I often get emails from people that are incredibly encouraging. I recently received a few comments from people that were originally sent to other websites about my search or privately emailed to me. I thought I'd share a few with you. Maybe it's a bit tacky for me to share on my own blog the nice things people say to me or about me, but sometimes tacky is just what the doctor ordered!

The first is from Jamie. He sent it in as a comment to the CNN article. But because it came after the cut off, it didn't appear on their site. I'm so glad his wife emailed it to me. It touched me in a special way:
"From a man's perspective, Neenah Pickett is a creative and intelligent woman who is not acting any different than anyone else. I give her two thumbs up on ingenuity, coming up with a clever process to work on finding her #1. As for her physical aspects, I think she is an attractive woman as God made her and she advertises “love me for who I am.” We are all made unique. I am not an athlete or body builder or some kind of model. This is how my wife loves me – for who I am – and getting married to her keeps making me stronger." 

This is from Wendy who also responded to the CNN article. She shared quotes and encouragement that was new to me, but will become an old favorite:
"Marriage to many single people is not a “Holy grail” as one responder suggested. There’s a book I like to read that tells about the beginning of creation and how everything God created He called “good.” The only thing that He thought was not good was for man to be alone, so God created woman. Marriage is God’s good plan for mankind. Longing to be married for a single woman like Neenah is a natural and God-given desire. Someone recently told me about three “M’s” in life: learn who is Master of your life, seek to know your Mission in life, and once you’re there look for a Mate to accompany you on that Mission. From what I know, Neenah calls on Jesus as the Master of her life, Neenah has made prayer for and encouragement of singles a Mission in her life. This adventure may just be the perfect plan God has for Neenah to find a Mate to accompany her. I pray “God speed” on His mission and for His glory."

This is from Brenda who I think penned the perfect words for someone recovering from an Oprah bump:
"Here's what's gonna happen - for some reason, your future husband probably did not watch Oprah on Friday, so, had you been on, he would have missed you. On the date you actually do appear, he will be watching. Someday you'll both have a good laugh at what a blessing it was that you were bumped from your first scheduled appearance."

Because of the recent CNN article, I was inundated with emails, including many from very notable TV & Film people, but none more impressive than Oprah...

Here is my account of the 48 hours:

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
CNN article runs on their website.  My Blackberry is pinging like crazy.
 
3:35 PM
Hilary, a producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show emails me.  My world comes to a halt.

3:37 PM
I’m on a stupid train and I can’t get phone reception.

3:54 PM
I receive a message on Facebook from Oprah’s people.  They really want to speak with me.

4:17 PM
I place a call to Hilary at Oprah’s camp.  She tells me how wonderful I am (really she does) and asks if she can call me back in 5 minutes.

4:26 PM
That was the longest 9 minutes I’d ever experienced, but my phone finally rings.  We spend 43 minutes, to be exact, where she asks me a gazillion questions and I answer them like a pro!  She loves the story, is going to share it with her people (Oprah, herself, maybe?) and will get back to me.
 
5:11 PM
Hilary contacts me and tells me her boss heard that I wrote something about Gayle King.  She asks me to email it to her.  It was my blog entry. Thank God I said wonderful things about Oprah’s best friend.

6:02 PM
They want me! (who doesn’t, duh!) They are going to Skype me in for LIVE Fridays on Oprah.  The live broadcast actually happens at 10:00 AM EST.  They need my address to send me a “Skype Kit”

6:04 PM
I call my friend Kendra who is a designer and tell her to start sketching my bridal dress.  A wedding is coming soon!

6:54 PM
Brian, from Oprah’s camp, contacts me and needs my specs for the Skype Kit.  It was like he was speaking a foreign language. I happen to be at a client’s who has amazing offices and I decided that I will be Skyped in from their location. I get the IT guy and the technical guy to answer Brian’s questions.

That Night!
I email everyone I know that I’m going to be on Oprah, including my dead loved ones and my ex-boyfriends (because they are filed in the same category in my address book).
 
12:02 AM
I just finished answering the 97 other emails from people who read the CNN article.  I have a panic attack when I think of how many emails I’ll have to answer after my Oprah’s appearance. But I smile when I realize one of them will be from my husband!

Thursday, April 23rd
I talk to the two VPs and everyone at my client’s office about my Oprah’s appearance.  They are all onboard to help me in anyway they can.  (They’ll be sorry for that later)!

10: 12 AM
My Skype Kit arrives. It’s a large plastic, black suitcase with a mysterious combination lock.  The UPS label reads “Harpo. Inc.”.  I smile.

