Year in Review...

A little early, but in my mind 2010 is officially over...
January: Lots of random stuff, beach retreat with the bff's. Snow. Blogger awards. Motivated and hopeful for the coming year.
February: More snow. Another blog award. B's parents being hospitalized. Random.
March: Ugly spider pictures, the passing of B's dad, family gatherings, kid tattoo's, another blog award, school projects. Roadtripping to see Jason Mann's.
April: The grandmother announcement, retreat shopping, booksigning, the beginning of the stink bug invasion, doctor visits for K3's nosebleeds. Random.
May: Retreat! Camping. Birthdays. Gnomes.
June: Graduation. Knee surgery. K5's birth. Epic bridal shower and birthday party. Summer Survival. Heat exhaustion. Graduation party. Surprise birthday party for my sis. Street Fairs. Baby showers.
July: Camping. My sister's spider bite. New baby cuddles. Ambulance calling. Gnomes. Movie week. Jason Manns roadtrip. Summer Survival. Trying to stay positive.
August: Summer Survival. The end of my job. The end of summer vacation. Off to college. Lots of random. Booksignings. Summer recap.
September: Camping. Stink bugs. Birthday season. New games. Summer Survival. Random nonsense.
October: Stink bug violation. Surprise kid visits. Awesome weddings. Family visits. Busted stuff. Ghost stories. Halloween. Birthdays.
November: More busted stuff. More random. Birthdays. The death of my very dear friend. Complaining about 2010. More stink bugs. Thanksgiving. Hanging with friends. Lack of focus. Gnomes. Birthday partying.
December: Hating on 2010. The flu. Random videos. No holiday spirit. Brain vacations. What if.

And that's it. Of course there's an obscene amount of random silly nonsense throughout, and Supernatural posts, too. No, I didn't post about every craptastic event that happened around here this year, but trust me when I say good riddance to 2010! And of course, I will update accordingly if anything significant happens in these last two weeks.

Behave!

Old Home Week

I recently discovered that I can search all of the photos I've put up on my blog since it's inception. Very cool. It brings back a lot of memories, though, for the life of me, I can't remember why I posted this picture.
I *think* it might have been from our winter cabin trip with my sister and brother-in-law, but I'm not sure.

Then there's this...
The gnomes during happier times.
I think I must have done something wrong. Gnomes are supposed to be good luck, not harbingers of sin. The booze and loose women have to stop. I've tried rehab, but that's not going to work unless they believe they have a problem. And they don't.
I'm not sure what it's going to take for them to wake up and smell the coffee. Until they do, I have no choice but to wait. I love them and want them to be happy and healthy, but I can't force them. Sad, sad gnomes...

And then I found this...
My favorite beach.
Now I'm sad.
I miss this beach very much. I have no idea when we're going to get to go back. Probably not in 2011, despite my original hopes. My old 'burban is having some serious health issues and won't survive the drive. Which means an expensive transmission repair or a total vehicle replacement. Either way we're out.

I think I'm done looking at old blog pictures for today. I'm also done with 2010. I had such high hopes for this year and it has really been one thing after another around the old homestead. Some of it good, but most of it not so much. We'll get into that another time though. Maybe.

And who knows? I might post more old pictures soon. ha!
Behave!

2009 In Review

The year in review:
January: Editing, computer viruses, more editing, Tall Tale Tuesday, Drink hat coolness, My Bloody Valentine, editing, Feel Good Friday, random writing posts, Supernatural.
February: Sledding, snow, inconsiderate people, boys shaving armpits, random cell phone pics, Friday the 13th, lots of random posting, Tall Tale Tuesday, Feel Good Friday, Supernatural, funny pics.
March: Hockey games, the flu, Mommy Meme, being query ready, Tall Tale Tuesday, Feel Good Friday, Supernatural, random writing posts, Good thing, Bad Thing, Ten Inch Hero, lots of random.
April: Crazy April Fool's day, slacking, fantastic new isp provider, Easter, crazy random posts, bug zapper rackets, Feel Good Friday, Tall Tale Tuesday, much random, Bucket 8.
May: Feel Good Friday, RETREAT!!, random stuff, Supernatural, Tall Tale Tuesday, gnomes, chaos, camping, near-death camper experiences.
June: chaos, Feel Good Friday, School's out, bad hair cuts, Bucket 8, Summer Survival Journal, thumb injuries that should have had stitches, gnomes, blog tour, random writing posts, goals, kids going to camp.
July: Camp outs, streamlining, Summer Survival Journal, Jason Manns music, kids still at camp, road trips for conference meetings, another kid at camp, teenagers, another kid at camp, Road trip to see Jason Manns, chaos.
August: Summer Survival Journal, crazy dances, Georgia Road Trip, Tall Tale Tuesday, Booksignings, weddings, picnics, crazy car dancing, the first day of school.
September: Random, Tall Tale Tuesday, camping trips, new Supernatural, party planning, random writing posts, Summer Survival Journal, Rants, Wednesday...The New Monday.
October: Television, Supernatural, Tall Tale Tuesday, Zombies, balloons, silly pictures, silly videos, Jason Manns Roatripping!, 13th Birthday party, Halloween, random writing posts, Feel Good Friday.
November: being sick, silly pictures, Tall Tale Tuesday, random chaos, Supernatural, soapbox, lots of random, blog tour, Feel Good Friday, cool music, turkey trivia, the demise of my laptop, shiny new laptops, music videos, Thanksgiving, 18th birthdays.
December: Tall Tale Tuesday, lots of random, Feel Good Friday, random writing posts, lost and found Christmas spirit, rants, Free Heartwild Solitaire, weird pictures, chaos, family visits, getting through the holidays.
Yeah, I know there are a few days left in the year, but I'm relatively certain nothing else is going to happen in 2009. At least nothing blog-worthy. I'm doing my best to enter 2010 with a positive, hopeful outlook. And I hope you are, too.
Behave!

