Off the Face of the Earth...

Apparently...

May is always chaos and this May has been no different!

K4's show was pretty darned good. I'm glad we didn't listen to her and went anyway. That Man and I had a good time hanging out before the show since there was no reason to come home and then leave five minutes later. The kids did a great job with the entire thing and it was awesome to hear what all of the seniors are doing after graduation.

Now we're exactly a week out from the big walk. The cap and gown are sitting on my desk. She's finishing up assignments and prepping for finals. I think she has two days of finals next week.

The sucky thing is that she's still fighting whatever crap she's been fighting. She missed her senior trip to NY yesterday because of it. I don't know who was more upset... (her, I'm sure), but it sucked.

Going back in time...

We had a pretty darned good Memorial Day weekend. We went to The Wilds, though we didn't inhabit the alternate living space. Instead, we put our super-comfy air mattress up in my sister's living room for sleeping. We hadn't had time to get the camper out and check it, and the threat of rain and mud from the previous terrible rain were huge. The guys had a very terrible week and didn't want to deal with the campers, so my sister and I caved. It was weirdly nice, though weird. We spent our days in The Wilds and our nights hanging out just the adults. The weird part was not being able to go into my camper for stuff I needed, but it was okay.

The picnic was really good. Food, family, and friends. And a pretty decent day temperature-wise. Too chilly and high water for the kids to get into the creek, but nice to sit along the bank and talk. We got to see all of our kids and all but one grandkid. I call win.

We ended up giving K4 most of her graduation present and she spent the weekend hanging out with her cousin and sleeping in her tent. She was super happy. Now if we could just get her car fixed. Oy.

This weekend is my writing meeting and K5's baton recital. Looking forward to both.

Also, today is my first baby's birthday. It's so hard to believe he's 29! I remember this day 29 years ago so vividly! Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!!

That is all for now.

It's writing time!

Behave!

Thursday?

Sorry for the silence...

It's crazy time around here.

The day job is insane. I come home truly broken each night.

In fact, this is the first time I've turned on my computer since Friday. That's sucky and bad. And yes, it means I have not written. Boo.

It's been chaos here. For many, many reasons...

K4's final show is coming up quick. There are crazy rehearsals going on. She hasn't decided if she wants us to come or not. She says it's going to be bad and she doesn't want us there. We're just waiting, but we'll probably go regardless of what she says.

Graduation is in like 3 weeks! Wow. My last kid. Graduating. Weird.

Working on graduation present - already know what it's going to be. Excited to give it to her.

College - Well, she was accepted, but she's on the waiting list. She might not be in this year, and she might be. We'll see. So exciting though. We have to fill out a form and she has to get drug tested and then they'll let her know when she's in - they even said it could be the day of first classes. So we'll see... But wow!

I should be on retreat right now!

I'm so super bummed. It could have worked out, but it didn't. I should, right now, be sitting on a bunch of good words, sleeping in a super comfy queen-sized bed, having someone cook every meal for me, and looking forward to more stellar writing days. I should be enjoying my time away from the homestead and just being able to be an author.

I cannot tell you how sad I am...

I don't know if you will hear from me tomorrow night or not... Tomorrow is my momma's birthday. Tomorrow is the anniversary of her services. This past week or so has been rough, and it always will be. I miss my momma beyond words.

Mother's Day was super rough. It was the anniversary of my momma's death. And couple that with That Mom dying just two weeks prior. I cried on That Man. I tried to stay away from people, though K3 came over. We played a game and he helped That Man make dinner. It was nice. Actually, Those Kids did make it nice. It's just my stuff that got in my own way.

That's all I have...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday...

Made it through the week! Oy! And it was a long one.

There is some good stuff, so let's focus on that...

1. Friday!
Though I had to leave work and get K4 home due to a migraine. The upside of that is that a piece of mail I was waiting for arrived just as I was leaving to head back into work.

2. Taking care of some estate stuff. Still have to finish it up tomorrow, but I made a good start.

3. Ordering food for dinner. No cooking. No clean up. And it was good.

4. Household administration duties - at least the paperwork kind - are taken care of.

5. Sleeping in tomorrow. At least a little.

6. That Man and his siblings getting to be together last night. We had a great meal. K1 did the dishes. Boxes were gone through, memories shared. The Brother went back home today, but I'm glad for the time the siblings got to spend together.

7. Hanging with That Man tonight. Our house is pretty quiet tonight. We're watching murder tv and talking about our weeks. It's been a long couple of weeks around here. This is actually the first time we've had to chill and reconnect. It's good.

That is all.

Behave!

Finally Through All of the Details...

Well, for the most part.

There are things to go through and finances to settle, but they'll get done in time.

The services were beautiful. Our funeral home is amazing and provide a level of care I have never experienced before. They did when my folks passed away and they met & exceeded our expectations once again.

That Man and his siblings spoke a beautiful tribute to their momma. My brother-in-law spoke and sang. Our girls spoke. In fact, we had so much sharing that the Pastor's portion had to be shortened greatly.

After the service, we had a reception at a local place associated with the funeral home. The food was good. The service exceptional. The fellowship even more exceptional.

The weekend was taking care of house stuff and trying to rest. We started putting up my Jeep shelter and made a feast of tacos. That Brother hung out here most of the day. On Sunday, I stayed in bed until noon and stayed in my jammies until it was time to go to That Sister's. That was a nice visit - just the siblings. We ate, laughed, talked, and watched stupid television.

Then, we had to wait the weekend until we could have the small service at the military cemetery. That was yesterday and was poignant. We kept it to immediate family - mainly because of people's work schedules and asking them to take more time off of work felt rude and because by that point, we were all done in.

Today was back to work. It was a rough day - mainly because we're exhausted and for me, because my work wasn't attended to while I was away and I'm buried. It wasn't intentional, it's just super busy and we were short three people, so there's that.

I had to drop out of the 50/50 challenge when That Mom started failing and we spent the weekend with her. I've barely opened my computer since mid-last week. I'll get back to it this week.

But I'm going to bed now. I have no concentration left at all.

Behave.

Wednesday...

This week is dragging. The work day went so slow, regardless of the fact that I'm super busy. That Man texted me to say the same thing and I couldn't believe I'd only been at work for an hour. It felt like I'd worked all day already.

That Man took care of his clothing. I grabbed a shirt the other day. I need to take K4 out to get something decent to wear. We are still working on pictures. Everything I think we're good, someone sends me more. That's fine, but at some point, I'm going to have to stop accepting them so we can get to work.

We're exhausted. That Man more than me, probably because he's gotten even less sleep. I don't see that changing any time soon.

That is all...

Behave!

Dealing...

Yesterday was the funeral planning.

I ended up taking off work to go with them. I couldn't leave them alone to take care of things when I had insight and there was no way I could leave my husband. We were there for four hours. Not because we had a lot of planning to do, but because we couldn't stop talking. Our pastor is amazing and provides the best comic relief. And while we were disappointed that our Funeral Bob wasn't taking care of us (it was his day off and he was booked with personal stuff), his replacement did an amazing job, which just speaks to the level of care they provide.

We did have to make some decisions. Like food, and an urn, and the programs. She took care of the financials and her final wishes, but did leave some things up to us. I think we did a pretty good job figuring stuff out. I'm glad I was there. Not that they couldn't have figured it out themselves, but there was some reliance on me since I've done this twice before. I didn't mind at all and I was grateful to be there with them through this.

We chose a simple wooden box. I wrote a poem, but don't think it's good enough to put on the programs. We actually found a poem in her room that I sent in to the funeral home for that.

Also, we discovered that they have tiny urns. That was a bonus since her ashes will be buried with their dad. I wish we would have realized that for our parents, but it's all good. That Man and his sister each got one. Their brother wasn't about that, which is fine. Some people feel weird about ashes. I feel weird about the fingerprint stuff.

We won't be having a viewing. She felt very strongly about no one looking at her when she's dead. I understand that completely. She's being cremated, so we'll have her ashes there. It's going to be a long day.

We went to lunch after, which was a good sharing time for both That Man and That Sister.

There is still so much to do. Picture boards. Clothing. Scheduling That Brother. He comes in soon and we have family obligations to attend, host, and manage. I'm back to work and it's brutal. So far behind and so much stuff to do there.

I'm not able to go to the mini retreat my writing chapter is hosting. That sucks, but I have to do what I have to do. I was really looking forward to it, too.

That is all...

Behave!

Rest in Peace

My wonderful mother-in-law passed away last night.

Yes, she really was wonderful.
I couldn't love her more if she were my own mom and that's saying something. She's been there for us and me since the day I met her. She was gracious, kind, giving, and had the heart and soul of an absolute angel. Though, if she was mad, she didn't hesitate to tell you off or give you a hard time about whatever transgression you committed. She was one of the strongest women I have ever known. Her faith was enormous. Her love for her family and my family was also enormous. She included my siblings as her own from the day she met them, then stated that when our parents died and was always happy to see them. Our relationship was always easy and accepting.

On Wednesday, we thought she was okay. She was smiling, eating, and interacting normally. Yeah, she was tired, but she was 81 and was fighting the nonsense her body had thrown at her. She and K4 had a great visit. We had talked about Hospice on Tuesday when she wasn't doing well, but nixed the thought. Thursday was a different story, however. That Man stayed with her until late when his sister arrived to stay overnight with her. By Friday morning when he went in to be with her, the Hospice decision was reversed. Her lab work showed that her kidneys had failed, which explained why the fluid was not leaving her body. She went downhill pretty fast. I left work early to go and we sat by her side until the wee hours when That Man sent me home to sleep.

