Tuesday... Tired...

It's been a super long week and it's only Tuesday. 

Yesterday at the day job went pretty good. Not quite as good as I had hoped, but way better than I thought. 

Just as I was leaving, I got a text from K1 that they needed to go to the hospital for Little Mr. B. They dropped Big Mr. B off with pappy and went in. Several hours later, they were discharged again. Things are progressing, but with as crazy as the hospital was, they felt it was better if they labored at home. We kept Mr. B, fully expecting to get a call overnight, but... Nope. Big Mr. B was picked up this morning... Only an hour later than I needed him to be picked up to make it to work on time... Oy! 

This baby is so stubborn. Like I said, things are progressing, but super slow. I'm hoping it's soon. It should be. Of course, the day job is super crazy and being off is difficult. But I wouldn't miss this baby coming for the world. 

We're at 21 days until Christmas. We have zero decorations up. Zero presents (oh wait! And less than zero money, too). Zero holiday spirit. Though I have to say the Hallmark Christmas movie watching is going splendidly. Ha! I think everything is hinging on the new babies that are coming. 

We won't get the tree until zero-thirty. That demon kitten that lives here will take our holiday spirit out before it even gets started if we put the tree up sooner than zero-thirty. Don't get me wrong. We love the little guy. He's actually super sweet when he wants to be. But he can and will destroy the tree. He will enjoy every minute of it. And I will cry as I clean up his destruction! Ha! 

In the meantime, That Man and I will continue to work on our Christmas spirit. And wait for our new grandbabies!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up....

Sunday evening already?

Let's see...

Saturday -
Slept in a little.
I ran out early to grab a gift for the party and the Jeep wouldn't start. Not awesome. K4 came and we tried to jump it, but no go. Let them know at the store that I'd be back for it. Came home and fixed my cheesecake. It was ugly. That's no lie. I made it pretty though and it was a huge hit at the party.
The party was a lot of fun. The food was amazing and so was the company. We had awesome conversations about all kinds of things
I came home (rode to the party with a friend), and K4 and I ran out to the bookstore to grab some stuff, stopped at the store to see if the Jeep would start. Nothing. Ran in and grabbed stuff for dinner. Came home and made dinner. That Man was super late from his Saturday gig. He was too tired and sore to check out the Jeep, so we watched a movie. He went to bed pretty early and I played some GTA with K4, talked to K1. Finally got to bed.

Sunday -
Not much sleeping in. That Man and I headed out to check the Jeep. Nothing again. Narrowed it down to the starter, which is what we were already thinking. Ran down to the parts store and blew a crap ton of money on a new starter. Came home and got ready for the signing today.
The signing was a lot of fun. Sold a few books. Met a bunch of awesome people. Hung out with my friends. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece came out. That was awesome!
Came home to dinner made, laundry done, and a fixed Jeep. Yay!

Tomorrow is Monday again... Not looking forward to that. We'll see how things go.

That is all for now. I'm exhausted.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday?

I'm not so sure about that.

Yes. It's Friday.

It has been a b*tch-*ssed week at the day job. So much so, that I cannot even begin to describe. I will update again on Monday. Once I know what is exactly going on.

So here's the list:

1. Not so great, but leaving work early today thanks to a horrible and crushing headache. I guess...migraine? I came home and slept for a few glorious hours and felt some better when I woke up. Ordered take out for dinner and have been chilling in my jammies and napping on and off since. I don't feel awesome by any means. At all.

2. See take out for dinner.

3. Hopefully. My writing group Christmas party tomorrow. I'm hoping I will feel up to going. I should be. Physically I am feeling better. Some. At least. I think.

4. Book signing on Sunday. Looking forward to it.

5. Maybe Christmas decorations this weekend?

6. Finishing the 50/50 challenge. I mean. I will in a few minutes. Even if I just do the 50 words. Who knows though. It's taken me over an hour to write this post because the computer screen hurts me.

That is all.

Behave!

Windy Wednesday...

Holy Freezing Wind Batman!

It's freaking cold and sooo windy. Yeah... I know it's winter now, or almost "officially" winter, but still. On Sunday I was running around without a coat, and, at times, without shoes. Now I'm wearing gloves for the first time this season and not going anywhere without my fuzzy slippers. (I was going to say this year, but that is so not true. Ha!)

It's Wednesday. On the down slope for the week. It's been a super long week at the day job already. I can't even get into it, but trust me.

But I have managed to write every day this week. Even a little last night when I had the worst headache in the world. I was in bed around eight-thirty, and while I slept a tiny bit right after I crawled in, I woke up and then didn't get back to sleep until around two am. Suck! I missed a call from my grandson and a writing blast because of the stupid headache, too. Ugh.

We have two more days until the end of the writing challenge. We are close to getting a million words for this challenge. I hope we make it. We've been striving for this for a few years. Many of us are trying to ramp up our word count to help get it done. I did pretty well tonight, despite having stuff going on and not getting home until after nine.

This weekend is crazy busy. Christmas party for the writing group on Saturday. Always a good time. Sunday is a book signing in a neighboring town. First time for the whole event, so we'll see how it goes. I'm excited. Many of my fellow authors will be there and friends have said they are coming.

I have to make a White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake for Saturday. And I need to get my stuff together for Sunday. I have to leave for the Sunday event mid-morning, so I want to have everything together before so I don't have to rush around and can maybe sleep in a little.

That is all...

Behave!

Monday... Again!

The weekend got away from me! 

Saturday was a flash signing at the bookstore. It was fun. Not a big crowd since the weather was crappy and icy. After that, we stopped at the hospital to see our friend. It wasn't a good time to visit since she was in physical therapy, so we left and hit the grocery store. 

Turkey and waffles for dinner. Early bedtime. 

Sunday was yard work. We got all of the leaves cleared out and put some junk at the curb. I had just finished putting stuff down there when the junk man rolled by. Awesome. We had a little fire in the fire burner and made an awesome pot roast for dinner. We were exhausted though. Those leaves were so heavy and wet. 

Back to the grind today. Ugh. And only slightly busy. Lots of people off for hunting in my departments. 

No baby news. Tomorrow is a week until her due date and two weeks (about) until K2's. J is uncomfortable and ready for little man to show up. 

Took my first stab at doing the newsletter for my writing group. Believe it or not, in all of the years I've been a member, I have never done it. Got off to a frustrating start, but I finally managed to produce something that resembled a newsletter. 

I've got to start thinking about Christmas. I did put away the Thanksgiving stuff, swapped out my coffee cups for the snowmen ones, and pulled out my tiny Christmas trees I use in the bathroom and hall upstairs. But that's it. I know so many people who are decorated already and shopped. I don't know if I'm ever going to be one of those people. There was only one year where I was done shopping by November and completely ready to go by the beginning of December, but that was the year I was pregnant with K4 and she was due on Christmas. So...

Alright. Bedtime. My head is killing me. 

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Post Thanksgiving Edition

I am exhausted. Today was the biggest waste of my time ever. The day job was so super slow and so super boring. There was no one there. At all. Like not even ten of us. My phone didn't ring once and I had exactly three emails all day. Seriously.

So, let's get to the list, shall we?

1. Friday. Even with yesterday off, it's been a long week.

2. Stopping for subs on the way home. There was no way I was cooking after the insane amount of food I've made this week. And there was no way I wanted leftovers. And there was no way I wanted to go to the grocery store again.

3. Talking to my aunt & uncle after work. Miss those guys! We had a good conversation. I should have called them yesterday, but they were busy doing stuff, too.

4. Getting new tires on That Man's car. K4 is currently driving it until her car gets fixed and the back tires were bald. Now it's got amazing new shoes and will be safe for her in the snow, and for him when we get her car back. The nice thing was that K4 took it to the shop to get it done.

5. Sleeping in a bit tomorrow. I am so looking forward to that. I feel like I could sleep for a week. I can guarantee you that I'll be in bed within the hour, too. Because, you know, I really rock the Friday night scene. Ha!

6. Going to the bookstore for a flash signing for Small Business Saturday. It's supposed to ice in the morning, but hopefully it's done by the time I want to leave. The nice thing is that it's a super casual event.

7. Quiet weekend plans. I think.

8. Maintaining in the 50/50 challenge, even with an insane week. I haven't missed a day since last Saturday and my lowest count through the week was 200 words.

That's all I have.

Behave!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a blessed day!

I did.

It ended up even more chill than we thought it would be. We ended up losing half of our guests at zero hour due to illness. Ack! Most of our kids were here, and some friends, so it was still an amazing day.

It was also the first Thanksgiving without That Mom, which has been rough for all of us, but especially That Man and That Sister. And it just makes me miss my own mom and dad more than I thought I was supposed to this year.

I thought it was supposed to get easier as the years go by...

Yeah. Not.

I found myself picking up my phone to call mom to ask a question about the turkey early this morning. It sucked when I had that moment of realization. A lot.

We did have a really good day though. Dinner was awesome. Clean up was hysterical. The "kids" playing games was even better. Watching Groundhog Day because we couldn't find Christmas Vacation or the Fire Stick remote was even better. Two people trying to work the Fire app on my phone and failing was even funnier.

Good conversation. Listening to the kids laughing and having a good time. Laughing a lot about silly things and nothing at all. And homemade whipped cream! Yay!

And I wrote. I had only expected to get my fifty words, but I ended up with a tiny bit over 1k. Awesome.

Tomorrow is the day job... Oy... It's going to be interesting...

Thanksgiving Eve

I just sat down...

