Blog.

February 1, 2012

Happy Groundhog Day Eve! My first date (7th grade...sorry Dad) was to see the Bill Murray movie, and I remember handing limited edition Straub's Groundhog brew out my first-floor dorm window my sophomore year of college.

Yep, Western PA girls are known for our very feminine wiles...

It already feels like spring, in the air and in the mood. For me, things are in excellent balance: I am indeed hard at work on my second book, I'll be heading to Los Angeles at the end of this month, and Relish Magazine just ran an absolutely gorgeous spread on the feminine wiles of another PA girl, Grandma Glo. (She is truly a rock star these days. She loves it.) Visit my book's Facebook page for a Valentine's Day story on a sweet secret recipe she and my grandpa had probably a little too much fun baking together. Oh, those Italians...

Loved How to Love an American Man and just want to join in on the excitement? A powerful way to contribute is to leave a review on Amazon. If you want, come and drop me an email after -- readers will tell you, getting your emails is one of my favorite things and I usually answer over my morning coffee.

It's February, and you've been royal in your expression of love for this book. THANK YOU! Keep spreading the word and keeping it coming!

Much Love Back Atcha,

Krissy

November 14, 2011

I'm consistently amazed: reader emails are always so smart, so sweet (and of course so welcome).

I've updated this site significantly, especially with my latest Media Clips and background on How to Love an American Man. As many of you know, in addition to my appearance on The Gayle King Show, Maria Shriver has also given How to Love an American Man some really fabulous attention.

Thanks to all you beauties for discovering this book and letting me know that it's touching your lives and enlightening you about love, men and womanhood. My words and Grandma's might have inspired you, but your reflections inspire us too.

November 11, 2011

My mom says that pineapples are a symbol of home and hospitality.

They're also one of my favorite fruits. Pineapple and cantaloupe were all I would eat in the green room of The Gayle King Show this week -- I couldn't smile for the camera with a kiwi seed stuck in my teeth, you know? As the producers mic'd me up and I ducked into the makeup room for one last brush of powder, Mom stayed behind in the green room and chatted with Carson Kressley's publicist. "I should just stay here, right, and not come with you inside the studio?" she asked me. "I don't want to get in the way."

That's the thing about my mom: no matter how close she is to what she wants, she puts it aside for the people she loves. All week she'd wanted to "hit Macy's," as she phrases it, or see a movie, or go to a Broadway show...but instead we found ourselves getting my dress pressed, finding the right tights, and cleaning my apartment in case the show decided to tape there. To Mom, always always my needs come first. That, I've learned, is love.

When we stepped off the elevator and into Gayle's studio, Mom saw a poster of Oprah and stopped to stare. She'd once touched Oprah's hand from her audience in Chicago, but now here was her own daughter about to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Network. This was her dream coming true -- not just because she'd hoped for it for decades, but because she knew I'd hoped for it for decades.

And instead of rubbernecking or squealing to meet Gayle, Mom would sit tight in the green room.

After the show we stopped for a coffee, drank it on the way to lunch at Carmine's, ate all the rigatoni with meatballs that two girls can handle, and then took a cab to my apartment to nap. Then we drove home to Pennsylvania. Yesterday when I came down to the kitchen, Mom was preparing a fruit platter: watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, red grapes, orange slices; and of course down the middle, a long row of pineapple slices.

Whether she's bringing order to my apartment closet or watching me on TV from the green room, to me, my mother is love and home. That's why it's so fitting that today, on 11/11/11, Mom celebrates her birthday...a birthday that is actually -- wildly -- a multiple of 11.

There's a lot of curiosity about the meaning of 11/11/11, and author-spiritualist Gabby Bernstein says it's a day to remember that we attract people and events that are as rare and wonderful we are.

Today we celebrate my mom, too. Magic? Divinity?

Indeed.

Love you, Mom. You truly are the best.

September 18, 2011

August 16 came and went; September 11 came and went...so many moments when I wanted to be here with you, maybe even for you, and life has just been so fast-paced.

And I haven't said this enough: thank you. I've received your emails and Facebook messages and tweets and texts -- and sometimes, bless you, your cards in the mail -- and it all makes me feel so happy...and so humble. A special thanks to my parents who threw a gorgeous hometown launch party over Labor Day weekend. I will always remember that night and how much loving preparation you put into it.

Grandma Glo signed books next to me all weekend. Nana entertained guests by giving them love advice and joking that she might steal their babies. I talked to them both on September 11, which was also Grandparents' Day, and those precious ladies were still upbeat from all the festivities. The book celebrations and your great reviews have been awesome for Grandma's spirit (and mine as well).

You've been patient waiting for me to update this blog. I'm grateful. I have something even greater to share at the blog I launched to celebrate How to Love an American Man -- check out the How to Love an American Man blog for love & life advice from the elders of some of my most admired colleagues.

In the meantime, please know how your presence and your connection to the book touch me every single day. Is there anything more meaningful than waking up to an email from a reader who says they discovered the story at a time when they really needed it? No. To me, that's the best thing ever. When Grandpa died, I knew I could never leave this world without making it a little brighter. Thank you for letting me know that just maybe we are.

Much Love,

Krissy

August 5, 2011

Just 10 days left until How to Love an American Man goes on sale August 16 and so much is happening! Recently I launched the How to Love an American Man blog where some of my most influential friends are revealing the best love or life advice they've ever received from a cherished elder, and two weeks ago I started my new position as Manager of Content and Branded Entertainment at YourTango.com -- a site I've long adored not just for the awesome relationship content (and, you know, relationships are my very favorite thing), but also because they are such a uniquely wonderful team to work with, as I learned when I first began freelancing for them in 2008 and as the editor of their Celeb Love section in '09.

So, yeah. It's not enough excitement to have your book coming out as you prepare for appearances on outlets like Oprah Radio's Lisa Oz Show and Inside Edition. A girl definitely needs a fun new job to make sure she's really on her toes. Seriously.

My only regret about this amazing moment in my life is that I'm not able to be home and celebrate 12th annual Bocce Weekend tomorrow -- a tradition started by my beloved late grandpa, who inspired my book idea. So in lieu of my presence there, I wanted to share this trailer that the fantastic team at HarperCollins produced this week. What is How to Love an American Man? This truly says it all.

My thanks as always for your love and support. Life is picking up a crazy pace, so if you're not seeing my blog updates as frequently as I wish I could post, please stay tuned via Facebook and Twitter.

Lots of Love!



June 26, 2011

Exactly five years ago this Wednesday on June 29, 2006, I arrived in Italy for the first time ever. I'd been seeing my spiritual director religiously (si si, that's a p-u-n) in preparation for the trip because I had dreamed of visiting Italy for so long that I knew it would change my life. In fact, the word I remember using with my spiritual director over and over was pivotal. I had no idea how Italy would change me, but I understood with every cell in my body that it would.

I was 26 and had been craving something that would spring me forward into a new adventure, a new challenge, an opportunity for growth and transformation. The pasta, the gelato, the farmers market in central Rome, the bike tour through Tuscany, the wine, meeting my distant relatives in my great-grandparents' village, the fact that Italy won the World Cup while we were there, and, it was so good I'll say it again: the GELATO! -- everything about that trip made me feel like more of a woman. I write about this in How to Love an American Man, how I felt so much more myself in that exotic Italian setting because it took me outside of my workaday 9-to-6 routine to remind me why women are actually put on this earth: to exist in an essence of beauty.

For the first time in five years, I'm anticipating another no-turning-back pivotal event: How to Love an American Man. It's been a few months since I've seen my spiritual director but I am trying to maintain perspective and balance on  my own in the best ways I know how: I'm spending a lot of time with friends. We're barbecuing a ton. I'm exercising every day. I'm going to church every week. I'm journaling (maybe not quite often enough, though). I'm spending so much time outside that I hope all the heat and light makes me crave winter's icy hibernation (I sort of doubt it, though). I'm eating lots of fruits and vegetables because I want to stay young forever (yeah, I know, who doesn't?) and I'm writing seven days a week.

