right now it would be in Orlando, Florida with my fiance cause I want to go visit Disney World again. lol

    1. Tina,
      What’s not to love about Disney World, right?!! (Especially in your case, since your fiance is there!)
      And thank you so much for wanting to get a copy of the book for your mom! Please tell her that I say “hello” & that I hope she’ll enjoy it 😉 .

  5. Hawaii

    1. Christina,
      Hawaii is a fabulous choice! *happy sigh*

    • Lynn char on May 6, 2015 at 10:15 am
    • Reply

    Congratulations on your new release! I think I’m going tip pick up a copy as a Mother’s Day gift to myself. As to a week away, I’d probably choose Eleuthera, with my husband, where we’d explore a different deserted beach every day! Love just thinking about that….

    1. Lynn,
      I have been daydreaming about beaching all week, so your idea sounds so lovely!
      And *thank you* for wanting to get the book for yourself! I wrote every essay with moms in mind…so I truly hope you’ll like it! 🙂

    • Shawnda Servello on May 6, 2015 at 10:21 am
    • Reply

    What a wonderful way to celebrate Mother’s Day! I look forward to reading your book. Hmmm… Travel anywhere? There are so many places to choose from! I think I’d have to say Scotland… Outlander (the series) is doing such a good job of showcasing Scotland’s natural beauty and bringing out a sense of place. And who knows, maybe I would run into Jamie Fraser… Lol

    1. Shawnda, thank you!!
      I *so* hope you’ll like the book!
      And yes…yes (!!) to Scotland. I already mentioned this on Facebook after reading your comments there, but I totally agree with you about the filming of the Outlander TV series. They’re making all of us want to travel around the country! And who wouldn’t want to run into Jamie somewhere in the Scottish highlands, right?! 😀

  6. Wow Marilyn How did I miss this. I have to learn to stop and smell the roses more often, what a wonderful project you did here.
    Thanks on behalf of all moms everywhere.
    Oh BTW my baby is getting me a smart phone for mother’s day, I’m finally giving up my flip phone LOL
    You have a wonderful mother’s day!!!
    Love you
    deb

    1. Deb,
      Oh, you sweet and wonderful lady!! Thank you, my friend <3 .
      And I just love the gift your clever daughter is giving you! Here's hoping that also means you'll be hearing from her even more often, since you'll now be able to get emails on your phone in addition to calls!
      Love you back. xo 🙂

    • Monika Stark on May 6, 2015 at 12:00 pm
    • Reply

    congratulations! I would transport onto one of those Viking European River Cruises that stops along the Danube river with my husband

    1. Monika,
      LOVE that idea!! It sounds so romantic, too…mmm!!
      And many thanks for the congrats!

      • Sheila L. M. on May 11, 2015 at 5:38 pm
      • Reply

      I agree – their ads make this seem just the thing. I don’t do beaches but love history and the cruises seem to show so many old European architectural wonders.

    • pearl on May 6, 2015 at 12:27 pm
    • Reply

    Congratulations Marilyn. What a wonderful accomplishment. I would love to visit Italy and walk endlessly and explore the charming towns with my husband. Time is fleeting.

    1. Pearl,
      You spoke such wisdom here: “Time is fleeting.” Oh, yes, I agree…
      And Italy is ridiculously beautiful — not to mention having the best gelato on the planet, and don’t get me started on the delicious tiramisu, LOL. My husband is a world history teacher and has family still living in northern Italy so, for both reasons, it was a big priority for us to visit there during our early marriage years. So much to see and learn about and, yes, the beautiful walks…I could lose myself forever in Venice or Florence or Capri or Lake Como… 😉

    • Anne on May 6, 2015 at 12:46 pm
    • Reply

    Congratulations and best wishes. This collection sounds memorable and very special. Wishing you great happiness and success. Travel would be delightful since illness has taken precedence for the past 3 years, but if possible, my desire to be with my devoted hubby and travel to England and France.

    1. Anne,
      Huge thanks for both your congrats and kind wishes — I truly appreciate them!!
      And I’m so sorry to hear about the illness… I hope that good health is forthcoming and that European travel will soon be a possibility. How lovely to choose to spend time with your husband, too — he must be a wonderful man!

