Bad perms and good friends

Well, I had no idea there was going to be so much curiosity about my self-tanner so I feel like we should get that out of the way first. I am a big fan of Jergens natural glow lotion because it creates a gradual tan and is kind of idiot proof in terms of not ending up with streaks and white patches, plus it doesn’t smell bad.

And then for my face, I like Dr. Gross glow pads. It’s a small towelette that you just wipe on your face and neck for color. But I will tell you it can initially be a little bit darker than I prefer. I do better if I use it a day or two before I want to be my best self in terms of tan.

So there you have it. Those two products are the key to having some color even if you’re like me and spend most of your time avoiding the sun under a large hat or umbrella.

I have to be honest. Yesterday wasn’t my favorite day. The week or so before I have a new book coming out always feels a little more stressful and anxiety-inducing than a normal week, but there were just a lot of colliding things that made it all feel like too much.

But then Gulley called me on her way to work and told me about the speech Justin Timberlake gave at the iHeart Radio Awards on Sunday night and he talked about critics and even used a quote from Teddy Roosevelt that I’ve always loved. I shared it on my Facebook page, but I’ll share it here too because it’s so good.

Later on, after the day had really gone south, Jen copied me on a series of emails that she sent to her nurse asking if her chemo treatments can be rescheduled so she can make my book signings in San Antonio and Dallas next week.

And although I emailed her back to tell her this might not be the wisest course of action, I honestly could have cried my eyes out at the sweetness of it all. I feel like God has never been more faithful to remind me and continually show me what incredible people he has put in my life.

On Sunday Gulley and I looked through old pictures and after I saw Jen’s emails I immediately thought of some of the photos I’d just seen and all the history we have shared.

So much history, so many laughs, so much perm solution and so much love represented in those pictures. I’m so glad that I spent most of last year writing the stories of our friendship because I had no idea then what we’d be facing now.

Many of you have asked about Jen and how she’s doing which means so much to me. She shares the details better than I ever could on her blog, but the short version is she’s now been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in addition to her existing cancer and they are taking her off her clinical trial and starting chemo next week. We would so appreciate your prayers, but she remains ever so Jen as evidenced by the request to delay chemo to attend my book signing.