Breakfast Served Anytime - Combs

Title: Breakfast Served Anytime
Author: Sarah Combs
Published: 2014
Genre: Fiction 

Rating: 

3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Book Source: I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley, free of cost, in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended if you like: Coming of age stories, Stories about college life, teen fiction

What Its About:  

The summer before her senior year, Gloria is offered the opportunity to attend "Geek Camp", a summer camp program at her local state university for Gifted and Talented students. Her best friend is spending the summer in New York at dance camp so she agrees, but the experience may just change her life. 

The new classmates, roommates and professors she meets, and learns to love, open her eyes to acceptance and not judging people by their looks. Being away from home and away from her single father, allows her to grow to be the person her recently departed grandmother, Gogo, taught her to be. A boy, who initially annoys her with his Mad-Hatter impressions, teaches her that sometimes the things you hate the most are the ones that will stick with you forever.


Bottom Line:

This coming-of-age story is sweet and nostalgic, a nice read. The book was well written enough that you felt true connections with the characters and could relate. It actually took me back to my college days and made me feel those first experiences again (including a skinny-dipping incident that shall not be named).

I especially liked how Gloria sort of "looked" into her future at the end to see what was to come.  This was an interesting, and I thought innovative, way to handle the "what comes next?" question.

My only complaint would be that there was just so many story lines to follow, I didn't know what I should be focused on:

loss of grandparent
single parent/missing mom
growing up
potential loss of best friend with age
new friendships, and their potential love interests/family issues/political issues

accepting homosexuality
potential love story
acceptance of others in general
focus on acting, and her changing love of it
plans for the future, remaining in Kentucky or following her New York dreams
the crazy professor and her expectations of who he should be
etc.


There just seemed to be so much to follow. Every time something new popped up, it felt more and more packaged ("oops, don't forget to get that issue in there..."). Many books, particularly young adult books, have a theme or lesson to be learned, and while the wealth of issues Gloria dealt with are generally realistic in life...in a short book like this, it just seemed that none of them (let alone all of them) got the attention or resolution it deserved. The book was too heavy to be a light read, but too light to actually contain a moral or lesson.

Overall, a nice read though.

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Tuesday Tunes - 04/29/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

Held

Natalie Grant, Artist
Christina Nichole Wells, Writer



Two months is too little.
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We're asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It's unfair.

Chorus:
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred NUMB our sorrow.
The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

Bridge:
If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know, that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held
This is what it means to be held.

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Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon

Hey all, Read-a-Thoning today...  

Well, ok, I just started as I spent my morning doing cleaning and doing laundry.  But I'm finally all in...

If I can just turn off the True Tori rerun!

Today I am reading...  Swoosie Kurtz' memoir Part Swan, Part Goose. A very good read so far...

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Saturday Savings - 04/26/14

Couponing - Preparing for the Deals!


Though I organize all my coupons into a binder, this doesn't relieve me of spending some time each week preparing for my shopping trips. I could, of course, just take my binder and go, but that would leave me at the store digging through the binder hoping to find a good deal. Can you say time consuming?! To say nothing of pissing off the other customers trying to get around you.
 
Instead, I choose to spend a couple of hours going through all the weekly flyers and visiting a few favorite coupon websites (you can put these into your blog feed!) to find the deals that week. I then pull my coupons out, put them into an envelope with a list for each store and when I get to the store, I whip out my envelope, find my items, and go.

I don't actually like shopping at all...  Hate it! This system helps save time, and sanity!
**DEAL OF THE WEEK**

2 bottles for $0.32

On sale for 2 for $7
Stacked with two coupons for $2.50 a piece = minus $5.00
Stacked with $2 worth of bonus points

=

FREE or $0.32 (after taxes)






Where you live has a lot to do with sales! I live in Massachusetts. For some reason, when the rest of the country has a $1.99 laundry detergent deal...we're paying $2.99 for the same exact item! And, generally speaking, prices overall are more expensive here than many other states. Take the coupon sites' "deals" with a grain of salt and double check the deals when you get in store. You may find different, but sometimes even better, deals.