(My loved ones know that's nothing new.)

I have no idea how this book's release on August 16 is going to influence the succeeding events in my life. So far, with Target on board and an Oprah Radio/The Lisa Oz Show appearance lined up and film talks gaining visible momentum, from the crown of my head to the heels of my feet I am filled with faith that this is going to be all good. At this point, could it get any more exciting?

But still, I don't know what's ahead...and uncertainty is almost always scary. My family and close friends are here on the journey too, but there are aspects of it I can only shoulder by myself. This is when prayer comes in. This is when I get outside under the Brooklyn sun. This is when I walk nine miles on a Sunday, just to get centered, to walk among nature and exist as part of its beauty.

This is when I update my blog with gratitude that you're here.

Peter Shankman is a social media wiz and marketing entrepreneur whose work has really advanced and influenced my career. He's been tweeting from vacation in Thailand all week, and today I stumbled on a blog post in which he invited us to ponder: "Is it time for your rebirth?" Peter writes:

"Go somewhere else for the day, week, whatever … Just someplace you can be different, someplace you can be someone else, both to everyone else, but more importantly, to yourself. Being a different person to yourself is the key to finding out what you need to be doing differently."

A lot of people have shared with me the belief that 2011 is a year of rebirth, of transformation, of growth in the universe and thus also growth in our souls. We never know how high that growth will take us or how different the world will look when we arrive there (dear God, as you know, anything that resembles Rome or Paris is always okay with me), but I dare you to adventure with me in finding out.

This may help. Ever since I was fortunate to meet Deepak Chopra during my Simon & Schuster days, I have often thought of this medical and spiritual healer when I was in need of some soul direction. In this podcast, Dr. Chopra's colleague, davidji, guides us through meditation to help us "discover what you really want, plant the seeds of intention, take specific action, and let go of any attachment to the outcome."

In other words, What do I want in my future? Or, as Peter Shankman asks, Is it time for your rebirth? This brief meditation will help you take a first step toward the manifestation of your heart's deepest and most necessary desires, no matter how impossible your biggest dream might be.

My thanks as always for your support on the How to Love an American Man journey. We are so close to seeing how this project will impact the greater good. In the meantime, both my grandmothers continue to give me sublime advice about men and how a sound woman goes about making grounded, inspired, intelligent decisions for her life -- and whom she invites into it. I share the blessing of this wisdom from my grandmothers with you all, and I dare you to continue dreaming about what you desire most deeply in your life.

If you can envision it, it already exists.

May 22, 2011

Last night I got back to Brooklyn after a week in San Francisco, where much of the Gasbarre family attended the 2011 PowderMet conference. In How to Love an American Man, I touch on my family's longtime presence in the powder metal industry and the passion the Gasbarre men (and women) have for this field.

I hadn't been to a conference since 2001 in New Orleans, but the smiles and laughter at the welcome reception reminded me why I appreciate this industry so much. Yes, my family runs a family business, but all of PM really feels like a family business: these men and women have known each other for decades; they remain loyal customers and vendors; they follow the school and career accomplishments of each others' children and they cheer each other on, inside and outside of work. Every appliance in your home and every vehicle you drive has been impacted (and, more literally, compacted) by dozens of individuals who feel a ton of heart for their families, for their work, for their industry, for this country. It's this spirit that makes the USA so beautiful and unique.

When I came into the world as the first-born of the Gasbarre grandchildren, the family got me a t-shirt that said, "I am a Gasbarre Product." When I was born it made the family laugh, but when I grew up it made me proud. If it takes a village to raise a child, then I'm taking this moment, at the end of PowderMet 2011, to thank all the folks in powder metallurgy who are part of our family's life. Your many decades of support truly touch us every single day.

This week the focus shifts from my family's work back to my own, as I'll attend Book Expo America at the Javits Center in New York. If you're there, please drop me a line at krissy [at] kristinegasbarre.com, or tweet me! (And if you're not already following me on Twitter, you really should. I'm like, really cute and funny and stuff.)

I've also just added a page with more information about how to pre-order How to Love An American Man. It goes on sale on August 16 -- yes, we are less than three months from publication! The reviews have made me cry happy tears, and your support has been absolutely astounding -- thank you. Order now to be part of our inner circle when the book goes on sale!


April 27, 2011

Grandma has just finished reading her exclusive advance copy of How to Love an American Man; and wow am I relieved, because if you've caught a hint of her character so far, you know Grandma has incredibly high standards. Of course she knew I was writing the book, but she didn't know exactly what I was saying or how she was being portrayed.

I was covering a red carpet at the TriBeCa Film Festival when she called last night, and when I played back her voicemail, I heard this (I hope she doesn't mind my taking her comments public one more time):

"Kris? It's Grandma. And all I can say is: if this is love, now the next thing is to start another book. Wonderful."

All together, an audible sigh of relief: whew. Understated and straightforward, showing her approval where it's craved most: this, friends, is my grandmother.

Indeed it is love, Grandma; the very best kind. And that other book? Yes. It's coming...

My thanks to you all for your support of How to Love an American Man. The amazing feedback some of you have given has truly reaffirmed why I set out to write this. One reader who received an advance copy of the book said she was excited to share it with her daughter, and that has stuck with me so strongly. This book isn't just about helping women understand men better; it's about forging stronger bonds with the women in our lives -- especially with the women in our families.

I love my grandmothers, and I love this book.

March 27, 2011

If you know anything about my book, you know that I love my grandmothers. You're about to learn the incredible advice they give about love and life (and, yes, my love life). I like to call them on Sundays when I can; and because I knew Grandma was eating a roast at Mom and Dad's house, I called Nana after I got home from Mass tonight.

Nana does not get enough airtime in my book, I tell you. She is such a Character (capital C intended). If Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe ever had a baby together, that baby would be Nana. Red is her natural hair color, and she has green eyes shaped like almonds. I have black-and-white photos that her friend took of her in high school as she posed with one foot propped against a tree and looked off into the distance. She went back with watercolors and tinted her lips red and her tied neck-scarf green in the photos.

When she became a grandmother, she always gave me the best back-scratches and the most loving, most practical counsel to cheer me up when I was sad -- I could always tell her absolutely anything, and even when I'd done something bad, she always made me know I was loved.

Nana's worked really, really hard all her life and lost three husbands (each passed away). She's suffered more heartache than probably anyone else I know, but she will drop absolutely everything when I call. She loves her family so much that it hurts her. When we hang up the phone, she always tells me, "God be with you. I love you, dahling." Dahling is her trademark -- I tell you: Nana is Lucille and Marilyn.

After my Papa, her second husband, passed away when I was seven, my brother and I spent Saturday nights at Nana's house. Nana and I would pray the Rosary together, following Mother Angelica on TV; and then we would flip to The Golden Girls. I realize now how similar mine and Nana's concepts of beauty are: we both loved Rue McClanahan's character because she was both beautiful and bawdy, never bothering to be a "good girl" -- her edge was her appeal. When Rue passed away last year, I drove into town to Nana's house and stood on her front stoop to share the news. We both stood there, looking around at the street, up at the sky, wondering why life is so strange and the things we love always die.

And she says to me on the phone tonight: "How about Elizabeth Taylor?"

"Ugh," I moaned into the phone. "I couldn't believe it."

We talked about how stunning she was, about her eight marriages and how Carrie Fisher said this week that even though Elizabeth had essentially broken up her parents' marriage, when her father passed away, Carrie wanted Elizabeth to hear the news from her.

"That's really something, isn't it Nana?" I said. "What a story."

"It truly is something," she said. I heard her inhale her cigarette through the phone. "And she hated to be called 'Liz.' "

I told Nana how I thought Elizabeth Taylor was the epitome of Hollywood glamor and American beauty; and how, with all the heartbreak she suffered, she really embodied the concept of femaleness down to its emotional core. All woman, I think, was the phrase I used. "I really related to her, Nana," I said.