    • Lauren K on May 6, 2015 at 1:05 pm
    • Reply

    Congratulations Marilyn! I enjoyed reading this excerpt. I’m single and don’t have kids yet so I was skeptical about reading this post. After reading this, I felt I had a clearer glimpse into married/parenting life through this essay vs. spending a weekend with my married friends with kids. 🙂 I’ll definitely be suggesting this book to those friends who are running on no sleep (and at times, no hope that they’ll be their old selves again) as a reminder to look at the bigger picture.

    I’d love to spend a week in Bora Bora in an over water bungalow with a stack of books (or ebooks) ready to be devoured.

    1. Lauren,
      Thank you for the congrats and for your lovely compliment!! I’m so glad you liked the essay and that it gave you a bit of insight into that period of parenting… I hope your friends will enjoy the collection!
      It’s interesting to me, looking back at that time now. Life is such a series of transitions, many of them so subtle at first that we don’t realize the magnitude of change until much later. Now, my son is in high school and, if I were commissioned to write an essay today, I would focus on such different facets of motherhood. So I’m glad that I wrote these pieces in the thick of that earlier mothering experience. Even just rereading them calls back to mind that time for me, and all of its memories 😉 .

  7. Congratulations, your new book looks fantastic. Enjoy celebrating!

    I would love to spend a week in Italy. I want to taste the wine, eat some delicious food and enjoy the sun. I would go with my husband who’s my soul mate and high school sweetheart. We love making new memories together and we’re both romantic people, so I’m sure we’re going to have a wonderful time.

    1. Suze,
      Thank you!! I’m glad you like the look of the book — I’m in love with the cover! — and I hope you’ll enjoy the essays, if you read them ;).
      And, oh, yes!! Italy is the perfect place for romantics! I love hearing about couples like you and your husband, who have been soul mates since high school. How *wonderful*!

  8. Heartiest congratulations on your new release, Marilyn. I loved the excerpt you shared here. If I get the chance, I would like to be in England and visit cultural and heritage sites such as Bath, Jane Austen’s house in Chawton, the famous landmarks in London, Lyme and all the great estates used in my favourite Jane Austen films. I would take my best friend to travel with me so that I can show her the sites that I always dream to visit.

    1. Lúthien,
      Thank you so much for your warm congrats!! I’m truly pleased that you loved the excerpt and took the time to comment!
      And taking a trip to the famous Austen sites in England is a fabulous idea! I love hearing that you’d like to share the experience with your best friend, too. What a wonderful guide you’d be!
      🙂 xo

    • Jerri B on May 6, 2015 at 2:26 pm
    • Reply

    I am so ready for a vacation I would love to be transported just about anywhere. Congrats on your book!

    1. Thanks for the congrats, Jerri, and LOL!!! I hear you about being ready for a vacation! Me, too. Me, too 😀 .

    • Mary Simonsen on May 6, 2015 at 3:03 pm
    • Reply

    Congratulations, Marilyn. I hope this is another NYT bestseller for you!

    1. That’s so sweet of you, Mary!!
      Thank you for your thoughtfulness & your kind words. 😉

    • Joy Dawn King on May 6, 2015 at 3:20 pm
    • Reply

    Champagne! Caviar! Chocolate! Confetti!

    Congratulations on your launch, Marilyn. This was a wonderful post. As a mother and grandmother, I would have to chose Ecuador with my daughter and her family as my destination du jour. If we could all be together elsewhere, I would chose a week in England with Abigail, Cassandra, Monica, Sophie, and the rest of the crew. How fun that would be!

    1. Ooooh, Joy, thank you!!
      You know what I like…especially that chocolate!!! 😀
      I’m thrilled you enjoyed the post. That means a lot to me, especially since I know you’re reading it as both a mom and a grandma. (One of the included essays is actually in appreciation of grandparents! I don’t know what my husband and I would have done without the wisdom of both my parents and my in-laws when our son was little… <3 ) I know you left a piece of your heart in Ecuador when you returned to the States. Hope you'll get to see all of your beloveds again soon!

    • Addison james on May 6, 2015 at 3:22 pm
    • Reply

    Congrats on your new release!

    I’d love to go somewhere tropical. Fiji sounds good!

