Write this way!

As part as my life as an empty nester, I am persuing my writing. My goal is to do the whole author thing--agent, editor, publisher, books on the shelf and everything!

So...this weekend I am at a writer's conference. It's my first ever! I went to one writing clinic a few years back. It was tragic! We submitted our first pages and then the speaker taught from the pages.

She used my page.

It wasn't pretty.

Le Sigh.

So, this is good for me. I've been in a few critique groups since then and have really worked on my writing. The critique group I'm in now is really good, so I'm not totally freaked out, waiting to be made an example again. Still, it promises to be a brain-stretching time.

Smack Down

Don't adjust your radio dial...it's time for more of Ed and Jacque's adventures in Empty Nesting!

So, I told you all about the massive mountain of styrofoam. Well, originally we were going to work on the footers and then on the walls. Eventually, we were going to start looking for logs.

Then we got THE CALL. A friend of a friend happens to be a logger and happened to log all winter long in Colorado since there was no snow. As a result he just happened to have tons of logs and a stretch of down time before things get busy once things really warm up. We ended up getting a sweeeet deal on be-a-utiful logs. Ed was able to fly out to Colorado, and with help from our friend, he picked out each and every log.

Then last week the logger loaded them up on two big-ass (technical term) trucks. Now...true confession...they might have been a bit overweight, but they managed to fit everything on the two trucks. And off they headed, 998 miles, to our lot.

Friday I'd got THE other CALL. The one saying, "Okay, we're closing in. Be there around one." I ended up at a random intersection just off the middle of nowhere waiting for the trucks. And waiting, and waiting...

Finally, I got a call. The logger was not happy! Short story long, he took a wrong turn and ended up in the wrong town with cops that were more than happy to check his paperwork (did I mention he had a weight problem). So he called and said he'd been there for an hour and he didn't know what was going to happen and he might get shut down, but he'd let me know more when he knew. I asked if I could do anything to help. He said no.

I sat there for a few minutes and said the heck with it. Best I knew there was a possibility we might loose our logs. I wasn't going down without a fight. I put the Jeep in gear and headed west.

There are two towns next to each other--Fallon and Fernley. I always mix up the two. I thought they got pulled over right after Fallon, after all that's on their route. So I went to Fallon. The whole way I prayed and schemed. What would I say? Should I cry? Should I be soft spoken. Dare I lay in front of the trucks and risk being arrested and thrown into a Mexican jail (well, maybe I didn't go that far, but you get the idea).

I got to Fallon. No truck. I drove through Fallon. No truck. I turned around to head back, wondering where the heck the truck was. Before I left Fallon I stopped for gas. Now remember, I am not in a laid back, happy state of mind at this point. Yes, I was confident God was going to take care of things, but I wasn't sure that didn't involve duking it out with an officer of the law. So back to the gas station...I'm pumping gas and the guy across from me asks, "So are you from Colorado Springs?"

I'm like, "What?? No...why???"

He said, "I saw your bumper sticker" Then I remembered the sticker of where my son goes to school. We talked for about two minutes and it resulted in him asking me to take his phone number because her really, really is interested in fellowship.

Sheesh. I love my life! Only God could figure out how to get me an hour outside of where there is the remotest posibility I'd go so that I could talk to someone with a heart to know God better.

Of course, after that I knew everything would be fine. I met up with the loggers (outside of Fallon) and we settled on meeting the next morning, bright and early. Ed was happy with this since that meant he wouldn't miss all the fun. Oh, and I just misssed the police...which is probably for the best.

How long has it been???

Helloooo! I know, I know--it's been FOREVER! Please forgive me. There's been much happening, I'll fill you in bit by bit. I promise!

I've been wrestling styrofoam!

A month ago I checked in with the highway guy that allowed me to take some of the scrap rebar from a job site. He'd told me earlier to go ahead and call me...when I did, because he'd have more that I could take. We'd gotten about 400 feet of the stuff and need at least 1600 feet. Anyhoo, I called him and he informed me he was no longer overseeing the site.

-sob-

I took a deep breath, then asked him who was the site boss, he gave me the name and then said not to tell the new guy I had been there before since the new guy did not like him. Didn't look good.