Pamela Anderson tweeted the link to this video today, and I watched it...crying. I'm usually careful not to voice these wishes publicly; and I'm sorry if it sounds selfish to say it so bluntly, but I'll just say it: I want children. I want to have babies so badly one day that today, that very desire made me cry. I want to be the endlessly loving mom my own mom has been; to adore my offspring as selflessly as my grandmothers do; to shine in the glow of love that Elizabeth Taylor does here.

Before we hung up the phone, I said to Nana: "It's the end of an era in a way, isn't it Nana."

"It is, dahling," she said. "This whole world's gone crazy. But know that I love you so much...and that God is with you."

beau-ty:
- noun; plural: -ties


origin:
1225–75; Middle English be ( a ) ute  < Old French beaute;  replacing Middle English bealte  < Old French beltet



March 23, 2011

There have been lots of thrilling updates surrounding my upcoming book, How to Love an American Man (Aug. 16, 2011, but available for pre-order now). My favorite part of this journey to publication is sharing it with you; and if you're even a fraction as excited as I am, please join our fan page on Facebook for the latest updates. We'll be adding videos, more photos and a list of appearances soon. It's the best way to know what's happening!

And always remember to follow me on Twitter (it's so fun).

Love!

February 15, 2011

On Tuesday (2/15) afternoon around 4:30, I found a photo camera inside a case that held some other items inside. This was on the southwestern sidewalk corner of 69th and Lexington Ave. If you can describe the contents to me, I'll be happy to coordinate how to get it back to you.

This was what I posted on Craigslist tonight. I knew what it felt like to have lost a camera, because the summer I came back from Italy, I was out with friends in New York and left my camera sitting on a Soho bar that swallowed it up for eternity. I don't remember exactly what was on that camera, but I have enjoyed pretty much every photo I've ever taken, so almost three years later, I still catch myself thinking: Why couldn't you just remember to put the damn thing in your purse...

She found me, the woman whose camera it was, and she was in the city because her grandfather had just passed away. Turns out I knew what it felt like to lose a camera and a grandpa, so I responded sympathetically to her gushes of gratitude on the phone by saying, "Yep, an honest person found it, and I've totally been there. And listen, no stress," I told her. "Just watch the mail next week."

I'd just left an hour-long session with my spiritual director, one of the greatest women in my life, a nun at the Upper East Side parish that I called home before I left the city in 2007. Two nights ago, on Feb. 13, I learned that someone I used to love is marrying someone else, and while it's been a long time and a lot of distance since we've even been in touch, the news actually really stunned me. I emailed my spiritual director and told her I needed help seeing the larger purpose for all this, because I'd spent the last half-hour asking myself what the fiancee has that I don't. By any chance could she move our appointment up a week?

 "It's a day late, but Happy Valentine's Day," my spiritual director said today, pointing at the coffee table in front of me to a pretzel stick covered in milk chocolate and red and pink sprinkles. I laughed...and then moments later, for the first time in her presence in the nearly six years that I've known her, I cried. I told her how all I've wanted were answers; a little respect from this ex; to understand why my romantic past is full of aloof men. Isn't God supposed to show his love to us through relationships? Then how can we explain why a guy would just abandon a girl like me? God's not that mean. God is not an idiot. God would execute a breakup like a real man.

If you will.

We ran out of time before I could tell my spiritual director how I spent my Valentine's Day with a group of women led by my new friend, renowned love coach Elizabeth Webb (who I met two weeks ago when our mutual friend Jami asked me to help Elizabeth with some writing projects). Just for fun, Elizabeth gathered four of her friends to share wine, some tapas, and a ritual where we focused on "trusting perfection, even in the moments when everything in our lives feels imperfect." That's how Elizabeth introduced the night, so we each pointed out three beautiful traits we saw in each other and rediscovered something about love that most of us had forgotten: I didn't fall in love with that now-engaged old flame because he was so great: I fell in love with him because at that point in my life, I was in a really good place. Such a crucial point, and I had forgotten it.

Then, when we Valentines finished sharing, we went bar-hopping on the Upper East Side. At one point all four of us had to peel the most brazen woman among us off of a recent college graduate who, as my friend Shirley put it, appeared so inexperienced and scared that he was "not even a baby," Shirley said. "That one's still in the womb."

"You guys are awesome," I said. "This is the best Valentine's date I've ever had."

"Valentine's Day?" Elizabeth said. "High fiiiive."

We actually high-fived Valentine's Day. I've always classified it as my least favorite holiday, but yesterday it was that good.

And after a few drinks and a lot of laughs, all five of us women went home -- to our separate apartments in our separate neighborhoods -- alone. Indeed there's a bigger purpose why no guy from my past has stuck; and when I meet the person I'm supposed to be with for life, he will be real. This is what my spiritual director told me. So at the end of our session this afternoon when she asked, "How do you feel now?" I thought for a second and said, "I feel clearer. I feel lighter than I did when I walked in here an hour ago. I'm not going to walk around the street like this," I said, hunching my shoulders over. "I feel like walking taller now. You helped me understand."

When I left my spiritual director last week, there was another good deed that presented itself to me. After bringing my SD up to speed on every monumental event that's happened to me in the last three years (the book, more breakups, a couple deaths, health issues in my family, more about the book, etc.) I was walking down the street when a stranger asked me for a favor. I made a vow with myself not to share what that favor was, but in the end I helped someone solve a problem that always makes me sad to see but that I don't always have the resources to help with when I do see it. And after I helped that person, they said to me, "Thank you." I nodded curtly, properly, not to bring attention to our collaboration. But in that moment, it occurred to me that I should have been the one thanking them for the chance to make a difference. To focus on somebody else, to be the projection of God's love that my spiritual director had just been to me. It was beautiful, and I was thankful.

And so it was today, when I found the camera on 69th and Lex. Yes, my week is crazy and all I can think about is going home this weekend, but I will mail that camera as soon as I get a chance. Because what do you do after an hour-long spiritual exploration that drains you of your tears? What do you do when you find out that someone you used to love is marrying someone else? What do you do? You surround yourself with women who can help you understand. You ask them to teach you to forgive the past and, as Elizabeth said, to "open room for more" in your present and future. You share stories, and sometimes tears, and typically there's some chocolate.

And, when you can, you mail the damn camera. It's just what you do.

February 1, 2011 (part II)

In my book, I share about my family's business in the powder metallurgy industry that my grandpa, George Gasbarre, Sr., pioneered and how proud I am of the guys in my family who have expanded Gasbarre Products, Inc. to worldwide proportions. They are an endlessly-working group of men, making the Sopranos-style wine and pasta consumption at their monthly board meetings well deserved.

My dad has headed sales for our company for the last two decades, and today I'm so proud of him: the American Powder Metallurgy Institute (APMI, as we know it well in our family) announced today that it will bestow its most prestigious award, the APMI International Fellow award, to my dad this year. APMI describes the award as such:

The APMI International Fellow status is a prestigious, lifetime award bestowed upon eminent authorities and leaders in powder metallurgy and particulate materials. This highly selective award recognizes APMI International members for their significant contributions to the goals, purpose, and mission of APMI International as well as a high level of expertise in the technology, practice, or business of the industry.  

About my dad, they made an announcement including this:

His voice has always been passionate and with energy in promoting the educational services and importance of APMI within the overall industry. Bill Gasbarre has never shied away from challenges and is a tiresome promoter for the industry—both within the industry and outside.  

I don't know whether the good folks at APMI are aware that Dad's tenacity for his work is mirrored by his passion for his family and his hands-on philosophy of raising his kids, but I really love this guy and can't praise his achievements enough. He's been my biggest supporter both emotionally and in business decisions (and he helps me keep my cool in emotional business decisions!), and my life has always been blessed to have him as a dad.

Congratulations, Billy Bob! We'll be there to see you get the award in San Fran in May! Love you, Dad. Here's to success.

February 1, 2011

I desire more Twitter followers. Come follow me, please? I will tweet pretty things to you. It will be fun.

Follow me on Twitter!

