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the adam project…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay

I had the privilege of seeing an early premiere of The Adam Project earlier this month. I have so many things to say about this movie… As a details girl, I was not disappointed!

As a dreamer of possibilities, the idea that this could (in any way, shape, or form) be a sequel to 13 Going on 30 made this movie even more fun to watch. (Matty & Jenna FOREVER!)

This movie is fun! In the vein of Explorers, Flight of the Navigator, and other similar themed films, it is filled with enjoyable adrenaline and fun! Beyond that though, this film is filled with heart. It touches on grief and loss from so many angles, causing each character (past, present, or future) to challenge their own feelings and empathize with others. There is simply so much depth within the frames of this movie showing us so much healing. While the premise of the film may be science-fiction, the truth is we all navigate our own burdens of grief and loss. Though the primary plot may be completely unrelatable, the soul of it may likely mirror struggles and moments of our own journeys.

From a technical perspective, the movie is well-paced with believable special effects. Casting in this film may be credited to Carmen Cuba but I fully believe some sort of time travel magic was involved, and you can fight me on this if you want, but Walker Scobell as a young Ryan Reynolds was eery perfection. I’m weeks out since the viewing and my mind still struggles to comprehend how these two people are not cut of the same human being. If you love Ryan Reynolds then this aspect alone is with the watch.

Just be forewarned, you’ll probably really love it.

Bravo to Netflix, the entire cast and crew… Brilliantly done film–the sort of escape, enjoyment, and heart we need right now!

The numbers don’t lie, but the eggs might…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay

Is it fair to say that February may have been the longest string of twenty-eight days in the history of man? I mean, that’s probably not true (a matter of perspective I can imagine) and also from a scientific standpoint probably makes no sense. All the same, from where I’m typing it would seem that February lasted 127 years and I am entering into the month of March to celebrate what would then be my 173rd birthday. (also, to be fair, I feel I have aged so much in these past few years that maybe I feel 173…)

If you’re some sort of rapid math genius then you may have assessed that I’m turning 46 in a handful of weeks. 46. I didn’t repeat it because this number freaks me out–on the contrary, I don’t even get what the big deal about age is anymore. I had my meltdown when I turned 25, and then my worst birthday ever when I turned 40. To be fair, they were all pretty crappy, for the most part, until that one.

No, I repeated “46” because it gave me pause to realize it has only been six years since that horror of a milestone day. Those six years have really dragged on, proving that time must not always “speed by” the older we get. I guess considering almost half of that time has been measured through the pandemic lens, and included the longest January ever, followed by the 127-year long month of February…

Listen, there are a lot of numbers in this post. Some are spelled out in an attempt to distract myself from the fact that if I look at these lines just right it will feel like a story problem from my fifth-grade math book. These numbers are stressing me out… Math is clearly not my thing. Even the appearance of math makes me antsy…

One thing I don’t take for granted is the appreciation I’ve gained for birthdays, my own included, and have traded in the decades of horrible ones for better ones since the disastrous 40th. I believe we are never too old to learn, which brings me to the actual (only slightly numerical) point of this post:

