I'm Back...well sort of

Well we have arrived back in port and are waiting to catch a flight home.  I am so looking forward to that.  While this vacation was one for the books on soooo many levels, we both agree, home is where the heart is and we are missing our little ones.  Even now as I sit here writing this I can't wait to be home.  But real quick before we catch our flight I wanted to pop on and share a couple of things we really enjoyed about our vacation.

5.  The motion of the ocean.  (Get your mind out of the gutter people.  We were on a cruise.)  Every night we were lulled to sleep by the gentle lullaby of the ocean.  The rocking, which I expect to feel for quite a while, and soothing breeze that danced across the balcony and teased the sheer curtains each and every night.  We were asked to not leave the doors open as it would save energy and not waste the air conditioning but since I was on vacation and preferred that we turned the a/c off and left the doors open anyway.  It was lovely.

4.  The people we met and got to dine with.  (I will share more later.)  There was a family from Canada, two sisters from Chicago, a mum and daughter from Canada and me and the Captain.  We had a blast with these folks and by the last night on board the folks around us were convinced that we were a family on holiday.

3.  Watching the Captain get is Kid back.  There was a ride on board called the flowrider which he mastered.  We took a speed boat ride in St. Thomas (where I showed how accident prone I really am) that had him chortling like he was twelve.  The submersible boat ride we took in St. Maarten which had him oohing in awe at the sea life and the rum tasting we did in Puerto Rico where he tried drinks he had never tried before.

2.  Getting my read on.  Spending quality time in a beach chair.  Just me, some tunes, and my kindle.  It was the best of all worlds.

And the number one reason...

1.  Being completely unplugged.  We didn't have any cell phones, no twitter, no face-booking the family and no work calling.  It was the most relaxing and amazing week of my life.  I definitely recommend that everyone do this for some portion of time, if for no other reason, but to remind you that technology does not make up for the one on one interaction between people and the connections that you already have.

So until tomorrow...

The Gold Framed Dog Blog Award

Back in November @slverant awarded me with the Gold Framed Dog Blog Award.  As you can see I have been very remiss in sending a thank-you her way and passing this award on.  

When she bequeathed it to me there were no rules that said I had to tell you guys about myself in order to pass it on.  But in the spirit of blog awards I am going to share, this being award season and all.  Why should Hollywood get to have all the fun?  I am going to share five things about me you didn't know regarding blogging.

1.  I blog because I can and I still haven't figured out what purpose I want it to serve.  Right now, it's just a place for me to say the things I want to say about anything I want to talk about.  I am hoping to find a direction that feels right, eventually.  Until I do, well you guys just get this.

2.  I redesigned my blog at the six month point and I hate it.  Okay, I don't hate it.  I just don't love it.  I wanted it to be like no one else's and while it is, I just don't love it.  In fact, I have been toying with setting it back the way it was originally.

3.  My goal is to blog daily, Monday through Friday, but sometimes I have a hard time doing it because of life and work.  And when I don't I feel guilty.  

4.  I started blogging because I was intrigued by it.  I had done a blog for my sister-in-law while she was pregnant with our nephew Ryan.  I wanted to have something that was interactive and something that I could turn into a book after he was born for a keepsake and I thought a blog was a good idea.  She was able to keep the entire family up-to-date during the pregnancy without having to make hundreds of phone calls and e-mails.  It turned out really well.

5.  I am passing this award on today to five blogs.  I am doing five because that's how many @slverant gave it to when she passed it on to me.  So check them out.

1.  Lenny's World  He is one of my fav's because he is always dishing out great advice for writers.  

2.  Crazy Writer Girl  This new intern to the agents has been sharing boat-loads of great writing advice and besides that she just plain cracks me up with her tweets.

3.  Life with the Campbell's  No body shoots as straight as this lady.  Read her blog and be prepared to be entertained.  Promise.

4.  Visiting Reality  Some may say her view is warped, I don't think so.  I think she sees clearly and everyone else is just a little behind.  