January 17, 2011

WHAT do you know, I'm on here two days in a row. Had to remember to tell you this.

I met my friend Katie Bressack around 2004, when I'd just started working at Simon & Schuster. Over the years we have seen each other through every work accomplishment, romance fiasco and country traveled (she's seen way more of the world than I have); and we've lovingly ushered each other through career and personal challenges.

We were sitting at a wine bar in Brooklyn Friday night, and I told Katie that I'm prouder of her than I've ever been. In October she finally obeyed the universe and launched her own yoga instructing and wellness coaching business. Her perseverance is so energizing to witness, and her commitment to positive thinking and non-stop action is inspiring.

A couple years ago for her yoga certification, Katie trained intensively for months during evenings and weekends while she also held down a demanding full-time job. Today she's following this true calling, and finally last week I got to practice with her. Mind you, I've practiced yoga for 11 years and once got certified myself (not nearly to Katie's extent), but Katie's was the best yoga class I had ever been to. I offered a testimonial for her website explaining why, so you can understand:

Katie's extensive training has brought her to teach yoga as it was meant be: reconnection to the breath, awareness and strengthening of the body, gentle challenge for the mind and opening of both the joints and the heart. Her teaching style is nurturing and enlightening and comes from a place of true care for her students.

If you're looking for a transformation of the body, mind and spirit in 2011, I urge you to inquire with Katie about the courses and coaching she's offering. She's a genuine, nurturing soul with a love of people and the universe. I promise, promise you will love the results, as well as every minute with her.

Visit Katie Bressack's website and contact her at: kbressack at gmail dot com.

January 16, 2011

La vita è bella.

So, the 1991 diary entry thing didn't quite move me to action, but it still could. Patience, if you please: as of tonight I'm preparing for an exciting, very last-minute trip to the homeland. Will have more details soon, will be checking emails and will return phone calls as soon as I've returned home on U.S. soil.

Baci, a presto!

January 4, 2011

Yep, 2011 is THE year. It's funny, I think the heaps of snow burying New York last week actually made people feel more festive and optimistic, so ringing in the new year felt especially special (in case you're curious, I celebrated at South bar in Park Slope with friends and neighbors).

This is the year for many of us...and I'm officially able to say, "My book comes out August 16 of this year!" In fact, new info about How to Love an American Man came out recently from HarperCollins -- I'll keep you posted with updates.

Meanwhile, 2011 is the year...but as I was packing to move to Brooklyn a couple months ago, I realized that 1991 was an important year too. In November I came across my fifth grade journal, whose blessed existence absolutely delighted me (and weirded me out a little). Not only is it bright purple with neon Nickelodeon-esque text scrawling "DIARY" in bright letters across the front, it's written in my dreadfully stylistic fifth-grade handwriting, beginning exactly 20 years ago on January 1, 1991.

Yes. I was 11.

That's one book whose ending I'll reveal here: around April that year my little brother hijacked my diary and scrolled in his left-handed cursive chaos --

Today Jeff was so cool! But what else is new?

Two decades later, Jeff's still kind of cool. I'll share some accounts from my 20-year-old diary in the coming weeks just because they so hilariously offer appreciative measure of how far my social and literary sophistications have come in the last 20 years. Many of the characters who appear there are most definitely still in my life, including my best friend (whose name I'll change to protect her privacy when How to Love an American Man comes out), my parents and brother, some of my teachers from St. Catherine School, and the New Kids on the Block. (Donnie, in 2011 I'm over the fact that last year in Vegas you invited me to a concert and then never tweeted me back and your publicist never responded. Jordan was always my favorite anyway.)

Thanks again for all your support with How to Love an American Man and in my journey. I'm proof for all of us: dreams totally happen. You can pre-order here, here and here before it all comes true on August 16, 2011!

December 20, 2010

Thank you for the birthday love that some of you are already expressing. Since I was a kid, I've joked that because I was born on the darkest day of the year, I brought light with me. Generous, right?

I'm writing this at 11:46, and in less than two hours, light will take especially unique form in the total lunar eclipse. I'm staying up to ring in my 31st year in this beautifully mysterious world by watching it. A half-hour ago I stepped onto the porch in my parka and Crocs. I have a perfect view of the moon, the midnight blue sky surrounding it, the trees and their bony reaches grappling for the light. The wonders of this universe make themselves so evident at rare moments like this. Snowflakes landed on my cheeks, in my eyes, on the lens of my phone; and like a child, I wanted to put my arms up and dance in the snow.

I'm so thankful for the gift to notice the marvels of this life: my career that I love so much, my family who have withstood a few critical events these last two years and who continue to celebrate and love together, my friends who give me occasion to laugh and the opportunity to sometimes offer my strengths, my dogs who love in ways so innocently untouched by distress, the lands God has created that I've gotten to see, and the abundant future that lies ahead. I rejoice in all these tonight, but maybe now's a good time just to let you know: I give thanks for them in my heart

every.

single.

day.



November 23, 2010

I've said it before: every woman needs a Joelle for a friend. If you know just one thing about my friend Joelle Watt, it's probably that she's an incredibly talented photographer. If you know anything else about her, it's what an awesome person she is -- in every way. This busy mom of three just celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary and she gives endlessly to her church and community in ways that awe the people who know her well.

So to know this photographer -- this wonderful woman -- is always something I'm grateful for...then when she whips out her talent, I'm totally entranced. A couple weeks ago we shot my author photos at my family's lake house in Treasure Lake, Pennsylvania, and here's what happened when Joelle so brilliantly placed me in the environment that I call home.

Joelle, this Thanksgiving I'm thankful for loved ones like you.

(Aaand friends, there are more...including THE author photo, which you'll see when the book goes on-sale next August 16! Yahoooo!)

November 21, 2010

The Sunday before Thanksgiving is awesome, not just because it rolls into the week of one of my favorite holidays (I love America), but because it marks another of my favorite American traditions: the AMAs.

Since I was a kid I've LOVED the American Music Awards on ABC. And what could be cooler than seeing my two all-time favorites this year? I always knew Bon Jovi and the New Kids would be around forever. Plus Katy Perry and Sade are there?! Well done, ABC. I'll always be thankful for talents who are timeless.

Wishing a gorgeous Thanksgiving to you all. This is such a beautiful holiday, and I remember the Thanksgiving three years ago when I was living away. In Carrie's boss's Italian kitchen my friends and I made makeshift pumpkin pies with real pumpkin that we had to boil down and puree, crushed biscotti for crust, and maple syrup instead of brown sugar...and even as surprisingly awesome as they turned out, being out of the country on Thanksgiving made my heart hurt a little. I'm so grateful to be American every day, so grateful for this country that makes it possible for us all to have dreams and pursue them.

Bon Jovi just took the stage. You guys, you seriously rock. Look at Russell Brand, even he's impressed.

October 10, 2010

WOW. Today my memoir, HOW TO LOVE AN AMERICAN MAN, went available for pre-order on Amazon. My dad was my first customer (thanks Dad!), and if you'd like to join him and order your copy now, you can go here until I learn it's become available from other retailers, which I will also post.

Thanks so much for your support and interest...and I agree with all of you: I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK!

September 21, 2010

My book went to production today.

My gorgeous editor (truly, gorgeous) alerted me of this news around mid-morning, and I responded how I usually do: in an email, I said something like, "Yahoooo!"

Although in person, I go back to my work, denying myself of any celebration over this news as though this book is a charming man I've just met and I'm hesitant to get carried away by my daydreams of the potential between us.

But, just as I do with a new "like" I did with my editor: hours later I snuck back and read the message she'd sent me to catch the enthusiasm, the intricacies, the mutual affection. I'd share some of the email, but legally, I don't know if I can; and with editors as with men, I don't kiss and tell.

Okay, rephrase: with editors I don't kiss and tell. 

So friends, today I was reminded as my dream of being an author grows closer to reality --

This book is happening.

For real: this book is happening!