    1. Addison,
      Thank you!! And I’d love a tropical getaway, too… Would love to visit Fiji!
      What do you think the chances are that we could get Ryan Gosling to join us there?! “Hey, Girl. No, don’t get up from your comfy spot on the beach…I’ll bring you a coconut drink.” LOL 😀

    • Ellie on May 6, 2015 at 4:13 pm
    • Reply

    Lovely post and great new release which is meaningful. This would make a perfect gift. A week away is my wish and would love this escape to a paradise, ocean, sun and peace with my love.

    1. Ellie,
      Thank you!! I’m delighted you liked the post, and I appreciate your thoughts on it. It was my hope, in publishing it, that I was creating something meaningful and a book that would make a thoughtful gift for anyone interested — especially moms, stepmoms, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, good friends… 😉
      And your mention of ocean and sun has me happily daydreaming!

    • Maria UB on May 6, 2015 at 4:31 pm
    • Reply

    Wow! That’s a hard one! If I could take only one person, it’d be my Hubby. We’ve been working so hard lately, we could use the time to reconnect. Where would I want to go? Anyplace! We’ve always wanted to go to an Island, where the water is clear, and the sand is beautiful. Or I’d take him to London or Paris. If I could pick a place, and take the whole family, it would definitely be London. We huge HP fans, and I heard they have a HP tour there. I’d love to see & experience what he did. That’d be so cool!

    1. Maria,
      I just love the HP series!! It would be fascinating to do a tour in London — wow!!
      And thank you for taking the time to comment on my post! I appreciate it 🙂 .

    • Monica P on May 6, 2015 at 5:23 pm
    • Reply

    Congratulations, Marilyn! This *was* a secret project – at least to those like me who don’t have a facebook! lol I don’t have kids, but my mom and I are very close, plus I love your writing, so I’ll definitely be reading this! She was a single mom and I wish she could have taken more quality time for herself to do lovely things like traveling.

    As much as I love the thought of visiting the UK (especially Jamie Fraser Isle – or The Country Formerly Known As Scotland! 😉 my first getaway place would be Italy. I’ve dreamed of going there since I was a little girl. I’d probably take my mom with me. Unless Sam Heughan is available! lol

    1. Monica,
      Your comments always bring such a big smile to my face — thank you!!
      Yes, this was a *very* secret project…because I was trying to surprise my mom 😉 . I wanted her to hear about it from me first and I also wanted to be able to give her the very first paperback copy. She and I are different in many ways, but, as with you & your mom, we’re very close, too… I know several people who don’t have a strong relationship with theirs, so I’m always conscious of what a tremendous gift it is! And thank you for what you said about my writing — I really hope you’ll like the rest of the essays. *HUG!!*
      As for your trip ideas, you couldn’t have chosen better, IMO!! (Where *is* Sam H. these days anyway?! I told Diana G. that I’d love to meet him…why hasn’t he stopped by yet?! 😀 ) Love the thought of you and your mom traipsing through Italy, btw. You two would have a blast there!
      xox

        • Monica P on May 6, 2015 at 6:58 pm
        • Reply

        Did you get to hang out much with Diana at SOKY? I wanted to go so bad but just couldn’t swing it. I’m so jealous if you got to meet her, and jealous of her if she got to meet you!

        1. Monica, I think *everyone* at SOKY wanted to talk with Diana (!!), so I felt really lucky to get to chat with her one-on-one for about five minutes at the Authors’ Reception. She is *lovely* and so very gracious! I posted a picture of us the last time I blogged on AV, but I’m not sure if you saw it. It’s here: https://austenvariations.com/holding-out-for-a-hero-by-marilyn-brant/
          I also heard her give a one-hour talk the next morning on “Outlander” — but it was in a room PACKED with people!
          And you know that one of these days you & I are going to meet…I can’t wait for that. XO 🙂

    • Elaina on May 6, 2015 at 6:25 pm
    • Reply

    Congrats on this new release! Where I would go, a secluded beach, tranquil and restful. Warmth and beauty. And with my husband. May is our anniversary and a very big one.

