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Writing and working and traveling and writing and working …
I haven’t been able to post here on the blog as much as I’d like lately because I’ve been busy with work projects and planning for a big trip, which was also work related. Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been up to, starting with a quick explanation of my work situation. I am a full-time freelance writer. No, I’m not writing the great American novel {although I like to tell people I’m writing the dirty version of Fifty Shades of Grey just to see their reaction}. I am a journalist and also have experience in public relations writing and creating marketing copy. You can see my portfolio at melindaschnyder.com.…
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Trip Guide: Top places to eat in Wichita, Kansas
I recently put together this list of favorite restaurant recommendations for someone visiting Wichita, Kan., from the east coast for the first time to pick up his new airplane (read: budget isn’t a concern!). These are mostly my favorites but I also asked for suggestions from my Facebook friends and incorporated those to give our visitor a wide range of options. Wichita has a ton of restaurants and this list is not meant to be comprehensive. I left off most of the chain restaurants in order to write this from the perspective of unique establishments a visitor should try. I know when I’m traveling to new places I try to…
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My mom sends me messages through Cardinal birds
Some people will think this is crazy, just a string of coincidental occurrences that I’ve bent into having larger-than-life significance. Others will understand, probably because something similar has happened to them. I think seeing a Cardinal bird is a sign from my mom that she is still with me spiritually even though she died in 2006. Not every Cardinal, just the ones that talk to me. KIDDING. I’m not that kind of crazy…yet. Here’s why I connect Cardinal sightings and my mom: First of all, my mom was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan and loved birds, especially hummingbirds and redbirds. FYI: while she was in the hospital trying to…
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Trip pix: The Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas
I’ve lived in Kansas for 18 years now {oh my god what I have done to myself} and in my frequent travels I’ve heard a gazillion Dorothy comments or questions about tornados. The Wizard of Oz and killer weather: these have to be the two things that come to mind most often when I tell someone I live in Kansas. {Notice that I say I live in Kanas, I’m from Missouri. There’s a difference!} Honestly, the Dorothy and Toto stuff can easily become cheesy so when I heard some 10 years ago about a new museum dedicated to Oz, I was skeptical. This is a cheese-free museum, people! Seriously, it’s…
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Tripping: an experiment with Hotel Tonight & Hotwire for discount hotel rooms
Lee and I were early adopters when Priceline came out in the late 1990s with the name-your-own-price concept for booking a hotel room, so we’d been not-so-patiently waiting for a chance to try the one of the newer discount options, Hotel Tonight. In fact, more than a few times we played vacation from our couch in Doodah, Kansas – selecting a city from the list of offerings on the Hotel Tonight app on our phones to see what our options would be if we were there and in need of a room. If you’re not familiar with Hotel Tonight, here’s how it works: it’s only available through a free app…