Crazy day at the day job. Long meeting. Second long meeting. I was caught up and then one of the ladies who does the same thing I do transferred me a bunch of her cases (I asked her to. She had 66. I had nothing. Makes sense.) Friday is going to be crazy. We're at less than half staff, so who knows what's going to happen? Dang. I wish I was off!

Stopped for ice on my way home. Thankfully not the grocery store, even though I realized I forgot the cranberry sauce. Wasn't going to do it. Since the store was out of corn, I wasn't sure they'd even have cranberry sauce. Whatever. We'll do without it. That Man hates cranberry sauce so he doesn't care. I happen to love it and do care, but not enough to put myself in danger! Ha!

Got home and ordered pizza for dinner. White Pizza. That was amazing! I hadn't eaten all day, so it was most appreciated. K1 & J came over for dinner with Mr. B.

The cleaning was only partially done thanks to That Man throwing out his back a bit and running late from his day job. He did bring the extra table home that we need for tomorrow, so that's good. So tomorrow there is a lot to be done. Vacuuming. Straightening. The dining room is a wreck right now - platters and such everywhere. Oy! But whatever. It will all get done.

The pies are done, including a vegan pumpkin pie for K3. I'm not sure how that's going to be yet. So far it hasn't set up like it's supposed to. I'm hopeful though. Mr. B helped make the pie crusts and he really was a big help. I showed him how the crust was supposed to feel before the water goes in and how to roll it into a ball to let it rest. He stuck with me through three crusts before he said he was done and needed a bath. Little dude was seriously covered in flour. Ha! Before his bath, he helped That Man made pie crust cinnamon swirl "cookies". We put them in the oven and then he went and had his bath. I did the rest of the pies by myself, with some help from K4.

The turkey is in the oven doing it's initial high heat bake. I'll turn it down in a few to a temp just above bacteria growth and let it go until I get up in the morning. I don't want to hear your opinions on this. I have made my turkey, and my mother also did, for years and years. It's always fully cooked and we have working fire alarms, so...

Also, there's nothing like waking up to the smell of a turkey baking. It's seriously the best.

Tomorrow is going to be crazy good! Lots of cooking, which is super okay with me. I love it.

I also wrote the words tonight. Not very many, but four times the fifty that I'd planned, so that's good.

And it's bedtime...

Have a wonderful turkey day tomorrow!

Behave!

Thanksgiving Eve Eve

So That Man is making me watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I don't know why. I'm not even paying attention. It's pretty silly. He put it on while I was running around like a crazy person as a joke and it kind of just stayed on. Weird.

The grocery store was insane. Guess what everyone in this towns favorite vegetable for Thanksgiving is? That's right. Corn. One of our guests is bringing baked corn, but I wanted to have plain corn for the ones that don't like baked corn. Guess what we're having now? That's right. Broccoli! Ha!

The cashier smashed my buns because she didn't shut the belt off when she should have and then wanted me to go back and get another pack. What the heck is up with that? I had my buns and chips a the front of the belt, unobstructed, but since she didn't move the divider everything backed up and my poor buns were the victims. It was her fault and I'm supposed to run to the way back of the store and get more? Also, and this is my last b*tch, when the store is that busy  (two days before Thanksgiving) - and it was - why is there only three registers open and no baggers? Three registers of which two cashiers were brand new and one was so brand new, the checkout coach was with her the whole time. The guy that had pulled into that lane just went off complaining loudly. I should have done self checkout despite how much stuff I had. It would have been quicker and more efficient and my buns wouldn't have gotten smashed. Though, the cashier was super nice, so there's that.

Anyway. I got home way later than normal. Unloaded the packed full Jeep and then began crazy woman mode. K4 is home. That Man gets off early tomorrow. Not me. But by the time I get home, the rest of the cleaning should be done. We'll probably order pizza for dinner, and then it's time for baking and prep. Mr. B is staying over tomorrow night so he can help me with pies. We've made pies together every Thanksgiving Eve for the last two years now. It's something he loves to do and I definitely don't mind him helping. He remembered pie making and asked if he could come and help. So, yeah.. I'm totally good with that.

Actually woke up to him being here this morning. Another baby false alarm. We ate waffles together while we waited for his parents to get here, and watched weird cartoons. I made it to work an hour late. I hope this doesn't happen too many more times. It's eating up all of my vacation time in hour increments.

I did write the words. Just passed the 30K mark on this book which feels so amazing. My hope is to at least get my 50 words a day the next few days.

That is all for now!

Behave!

Monday Before Thanksgiving...

We all know I like to put things off until the last minute...

Thursday is Thanksgiving. I have the shopping half done. My house is not clean enough yet. (I have cat allergies coming over) I have to work the day job every day until Thursday, so my time is super limited.

What did I do tonight?

Cleaned out my storage container cupboard(s). Yes. I have two. One shares with the baking pans and the super huge bowls that we end up using quite a bit and the colander. The other is one of the biggest cupboards in my kitchen. It also shares with glass baking dishes and the nalgene bottles. We threw out a huge trash bag of mismatched containers. I had hoped to pass on some of the containers to the kids, but honestly, there isn't even enough decent containers for our weekly needs (which is why we've been using bags lately). So yay! That's done! It's been on my list since August.

I also wrote over 2K words, which is awesome and I'm happy.

Tomorrow night is the rest of the shopping and beginning prep. Vacuuming. And we'll probably vacuum again Wednesday night, just to be extra careful, and maybe Thursday morning, too.

K4 comes home tomorrow for Thanksgiving break. She's got a list of things to do - most of it baking. Ha!

That is all.

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

Oh Sunday, why do you always bring Monday?

It's been a pretty decent weekend. Not a lot of sleeping in, but that's okay. I did yesterday and it was nice, but not too much today.

We went to breakfast yesterday, and then did the shopping. I need to go back. I forgot half of the stuff we needed. I made a better list for when I go again - which will probably be Monday or Tuesday.

The house still needs cleaned. Ugh.

We worked in the basement some yesterday. Made a tiny dent, but managed to get my Thanksgiving platters out and hauled out some trash.

Chilled and relaxed today. Watched stupid television. Made dinner. Wrote my words. It will be an early bedtime for sure.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Post Snowstorm Edition

Here's the list:

1. Having a two hour delay for the day job. I woke up and realized the roads were just wet and went into work only 35 minutes later than normal. I'd struggled with the possibility of taking the whole day off, but see #5...

2. Going to bed super stupid early for a snow day and sleeping pretty damned decent for a change. 

3. That Man doing all of the shoveling. See #2. He woke up super early and took care of the whole shebang. He's hurting now. That snow was heavy. 

4. Work buying pizza for lunch to thank us for not being bitches about the snow. Or something like that. They never said those exact words. Ever. Ha! And we have always been free to go in weather when we felt we should go with no consequences. 

5. Getting to see my favorite guy from my favorite department. He drove up to drop off some things and I got to spend some time with him. He's awesome and always has me laughing hysterically. The last time I saw him was early October when my rep and I had lunch with him. Again, I was laughing hysterically. He's a friend. And a friend I see always having regardless of our work relationship. I've met his wife. I've talked to him about his family. He always asks me about my That Man and my family. Also, I got to meet one of his coworkers. She's amazing and we laughed our asses off. She thanked me for taking care of them and we just had the best time trying to find her a duty belt. That was the best part of my work day. 

6. I won a class through my writing group. Our instructor is someone whom I absolutely love. I've been taking her classes for years. She threw our numbers into a random generator and I won. I wrote back to her and gave her some backstory of me for the last few years and then...she wrote me back and said she'd thrown a wish up to have a person who absolutely needed her class to be the winner. And it was me. How cool and weird is that? 

7. I wrote the words tonight. Yay me! I've already killed my monthly goal. I'm moving forward to killing my goal of having this book done by the end of January. Whoot! 

8. Sleeping in tomorrow. Awesome!

9. Plans for breakfast with That Man tomorrow. We also have to do the Thanksgiving shopping. 

10. K4 coming home. Even though she wasn't supposed to come home until Tuesday. Or at least Sunday. It's still good that she's home. She cracks me up. 

That is all. 

Behave!

Hello, Snow!

Okay, so I'm an *ss. It definitely snowed and a lot, and now it's sleeting.

It wasn't doing anything when I went to work this morning. By eleven, they said we were closing at two. By noon, several people went home. And then got stuck at the bottom of the hill of our complex. For like an hour or more. Those of us who waited were watching, we even took a walk down the hill to check it out. I finally left at ten until two. I waited at the bottom of the hill for about ten minutes while people slid out trying to get up the hill.

It was a super slow go after that. Roads weren't plowed, which was actually way better than the roads that were plowed. I still went the back roads. The highways were pretty much shut down. Actually, many of the backroads were shut down, too. I waited. And waited. And my clutch leg was dying. Like seriously.

I made it to the grocery store and ran in for stuff for dinner. We had a plan, but figured, what the hell, we might as well eat something we wanted. Chicken Alfredo. Awesome. It was amazing. It took me almost two hours to get home, which is nothing compared to other work people. People who left before me and were in traffic for over four hours. Oy!

This was actually the first snow day That Man and I have had alone together for freaking thirty years or so. It's been nice. We made the dinner together. We've been watching some dumb television and are having awesome conversation.

All of our kids are safe at their homes and that is comforting.

Who the hell knows what tomorrow is going to bring? It's still sleeting here. We're supposed to get like four more inches of snow overnight.

We'll see what happens...

Behave!

Wednesday...

I shirked my responsibilities tonight to write...

That was a really good thing. I got the words - many words - on the page. I'm so close to crushing my writing group goal and on my way to meeting my off-the-wall goal.

I definitely don't regret it.

Obviously, we're still on baby watch. Just waiting...