5.  The Misadventures in Candyland  Because she is the shizz.  And I mean that in the nicest way possible.  Plus she introduced me to New Medicine.  Really?  Do I need to say anymore?

And one final one before I go.  Because I can!

6.  The Last Word  My Fun and Games co-conspirator.  When she is not sharing snips of her brilliant writing.  (Mark my words she will be a famous writer soon.) or volley with me weekly in our F&G segments this blog is known for giving good reviews on books.  She plows through manuscripts the way my lawn mower plows through grass.  Quick and efficiently.  Check her out.

And to all the winners.  You don't have to pass this on.  You don't have to tell us anything.  Just know your blogs are some of the best I read daily and I just wanted everyone else to know.

Know of a blog I should be reading.  Tell me about it.

Marco...

Polo...here we are.

Still cruising.

But my partner in crime is offering up another edition of Fun and Games.  Go to her blog and check it out.  You can find her here.

It's another good one.  But make sure you check back next Tuesday.  You really don't want to miss the bombshell Lucky drops on Owen and Truman.

I leave you with this.

Too Cute.

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday or as the french say Mardi Gras.  And in true Mardi Gras tradition we certainly like to practice Laissez les bons temps rouler or "Let the good times roll."

For those who live in Pensacola, all the way across to New Orleans, the festivities of Mardi Gras are a yearly tradition.  We have parades and parties and balls and celebrations denoting the season.  Mardi Gras actually represents the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the day that commemorates the start of Lent, most people associate Mardi Gras with the entire Carnival atmosphere that takes place from Twelfth Night through to Ash Wednesday. 

The point of Fat Tuesday was simple.  You have to give up something for Lent.  And since the period of Lent goes from Ash Wednesday through to Easter Sunday people got into the habit of getting all of their partying out of the way before it started.  Well that is a very basic and overly simplified way of saying it.  Lent is the season where true believers practice giving, prayer, penitence and the big one, self denial.  (I know right?)

If you have never experienced Mardi Gras in New Orleans you are missing out on a truly amazing and awe-inspiring Carnival.  I am not talking about all of the drunk college kids and the girls showing their breasts for beads.  I am talking about the street performers, the parades, the food and the music.  Jazz to be more specific.  It is truly a site to behold.

Sadly this year we will be missing it.  No King Cake for us.  But no worries, I brought some beads with me and as long as we can get a Hurricane or a Bushwhacker we should be good to go.  If not, than those will be the things I give up this year for Lent.  Win-Win!  What are you going to give up for Lent.

PS  I know for Patty it won't be chocolate!

While I am away have some Fun and...Games!

Truman stormed down the path and past the guys he had been making conversation with earlier.  Coming to an abrupt stop at the parking lot, he swore when he realized Harper had his car.  Goddamnit!

Jerking his phone from his pocket, he hit the speed dial for his sister.  With no answer, he kicked out and sent gravel spewing.  Feeling slightly mollified, he hit the number again.  When she didn’t pick up, he left a scathing voice mail that wasted no time with a greeting.  “Jesus Christ, Harper.  I need my car.”  With that, he hung up.

Truman stuffed the phone back into his jacket pocket and decided he wasn’t done fuming.  How could she think, even for a moment, that he planned what happened between them?  Okay the Chrissy girl-or was her name Sissy- Grace scored points on that one.  So they hooked up.  So what?  It was before Grace.  Before their date.

Of course it didn’t help his defense that Sara had called.  And called.  And called some more.  God, he hated needy girls.  Wasn’t it just his luck that the one he had seen on more than one occasion had turned out like that?  

He wished he’d grabbed a beer after all.

Turning, he looked to the north side of the tower where Ridgefield students traditionally parked.  He could see the nose of her car, but no sign of Grace.  What was she waiting for?  What if that Lucky kid woke up?  He’d been pretty hammered.  He better not try anything with her or Truman would have too... How did he get the name Lucky anyhow?  Where the hell was Harper?

