serendipity

On Thursday my dear friend Tracy http://www.sellabitmum.com/ invited me to attend a book reading with her.

Currently at stress level four (out of five) in my quest to prepare for Shepherd's Harvest in one week, I jumped at the chance to leave all of my jewelry preparation on the dining room table and escape my house.

I checked out the invite on Facebook to learn a little more about the book, and the author who would be presenting it.  I had not heard of Kate Hopper, but it sounded like a very interesting night at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.  Here is a link to her website:  http://www.katehopper.com/

                                                     (image borrowed from Kate's website)

We arrived and the second floor was already filled with happy people I did not know, and Tracy introduced me to Kate, who she had met through Blogher.  A vivacious, delightful woman, she warmly welcomed me.  Her book sounds wonderful, (don't you just LOVE the title?) and I couldn't wait to learn more.  You can buy a copy too!  Here is a link to the book on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Use-Your-Words-Writing-Mothers/dp/1936740125

After purchasing a copy of the book and picking up a glass of wine, Tracy and I headed to the hall to secure seats.  I opened the book to the back page to learn more about Kate, and then I moved to the page where she thanked all who had helped her publish her book, including "...my mom and step-dad Nancy and Karl Olson."

I jumped in my chair, clutched Tracy's arm, and quietly squealed "I think Kate lived in my house!"

Twenty years ago we bought our house from Nancy and Karl Olson.  I know, there could be several couples in the cities with those names, but somehow I just knew it was them.  I scurried back out to the reception, waited for Kate to finish talking to an admirer, and simply said, "Did you live on Hamline and Hartford?"

Of course, she had.  She spent her teenage years, in MY HOUSE.  She took a shower in MY BATHROOM. She ate breakfast in MY DINING ROOM.  How AMAZING is that?

Kate quickly found her mom, told her the story, and Nancy hugged me and told me that they drive by the house all the time, to see what we have done to it and what we are up to.  I told her she should absolutely stop and have coffee, we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, and I truly believe that she really will stop by.

The evening was incredible-the writers who read their portions of the book were incredibly talented, and I found myself swiping at tears several times that night.  Kate is a wonderful presenter, and made me laugh as well as cry.  I can hardly wait to read this book, and use it as a tool to drastically improve my writing.  And Tracy and I are planning to take one of Kate's writing classes the next chance we get.

But first I cannot wait to welcome Nancy back into her house, and hear stories about the life she had in this home, and what Kate was like as a teenager!

You may now conclude reading this blogpost by humming "It's a Small World After All...."