The Cab Driver We Warned People About… (Plus Books & March Adventures)
- Sandy Clements
- 17 hours ago
- 6 min read
Birthday adventures, book reviews, and a little inspiration for March. It’s March! This month’s newsletter includes a day on the Country Club Plaza celebrating two teenage birthdays, a Las Vegas cab ride that earned the driver a spot on my “worst driver” list, book reviews from my current reading stack, and a small reminder to ease up on ourselves while we keep learning and growing. Let’s get started.
✈Travel and Celebrations
Early in March, I spent a day on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City celebrating the birthdays of two teenage granddaughters. To make it fun, they played a game of This or That (100% credit to my daughter for organizing the activity).)
The girls drew one of two cards. Whichever one they picked determined what we’d do next. The first card drawn was shopping at Barnes & Noble (be still my heart).
One girl drew a new card after each stop. For lunch, the choice was between The Cheesecake Factory and Winstead’s. We went to Winstead’s.
Now, if you’re not from the Kansas City area, you might not know that Winstead’s has been around for over 85 years and probably has one of the cheapest lunch menus on the Plaza. They also serve amazing ice cream, including their famous Skyscraper Sundae (which we somehow managed to skip).
Winstead’s was around when I was a kid, and honestly, I think the only thing they’ve changed is the toilet paper! Otherwise, it seems the same to me! It was a great adventure!
🚕 Cab Confessions
 For work, I took a quick trip to Las Vegas. I always have something to share from my trips to Nevada, but this month I’m focusing on one of our cab drivers. This woman, who will remain anonymous, made it onto our Top Five Worst Drivers list. Not a list you want to be on.
The driver must have been high (just speculation) and seemed to have no concept of personal boundaries. She fired off personal questions in rapid succession — several of which she repeated minutes later while driving us along the Vegas Strip like a wannabe Indy race car driver.
At every stoplight she threw the car into Park, then slammed it back into Drive, jolting us straight into traffic.
When my daughter and I finally escaped the vehicle and the woman’s intense interrogation, we warned the people waiting at the curb they might want to wait for another cab… or be ready to HOLD ON! (They waited for the next cab…!)
In a future newsletter, I’ll give you the full rundown of our worst cab experiences. They’re the kind of stories that get funnier with time. 🍦 Sweet Ending to the Crazy Ride
 After getting back to our hotel in one piece, we treated ourselves to ice cream from Capon’s at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas. Our ice cream barista was fantastic and brought all the fun. She made our day! What interesting cab or rideshare experiences have you had? Send me an email, and I might include your story in a future newsletter!
📚 What I’m Reading (and Listening To) |
The Lies I Tell — Julie Clark I have mixed feelings about this book. The story has twists and turns, interesting characters, and is engaging. But true to its title, the story revolves around lying, manipulation, and deception. The characters justify their behavior, and it makes sense. However, I enjoy stories where characters are striving for the greater good rather than revenge or personal gain.
Of course, most mysteries involve secrets and deception, but in this story the main character essentially lives life as a chameleon — building false worlds, creating new identities, and deceiving everyone around her. It was a solid read, just not one of my personal favorites. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Four Stars The Widow — John Grisham I’m halfway through this new John Grisham novel. Compared to his earlier books, this is a much lighter read, and I’m enjoying it!
I’m listening to this book on audio, and the narrator’s voices and pacing really bring the characters to life. I’ll give it an official rating next month — but for now it’s holding steady at four stars.
The German Wife — Kelly Rimmer This historical novel follows the lives of several families in the aftermath of World War II as German scientists are secretly brought to the United States through Operation Paperclip to help develop the American space program. The story explores difficult moral questions about loyalty, survival, and the consequences of war. It moves between Germany during the final days of WWII and the American South where these families attempt to rebuild their lives.
It’s an emotional story about guilt, forgiveness, and the cost of starting over. ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ Four and a Half Stars In the Clearing — Robert Dugoni I enjoy Robert Dugoni’s books. I’ve attended workshops he’s led, and I try to read at least one book from every author I learn from. With Dugoni, that one book turned into many.
In the Clearing is part of his Tracy Crosswhite detective series. The story interweaves two crimes, one current and one from forty years in the past. It kept me engaged and introduced a strong cast of characters, though it wasn’t my favorite of his books.
If you’re looking for a mystery that leans more toward PG-13 than dark thriller, this is a good one. ⭐⭐⭐½ Three and a Half Stars 📚 What’s on My To-Be-Read List? (#TBRlist) • Fourth Wing — Rebecca Yarros • The Deep Blue Good-By — John D. MacDonald • The Silent Patient — Alex Michaelides • The Only One Left — Riley Sager What do you recommend? I love hearing what you are reading! ✨ Catching Up on My Promises In January, I read the book The Home Edit by Teplin & Shearer, and I promised I’d share one of my own organizing projects in a future newsletter. So here it is!  The book suggests starting small — and that’s what I did. I tackled two drawers that weren’t in terrible shape but still needed attention. The process laid out in the book was simple and surprisingly helpful.
Honestly, it felt great! And it motivated me to do more. Later that week, I tackled my closet — a much bigger project but incredibly satisfying to finish. If you’re looking for a practical guide to tackling your own home “edits,” you might want to check out The Home Edit. ✨ A Little Inspiration I recently listened to an interview with a singer/songwriter who had been through several challenging years. Something she said struck me, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.  Her message was simple: we are constantly reshaping. Change is constant. Some days, change feels like a tsunami. Other days, it’s a soft wind. But either way, things are always shifting. It’s a curious thing that right in the middle of all that change, we continue on our pre-set path of expectations, established goals, and packed schedules. We keep pushing forward at full speed. Listen friend, you are juggling a lot. Perhaps dealing with a rollercoaster of emotion. One minute full of doubt, and the next hopeful. Your body needs rest. Your soul needs refreshment. Sometimes the best advice is simply this: Ease up on yourself. You have permission to slow down, breathe, change your plans, or try something new.
A young author once told James Patterson that he couldn’t write on an airplane or really anywhere outside of his office. Everything had to be just right: the chair, the lighting, his familiar surroundings.
James Patterson listened and then replied with one word. “Learn.”
With every breath we take, we are changing. Why not be open to learning a new pattern or a new way of doing something?
It’s easy to trap ourselves in quiet rules we’ve created over the years. We tell ourselves: I’ve always done it this way. I don’t like that. I won’t. I can’t. I’d rather not.
But rigid rules don’t work well with a constantly changing self.
When we loosen our “must-haves” and “will-nots,” we begin to see what’s possible. We give ourselves permission to grow, adapt, and maybe even make life a little better.
Life's experiences may leave dents in us, but they also reshape and strengthen us. Be in this moment. Allow it to shape you.
And most of all, ease up on yourself…and keep learning.
[Excerpts inspired by an interview with Amy Grant regarding her album The Me That Remains.] ❤ In 2026, I’m working to double the number of people who receive this newsletter. You can help by sharing it with a friend and encouraging them to sign up at Thank you for reading and being part of this community. 💌 Until Next Time… |
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