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Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and not so bookish bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise.

1. Looks like fun, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon... I like bands. And wagons.
 
2. Have you heard that they are making Room by Emma Donoghue into a movie? Sounds like fun... I just hope the movie does the book justice, as they rarely do!

3. Last week, we had several amazing, spring days.  Then, two days later, we awoke to...snow! This past weekend was two awesome 70-degree days. Today, its windy and in the 40's. Like a kick to the groin, I tell you. Come on summer!

4. I even know all the words to "Let the Sun Shine In" (by Pebbles Flintstone and Bambam Rubble) and It's a Sunshine Day (by the Brady Bunch kids). I am seriously ready baby!
 
5. I've signed up for this weekend's Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon (heck, if I'm laying awake anyway...). I've got a handful more Netgalleys I've signed up for and have been itching to get back to library reading. And my damned TBR list just keeps growing and growing! Other than housework and reading, I don't currently have much planned for Saturday, hopefully I can put a major dent in my pile.

6. After months of constant exhaustion, the doctor finally decided that, like many Americans, I have sleep apnea. I've always been a snorer and am lucky to sleep four hours a night uninterrupted. I did a home sleep study and learned that I stopped breathing 14 times in one night alone. Fourteen times! Holy-crapoly!!! I picked up the fancy CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine this week and the first night of use, I got even less sleep! I'm told they take a while to get used too, but seriously...I was already exhausted, with this thing I can barely focus! Cut my sleep by another couple hours and I am a reduced to walking-zombie status. I continue my efforts to acclimate, but have decided to wait until the weekend to push the limits.


7. Does every politician now have to write a book?! Seriously?! Nothing against Elizabeth Warren (or any other specific politician), but maybe if they spent less time writing about themselves and more time managing business-at-hand, the country would be a better place!

8. My boss always remembers Administrator's Day, every year. This year he gave me a beautiful orange flower. Not being a plant person, I have no clue what it is...or how to care for it. But man or man is it pretty! #goodboss

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Prepared For A Purpose - Tuff

Title: Prepared for a Purpose: The Inspiring True Story of How One Woman Saved an Atlanta School Under Siege

Author: Antoinette Tuff
Published: 2014
Genre: Non-Fiction; Memoir

Rating:

3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Book Source: I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley, free of cost, in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended if you like: Memoirs, Stories about religion and God, Stories about beating adversity

 

What Its About:  

Antoinette Tuff has had a rough life, with a difficult mother and an absent father. She fell in love young and quickly became pregnant. She and the baby's father married, despite his asking another girl to marry him at the same time they were engaged...with her engagement ring! They had two children together, a daughter and a son, and discovered that their son was battling a disease that would eventually leave him disabled and blind.

But Antoinette also has a deep and abiding believe in God. She met every challenge passing her way with a strength that is born only of a deep, solid faith. Whether pushing her son to become an intelligent, independent man or supporting her daughter through college and law school, Tuff always gave more than her best and kept on praying. Though her strength was tested when her husband cheated on her and then opted for divorce, she battled through and came out stronger...always believing there was a purpose, a reason for her life.

This reason became blatantly obvious the day an armed gunman walked into the main office of the school in which Tuff worked and informed her that today, they were going to die. Tuff had to call on her years of suffering and pain to understand the gunman and to find in herself the ability to remain calm, to offer kindness and understanding, and to maintain her belief that God was with her and guiding her toward disarming the situation and ensuring that the hundreds of children in the building were safe.

Bottom Line:
Tuff offers an honest, no-frills accounting of her life, interspersed with chapters of the events of that horrific day. She talks honestly of her fear (and desperate need for a bathroom), while maintaining an unbending belief that God was guiding her and speaking for her to ensure tragedy was averted. This  book is very heavy on scripture and religion, but if you appreciate that or can accept it as the author's true voice, you will enjoy this story quite a bit.