    1. Thanks on the book congrats, Elaina!! And Happy Anniversary to you and you hubby!!!
      The beautiful beach you described definitely sounds wonderful & relaxing! *happy sigh* 🙂

    • Kathy on May 6, 2015 at 6:35 pm
    • Reply

    Waiting for summer so I can catch up on all your books, poolside, in my backyard. My dream destination? I want to go somewhere where it’s warm and the water is clear and bright blue!! ☀️

    1. Kathy, ohhh, I *love* it!! Thank you! I’m grinning at the thought of you with such a big stack of books (or an e-reader packed full of them), in your backyard by the pool! I’m sending you a platter of summertime snacks and a cool glass of your favorite fruity beverage to go along with your reading. 😀

    • Chanpreet on May 6, 2015 at 7:07 pm
    • Reply

    I would like to travel the world, but if I could go anywhere, I’d go to India and I’d take my mother. My mom hasn’t visited the land of her birth since 1986 and in that time she’s lost all of her aunts and uncles, except one. Some of her cousins have passed and the landscape has changed beyond recognition. I’d like for her to see her family and friends and visit all the historic and religious sites her heart wishes to see.

    1. Chanpreet,
      What a lovely and thoughtful gesture to want to take your mom to India!! I’m sure it would be a wonderful thing for her, not only to see all of the sites she loved and remembered, but to see them all anew with her sweet daughter! There are sites in the world I’ve visited and loved, but I long to be able to take my son to some of them and enjoy getting to see him see those places for the first time… 😉

    • Robyn K on May 6, 2015 at 7:34 pm
    • Reply

    Congratulations on your wonderful book. I would go to a tropical island with my husband and just be pampered.

    1. Thank you so much for the kind words, Robyn!!
      And I love your tropical island idea! 🙂

    • Lynn Bischoff on May 6, 2015 at 8:17 pm
    • Reply

    Congratulations on the new release. It looks like an interesting read. Going to check it out.

    1. Lynn,
      Thank you!!!
      I hope you’ll enjoy the other essays in the collection as well! Thanks for checking it out 😉 .

    • Heather Melvin on May 6, 2015 at 8:29 pm
    • Reply

    Congrats on your new book. I seriously need to come to a book signing or something just so I can see you again. We definitely need to meet up soon. Love you!

    1. Heather,
      It is *always* a pleasure to see you!!
      Might be possible that I’ll be doing a library event this summer somewhere nearby… I’ll let you know if that happens 🙂 .
      Love you back! xo

    • Schilds on May 6, 2015 at 8:35 pm
    • Reply

    Your book sounds great. If I could go any where. I would love to see Jane Austen’s home and all the places that inspired her stories. Gordon that trip I would want it all to myself.

      • Schilds on May 6, 2015 at 8:36 pm
      • Reply

      Auto correct added gordon.

      1. Schilds,
        Thanks for your lovely comments about the book!
        As for a place to visit, seeing the world where Jane Austen lived and wrote is a *wonderful* plan 🙂 . Hope you’ll get to go there soon!
        And LOL about “Gordon”!! My phone will add in such weird words… Almost every time I try to type “too,” auto correct will change it to “Rio” — who knows why??! 😀

  9. I would bring my hubby and go to Derbyshire and Peak district. Once we have shucked the kiddos, I want to travel and live in Europe and Southeast Asia.

    Congrats on the new release.

    1. Patty,
      I suspect there are a lot of us here that would love to spend some time wandering around in prettyish wildernesses in the Derbyshire area!! I hope you’ll get to take these European and Asian excursions with your hubby 😉 . And many thanks for the congrats, too!!

    • Sharame Vodraska on May 7, 2015 at 1:13 am
    • Reply

    I would say Paris. Or Egypt it fascinates me too. I would take my fiancé.

    1. Sharame,
      I agree!! Both destinations are incredibly fascinating — wow! I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Paris, but I have yet to see Egypt… What a land of famous sites, history and culture! 🙂

    • EvelynTost on May 7, 2015 at 4:42 am
    • Reply

    What a wonderful idea for a book! I already got it in e-book!! If I could go anywhere, I would finally take my husband to Italy; I had gone with my church choir and we sang our way through Italy and it was wonderful, but the kids were little, and we couldn’t afford for more than my fare. It has been over 20 years, but we’ll make our 40th anniversary in Nov, so who knows, but maybe…

    1. Evelyn,
      YAY!!! Thank you so much for already picking up a copy! I was so pleased to see it on the Amazon bestseller list for “Motherhood” — that’s thanks to wonderful readers like you! XOX
      I love your idea of getting to celebrate your 40th with your husband in beautiful Italy… What a wonderful and romantic place to spend your anniversary!!
      🙂