Things I learned in February…

  1. Over the process of working with my publishing team and editor, I feel I’ve gained more and more confidence in my work–specifically my memoir.
  2. While I wouldn’t say i learned how to watercolor, I did spend time playing with them and definitly feel less intimidated than I did before.
  3. That there is an actual Carpe Diem day. It was February 26th. Not only is this special to me because Dead Poet’s Society has always been a favorite film of mine, but I also feel this matters because so often we choose to stay comfortable over daring to do things… As we sink farther and farther into that zone, we tend to achieve less and less. Seizing the day is something I hope I aspire to do–even when I really am turning 173. (to be clear, PLEASE GOD NO. I do not wish to live that long.)
  4. Definitly since the start of this year, but continuing into February, I’ve been working on learning to embrace my creative desires and focus on “play over results.” In doing so, I’m trying several different mediums, looking at classes, and really enjoying myself.
  5. In February I continued my education in embracing that I am a child of the moon. I restructured my entire schedule to observe the waxing and waning cycles of the moon’s phases and it was interesting. Due to things beyond my control, I won’t be able to observe these cycles as strictly in March, but I still plan to be intentional about them.
  6. According to Google, one can tell an organic egg has gone bad when it floats in a bowl of water. I don’t know about all of that, but I did learn that if an egg smells really eggy, it is not good. Maybe this is baseless information and I’m full of it, I don’t know… but when Chw made scrambled eggs one day, and I (from an entirely different room) smelled a STRONG eggs smell the second he started, my stomach turned and I couldn’t eat them. A few days later, I went to fry up an egg for a bowl of ramen and the second I cracked the egg (the NO WHITES egg that sent horrified chills up my spine!) that same smell about knocked me back ten feet. I couldn’t eat the egg, (sad ramen). I replaced the entire batch and we had eggs over the weekend and I did not smell that smell or get nauseated. This may all be baseless information but I don’t care. If I ever smell that putrid scent again, I will not be eating the eggs…
  7. HOWEVER, in my EGG-UCATION (ha!!! I know… Lame. But also, kind of funny…) I also learned that the brighter the yolk color the more natural and healthy the hen’s diet was, thus meaning the paler yolks are the less healthy.
  8. I attending an amazing workshop and learned how to not only give myself an “energy massage”, but how to give one to someone else. Fascinating stuff!
  9. I had my first King Cake… and listen, if people are binging on these before Lent, I understand the idea behind abstaining from sugar. WOW, that was the SWEETEST cake I’ve ever put in my mouth!
  10. Even though there are increasingly terrible things happening in the world, as well as in many of our lives and the lives of our people, it is CRUCIAL that we honor and celebrate our good moments, small wins, and progress.

late-night listening…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay

With the hum of the heater and tick-tick of the clock, the late-night hours bring me solace. It isn’t just that the daylight moments hold such noise and chaos, but gently so the darkness blankets in comfort.

On this Sunday evening, long after the last meeting has wrapped and my planner pages for Monday have been scribbled in, I listen. Fine-tuning my ears to the outside-winter sounds of wind howling its ice-laden breath. I press play on a few Marco Polo messages that I managed to neglect in the business of recent days, listening to voices saying things that suddenly matter to me because they matter to those speaking. What a genuine gift it is to have another soul spend their time telling you things–letting you into their moments…

One of the many things we often take for granted.

Though I usually avoid social media on Sundays, I popped on to Instagram to check in– to see… Immediately my feed illuminates with news of Jen Hatmaker’s new man and once again, I care because she cares. While I have immense admiration for the transparency with which she shares of herself, her life, and her journey–I do not know her personally. We are not friends, (though a girl can dream, and one day maybe…) but in the same ways that this empathetic heart has held grief for the wounds she’s been through in recent years, and the absolutely disgusting way many in the public have passed judgment on her for– of course, I pause to hold space for this happy news and to celebrate. And really, what a genuine gift it is to have this woman share pieces of her life with total strangers in such a raw and engaging way…

One of the many things we often take for granted.

I told a friend this evening, that I spent my entire Sunday in my dino pajamas. I drank coffee in them, played video games, napped, watched Killing Eve beside my husband, ate gooey grilled cheese sandwiches, and completed dozens of pages of a work project all from the comfort of my dinosaur pajamas, feet clad in pink bunny slippers.

As empty-nesters, dinners seldom hold the fanfare they once did. The weekends tend to be the least organized on this front. This afternoon we had a conversation about Sunday’s dinner:

“Do we even bother? Do we want dinner?”

“What did we do for dinner last Sunday? Oh… the Super Bowl? Was that only a week ago? Wow. This has been a LONG week.”

“Are you even hungry? Am I? It’s 5:30 now. Is it too late to take a nap? I think I need a nap.”

As a young adult dreaming of my someday, real grown-up life of luxury, this wasn’t quite how I meant it… And yet, here I am. Luxury at its finest.

Late naps, comfortable pajamas, working from home, setting my own hours, having dinner options, and leisurely ways to pass the time with this man I love… Mmmhmmm. Many, many of the things I’ve often taken for granted.

Listening…

I listen to the hum of the universe around me, orchestrated in tones of inner ear ringing, furnace hums, electricity songs–all conducted by the late-night silence.

In a few months, these same hours will hold sounds of insects, crickets, and sticky-warm nightlife. I’ll likely feel equal parts grateful for the track change and nostalgic for the winter solace that was.