I got up early (after getting just a few hours of sleep due to the massive amounts of coffee I'd consumed and the lateness of the bed crawling), grabbed breakfast for That Man and his sister, and went in. She'd had a rough night, but she was still hanging in there.

Saturday was absolutely brutal. Neither That Man or his sister slept. We went through the entire list of emotions, sometimes more than once. It was rough at times. There was a ton of crying. There was a ton of laughter and memories. She was out of it the entire time, though we know she could hear us, so we kept the conversation involving her and didn't let her hear any of the not-so-nice emotions.

It was late. That Man had decided to go to his car to try to sleep. His sister finally fell asleep in the chair. The plan was for them to sleep for a few hours with me on duty and then I would go home after they were properly rested. My sister and b-i-l were there and had dozed off, too. I was sitting by her side and noticed her breathing had changed. My b-i-l had moved and was sitting across from me, also watching. We looked at each other and I nodded for him to wake the sister. I texted That Man to get inside. That Man walked in the door as she took her last breath. I would have gotten them sooner, but I really thought there would be just a little more time. Though I had a feeling she wasn't going to go until neither of them were standing over her. That's what my dad did.

She was so loved by everyone in her home. Staff stopped by constantly to check on her and say their goodbyes when they ended their shifts. Residents stopped by to ask how she was doing or stopped us in the hall to check in. One woman said she was sure Mom was put there to help her and said how grateful she was for her. And that was a staff member. Another staff member came in to sing to her. They all left crying.

If was both comforting and heartbreaking to be a part of. Later, I'll tell you about some of the things we experienced with her during her final days, but not now.

One of the things I'll forever be grateful for is my sister and brother-in-law giving up almost their entire weekend to be with us and support us. It still amazes me. We, in no way, expected it. My brother-in-law held her hand and sang to her. My sister held her hand and talked to her. They brought me diet coke. They brought laughter and music and comfort for the three of us that were on duty. They provided comic relief and a shoulder when we needed one. They helped entertain the grandchildren when K2 & J came. They communicated with staff members that are friends of ours when we couldn't.

I also have to shout out to my other sister and sister-in-law. They checked in with me during the whole process, too. It just solidifies the known truth that I have the best siblings in the whole world.

Also, the way the staff took care of us during the whole process was amazing. We had a cart of drinks and snacks always ready and they were quick to fill our coffee pot and water pitcher whenever we needed. I think I only had to ask for a refill once and that was Saturday morning because our coffee went super quick. They checked on us often and were quick with hugs and kind words when things became too much and we broke down.

We spent today notifying family and friends. (The only people we called last night were the kids since it was so late.) And sleeping. And cleaning out her room. Very good friends brought us dinner tonight, which was awesome. The most I've managed today, besides cleaning out her room and the phone calls, is necessary laundry. Exhaustion is real. The kids are managing. K1 & J have checked in with us often to make sure we're okay, and made us an amazing breakfast and cleaned up. K3 was here pretty much all day and went with us for the room clean up. I talked to K2 for over an hour. K4 stayed up until dawn and has slept most of the day. She did emerge for food and hugs a little while ago. These kids are amazing and we are so blessed by them.

Tomorrow That Man and his sister go to the funeral home to finish the planning. She had already planned and paid for her funeral, which is amazing and such a relief. There is pretty much nothing that she didn't put in her plan. Arrangements are covered. After reception is covered. All of the details are spelled out. The only thing they have to do tomorrow is write the obituary and settle on date and time and the finer details. That Brother will be here Thursday, so...

It sucks. That's all I can say.

Behave

Tuesday...

I have nothing clever for the title...

It's been a super rough day.

The day job is super insane. To the tune of me having approximately three times more work than normal. I tore it up and got almost caught up, but not as caught up as I need to be. I'm mentally exhausted.

That Mom is not doing well again. She's in congestive heart failure again. She's exhausted, short of breath, and scared. We went as soon as we got home and stayed until we had to use the employee exit to leave. They are starting her on meds to help drain the fluid from around her heart and we hope that helps a lot. Her knees continue to be infected despite the heavy duty antibiotic they have her on. We think she may be resistant to it. She has wonderful caregivers though. They really care about her and are on top of her care. That's a good thing.

I'm mentally exhausted as well. I can't even.

I am writing though, and I'm off to do that now!

Behave!

Oy Monday...

Crazy day today.

But I'm home already, which is good. And I started dinner...

Left work to take care of some of the legals for my dad's estate. Worked on that stuff once I got home, too.

Hit up the grocery store and picked up some things.

K4 ate bad sushi for lunch and had to come home. Yuck.

The day job is super crazy right now, so I'm afraid of what I'm going to find when I get in tomorrow. Like, really afraid.

But it is what it is.

That is all... I'm home and I'm going to write now.

Behave!

Saturday...

Missed Feel Good Friday last night.

We headed out as soon as I got home to see That Mom and pick up That Man's car. Spent way longer than we'd expected with That Mom. Got to hold my great-niece and see my niece and sister-in-law though. Always good. My great-niece is so stinking cute and she smiles all of the time. I'm so glad That Mom gets to see her regularly. Also, That Mom is doing much better. She's responding to the antibiotics and her color is almost back to normal. She also has some of her sass back. Which is amazing. We stopped and talked to her nursing team, which was good. They love her so much.

Went and grabbed a booth at the local restaurant we've been going to the last few months (especially since I get gift cards for there through my shopping app) and talked for a while. Had some fried zucchini and onion rings - which was pretty much all I ate all day. Stopped at the grocery store for dog food. Came home to chaos.

Went to bed early.

Up early to go and pick up my birthday present to myself. We bought an enclosure for my Jeep! Yay! It was super cheap since we bought it from a friend and I think it's going to work well. Once we figure out exactly where it's going and which way to have the opening. I'm excited.

Now... K4 is at prom. She looked so beautiful! Her friends came to help with makeup. Her cousin came to help with hair. My kitchen was a disaster zone for a few hours, but that's okay. I'm not sure what her plans are after, but I don't think she is either.

That is all! I'm off to write now.

Behave!

Home Again, Home Again...Jiggety Jig

What a week!

Up super early. Ready to go. Coffee. Hit to road for our drive to DC. Traffic, but we made it on time. Did our appointments. Still lots of driving, but overall a good day. Finally got done and had a quick lunch before making our way back home.

Overall a very productive and good week.

I'm glad to be home though. Very glad. I will be glad to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Tomorrow I'm back to the day job. Then it's the weekend. Yay!

I've got a million things to catch up on, so I'm out.

Behave!

Still On the Road...

We did A LOT of driving today.

But it was really good. I got to meet people I've ever only "met" through email. Which was part of the point of this week.

It's been amazingly good.

Tomorrow is pretty much the same and then, we're going home at the end. So you probably won't hear from me tomorrow night.

Our day started stupid early.
I did manage breakfast and coffee.

Good visits. Good food. Then driving more and good visits.

We finally got back to the hotel and I worked on work stuff for a super long time. Talked with my new rep on stuff she needs to know (should have been on the clock for that, but whatever) But my boss is cool with the credits on the time I've actually worked.

Then we went to dinner.
Good food. Good atmosphere. I kind of felt "relevant" for a hot minute. I had a lobster roll, but ditched the roll for the lobster. There was a brussel sprout appetizer that was to die for.

Then we got back to the hotel and went to the bar that we didn't know existed on Monday when we got here....for a drink and for the boss to watch the baseball game. Fun! We kept talking - like we'd even done anything else since we'd met up again. I have three sales reps and luckily, these two keep me on my toes. My other rep is just as awesome but it's a different territory.

And now I'm in bed. My bags are packed. I have to be up super early, so Good Night...

Behave!

Full Day on the Road...

I slept relatively decent thanks to a cool room and some ambient thunderstorm noises. I was up a little later than I wanted to be and up a little earlier than I wanted to be.

Then the morning went to crap for a bit.
My pants malfunctioned.
My hair looked so weird after washing it with different water.
I spilled lava-hot coffee on my stomach.
The zipper stuck on my boot and it took forever to fix it.

It got better from there, but what a long day.
A lot of time in the car traveling.
A long time of being "on".
Weird lunch. (no flavor, was not what I expected)
More of the same.
Finally back to the hotel and then working for a few hours.

Now I'm catching up on home stuff and waiting to find out what's going on for dinner. I'm hungry (see weird lunch).

Tomorrow is going to be more of the same. Which is fine. I'm actually enjoying myself. It's just a little different than a normal work day. Obviously.

Okay. Dinner plans are made. I'm out.

Behave!

So I'm In Maryland...

Currently, I'm on one of my beds. It's a super nice room. I have a coffee pot and a mini fridge. The hotel is in a very nice area and is newer, so yeah...

And I have this whole room to myself!

Worked at the office all day, then hit the road at almost five. About an hour and forty-five minutes through not-so-bad traffic. Got into the room, organized, then met for dinner. Checked in with my boss.

Awesome dinner. I'm super stuffed and I still have some leftovers in my fridge. Good conversation. Got back to the hotel and gathered my clothing for tomorrow. Took care of some administration details for the writing stuff and home stuff. Went downstairs and grabbed a beer and some water to bring to my room. Trying to get Netflix hooked up on my tablet so I can watch a movie, but it's being stubborn.

Super tired, but worried I won't sleep. It's a new place and I generally don't sleep well my first night in any new place as I'm sure I'm not alone in that one.

We hit the road to clients around 8am. So a little sleeping in may or may not happen.

I'm here until Thursday. And Thursday will be a long day so I probably won't get home until late. Then back to the office on Friday to try to catch up with myself.