I decided to stake out the place. So, the next Tuesday morning (my husband advised against Monday, since everyone tends to be crabby on Mondays) I drove to the site about 6 am. There were already workers there! The next car to pull up was the site boss! I talked with him and he was quite nice. He said he would be willing to help, but they didn't have any scrap rebar--some of the guys had hauled away three trailors filled with the stuff to the scrap yard,

-sob-

Another deep breath. I asked about the stack of styrofoam I'd seen (4x4x8 feet). He said I'd have to talk to the concrete guy and gave me his number. I called, explained who I was and the guy offered a pile of rebar he was standing next to. I drove over and got the ok to collect another 600 feet of rebar. Then I asked him about the styrofoam.

I ended up getting the ok to help myself...not to the small pile I'd seen, but to the motherload of all styrofoam. I don't even know how many trips I've taken to the lot with the stuff! I'm attaching a couple pictures, but keep in mind, that was a week or so ago--the pile has grown!

Bottom like--we now have all our insulation needs covered for the cost of hauling the stuff. We're happy and they're happy they don't have to get rid of the stuff! Yeah God!

Parental Funk

Bah! I feel like I got sideswiped.

My daughter came to visit--it was wonderful. We had a great time, but man was it quick. I'd encouraged her to play with friends during at least part of her spring break. After all, it's her senior year. She took us up on the offer and is now somewhere in Pennsylvania playing with friends.

My son is starting his spring break with friends, and then he'll grace us with his company for six days. He is due to arrive Monday.

So here I am, between kids. And I'm really in a funk. I guess it's really starting to sink in that the whole kid-era is pretty well done. Allison will be here this summer, but then she's off. David...well, I can look forward to bits and pieces, that's all.

Problem is, I really like the little buggers.

I Love My Life!

So yesterday I had to pick up our broken car from the mechanic...which happens to be on the other side of the city.

I got there first thing in the morning and picked up the keys, hopped in the car and took off. This was a good thing, since the car is having serious transmission problems. I'd plotted a route the backway home, just in case I ran into problems.

About a mile later I ran into problems. The stupid thing came totally out of gear, wouldn't go back, either. I coasted as long as possible and then pulled over, put the flashers on and turned the car off. I tried to call a friend who knows a towtruck guy, but he didn't pick up.

Ok...

I decided I didn't want to mess with a tow truck, I wanted to get home under my own steam. I started the car and put it in gear. It worked! For about half a mile.

The rest of the way home I went through the same process (without the calling-for-a-tow-truck part) over and over again. Each time the distance shrunk.

Closing in on home, I hit a downhill section of the road that had no traffic. I took the opportunity to put a little back behind the project. So as I walked beside my car, steering with my right hand and pushing with my left. A car pulled up next to me and a very nice man asked if I everything was okay and did I need any help.

I couldn't resist!

"Nope, just taking my car for a walk!"

Wahahaha! I love my life. I eventually made it home--victorious.

Things aren't always as easy as we might like. But sometimes there are great moments within the challenges that make it all worthwhile

Count it all Joy--Damn It!

Have you ever been in the the middle of a curveball? You know, the kind life throws. That happened to my husband and I last weekend.

A few weeks back I noticed our car wasn't shifting right, there was a bit of a hesitation. So I took it into the shop. They looked at it, scratched their heads and stuck the car on a computer, "It'll tell us what's wrong." The computer spit out some codes and the mechanics scratched their headsa while longer. They didn't recognize the codes. Their solution: reset the computer in the car.

Yeah right, I thought, And I drove off in a car that was no longer acting up. Obviously, I'm no mechanic, they must have known what they're doing. However, they did tell me to check back in a week or so to see if any of the codes came back. I waited three weeks, till right before we were going on a 500 mile trip.

This time the mechanics took my car right in and hooked it up to the computer. Apparently, the computer gave our car a big thumbs up. So did the mechanics. So my husband and I drove down to Southern California.

Le Sigh.

This is when the curveball came into play. We got to our conference fine. Had a great time. Then we went out to lunch with friends. I noticed that the car wasn't shifting right. So we ignored it and went for a hike. The ride home from the hike was very different. It was not only obvious to me and my husband, but also to everyone that passed us on the highway that something was very wrong with our car.