Whatever we’re doing, wherever we are, there’s always something pleading for us to listen. Beneath the dialogue and actual words, the rhythm of detail is awaiting our attention. For us to notice, for us to see… What have I been missing, in the rush of busy?

What about tomorrow, when the sun ushers in schedules, phone calls, meetings, and responsibilities?

May we remember to seek pause, even in the chaos. To pay attention, and hold tight to these moments that we’ve grown so accustomed to taking for granted.

dog… {giveaway}

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay21 Comments

I have always been a dog lover. There is something about having a dog that supports my emotional health, brings a level of companionship I may not get elsewhere, and just brings a richness unlike anything else. The hardest part of having walked this earth for four-plus decades as a dog lover has been the goodbyes. While many of my best moments involved a beloved pup, the lowest moments were those “see ya laters”.

I currently have a four-year-old Golden Retriever named Elenor. Ironically, she is the one dog I didn’t want. I’d had to say goodbye to a puppy a few months before and it had been brutal. I wasn’t ready. My husband really wanted her, and so Elenor came home with us.

This girl took a while to bond with, likely due to my hesitation. No one likes to get hurt and I was in the phase where maybe I didn’t want another dog because I’d had my fill of those rainbow bridge goodbyes… but, she’s been an absolute Godsend. These past few years have been the hardest, most growth-filled, and also the best/emotionally-healthiest years I’ve known–all rolled into one. I’ve done compelling work, written a memoir, signed a book contract, built a business with several facets, grown substantially in community, deconstructed from religion, and experienced more loss and grief than ever before. Elenor has been by my side through it all. We joke that she’s my husband’s dog, and in all fairness, he did fight like hell to get her… she does light up the most when she sees him, and she kind of worships the ground he walks on… BUT she is my constant companion. Where I go, she goes. When I’m asleep, she’s by my side. When I’m working, she’s outside my door. This sweet golden floof is always within reach. She is exactly who I needed.

When we rescued a litter of newborn kittens, she became the surrogate mom and the reason half of the litter survived. We kept one, and these two are the very best of friends.

I have partnered with Grace Hill Media to promote MGM’s new film Dog, starring and directed by Channing Tatum. In this partnership, I have the opportunity to give away an awesome Dog themed prize package, which includes 2 Fandango tickets!

DOG is a buddy comedy that follows the misadventures of two former Army Rangers
paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Army Ranger Briggs (Channing
Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois dog) buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race
down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time.
Along the way, they’ll drive each other completely crazy, break a small handful of
laws, narrowly evade death and learn to let down their guards in order to have a
fighting chance of finding happiness.
Rated PG-13 for language, thematic elements, drug content, and some suggestive
material

You can view the trailer here.

DOG_10803_RC Channing Tatum stars as Briggs in DOG A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/SMPSP © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

To enter the giveaway you must comment on this post by telling us a little about your dog! (If you share this post via social media, please comment back or send a DM with that link.)

Giveaway ends on February 15th at noon est.

to a close…

Published on by Mae @ Rainydayinmay

As January comes to a close I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned… As the clock brought us into this new year, it was with cautious optimism that I greeted 2022. Usually, New Years Day holds big Monday vibes and anyone who knows me knows that Mondays are my favorite, but this year I only felt tired.

I learned to choose fun in the everyday moments, and while I’ve likely learned this lesson before (and will again) somehow it rang truer.

I learned how essential it is to embrace the extra effort that is creativity. To try new things, even if I’m not good at them. This played out in the form of digital drawing on Procreate, making homemade sugar cubes for tea, and painting my first small canvas. None of them were perfect, but each one breathed a sense of life into me–the very thing that dancing with creativity does.

I was reminded of all the loss we’ve had in recent months. My mother-in-law has been struggling with her health since September and so I sent my husband across the country to spend some time with her. It was here where I learned that life–or in this case, SNOW–will hit the hardest when we are alone. During this time of being snowed in, I once again reconnected with fun. I did at-home spa treatments for myself, as well as the dog and cat. (I imagine you can guess which one was less than thrilled and which one loved it.) This was also when I learned to ask for help when I need it instead of insisting on being the helper.

As I seem to every month, I learned more about my writing journey–this forever quest towards something… Align is my word of the year and already these lessons I’m learning are bringing me more into alignment.

For this I am grateful.