Truman’s temper was past simmering and on its way to a volcanic eruption, and he needed something or someone to take it out on.  Turning, he headed back to the bonfire with the intent of scoring a beer somewhere, and maybe if  Grace’s car was still there after that, he would go and check on her. 

                                  ***

The brothers were almost to the bottom of the path when Lucky stopped and grabbed Owen’s arm.  Looking his twin in the eye, he said, “We need to talk.”

“I know.  Let’s find Truman, get a ride and we can talk at home.”  Turning, he scanned the kids below trying to spy Harper’s brother.

“No.  Let’s do it now.  Right here.” 

 

Stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, Owen rocked back on his heels and agreed, “Okay.  You want to do it here?  Fine.  What the fuck were you thinking bro?  Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?” 

 

“Can you ream me out later?” Lucky tried to interject, “I need to tell you something.”

“Mom got called off work.  She had to come to the police station and pick me up.  Do you even understand how humiliating that was for her?”  Owen leaned in to make his point, drilling a finger into Lucky’s chest.  “After all the shit with Dad, you had to go and do this.  Why?”

“I don’t know.  I was pissed off, okay?” Lucky turned and paced away from his brother, embarassment coloring his words.  It didn’t escape his notice that Owen was more pissed off about their mother getting called to the police station than he was about being arrested.  “You’ve been mooning over this girl for weeks and for what?  To finally get close to her after some teacher assaults her?  That’s just bullshit O, and you know it.”  Completing an about face, he headed back in Owen’s direction.   “So I retraced your steps from last night, hoping to figure out what happened after you left the house, and I saw where the truck had been.  I didn’t have a plan.  I swear.  But when he came out of the house, not a care in the world, I snapped, okay?   I saw him–he’s a big dude–and I thought of how scared Harper had to have been and just…”  Stopping a foot away, he shrugged.

“Snapped?”  Owen finished.  He had never seen his brother look so horrible.  Of course, a big part of it was the hang-over he was no doubt sporting, but not all of it. 

 

Sheepish, Lucky acquiesced, “Yeah.  But I was wrong O.  I’m gonna make this right.  I promise. When we get home I need to tell Mom what happened.  But before I do there is something you should know…”

Lucky was interrupted by a voice that didn’t belong to his brother.  “I thought you were with my sister.”

The twins turned in unison and faced Truman, who had approached under the cover of noise from the party.  Both went on full alert, but for very different reasons.  Owen wondered how much of Lucky’s confession Truman caught, and Lucky just wanted to deck the guy for being such an ass to Grace.

 

Deciding to play it cool, Owen stepped forward and said, “Dude, we were looking for you.  Harper left with Grace.  She gave me the keys to your car and told me to come find you.”

Lucky snorted on that comment and looked away.

Truman’s gaze jockeyed back and forth between the two brothers before landing on Lucky.  “Last I saw of you, the football team was dragging you to Grace’s car.”

Lucky threw Truman a glance that sparked of dislike.  “Last I saw of you, Grace was showing you the door.”

Truman’s hands fisted at his side.  “My relationship with Grace is none of your business,” he snarled.

“What relationship?” Lucky shot back.

“Why don’t you guys just whip them out right here and let’s see who’s is bigger?”  Owen’s voice dripped with sarcasm. 

 

Truman transferred his look of pure disgust from Lucky to Owen and asked, “Why did Harper leave with Grace, and why did she ask you to get my keys to me?”

Lucky laughed snidely, “Actually, what she said was you have two feet and could find your own way home, but me, see I’m a nice guy.  So we offered to come get you instead of making off with your car.”

Pissed off, Truman butted up against Lucky, chest to chest.  “Well if you had made off with my car, you would have seen the inside of a jail cell today like you’re brother.”

   

Owen pushed himself between the two of them.  “Just stop it.  This is getting us nowhere.  Can you give us a ride or not, Truman?”

“Why should I?” Truman demanded.

“Because if you don’t, Harper will be pissed off, and besides, aren’t you even a little curious about what really happened at Mr. Haas’ house this morning?” Lucky asked. 