I'm excited for this experience though. I will be meeting the people I work with on a daily basis - finally putting faces to names. And I will be working with my new sales rep - getting to know each other and how we'll work together. Which I already know will be awesome.

I'll check in tomorrow - I think. Now I am writing.

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday was awesome!

I didn't really sleep in because I went to bed at such a ridiculous hour on Thursday! But that's okay! I got up and scrubbed my Jeep inside and out. Windows cleaned, carpets vacuumed. The Grandson made some money because he was all about the vacuum. He did do a good job, but holy sand. Things were taken out that shouldn't have still been in there. Lots of scrubbing.

Went to the grocery store for some quick things. Did some laundry. Picked K4 up a bit early from school to go prom dress shopping. We had a blast. She found a gorgeous dress and shoes and she didn't kill my budget! Nice! Prom is this coming Saturday and I "think" she has everything she needs! She's excited. I'm excited for my baby girl to go to prom!

K3 went to break a bit early and we got to hang out with him for a bit. Awesome day!

Friday night ended up being hanging out and chill...

Saturday was at the cabin for clean up and fix up and I wasn't supposed to do any work according to all of the guys, but once the water got hooked up, everything got cleaned inside because my sister and I just can't sit idly by. Plus we also swept up 900 million flies. Again. Love this cabin and will do anything to make it the best ever.

Came home right about dark last night. K3 came over with a gorgeous plant for me. It's so beautiful. We hung out and talked and it was awesome! We ordered pizza super late, but it was very good and much needed.

Slept in a bit this morning. Went to see That Mom. She's not doing so hot right now. She has an infection and is on major antibiotics, but she looks good - better than she did the other day. Took a nap. Hit the grocery store. Did laundry and packed my bags for my week away from home for work.

I'm excited and equally scared to be going away for work this week. I leave tomorrow! I'm packed, but I'm not sure I'm ready!

We'll see...

Behave!

Thursday = My Friday!

Yay!

I get to sleep in a little tomorrow. Do some stuff to and with my Jeep and some other stuff before heading out to take K4 prom dress shopping. That Man is making me an early birthday dinner since we'll be out doing some stuff all day Saturday. The most I plan to be online is to get my words on the page.

And then... next week I'm traveling for work. It's going to be strange. I've never done this before. I'm excited though. I need to find clothes, organize some stuff, and figure some other stuff out.

Right now, I'm most looking forward to the sleeping in. I'm exhausted and so glad I decided to take tomorrow off.

That's all for now.

Behave!

Tuesday's Turds...

Yeah, that's a gross title, but it made me giggle and I really needed a giggle today. Ha!

My back is still hurting pretty bad. One of the ladies at work gave me a patch thingy for it. Helped a tiny bit, but the muscles keep spasming. It hurts. A lot. I'm currently on the couch with the heating pad. Soon I will be in bed though. That Man had me on the floor doing some stretches to try to work it out. I don't know, except he had to help me up.

The taxes are filed and have been accepted. All I have to do now is write out a check for the state taxes we owe. The only problem with that is that I ran out of checks and forgot to order them until after I'd written my last one. I'm hoping they come before Friday. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to go to the bank for a money order or something. We'll see...

The college application process is going well. She has to schedule her admission test. I have to do fafsas (ugh). Her transcripts have been sent.

Writing is going. Slow. I'm trying though, which has to count for something.

Tomorrow is half-way through the week. Yay. Technically, I am halfway through my week now. Yay! I decided to take Friday off. It's supposed to be super nice outside, plus Saturday is my birthday, so a three day weekend is acceptable.

That's all for now.

Behave.

Monday...

It's snowing.

It's cold.

I'm tired and I hurt my back.

Suck.

That is all.

Behave.

Weekend Wrap Up...

So Sunday is winding down...

I have taco soup on the stove and laundry in both machines...

Let's hit the highlights.

1. The college visit was amazing! We submitted the application as soon as we got home yesterday, so now all we need is the supporting paperwork - fafsa's (ugh), transcripts, essay... blah blah blah. She's in a good spot though. She'll work with her high school counselor on the essay and transcript stuff. I have until May 1st to do the fafsa's (ugh). At first, we were super overwhelmed - in a gym with at least 600 other people. Then, we went to the academic booths to check out her desired major and had to fight the crowd. She finally got to talk to one of the students, grabbed some information, then we went to the women in industry table.
This school is primarily male oriented due to the nature of the programs. The population of women on campus is about 10%. Spent some time talking to them - they do so much to make sure the women on campus are a unit and supported and we loved that a whole bunch.
Went to wait for the bus to take us to the shop for the major she's interested in. Drank a bunch of coffee. We decided it was taking too long, so we took the shuttle to our car and drove over. Had a tour from one of the instructors which was awesome, and then, we found one of the women in the program. We'd talked to her previously at the coffee station. She and K4 talked for at least a half hour while That Man and I checked out other parts of the shop.
It was awesome! She's definitely sure this is what she wants to do and where she wants to go to school. Everything about it was amazing. (Hence the application being submitted as soon as we got home) The only thing we're unsure of is if she'll live on campus or not. That will be decided later once we find out about scholarships and grants. It's only an hour away, but the few students she talked to that commute said it gets old fast, so she's considering her options.
We didn't do the food trucks. It was too cold and windy and we were excited to get to the shop to check it out.
After we left, we found a brew pub for lunch. Amazing, amazing food! We were so full and happy and decided this will be a place we'll frequent often while she's in school!

2. No sleeping in on Saturday, but sleeping in and naps today. That Man is currently taking one. I have taken two so far - one this morning when I got up earlier than I'd intended (though I was in bed before 10pm last night and actually slept all night, which is rare), and then one before lunch. Ha! Love it.

3. Watched the most recent Star Wars movie last night. I really liked it, though K3 absolutely didn't. (He went to the theater to see it. His opinion is probably one of the reasons it's taken us so long to watch it, but...) K4 didn't care to see it. Totally not her thing, but the rest of us really enjoyed it and spent a little time discussing what happens next and our opinions on this or that.

4. So my Suburban...
It was running so bad that I stopped driving it around Christmas. When I had to pull over three times on a hill to let traffic pass I knew it was done being a safe vehicle to drive. That Man had driven it to his mom's to finish cleaning out her apartment and said the same thing. Life happens and we haven't had a chance to address the issues. That Man started it right up today. We're definitely going to restore it. We just need to figure out what it needs. For so long That Man has wanted a project car. We were talking the other night and came to the realization that we actually already have a project car. It will go in for state inspection soon, so hopefully we'll be able to find out what's causing the issues and fix them.
I so want to be able to drive it to the beach again.

5. Helped K4 clean up her room. That wasn't super fun, but it kind of was, too. We had a chance to talk - about lots of things. I found many many of the missing socks. And many of my missing spoons.... LOL

That is all... Going to write now!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Oh, thank you, Friday! I love you so! Especially at 5pm when I clock out! Ha!

So here's the list:

1. Friends from far West coming home for a visit soon! Can't wait to see them. Face Time, Skype, and texts just don't cut it! We miss them a whole heck of a lot and are soo excited to see them! It's been over 3 years since we've seen them together. We saw him about two years ago when he had to come home for his dad's funeral, but we haven't seen her since right before they took off on their journey West.

2. Living through the work week! I was behind all week, but ended the week with the most closed cases in my category, which is awesome. I was busting tail all day and am almost caught up! I was super happy to see 5pm roll around though. Despite how busy I was, the day crawled by...

3. Picking up That Man from work and then a subsequent dinner out just the two of us. A beer. Gift card success and a quick trip to the grocery store for snacks and now we're chilling.

4. College tomorrow. We have our schedule and our plan. They will have food trucks, which is exciting. K4 is super excited. I am excited to see her excited. The snow seems to be a no go, which is good.

5. Plans to check out the college town after the visit. And have dinner. Nice.

6. Not much writing this week, but enough to still make me feel goal oriented. That's something. And sometimes, that's enough.

7. Mini Writing Retreat on the horizon. The big, super cool, retreat is not happening this year and that makes me super sad, so I'll take this mini one (especially since I'm planning it). I will forever mourn the big writing retreat though...

That is all... Hopefully an update after College tomorrow, but we'll see...

Behave!

Almost the End of the Week...

Thank goodness...

I've been to more work meetings this week than I've been to in the last six months! To say I'm behind in my regular work would be an understatement. Oy! But the meetings were good and productive, so there's that. I got to go to dinner with the big bosses and new sales rep last night which was actually pretty fun. And I get to go on the road with my new rep to meet with key accounts for a few days soon, which is super exciting and also super necessary. I'm looking forward to it a lot. My new rep is awesome and I think she's going to do a great job. We're already working together quite well, though we've "known" (emails and phone calls) each other for a few years now when she worked for someone else. And I just had my four year anniversary at the day job, which is also kind of surreal.

So yeah, the writing time has been pretty compromised this week. I have gotten some words on the page and done some other things, so that's at least something. And here I am again, hiding away in my bedroom (again, watching Dead Pool... Ha!), doing my thing. The writing documents are open and as soon as I finish this, and my other task, the writing will commence, so there's that!

This Saturday is a college visit with K4, which means I have to miss my monthly writing meeting. I'm super bummed, but this must be done, so... It's supposed to snow 4-10" inches on Saturday, too,  though. How strange is that? We're playing it by ear at this point. We should be able to get there, but might have to come home earlier than intended. We'll see. I'm just excited that we're at this stage.

Other than that. Talked to my aunt earlier. We're planning on a visit to the mid-west this summer and she wanted to firm up dates a little. She cracks me up and it was a great conversation. We're really looking forward to the trip - just have to work out the details with the family, which is not as hard as it seems. I think.

And that's it!

