At last, my third-grade heart is mended

We all remember our first heartbreak. Mine came courtesy of Jason Singer, whom I recently reconnected with thanks to King Philip Elementary School's Facebook page.

"Are you the boy who broke my heart?" I emailed and reminded him we were boyfriend and girlfriend in Miss Armstrong's class.

"I'm not sure," he instantly wrote back. "Can you send me a photo of yourself from third grade?"

It didn't take me long to figure out that mine was just one of the many hearts Mr. Singer left littered on the playground.

But at last I had my day in court. I told him how I've told and retold the story of our breakup endlessly - and even wrote about it in my first book, Virgin Territory: Stories From the Road to Womanhood. (To this day, I believe Jason (a stud in a puka bead necklace) broke up with me because my mother forbade me from sleeping over his house, because, she told me, "It's illegal for boys and girls to sleep in the same room unless they're married." A small mom fib that I believed until I was in college, when my boyfriend at the time laughed his head off when he suggested getting a hotel room in NYC so we could stay late and see a Squeeze concert and I told him we'd be arrested upon registering at the hotel's front desk.

Naturally, Jason never thought about me again, but I continued to peg his breakup as the reason for the many to follow. But oh wonderful, life-affirming, Clint-Eastwood-vengeance-seeking Facebook. I could finally confront my past and get that long overdue apology.

And so publically!

Jason, I am set free.

Farewell Party

Well, not exactly. But, you see, I am looking for a graceful way to segue out of only blogging about my book (I'm getting tired talking about me. How do you feel about me talking about me?) There is more to me than just my book. Until my next book, that is.

So with a last hurrah in mind, below are some photos from my most recent book signing. which took place last night at Ginger, the official outfitter of Up for Renewal and my friend Gretchen's store. The party was a real Who's Who in DC and included appearances by former Miss DC Kate Michael and Project Beltway's awesomely adorable Rachel Cothran.

Thanks to all my friends for showing up and making me feel so popular. Thanks especially to Gretchen Hitchner and Barbara Martin, two of the most generous, beautiful, huge-hearted, hard-working, and all around super duper fantastic friends a girl could ever hope to have. I appreciate you way more than the confines of the blogosphere will allow.



It's a Project Beltway sandwich! That's Rachel Cothran bookended by me and Gretchen Hitchner.



My first role model, Gail Cleere, whom I wanted to desperately look like when I was under her care. Gail lived at my house as a college student and quickly became a member of the Alter family. For years, my younger brother thought Gail was his sister and cried for days when he learned that I was the one related to him.


Carrington Tarr, Page Evans, and Page's daughter Peyton, who has the best fashion sense going. What you can't see are Peyton's magenta Tory Burch ballet flats.


Please tip your hat to James Henry, author of Mind Your Manners! He based his etiquette book on George Washington's Rules of Civility.