Friday Already?

Honestly, I don't know what's happened to this week. I really don't.
And I don't know where to begin, so I'll just back up to yesterday.
Three of us traveled to the national writing conference to attend the annual general meeting of our governing group. I'm not going to go into that except to say it was an interesting learning experience and nice to finally put faces to names. I learned a lot and was glad I went.
I have complete and total conference envy. Though, since it's been so long since I've been to a conference yesterday was probably all I could handle. I still have a headache. And my feet hurt. The shoes I wore...well, I'd forgotten that I usually wear them to weddings and the reason I think they're so comfortable is because I take them off as soon as possible and it's not like I'm walking up and down hills or stairs in them. My calves don't feel as bad as I expected though.
(Now, let me back up enough to say that I absolutely hate conference crashing. That's not what we did. We went to the meeting, but we did not insinuate ourselves into any event or resource available. And we avoided areas assigned to conference attendees.)
My last conference was probably five years ago, so I don't have a lot of conference friends like my associates. I did recognize and talk to a few people I remember, but there was no one waiting for me. Not to mention, I'm a little more confident than I was way back then, so I'm sure my conference experience in the future will be much different. Meeting up with my compadre's friends was a lot of fun, most of them I'd only interacted with on blogs or email loops - now I have faces and new friends.
Lunch in the hotel was okay, if not way expensive. Everything was expensive there - three bucks for a bottle of soda. Dinner at a Thai restaurant was awesome. People watching was also pretty cool. The private wine party was a lot of fun - it's amazing how many people can fit into a small hotel room.
All I can say is...I absolutely wish I was there. I probably won't be able to go for two more years. The energy and friendliness is something I'd forgotten.
We didn't get home until three o'clock this morning. It would have been earlier, but we got pulled over in Maryland. And our driver had to take a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer. I wish I would have taken pictures. (she had a half a glass of wine like 5 hours before we left) And, she ended up with a written warning - no ticket for speeding.
I have a few pictures I'll post at another time.
I'll do Feel Good Friday later on today when I get caught up. My girls come home tonight and I'm so excited to see them.
Behave!

Movies and Stuff

I finally got to see "Ten Inch Hero" with Jensen Ackles last night. What a great movie! It's the kind of movie that leaves you all warm and fuzzy when it's over. I should have had some tissues handy, too. At first, I wasn't sure, but it didn't take long until I was totally wrapped up in the story of each person. I loved it, and I'm definitely going to add it to my own collection.
***
Also, I got to watch Thursday's Supernatural a second time, which was a beautiful thing. The episode was a welcome breath of fresh air after the intensity of the past few episodes. I loved the premise and Zachariah, and I loved that I had no idea what was going on until Zachariah touched Dean's head. Having an angel give you a pep talk has to bring positive results. Above all, I'm really hoping that Sam and Dean remember what it's all about and some of the rift between them is healed. (I can dream, can't I?)
***
Today is one of those days with not a lot of wiggle room. Our morning was busy, and in about an hour, the rest of the day is booked. On top of our regular Sunday obligations, we have a college seminar tonight. College? Really? I'm so not ready for it. So not. Very soon we'll begin the application process, take SAT's, and start looking for scholarships and grant money. She's got a possible internship in her chosen field for the summer, which may or may not affect things that are already in place. We'll see. At this point, we have to roll with it. Did I mention how NOT ready I am?
***
That's all I have.
Behave!

Thoughts...