On the Thanksgiving front, plans are coming together. We will have corn casserole and sour cream apple pie. I'm looking forward to those! Still much to figure out, but I'm starting to really get excited about the day. Yay!

So, it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Really? I love the snow, but people are crazy here. They seriously think we live in Alaska or something. We're due to get 3-7" and all of a sudden - there is absolutely no milk, bread, eggs, or toilet paper in any of the stores (from what I've heard. I haven't been to the store at all). We've talked about this before. I didn't go to the store and we have absolutely no food in this house. In fact, That Man just asked me what we're thinking about for dinner tomorrow. We'll figure it out when we get there. Ha! And the day job is already talking about "weather delays". And... some schools are already closed tomorrow.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

That is all...

Behave!

Tuesday? Really?

It feels like it should at least be Thursday. It's been a long week already. I'm not kidding.

Apparently Mr. B was dropped off for a few hours overnight for a baby scare. I had text messages alerting me to his presence, but I never heard my phone. I'd thought I'd turned it up to the loudest setting, but apparently I did the opposite. They ended up picking him back up in the very wee hours though. No baby movement yet, though after the way J was feeling, the doc said for them to head into the hospital to get checked out. Oy!

I think this baby is not going to come for at least another week, maybe two. Perhaps three.

I made my list for Thanksgiving, but that's about it. I guess that's not a small thing. It's not quite time to start any kind of preparations. I'll get the shopping done this weekend and start the cooking this time next week. I think it's going to be a low-key day. I'll really miss being with my siblings - like a lot really. We haven't all been together since July when we were on vacation together and that sucks a lot. I'm hoping everyone will be able to come for Christmas Eve.

That's all I have right now.

Behave!

Sunday...Again...

Oh, Monday... Why? I need one more day...

The rest of Saturday was good. We ended up with Mr. B overnight. Contractions were coming regularly. Nothing happened though despite hot showers, walking, etc. B stayed most of the day.

I didn't get much writing done today. (See above) I did make some banging taco soup. Did all of the laundry, grocery shopped, blah blah blah. K1 & J came to get B and stayed for dinner. They didn't stay long. J was just not feeling right, so who knows what will happen next... Of course little Mr. B can't come when it's convenient. Ha!

Back to the grind tomorrow. Unless Little Mr. B comes. Then I'll be here with Big Mr. B.

And that is all. I'm exhausted and I just want to go to bed. I'm achey, headachey, and my nose is running. Oy!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - On Saturday

Missed last night! In fact, I didn't even have control over my phone for the night and then it died.

K3 came over to get his birthday present and have dinner. We made mushroom curry and watched barbershop videos. He's rejoined a barbershop group and I'm so proud of him. He sang with a group a few years ago and he absolutely loved it. He even went to competition. And then stuff happened with the group and his work schedule and he couldn't do it anymore, so him going back is awesome.

So here's the list:

1. Living through the work week. It was kind of crazy. I didn't get to move my desk and I feel kind of cranky about that. I don't think the best choices for that were made, but it's something I have no control over. We'll see what happens with the rest of it...

2. K3 coming over. (see above) He loved his birthday present and the food we made. I love cooking vegan for him. It's fun to try new things and experiment. The mushroom curry was amazing and so easy. He and I are going to go shopping for Thanksgiving and he'll help me make some vegan dishes. And he'll have a ton of leftovers, which I'm always happy to provide for him.

3. Our coal finally coming. It was scheduled for Thursday, and then rescheduled for Friday, and actually came today. So now we're warm, which is good because it's freaking cold outside!

4. Getting the words on the page. I only missed one writing day this week, which is typical for a Friday night. I needed to unplug in a huge way, so I don't feel bad. I've already put some words on the page today, and I'll head back to it as soon as I switch the laundry.

5. I didn't get to sleep in this morning. See #3. Those dudes were here at 7am. Ugh. But I did go to bed kind of early last night, so... I will be sleeping in tomorrow though, which will be even more epic since I'm in the process of washing my sheets. There's nothing better than freshly washed sheets!

6. I haven't done anything with the basement yet today, but I'll get there once I get some words on the page.

7. Dinner is in the oven. Pot roast. It's cooking low and slow and should be super tender by the time we're ready to eat.

8. My plan of not going out this weekend isn't going to happen. I think I'll be okay today. I'm still in my jammies. K4 wanted me to go with her to get her new debit card, but I declined. She has to go back and pick it up in a few, and she's stopping at the store for baking supplies. I do think I'll have to go out tomorrow though, which is whatever.

That is all for now...

Behave!

Is It Friday Yet?

What a week!

I have a headache. I'm exhausted. Why does gaining an hour feel like you've lost six hours?

It's only 9:15, but I feel like it's after midnight.

I have written the words. More than I planned for tonight, but I also discovered how the book is supposed to start, so that's definitely something cool. I've done pretty darned good this week, baby scare and all.

The day job - well, I don't even know. The new boss is super cool and I like her a lot. We've done one-on-one meetings with her and group meetings. We're moving all of the desks, too. I just don't know what's going to happen. She was with the big boss when we left for the day. She's with us for one more day and then goes back to her home office. I know what I want and I don't know if it's ever going to happen...

Anyway.

The weekend is soon upon us.

K3 is coming over for dinner tomorrow. And to get his actual birthday present. We'd given him "temporary" (silly) gifts to hold him over until his real gift arrived. I hope he loves it. No. I'm not telling you what it is, just in case.

K4 is coming home this weekend, which is good. She'd lost her wallet last weekend and lo and behold, some good Samaritan dropped it into a mailbox. We wondered why we had a postage due envelope, but today when we got home, her wallet was in the box. Nice! She has to get a new debit card, but thankfully, not a new license. Thank you, person, for having a good conscience and doing what you could to get this wallet back to her!

Also, my Jeep got some fixing up this week. It was our last appointment with the welder for the frame and now I have a most solid frame! It's so different. Apparently one piece was completely broken, which is why I felt like I was floating when I went over bumps and things. It's awesome now. Solid and amazing. We have one more bit of work to get done in the next year, but it's not too major and has nothing to do with the frame. I'm ecstatic!

Anyway. We were talking about the weekend.

I will sleep in.

I will continue to work on the basement. I was a beast last night and cleared the utility sink and two surfaces. You have to understand that I still have boxes in my basement from when we were working on the 'rents house. I don't even know what's down there right now, but it must be cleared out. I can't even think about getting to my Christmas decorations at this point. Not that I want to, but I will soon. It's definitely been a forgotten space. And now it's a space I need cleared.

I will also write and hopefully blow my word count out of the water.

It's supposed to be cold, which is fine. We will have coal for our furnace by tomorrow. And I hope to not have to leave the house until Monday morning. That's my plan, and it requires planning. ha!

That is all!

Behave!

No Baby Yet...

No little Mr. B...

He decided he wasn't ready and they were sent home from the hospital. He was trying to come about three weeks early, and despite the doctor saying he could come at anytime a week ago, it's still so early!

Big Mr. B stayed over. They were going to come and get him, but he was already asleep and the chance that they would have to go back to the hospital was huge, so we just let him stay. He was supposed to be picked up in time for me to get to work, but there was oversleeping and I ended up being late to work. It was forgiven, but a bit frustrating for my morning.

So... now we wait more. I just want to hold my new grandson!

Behave!

Baby Watch

Our new little Mr. B is on his way! At least we think... No definitive word from the hospital, but we're waiting.

Big Mr. B was dropped off a few hours ago. He ate a ham and cheese sandwich, ice cream, and we read a bunch of books. He's nervous. He wants his baby brother, but he's not quite sure what that means.

My plans was to take him to work for a few hours, but that was nixed by the new boss. I'm not allowed to take him in. So now, That Man will take him and we'll figure out the rest.

She's about 50% effaced and 2 cm dilated, so who knows what will happen, but the truth is, this little man will come soon...

Behave!

Oh! Monday!

Not only was it dark when I woke up this morning, but it was dark when I drove home from work. Oy! Do not like. My sister told me to stop whining about it, but that's easy for her to say when she didn't have to work today and got to take a nap. So...

Anyway. The time change really does suck. It's only 9:30 now and it feels like midnight. I'm going to bed as soon as I'm done here. Exhaustion is probably going to be the key word this week. Both mentally and physically.

I did write many words tonight, which is awesome. We have our "blast" week in my writing chapter, which means we gather in our chat platform and write in blocks of time. It's awesome and many words fly! Tomorrow night I'm hosting one. As long as the day job doesn't interfere. I did make a new plan to get this book finished by January, so there's that.

The new boss comes to the office tomorrow. I'm excited to meet her. We'll have one on one meetings and a group meeting. And we'll see what happens next.

It's only about 2 1/2 weeks until Thanksgiving and I've yet to even start a plan! I need to get on that this week!

It's been raining since before I woke up this morning. Like it does anything else here anymore. That just made this Monday worse than it had to be... Ha!

That is all. Bed is calling me!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

Whoa! What a weekend!

K5 is a riot and we had the most absolute best time with her this weekend! She spent the night Saturday night. We made burgers here because since their house flooded, she wanted a home cooked meal. We watched movies, ate strawberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, and then watched more movies. And we colored. And did hair. And played games. It was awesome.

She slept longer than we expected this morning, which was awesome with the time change. We had blueberry pancakes, bacon, oj, and all of the breakfast things. Then, we cleaned up and headed to see K2's new house!

K2's pregnant belly is epic! It seriously looks like she has a basketball in front! So freaking cute! And baby girl is due in about a month! Their house is also awesome! I'm so excited for the kitchen they now have! It's ginormous! Their house is super cool and perfect for their family! They have room to grow and it's just cool.