It's calledHOW TO LOVE AN AMERICAN MAN and right now it's scheduled for release in June 2011. Gonna be a sexy little beach read (and by "little," I mean big, babes)...and yes, what's in there really happened.

That's why you'll want to buy it.

Yahoooooo!

September 7, 2010

Thank you, Aunt Becky.

Thank you for being my dad's only sister. Thanks for staying in St. Louis when Grandpa moved Grandma and the boys back to PA. You didn't know it when you decided as a teenager to live independently from the rest of your family, but I have always and always will admire my aunt, the woman who came so assuredly into her own  because as a girl, she faced the world on her own. I love your stories about living in a cabin on a cliff with no electricity during college, your dance studies, and how Uncle Joe proposed outside of O'Connell's. You are a woman who runs with the wolves and no matter how much we both age, I'll always be trying to keep your pace.

And, I know you didn't do it just for me, but thanks for marrying Uncle Joe. His stature and command of every question I have about history and society awe me even more now than they did when I was a child. His understanding of your daughters proves to me that my dad is not the only patient, supportive, progressive man in the world, and as a single woman, I find this very, very encouraging. You and Uncle Joe also boast a brilliant travel log, sense of style and appreciation of books and art that invite me to shamelessly marvel at at all the compelling works around your home, which, in turn, fosters my pledge and serenity to one day locate a husband as fitting for me as Uncle Joe is for you.

Thank you for said daughters, whose beauty and wits and consciousness of the world around them make me value my own existence more than I would if I didn't have them in my life. Being the cousin of Madeline and Marisa makes me feel even more grateful to be a woman than I was before I traveled to see you this past weekend. They are truly something special and I meant it when I said that I hope to have daughters, and I hope they're just like yours.

Thank you for your generosity, laughter and energy during my visit. You are such a priceless force in my life and I'm so lucky to have you as my aunt.

And finally, thank you for the gazpacho recipe. Mom tried it tonight and it is magic!

Thanks for being you, Aunt Beck. Love you.

August 29, 2010

For the last two weeks since I returned from the mission trip in Honduras, some of you have been asking for updates on how the week went.

While I was there, I was surprised to determine immediately that my response to that question would be rather too in-depth and complicated to answer here. If I had to nail it down to one word, it was perspective-changing. We saw smiles where there was suffering and hope where it looked to me as though there should've been none. Unless we have witnessed a place like this, we cannot imagine that our fellow humans are living in conditions where they don't have water to drink...as we run the sink while we're brushing our teeth (please stop doing this). We can't appreciate that these people have to live with an infection that would interrupt our work, our sleep, our play, our identities...and they make due with these illnesses for months, until American doctors show up to offer them care. We have no inkling for what exists when we're stripped -- sometimes literally, stripped -- of 95% of our material possessions, our entertainment, the promise of meals every day, and the ways we stay connected to one another via technology.

What does exist when all that falls away?

God.

I was stunned. I saw God everywhere. I saw Him in the smiles on children's dirty faces, in the optimistic food hunt of a hungry puppy, in the patience and care that our doctors administered. I saw God in an impeccably-timed blue butterfly, the pine trees during our zipline, the ancient Mayan Ruins surrounded by green green green. I saw God in a  game of four square after our bus broke down (it's Monday, so sure God: we'll play this week your way), in the faces of the women who fed us breakfast and dinner at Dr. Rice's mission house, and in the wince of an 18-year-old mother whose hand I held as she weathered contractions before delivering her second baby. She smiled at me because she saw how her pain was affecting me. I realized then how weak I am. I realized then how strong women are.

I realized how blessed we Americans are to have doctors. Our healthcare system is in flux, and I pray for the Americans who are suffering...I give thanks, however, that we do have healthcare professionals in our reach. Say thank you to your doctors, your dentist, your pharmacist, nurses. Say thank you to God that you live in a free, first-world country that gives us a voice in the system and allows us to leave on occasion so that you may study and travel and appreciate other cultures as well as how great ours is. Yes, these are basic human rights -- but many, many humans don't have them.

I met some incredible people -- Honduran and American -- on that trip. I wish I could reveal more about how they helped transform me in this blog, but rest assured...they will be part of an upcoming book project. What we witnessed will probably make you laugh, cry and shiver (the medical procedures were intense, you guys)!

I thank very deeply the friends, mentors and colleagues who, over the years, have inspired and encouraged me to use my life to make someone else's a little better; to be a sign of hope for another person who has only hope to survive on. If you are interested in becoming more active in volunteering opportunities, I'll be really happy to share my experience. I urge you to start your research, pray that your chance to help others makes itself clear to you, and reach out to people you know who are already using their lives to better others'. We can all be the change.

Start with you.

Start now.


July 18, 2010

If good friends are life's riches, then I could be on the Forbes 100.

And this:

Life is short. Ride more rollercoasters.



July 13, 2010

Countdown to Honduras has begun. As I mentioned in my video for the Oprah Winfrey Network's viewer competition, August 7 kicks off my first service trip ever. Tonight was the first meeting our mission group held since I signed up for the trip in June, and I'm so excited for this totally new adventure to help administer health and spirituality to the good people in Copan and the surrounding villages.

The quantity and caliber of healthcarers that are leading this trip are incredible -- we have a dermatologist whom I've admired since I was a kid, a very talented oral surgeon, a ground-breaking obstetrician, and one of the most dedicated pharmacists I've ever seen. And that list only scratches the surface. To be fair, I have no medical training...but I'm starting to pep-talk myself into giving every person I encounter there as much love and care as little-ol'-I can offer.

Know how I know that will be plenty good enough? Because when you voted for my Oprah video a few weeks ago -- over 61,000 votes, people! -- every moment of your time, every vote, every ounce of your care meant so much to me. I was hoping for, like, 10,000 votes, and that would've been outstanding...then when we surpassed that, my heart just kept squealing with gratitude and delight. Seriously! Like a little kid!

Not everyone on this trip is an expert in God and medicine, but I have no doubt that our impact will be significant. You taught me that when you reach out to help someone else, even a little bit of kindness equals a ton to the person you're helping.

All that said, an old college friend of mine is raising money for Habitat for Humanity in Los Angeles. If that's a cause you feel moved to support, here's the link to help Jen Wise reach her goal for Habitat. Looking at the donation increments, I remembered what you taught me: your small token of generosity is, in many ways, equivalent to the goal. No amount is ever "not enough" -- the recipient will find joy in your kindness that, as Elizabeth Gilbert said in Eat Pray Love, sends ripples of peace out into the whole world. It amazes us all to be reminded, Man: people are good.

Know what else proves to me that people are good? The Ski Lodge. On this blog last year I got nostalgic about my favorite pub up the hill from my house where I rode my sled, played in the downstairs arcade and ate nachos for dinner when I was growing up. This week was the awesome annual outdoor music festival that I experienced for the first time, and I saw so many people whom I hadn't seen in years: my friends, my parents' friends, and new friends who transformed my little Pennsylvania hometown to a weekend of feels-like-endless FUN. Sitting on the Lodge's deck, toasting and laughing and dancing, I just kept thinking to myself: this is what life's all about.

Thanks guys. You seriously rock.

June 30, 2010

When he sees me online working at night, my friend Augusto, whom I find to be the most talented (and handsomest!) hair stylist in Northern Italy, tells me that I really need to start getting to bed earlier. I agree, Augusto -- wholeheartedly -- although I always get so much done at night.

This last nighttime task is not a to-do, however. It's a privilege. Before I head to bed I came here to extend a great big one of these to the universe:

June 10, 2010

We're over 6,000 votes, my friends. Such amazing people you all are to be voting for my show idea on the Oprah Winfrey Network with such support, enthusiasm and hope! I'll do everything I can to make you part of the show! Please go here to continue to click and VOTE -- if you're 18 years of age and a legal resident of the U.S., you can vote as many times as you like (and if you're really psyched to keep voting, here's a shortcut: click VOTE + Backspace. You won't have to wait while the page loads)! Again here's the link -- THANKS!

