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1. At one point in my life, I had five jobs and about two hours of sleep per night.
2. I still have a scar from the chicken pox I had when I was three, but the scar from the burn I got on a go-kart motor when I was eleven has disappeared.
3. I learned to drive stick on an orange ’69 Volkswagen Beetle when I was twelve. My aunt taught me in the church parking lot.
4. My middle name is Kaye, but I changed it to my maiden name when I married.
5. I wrecked my first car three days after I turned sixteen. It set a precedent for the next nine years.
6. Three of my closest friends live more than two thousand miles away, and each in a different country.
7. I took piano lessons for ten years, and my nephew, who has played for a year, puts me to shame.
8. I discovered caramel Frappuccinos the year I gave up chocolate for Lent. I’m not Catholic.
9. During the year I lived in New York, I sang with a black gospel choir in Brooklyn.  They called me Sweet T.
10.  My first three dates with my husband involved either a speeding ticket or a fender bender.
11. I play, though not well, the piano, clarinet, trumpet, French horn, and saxophone. I have attempted, and utterly failed at, percussion, guitar, and violin.
12. My first best friend was Stacey, and my first “real” boyfriend was Jasen.
13. My top five movies of all time are, in no particular order, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Tombstone, Boondock Saints, Snatch, andMichael Collins.
14. I do not now, nor will I ever, apologize for loving N’Sync.
15. I call any fizzy drink Coke.  Even if it’s Sprite.
16. I’ve fallen in almost every city I’ve visited – usually in the middle of the street.  There was a particularly spectacular belly flop in front of a busy Starbucks in midtown Manhattan that I would love to strike from my memory.
17. I once performed the role of Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music.
18. My mother used to have to wrestle me to get me out of my car t-shirts and into a dress.  My fashion sense has barely changed over the years.
19. Sometimes I paint. We hang them even if they’re terrible.
20. When I was sixteen, my sister and I recorded a gospel album. No, you won’t find it on iTunes.

As with The Kingdom, readers have started sending in photos of their copies of Side Effects.  I love to see them!  If you feel like sharing, send them on over, and I’ll post them right here.  Thanks to Sam and Todd for sending these!

My apologies for the lack of posts lately.  September was a crazy month with the party and birthdays and all that fun stuff.  Plus, we hired a guy to do the yard work, so there’s that…  I promise to come back soon with some fun news and maybe a funny story or two.

A huge thanks to everyone for the support thus far.  Side Effects has been well received, and I’m hoping for big things in the future for this book.  I couldn’t have gotten this far without you!

So, it’s just a little over a week until the release party for Side Effects, and I really just can’t handle the excitement.  It’s been a crazy couple of months, with a book release and a trip to Ireland keeping me busy, busy, busy.  I’m ready to just sit back and enjoy the celebration next Saturday night!  Before I can do that, I still have miles to go, but I’m having a wonderful time getting everything prepared.  I’m looking forward to welcoming friends from as far away as Los Angeles to the west and Charleston to the east.  It’s going to be a wonderful, inspiring, and love-filled event!

I’m sharing the poster because I want anyone and everyone to know that the event is open.  Even if we have never met in person, you are very welcome to join us for the celebration.  I will have my family and friends by my side, but I’m a firm believer that a stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.  If you’re interested in hearing some great music and enjoying the celebratory vibe, you’ll know where  and when to find us!

It’s true; there really is no place like home.  When you feel your home is in two different places, however, it gets a little tricky.  Liam and I are safely back to the states after a fantastic week in Ireland, where I wore a sweater or sweatshirt for the entire week.  IN AUGUST!  It was brilliant.  We missed the cats and our lovely little house, but there is no denying that Ireland is truly a second home to us.  Having our heart torn between the two countries isn’t easy, but we’ll re-learn how to live without the lovely Eire until the next glorious trip.

I’d like to thank you all for dropping by to check out the guest post Sarah contributed this past week.  It’s lovely to know that Side Effects is already reaching people.  Your warm reception to her words was very heartening, as well.

As you might guess, there are probably several blogs’ worth of stories to tell from Ireland, and I may someday get a chance to write them all down.  For now, I’ll share some of my favorite photos from the trip.  Perhaps they’ll have you all running to update your passports and buy tickets to the Emerald Isle.  Enjoy!

As many of you already know, I’m currently on my way to Ireland. Liam’s sister lives in Australia, and she’s home in Ireland for the first time in three years. There was no way we could pass up the chance to see her.

Sarah Witte will be taking care of the blog and may even post a guest blog or two. I hope you’ll make her feel welcome. When I get the chance, I’ll check in from Ireland to see how everyone is doing. Until I return, I wish you all well. I really will miss you!