We took K5 up to my sister's house for hanging out and for That Man to help my brother-in-law with a tree stand for the upcoming deer season. We let K5 go through our mom's craft stuff, which is a hard thing for both my sister and I. I don't know how to explain it, but it's good when the grandkids can go through it! A friend of ours came with his kids, and all of those kids had the best time playing together! It was awesome. They were building stick houses at the edge of the woods and having a great time.

We're still in the new stages of being able to get K5 for the weekends! We're looking forward to more amazingly good times!

And Happy Birthday to our adopted sister! You're old! Ha! But not as old as me!

Here we go into the holiday season... It's coming whether you like it or not!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Thank you, Friday! I'm so glad you're here.

Let's hit the list:

1. Living through the work week. Saying it was brutal would be an understatement, but we did get epic stuff in at the end of the day. And the new boss comes next week, along with our off site coworker, so that should be good.

2. Getting to see a friend on my lunch break.

3. Writing all the words. I made pretty decent progress this week. Not amazingly awesome, but still decent.

4. Writing meeting tomorrow.

5. K5 time this weekend. Whoot!

6. Running around with That Man this evening.

7. And - coming home. It's pouring out there. When we got home, there was no place to walk that didn't soak my shoes.

8. Quick take out Chinese food for dinner. Neither one of us were very hungry, so it was just enough.

9. Sleeping in a little tomorrow.

That's all I have for now!

Behave!

November the First...

Well, hello, Baby November!

We need to talk. Here are a few things I expect from you:

1. Don't go too fast. Please.

2. Plans going well and without too many hiccups.

3. No grand babies before their time. At least not too much before their time. We're at about four weeks and five weeks before due dates. While I'm excited to meet my new grandchildren, I want them to arrive healthy and safe.

4. Fun times. Just that. Fun.

5. Thanksgiving being fun and awesome. No excuses.

6. Writing all of the words.

7. Maintaining the day job.

What you will get from me:

1. A positive attitude.

2. Being realistic in the plans we make.

3. Grandbabies. When they come. As long as they are healthy, I am happy.

4. Yes, please on the fun.

5. Please.

6. Yes. All of the words will be written.

7. What else am I going to do?

I'm heading into this holiday season with the best intentions and the most cautious of attitudes. I want to be excited and I want to do all of the things, but I am also being super realistic. I want to have all of the joy with a little stress, so that needs to be worked on. A lot.

That is all.

Behave!

October the Last

Bye, October!

You went by so fast! It's not even funny! I feel like I didn't get much of a chance to enjoy you with everything that went on. It seemed like we went from one issue to another. Yeah, we got a little stay-cation, but we spent most of that working on cars. It was over before it even seemed to start.

You're one of my favorite months, and it's sad to see you go.

Next starts the craziness.

As you know, there is no such thing as Thanksgiving anymore.

I find that very sad. I love Thanksgiving. I love everything about it. I love the preparation. I love the cooking. And, of course, everything about the day. Except maybe the dishes, but they can be fun, too.

We're doing Thanksgiving here this year with That Man's family. It's our first year without That Mom, and it's important to be together. We're not even halfway through our firsts without her. I miss her terribly, but it's important to me to be the rock for That Man and That Sister like they were for me.

Already my mind is turning toward Christmas (and not in the "let's get our decorations up" kind of way, but in the "let's financially manage the expectations" kind of way). I refuse to go into debt to purchase gifts. That Man and I are discussing what's most important and how we can be fair and still not feel like cheap skates.

We'll figure it out.

I'm not sure how I'm going to feel about Christmas this year yet. I want to be excited. I want to go all out decorating. I'm just not sure I have it in me yet. We'll see.

That is all.

Behave! 

Tired Tuesday

Still exhausted.

The day job is not helping. It's like a swimming pool of stress. I'm not kidding. Three screens of absolute madness.

After work, K4 and I met up with a guy I went to high school with so she could interview him for her English project. That went well. I hadn't seen him in a while and it was good to catch up a bit.

That Man made dinner. We cleaned up. Took out the trash. Did laundry. Such a very exciting evening. I know how jealous you must be. Ha!

I did write a really good amount. I'm only a few hundred words away from meeting the lofty goal I set for myself at my writing meeting. We have elections on Saturday and I'm running for a board position.

Tomorrow is more of the lovely same... Joy.

That is all.

Behave!

Back To Normal...

Or as normal as it gets around here.

Got home before eleven yesterday. The drive was fine, but shifting hurt my poor shins. Chilled a little when I got home. No nap though, and I desperately needed one.

We were supposed to go to dinner with K3, but the place he chose was closed. He ended up coming over here for vegan noodle bowls. The dinner turned out well and I made him a pumpkin cake complete with coconut milk ice cream and vegan whipped cream (which is super yummy! I think I prefer it over regular whipped cream). We watched a movie. It was a nice evening.

To bed way later than I wanted or needed, so I'm dragging today. Woke up with a killer headache that took hours to subside. Crazy busy at the day job.

Now I'm going to write my words and go to bed.

Behave!

HallowReads - Day Three

Yeah, I missed last night. It was a crazy, but good, day.

To the venue a little earlier than expected, so headed out to grab some breakfast. Adorable little cafe downtown and had Cream of Crab soup for breakfast. Awesome!

Back to the venue for a day of workshops and laughter. It went well. When it was done, our little PA posse headed into town for dinner. At at a pub with awesome staff and good food. Then a stop at the wine shop where the ghost stories were being told. We didn't stay too long because it was raining and it was pretty packed.

We were going to get together with the rest of our crew later, but everyone was exhausted.

Today was long...and good.

Started early. I snored like a lumberjack last night, so I owe my roommate a nice bouquet of flowers for not killing me in my sleep. Seriously.

We realized our room fridge froze everything yesterday and while we were gone today, a soda exploded and opened the door. So now everything is warm. Awesome.

Anyway. Went back to the same cafe for breakfast this morning. I wanted the soup again, but opted for something with a little more protein to get me through the day. Seriously good food. Bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel like none I have ever had before.

Arrived at the venue and set up for the book signing. Then off to panels. I had two - one first off this morning and one after lunch. I think they went well. I was told they went well by friends in attendance.

We were supposed to have a food truck on site for lunch, but they cancelled. That sucked. So the coordinator ordered pizza's for lunch. Which was fine, but also the second day in a row I had pizza for lunch, so pizza is off the menu for a little while now. It was totally fine. I was just super disappointed that we had no food truck.

Grabbed food and booked it to my next panel, which was a lot of fun. After that, I desperately needed a break, so I went to the signing room and just chilled. Keynote Speaker was next, which also just happened to be Simon, so went to that. Then the signing.

I sold zero books, but a lot of folks picked up my promo stuff. I also met a lot of lovely people. I still call win, so I'm good. I did, for the first time ever, sign a baby today. Well, a baby's shirt. He was a cute little guy and his mom had come several years ago with his older brother and everyone signed his onsie. So she recreated it for her new son. It was pretty cool.

Then dinner with my writing "brother" and the gang. We laughed our butts off and talked about many things.

There was a haunted house after dinner, but my shins hurt like a mofo from walking the hills in town multiple times in boots, so I conned Simon into dropping me at my hotel on her way back to hers (her feet were killing her, too). I am told that it's a good thing I didn't go. There were like 2,000 steps to walk up to get to the facility. I seriously would probably be laying in the grass somewhere, crying in pain. I was bummed to miss it, but also, incredibly exhausted and I know I made the right decision to not go.

I had a blast here. It feels really good to be back in the world I want to live in with people I like and respect. I'm planning on returning next year and I'm excited about that.

Now to sleep.

Behave!

HallowReads - Day One

Well, technically it's not day one, but it counts since I am here.

Left the day job on time and hit the road. Made it in exactly the time I thought I would. Got to the hotel, checked in, unloaded, and went upstairs to find my roommate. Threw my stuff on the bed and then we left to meet the others for dinner.

Cute little Mexican restaurant. Awesome food. Awesome conversation. We were there for over two hours.

Back to the hotel.

I tried to pay bills but something funky is going on. I think it's the firewall on the hotel's wifi. Nothing will work. I think I managed to get two bills paid before everything refused to happen at all. Whatever. I will take care of them when I get home at this point. Frustrating though.

I did get my words in. Yay me.

Tomorrow is technically day one. There are workshops and ghost stories and all kinds of fun things.

Whoot!

That is all.

Behave!

Wednesday...

Tomorrow I leave! I'm still not ready, but I'm trying.

The bag is on the couch waiting for the last few things to be shoved into it. The laundry is in the dryer, but it just got put there, so I have to wait. Ugh, but it is what it is. The briefcase is waiting for the computer to be shoved into it. All charging cords are gathered and working (which is important. Last time I went out of town, my cube was fried).

Tonight has been crazy town. I rushed home from work to get to an event on time and started the laundry before I left. The event ended sooner than we expected, but still... the dryer takes forever. And I even put stuff on the rack to dry over the heater.

My book signing stuff is ready to go. Clothes are almost ready. Bathroom stuff will be ready in the morning. I need to get cash, gas, and a few items necessary for the weekend. But first I have to work all day. You know how that's going to go... clock watching...

When I get there and get settled in, I'm meeting up with a group of friends for dinner. I haven't seen some of these folks for a long time, so it's exciting.

I hope to post updates from the trip!

I'm so excited!

Behave!

Hallow Read

This is where I will be this weekend! 

I'm so excited. And a bit crazy trying to get ready! This is my very first time at this event, but from what I've heard, it's right up my alley! I have many friends going, and I'm looking forward to meeting new friends. 