Did I mention 500 miles?

Add to that Saturday night, with plans to drive home the next afternoon. To make a long story, well, still long, we rented a truck with a car carrier. Woohoo, driving in our empty truck back home. We made it just a few hours later than we'd originally planned. Victory.

Brought the car to the mechanics the next day, hopping mad. They scratched their head and kept the car for the week. Finally, they called and said (I'm not kidding), "You got something wrong with the transmission." Then they let me know they don't fix transmissions! <head slap>

But you know, through the whole thing my husband and I have laughed lots. We're not letting it bug us. What's the point? We know things will work out, we just need to keep moving forward. Sure, did I get cranky with the mechanic? Yes. I don't think they handled our car right, I wanted them to do something to make it right. They didn't--oh well.

My point in all this is, it's my choice. I can decide to let a stupid car or stupid mechanic ruin my day or even my week. Or, I can decide NOT to let stuff like this get under my skin. I'll take door number two. Life's too short for cranky.

Oh, and by the way, does anyone want to buy a car?

Good Day!

It figures I was just talking about my son...

Today was one of those days where he was into talking. Today is a good day!

I am amazed by how important my children are to me. Both of them are part of my own soul. Please don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my empynester freedom. Still, when I have the opportunity to spend time with the offspring, my heart sings.

Before they were born, I worried about if I would be able to love them. Ha! Turned out to not be a problem. I think certain things are ingrained into our being. Evolutionists would call it a measure to insure the continuation of a species.

How lame is that?

God designed us. He set up a family relationship, and He did it so that we could understand His love for us. Think about what He calls himself--our Father. He calls us his sons. One of the Greek words for "son" is teknon, which means beloved child. When I was younger I thought I knew what that ment. Then I had children, and an awareness of this specific truth continues to gel within my heart as I experience firsthand the love of a parent for their child.

It also helps me not feel like a total mush. If God Almighty can yearn for our fellowship, I guess I can do the same with my kids!

Off On Their Own

I was spoiled, and I didn't know it.

When my daughter went off to college, she called every day. She still calls almost every day. It's nice. We don't always have a ton to talk about. It's more like we hang out. For a while there she'd call during lunchtime and crunch in my ear. Every once in a while, we have a deep converstation, just to mix things up.

It's not like she doesn't have a life, either. She's rocking in school, president of some honor society, an awesome swing dancer, avid rock climber, assistant fellowship coordinator. She's off enjoying her own life, but she also enjoys my company.

Then there's my son...

Sometimes he'll message me on facebook. A couple of times a month he'll call. And, when the moon is aligned perfectly and I stand on one foot and hold my tongue just right--he's into talking! Those times are scarce, however. It's always been that way with him, though.

When he was sixteen he and I had Ohio to NYC adventures when he went through his modeling phase (can you believe that--he was a male model with a top agency in New York City--no kidding). Anyhow, it wasn't the food, the time spent in the city or a peek behind the high fashion scene that motivated me to jump into the project with both feet. It was those times, usually driving, sometimes in the middle of the night, when we had amazing conversations. That made it all worthwhile.

So, now that he's off on his own, occasionally mommy gets her conversation.

Be Careful What You Wish For

I recently joined a critique group. That's where a bunch of writers get together and critique one another's work. Ahead of time will each sacrifice ten or so pages to the collective wit and wisdom of the group, then we get together for a few hours and talk about the good and the bad.

This is an invaluable tool for a writer!

In the past, I've belonged to several critique groups. Unfortunately, they were mainly the blind leading the blind. We were all quite willing, but not sure what consitituted good work.

This time is different. The first meeting I learned more about dialogue tags than I'd heard since starting on my writing adventure. It was like having a curtain pulled back. The angels sang. Yep, it was really that good.

I fixed the pages that were critiqued and scoured the pages I was going to turn in for dialogue boo boos. Of course, I thought everyone would cry eurika, jump up and down and say, "Send this in immediately to publish!"

As my daugher would say, le sigh.

