I Miss You, But...

I am here today.

And here.

Possibly here.

Thanks to the generosity of award-winning novelist Tammy Barley, we are enjoying the vacation of a lifetime at Deer Valley Ranch in Southern Colorado. Last winter I won Tammy’s contest in conjunction with the release of her debut novel, Love’s Rescue.

This Wednesday and Friday I will be reviewing Hope’s Promise, the exciting, romantic sequel to Love’s Rescue, and Tammy has graciously agreed to gift one copy to one of you!

I hope you’ll join her, while Kevin and I enjoy her generoisty and God's handiwork.

What’s the best vacation you’ve taken so far?

Dude, I Won!

So. We were sitting on the sofa, watching a Charlie Chan movie when the phone rang. Being married to a preacher, I expect the unexpected but c'mon guys, this is Valentine's Day, and our 35th anniversary, for crying out loud! If you have to get sick and go to the hospital or need to plan a wedding, can you pick tomorrow? I'm not really this mean. Most days.

Kevin, always the gentleman, rushed to answer it. "Oh, yes, she is. May I ask who's calling?"

I wrinkled my nose. Kev shruggd, "She says she's Tammy Barley, author of "Love's Rescue."

Oh. My. Gosh. I had entered a contest on Tammy's website a few months ago. A contest to win a 7-day vacation at a Colorado dude ranch. I knew Tammy would be picking a winner on Valentine's Day, but...

I grabbed the phone from Kev's hand and tried for the nonchalant voice thingie. "This is Jeanette."

A silky voice greeted me, "Jeanette, this is Tammy Barley. You entered a contest on my website..."

I interrupted her, "Did I win? Did I win the trip?" So much for nonchalant.

Her voice broke with emotion. "Yes, you did! And I'm the one crying!"

"Oh, Tammy, I can't believe it! This is our 35th anniversary! And we've never taken a trip like this. Most of our vacations have been to visit relatives, since we've not usually had the money to afford motel rooms. Thank you so much! Thank you! Thank you!"



I think Tammy was as happy to award the trip as I was to win it. Her voice rang with elation as she described horsback riding, white water rafting, hiking, etc. A dream come true.

I am still thanking Jesus for His goodness to us. I told Kev I'm going to start calling him "Dude."

Would you like to see where Tammy's generosity is sending us? Take a peek at this...









In a future post, I'll be interviewing Tammy, and one blessed reader will win a signed copy of "Love's Rescue," which went into its second printing after only five weeks. Stay tuned...