I'll miss our Trick or Treat night, but That Man has that handled and everything else. I'm leaving right after work on Thursday and will find my roommate, and get settled in. Then we'll meet up with friends.  

Friday is workshops, then a bonfire.

Saturday starts with a book signing, and then panels. I'm on two. Yay! Saturday night is a haunted house. There are food trucks and a Wine Bin tour and dinner with friends. 

Sunday is coming home day.

Yeah, I'm a bit nervous since this is my first time and I haven't been to anything like this in about five years. It's going to be awesome though, and I think, just what I need. 

Then, in about a month, I'm in Shippensburg for a signing!

I'm making progress preparing, but still have a ton of stuff to do. Tomorrow night is crazy busy, too, so I'm not sure how I'm managing it all, but I will. 

Behave!  

Weekend Wrap Up...

Ugh. It's Sunday.

What a long weekend.

Saturday was baby shower day. It didn't turn out so great. I mean, it was super nice - we had great decorations, games, and food. It was just that very few people showed up, either due to work or last minute emergencies. It was sad and I feel really bad for my daughter-in-law.

After cleaning up from the shower, we headed up to my sisters to check on the progress of the car. They were done, so we headed to a friend's party for a little while.

Finally got back home and crashed.

Today has been chilling all day. We finally started a fire for warmth. Doing laundry. Writing. Ordered pizza for dinner.

It will an early bedtime. My head is killing me.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Thank you, Friday!

It was a long day at the day job, but every day is long at the day job lately. Lots of crazy stuff going on. And crazy busy. The one thing that remains constant is that I love my coworkers like they are kin. I guess they are - just a different sort. I know I say this a lot, but that just means that I have the best coworkers in the world.

Oh! And did our kitten just have surgery? No way. He's acting like nothing happened and being as obnoxious as ever. We put him in solitary last night after he tried to go after Granny Cat, but that lasted until right before we went to bed. That's when we heard his terrible cries and him trying to get the doorknob to turn so he could get out. We figured he'd hurt himself trying to be with us and let him out. I slept with him on my chest most of the night. If he wasn't on me, he was on my sweatshirt beside the bed. So cute. He was soaking wet when I left for work this morning. I don't know what it is with this cat, but he loves water. He's either in the sink or the shower or playing in the shared water dish.

Anyway...

The feel good...

1. Cheese steaks for dinner. So good and so needed.

2. Mr. B and him being himself. He took over my office as the "principals" office and freely used my "easy" button, my crazy pen (which is now his) and a lot of paper. LOL

3. Prepping for the baby shower tomorrow. It's going to be good.

4. K4 coming home later tomorrow. She has to stay for open house and she's excited about that.

5. Sleeping in a little tomorrow. Not too much, but hopefully just enough.

And that is all...

Behave!

Too Tired Thursday...

I did do the writing, but not nearly as much as I did last night.

I'm exhausted.

Tomorrow is Friday! Yay!

Max is doing well post-surgery. He's supposed to be in K4's room in the quiet, but he's such a social cat that we felt like it was better for him to be with us. He's currently beside me, playing with a napkin.

Okay. Scratch that... It was really good for him for a little while. He loved on That Man, took a little nap in his lap, ate some food, and rested. Then... He decided he wasn't post surgery and heavily drugged and went after our old lady cat, wobbled a lot, almost ran into a chair, and had now been put to bed. Seriously... Go to sleep drunk kitten!

This weekend is crazy. Car fixing. Baby shower. I just hope Sunday turns out to be a real day of rest and writing.

Oh! And It's cold here! We brought all of the plants inside. They aren't all where they should be, but at least they won't freeze overnight. For example - my huge fern is in the bathtub currently. I'm not sure where it's going to go because as of right now, I have a ginormous asparagus fern and a crazy pothos in the bathroom and I don't think I have room for that in there, too.

I'm off to get my list together for this weekend.

Behave!

Word Count Wednesday

I wrote more words tonight than I have written in a long time!

The new story is, obviously, moving along well. The ideas are flowing. The excitement has remained. It's all very good.

Today was a super super crappy day at the day job. The only way to not wallow in that was to write my fingers off. And that's what I did. It's been a super long time since I wrote to escape the day job, so I take that as a very good sign. And I wasn't only writing crap. I was writing good story!

I ended up at the day job almost an hour later than my clock out time for conversation and discussion and reassurance. After a conversation with That Man on my way home, he cancelled our plans for tonight - not just because of my bad day, but because he was dealing with a bad headache, too. We ordered in for dinner, which was awesome. And we both have lunch for tomorrow.

Tonight, we've been watching people restore the kind of cars we love while I write and we talk intermittently about a lot of different things and plans for the weekend. It's cold outside, but warm in here. Despite it all, it's been a pretty decent night.

Max gets fixed tomorrow. He's locked in K4's room right now with a litter box, water, and a crate. I have to have him at the vet by 8am tomorrow. He had his super awesome treat tonight and honestly, I think he knew something was up. He's going to hate me the most tomorrow, which, I guess, is okay. He likes That Man far more than me anyways, despite me being the one to mainly bottle feed him in his early days. He did sleep with me last night - his purring helping me to actually sleep. (we won't talk about what a shit-show of sleep last night was - okay we will - it was awful. I didn't sleep and at that one moment where you think you're actually going to fall asleep... something happened - either the dog moved, or the kitten decided to bite me, or some random crap happened.... yeah...)

No. I'm not bitter about the lack of sleep. Ha! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for sleep tonight.

That is all!

Behave!

Tired Tuesday

It's still cold. I'm not complaining. It's nice for sleeping and drinking coffee and cuddling up on the couch with a blanket and my fuzzy socks. And yeah, I'm perfectly aware that this is going to feel warm in a few months and I'll be freezing to death.

And yes. I'm tired. It's only Tuesday, but it's been an exhausting week at the day job for many reasons. I'll be heading to the big warm bed in a little bit... Because, guess what? I have to do it again tomorrow. Ha!

The new book is going well! I've managed to write every day but one in our 50/50 challenge. I didn't write Saturday because of the eye thing.

This time next week, I'll be prepping to go to an author event in Maryland. I'm super excited. I'm on two panels, and have volunteered to help out wherever I'm needed. I'm sharing a room with a friend, and will be hanging out with other writing friends while making new friends. I get to sign books, go to a haunted house, and check out a winery. I'm excited!

And that is all...

Behave!

Last Day of Stay-Cation...

Yes. It's a sad day. No more vacation.

And it's freaking cold. Like a forty degree drop since Tuesday.

Friday was car working and the part did not come. We ended up watching movies and hanging out, though we went to bed super early.

Saturday was another home day. I woke up with something awful going on with my eye and sinuses. We went and got eye drops and took a nap. It was a bit better when I woke, but still yuck. We did manage to go out to dinner, which was nice, but again, I was in bed by 8:00. And I slept until 8:00 this morning. It's better today, but I am still swollen and not right.

Today we've been prepping ourselves. There's some napping going on. Blankets are out. I'm moving onto the writing next before I make dinner. (Which going to be awesome!) (Both the writing and the dinner.) I started a new book and I'm excited!

That is all.

Behave!

Stay-Cation: Day Two

It's Thursday, but it feels like Sunday to me.

The parade was okay. Long. Hot. Buggy. Busy. Seriously, it was the hottest, most packed parade I ever remember. Usually we're freezing and drinking coffee, but not this time and we had squatters trying to overtake our space. Sweaty was the word of the night. There were a lot of good things - K4 getting things ready, my boss coming over with her crew, hanging with my sister, getting to see and hug K5 as she danced by, (awesome! her group came in second!), Mr. B - even though he was still not feeling awesome, knowing I didn't have to go to work on Wednesday.

Yesterday was Stay-Cation Day One. That Man worked a half day, so I slept in. Really not that long, but it was still nice. Got up and sat on the back porch drinking coffee and deciding what I wanted to get done before That Man came home. I started cleaning up our room - we wanted to move some furniture around and I got it about half-way done before That Man came home. Laundry started. Dishes done. More coffee. When he got home, we headed out to gather our things for going to work on the car. Still waiting for insurance, but the people are nice enough to let us work on it even though we're waiting. Ugh.

Did that. Made fettuccine alfredo for dinner at my sister's. We were home by 8:00 and I was in bed by 8:30. Headache. Exhausted. I don't know what's up with that, but K4 was sent back to her dorm by her shop teacher today for the same reason.

Today is Stay-Cation Day Two. Slept in, though since I was in bed so early last night, I woke at 2:30 and couldn't go back to sleep until 4. Ugh. But at least I got to sleep until I naturally woke up again. We drank a bunch of coffee and planned our day. Since we're waiting for insurance and parts, we decided today would be a home day. Ran out for supplies quick. We've been equally lounging and working. Moved furniture, went through our clothing and got rid of a ton of stuff, organized stuff, and soon we'll be making dinner. Since we're on vacation, we decided to have fun stuff for dinner. Yay! Except... neither of us are hungry yet. Meh.

Tomorrow. We'll we don't know yet. I'm hoping the whole vacation thing actually hits me by then! We will probably go and work on the car again, since the parts should be in. I want to do fun stuff , too. We will be sleeping in, but after that... We'll see...And it's only Friday, which means we have three more vacation days! We are totally missing the beach, but it is what it is. We're going to make the most out of what we do have!

That is all.

Behave!

Monday Madness...

Sorry I missed the weekend wrap up. I went to bed at a ridiculous hour last night thanks to an awful headache and feeling like I got hit by a truck.

We found a car for K4. Just need the insurance to do their thing. She's pretty happy. So are we. Despite it needing a little work, it's great on gas, great in snow, and will fit her stuff as she travels back and forth from school.