A whole other layer of ways to kick up my work to a professional level was laid out. Honestly, afterwards I was pretty discouraged. It took me a week to get up the nerve to attack the problems...but this weekend is critique time, no more putting things off.

Yesterday I dug in. Wow. I got so into what I was doing I missed a dentist appointment. And you know what? I'm thinking it looks pretty good. I'm all set to go back to the critique group and learn how to do it better. Either that, or everyone will jump up and down...

Love It/Hate It

I'm talking about exercising!

I have a goal to get back into shape. Yeah, me and about a zillion other women my age! I am getting better, however, at actually working out. I do so more days than not. Part of why I've been more successful is I've learned how I tick.

For example, the earlier in the day I work out, the more likely I am to not talk myself out of it. I become more persuasive as the day goes on. Plus, I have the remainder of the day, after I've worked out, to pat myself on the back.

For awhile, I was waking up to work out as soon as my husband got out of bed. By the time he was done with his shower and morning routine, I was wrapping up a solid workout. Unfortunatelly, that doesn't work in a third floor apartment. Apparently, I sound like a hippo when I work out. Now, to keep the neighbors happy, I wait till after 9.

For some people, working out is a welcome part of the day. Me? not so much. It is more of a necessary evil. And I do appreciate being able to dash up my stairs without worrying about my lungs falling out or heart exploding.

Now, for the weight loss. Unfortunatelly, I haven't paired the "watch what I eat" with "exercise my butt off." I've been doing one or the other. Hopefully, the two will converge here soon. At least that's the plan.

Well, no more putting things off--it's 9:25, and I gotta workout!

I. Am. Not. Twisted.

Apparently that's unusual. At least, if you believe all that you read. I hope it's not true.

See, I'm going to a writers conference in a few months, so I thought I'd read some of the works of people who will be there. I mean, I should be reading middle grade fiction anyhow, since that's what I write. Why not read stuff from people I may be working with?

Turns out that's a good idea! One of the books I read was wonderful writing--but way, way different than what I'm doing. The other book I read was off the charts writing, but holy cow! Twisted. Yeah, I don't think I'll be working with that person.

Why do people write things that are so awful? I mean, I felt like I need to wash out my brain. I couldn't look at the author without wondering how much is based on personal experience. Yeck.

I want to write something where when someone realizes I wrote it, they smile and are glad to meet me. Not just because the writing is good, but because my story gave them a bit of faith in people, or in themselves. Maybe it just made them laugh or reminded them of something they did years ago. I want to write books that someone isn't ashamed to admit they read, but rather pass on to their friends.

Is that so much to ask?

By the way, I ordered more books. Turns out this research stuff is a good idea!

I Am Thankful

Boy, looking over my last post, all I have to say is,can I be cranky or what?

But you know, I have soooo much to be thankful for.

Several years back I experienced quite a streak of cranky. I mean really cranky...REALLY cranky. I did not like much about my life. Heck, I didn't even like God all that much. That is bad.

At the time my husband and I were teaching young ministers how to be great ministers, so you can see where my bad attitude might be a problem. Still, my problem was between my ears...and God.

Finally, I went to management (God) and admitted I wasn't doing to great--not a big surprise to Him, I'm sure. I also, asked for help. One of those, please make things clear so I can get the answers I need through my thick skull. This conversation happened on my way to a teaching...which turned out to be about thankfulness.

Man, it was like the clouds parted and the sun finally came out! Thankfulness was something I'd lost sight of--not really a good idea, especially since God wants thankfulness to be a part of our lives. Not so we are always, "Oh, thank you, thank you, God. You're just the best..." and on and on. I mean, I'm sure God loves to be thanked and all. But thankfulness benefits our lives. An attitude of thankfulness screws our heads on straight. It helps us focus on the positive, see the good in life...expect the good in life.

When I was a river raft guide, one of the first things I learned was to focus on where I wanted the raft to go. If I focused on the rocks I wanted to miss, guess what? Yeah, I'd hit the stupid rock every time. The trick was to keep my eyes off the rocks and on the route between the rocks. That's what thankfulness does. It moves us from the problems to the solutions.

