The Antelope in the Living Room: The Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life (20 page)

Acknowledgments

W
HEN
I
REALIZED
I was actually going to write a second book, I had to take several deep breaths into a paper bag and look to the following people to preserve my sanity.

To my sweet Caroline: When you tell me that you want to grow up and write books just like your mom, it makes all the hard work worth it. God has given you so many gifts, and there is nothing you can’t do. I love you so much it hurts.

To Perry: I’d marry you all over again. And it’s because you don’t take yourself too seriously that I was able to tell all these stories. Thank you for that. I love you.

To Dad and Cher: Thanks for all the times you picked up Caroline from school and kept her entertained and well fed at various restaurants while I worked on the book. You have encouraged me and loved me and shown me what a good marriage looks like. Love you both.

To Amy: The best thing about a sister is that you’ve lived through every bit of this with me. Love you.

To my mother-in-law, Sallie: You did a remarkable job raising the man who makes me laugh every day. Thank you for your faithfulness and prayers for him over the years.

To Gulley: My marriage wouldn’t be nearly as strong if you weren’t around to listen to all the things Perry doesn’t want to hear about.
Thanks for always loving me, defending me, and reading my terrible first drafts. We’ve been loving each other a long time, and I’m so grateful.

To Sophie: I can’t imagine doing any of this if I didn’t have you to always encourage me. We thought we met because we had the same throw pillows on our couches and each of us had an only child, but God had so much more in store for our friendship. I’m so thankful for you.

To Debbi: Thanks for being my barometer of the funny. And for helping me figure out how to make a joke and be politically correct at the same time. I’m so glad you decided to become my head of unofficial marketing and public relations.

To Bill Jensen: None of this ever would have happened without your encouragement, enthusiasm, and advice. Thanks for always listening and advising and talking football with me.

To Stephanie Rische: What a gift you are! I cannot even imagine how much time you’ve had to spend Googling all my absurd cultural references. You are the best editor a girl could want.

To Lisa Jackson, Carol Traver, and the rest of the Tyndale team: You all took a chance letting me write this second book before my first one ever came out. Thanks for that. And thank you for indulging me in discussions about what constitutes an antelope versus a deer. I am eternally grateful for Tyndale and the support you have given me. Not to mention that my life is significantly richer thanks to Carol’s e-mails that never fail to make me laugh out loud.

To my blog readers: Y’all are the gift that keeps giving. Thanks for all the love, support, prayers, and hilarious comments over the last seven years.

And, most of all, to God: Your extravagant grace and mercy are the glue that holds my life together. I’ll never get over your love for me.

About the Author

M
ELANIE
S
HANKLE,
lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband, Perry, and daughter, Caroline. She graduated from Texas A&M in 1994 while possibly on scholastic probation. Melanie began writing her blog,
Big Mama
, in July 2006. She’s also a regular contributor to
The Pioneer Woman
blog. In her spare time she likes to shop good sales, watch too much television, and laugh at things that are sometimes inappropriate.