June 9, 2010

Friends, today my video audition to host a show on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) went live. Please support what the show will do -- and it's possible you could be part of it! Click here to view and VOTE as many times as you like, as long as you're at least 18 years old and a legal resident of the U.S.

THANK YOU!!! We're part of a new era, and we're going to keep changing the world!

Again, please go here to cast your vote -- and leave a comment as well!

May 5, 2010

This was one of those really good work days. It was so full of energy and great contacts that I just had to get on here and share the love.

Part of what made it so energizing was that I interviewed Lisa Oz, Dr. Mehmet Oz's wife and author of the truly amazing new book US: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships That Matter Most. Lisa and I met at a party when Dr. Oz's book YOU: On a Diet hit the NYTimes Bestseller List in 2006, and I told Lisa on the phone today, "Ever since I met you I've always thought to myself, 'I hope I get to encounter Lisa Oz again.'"

She said, "And here we are!"

Indeed there we were, and instantly I remembered why I'd been so taken with Lisa the first time. Our interview will go live on LimeLife.com next week, but for now I'll explain that US explores the crucial (and often overlooked) link between our relationships and our health. The book also gives tips and inspiration for doing our inner "work" to improve ourselves and our bonds with others. It's one of the most relevant books I've seen in awhile, and I encourage you to just pick it up and learn a little about Lisa's message if you come across US in a bookstore (it's a beautiful blue jacket featuring Mrs. Oz's always-stunning face).

That said, there are more really awesome authors who have come into my life rather recently, and if you could use recommendations for summer reads or something to snuggle up with at night with the windows open (love summer coming!), check these out:

• Rocco Wachman and Matt Pelligrini wrote COWBOY: The Ultimate Guide To Living Like A Great American Icon. (I have joked that like Pam Houston, cowboys are my weakness [actually a lot of things are my weakness], but this book is just so much fun. Great Dad's Day gift idea, and you may recognize Rocco Wachman as the cowboy who went vegan and told his story on the Dr. Oz Show. I saw the episode -- felt like I'd known that man for years and so admired his lifestyle change.)
• Harmon Leon's The American Dream: Walking In the Shoes of Carnies, Arms Dealers, Immigrant Dreamers, Pot Farmers and Christian Believers. Harmon is a friend of mine from all these poker gigs I've been covering, and his is one of the funniest, wackiest and most genuine people I know. Harmon does incredible infiltration work in sectors of society that many of us only dare wonder about (he earnestly followed a group called Hookers for Jesus for Penthouse -- here's the link) and brings humanity and laughter to every conversation I've ever seen him in. Plus, admit it: you're curious about carnies too.
• Sue Carswell's Faded Pictures From My Backyard: A Memoir. The book details Sue's life growing up linked to an orphanage when she was a child -- not because she was an orphan, but because her parents helped run the home. Forget that Sue travels to Curaçao, Vegas and Monte Carlo in a single month as part of her work. Forget that she has made herself such a rich and gracious resource for a still-establishing writer like me. Forget that her bio reads this: Sue Carswell is a Vanity Fair reporter/researcher. She is a published author,  former senior story editor for "Good Morning America," contributing launch editor for "O, The Oprah Magazine," former executive editor for Random House Inc., senior editor at Simon & Schuster, and former correspondent for People magazine.
  Sue Carswell is a great writer and a wonderful person, and all of this comes through in Faded Pictures. (Plus the photos are incredible.)
  
• I've just finished my first Adriana Trigiani book (thank you, my awesome editor Amy Bendell at HarperCollins for the recommendation). My Trigiani first time happened to be Very Valentine. If you love anything related to Italy, family, couture shoes or food, you will love Trigiani. (Um, yes. I did too.) You will really love her if you enjoy an author whose voice you sometimes mistake for your best friend's. Could not lap Very Valentine up fast enough, and I hope meeting Adriana is in my future. (My near future, if I'm being picky.)
  
• Alphie McCourt's A Long Stone's Throw. I read this book in its very early manuscript phase, and if you know me, you know that I hold Alphie McCourt and his dear wife Lynn and his beautiful daughter Allison close to my heart as friends. Alphie holds steadfast to the brilliant, heartbreaking, hilarious McCourt authoring tradition, and his experience of moving from Ireland to New York City will read in a day. Such a lovely man and a fantastic writer.

These friends and colleagues are nothing less than giant blessings in my life, and they each have impacted me both personally and professionally. If you are craving some inspiration, just pick up one of these titles or drop me a line. After my chat with Lisa Oz today, I think I have enough to go around...

April 19, 2010

Dear Friends:

I am sleepy, but never too sleepy to tell you what I'm thinking. It's this: THANK YOU for all of your support these last few months, especially as things have become so super-official with my book, HOW TO LOVE AN AMERICAN MAN.

If you've been following this site, you know that since January I have been traveling consistently. Here's the thing: the trips are all for work. It's definitely fun work, but there's not a ton of time for play, and I've been feeling the itch to go travel again...like, a month away in a very exotic locale. (Remember how happy I was the first time I came home from Italy?) But while I haven't been able to really make my escapade, you've been coming here to me, and I love it when you stop by.

I'm thrilled to say that this site enjoys visitors from all over the globe. Hopefully you'll agree that I try to be a good hostess and keep up with all of your emails, but I know that on occasion there's one or two I might miss. If this is truly one of your favorite destinations, hopefully you'll like questi saluti (that's "these greetings," in Italiano):

What's up Paris and Bordeaux, what's up London, Montreal, what's up San Fran, Sacramento and L.A. Hi to Singapore, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Australia, Slovakia and Denmark (really!) and ciao sempre a la mia famiglia e miei amici in Roma, Milano, Correggio e Firenze. Mi manchate tutti. Hi always to St. Louis (go Cards, hi Aunt Beck!), NYC (you come here every day and I adore you all), New Jersey (man are you loyal), and Cleveland (you are too). Twenty-five of the states in the U.S. come up regularly in my analytics, guys...hola babies!

And of course there's this lovely hometown where I lived until I was 18 and returned two years ago. It's likely I'll be taking off again before the year is out, but DuBois, PA, you will always be my home. Thank you for your love on this site and when we run into each other out and about -- can't wait to see you at my book parties. (At the moment, we're looking at a spring or summer 2011 release for my book...you summer readers are going to love taking me with you to the beach! [This girl loves the beach.])

I'm sending you all the love and good wishes that you're sending me, and more. Grazie di tutto, amici! Thanks for visiting, friends!

February 25, 2010

Apart from my book with HarperCollins (blog post below) and the celeb interviews that I have coming out of the North American Poker Tour in Las Vegas (PokerStars.net is the BEST! My interview with Jason Alexander is live in my "Celebrity Interviews" section now), there's another project I'm working on. It's with my awesome friend and colleague, renowned photographer Joelle Watt. In the coming months you'll see us launch our Web site for La Storia Studio -- a project unlike anything that the wedding or photography markets are offering right now. Go to my "Contact Me" section if you're interested in more details, and we'll talk.

By the way, if you knew me circa 1989 through 1992, you know I was a huge -- HUGE -- New Kids On the Block fan. On Friday at NAPT, I -- wow, I can't believe I'm even saying it -- I MET DONNIE WAHLBERG. Such a babe, such a doll. My interview with Donnie will go live on LimeLife at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning, and of course, I'll be linking to it right here. New Kids On the Block are back together, and I'll be there to see them in June!!!

UPDATE: Here's the Donnie Wahlberg interview!

DREAMS COME TRUE! BELIEVE BELIEVE BELIEVE!!!!

February 3, 2010

Two big updates:

Today my awesome editor, Amy Bendell, sent out the highly-anticipated (by me, anyway) announcement that she and the Harper imprint at HarperCollins have bought rights to publish my memoir. Here's a snippet of the announcement from Publishers Marketplace:

Kristine Gasbarre's HOW TO LOVE AN AMERICAN MAN ... to Amy Bendell and Lisa Sharkey of Harper,  for publication in January 2011, by Janet Rosen at Sheree Bykofsky Associates (World English).