Tomorrow is Friday. Yay!

Behave!

Tuesday Yammering....

Cause that's what I do...

Did sleep in this morning, but not as long as I'd hoped. I set my alarm and everything, but alas, since we went to bed so early last night, I had (believe it or not) slept as much as I could and was up an hour earlier than I wanted to be. (though by noon I was wishing for a nap). Took a shower. Made some phone calls I've been needing to make, which ended up in our local taxes finally getting filed (we won't talk about the other ones yet). Registered for college visitation on Saturday.

Ortho appointment was good but soo long. Work day was okay. Met my new sales rep and worked with her a little on the territory. More of that to come tomorrow and as she trains.

That Man made dinner - fish tacos. Nice! Did some laundry. Watched the B-man for a little and then escaped to get some work done while watching Deadpool. (I know... my life is so exciting)

That is all.

Behave!

Monday Madness...

What a day!

Day Job = OY! Long.

Tomorrow will be crazy. New people and training I must be there for. I have to go in late since K4 has an ortho appointment in the late morning and we're down to two cars between the three of us. But YAY! I get to sleep in about an hour longer! And then my day is shot in training.

Excited about the ortho appointment because the tooth has moved a whole lot!

Grabbed some fried chicken for dinner. I ate a tiny bit - not hungry - too much going on inside the head.

Doing some things I'm both excited and scared about.... Oy! Can't talk about it yet, but hopefully good things will come...

Yeah, we got that April Fool snow. My work actually delayed by about an hour and a half, which was awesome because I went back to bed after a night of not going to sleep until almost 2 am. I was so freaking tired last night. I went to bed at 8:30. How does a body that tired not go to sleep? And trust me, this old body was tired! I ran around from about 8am until about 4pm with no breaks...

We had a nice Easter at my sisters. We arrived late. But we had no choice. That Man and I had some semi-quality time together. Mr. B was funny with his Easter baskets. See above. We were home early...

I'm also having one of those days that whatever I say is wrong. I think I have the information and then someone tells me I'm wrong. I give my opinion and then someone negates me in a way that makes me want to cry. Not in my house, just everywhere else. Boo. And I'm totally willing to admit if I'm wrong.

It was just one of those days....

Behave!

Feel Good Friday, Easter, & All the Stuff...

I blogged over at the Soul Mate Publishing blog today... https://smpauthors.wordpress.com . Check it out if you're so inclined.

So That Man and K4 are finally on the mend. Still rough in spots - the cough and fatigue mainly. But yikes, what a terrible two weeks.

I missed blogging last night because my brain had passed away. From exhaustion, stress, an insane work week, and a whole bunch of things. We were in bed by nine.

Today we've been running around and getting prepped for tomorrow. Had to help That Man do some stuff a the religious establishment. Got to spend a good amount of time talking to a friend I don't get to see much, which was good. Then came home to start the food prep.

I made vegan shortbread for strawberry shortcake for my vegan babies, got the strawberries ready, made deviled eggs, burgers and sausages on the grill for dinner with awesome grilled veges - carrots, mushrooms, and baby brussel sprouts.

Now I'm doing laundry and writing.

Yes. My life is really that exciting. Don't hate.

Tomorrow will be a quiet day at my sister's. Half of the family are otherwise engaged and we'll miss them a whole lot, but that's okay. It just makes the times we are all together even better.

Then back to the day job on Monday... Joy.

I'm off to write!

Behave!

It's Never Going to Go Away....

K4 missed school again today. I had to pick her up and take her home at lunchtime yesterday. She still feels like death, though her color is better today and her symptoms are better. I am paying attention to all of the things. (Sorry. I'm a little defensive after my talk with the school nurse yesterday)

She will be going to school tomorrow. Then she has another four days off to start feeling human. Gah! I hope that happens.

That Man is still feeling crappy. His back is tweaked. He's still coughing. We ran around for a little bit tonight - long story - but he spent the whole time with a huge grimace on his face. He was in pain. I got him home as soon as I could and he's now sleeping, though he's guarding his back.

The flu is the devil. That's all.

Behave!

So This Plague...

Is a very real thing.

That Man and K4 are STILL struggling. K4 hasn't been to school in over a week. That Man is doing the job thing, but that's about all he manages. They are coughing and snotting and feeling like general Hell...

This weekend was spent managing symptoms and sleeping. And with me taking care of everyone. I cooked, cleaned up, washed sheets, blankets, delivered hydration and medicine. I did nap, which was awesome, but I didn't write much at all, which is not awesome.

We did get the bank stuff mostly situated - meaning, we got out "provisional" money back. Which is good because that meant I could go to the grocery store and get gas.

Anyway - It's been a week, so here's a quick update:

Wednesday: Snow day. That Man worked for a few hours, then came home and slept. K4 slept all day and then puked a bunch. I did write a little, napped, and did laundry and cooked. The snow was beautiful.

Thursday: Blah. That Man and I took a little time away from the house for talking. Came home and went to bed. Headache. That Man with the cough. K4 still sleeping.

Friday: Frozen pizza for dinner. To bed by 8pm on a Friday. Yeah, we're socially relevant around here.

Saturday: Sleeping in a bit. Coffee. Laundry. A bit of time out with my kid and That Man. Grocery store. In bed super early again only to be awakened by K4 and her sickness. Ugh and Oy.

Sunday: More sleeping. Laundry. Cleaning up. K3 came for dinner and we made epic vegan fajitas. Talking and laughing. To bed early and then of course, I could not sleep.

Monday: Long day at the day job. K4 still feeling like death. (Yes, we have been to and called the doctor. Many times. It has to run its course and we are doing all of the right things.)

So I've been kind of skimming the edge of this feeling bad thing - a lot of headaches and aches. We'll see, but if this is all I get, I will be grateful.

That is all for now...

Behave!

Still With the Plague...

And, so far, I am still unaffected... Yee haw!

That Man is still rough. He tried going to work today, but they kicked him out and he was home shortly after lunch. K4 was home again. She's still super rough. Fever, horrible cough, and miserable. If she's still feverish tomorrow, I'll have to call the doctor again. Hopefully this predicted snow really happens so she's gets a "free" day to rest and recover. K1 has fallen. He's currently moaning in between sleeping. Yay. My hands are rough and raw from all of the hand washing. Every surface of this house has been scrubbed repeatedly. Work people are afraid of me though I have no symptoms, except the headache - which comes and goes.

I'm watching the movie "Contagion", which is probably not the best choice given the state of my house, but still pretty interesting. Slow, but interesting. I play a game similar to this, so it's kind of cool to see it in movie form. Anyway.

So, it's snowing. We're supposed to get a lot. I think. I don't know. It's hard to know. Last time they called for a bunch, it was a ridiculous disappointment. So far, nothing in our area has closed or delayed yet.

The worst thing about today is that someone stole a crap ton of money from our bank account. I woke up and checked the bank like I do every morning and had a heart attack. I had checked it after my grocery store trip last night and everything was as it should be. Not so much this morning. My card was compromised. Big Time. Someone bought a very very expensive mattress and spent a super ridiculous amount of money at a cell phone store. I called the bank as soon as they opened. They closed my card right away. That Man stopped at the bank to start the fraud paperwork, but since it was my card and I'm the primary on the account, I had to leave work early to sign the forms. Then I had to go to the police station to file a report. The bank insisted since it was so much money. So it's a bunch of crap. The bank will investigate and I have to wait 7-10 days to get my money back. Ugh! And let me tell you, it's inconvenient as hell. I did get a new debit card, which is good, but actually kind of worthless, too.

I'm just angry as hell though. The police will investigate, too, but he said there is probably not much they can do unless we can figure out the cell phone charges and get a location so they can run the security footage. Still he was helpful and understanding. He waited for me outside of the station since the doors were locked. The bank said not to think to hard about how it happened or you'll wreck your brain. WTF is wrong with people that they think it's okay to do something like this? Asshats! I do love my bank though. They are so supportive and helpful. They assured me, many times, that everything is going to be okay and talked me through everything and let me rant a bit. But we're pretty screwed at the moment.

So... Happy Tuesday! Oy! This week is shaping up to be stellar! Ugh!

Behave!

The Plague of March

I'm think I'm going down...

My shoulders and hips ache. My head is killing me. My nose is burning.

I'm not down for the count yet though. But I am in my room on the bed. I've already said my goodnights and did my before bed stuff. I just need to put some words on the page before I call it.

That Man and K4 are still feeling crappy. K4 had a fever of over 102* earlier. That Man has one, too, but he won't let me take his temperature. There's coughing and snot and moaning.

I got up and started laundry. Went to the grocery store. Cleaned a bunch of stuff. Took a nap. Made a pretty danged decent dinner of shrimp and chicken alfredo. Did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen.

So if I'm really getting sick, I'm in a good position to do nothing. Laundry is all done. Groceries are purchased. House is in decent shape. Hey, shut it. If I have to be sick, then I'll feel better just knowing my chores are complete. Ha!

That is all.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Well, it's Friday. That's a good thing.

This house has the flu though. Everyone but me. That Man is coughing up both lungs and possibly a kidney. He achy and has a fever. He's been on the couch and under a blanket (which is so, so unlike him) for hours. (It's hot in here. I'm normally the one under a blanket and I'm running around in a short-sleeve shirt and no shoes. There's your comparison) He only ate half of his dinner. K4 is also achy with a fever. Her symptoms are more sinus and head. She's been holed up in her room since before I got home - only emerging for food and medicine.

So far, I'm clear. Just exhausted. Though I just spent the last five minutes sneezing my brains out. But pray for me...