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Mondays - 04/21/14

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Still Reading: 

Breakfast Served Anytime (Sarah Combs)
Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

Just Finished: 

No Saints Around Here: A Caregiver's Days (Susan Allan Toth)

On Deck

Lots of good stuff!

Read More

Sunday Salon - 04/20/14

If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.

Life:

Happy Easter! Whether you celebrate or not, I hope your day was filled with family, friends or good food...or even better, all three! Mine was!

The past week included both 70 degree days and snow! Give me a break Mother Nature!

Work continues to be crazy, as we inch toward Commencement. Word is that the changes in my job may be coming soon... We'll, it's more like the option to move forward is coming soon. The changes will occur over the next few years until essentially my job no longer exists. Hopefully I won't have to stress too much longer about what do next, hopefully it will be quick, clear and painless. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Spent the last week catching up on blog reading. I had fallen pretty far behind. Feedly on my phone only goes up to 499, then it says "499+". I was "499+" behind! But I have caught up. Yeah me.

Blogging

Still reading slowly, despite enjoying what I am reading. What is that about, anyway?!

Not really getting into the writing of blogging recently. Not sure why. Kinda feel like I don't really have much to say. Or anything interesting, perhaps.

Anyone else feel this way?

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Saturday Savings - 04/19/14

Coupon Basics - Organization


So, you've got lots of coupons...now what?!

Different people organize their coupons in different ways.

Some couponers just buy a typical A-Z coupon organizer and call it done. A bit messy, but usable.

Others couponers opt not to spend time cutting all those coupons (remember, you may not use every coupon you find if the deals aren't worth it or if the item is not in your list of items used*).

The Insert Method requires storing your weekly newspaper inserts by the date that they were released. While this saves time cutting coupons you won't use, it requires that you spend more time preparing for each weekly shopping trip (finding sales, pulling and cutting the coupons). Also, this doesn't prepare you to get those surprise deals on items for which you don't have coupons ready (unless you want to cut away in the store aisles) and it doesn't account for those random coupons you find, so you need a back up system to organize those too.

I currently use the Binder Method, which means I cut and gather all my coupons and organize them in a binder (I use plastic currency holders and dividers to separate them).  I organize by categories (Baking, Frozen, Paper and Plastic, etc.), but some people use the store aisles or manufacturer names.  Though it takes time to cut and file all those coupons, I can always carry my binder in the car and if I stop at a store, I am always prepared!



**DEAL OF THE WEEK**

FOUR boxes of Tampax 18ct, for $4.96

On sale for $3.99 each
Stacked with two coupons ($3 off two boxes)
And, received a $5 gift card for next purchase

=

$1.24 a box, total $4.96



When you start couponing, it is worth doing the math to figure out what is truly a deal or not. Figure out the per item or per ounce price of that super-size version you usually buy and the same for the sale and compare. Don't just assume! Eventually, it will become second knowledge. Above: 18 Tampax times 4 boxes ($0.07 a piece, typically these are $0.12 or more each!)



*My one note on this is don't be too judgmental, sometimes its worth saving everything! Recently, I tossed a Clearasil coupon. "I'll never need this!"  Turns out Clearasil also makes a really nice, fruity facial scrub I would have loved and it was FREE a few weeks ago with the right coupons! I missed out, stupid me.

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Tuesday Tunes - 04/15/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

A Question of Lust
Depeche Mode, Artists
Martin Gore, Writer



Fragile
Like a baby in your arms
Be gentle with me
I'd never willingly
Do you harm

Apologies
Are all you ever seem to get from me
But just like a child
You make me smile
When you care for me
And you know...

It's a question of lust
It's a question of trust
It's a question of not letting
What we've built up
Crumble to dust
It is all of these things and more
That keep us together

Independence
Is still important for us though (we realize)
It's easy to make
The stupid mistake
Of letting go (do you know what I mean)

My weakness
You know each and every one (it frightens me)
But I need to drink
More than you seem to think
Before I'm anyone's
And you know...