Janet, Sheree, Lisa, Amy and the whole gang at Harper: Thank you, thank you. I understand how blessed I am to be working with such an incredible publishing team and can't wait to see what's in store for us.

Second big update: this evening while on a business trip, my lovely dad finally got to dine at the restaurant where my best friend Shayna's husband, the gobsmackingly, lipsmackingly talented John Ireland, is the executive chef. It's The Wine Bar in Saratoga Springs, New York, and if you make one foodie trip in 2010, GO HERE. Dad's giving it five stars -- and this a man who loves an unbelievable lamb chop...loves a good glass of merlot...loves a nice Cuban...but has learned through many years and many destinations of travel that you can't find such delicacies just anywhere. Which is why my dear father can't stop talking about John Ireland and the Wine Bar. (Seriously, I'm not just being biased: food TV is hot on John's tail. If you don't already know him, meet him and eat his food before he gets famous and all you can do is wish television had an olfactory function.)

Just had an epiphany: John, think you'd want to cater one of my book's launch parties? Why, this is the best idea I've had all day...

January 15, 2010

Just wanted to share my excitement over my interview with American fashion king Kenneth Cole -- love this man! He and his wife Maria Cuomo Cole do amazing work for The Foundation For AIDS Resarch amfAR and the homeless organization HELP USA.

As if Kenneth Cole designs aren't stunning enough, the man behind them is a gem as well. We had a few really enjoyable exchanges at PokerStars Caribbean Adventure last weekend -- thanks for the great interview, Mr. Cole! He filled me in on the amazing things he has happening in the spring, as well as what next season's look is. (Read the interview to find out!)

Speaking of the social awareness (not only fashionable but kind and necessary), it's so important for all of us to be providing relief in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake this week. Keep giving, people! This is what makes us America.

We at LimeLife have listed the easy ways you can donate -- go here if you haven't had a chance till now.

January 11, 2010

Returned home late last night from six days at Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure in Nassau, Bahamas -- amazing!! Met poker pro and E! star Vanessa Rousso (can you say gorgeous, inside and out?!) and the youngest World Series of Poker champ in history, Joe Cada. And, oh yeah babes...there were celebs. We're talking Slash, Joanna Krupa, Montel Williams, Boris Becker, Jayde Nicole and loads of others.

Stay tuned for links to my red carpet interviews with Nelly, Kelly Rowland and American fashion king Kenneth Cole! All three got personal with me, plus revealed their upcoming projects...and all three are astonishingly kind people. I'll explain what I mean in the interviews.

(Started reading the new Elizabeth Gilbert in the airport, and note to self: Never start one of her books when I have so many deadlines...love her.)

January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!!! Happy New Decade!!!

December 21, 2009

Best birthday ever. All the world is about to welcome a new decade, but a new decade also started for me today -- the thirties!

Everything that I hoped would happen in my twenties, did...God's good, isn't He? Thanks to the people near to me and far away who helped make my birthday so very special with celebrations, wishes of happiness, gifts I adored and can totally use!, and your love and faith in me both on my birthday and throughout my life. The sentiment is 100% mutual.

Most especially a big thanks to my Mom and Dad, who are seriously the BEST. I couldn't have done any of this without your undying support. Love you both so much.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE, and happy winter! I wish an amazing new decade full of blessings to you all!

November 24, 2009

What am I thankful for this year? My awesome loved ones, a career I adore (and can do in my pajamas), and last week's interview with Dancing With the Stars winner Kym Johnson! Congratulations Kym Johnson and Donny Osmond, you are both superstars.

(Oooh, to feel this close to the action!)

Kym, see you for Burn the Floor in December -- can't wait. Thanks for the fab interview you gave LimeLife and me.

Dear World: Kym Johnson is gorgeous inside and out.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!! So many things to be thankful for. God bless.

November 1, 2009

Two-thirds of my life are now officially composed of...writing.

No no, I say it happily -- this is I wanted for my life. I just try to imagine life before writing and sort of...can't, probably the same way my best friend tries to remember life before she gave birth to her daughter last week (can't wait to meet you, Everlie!).

Right now, I'm working on my first book (or, okay, maybe my fourth? but my first one that a publisher will publish). This project...well, it's sort of like my baby. I had a laborious day yesterday, some pain in my story's development, sometimes wondering whether I was actually capable of shaping its existence. But then today the words flowed and the thoughts connected and -- I love when this happens -- even some tears came. This story made itself clear that it has to be told.

Determined little spirit, it is. I remember a talk that one of my favorite writers Elizabeth Gilbert gave, when she said one of her favorite writers once revealed that when a story idea comes to her, it's like a great wind that blows down from the mountains and if she doesn't catch the idea, it disappears through her and ends up she doesn't know where. I'm learning that same thing -- still not getting so caught up in the writing-down part for fear every earthly observation would consume me even more than it already does -- but the idea that this story is not properly mine. It's sort of on loan from heaven, a message somehow regarding divinity that simply has to be shared with us common folk. I'm simply a vessel. Finally understanding this, my former dogma I want to be a writer begins to sound as self-serving as the woman who says she wants to have a baby for the mere purpose of advancing her role in the universe. Think about it:

I want to be a writer
vs.
I want to share a story,

same as

I want to be a mom
vs.
 I want to give life to another.

It reminds me of something a psychic once told my mom, that children choose their parents before we enter the womb. We know exactly whom we desire to birth us and teach us about living. This story chose me to tell it more than I chose to tell this story. It's exciting and exhausting, and every day I don't know if I'm really capable of getting it out to its perfection...but I put my heart in it, and, sometimes, I have to push. And I have to believe that in early 2011 when I finally see the final result -- when I can hold it in my hands -- I won't remember how hard it was...I'll only see how amazingly it turned out.


September 15, 2009

The window in front of my desk looks out over Treasure Lake, the Central Pennsylvania gem I grew up on. My childhood is composed almost completely of memories here, tubing with my best friends, watching every year's Fourth of July fireworks shoot up over the marina, jumping with my cousins off my Uncle Tom's boat in our favorite spot (on the west side of the lake to the left of the main beach). When I was a kid, Treasure Lake meant pure fun, the perfect place and way to grow up.

Since I returned home a year ago, my life has taken on many moving parts. As career and family and friends hustle along (and, sometimes, past me), the lake sometimes seems the only thing that has remained the same about my life since I left home at 18. From my window on summer weekends I still see boats zipping around; toddlers with beach toys bigger than they are building sandcastles to eventually dance on them.

But on days when the lake is quiet, I walk down to the beach. I bring my journal, or my Shelties, or a book, or nothing at all, and I sit. Sometimes work and romance and my to-do list stress me out, and the lake is the one calm center that never fails to pacify me. I wrote in my journal one Sunday a few weeks ago, "Why does this lake always calm me? Why do I always find God here? Why is my stomach more soothed, why do I not feel so alone, how does God do it? Can I believe that love is always?" This lake, the only thing in my life that is always the same.

Meanwhile, the fact is, we're nearing September's end. The dark moves in before dinner and the wind shakes through the leaves. Summer accepts its inevitable exit as fall's complex blend of colors and emotions sweeps in.

This past was a cold weekend, Saturday especially gray, and I shivered as I walked my dogs to dip their feet in the water. I couldn't touch the water on Saturday. I feared it would feel too cold. In my mind I submitted: the full-blown life of summer is gone. Impossible as it is to understand, winter is approaching, with its end to life and brightness.

Maybe this lake does change.

Today though, the sun was back shining. At lunchtime the dogs stretched for a stroll and while Rocky waddled hesitantly along the water's edge, I crouched down and dangled my fingers into the lake. Amazingly it was warm as bath water; tepid, soothing like a spa. I scanned out across the lake's circumference -- no boats since Saturday. Nighttime in the day. Peaceful. Floating. And contrary to my thinking, still surging with life.

God is here. This lake is God's presence. We kiss goodbye one season of life and brace ourselves for what is almost certain to be a long cold.