Twenty Years...Man, did they fly

So today the Captain and I are cruising the Caribbean and celebrating our twentieth.  I thought I would share a picture from back in the day.  The picture attached is our wedding announcement photo.  I can't believe how young we were.

I debated on where this post should go.  Should I tell you the story of how we met?  It's a pretty good one.  Or should I talk about how thankful I am that I found that someone I wanted to spend my life with when I was only twenty-one years old.  Maybe I should go on about the fact that we were married in Japan and therefore our marriage license is completely in kanji and therefore needs an affadavit to translate it.  (That has made for some interesting explanations when said license has been requested for proof of marriage.)

But then I decided, nah, I am just going to go on about the fact that as you read this, even now, we are cruising to ports that guarantee warm sands and blue skies.  

We are going to spend our day aboard ship and tonight we will be having dinner at one of the specialty restaurants.  It's a steak house because the Captain is a carnivore and likes his meat medium well.  

Afterward, we will go to one of the lounges and have a cocktail.  In memory of my Gran and the cruise we took way back before I was Mrs. anybody, I will probably have a Bahama Mama which she was known to enjoy on that particular trip.  We will definitely watch the sunset and maybe have a night cap on the balcony off our suite.  

All in all I am sure it promises to be a great day!  I give you my word to share a first hand account of it when I get back.

So, tell me, what are you doing today?

Update: Working from home, it's a good thing.

It's official, I have finished one whole month of working from home.  Can I just say this.  I freaking love it!  In case you missed it, I ended that sentence with an explanation mark.  Just to make sure you understand how happy I am with this arrangement.

So today I am going to share my top five reasons why I love working from home.

1.  No more dress code, unless I want one.

The first couple of days I sat around in my pajama's and slippers.  But that got old really quick.  What I learned is that while I like the choice of not having to dress up, in the end for me to be my most productive self, I have to.  I will admit that I don't go all out and wear the dress clothes, but I do get up and do the hair and make-up.  It puts me in a more professional frame of mind, and that works for me.

2.  No more commuting.

I used to have about a 1.5 hours commute each day, now it's about twenty seconds.  I should admit that I didn't actually hate my commute time.  This is when I would listen to new music and work out plot points for stories in my head.  But-in full disclosure-the drive home would drive me insane, especially toward the end of the week when I was ready for the weekend.  Of course with the cost of gas prices rising, this is win-win for me.

3.  Eating better.  

I swear I am eating better than I ever have.  In fact, I have lost about four pounds this month.  I can have breakfast everyday with my husband if I want.  Not that I do, because he has to be out of the house early every day.  But the point is, I could if I want to.  I eat lunch at home every day, and I have not fallen victim to grazing, thank you very much.  We eat dinner by five every night.  If I forget to pull something out that morning, I still have time during the day.  In the past, if I forgot, I had to scramble for things to make for dinner. 

4.  My new work space.  

I love my home office and the fact that it is set up exactly the way I want it is a bonus.  My workspace is a little warm during the day, what with the server and two machines I have going full time.  This space works for me.  I have a new work station and plenty of space for everything.  

5.  More flexible work hours.

I start work at 7:30 CST.  This means I can roll out of bed at seven and be at work on time with breakfast.  If I have extra work to do in the evenings I don't have to pack up a briefcase, because I can just take a break for dinner and some down time with the hubs before I go back to it.  

What does this all mean for me.  Less stress, and for that I am grateful.  I don't know if this honeymoon period will wear off or not, but check back in and l promise to keep you guys posted.  For the rest of my buds who work from home I would love to hear your take on this.  Share, share!

Countdown to Cruise

Okay so we are just a couple of days away from the big trip.  

For those of you who have been reading me for a while or interacting with me on Twitter, the Captain and I are taking a cruise to celebrate our twentieth anniversary.  To say we are excited is an understatement.  We are besides ourselves with glee.

He has been calling me for a week now giving me a countdown.  It has done wonders for my work.  Plus I have been carrying my iPad around for three weeks making notes on top of my lists.  (I am crazy...remember.)