Chicken Pot Pie for dinner last night. K1, J, and Mr. B came for dinner. It was a whim thing and it was good. K1 had/has hives and needed benadryl. Mr. B wanted to come along because he misses us (and then he tried to convince us to let him stay over, even though we had to work today). We'd made a ginormous batch of pot pie and it just worked out. K1 took a nap on the couch after his medicine. J and I talked baby shower. They took a decent amount of leftovers home. (yay!) It was a nice evening, though I was in bed by 8:30. (see above) They are all not feeling good now. Fevers, more hives, headache, sore. Viral?

The work day wasn't too terrible. I caught up with myself. Yay! I also changed my days off to start with Wednesday, so tomorrow is now my Friday. We still don't know what our time off will hold, but at least we're off and ready. We will probably not be doing the fun thing, but the car thing, and that's okay. We'll be off work and together, so there's that.

Tomorrow night is parade night.

It's okay. I equally like and loathe it. I would like it a lot more if I were home all day to do my thing. But, sadly, I'm not. (though it is my Friday! Yay! ha ha) We didn't put out the word at all, so have no idea if people will really show up beyond the kids (and K1's family is an unknown right now due to the feeling awful). Everyone knows about parade night, and things have been crazy here, so it is what it is.

I still made an insane batch of chili. It's more meat than beans, which is fine. I also made a batch of vegan chili since K3 is supposed to come over. Now if it would just cool off enough to put away until K4 gets home tomorrow to warm it. Seriously. It's been on the counter cooling for two hours and I swear it's still hot enough to burn me. I've also been running around straightening things and sweeping, though I didn't get too crazy with all of that. There is no point.

Okay. That's it.

Ya'll do your thing... I'm going to bed.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Let's get to it...

1. Not cooking dinner tonight. We went the easy way out with store-made chicken salad and some chips...Whatever... It was good and easy and no regrets. That Man had stuff to do and I wandered around the grocery store for a long time before deciding to do the chicken salad over frozen pizza or stopping at the pizza shop. Ugh.

2. Friday! B*tches! It was an incredibly long week at the day job. We did our best to hold each other up and help each other, but the truth is... we're dying. We're insanely busy and insanely stressed out. Today was about making sure we were all within our "metric". And we did that. Even though I still have a box of returned product sitting at my desk (I brought it back from my trip) and I haven't had a chance to actually go through it and match it to anything else.

When 5:00 came, we were giddy and ridiculous. Just so glad to be done with the week and have two days off to prepare for what next week has in store for us. It's not going to get any better, folks. We all know that.

3. Still waiting for the insurance company to deal... Jesus. Come on already. Oh and Monday is a holiday. So... their decision could greatly impact our plans for next weekend. Damn.

4. Career plan talks. We made plans for each other, laughed, and had the best conversation.

5. Getting ready to start the book. Yay!

6. Planning baby showers... Oy!

7. Looking forward to new grand-babies! Yay!

8. OH! Though I am off from the day job Thursday and Friday! Short week for me coming up! I hope. I might have to turn those days in.

9. Tuesday is our Halloween Parade night! I equally love and hate this night! lol

That is all for now...

Behave!!

It's Almost Friday!

This has been one of the longest weeks ever! Seriously!

Between the day job and the crashing of the cars and the broken cell phone and the rest of the crap that happened this week... And dang it! I should be at the beach right now... well... Friday at 5 can't come soon enough.

Let's go positive though...

The good stuff is that I finish my anthology story, I have a writers meeting on Saturday, and I have an awesome author event coming up at the end of the month that I'm super excited about.

I have plans with That Man very soon and it will be awesome.

Oy! That's enough for now. I need to head back to mapping out my next book!

Behave!

Sorry For the Silence...

Gah!! It's Tuesday and it's October 2nd!!

Sorry I fell off the earth! There's a lot going on...

Friday was good - went with my other rep and saw some people. She took me to lunch and then I came home and worked the rest of the day. K4 came home. K3 came over for dinner. We watched a movie and talked. It was really good.

Saturday was my book signing, which was awesome. Then to the wake for That Man's work daughter's husband. Not very awesome. Came home and chilled. We were both exhausted.

Sunday... well... Sunday is a completely different story.

I was awakened at 6:24am by a loud noise. I jumped out of bed, looked out the window, but saw nothing. Was going to get back into bed, but decided I needed to go look out another window. And... Oh hell... There was a car crashed into the back of K4's car. I run back to our room, find pants, wake That Man and run out. I asked if the driver was okay and if anyone called the police. Dude was fine. I made the call.

I'm not going to go any further with this story at the moment. I'll fill in the details later.

Yesterday was like a Monday in Hell. I kid you not.

Today was a rough day the whole way around - two of K4's friends were seriously injured this morning in a crash on their way into school this morning. There have been no updates except the one was in surgery and the other was awake but really sore. K4 broke her phone. We have that figured out, though - it's just logistics at this point. Dealing with above. Day job. I'm exhausted.

But October is always a good month, so I'm going to give it another chance. It's only day two. We have fun stuff coming up and I have author events coming up. It's got to get better.

That is all for now.

Behave!

Maryland - Day Three

Another crazy long day!

Started early. Awesome first visit with one of my favorite departments. We were there a lot longer than I expected, but it was good. I got a tour and helped them with something they're looking for. My rep was doing the same thing with the other Quartermaster. Super productive.

Next, we went to a coffee shop and worked for about an hour. I'd worked for about an hour before left, but was able to take care of some pressing things for my other rep (I have three) and get some other stuff taken care of.

Then off to visit my buddy. This guy was apparently someone no one ever wanted to work with before. I don't understand that. He's awesome and we have a great relationship. My first interaction with him back in the day was when I was brand new and I accidentally sent him another departments order. He just laughed and after that, we developed an amazing working relationship. He asks about my personal life and I ask about his. Sometimes when nothing is going on, he just emails me to check in. He's retiring soon, and that's going to suck, but I imagine we'll keep in touch afterwards. I've met his wife and he knows That Man's name without prompting from me. He's like a cool uncle.

We went to lunch at this awesome pub. The food was amazing and so was the conversation. But, seriously, I have laughed so hard the past few days my sides are sore. My rep has some crazy work contacts who crack me up.

After that, we hit up another person I was excited to meet. This guy has worked exclusively with me for the last four years. He wasn't fond of my previous rep (not the last one, but the one before), but we managed to forge a routine and a good working relationship. (Even after he called and yelled at me the first time I talked to him.) Ha! We got a tour of the department, met some other people, saw some cool stuff, and he hooked me up with a coffee cup and a key chain. Awesome!

Made the long trek back to my hotel. Total exhaustion. I worked for about an hour and then started organizing my stuff. I'm heading out to meet my other rep in this area pretty early tomorrow. So I threw some stuff in the car and I think I have everything ready to go in the morning. Scheduled most of the bills to be paid, too. Bailed on dinner. I'm not hungry and my rep texted to say he wasn't feeling great and was exhausted, too. Not a problem. I could go get some food if I wanted to, but I am still not hungry.

Now it's hours later. I've been on the phone since the last paragraph - three hours ago. Talked to two kids, That Man, and my boss. Boss call was the longest. I've missed many things at the office this week.

And I have some words to write and then sleep.

That is all.

Behave!

Maryland - Day Two

This was a super, super long day.

Thirteen hours on the road. Long appointments. McD's for lunch (ouch) and we ate in the car because we were running late. But it was so good (the day, not lunch)(Okay. Lunch was fine. We wouldn't have chosen there if it wasn't). Our appointments went far better than I expected. We spent two hours at our first one, which was awesome. I got to see super cool stuff and hear super cool stories and it totally helped the way I take care of this client. And, it seemed, that my new rep was totally accepted, which is the purpose of this trip. I met people I usually only interact with over the phone or via email, got hugs (lots of them), and learned a whole bunch.

We ate at a little hole in the wall for dinner, which was so delicious and awesome. My other rep in this area joined us and is was super good to not talk shop and just talk about whatever. But... it was a long, but good, day. And I refused to work when I got back to the hotel. No way. I do dig that both of my reps down here have a healthy balance for work and personal life.

I've been back at the hotel for maybe an hour. Talked to K4 and That Man. And now I'm going to work on my antho story. I'm so freaking close to being done with it!

Tomorrow is a lot lighter and closer than today. But I do get to finally meet one of my favorite departments and have lunch with one of my most favorite-est. And then more of the meeting of favorites. It's going to be good.

But I have a story to finish...

Behave!

Well... Here I am in Maryland...

I made it! I'm in a pretty much brand new hotel in the middle of nowhere!

My room smelled slightly musty and when I entered, the toilet was filling and the water at the sink was hot, which tells me someone came in to freshen while I checked in. The carpets absolutely look brand new and the air conditioner is slowly getting the musty smell out. But whatever. I'm really absolutely not complaining.

This area is in the process of building up, so things are random. And they charge you 5 cents if you want your groceries bagged. Weird. So... You see no physical evidence of a reusable bag on my person and yet you still ask me if I want a bag for my sodas, chips, and sandwich? Weird.

I should have done something different for dinner, because the grocery store deli sandwich is pretty damned gross. I've taken a few bites and don't know if I can take another. I have some Sun Chips though, so I'll just eat those until time for breakfast. This hotel has free breakfast, which is awesome.
And no one down here drinks regular diet coke? Seriously? I was going to buy a twelve pack or a six pack or even a two liter, but nooo.... I had to pay out the butt for three 16 ounce bottles from the register refrigerators. Really?