I remember the fun, beautiful and sacred moments on that lake; the family and friends who've experienced something there worth keeping. I rarely write poetry anymore, but Treasure Lake inspired this piece in August:
 

The trees here attach the water to sky
So heaven and earth commit or collide.
Blue grand and yielding where green curves and pines -
The color of your eyes, and the color of mine.


God bless all who have known Treasure Lake.


June 2, 2009

Today I met my favorite meteorologist. 

Of all the anchors and reporters I might’ve run into at WTAJ-TV in Altoona, who was sitting right in the studio but, oh yes, Regina Miller.  When I sat down at the anchor desk and folded my hands to practice using the teleprompter, her back was to me – but I’d have known that shiny hair anywhere.  She spun around from the storm tracker on her computer.  “Are you applying?”

“Oh no, I have an audition in Philadelphia on Thursday.  It’s just been a few years since I’ve seen a teleprompter, they can be tricky.”  I paused.  Should I say it?  “You’re Regina Miller, right?”

She nodded.  “Yes.”

“Oh, I love watching you on TV, you’re so beautiful.”

“Oh how sweet, thank you!”

The sincerity in her response reminded me of the time I met Giada de Laurentiis, and then Elizabeth Gilbert.  I had always told myself, If I ever get to meet her, this is exactly what I’ll say.  To Giada it was, “You make young Italian-American women feel so beautiful.”  She grabbed my hand across the cookbook-signing table and looked me square in the eye.  “We are beautiful.”  I went woozy in the knees.  To Liz Gilbert it was, “Um, I know I’m incredibly bold to ask this, but could we have lunch sometime?”  She asked me to email her through her agent.  The following Monday when I did, she had to reject the invitation as there were “many moving parts” in her life (yeah, such as Julia Roberts playing her in a movie, which certainly warranted her gentle raincheck), but, with kindness, she praised my bravery in asking.

During a moment when my life is in a holding pattern – when I’m living back in my rural hometown, while I'm waiting patiently for a book deal, when for the first time in my adulthood my next step is up to the fates – meeting a woman like Regina Miller (or Giada de Laurentiis, or Liz Gilbert) reminds me why I chose the media for my career.  Yes, these are personalities who are glamorous and lovable and even though you’ve hardly met them you feel like they’re your friend; but also, they radiate a certain charisma.  My life that used to be sort of superlative and epic is somewhat average right now, but driving home today I blasted the music through the car and put down the window to let the sun in.  It was a day for being in direct contact with things that shine.

My alarm went off this morning, and I didn’t know I was going to meet my favorite weathergirl -- same as she didn’t know that she’d inspire a young woman’s dreams.  Today I had a brush with greatness, and it made me feel motivated again.  Not even Regina Miller could’ve forecast that.

April 6, 2009

I always look forward to a story deadline because for all intents and purposes, it means the bulk of my work is complete. 

Although this week, the assignment I'm wrapping up feels even heavier than it did when I pitched it.  As I put the finishing touches on my Busted Halo series on contemporary slavery (Part 2 of three went live tonight), I am sadder than I am relieved.  For the last three weeks (and on and off for the last year and a half) I have dwelt in research about human trafficking and slavery, which I feel are the worst human rights violations of our time.  According to experts like my colleague Ben Skinner, with an estimated 27 million people working under the threat of violence for no pay beyond subsistence -- many of them women and children -- there are more slaves today than at any other point in human history.

We must take action.

Over the next two weeks, please stay tuned for the rest of my series.  Because there is really good news here -- the final segment will list a lot of really do-able ways you and I can make a difference.

 I welcome your comments at krissy@kristinegasbarre.com.

March 30, 2009

Because I've published food stories with national publications and lived in Italy among the world's culinary masters, the owner of my all-time favorite restaurant in my hometown invited me this afternoon to brainstorm an upscale menu.

Both the Ski Lodge and I have grown and groomed considerably since the afternoons I tromped in from the sled riding slope out front to blast Bon Jovi in their downstairs jukebox and spend my paper route paycheck on Pac-Man.  Today when the chef saw me hustling past the elegant dining room that used to be my old arcade, he yelled, "Go ahead upstairs, we're waiting for you!"  Right then I think the kick in my step must've looked pretty much like a little kid's. 

I realized that my feet still dangled off the leather stool as I sat at the cozy cabin-inspired bar to prepare my notes -- Would a rustic chicken roast look okay on the same menu as the nachos I've ordered since I was 7?  The bartender asked me what I wanted to drink, and she clouded a glass of Coke with cherry juice for the little girl sitting with her dad next to the crackling fireplace.  "You know what?" I said.  "I haven't had one of those in ages, will you make me the same thing?"

So she filled a pint glass with fizzy pop, speared three Maraschino cherries onto a red plastic sword, and slid my glass to me.  The only thing that could make a menu-planning meeting any more of a thrill than it already was, would be drinking a Shirley Temple during it.  

The sun beamed late-afternoon orange over the ski slopes out back, and I had to smile to myself.  On days like today, a girl remembers who she is.  Sometimes life just comes full circle.

March 26, 2009

If you've looked around here, you'll see I've been promoting my contemporary slavery series on BustedHalo.com.  I credit my esteemed colleague Ben Skinner with waking me up to today's problem of slavery and human trafficking, which I feel are the greatest human rights violations of our time.  The paperback for Ben's Book A Crime So Monstrous went on sale this week, and he shared his excitement over the latest news in slavery with friends: 

Friends,

On Tuesday, Simon & Schuster released A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face With Modern-Day Slavery in paperback. To celebrate, President Obama tapped Lou de Baca, an outstanding human being and one of the nation’s most decorated federal prosecutors, to be his antislavery czar.

OK, so it’s just a coincidence that the two things happened on the same day. But to me it still feels like providence, which is why I’m writing you to ask for your help to seize the moment. There are more slaves in the world today than at any point in human history, but with a strong, widespread abolitionist movement, we can eradicate the crime in a generation.

Towards that end, here are three simple things you can do this evening:

Buy The Book

A Crime So Monstrous is my record of five years travel in order to capture the voices of slaves, survivors, traffickers and abolitionists. It’s intended for the uninitiated who, like me, are not particularly excited to read human rights reports. As such, I’ve tried to give it a narrative spine, capturing the human stories in all their complexity. If you already have a copy, at $10 the paperback is not a bad gift. As always, a quarter of my royalties go to Free The Slaves.

Support Lou

I’ve watched Lou de Baca’s work since I began to research slavery in 2000, and his credentials to lead Obama’s global abolitionist effort are sterling. Using a rare combination of fire and compassion, he has put away more than 100 human traffickers, and freed more than 600 victims—a record unmatched by anyone. Please contact Senators Kerry, Lugar and the other members of the Foreign Relations Committee and urge Lou’s swift confirmation. If real abolition is to be a part of Obama’s legacy, Lou needs to get started as soon as possible.

Support The Cause

On www.acrimesomonstrous.com, I list a couple of the best organizations doing work worldwide to not only free slaves, but to eradicate bondage. Please consider making a donation.

Moreover, for those of you lucky enough to be in NYC, tonight Peter Buffett and I will be speaking at fundraiser for the Somaly Mom Foundation, held at 9PM at the Chelsea Art Museum. Following us, there’ll be a dance party featuring djs, drummers, Cuban and Haitian beats. Details at www.janera.com

Modern rules of etiquette dictate that I’m only allowed to spam my friends once a year. As such, this’ll be the last group email that you get from me until 2010. Please make it count by forwarding to friends, posting to blogs, shouting from on high.

Thank you all again, so much, for the support.

--
E. Benjamin Skinner
Fellow
Harvard Kennedy School
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy


March 24, 2009

For the first time since I started freelancing two years ago, I'm so busy I can barely keep up!

(This is good.)

Please visit my blog for updates on my work and my comments on what's happening in the news.  If you care to share comments at krissy@kristinegasbarre.com, I'll love posting some of them here.