On Friday the 13th.
Spoilers...
Okay, so it's a horror movie. There's gratuitous violence (guy getting his leg stuck in a bear trap, douche bag kid getting impaled on the back of a truck, girl getting stuck on with wall with a pair of antlers, girl getting strung up over a fire in a sleeping bag...and much more), lots of blood, lots of naked chicks (though no running around in a parking lot in only high heels). Don't forget the sex scenes (umm...if you don't want anyone to see you do it in a tent, shut the danged light off). There were two of them, and both made me roll my eyes, probably because Jared Padalecki wasn't in either. (and no JPad shirt taking off either. What's up with that?) The creepy redneck guy was way scarier than the violence. *shudder* First the porn mag, then the mannequin. Icky! And here's my thing...
It's been 20 years since the first murders. The camp is falling down. The lake is beautiful. Come on. Do you really expect me to believe there's only one spectacular cabin on the lake? One cabin complete with a fully-stocked kitchen and an expensive boat just floating along beside the dock? I don't believe the area wouldn't have been sold and developed into vacation homes. Why didn't Jason kill anyone else before now? Why was that lady so grumpy? Why didn't Padalecki take off his shirt? Why did Jenna have to die? Why didn't they call the police instead of dumping Jason's body into the lake? Why didn't they just shove him into the industrial chipper shredder? What was up with the beckoning old guy? And what the hell was up with the ending?
That said - It wasn't awful, but it was. It wasn't as scary as I expected. We had a blast though. There were 10 of us in nearly empty theater. Two guys came in while we were introducing people to each other and they got pulled into the fray, including a brief discussion of their thoughts afterward. We weren't exactly quiet, but no one seemed to care.
As much as I hate to say it, I liked My Bloody Valentine more. I wanted to love them both equally. Oh well...
Behave!

Random Thursday Ramblings

Last night I went to see My Bloody Valentine.
There may be spoilers ahead.
I used to be a big slasher film fan. In the early 80's, that's what we did for fun. Somewhere along the line, I lost my love for slasher flicks. I haven't seen one in ages, which is really fine with me. Gratuitous violence and the guarantee of naked chicks aren't my thing. But I have to say I loved My Bloody Valentine. We all know the number one reason I went to see it is because of Jensen Ackles. (The same reason we'll be going to see Friday the 13th with Jared Padalecki next month.) Anyway. Jensen Ackles didn't disappoint. He was fantastic, though I will say it was hard to not compare his role in MBV with Dean in Supernatural, especially at first - that did wear off the more I got into the movie.
There was much blood - eyeballs being flung toward your face, jaws being popped out, stuff like that. And, of course, there was the naked chick running through the parking lot in only high heels. The stupid people falling down, stopping to look behind them, doing dumb things like going to look out the window when they should be running the other way. Classic horror movie stuff...and I loved it. Not that I'm now a reinvented horror flick fan, but man, my blood was pumping.
This movie was in 3D - something that I've never quite been able to view the way you're supposed to. I don't know, but the effect is usually lost on me and I end up frustrated and with a headache. That definitely wasn't the case last night. The 3D was awesome.
I can't wait for Friday the 13th next month.
***
While I was out having fun last night, my awesomely fantastic husband fixed the dryer. He's sure it's not a permanent fix, the motor's on its last leg, but it may be enough to get some socks, towels, and undies washed. Not only did he fix it, he did laundry and concentrated on the stuff we needed washed the most. Sweet.
***
On the editing front, it's been a slow go thanks to a bunch of necessary stuff beyond my control. Still frustrating, especially considering the virus put me way behind as well. I still have a chance to make my goal, but there are still some unavoidable delays on the horizon so we'll see how well I manage to balance everything.
***
Another new Supernatural tonight. Very excited about that.
***
This weekend is relatively full, so posts might be sporadic.
Behave!

2008 In Review

I wasn't going to do this post for a few more days, but in all honesty, I don't think many more reportable things will happen this year. And if they do, they'll be bad things, because that's just the way my life goes.
2008 was a long year, a rough year in a lot of ways, but a pretty good year. I guess.
Anyway. Here goes:
January: Lots of random posting, New Year's Eve recap, blurb announcement for The Shape of Love.
February: New irritating Internet service, THE SHAPE OF LOVE RELEASE! WHOOT!! My first booksigning! My first author chat! Some snow, lots of random, A Cabin Story.
March: Random practical jokes with me as the butt, customer service headaches, Easter with the family and a slew of random pics.
April: My birthday, Going to see the Chippendales with my buds, out of town company, wireless Internet! Whoot!, community service projects, science fairs, missing the beach.
May: Lots of random, baby bunny's being stolen from our back porch by an evil creature, THE RETREAT!!!, ugly woodpeckers, Memorial day, random meadow pictures.
June: Celebrating K's 19th birthday, Freddie the turtle being lost in my house, vampire garlic, the end of school, the return of Fiesta Friday, the passing of my sister's dog, Boone, preparations for camp and K2's camp counseling stint.
July: Camping for the first time of the year, lots of random meadow pictures, cat pictures, fail pictures. Supernatural videos, K1's ear injury, more camp counseling duties,
August: My cousin visiting, Fiesta Friday!, lots and lots of random, lots of meadow trips, Labor day camping, writing challenges, blogiversary, weddings, wedding showers.
September: Weddings!, Talk Like A Pirate Day, reconnecting with old friends and farm visiting,
October: Much rambling, more farm visits, Nick's (publishing gnomes) visit, Halloween parades, Halloween, K3's 12th birthday, a booksigning I missed because of a funeral, alligators.
November: Loads of birthdays, puppies, Thanksgiving, K2 turning 17.
December: K4 turning 9, our 22nd anniversary, Christmas.
And throughout it all, there was a ton of random, a ton of Supernatural discussion, and a ton of writing-related stuff. The year definitely started off with a bang, but lost steam somewhere along the way.
Here's to 2009, and a year that's full of steam and good stuff.
Behave!