It's a question of lust
It's a question of trust
It's a question of not letting
What we've built up
Crumble to dust
It is all of these things and more
That keep us together

Kiss me goodbye
When I'm on my own
But you know that I'd
Rather be home

It's a question of lust
It's a question of trust
It's a question of not letting
What we've built up
Crumble to dust
It is all of these things and more
That keep us together.

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Mondays - 04/14/14

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Still Reading: 

Breakfast Served Anytime (Sarah Combs)
Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

Just Finished: 

No Saints Around Here: A Caregiver's Days (Susan Allan Toth)

On Deck

Lots of good stuff!

Read More

Sunday Salon - 04/13/14

If you are interested in other Salon posts, visit the Facebook page to get links.

Life:

If I was a different person, I would have gotten this post up before midnight... But alas, I am who I am. So here ya go...

The past couple of weekends have included not one, but two funerals/memorial services, but I've done pretty ok with actual reading and other posts so I'll give myself a little slack.  Work is typically busy for the spring semester. No additional news on the job front, we are still just hanging on, waiting. 

On a good note, the kitty seems to be feeling better. We have taken away all dry food, which seems to expand in her stomach, and have taken to giving her little portions, often. Every day she feels better is a gift! Now, we begin the summer hairball battle. With the weather hitting 70° both days this weekend (which makes me very happy), we need to be very diligent about brushing!

And Purely Vocals is excited to go into the studio this summer and record our first CD. Audience members ask all the time if we have one and we are finally taking the hint. It will be a long process, and we won't likely have a product until the fall, but we are all excited to get started.

Blogging

I'm finally getting some reading done. I've gotten through a coouple of Netgalleys and have completed a handful of reviews. I'm currently reading Breakfast Served Anytime, a Netgalley, which I am enjoying so far. I've also managed to get a few posts scheduled, which always makes me feel more in control. I did however opt to skip the A-Z Challege this year, juat to busy to be successul. There's always next year!

How about you?

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Saturday Savings - 04/12/14

Coupon Basics - Gathering

As noted, there are various kinds of coupons available. To maximize your savings, you will want to gather coupons from as many sources as possible.

Manufacturers' Coupons...

The most obvious place to find manufacturers' coupons is the newspaper inserts. As noted, you can also find these at stores (blinkies, tear pads, and peelies...usually found on the shelves with the items), on the Internet (Coupons.com, RedPlum.com, and SmartSource.com, among others), and in packaging of purchased products.

You can also find them in magazines (AllYou usually provides several good coupons monthly) and in those little inserts or newsletters that your health insurance company sends sometimes. Also, many companies will give you coupons if you like them on Facebook or if you visit their website. Sometimes you have to sign up as a member, but its usually worth it and you can just create a couponing email address too.

Basically, manufacturers' coupons are everywhere. You just have to keep you eyes out!

Store Coupons and eCoupons... 
 

Stores coupons can be found in various places. A great place to start is store websites. Target, for example, offers not only printable store coupons but also a system called Cartwheel which offers eCoupons (and yes, you can use both on the same product).  

Each store tends to have its own system.  Some stores offer monthly booklets with coupons (Walgreens), some have a coupons dispenser in stores (CVS), some give you the option of watching videos online (RiteAid), and a variety of other options. Walgreens also offers a reward point system which tracks points for specific sales which equate to dollars off your next sales, Reward Points. This program is in addition to the Catalina bonus reward coupons that you get at check out!

SavingsStar.com is another eCoupon option which links sales to your store car, but rather than immediate savings you get a credit toward an account which you can "cash out" later.  There are also a variety of online coupon sites that pay into a similar account only after you purchase and download your receipt: Checkout 51 and Ibotta are just a couple.

Again, they are everywhere just keep you eyes out!