We've pretty much cancelled our plans for the weekend, though at this point That man and K4 are still at "let's play it by ear". Ha! I'm thinking I'm going to be playing nursemaid all weekend and that's that.

Anyway... Let's hit the good parts of the week...

1. Friday! Duh! What a long week!

2. Breakfast at work  - pancakes and french toast made by management. Corn flake french toast is awesome. Pizza provided by one of our sales reps.

3. Ordering in for dinner. I only ate half of mine (see #2), even though it was really good.

4. Weekend writing plans. If I'm going to be home with the sickness, there will be words on the page! (and sleeping in, and house cleaned, and laundry done and naps)

5. Watching television on the new bigness. It's pretty epic. And then having the old tv in our bedroom. Huge... Distracting. Epic though.

6. Texting with K3.

7. Texting with the bff - even if it's only for cancellation of plans. Her suggestion of Lysol enemas after I felt bad for my Lysol in the eyes comment was epic.

8. I'm trying to get to 10, but honestly. This week rated a 2 on the goodness scale. I got to 7, so I'm going to call that more positive than negative.

And that's what it's all about...

Behave.

Is It Only Thursday?

This week has been freaking brutal. I know I say that a lot, but I'm serious. Brutal. Painful. Exhausting. Ridiculous.

Lots of crazy stuff going on at work. I'm about 90% or more busier than I was this time last week. My phone is ringing non-stop and my stupid phone cord is so tangled I can't move, and then when I do move the bottom part of the cord pulls out and no one can hear me. That's getting fixed asap. Apparently, I'm getting a wireless headset, which will be awesome!

Exhaustion is the name of the game this week. I'm not sleeping well, if at all. Too much in my brain... We had to take pictures today for the boss's presentation and I just look pale and dead. A little photo shop and viola - I had a beard. The pic is awesome and I'll share it when I can.

But tomorrow is Friday. Yay! Our plan is to order in and watch a movie and then sleep in on Saturday. That Man is sick. He's running a fever and currently laying in bed trying not to die. I'm at the other end of the bed - feeling bad for him, but staying as far away as possible.

The writing has suffered a lot this week. I managed to get some words on the page Monday, but that's been it. I'm not sure if I'll get there tonight or not. I still have a bunch of things to take care of that have to be done before I go to bed, so there's that. Keeping my fingers crossed for a productive weekend.

That's all I have.

Behave!

The Long Silence...

Sorry for that!

While we were on our weekend away, the winds took out the Internets. That Kid tried to fix while we were gone. I tried to fix when we got home. There was nothing for it. The best appointment I could get was for Saturday.

It was a long week without the InterWebs. The cable guy was awesome and fixed us up within two or so hours. He was hysterical, too. And he was impressed by our gratefulness. Ha! 

And we were supposed to have a "snowpocalypse" mid-week last week. That was disappointing... They cancelled K4's school, but only because the building the school is in closed. There was no snow. We were hoping for a crap ton, but it never happened. Dang it. We're about past the point for significant snowfall. Though it still could happen. Ha!

Anyway. Our weekend away was awesome! Just That Man and I! We grabbed one of the grocery store's premade dinners for Friday night, which was okay - not great, but okay. Watched a terrible movie that we could not shut off and swept up a bunch of flies.

Oh the flies... They were everywhere - very slowed down due to the cold, but a few kept crawling out of my pile as I swept. I probably threw an entire big dust pan full outside within the first twenty minutes of arrival. That was just downstairs. That Man was working on the heat and the stove so we would be warm and I was de-infesting the place. Upstairs wasn't much better. I shook out all of the bedding and swept another huge dust pan full. The upper floor is just an open space with one corner curtained off into a private sleeping space. As I shook out the sleeping bags, I realized there were probably a thousand flies on the curtains. Ew...

But as the heat emerged, they all went towards the warmth. That Man sucked them up with the vacuum cleaner and we were able to settle in to our relaxing weekend. Though when I woke up Saturday (super early, btw), he was vacuuming flies. We had some coffee, mimosas, watched the Lord of the Rings (all day). I wrote. We walked by the river, took a nap, took another walk, I wrote some more, and then went up to the food truck at the brewery less than a mile away for dinner. Take out. Awesome, awesome food. Talked to UB and Auntie Em for a while. Watched LoTR more. To bed early. Up way early again, but went back to bed. That was super nice.

When we got up again, we chilled with coffee and the extra discs from LoTR, eventually getting stuff packed and cleaned up. The best thing was that we were only about an hour away from home, so we weren't in a huge hurry to get things done. We were home in enough time to do laundry, unpack, more writing for me, and a nap.

It was an excellent weekend. I am very excited to go back there again! It's the perfect place and pretty much what I want in a cabin. And I will have a cabin someday! I'll show pictures soon.

The work week was brutal beyond brutal! We made it to the weekend and then went to the banquet with the sister, which was fun, though I lost some of my family when it was time to say goodbye. We won a 50" TV which is now in my living room. Awesome. We had a blast.

It was super late when we got home, and I forgot to turn my alarm clock ahead. But then we got the awesome big tv hooked up and moved the downstairs tv to our room. Awesome! Sunday was basically doing whatever and ignoring the fatigue.

Ha! Time Change sucks!

That is all for now! I will continue to catch up through the week!

Behave!

Thursday Ugh...

Still a brutal week, but not for long.

Leaving early today to take the kid to the doc was awesome. All is well there and we were done earlier than we thought. She was starving, so a quick trip for food before the grocery store and all was well. No more hangry. Home a little earlier than normal. Started laundry and dinner.

Organized for the weekend. Yay!

Have to go to the day job earlier than normal tomorrow, but that also means I should get out earlier, too, so I'm willing.

Good plans on board for the weekend. That Man and I were presented with the opportunity to go away just the two of us. Yes. Hell, yes. So we'll be heading out into the wilderness for a weekend of just us, movies, good food, and just us... And I will be writing, too.

Thankfully we have people living in our house that will take care of the animals and the mail and the stuffs that we won't have to take care of. I am so excited!

Stay tuned for a Sunday update!

Behave!

Wednesday

Mid-week...

Yay!

Tomorrow I get to bail on the day job early to take the kid to a doc appointment. I already have my time made up, so... while sitting in a doctor's office is low on my favorite things to do, leaving early is high on my favorite things to do. It's kind of a wash, but whatever.

This week has been pretty brutal. See above. I've been working early and late to make up time, and hopefully make up a little more so I can head out earlier on Friday. (also very awesome, if it happens) And it's super busy - which is the norm, so I don't know why I even mention it.

Had a super interesting conversation with the Fabulous Simon on the way home from work tonight. Writing stuff. How to get words on the page as presented by a PodCast she listened to. My wheels are spinning and I have to say, I'm pretty excited about those wheels.

That is all. It's late and I'm tired.

Behave!

Woah! Almost a Week!

It was a long week last week!

Lots of insanity at the day job. Long days. Brain disintegration. Exhaustion.

I did write.

I also ran around a lot.

This week is probably going to be the same.

The weekend was good though.

Friday night was paint night with friends I don't get to see often. In fact, it's probably been a year for a few of them. K4 and I went and had a blast. We painted pretty pictures, ate a lot of junk food, and had great conversation.

Saturday was a flash signing at the bookstore. Didn't sell any books, but it was super fun to hang out with my writing friends!

Laid low last night - hanging with That Man.

Slept in this morning. Very nice. And I took a nap today. Stayed in my sweat pants all day. Got to see K3 for a little bit. Made an awesome dinner. Did laundry. Writing.

But oy! Tomorrow is Monday again.

That is all!

Behave!

Another Weekend Wrap Up on Monday...

I was too tired to post an update last night!

The weekend was pretty darned good! Friday night was hanging out, packaging sausage, laughter. Slept in a bit on Saturday. Ran around with That Man. Then home for beautiful snow! Yay! And writing! Sunday was race day and we went to my brother and sister-in-law's to hang out and watch the race and eat. That was a lot of fun. Came home and laid on the couch. Ha!

The good news is that Into the Fire hit print on Amazon! Yay! I was a little worried because it wasn't on yet. Exciting.

The other good news is that The Second Sentence anthology is also live on Amazon!

Look at the choices I just gave you! :)

Now I must write!

Behave!

Thursday...

One more work day to live through until the weekend! Yay!

I get to go in late. "Get to" like I have a choice and I'm getting paid for it. Ha! K4 had an orthodontist appointment yesterday and they attached a bunch of hardware into her mouth. So I went in late then. Today I get a call from her, really upset, that some of the things they'd hooked up had broken. Great. So now we have to go back in the morning and get it fixed. She's not happy and is in pain. I am also not happy because instead of making up the time I lost on Wednesday, I will be losing even more time. So there's that. Plus, my kid is hurting, which is never good.

It's raining. It's warm out. I opened our window so we can hear the rain when we go to bed. That will be nice, but it's not going to last. We're supposed to get snow this weekend. Weird.

I'm also fighting off some aches and pains, sinus pressure, and a weird feeling stomach. I am doing my best to ignore these things. I have to make it through the day tomorrow and I'm looking forward to the weekend, darn it, so no way!

This evening went super fast. Came home to dinner made, did the dishes, did the writing, did the bills, and now it's now... and I'm fried.

Behave!

Look What Came!!

I know the book has been out for months, but it was only available digitally and now it's in print!

There is nothing like the feeling of holding your book in your hands! :) Coming home to my books made a pretty crappy day so much better!

Look at that!

Ignore my dry hands and my lunchbox in the background. I was so excited, I don't even think I took my coat off! ha!

I already have a bunch of people who want copies, which is epic! I'll probably have to put another order in soon, just because I have a few events coming up that I'll need them for!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up on Monday

Yeah, it's Monday.