I worked the day job for a little when I got back from my journey for food. Talked to three reps, one of them not mine, which is fine and awesome. Also talked to one of my clients because he'd left me a voicemail and I couldn't hear it. (He's my first appointment tomorrow) I emailed him and gave him my cell number and he called me. I'm excited to meet him tomorrow. We've been talking for two years now and this will be the first time I'll been face to face with him. I'm not supposed to give my personal information to clients, but I would do it again...

I'm going to write now... I tried to eat a few more bites of my sandwich but I thought it would be better if I didn't have food poisoning tomorrow... Yeah... It was that bad. The Sun Chips seem to be safe though...

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

It's, once again, Sunday night... Boo!

Sleeping in Saturday was good, though, I don't sleep in much past my normal wake up time anymore. Whatever. I also was in bed before ten, so that probably has something to do with that. Also, sleeping with the windows open and no ac. Awesome! Sweatshirts are also awesome. I didn't sleep in at all this morning, though I really wanted to.

K4 and I got our shopping trip in yesterday. I got some shirts and a pair of pants for my work trip and she got a few shirts and a jacket. Then we hit the grocery store. She wasn't feeling well at all, but she was a trooper. Between the two of us, we zoomed through the store and made it home so she could take some meds and rest.

We made the dinner for That Man's work daughter and delivered it. She wasn't there, but we had a nice conversation with her mom and sister. And we had nice conversation on the way there and back.

That Man brought these awesome doors home that were bound for the dumpster at work. They are seriously awesome. Eight glass panels, and huge! We're installing them between our dining room and living room. He's currently pounding plaster off the walls to find the header so we can mount the barn door hardware. The dining room is our next project. There is way too much furniture in there and it's making me crazy. I offered my niece my hutch. I'll keep the sideboard because it's awesome for gatherings. The one cabinet will go to my office as storage, and the dresser that was That Man's mom's will go to our bedroom. I was using it for storage down here and it's just not working out the way I wanted it to. So that's what we'll be doing for the next few weeks on top of continuously working on the yard. That Man got a lot done while K4 and I were shopping, and I'm pretty glad I missed out on it. Ha!

So, I didn't get much writing done this weekend. By last night, I was all achey and felt crappy. This morning wasn't much better. I did manage to do the laundry, putzed around in my office, and started packing for the week. That Man made the dinner and I put gas in K4's car for the week before she went back to school. Let me just say... College kids are expensive. Oh and I don't think I'm getting what K4 has, even though I'm still a little achey and sneezey.

That's all I have for now...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

It's list night!

1. Friday! Duh! It's been a brutal work week!Seriously. And I think it's about to get ever more brutal. Just saying...

2. Sleeping in tomorrow. Yay!

3. K4 being home! She's sick - as in snotty, headache, and achey. And is currently laying on the couch kind of moaning. Though she's happy to have had pizza for dinner and ice cream in the freezer. No. She's not spoiled at all.

4. Shopping date with my girl tomorrow. Hopefully she's feeling up to it. I think she will be. I mean... shopping? Yeah. She's going to want to do that.

5. Ordering food for dinner. Yay!

6. Writing this weekend.

7. Work friends delivering mini-fridges for the college dorm and hooking them up with tires and laughing on the patio. That was fun!

8. Upcoming work trip. It's going to be a long week. I'm gone from Tuesday afternoon until Friday afternoon. I'm excited about getting to do my job on the road and introduce my reps to my departments. But I get to hang with my super cool reps and meet the people I've only ever talked to on the phone. Awesome. That Man will be in charge of the house and the animals. I know he's looking forward to it. I can't tell you the last time he's had the house to himself. I mean, really. It's probably been years...

9. Hopefully getting some house stuff done this weekend. Hopefully.

10. The not so fun thing is that we're taking dinner to That Man's work daughter this weekend. Her husband tragically died this week. It's super sad and horrible. They have a young daughter, too.

That is all I have for now...

Behave!

Almost the End of the Week...

Woah! Thursday!

I made it through about half of my "to do" list tonight. And there is so much more to do. I've been dealing with some major work stress, a headache that would not and still has not quite, crazy evenings, and a major lack of sleep.

I have not written a word this week. That's terrible. But it will be rectified this weekend.

We did take the animals to the vet tonight. That was tons of fun. Luckily, we were able to borrow a cat carrier, after we realized (at 10pm) last night, that we weren't prepared. Ha!

Little Max is 5# now! Last month, he was only 2#! He got two shots, his nails trimmed, and his appointment to have "his little boys" removed.

Elsa is 85#. She got two shots too, but no nails trimmed. She hates that so much and the vet would have probably gotten bit. She said her nails were fine though.

Both animals are in great shape. The vet was super pleased.

Okay. I have more stuff to do.... Until tomorrow!

Behave!

The Weekend is Almost Over...

I am old. 

We spent yesterday going up and down the attic stairs and climbing up and down ladders. Painting. Cleaning. 

I hurt. 

But...

Since the kid was supposed to stay on campus this weekend, we figured it would be the perfect time to get her bedroom done. We hauled all of the house guests remaining items up to the attic, cleaned the room, painted the room, and then moved K4's stuff over. 

Then we had an event to go to, so we showered and did that. 

Came home and moved my desk into K4's old room... I now have AN OFFICE! Holy crap! I've been waiting for this for so very long. 

Look at it! I mean! My very own office space! 

I am beyond elated. 

It's a work in progress. I have many things I've been saving for just this time. I'm finding them all and slowly getting things organized. I will post a picture of the ridiculous amount of sombreros I hung up later. (These are the sombreros we brought home from my uncles last summer - the ones we didn't have a choice but to accept. Ha!)

That picture on the wall is from paint night with my girl. I also have another paint night picture hung, and some original prints from the bestie. 

K4's room turned out awesome, too. I didn't take any pictures of that, but she has a nearly identical picture hanging on her wall. (Hers is way better than mine)

So anyway. She came home this weekend since the dorm room switch won't happen until this coming week and she was bored on campus since everyone else went home, too. She hung out with her brother and cousin last night, so that at least gave her a little time to finish. She thought we were mad at her for coming home. Once she saw what we did, she understood why we seemed annoyed when she called to tell us she was. ha! 

Today is laundry and writing stuff. I spent several hours upstairs organizing, so things don't look exactly like they did in the picture. I still have stuff to put in there and am weighing my furniture options for storage. I need to find more stuff for the walls, too. Like I said, it's a work in progress. And I love it. 

That's all for now. 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday!

Friday is here! Yay!

Let's hit the in-no-particular-order list!

1. Dinner with the kid this week! She's staying on campus this weekend to move into her new digs with her friends. Still on campus, but it will be a much better situation than she's currently in. She and her current roommate are on different planes of existence and that's okay. K4 likes her, but they're not compatible as roomies. Their schedules are vastly different and so are their tastes in pretty much everything.

2. That Man removing the annoying boxes left in the living room. Yay! I have my whole living room back! There will be more rearranging of stuff this weekend and potentially I will have my office very soon.

3. Lunch with the big boss today. We had this program a few years ago and it was awesome, but some things changed and it wasn't feasible anymore. I hadn't planned on attending because I'd already been to one, but my direct boss said I should go and my work load was light enough that I could justify it. It was nice to get out of the office and hang with a few coworkers and just talk to the big boss. We sat in an outside venue and had awesome food and conversation. He wants to know what you're thinking about the company and what's going on and he listens to what you say. He always has had an open door policy, but it's nicer when it's outside of the office walls.

4. Signing up for a book festival in December! So excited! It may be lame to some, but I have three events lined up for the rest of this year. And I just got a big old box of books today! Yay!

5. Friday! It was a reasonably light day at the day job, though I did a lot of running around, organizing, and stuff you can't measure with our system. That's okay though. My stats are just fine.

6. Easy dinner after a quick trip to the grocery store. Why is it that you run out of all of the expensive stuff at the same time? Dog food. Laundry soap. Cat food. Ugh!

7. Sleeping in tomorrow. Even if it's for a little. That Man and I have stuff to do.

8. Getting a decent amount of writing in this week. And more to do this weekend.

That is all for now!

Behave!

Dinner With the Kid

K4 had to come to down for a doctor's appointment today. Instead of her driving the whole way back to the house, we met her at this little pizza place we enjoy. That Man and K4 arrived way before I even got off work. They ordered the food, and the second I sat down, the waitress brought me my soda. Nice.

We had a nice discussion about school, stuff going on there, the weather, and 9/11. She doesn't remember 9/11. At all. She wasn't quite two when it happened, so she has absolutely no perspective. She knows it was horrible and knows it was a vicious senseless attack, but she's never known a world without the events of 9/11. It's interesting to hear her perspective on it. I think in my life before this day, the worse things I remember is Elvis dying and Three Mile Island.

She doesn't remember there being no planes in the sky. At all. Or the run on the grocery store with people stocking up on canned goods and non-perishable foods. She doesn't remember the Antrhax scare. She doesn't remember the shocked silence of walking into a public place and seeing the fear on everyone's faces. Or the way people came together to help and support each other. She doesn't remember all of the neighbors gathering in the backyard to discuss what happened and talk about what we would do if our Naval base was hit next. I remember though. I won't ever forget.

I heard something today about making this date about doing something nice for another person - no matter how big or small. I like that idea.

And now we're watching as our favorite place in the whole world faces down what could hit landfall as a category five hurricane. Florence needs to stop and go back out to sea. We don't have plans to go down this year - the stars didn't align like we needed them to, which, considering what kind of damage potential they have down there, is probably for the best. But still... That Man and I just talked about doing hurricane relief, but we're not in a position to pull that off this year.