Dang, I got on a roll! Anyhow, yes. I am thankful. There are so many truly awesome things going on in my life, it's pretty exciting.

Did I mention my husband and I are going to Las Vegas this weekend? Yep, we're going to visit the fellowships. It will be a rich time and I'm looking forward to it. I plan on working hard, and you know what? I'm thankful to have something to give!

Muh

Do you ever have one of those days?

That's today for me...at least so far. I'm still hoping it'll turn around.

It started when I got out of bed. Sometimes getting out of bed is not a problem--wahoo, new day and all. Today it was downright hard. I woke up groggy, stumbled around groggy, brushed my tee...oh wait, did I...be right back.

Let's just say I started out sluggish and haven't turned around much since. Probably part of the problem was today was tax day. Don't get me wrong, we have a wonderful tax lady. However, in the back of my mind I thought taxes, oh boy. We'll get lots of money back.

Not so much. At least we didn't have to pay, so that's something.

Then the car is clunking. That can't be good. So right now I look like I'm being good by writing on my blog, but don't be deceived. I'm really putting off going to the car doctor. See, that was one of the things that kinda tweaked me this morning; going through all our expenses and seeing how much we spent on the cars--believe me, it was much more then we spent on real doctors.

Plus I have the sniffles.

Maybe I should just go to bed...

Date Night

Tonight is my turn for date night--and the pressure is on!!

Last week my husband really pulled out all the stops. For days he planned. I’d walk up to him on the computer and he’d shield the screen and say, “Go away, go away!” Hummm… “Do you know where your Sorrels are? Where our big coats are? Where the crampons are?”

Ok, so now bells were going off in my head and I was getting nervous. Let me explain my husband. He’s kinda nuts—in a great sort of way. He is they type of guy who will “go for a run” and come back an hour, two hours later—having just polished off eleven thousand miles. He and a friend climbed the Grand Tetons—I went fishing. He and our son spent two weeks “bagging fourteeners” in Colorado—my daughter and I stayed at home, ate junk food and had a Gilmore Girl marathon.

And now he was talking about crampons??? But he was soooo excited. Well, thankfully he decided crampons weren’t necessary. Neither were the snowshoes. And I was “going to love it.”

So off we headed, dressed like snowmen, with multiple layers, a blanket, flashlight, and thermos full of hot chocolate plus. Oh, did I mention it was night? We went to the summit of Mt. Rose Highway—just shy of 9,000 feet, parked in the very empty parking lot, and headed off into the sunset—no wait, there was no sun. We headed off in the dark.

Now, I was trying to be a good wife. He had put so much into our date night. He was soooo excited. So I tromped behind him as we started over the giant snowdrift onto the snow path…that went in the general direction of the regular path (which we had been on in the summer). Then it went off in a random direction. Still, I followed—up over the ridge; along the ridge past random lumps of topography and onward! There was a crescent moon, so we could see in a weird kind of wintery-shadowy way.

Meanwhile I am quietly freaking out. We’re going to get lost. We’re going to die. There are wild animals watching. What was he thinking???? Does he even know me??? We’ve been married thirty years, how could he possibly think this could bless me. Quietly, silently, freaking out.

Finally, we stopped. We reached our destination—a view of Lake Tahoe, the stars, Carson City in the distance. Okay, it was really pretty, and the night really wasn’t that cold. I was toasty in my multiple layers. He laid the blanket on the snow and we sat down to enjoy the view and the yummy hot chocolate. (Although I didn’t have much because I didn’t want my senses impaired and stumble blindly into the wilderness, never to be found.)

We eventually made it back to the car—no wrong turns, no mishaps. But I kind of…well…okay, true confessions. I lost it. I started with “What the hell were you thinking?” and went from there. My tirade lasted a minute or so, then we got in the car and both started laughing. On the way down the hill he said, “I love it when you get feisty!”

Can you see why I love him so much?

Well, the rest of the night we laughed about our adventure, went out to a great restaurant, and, you know, had a great night.

Now, I ask you? How am I going to top that?

Maybe we’ll go bowling…

You're Gonna Want To Read This!

I was just talking to my niece, and was reminded of something I made last year for Superbowl Sunday...