So the suitcases are semi-packed and I have been going over my various list (okay-there are seven) to make sure I have covered everything.  I was going to post them so you guys could point out anything that I may have missed, but it might take too long to read them so I just decided to ask.  If you were going on a vacation of this magnitude, what would you pack.  Just in case I have missed anything.

In the mean time I wanted to share this picture because sometimes doesn't life just Santa Flash you too? 

Karla has another post of Fun and Games going up today over at her blog, The Lastword.  Make sure you check it out.

Happy Birthday Jon!

Okay, I am a Jon Bon Jovi fan from way back in the day.  Most of you already know this.  

Remember that episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel make a list of celebrities that they could sleep with if they ever had the chance.  The other one would be okay with it and not get mad as long as they were on the list.  Well, he is number one and two on my list.  Seriously.  Love, love, love this guy.

I can remember my very first Bon Jovi concert for the Slippery When Wet tour in 1987.  I had on my aqua blue leather-fringed jacket and my hair was teased to within an inch of it's life.  Holding up my lighter, screaming belting out the words to those songs right along with the other 65,000 fans that were there and how my teenage heart beat double time for Jon.  

I spun elaborate day dreams about Jon and myself.  I just knew-KNEW-if I have ever had the chance to meet him that would be it.  He would know I was his soul mate.  (Yes I cried when he got married.  Cried, buckets.  It was so unfair!)  And not like how I felt about the Fonz when I was six.  This was the real deal.  

Of course I waited patiently for destiny to step it, but atlas, it was not to be.  

The years have passed and I have to admit, I still get a little buzz when I hear a song on the radio or see him on TV.  My day dreams are now centered around the real life soul-mate I married almost twenty years ago, but he's okay with my fantasy affair.  In fact for our fifteenth wedding anniversary, he took me to see the Have a Nice Day Concert in Phoenix.  It is still one of my most cherished memories and I have the jacket to prove it.

So today I wanted to send a shout-out to Jon who is celebrating his 49th birthday on this March 2.  Thanks for the dreams you inspired, the break-ups you helped me cry through and the songs I still rock to today. 

Happy Birthday!

Fun and Games...Lucky's back in the game

It's that time of the week again, for our next installment of fun and games.  Enjoy!

“Why did you go and lie to her like that?” Grace demanded as Lucky lobbed the phone across the center console to her after hanging up with Harper.  “I am not crying, and you did not throw up in my car.”

 “Could you not talk so loud,” he begged, as he laid his head against the cool glass of the passenger door, “My head is killing me.”

“You’re not seriously looking for sympathy, are you?”

When Lucky launched those stunning ice blue eyes her way, Grace was overcome by the contrast between Owen and his twin.  Yes, both had blue eyes, but on Lucky they were more electric, which explained the voltage zaps she felt every time he directed them her way.  Owen may be the musician, but Lucky rocked the bad-boy image much better. 

“Maybe a little?” he asked holding up his hand with his thumb and forefinger barely touching.

“Not even a smidge,” she tossed back.

“Fine.  I’m an idiot, okay?”

“Why did you do it?” she asked softly.

Sighing, he responded, “Getting drunk seemed like the thing to do at the time.”

“I’m not talking about getting drunk.  I’m talking about the bite out of crime you took this morning.  What were you thinking?  Beating up a teacher?  Jesus, Lucky.  If he decides to press charges, you are going to jail.” Grace’s anger shone through on each word.

Holding up a hand, Lucky asked incredulously, “Hold up.  There isn’t a warrant out for my arrest yet?”

“No, you dumbass.  And you would already have known that if you’d been home when Owen got there with your mother.  Who, by the way, has no idea you were involved.”

“I don’t understand.  He saw me-Hass, he saw me.”  Lucky said, meeting Grace’s unwavering stare with one of his own. 

 

“He didn’t call the cops; his neighbor did.  He’s the one that gave them your description and the vehicles make and model along with the license plate.  They arrested Owen because it’s his truck, and he matched it.”

“Oh man,” Lucky moaned as he pressed the heels of both hands against his eyes.  “I really screwed that up.”