I never made it on here yesterday (obviously).

Let's wrap up...

Friday night - Rushed home so we could take K4 out on date night. We went to a cute little place with a food truck and music. Had a lot of fun and good food.

Saturday - booksigning! Yay! It was awesome. Not very busy, but I did sell books. K3 came out to see me and take pictures. K4 came to be my PR person. It's always amazing to get to hang out with my writing friends. After the signing, we all went over to the restaurant next door for dinner. That was good, too.

Anthology partner Bix, gifted the rest of us in the anthology with a print copy of The First Sentence, which was so very awesome! We were all really excited and are in love with getting to hold that book in our hands.

Finally got home and took my boots off. My feet were killing me. Crashed pretty early - done with being "on" and being on my feet.

Sunday - slept in a little. Coffee. K3 came over and went to see That Mom with us. He hung out a while. After he went home, I took a nap. That was awesome. Made dinner. Then to bed.

So exciting. I know. I can't help how exiting and crazy my life is. Ha ha!

This week is much of the same old, same old. Working the day job. Trying to get writing done. Getting "stuff" done. I'll try not to bore you as much with my next post!

There are two exciting things -

Into the Fire will be a print book in my hands very soon. Probably by this time next week! Whoot!

The Second Sentence Anthology comes out on Valentine's Day. It's only $2.99.

That is all!

Saturday Plans?

Hey! If you're local-ish and not doing anything on Saturday, come on out and visit a super cool greenhouse and meet some authors!

You might find some books to get you through the rest of this super long winter!

And you can plan your flowerbeds and garden for when it finally does warm up.

Ashcombe's has a great lunch, too.

Last year, we had two author sponsored gift baskets.

Also, it's usually warm in the greenhouse, so you won't have to worry about freezing to death!




Hopefully, I'll see some familiar faces!

Behave!

Snow & Ice Day...

It was pretty yucky out there today. Awesome!

K4's school cancelled at 5:30. It wasn't even doing anything yet. I got up and turned on the coffee pot for That Man, took the dog out, and then went back to bed. About an hour later, just when I was reaching for the snooze on my alarm, work texted that we would be delayed until noon. Yes! I went back to sleep for a while.

Got up about an hour later. Made coffee. Took the dog out again, and then went back to bed to watch the local news and do a little journaling. Work had said they'd reassess the situation around 10:30, but around 9:30 I got a text that said "we are not closed". Texted my supervisor for clarification. Did I need to get moving and get in there? Were we really closed and it was a typo? She texted HR who had to contact the guy responsible for the texts. We were closed. His next update cracked me up. He said "Correction. We are closed. (I feel like a missile warning in Hawaii now)" Well, maybe not funny to some, but if you knew this guy...

Stayed in bed and kept up my journaling. Finally got up and started a load of laundry, put away laundry and cleaned our room, made a bagel, saw "the boys" off to work. (K1, my nieces bf, and my adopted son - yes, they all work together and they have a blast) Tried to take a nap, but kept thinking about the snow out front. The snow had turned to rain by this point and after talking to That Man, I decided to shovel.

Oy! That crap was heavy! I did the sidewalk and a parking space for That Man. There was a lake forming in the road from the ice jams. I am hurting a bit now. I'm kind of afraid to know what I'll feel like in the morning. My forearms, shoulders, and back are on fire. Yeah. Apparently I need to get into better shape. When I was done shoveling and spreading cinders, I came in and changed. I was covered in dirty gross water from cars going by me while I shoveled.

Made dinner. Talked to That Man. K4's school has already delayed tomorrow. Don't know if my work will or not.

Tomorrow is my baby sister's birthday! Happy Birthday, Meme! (that's what the kids all call her) Love you bunches!

That is all!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

It's Sunday, people. I mean, really?

It's been a pretty good weekend.
Slept in a bit on Saturday, then to my writing meeting.
Then to the grocery store - that was crazy. Snow was in the forecast and everyone was out in full force buying their eggs, bread, and milk. I was just doing regular shopping. I did save like $60.00 in coupons, which was awesome.
K4 met me at the store, which was good because I needed her car for the grocery haul. Then we headed out to get a birthday present for That Man.
I did get the Christmas decorations put away, and put away in the correct place. Yay.

In an epic twist of fate, That Man and I were all alone Saturday night. I mean - alone all night! Woah! It was an awesome evening. We made a great dinner, talked a lot, and watched movies. Oh and did laundry.

Woke up this morning to snow. It snowed for quite a while and then started sleeting and raining. K4 made it home safely after leaving her lights on and needing a jump start.

K3 was supposed to come over for dinner for That Man's birthday, but we told him to stay home and be safe. I made That Man his birthday dinner - cheeseburgers and mac and cheese, and we've just been hanging out. He liked his presents and was only a little sad that I screwed up on the birthday cake.

Now we're watching the Superbowl. We'll kind of. Mainly the commercials. The first movie preview that came on was scary enough that we made Mr. B close his eyes and cover his ears. The movie looks awesome though. The second movie was the new Jurassic Park, which also looks scary, but awesome. And I'm writing, so there's that.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

We made it! We all made it!

Yay! It's Friday!

Here's the good:

1. Stupid turned Good.
I was supposed to pick That Man up at work.
He drove K4's car. I drove his car.
(There's a lot of convoluted stuff in there to explain this, but you really don't care)
I left the lights on, by accident. (I seriously drive his car maybe twice a year) (I'm an idiot)
The battery died.
The work peeps had my back, but That Man got done working sooner than he thought so one of his buddies drove him to my work to jump the car before I even clocked out.
I left work and got into a warm car.
Jesus, it's cold here.

2. That Man and I had date night.
Since the car fiasco had us running at least an hour early, we ended up getting a table at a place we've tried to try a few times. Yay for getting a table!
Decent. A little expensive.
But good.

3. Brief trip to the grocery store for junk food and trash bags.

4. Tomorrow's writing meeting.

5. Snow in the forecast for tomorrow. Also hopes to get the Christmas items "properly" stored tomorrow. Not like I have them now - chaos.

6. Potential writing time tomorrow. Yay.

7. Sleeping in. Just a little tomorrow. And then hopefully a lot on Sunday.

8, Sunday is That Man's birthday. He doesn't care, but I do...I need to go shopping.

9. I stickered my new computer. It was time. This new big shiny has proven itself to be trustworthy and useful. I love so many things about it.
I used the last sticker we had with my parent's picture on it, (my niece's bf had stickers made with my folks dates on them.) Everyone in the family got one.
But That Man saved his for when I would need it, because he is amazing. I had one on my old computer, which is probably why I resisted in getting a new one for so long. When I was distressing over the state of my computer, That Man gave me the sticker he had saved.
So I put it on.
And it's freaking crooked!
It's fine. I'm not going to try to move it, though I really freaking want to and it really does bother me.
I have some beach stickers and a Shine sticker. And I will get more stickers as time goes by.
I'm actually feeling more settled with this computer after applying said stickers. I  do love it. The key touch is satisfying and I have written many words just because I love the way it feels to type.
That probably sounds super stupid to most people.

10. It's stupid cold.
This house is warm.
We're watching Harry Potter.
I am a happy camper.

That is all.
Behave.

Thursday Exhaustion

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.

I'm beat.

This week at the Day Job has been harrowing, to say the least. My work load is insane and I found out today that it's going to get even more insane, though some of my duties will hopefully shift. It is what it is, and things will even out soon. Even though it's nuts, we have a great team and awesome supportive supervisors who treat us like real people and value not only our input, but us as people, and that's something you don't find many places. So yeah, there's that.

We always ended running around through the last part of the week for one reason or another. Last night we had a meeting to go to. Tonight we ran all over the place gathering food for That Man's Inventory lunch tomorrow. He was in charge of procuring the food items needed. He does it every year. It's a huge day for them, so they like to show the employees their appreciation by serving them lunch.

Tomorrow night is Date Night, though we can't decide where we're going yet. We still haven't remembered what our Saturday commitment is, so we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Ha!

That's pretty much all I have to say at the moment. I need to get a few minutes of writing time in before I hit the sack.

Behave!

Wintry Tuesday

It snowed overnight. We had a good coating this morning - enough to delay school. Not at my job though, so K4 had to get herself up and drive into her dad's work. He took her to school (just a few blocks away) so she wouldn't have to pay to park (that's hella expensive), and then picked her up when she was done and took her back to her car (and then worked late to make up his time). We ended up with maybe two inches of snow. Definitely not enough.

Someday we'll get the epic snow I crave! I want to be totally snow bound! I don't care how much we'll have to shovel or the pain in the butt that so much snow brings. I want major crazy snowfall! State of the emergency snow fall! Where we have to dig tunnels for our seventy-five pound dog to go potty. Yes. That's what I want. I want GTA and LoTR all day. I want naps and mimosas and being home. I want epic writing time.

Anyway.

It's Tuesday. Monday was Monday. Fried after the day job and went to bed before nine. Still had a hard time getting up this morning. Imagine that. Day Job Tuesday was not as intense as Monday, but still plenty intense. Tomorrow is going to be the same. But it is what it is. I do my best not to bring that crap home, even though I tell you about my brain being fried.

Finished my friend's critique on her awesome book. Once I'm done here, I'm off to write my own stuff now that I'm clear of critiques. Yay!

That Mom's new home is locked down due to the flu. We haven't been able to see her for over a week now and they are telling us it's going to be another week until we can. The flu is awful. So far, it hasn't come into the day job, except for sales reps that don't come into the office. Still, though. One of our ladies has it in her house, but not her yet. Yet. Once Patient Zero presents in the building, we're all doomed.