Bacon/Caramel Pretzels!

(Oh Yeah—and they are really that good!)

Wanna know how to make them?

First you need some pretzels. I use the hog-molly sized Snyder pretzels (they’re called “Olde Tyme”)

Then you add caramel. I make my own, which makes dipping really easy. Plus you don’t have to remove all the stupid wrappers. Here’s the recipe:

1 cup butter (yeah, butter—give me a break, this is junk food!)

1 16-oz package packed brown sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

(you can add ¼ cup whiskey if you want—yumm)

Put everything in a heavy saucepan except the vanilla (and the whisky) and cook the heck out of it. It will bubble up (so make sure there’s room in the pan), and then bubble down. Once it looks like it belongs in a volcano, it is ready. For those of you who want to be more exact, that’s the firm-ball candy stage, or 248 degrees on a candy thermometer. Once it hits that temperature take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla and whisky. If you use whisky take care not to stand over the pan while you’re stirring—all the booze boils off at once—whoo hoo!

Put the pan back on the stove at its lowest setting and start dipping pretzels! Use a fork to turn the pretzel and get it out. Set the dipped pretzel right on the counter or pan, but make sure you butter them first.

Once they’ve cooled it’s time to dip them again—this time in chocolate. I used dark chocolate for these. It just seems more manly, and bacon pretzels are definitely manly! Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler and add a spoonful of Crisco. Trust me, the Crisco helps the chocolate behave. Again, use a fork, but this time put the finished product on wax paper.

Before they have a chance to set (how long that is depends on how warm your kitchen is), sprinkle bacon on top—cooked bacon, broken up into little pieces.

Then, if you really want to look cool drizzle some of the leftover dark chocolate over the top.

I’ve seen grown men fight over these bad boys!! Let me know if you try them and how you liked them.

I think I’ll whip up a batch myself!

The Digger

I never told the story of Dennis!

Remember back when I was filling trenches--by hand (oh, by the way, can you say tennis elbow? I feel so athletic!). Anyhoo, there was this one stretch where there had been a trench, then I had to fill it because the truck with the giant septic tank need to drive right where the trench was. Oh, and did I mention that the pipe wasn't in the trench before I filled it?

So, we got the tank in, got the gravel in the leech field, got the pipe in from the septic tank down through the leech field, got all that covered, and then laid the pipe above the septic tank--screetch! That was everything coming to a halt by the--you guessed it--a filled in trench!

I tell you what, I am willing to dump dirt into a big trench. I've proved that. But there was no wayyy I was going to take the dirt out!

So we hired Dennis! Dennis lives just down the road, and on the scheduled day he showed up--driving his white excavator. He had a Santa hat on and sported a big mustache and a Packers jacket.

He was from Wisconsin: had the accent and the attitude. He even had the beer! He kept producing cans of beer as he worked. It was hysterical. Great guy, he managed to get the trench dug out and then hung around while I put the pipe in (didn’t take long). Then, bless his heart, he filled it back up!

You know, I wasn’t real happy that we couldn’t use the excavator, But then our friends came up and pitched in, and then I got “the Dennis experience”—well I wouldn’t trade those time for anything!

Now, looking at the smooth ground that now hides our septic system, I can’t help but be very, very thankful. To steal a movie title—It’s a wonderful life.

Smooth Sailing

This is the time of year I wondered about. This last fall was peppered with all things kid. The family all got together over Labor Day weekend for Parent's Weekend. Then my daughter stayed around for a few more weeks before she had to go back to school. She popped back home a few weeks later, in town for her old job (she got to spend the weekend playing and watching folks set off rockets).

Then there was Thanksgiving...and the Holidays. But now they're gone.

We won't see our kids again until mid-March.

We are, after all, empty nesters! And, it's okay. I'm setteling into a routine. The lot is pretty well finished for the winter--yes I know, I've said that before, but this time I really mean it. All the random piles of dirt are gone--smoothed out, one with the landscape. Now I'm writing.

Of all the different jobs I've had--and I've had many--I think my favorite is writing. It's practically addicting. I have a goal to write at least 4 hours a day, and that's not difficult.