Grabbing his wrist, Grace said, “Yeah, you really did.”

 

On a startled chuckle, Lucky said, “You don’t cut a guy a break do you?”

Grace’s face went pensive and she shook her head.

“I have to make this right,” he announced.

Nodding in agreement, “I think that’s a great place to start.  But you never answered my question.”

“Which one?  You ask a lot of ‘em.”

Smiling, she said, “Why did you lie to Harper?  About the crying and getting sick in my car?”

“Cuz, you need your friend.”

“No, I really don’t,” she responded irked, even as she crossed her arms across her chest in a clearly defensive pose.

“Yes, you really do,” he volleyed back.  “I didn’t hear what you said to each other, but even I could see that he hurt you.” 

Touched, “I’m okay.  Besides, Harper is the last person I want to talk to about Truman.  She never thought it was a good idea for us to date anyway.  I mean, she never said that, but I could tell.  I don’t think she thinks I'm good enough for him.”

Lucky couldn’t help it, he goggled at Grace.  “No, she doesn’t.  If anything, she thinks you’re too good for him. Which, I happen to agree with her on that one.”

“You may be biased.”  Reminding them both of the simmering attraction between them.

“So what if I am?” he shot back.  “This may sound crazy, but you are the kind of girl a guy should…well he should.”  Stumbling over his words, he searched for the right one. 

 

“The kind of girl?” she prompted.

“I don’t know what the word is I’m looking for here.  I’m still a little drunk.  But he…  I mean, if it were me…  What I’m trying to say is any guy would be…  He would be…”

“Lucky?” she offered.

“What?” he asked.

“No,” she said laughing.  “The word you were looking for.  Lucky.”

His eyebrows shot up as recognition dawned.  “Yeah, lucky.  That’s it.  Any guy would be lucky to have you.  If he isn’t acting like that, he isn’t good enough for you.”

Letting that soak in for a moment, the words a balm to her battered emotions, “Your right.”

Surprise raced his across his face as he asked, “I am?  Which part?”

“All of it, I guess.”

“So does that mean you’ll go out with me now?”  No way was he letting this opportunity go.

Smiling, grateful to have something to smile about, she replied, “Tell you what.  Get your mess cleaned up, and if you don’t end up doing three to five for assault, ask me again.”

“Okay.” He could feel the smile trying to break through.  “Okay,” he said again. 

 

“Where do we start?  To get this mess cleaned up, I mean?”

“I need to talk to Owen first,” Lucky said as Truman’s car screeched to a halt on Grace’s side, startling both of Frenchy’s passengers.

 

Noting Harper, not Truman behind the wheel with Owen riding shot gun, she said, “Here’s your chance.” 

   

“Thanks Grace,” he grabbed the door handle and pushed.

“Anytime,” pushing open her car door she came face to face with Owen.

Before Grace could say anything, Owen rushed, “I swear to God, he will clean your car-front to back- and get all of it out.”

Confused, Grace looked at Lucky.  When the light bulb when off, she laughed.  “No, it’s okay, Owen.  He didn’t get sick in my car, he was being funny.  He actually made it to the bushes.  Although, boy could use a tic-tac right about now.”

Harper rushed around the front of the car, “Are you okay?”

“I’m good.  What about you?”

“Never mind about me.  What happened?  Lucky said you were crying.  You never cry.  Tell me.”  Harper, at her best was a force to be reckoned with, and it seemed Grace always brought out her best.

“Harps, take Lucky home.  He needs to talk to O.  By the way, if you have Truman’s car, what is he driving?”

Distracted, “Shit. I'm on my way to pick him up.  Are you sure you’re okay?”  She was already moving back toward the driver’s side as she asked the question. 

 

“I’m good.  Promise.”

Lucky and Owen were speaking in hushed tones when Grace called out, “Lucky.”

When their eyes locked, Grace smiled and said, “If you start to feel sick again, feel free puke it up in Truman’s car.  Okay?”

Her answer was a slow wink and a smile.