Saturday, October 11, 2008

Putting Words to Paper: Check Out November's Parents Magazine

My cell phone very conspicuously rang yesterday at my physician's appointment. It was hanging in my bag right below a gigantic sign reading "Absolutely NO cell phones" while the dermatologist I've been seeing since childhood checked the same old moles and their new colleagues for signs of revolution and mutation.*

After leaving the office, I made a return call in the elevator. Jim said "I'm driving back to work, and I have a November issue of Parents with me." Well, faster than homeland security can search that statement for coded meaning, I am in the car driving toward the nearest bookstore.

Why the sudden acceleration to buy a magazine I already subscribe to? Because my article appears on page 152. It's "The OMG Guide to Parenting Disasters." Written months ago, I didn't know exactly when it might appear.

I resisted the urge to show the my driver's license and the byline to everyone in Borders (saving that kind of shamelessly excited bragging for, well, this post). Back in my car, I opened the magazine and took it all in. My body rang with electricity as I held the concrete reality of print publication.

Wow. Thank you, Judy (I owe you a cupcake) for inviting me to write and providing such great support and editing. You and Parents gave me an opportunity to fulfill one of those long-shot lifelong dreams.

*Important medical note: I made this skin check-up appointment the day after I drove my dear friend (36 years old) home from Moh's surgery to remove facial skin cancer. My friend's cancer (which she thought was a persistant pimple) taught me that skin cancer can strike any skin type at almost any age. Even though it's not always easy to get to the doctor, it is important to get regular check-ups.

14 comments:

Chief Family Officer said...

Congratulations, Adrienne!!! That really is a dream come true. Awesome! I don't think I've gotten my Nov. issue but now I must run and check - I can't wait to read it!

Christy said...

Woohoo! Congrats! Can't wait to read it.

Anonymous said...

That's terrific! I had that weird shock seeing your name on the byline - I know someone famous! Whee!

Jennette Fulda said...

That's so awesome! Congrats! I'll drive over to Borders tomorrow to snag a copy.

indywriter said...

Yipee! I kept wondering when and where... now I have my answer. Congrats!

Anonymous said...

Hooray, Adrienne! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!!!

Chief Family Officer said...

So I got my copy on Saturday and read the article - it's fantastic! Great job, Adrienne!

Kim Moldofsky said...

Congratulations! That is huge! I will look for it at my dentist appointment later this week.

Jeremiah McNichols said...

Way to go!

siduri1 said...

yay! I'll have to go find a copy and check it out -

Anonymous said...

Hooray! Congrats on this! It's only a matter of time till the whole world knows of your brilliance.

adrienne said...

Aw, shucks. Thanks, guys. You're the best...

Caitlin said...

I really liked that article, and I didn't even know that you had written it!

Tell your friend to keep her head up. I had Mohs surgery when I was 23 years old and I have been cancer free for 3 years now. Also- tell her to give it at least a year before she can really know what her scar will look like. The first few weeks are tough because you find yourself thinking "This looks horrible! Am I going to look like this forever?!" I am glad she has a friend like you to lean on.

sara said...

congratulations, adrienne! the article was great! i really enjoyed reading it.
i hope your friend is doing better too.