That is all. It's time to write. I need to finish up this story so I can critique an important project for a friend and then get busy on my next book.

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up

Weekends go way too fast.

The next thing you know, it will be Monday morning and there will be tears. Ha!

Yesterday was so nice. I slept in. Rearranged some cupboards. Cleaned the house. Mostly. Made a huge pot of chili and some cornbread. Got to see my grandson for a little bit. We had a fire in the backyard and just hung out. Nice.

It started raining. Hard. And it hasn't stopped yet. I'm okay with that. A rainy day can be perfect. I'm still in my jammies. I threw a turkey breast in the oven. The house is in decent shape. I have candles lit. K4 is here doing laundry and putting her new welding helmet together. Her and That Man have been working on car switching.

A nap is in my future. Following by writing. Once K4 is done, I will finish up my laundry. I'm not sure what this week will hold. More craziness at the day job is a given. Writing is also a given.

That's all I have.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Hello, Friday! You are amazing! Well, you are now since I'm out of the day job for a few days. Earlier you kind of sucked as I trudged through yet another day at the office.

What was good about this week?

1. Having Monday off. That's a no-brainer.

2. Writing every night this week except one. Whoot!

3. Air conditioning.

4. Cooler temps now. Thank goodness.

5. Sleeping in tomorrow. Yes!

6. Not having weekend plans except organizing and writing.

7. Dinner out with That Man. We went for burgers and fries and they were amazing.

8. Running around with That Man. We had to gather some stuff for K4.

9. Having the ability to lock down K4's debit card. Especially good since she lost her wallet tonight and is freaking out. Ugh!

And I'm out of here.

Behave!

Well...It's Thursday...

It's not so hot right now, which is awesome. And it's not supposed to be hot again at all this weekend. Yay!

It did, however, rain like hell shortly before I left work. Luckily, a guy from my work helped me put the top up on the Jeep about fifteen minutes before the storm hit. (He's my Jeep help guy. He can get my top up in seconds, which is awesome. It helps that he used to own a Jeep like mine) I didn't have my doors or sides, but putting up the top helped some. I still had to wipe everything down and my butt was soaked, but it didn't actively rain on my way home.

Wrote a bunch last night. Plan to do the same tonight. Just about there.

That Man and I were just watching a show that gave me some spectacular ideas for a book. Oh! I'm excited.

Tomorrow is Friday. Thank goodness! These short weeks always seem to be the longest.

This weekend should be a relaxing one. I hope. Sleeping in is a given for both days! That Man has to work on Saturday, which means, I will be writing and cleaning and organizing. The kid will be coming home at some point to do laundry. Don't know when yet.

That's all I have. It's writing time.

Behave!

Another 200 Degree Day...

Gah!

I'm so tired of sweating all of the time! Between the heat and the mosquitoes, I am just done... We watered the plants and my legs from the knees down are covered in welts. That's unusual for me. Typically I don't get bit. But dang! I did tonight! Evil little buggers. Supposedly, we have one more day of brutal temps this week, and then a cool down. I hope so.

K4 did come home yesterday. She had an orthodontist appointment and came to hang out afterwards. That was good. She hit the road after dinner. I think she's coming to do laundry at some point this weekend, but we'll see. Her schedule is filling up with stuff, which is awesome.

There's stuff coming up! I have a booksigning at the end of the month at my favorite local bookstore! Excited for that. I'm also traveling for work soon, which is always exciting and fun. Next month, I'm attending an author event in Maryland, which should be awesome. I've never done this one before, but friends have and I'm rooming with a super cool fellow writer.

That reminds me... I should probably order some books. Oy!

The writing is going. I love the way this story is coming together. It's kind of gritty and dark, but not overly so. It will have a happy ending, but that doesn't mean it will be a happy "in love" ending. We'll see... I'm digging it though.

What else? I can't think of anything at the moment. It's time to get to the writing.

Behave!

Labor Day Monday...

We are back from our weekend in The Wilds!

That Man took off early on Friday and we packed up our gear, hit the grocery store, came back and packed the food in the cooler and waited for K4 because she asked us to (for like ten minutes and thankfully she made it through the roads that flooded out about ten minutes prior to the flooding). As soon as she was packed up (we had zero room for her gear), we hit the road. I was ready after having the morning to get crap done. It was good.

We had a wonderful time. There was a ton of laughter and camp fires. Not much sleeping in, but that's okay. It rained Friday night, which was actually good. Especially once it started really raining and put me to sleep.

Woke up at normal-weekday time on Saturday. Decided I was going to my writing meeting even though I'd said I wasn't because of camp. I woke up feeling very strongly about going. I'm so glad I did. The meeting was productive, if not a bit sad, but that will be taken care in two months. That's pretty much all I'm going to say about that.

Got back to camp to "cowboy breakfast" or "brunch". Delicious. Decompressed from the meeting and enjoyed conversation with family and friends. K1 came down with Mr. B. He hung out with us while K1 worked on his car. Mr. B is hysterical. He's digging kindergarten. He insists my name is "Becky" no matter what I, or anyone else, says. Ha! He begged to stay over and, of course, we said yes.

He ran around like a crazy person and was exhausted by the time bedtime rolled around. We tucked him in and I wrote while he settled in. He was asleep within five minutes, but I continued to write for about an hour. Nice and perfect!

Sunday morning, the kid has us up - okay, me - That Man is always up early - at an earlier time than I wanted to be. We made hot chocolate and bagels and hung out with the family. Mr. B has decided he doesn't like to eat things with holes in them. The bagel hole offended him (even though he'd already eaten the first half) and then, later, he refused to eat anymore of his Ra-ra's strawberries because strawberries have holes when the stems come out. I don't think he remembers that doughnuts have holes. He might change his mind once he learns that. Ha!

Anyways. Holiday Sundays are picnic days in The Wilds. Friends and family come for the day to eat food and hang out by the creek. It's a pot luck event. Sometimes we have six crock pots full of baked beans, or twelve platters of chicken - you just never know what you're going to get, but it always works out. This picnic was a bit different because my brother-in-law's parents - the ones who take care of pretty much everything for the event - were on their way to their vacation, which left my brother-in-law and sister in charge. We were their helpers, but unfortunately, the dish we picked to make for the picnic took freaking forever to get ready and it was super labor intensive. It was That Man, me, K1, and J in my sister's kitchen preparing the homemade taquitos. We barely made it in time and we didn't get to help as much as we wanted.

K4 did the general run to the store for supplies after coming home to check the kitties and then got back and made some banging stuffed jalapenos. Seriously. All of the food was good, but her poppers were amazing. That Man and I did very little to help. I gutted the jalapenos (and my hands burned for hours.) and That Man grated her cheese, but she did everything else. There was nothing left on the pan when the picnic was over.

And... as little as we had left of said taquitos, I know our flour tortilla version was far better than the corn tortilla version, so there's that. I will make them again, but the recipe will be tweaked a lot. The vegan version, in my opinion, was far better. (Yes, we always try to make a vegan version of whatever recipe we try for these events. It's just what we do. Our family is very vegan friendly because we have several vegans.)

The guys got into the creek to build the dam up. I really wish I would have taken my creek shoes so I could have helped, but after they found this sharp scythe-type thing, I was happier to take the kayak out and relax on the water. That was amazing and my arms, sides, and stomach ache, but in a good way.

We were in bed stupid early. Seriously stupid early. I was almost asleep when we heard people on the water. In the pitch black dark. Freaky. That is the first time that any of us have ever experienced people on the water after dark. It freaked me out. In a huge way. They were very clearly hammered and no threat, but this writer's mind went in directions that kept me up for hours. Not just that though. I had one of those nights were the old brain just would not shut the f**k up. I then spent the next five or so hours running ridiculous scenarios through my brain.

I got up to use the bathroom and the dog had basically kicked me out of bed. There was no way I could even being to think about squeezing in between her and That Man and the dog was so tired that she would not wake up enough to even move an inch. (She was in the creek all day - swimming in the current, chasing things, and generally wearing herself out). I went to sleep on the other end of the camper and it still took me hours to actually fall asleep.

I was still up at a normal time. Oy! We had some coffee and some creek watching and then broke camp. We made it home about the time I thought we would. I thought I would get a nap, but that didn't happen. Though the laundry is all done and the house is in good order. K4 was planning to go back to school after dinner. We'd planned to order subs from our local pizza shop and then remembered they were closed on Monday's. Went through a bunch of options and then decided to give "Grub Hub" a shot. We've used them at work with good results and I was excited to try it at home for future use for That Man and I...

What a freaking joke! We ordered our food at 4:32 and were told it would be delivered by 5:37. Our driver picked up the food at 5:37, but did not deliver it until 7:15 or so, and then it was just 1/3 of our order and it was stone cold. I was online with the service from the time I got the email that said our food would be delivered an hour from pick up. I was told our food would be here in 10 minutes. Twenty minutes went by and still no food. And then another ten minutes went by with no food. I contacted them again - at the two hour mark and was told it would be another 25 minutes until our food would be delivered. I got a $10 coupon, but we're not doing that again. They are supposed to be refunding me the full amount of my order. Seriously. The restaurant we ordered from is 11 minutes from our house and it took hours for them to deliver, and then it's not the full order and it's cold?

We ended up going to the diner down the street so we could have a family dinner before K4 went back to school for however long it will be before we see her again. (seriously, it could be tomorrow, it could be next week or two weeks... no one knows... not even K4) Food was good. Service was good. It was a better option, though it would be better if my Grub Hub money was already refunded...

Now I am going to bed. Work is again tomorrow and I am so not looking forward to it. I have no idea what is going on this week yet...

That is all...

Behave!