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Confession time: There still is a big ol' suitcase sitting on the bedroom floor waiting to be unpacked. It's one of my least attractive traits as a frequent traveler. I admit it. I'm slow to unpack.
I'm the exact opposite of my friend,Tricia, who shares that she doesn't even like the suitcase to hit the floor before she is already putting everything away in its proper place. I came up with a new technique lately where I tell myself I'm just channeling Tricia and she's actually the one who's doing all the unpacking. I have to say that wu-wu technique has been remarkably effective during this last 2-month stretch of a book tour. It's been a different city every week and it's been important to stay ahead of the unpacked suitcase.
I guess I simply ran out of channeling power following the big crescendo of this last trip--10 days in California. I was able to visit with friends in the Bay Area and celebrate the second birthday of my little namesake and goddaughter, Daryn Schell.
Here we are fully festooned with the contents of the dress up kit she received from her neighbors. I'm the one in the angel butterfly wings. Baby Daryn is the one in tiara, sunglasses, and feather boa.
Later in the week I headed Southern California for lots of book stuff. All different ways to celebrate my first book, What's Possible! 50 True Stories of People Who Dared To Dream They Could Make A Difference.
I stopped by the KTLA Morning Show. You can see that interview on this page.
I went to Book Expo, the largest book convention of the year.
I spoke at the Ladies Who Launch Southern California event.
And most meaningful of all, was the reception thrown in my honor at the home of my friend and fellow former CNN news anchor, Carol Lin.
I've been supporting Carol as she develops her own internet project. It's called Cancer Social Network and it's going to be absolutely awesome.
CSN will be the one-stop resource and support for families as they battle cancer with one of their loved ones. There will be research component with the latest data and all sorts of support tools like an online help calendar where the family can list their true needs and friends can sign up to help. (That part kind of reminds me of WhatFriendsDo.com, which I featured earlier this year.)
Carol knows the cancer world only too well, as she lost her dear husband, Will, to a rare form of the disease four years ago soon after their daughter was born.
I'll have more on Carol's project as it develops. Meanwhile, it's already an inspiration. We both invited a mixture of friends and family. I had the chance to speak about DarynKagan.com. And we sold copies of What's Possible for the inflated price of $20, with every penny going to Cancer Cares, a non-profit that helps families with all those additional costs that add up with cancer treatment that are not covered by insurance, things like transportation, parking, certain prescriptions.
It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon, featuring "mystery guest" Kelly Perkins, the heart transplant recipient and mountain climber.
Kelly and her husband, Craig, shared their story of how they now climb the tallest mountains in the world, raising awareness about organ donation. You can find Kelly's story here on DarynKagan.com. And there is even more about how she confronts her challenges one step at a time in the book.
I'm thrilled to share these adventures with you. The party photos, by the way, are courtesy of my 10-year-old nephew, Jack.
Hey, Jack--you did an awesome job!
Maybe all this explains why the suitcase is still on the bedroom floor. I'll get there. It's just that first there was a website, a blog, a business, a house, a 3-legged cat and a 4-legged dog who were demanding attention.
It's good to be home!
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