    • Tina Simon on May 7, 2015 at 12:58 pm
    • Reply

    Congrats on the new book Marilyn! I look forward to reading it! If I could be transported anywhere it would be to the UK. I need quiet country life right as bout now

    1. Thanks so much for the congrats, Tina!! 🙂
      I know you’ve been feeling under the weather…and I agree that some quiet country living would be restful — especially somewhere as lovely as the UK. (I’m sending Emerson & Thoreau over from London to your house to make you some chicken soup!)
      Sending you big hugs, my friend. Feel better soon!! xo

    • Susan S on May 7, 2015 at 10:48 pm
    • Reply

    I loved the excerpt. It was funny and touching and true! I hope that soon you will take a special trip
    with your husband and start making new memories.

    If I could go anywhere, it would be to London
    (with a train trip to Bath for an overnight) and I
    would go alone, just so I could be completely
    selfish. I would so enjoy just seeing and doing
    whatever I wanted every day!

    1. Oh, Susan, thanks so much for your very kind comments about my essay! I truly appreciate what you wrote 🙂 .
      Your London/Bath trip idea sounds fantastic, btw! And sometimes there’s nothing better than to get to explore an area completely independently…and really soak it in!

    • Anngela Schroeder on May 7, 2015 at 11:36 pm
    • Reply

    What a wonderful excerpt! The voice is great, and so relatable to every other mom out there. Have enjoyed your other works and know this will join my list of favorites. 🙂

    1. Anngela,
      *Hug!!* Thank you! I’m so thrilled you liked the excerpt, and your lovely words made me blush… xox
      😀

    • Dung on May 8, 2015 at 4:40 pm
    • Reply

    Congrats on your release! Love your excerpt and journey with food. Hope you’re able to travel and enjoy a fancy meal besides the canned pasta… 🙂

    I would love to travel more too! I’ve only been out of the US once and it was amazing to experience the culture. I would love to travel more in Europe and around the world to take in all the culture and sample all the food! I think my next destination has to be Italy.

    1. Dung, thank you so much for the congrats and for your comments on the excerpt! I’m really glad you loved it 😉 . And LOL about the canned pasta!! Yeah, thankfully my son is now in high school and a much more adventurous eater…but back then, not so much!
      As for Italy, I truly hope you’ll get to see it soon. What a gorgeous and fascinating country!!

    • Kristine Shore on May 8, 2015 at 11:57 pm
    • Reply

    I would grab my husband and go to New Zealand, it is our dream trip. I am already going to two of my dream locations this summer, Bath and Paris.

    1. Kristine,
      I’ve heard that New Zealand is *stunning*!! I was so close…and, yet, unable to really visit. (I was in Australia as an exchange student and our flight stopped at the Auckland airport, but we didn’t get to leave and tour around!!) Hope you’ll have a fabulous time in Bath & Paris this summer 🙂 .

    • Erika Messer on May 9, 2015 at 1:55 am
    • Reply

    I would go to visit England and all the authors’ homes like The Brontes, Austen, Dickens – all of them! And I would want to take my grandmother who passed away in 2001 because I miss her SO much every single day and if I could have one day with someone it would be her. We never had the chance to say goodbye she died in the middle of the night without ANY warning we don’t even know what happened but she was fine that day I talked to her just hours before. She always supported my love of English literature and getting my degree so I think she would enjoy seeing that as well because she never had the chance to travel 🙂

    1. Oh, Erika, I’m so sorry for the loss of your grandmother! Her passing must have been a terrible shock… You were fortunate to have had such a close relationship with her, though, and she sounded like an absolutely amazing woman! I’ll bet she would have loved the England trip you imagined very, very much 😉 .

    • Nancy Muck on May 10, 2015 at 1:27 pm
    • Reply

    I would go on an Alaskan cruise and take my husband with me.

    1. Nancy,
      An Alaskan cruise sounds wonderful!! I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska, but that’s one spot I have yet to convince my husband to travel… My friends who’ve been there have ALL raved about it 😉 .

    • Sheila L. M. on May 11, 2015 at 5:39 pm
    • Reply

    Thanks for the sale for Mother’s Day – I treated myself – now to find time to read it. It does sound fantastic.

    1. Thank you so much, Sheila! It was lovely of you to get a copy! I truly hope you’ll enjoy it and I will look forward to your thoughts on the essays sometime 😉 .
      ♥♥

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.