Note that Walgreens will not let you EARN reward points and SPEND reward points in the same sale! They say it is a legal issue... But making this error can throw off a deal, so be careful.

**DEAL OF THE WEEK**

FOUR tubes of shampoo/conditioner, for $0.75

On sale 2 for $6
Minus $2 "reward points" each sale, making them $2 each
Stacked with two $1 coupons and two $1.50, one for each item

=

$0.75 per bottle or $3.00 total



Compare: these four 10oz bottles to the cost of a 40oz economy bottle ($10+), a much better deal!

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No Saints Around Here - Toth

Title: No Saints Around Here
Author: Susan Allen Toth
Published: 2014, University of Minnesota Press
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

Book Source: I received this book as a publisher's galley through NetGalley, free of cost, in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended if you like: Memoirs, Stories about struggle with illness/care giving

What Its About: Susan Toth and her husband James were taken by surprise when he received a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Never had the term "until death do us part" felt quite the same for these aging second-marriagers with older children. Over the following years, Toth determines that she will care for James at home until his death, or until it becomes just impossible to do otherwise.

Countless books on "care giving" left Toth empty, with no real understanding of the realities she was about to face. She made connections and friendships with other women who had found themselves in similar terminal care giving situations and took strength from their experiences, their support and their humor.

Despite others commenting often about her efforts, Toth repeats the mantra that she never considered herself a saint . Her frustration and exhaustion got the better of her often. The constant interruptions from any goal or second of rest took its toll. More than once she wished the whole horrible situation would just end, despite the unavoidable outcome. But she takes comfort in the fact that she loved her husband dearly, had no doubt that he knew that, and did the best she could at any and every given moment of his care, interestingly part of her marriage vows.

This memoir follows Toth's experience over the final year or so of her husband's life, addressing real subjects such as exhaustion and frustration, small luxuries and caring for herself, watching her husband's final decline, loss of freedom, and even bodily functions. She does so with honesty and humor.

Bottom Line: A good read, but definitely heartbreaking. Many will enjoy this well-written read, but other's may not quite be able to handle the reality of it. Handle with care.

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Tuesday Tunes - 04/08/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

Cat's in the Cradle

Harry Chapin, Artist & Writer



My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you, Dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home, Dad
I don't know when, but we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home, Dad
I don't know when, but we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son
I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Dad
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home son
I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Dad
We're gonna have a good time then.

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Mondays - 04/7/14

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Still Reading: 

No Saints Around Here: A Caregiver's Days (Susan Allan Toth)
Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

Just Finished: 

Nothing...

On Deck

More Netgalleys...

Read More

Saturday Savings - 04/05/14

Coupon Basics - Types  

There are several kinds of coupons available and most stores allow you to "stack" those on one another, creating the best discount possible on each item.

For example, most stores have weekly or monthly sales which are offered to get buyers in the doors. Some require store loyalty cards, some do not.

Manufacturers' Coupons...

Manufacturers offer coupons on specific products to garner interest (i.e. sales). Typically, manufacture's coupons are thought of as what you find in the newspaper, but they can also come as blinkies, peelies or tear pads.  These are found in the stores, usually next to the item, on pads on the shelving, on the item itself and peeled off for instant savings, or in little hanging boxes by the shelves which often have a blinking red light to catch buyers' attention.  Some manufacturers also put coupons in the box with purchased products (like lunch bags and such).

You can also print manufacturer coupons off the internet.  Another online option is eCoupons. eCoupons can sometimes be linked to your store loyalty cards or scanned on a smart phone at the time of purchase.


Store Coupons...
Stores themselves often offer coupons on specific items. Again, these boost sales on specific items and are meant to spark interest and get a buyer in the doors. Stores also offer catalinas, which are the coupons that the store clerk hands you back with your receipt (which most people ignore and toss). Catalinas can be  manufacturer or store coupons, or sometimes are just a store reward bonus coupons, so double check!

