My Baby's Grown Up (tear)~~

Where has the time gone?

Forrest is the baby of the family, my youngest child.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was working at the First Baptist Pre-school, here in town where Forrest attended, starting at the age of 3.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was going on field trips with him to the Tulsa Zoo, the Hands On Museum, Blue Bell Ice Cream plant, etc.  It seems like it was just yesterday that I took him to his very first guitar lesson ever at the age of 4 at the Raper Memorial Library building here in Coweta, where he got a memo sent home for his first recital that stated that the children should show respect and, "not wear shoes that squeaked as they walked up to play their peice!"  (I'm serious...that was one of the rules.)  Needless to say we decided to find another guitar teacher, and he started to learn to play rock-n-roll from that day forward!

Just yesterday morning I had to drive Forrest to school for his very last field trip for school ever.  His FCCLA group was going to Oklahoma City to spend the night for a convention (and go to the zoo, etc. without me) and he didn't want to leave his pick up truck with his prized possession sound system at the high school overnight.

We stopped at Sticks 66 to get him a pizza pocket and orange juice for breakfast before he got on the bus with his group to leave.  Forrest turned and looked at me with the innocence of a 5 year old and said, "Man mom, this brings back memories---I feel like I'm in grade school again."  Tear...tear and---tear!

Oh my---where has the time gone?

RED DIRT ROCKER---Excerpt From Chapter One--

The following is an excerpt from my young adult novel, Red Dirt Rocker.  I will be posting excerpts a couple of times a week until the books release on May 1, 2012.  If you're from a small town, big city, if you like football, cheerleading, marching band, or music, chances are you might like my book!  Thank you for reading.

~Excerpt from Chapter One--- Red Dirt Rocker~
by Jody French
Neverland Publishing

Page 2

     My morning ritual always begins with a heartfelt greeting to my well-polished guitars hanging on the bedroom wall.  "Hello Ladies," I greet the axes, patting my favorite, a Les Paul beauty I've named Betty.  She's a looker, with a gorgeous maple finish and a shiny black fret board.  Mom and Dad saved up all year and surprised me on my sixth birthday with the Gibson six-string.  I will treasure it forever.  All my nine guitars hold a special place in my heart---a speck of dust can't be found on any of my babies.
     I grab my iPod and plug it into the homing device in the bathroom.  Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighter's growling vocals and driving sound will help motivate me for the busy day ahead.  Surveying my face in the mirror, I can't help but be proud of the slight fuzzy shadow growing on my chin.  My team mates and I have decided to get a jump on no-shave November and stop shaving in October as well.  After two weeks, I've given up on the hope of more substantial facial hair, but I still think I look at least a year older.  Thanks to outdoor football practice, I still have a tan.  Mama says it seem to make my blue eyes glow.  When I was little I thought my eyes actually did get bluer in the summer.  My sister Megan still teases me about that one.
     I scratch my scalp and shake my unruly, blonde, curly hair.  I've been accused of looking like a surfer dude, but I'm no beach bum.
     Stepping back from the mirror, I strike a wide, tough stance with an imaginary guitar in hand and grimace as I play a silent riff to the Foo Fighter's song, "Pretender" that's blaring in the background.  I jump, my heart thumps and my all-in air guitar performance is sadly interrupted by a hard knock on the bathroom door.

Elmo Rocks!

I had a blast yesterday at the BOK Center in Tulsa rocking out with my grand babies at the Sesame Street Live Concert.  It was so cute to watch them dance and clap, especially our little Clara Jane.  She's only nine months old, but she was mesmerized by the characters and music jumped around and even clapped herself a few times! Yep...she's a rocker.  And Elmo is her favorite rock star.

Forrest's count down to graduation from high school continues, and he is going to be participating in Donkey Basketball tonight at a fundraiser for his class of 2012 Project Graduation.  They will be riding, pulling, pushing, coaxing, and dodging little cow-kickin' hoofs as they try to get the ball in the goal.  My nephew Jerrad played Donkey Basketball back in 2000, the year he graduated from Coweta.  He's actually a bonafide cowboy that won a reserve world championship in team penning when he was in high school.  Well...he fell off his donkey and completely dislocated his index finger to where it formed a 90 degree right angle jutting to the side (uggh.)  We called for Ricky Bryan in the stands to see if he could un-jam it (lots of the finger jamming stuff going on in the NFL and all), but he was even afraid to try.  One whirl wind trip to the emergency room and his finger was fortunately popped back into place and a splint was put on it.

Hold on to your little donkeys kids!! And tuck and roll if you get bucked off!

My young adult novel "Red Dirt Rocker" is officially on Amazon.com and released for pre-sales!  I have been very blessed to have such a wonderful publisher.  Thank you, Donna Font and Neverland Publishing!!

The release date for shipping is May 1, 2012 (my daughter Skylar's B-day.)  A really good day!

Happy reading y'all and God Bless!!!!

Jody

"Red Dirt Rocker" Release Month!

I received an email from my publisher this week that let me know that we are going to shoot for April of this year for the release date of "Red Dirt Rocker!"  I cannot wait to be able to hold a hot little copy in my hands and read like it was the first time!

I have also started on the first chapter of my next book, "Cowgirls And Painted Ponies."  More on the subject matter and inspiration for the book soon.

Blessings and have a great weekend y'all!  

God Is Good And So Is Metal!

Forrest was filming our little special needs baby boy, Eddie Jett, yesterday and caught his first jump in the air with both feet off the ground!  He also filmed him saying a new word.  Keep in mind he signs most of what he wants at 4 years old.  His vocabulary only consists of;  Mama, Ga-Ga, up!,yogurt, and he has now been calling Skylar's new wonderful beau, Da-Da on occasion.

Forrest was filming precious Eddie Jett "head banging" to Metallica on his bed (his favorite pastime) and he asked him to say, Metal.  He looked dead on at Forrest and said it with the cutest grin I've ever seen and then buried his head in the pillow!!  "Metal!!!"

God is good and so is Metallica!

If you'd like to view the video just go to my facebook page at Jody French--- Coweta, OK.

Hey There Sports Fans!

Hey y'all!

Long time no post. No excuses, just life.  I thought the holidays were busy, but I think it's
the weeks afterward that I took time to try to organize my life a bit more in order to be
ready to face 2012.  I've stayed busier than ever, but I'm ready to start writing again.

It's Super Bowl Sunday.  My daughter left very mad.  The Patriots, her team, lost.
It was a fantastic game though.  A nail biter to the end.

Just a quick post to catch you all up.  I still don't have a release date for my book, but
hopefully I will very soon.  I'm still so excited and motivated as ever to get it on the
shelves.  Forrest got some great news in the last couple of weeks music wise.  He
is going to have the extreme honor of recording at David Teegarden's state of the
art recording studio in the next couple of weeks!  Yes, David Teegarden, the drummer
for The Silver Bullet Band, the drummer that has worked with Eric Clapton.  Unreal!
He is so very excited.  God is truly working in his life.

My daughters and their babies are doing great as well.  We had a "pony party" for Eddie
Jett's 4th B-day party two weeks ago, complete with a blue and white painted pony.
The kids had the best day ever.  Landon and Clara Jane are growing like weeds.
Landon is counting, knows most of his colors and shapes as well at 2 years old...
Little smarty pants.  Clara Jane is developing her personality big time.  Love them so.

My daughter Skylar (Eddie Jett's mom) has fallen in love with the loveliest young man.
We are thrilled for her.  He treats her like gold and loves Eddie Jett with a sweet,
gentle, understanding love.  So blessed.

Hope 2012 is treating you all well.  Have a blessed week all!