I'd have to say, at least for now, this empty nester gig is smooth sailing.

Empty Nesting?

I just spent half an hour on the phone with my daughter...all the while I was messaging with my son. I'm pleased to note that just because they are out of the house, they are not out of my life!

I know what my daughter is eating for lunch (and that because she was talking to me she forgot a meeting--she got off the phone fast). I know how many pushups my son did this morning (what can I say, he's at the Air Force Academy). And I'm happy as a clam to be an empty nester.

I think where I get antsy with not having the kids around is when I get out of touch with what they are up to, or if my mommy-sense tells me something is not right in their lives. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not a nosy, have to be completely a part of their life, mom (although looking at the paragraph above, it would seem so).

I know we raised them right, taught them to love God and to put Him first. They are going to be great whatever their hearts take them. Knowing that they are solid is, I think, a big key to why our transition into empty nesters has not been too painful.

That, plus I don't have to clean up after them!

Resolve!

I got my attention to have two days where I was out of step. That just doesn't happen to me! Finally, Friday I figured it out. I was freaking out--quietly, mind you, but still freaking. I gotta get a job, get a job, get a job. Of course, that's not taking into account the side job writing I've been doing that, basically, pays more than I was making working part time in an office.

Still, once I finished clearing brush from the lot I had lots of time on my hands. So I started on a job search, but nothing fit. Then I had my two days of wrong turns and I realized my head was on wrong--fear is not an option! I just can't allow it to be a part of life!

So no steady job, no steady freak out--what now? I went to God hard...okay, Daddy, what now? The answer was immediate, simple and easily entreated.

Write!

So now I'm deeply excited to say I'm writing, at least four hours a day! Wahoo. I love it. I have two MSS that have been waiting to be revised, another underway, and another one cooking in the back of my head. Since I started back into writing on Tuesday, I've worked my way 2/3 of the way through one of my manuscripts--Pickle.

I've also re-upped my membership to SCBWI, a worldwide writier's group, and have jumped into the deep end.

I'm excited to see what this new adventure will bring.

Breath In, Breath Out

Have you ever had one of those days?? I had two in a row! A couple of days ago I set out to do a list of things. That was my first mistake. I should have stayed home in bed!

I headed off to the health department--we want to get our new well tested. I got there fine, figured out how to get inside, then learned I was in the wrong place. I needed to go to the state lab. Of course. A gentleman gave me directions...Virginia, across from the channel 5 station...and the post office...?? That's about the time I zoned out a bit. Honestly, sometimes I think I have the brains of a hamster! Of course I couldn't find it!

The rest of the morning was filled with wrong turns, turning down roads with people blocking them, road construction, and such. Still, I managed to stay calm--I even managed to get a few things accomplished.

Then yesterday I went out to get some more errands done (the ones that didn't get done the day before because of the above). The first place I went to was closed. The guy I wanted to visit at the hospital was sleeping. And when I finally, finally tracked down the state lab...I found out that we won't be able to test our water (long story).

Still calm, I went home and basically goofed off the rest of the day, which went very smoothly, I might add.

Nest Visits

We've had two visits from our little ducklings since they both left us officially empty nesters...Thanksgiving and Christmas. Honestly, after the four-day Thanksgiving visit I wasn't too broken up to see them go. It was nice to see them, nice to spend time together, and nice to get back to the routine my husband and I have gotten into. 

The holidays were different. We spent a week together down in Southern California. It was my evil plan. I figured that if we were down there we'd have each other completely to ourselves. We had to adjust to being around each other soooo completely, but it was a quick adjustment and then a sweet, wonderful, happy, rich, full time. In other words, we had great fun!

After out busy week we came home. My husband went back to work and the ducklings did more than hang out with mom, which was great. It was easy. We had a relaxing time just being around one another. It was like we'd never been apart.

Well, when it came time for them to go, man it was different than November, that's for sure. I was good. I didn't cry or anything, but it was like saying goodbye for the first time all over again. Gasp! Oh my achy breaky heart.

However, I've been down this road before. I dove into work around here and hung tight to the husband. It's been a week...we're still here and my heart is still in one piece; we're going to be fine.