Store reward bonus coupons are called Extra Value Bucks (ECB) at CVS and  Register Rewards (RR) at Walgreens. They are additional coupons for a specific dollar amount that you get for purchasing specific deals - kind of like getting a $5 dollar bill back and applying it to your next order -  which you apply to your whole sale at the end.



Remember coupons are stackable (at most stores)!  You can only use one manufacturer's coupon per item, ever.  But you can usually stack a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon, which can be stacked on top of a regular weekly sale price, and for icing on the cake...use a RR or ECB to finish off the sale!

THAT'S HOW TO GET THE BIG DEALS - ITS THAT EASY!

**DEAL OF THE WEEK**

FOUR 6-bar packs of Irish Spring soap, for $4 (in two sales...)

On sale 2 for $7
Stacked with $1 off two coupon

Stacked with $4 "store reward bonus coupon"
 (x 2 times)

=
 

$2 or $1.00 per box (or less than $0.25 per bar)

That's a good deal!



 

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Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (Throwback Thursdays Review)

I am a fan of memoirs and biographical non-fiction. Within that genre I am fairly flexible about what types of stories I enjoy. Stories about illness, families, work, pets and animals, I read it all. One of my favorites is adventure and survival stories.  

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read and Scott P. Werther is a classic in this area. Time has not changed the impact of their story, most well known for the desperate survival tactic utilized by survivors. But this story is about so much more: desperation, fear, love and loss.

In October of 1972, an Uruguayan rugby team was on its way to a game in Chile. Unfortunately, their plane had trouble and crashed in Argentina in the snowy Andes Mountains. The forty-five or so survivors gathered together to wait for rescue, but after weeks many more had died and hope was gone.

Survivors huddled in what was left of the fuselage of the plane, with no food or supplies. A small group of boys set out to find help when the original search was called off. Eventually, the survivors found themselves in the most direst of positions and were forced to cannibalize the bodies of those who had died in the hopes of lasting long enough for rescue to arrive.

This book was an extremely well written story of tragedy and human endurance. The accounting of those harrowing and horrific days is also a tribute to those who were lost. An excellent read for anyone interested in survival stories, but definitely not for the faint of heart.

3/5- Good. Read it, have a good time and move on. Or not.

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Tuesday Tunes - 04/01/14

A good lyric is like a great book...

She Didn't Have Time

Terri Clark, Artist
Pat Bunch and Nicole Witt, Writers



He said, "Goodbye.", from the edge of the porch
Like she'd been some casual friend
He said, "You're better off without me,
I'm not what you need."
Like her mama had said about him.

He started the car, pulled out of the drive
Didn't waste any time looking back
She watched him go, thinking, even a stranger
Would show more compassion than that.

She could've cried, but she didn't have time
She had a baby to feed
A pink blanket to find
To rock their little one to sleep
She could've laid in bed for hours
Giving misery the power
But she didn't have time.

She got a sitter, and she got a job
'Cause she had a promise to keep
Her day was the factory, and evening survival
And night was exhaustion and sleep.

Sometimes she felt life was passing her by
And watching was all she could do
Her friends said, "You gotta get outta the house,
And maybe you'll meet someone new."

She could've tried, but she didn't have time
She had a 5-year-old to feed
She had ballet class, piano lessons,
And t-ball little league
She could've laid awake for hours
Giving lonely nights the power
But she didn't have time.

Not time where would she'd find
The time to trust a man again
Not time for that flat tire,
A crowded parking lot, and then.

And then not time but yes have coffee with
The man that got her tire fixed
She was thinking, gosh, he's handsome
When he asked, "Do you have kids?"

She could've lied, but she didn't have time
All she said was, "She's five."
He said, "I saw the car seat, I love kids, does she have your eyes?"
And they sat and talked for hours
Giving destiny it's power
She could've been afraid to fall in love that night
But she didn't have time.

She could've been afraid to fall in love that night
But she didn't have time.

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