1:27 PM
I hear from Hilary. She says they are discussing the order of the show and when I will appear. The day is looking more hectic than she thought.  They won’t finalize things until that evening, but she will call me later that day with the details.  All I really want is the combination to the Skype Kit lock. (I’m convinced there’s gold inside).

4:22 PM
The guys at my client’s offices are setting up the VIP room to make it look like a living room.  They are moving heavy furniture in and out and being very gracious when I can’t make up my mind where I want things to go.

6:07 PM
We are putting the final touches on my fake living room.  I have to leave to go shopping for my “on Oprah” outfit.  A couple of the guys work late to set up the professional lights so I’ll look fabulous on Skype (still haven’t received combination for the lock.  But Brian from the Oprah camp did contact me and ask me to read a mysterious number off the suitcase).

8:03PM
I’m at the mall and driving my friend Lescena crazy with trying to find the perfect outfit (I’m the worst person to shop with).  I finally settle on a dress I can’t afford and figure I can join the ranks of the hundreds of thousand of people who won’t pay their mortgage this month.  Being on Oprah is definitely worth facing foreclosure (is it in poor taste to make jokes about foreclosure these days?)!

9:04 PM
I return home and cut the tags off my new dress (boy, will I regret that).

9:12 PM
I hear from Hilary.  It’s not looking good.  There were some things that happened in the news that they think are more important.  “What could be more important than finding my husband,” I scream (inside my head)!  She’ll contact me in the morning.

10:38 PM
Before I hop into bed, I pray and ask God for a power outage in every city except Chicago and this small town in Central New Jersey.
 
Friday, 7:45 AM
I arrive at my client’s office.  Everyone is treating me like a rock star.  I tell them to line up for autographs.  The line remains empty.
 
8:26 AM
I hear from Hilary.  There’s a tone of sadness.  (This is never good). “Sorry,” she says. It’s not going to happen.  I’ve been officially bumped.  She does offer hope for a future broadcast.
 
10:00 AM, Friday, April 24, 2009
A Moment of Silence

Me in my fake living room, kissing my Oprah Skype Kit goodbye

I spoke with the Prestons a few weeks back. They have been married for 35 years. Sometimes I begin to wonder if there are happy couples out there who have been married for longer than 20 years. I don’t hear enough of their stories. I didn’t know the Prestons before they agreed to sit down and talk with me, but they quickly became on of my favorite couples. I think their actions towards each other, even when the camera wasn’t rolling, made more of an impression. It was evident that they are best friends and communicate well. We talked about falling in love and out of love, and why couples should stay together when things are not going well. They also shared some of the qualities to look for in a husband. I treasured our discussion and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

For those of you who have been married for over a quarter of a century, through your ups and downs, what are some of the things that make it worth it all?

I was featured in an article on CNN's website today: "Finding Love on a Deadline." I think it was a fair article. She talked with people who were on both sides of the fence. Once you've read the article, why not post your comments on their website, as well as here. I'd love to learn your thoughts.

Well as someone who is in the thick of things, I can say after 15 weeks it's been the best adventure! This time last year I didn't have a deadline, but I didn't have any prospects either. My love life was practically nonexistent - actually that's been my story for most of my 20-something adult life. I'm not a 25 year old or even a 35 year old worried about not being married. I'm actually not worried at all. I'm a mature, happy, successful woman who wants to find love - lasting love, and at this stage in the game, I have nothing to lose, so I might as well have fun in the process. The 52 weeks is so much more than finding a husband (read my mission statement to learn more). I've learned so much about myself, and about men, and about having happy healthy relationships. All that while living my life to the fullest. This is what the 52 week journey has done for me so far. I wished every other self-imposed deadline that I had in my life produced as many positive results!

Whether you are a member of a dating website, or you accept your family or friends' offers to set you up on blind dates, you are being proactive when it comes to finding love. What are some of the results you've seen?

As an adult, I've never lived around family members. I often wonder how much of an impact they could have or would have had on whether I married. As much as I respected and trusted the opinions of my parents and family members, I don't know if I would have let them select my future husband. I talked with two couples who did. For them and millions of others, the results are fascinating. I actually have many friends who married this way. They don't promote it, and are the first to tell you that it doesn't always work for everyone, but a few of them used an unusual word to describe it and that was "freeing."

I am grateful that I have so many options and avenues to find my husband. I'm also grateful that I don't have the pressure of accepting someone that another person has chosen for me. But I do feel like I have missed out and am saddened that more people aren't as invested or involved in the selection process. Maybe that's why creating this big media search was so attractive to me. With my parents no longer alive, perhaps you have become that extension as I look to you to set me up on blind dates, give me marital advice and guide me as I'm determining whether or not I found "him."

Who is helping you (or has helped you) with your search in finding your spouse?