What am I'm looking forward to?

Date night with That Man on Friday.
Writing meeting on Saturday.
Saturday plans though neither of us can remember what we committed to! Ha!
That Man's birthday on Sunday.
Making beach plans very soon.

That's all...

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up....

The decorations are still up. Nothing happened there. Whatever.

I did sleep in a bit on Saturday. Of course, we were in bed stupid early, but whatever....

That Man and I went to breakfast on Saturday, then did some running around that included the grocery store.

The pantry did get cleaned out. Oy vey! It was worse than I thought. It took K1 and I a few hours and a trash bag and a half to make it happen. I also organized two cupboards. There are 4 more that need to be done. Yes. I only have 6 cupboards in my kitchen - hence the pantry mess. I also, only have 2 drawers. That's a b*tch.

I tried to nap - that didn't work so well. I finished all but one load of laundry. That Man ran the vacuum and cleaned downstairs.

Then we headed out to see friends we haven't seen since before Christmas. They used to be our neighbors, but moved last year. They bought a great house and it's so comfortable to be there. It was awesome for it to be just the four of us. The guys talked and us ladies talked, and then we talked together. We had an awesome dinner and got back home way later than we'd planned. And I broke my glasses.

Slept in a little this morning. Got up and then went back to bed to watch stupid tv and doze off. K4 joined me, but she is not feeling well at all. Don't know that she has the flu or not yet. She's still feeling crappy - has body aches and a migraine - too soon to tell, but oy!

Did the rest of the laundry. Made dinner and put it in the oven, and then went to see one of That Man's longest friends after a spur of the moment text. We don't get to see them much, because he works out of town. That Man and him talk frequently though. It was awesome to see the boys together - to hear their stories, to catch up. I adore his wife, too. She's one of those people who are easy to be around and make you feel comfortable no matter what. We'd planned to see them before Christmas, but then we got the sickness here and didn't want to spread it.

Still working on the critiquing. I have  just a few pages to go, but I can't keep my eyes open any longer... Tomorrow is Monday. Oy....

Behvave!

Feel Good Friday

Let's hit the high spots, shall we?

1. It's Friday! Duh! What a long, long week. I swear all we did was run around until late after work hours for the second half of the week. And the Day Job! Oy! Super busy Wednesday, Thursday, and today. No matter how fast I worked, I couldn't dig myself out. It didn't help that my phone did not stop ringing with fires to put out and more things to do.

2. K4's Mid-Year performance. She didn't want me to invite anyone to see it because she was sure it was going to be a train wreck. They didn't start rehearsing until the week before. There was a lot of drama, and not the good kind, during their rehearsals which left her in tears and in a bad mood. And we won't talk about the scramble for props and costumes.

The show was really good though. She did awesome. She has such a strong stage presence and doesn't even need the mic. (surprised? ha ha) The rest of the show was good, too, but it was super long. Three hours in auditorium seats with a ten minute break three-quarters of the way through, with a woman who coughed throughout the entire performance behind us. (That was rough) And a woman in front of us who, for some reason, believed I was the cougher and kept shooting me dirty looks...

We got home late. K4 got home even later since we left her car for her, knowing she'd have to run the props back to school. She was super exhausted.

3. That Man cooking dinner tonight. Open-faced turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy. How awesome is that?

4. Finally getting some laundry done. (see #1). There are a lot of household things that need to be done this weekend. We'll see how many actually get done. Ha! (yeah, I'm kind of okay with having a few Christmas items still out, even though it's been a month.)

5. Sleeping in tomorrow. Yes! I'm already in bed - watching the Pirates and getting stuff done. My head and feet hurt. I'm stuffy and my throat is kind of raw. I'm kind of scared because the stomach flu is going around the office and then... coughing woman for three hours.

6. Bills are paid. Grocery list is in process. House is in semi-decent shape. Writing is commencing.

7. Fun Day at work. We had silly fun - played a rousing game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. I made it to the final round and then forgot my strategy because I was laughing so hard and lost. We all brought pictures in of either us as children, our parents, or pets. That was fun, but hard, to guess. I got 10 out of 17 and there were at least four that I kicked myself for. We also brought food in, well, some of us. Most forgot, which sucks when a just few put a lot of effort into it. There was also the option to make paperclip and post it note art. I ran out of time because I was buried in work. The funniest thing was the organizers entire work space getting covered in post it notes while she ran an errand. Hysterical.

8. Very minimal weekend plans. (see#4)

That is all. The writing is commencing.

Behave!

Woah! It's Tuesday!

Well...

I had started a post on Saturday, and then realized I had nothing new to say. Ha!

We did the weekend - it was pretty good. That Man and I did some running around on Saturday. We cooked on the grill. Blah, blah, blah.

Sunday was quiet at first - did some writing, laid in my bed after not getting to sleep until 3am. Then we went to my sister's for a little while. Ate some pizza. Hung out with the family. Came home and did some laundry, caught up on emails, listened to Mr. B's WWE rantings and videoed him and sent it to my niece. Hysterical. He has to "talk to her" about WWE and John Cena. The kid has never ever watched WWE.

Monday was brain-draining at the day job. Of course. I came home and made a turkey dinner. How weird is that? The turkey was ready to cook. We had taken it out of the rapidly defrosting freezer (before we realized Mr. B had turned the freezer down to zero. Ha!). I threw it in the roaster, so it was ready by the time I got home. Made some cream cheese mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and everyone was happy. We have a crapton of leftovers.

Today was the same at the day job. The kids cooked dinner, so that was amazingly awesome. I wrote a bunch of words and critiqued a bunch of words for a friend.

Now I'm done...

Feel Good Friday...

The I'm too stuffed to move edition...

1. That Man and I grabbed K4 after work and went out to eat at a new-ish place not far from That Man's day job. He's been raving about this place for weeks - sending me pictures of his awesome lunches and bragging about the whole thing. So we decided to check it out as a family. 

The service was a little slow, but she was sweet and awesome. Not too busy at all. We had awesome loaded fries and then... the food. Amazing. It was one of those deals where you're full, but you just can't stop eating because it's so damned good. Yeah. It was like that. I had a french dip sandwich with onions and mushrooms. So freaking good. I never even touched my hand cut and amazing fries. I ate 99.8% of my sandwich. That Man got an Italian boli, which I had a bite of an almost died from how good it was. K4 got a burger with bacon, tons of cheese, and an egg on top. She actually got a box for half of it, but that half a sandwich died about two blocks after we left the place and she was left with the empty box. We'll definitely go back. Next time I'm not going to eat the entire day before.

2. It's Friday, bitches! What a super long week at the day job. I broke my own record today in the amount of work I got done - which is awesome, but the reason that happened was because I had a ton of easy stuff to do, so whatever. I don't think I talked to anyone I work with at all today until after work - except for the usual pleasantries when you pass each other or whatever. I had headphones in and was focused on the work. That's how it usually is for me, but today was a little different for some reason. And I have about ten phone calls to return on Monday....

3. The week, while long, ended up being pretty decent. I got a lot of critiquing done and a little writing, kept up on the laundry and kitchen cleaning. I did the adulting thing and paid the stupid bills when we got home tonight. I also sorted through a stack of crap that I had stuck in a drawer - you know, that stuff that you need to look at, but just not at that moment. It's all shredded or tossed now - the only things that survived were the things I had no choice but to keep. I have a zero-ish mail policy now. I keep nothing unless I have no choice.

4. Plans to sleep in tomorrow. Yay!

5. Hanging with That Man tomorrow. We have a bunch of running around to do, but we'll be together so it doesn't matter what we do.

6. Managing to actually find K5 her unicorn slippers. After a first failed attempt and return, between her mom and I, we found a pair that worked and she's happy. Who knew unicorn slippers were going to be so hard to find? It's ridiculous! Her mom and I have both been looking since Thanksgiving!

That's all I have for now...

Behave!

The Second Sentence Anthology

So our project anthology - the second one, aptly named "The Second Sentence Anthology" is available for preorder now. This one will cost you $2.99.

The First Sentence Anthology is still available at the low price of ninety-nine cents. You can find it on Amazon and all major retailers.

Why are you guys charging for these stories now, you ask? Well, all of the proceeds from the books will be donated to "Women Helping Women" (Mary's Shelter) for this year. Next year, we may pick a different charity, but the Women Helping Women cause is something all of us feel very strongly about. It's an awesome cause and if we can help them out, then why not? We started off doing these stories for fun, but then realized that we could actually do something awesome with them.

It's a lot of fun to write these stories and it's an honor to be in an anthology with these amazing authors. It's also exciting to know that we'll be donating any money earned to a great cause. And we'll have a third one out later on this year.

I hope you feel inclined to check it out. My story is a love story set in a zombie horde. Ha!

Behave!

Wednesday...

The snow is very pretty, but it'll be gone by this weekend...

K4 didn't have school today. That Man and I had work delays. My work was supposed to be delayed two hours, but I was there an hour before then. The roads were fine. I got gas, stopped for coffee where my niece works, and headed in. Now I only have an hour to make up, which is good considering there are only two days left in this week.

The worst part of today was finding our that our niece's husband passed away. This is That Brother's oldest daughter, who lives in Oklahoma. She's a tiny bit younger than K2. Her husband had a massive heart attack over the weekend and was gone for about 10 minutes on the way to the hospital. They brought him back and then put him into a coma. Over the last few days, they started bringing him out of it, but found little to no brain activity. She had to make the decision to stop treatment. She's 32 weeks pregnant with their fourth child. He was 34. We received a horribly sad picture of him with his hand on her pregnant belly right before he passed. God. What awfulness. My heart is breaking.

On that sad note...

Behave!

It's Snowing!

Yay!

We're supposed to get up to 5"! We probably have close to 3" now. I was talking to K5's mom earlier and they don't have a thing yet (flurries now). K5 is a bit jealous of our snow. It's weird because they don't live that far away.

K4's school dismissed early and she already has a delay for tomorrow. We'll see what my work does. They don't generally close, but sometimes we get a delay, depending. It was slippery as heck on my way home. I struggled to get up a hill, and then slid down another one - ending up on the berm of the road turned a little funky. No harm done and I popped it into four-wheel drive so I could continue on. I was driving K4's car today, which is a little beast. I wish I would have driven the Jeep, mostly for kicks and giggles, but we drive K4's so we don't freeze to death. Ha!

Today is the four year anniversary of Elsa's adoption!

Look at how little she was when we brought her home!!











Here she is now:

This picture was taken last summer, but she's pretty much the same size. She's not as big as we expected her to get, but she's still a heifer. Ha! She's a good dog - a little crazy at times, a little bad at times, but on the whole, she's a sweetheart and I can't imagine life without her. She "mostly" gets along with the cats, though sometimes she feels it necessary to chase and chastise them.







I think that's all I have for now... I'm a half-hour passed my designated writing time, so I must get to it...

Behave!

Sunday

It's cold. Damn cold. I wouldn't mind the cold if we had some snow to go along with it! But whatever. Only a million and a half days until Spring, right?

We had a little birthday party for Mr. B yesterday. He's a crack up. Lot's of wrestling with Grand Uncle, which they both love, and despite the fact that he wanted nothing to do with the chili we made, he had a great day. He received some awesome presents and was busy the rest of the evening playing with, looking at, and talking about how great everything is. He decided the Harry Potter shirt his Auntie K got him was his new favorite and wore it the rest of the night and into bed.

Once everyone left, we cleaned up and pretty much crashed. I was in bed at a stupid early time for a Saturday night, but I was beat after the day of running around, cooking, and cleaning (though I did have a lot of help with all of it). K4 wasn't feeling good at all. Managed to get some food into her and spent some time talking with her.

Slept in this morning, which was awesome. Ran to see That Mom and hit the store for dog food. Back home to do laundry and nap. The nap was amazing.

Did 2/3 of the critiquing I need to do. I'll do the other one tomorrow and then it's back to my own writing. Yay!

Tomorrow is Monday! Boo!

That is all!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

The new hotness is in the house! Whooo!

Oh this wonderful huge screen and the keyboard has a fantastic touch! I had no idea it was coming today! (no shipping update! Dammit, but nice surprise, too)

It took like an hour to set up and I have all of my stuff exactly as I left it thanks to Microsoft and Google Chrome! Nice!

So here are the feel goods...

1. Friday! What a long-assed week at the day job. So freaking busy. We were standing outside of work after hours and our supervisor looked up and said "You all look like crap", to which we advised her that she also looked like crap. She meant it in the "you are all overwhelmed and it shows kind of way" (and we did too), but it's a testament to the kind of week we had. We have a fantastic team though and we made it through the week because of that. Oh, and I got a raise! Whoot!

2. No cooking! Though ordering food was a chore. Our favorite pizza place's website was down. I tried three different computers and my phone and there was nothing for it. We had to order and then K4 went and picked up the food. But still...

3. Talking to my uncle yesterday. It was his birthday and we had a great conversation about computers, weather, and everything else.

4. The weather. It's like 60* out there right now. It's only going to last for about another 18 hours though... Then it's going to get super cold again. Boo, but it is winter.

5. Getting to see the family tomorrow.

6. Ooh. This keyboard makes a clicky sound. Nice!

7. Driving my Jeep today after a long spell of not driving it. It's been too cold. It was awesome to drive it today!

That's all I've got at the moment. It's bedtime soon. I have the same headache I've had since this morning (sinus), and I'm ready to crash. That Man thought it was Saturday this morning. That made for a super rough and late morning for all of us. Yikes.

Behave!

Happy Birthday, Mr. B!

Today my smart, funny, super-active, and awesome grandson turns 5!

We had pizza for dinner and his Aunt Didi made him cupcakes with orange icing.

And we're doing a last minute birthday shindig for him on Saturday. It's such short notice though - I have no idea if any of the family will be able to make it. We didn't know if it was going to work for this weekend until tonight, so there's that...

He's been giggly all night and running around breakdancing and beatboxing when he's not chasing the dog or asking for more food. He also got to talk to his Sissy for quite a while, which is awesome. Now he's waiting for his pappy to get home so we can have cupcakes.

All I know is that after my day, I'm ready for bed already. I've been ready for bed since I walked in the door - wait, before that. I'm cold and exhausted. But we had frozen pizza for dinner, so not much clean up, and K4 did the laundry, which is awesome.

That's all I have for now.

Behave!

2017 in Review

As promised...

January: New grandbaby news, 2016 Year in Review, Mr. B turning four, Birthdays for friends, major bedroom cleaning for the kid, overtime, snow, writing.

February: Missing my momma, snow, writing, annual book signing at the nursery, crazy day job stuff, plays, editing, 70* temps, date nights, K5.

March: New book cover, kids cooking, Feel Good Friday, Saturday, the beginning of my computer failing, guest blogs, writing, duck banquets, Snowpocalypse, grandkid birthday party, K5, editing, taxes, ongoing computer issues, Weird Wednesday, Irks, date nights, sick Mr. B.

April: April Fools, hanging out with the family, stomach bug, no taxes done yet, hanging with That Sister, Easter, dysentery, finally getting the taxes done, my birthday, Easter, injuries, first round edits, days off work, fires in the back yard, counting down to retreat, True or Not, writing.

May: Counting down to retreat, missing my momma, more illness in the house, bad dogs, finding a random pair of panties out front, Retreat!, writing, getting my 'burban back, margaritas, First Sentence Anthology coming out, Mother's Day, improv shows, lots of retreat posts, end year shows for K4.

June: K1's birthday, submitting stories, funeral, prepping for Into the Fire release, more sickness, hanging with family, dead crockpots, kittens in the backyard, writing, the end of the school year, K4's new job, yard work, Father's day, new grandson, movies with Mr. B, street fair, new release prep, hanging with K4, camping, girls weekend, release preview, prepping for our trip, K5 birthday.

July: Road trip to Missouri, more oral surgery for K4, attic cleaning, That Brother visiting, That Mom failing, somebody (animal) peed in our bed (gross), super hot temperatures, eye doctor, missing my dad, attic renovations, house repairs, random, Mr. B and legos.

August: Awesome author moments, attic work, hanging with the kids, parking lot pennies, thunderstorms, birthdays, missing birthdays and meetings, baby showers, more attic work, super hot, That Mom doing better, tomatoes, rough at the day job, mosquitoes, Mr. B's room reno, Summer Survival, writing, shopping, K5, more sickness.

September: Camping - kind of, visit from my uncle and aunt, more sickness, more painting, making plans to go away just That Man and I, writing, missing meetings, stalkerish behavior on the book of face, beach cactus update, more painting, getting my Jeep back, Fire Stick, date night, going out on my own, cleaning, writing, walking with That Man, top down on the Jeep, guest blogging, missing coworkers, brutal day job, writing, broken molars, broken glasses, weekend away plans coming together.

October: Writing, hanging with K4, winter preparedness, more oral surgery for K4, writing meeting, dinner with friends, more sickness, Halloween parade with garbage chili and rude people, just That Man and I getting away - awesome!!, day job suck, sickness, bad dog, broken window, Funeral Bob, pumpkin carving, trick or treat, K3 turns 21 and camping.

November: Cold, writing, day job, writing meeting, Christmas lists already, turning clocks back, writing friends, birthdays, overtime, writing, overtime kicking my butt, broken work computer, editing, prepping for Thanksgiving, Women Helping Women, productive meetings, helpful family, writing, rainy Saturday and missing book signings for friends, going to the store two days before Thanksgiving, car trouble, cooking, Awesome Thanksgiving with the family, more computer crashing (I didn't post every time it happened, but it happens a lot), Small Business Saturday Flash Book Signing, hanging with That Man, leaves, K5 and reindeer, potato soup, visiting graves, watching Christmas movies already, guest bloggers, more sickness, doc appointments.

December: Writing, hanging with the kid, Writing Group Christmas Party, epic Christmas shirt, Office Space, adulting, work Christmas party, insanity, decorating and shopping, Christmas Pajama Jam party, Christmas movies, the plague, bad dogs, near loss of Christmas spirit, shopping with That Man, Our 31 year anniversary, prepping for the day, missing family, 18th birthday, moving That Mom, very quiet New Year's Eve...

So there you have it...

Behave!

Snowy Monday...

It's been either snowing or sleeting here all day.

They kicked us out of the day job around noon. Which was pretty cool, though now I have to make up as much time as I can. I stopped at the store because we had no food and then came home and did adult-type things. And took a nap. (that was nice considering I didn't sleep hardly at all last night)

Let's see...

Weekend recap -

Great writing meeting on Saturday! Very positive and encouraging.
Good food and conversation with my siblings Saturday evening.

Sleeping in Sunday.
Staying in my jammies all day.
Hanging out with Mr. B.

It was a quick, but good weekend.

Still no shipping on the new computer. Blah. I don't know why they make you wait so long. The status says the order is complete.

I'm going to be blogging every now and again on Soul Mate's blog site. I'll let you know when that happens. I have about a month until my first gig. I'm looking forward to it!

I'm off to finish dinner and then hopefully this old dinosaur holds up long enough for me to get a few more words on the page.

Behave!