Off to Scotland

As many of you know, I leave today for a 2-week vacation to Scotland with my sister Jane. The trip all started after we both read the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon...if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. After planning, researching, updating itineraries, making arrangements for kids, making to-do lists and checking them twice over the past year, it's finally time to leave for the airport. Whew!

The excitement for the trip went in spurts as did the research...when I'd go a couple weeks, busy with home improvements & not search for something on the internet, then the excitement would wean. But, hop onto the computer with the plans to do a couple of searches and end up spending hours, the excitement was re-energized and I wanted to leave that day. Sometimes the best part of the vacation is actually the planning, as you look forward to the trip and the excitement builds.

For instance, I remember one day a couple months back when things just weren't going right, hotels were filling up, couldn't get this or that, and needed to change our flight arrangements as my sister & I planned to extend out our trip to do more things. So, as I had already had 2 strike outs for the day, I wasn't looking forward to calling NWA as what I wanted just wasn't on the website. So, I place the call and tell them, first I want to change my flight return date, then second I want to change my sister's ticket, so she's coming through DTW & we are on the same flight, flying together, the rest of the way , then on the way back, I want her to go directly from the Amsterdam connection to LAX. Mind you, I am flying business class across the pond. I knew it was possible, it just wasn't popping up as available on the website. So the NWA agent worked hard & said, no problem we can do that, bumping my sister up to Business class with me, so we both have enjoyable flights, have a meal with real utensils, & can get some sleep versus just a crick in the neck. Wahoo! Home Run! I'm sure going to miss being an Elite member next year....maybe I'll go back to work this fall to hang onto it...it's all about the upgrades :)

So then July came....and it was time to go shopping to find clothes to wear...with dropping a few pounds, I now faced the dilemma...what do I wear. So off to Eddie Bauer I went for all their super sales! Was very successful there & began filling my suitcase. I have a design potential for all the engineers out there...make a suitcase for a woman traveler! There just isn't a good place to pack shoes...and you know we need to take multiples. Don't put them in side pockets that take up the actual usable surface space for packing & don't make me just lay them on my clothes...who knows where I walked! I have an idea in mind if any one is interested in drawing it up...maybe I'll hit up Richard's engineering drawing skills...

So now I'm Eddie Bauer-fied, organized, packed...with my shoes in plastic bags but touching my clothes, passport in one hand, boarding pass in the other & ready to leave for the airport. Meeting Jane at her gate at 4:00 pm. Chat on the flip side!

Holiday Weekend

Went up north to the lake house for the 4th of July holiday weekend and had the best weather that we've had in years! What fun we had hanging out on the boat, playing in the water...it was a bit chilly for me...Richard of course wouldn't get in as it was FAR from bath water.

Every night we'd have a fire & the kids made S'mores for everyone...and plenty for themselves. Then we'd get all the kids on the boat, head to the center of the lake & watch the nightly firework display. Poor Cubbie didn't really care for the big boomers.

Resolution Update

So, it's finally July...as my calendar tells me...so I thought I'd drop back to January to figure out how I'm doing on my New Years Resolutions. I'm sure many of you that make them, probably never revisit them & in February they were probably already forgotten.

Well, I looked backed this morning to really see how I was doing...

(1) Read 50 books: totally on track there...just counted 28 on my reading log...with having a reading frenzy this past month...all of which have been great books if you are wanting some ideas to pick something up.

BEST book of the month was The Time Traveler's Wife. If you are in a book club, make this your suggestion. Grab it from your libs, or if you want to borrow my copy, let me know. My nephew passed the book off to me when I was in LA for his graduation in May. I think this may be coming out as a movie, so read the book first!

The Iris Johansen books are part of her Eve Duncan series...unless you've read that series, you may not want to pick up those books. I do recommend the series...interesting reading. An interesting fact if you think you want to get started on Iris as a new author for you, while not all the books are relative to the same series, she often weaves in the characters from all her books into other ones. Her website is not the easiest to follow, but if you want to read her, just let me know & I'll help you get started with the order of books.

Fearless Fourteen....Janet Evanovich...what can I say, it's part of her Stephanie Plum series which is hilarious...if you haven't read her, need to do so. My series books are lent out right now, but if you want to borrow, let me know. Otherwise, go to libs and start with the first one...One for the Money.

James Patterson...both the Quickie & Sundays at Tiffany's were good....especially liked Sundays at Tiffany's...hope they make that one into a movie...if they follow the book. Really heart touching...yes Kathy I shed a couple of tears in this one too!

Looking for new book recommendations...please forward!

(2) Lifetime 3 days a week.
Outside of a couple weeks here and there...been keeping to this as a minimum...many weeks it's 5 days a week. Seeing the results, so I guess it's worth it. I'm not a LOVE of working out, so don't think that you need to love it to do it. Just do it because you probably need to do it & it's the best thing for you! We aren't getting any younger....especially Alisa who turns 40 this year & will soon experience the things the rest of us already are :)

(3) Blog 2 times a week.
Well, that's obviously not happening...hasn't been a priority for me, but I do miss not capturing up to the minute fun things in our life by not blogging about them...they will be soon forgotten fun things. Will try to get back into it in August after I get back from vacation.

(4) Organize.
Slowly be surely, it's coming along...hopefully by end of the year, most of the house will be organized.

(5) Family First.
Well, not sure how I rate there...especially since I'll be taking a vacation WITHOUT them :) But, I've been to virtually every baseball & softball game this Spring, cheering the teams on to victory...hopefully. Been interesting around the house since school completed...definitely need to get out more.

So more work to do for the rest of the year....hopefully cementing the new habits that I'm trying to develop.

What Day Is It?

So I wake up on Tuesday, July1, still thinking it's Sunday...or really not knowing what day it is. How did this happen? I don't think I've ever lost track of what day it was...I guess I am my mother whom since retirement doesn't ever know what day it is, but I guess that's the side benefit of retirement...who cares what day it is.

I think back and wonder was it the decompression from 4 weeks of 6 day/week of baseball & softball, where the calendar was looked at daily to find out what field & time we needed to be. Having a week off from sports, I sit here and wonder, what did I do with my evenings before April when the season started. Obviously, I blogged more :)

I must admit that the kids & I did the most logical thing Sunday & Monday...sit on the couch, veg out, and watch movies we have probably seen a dozen times (or more). Moving only to get food & use the bathroom & change positions on the couch. At least we did get out of our jammies. But come Tuesday when I was itching to get out of the house once again, I didn't even know what day it was anymore.

Now it's crunch time...got the list made of all the things needing to be complete before we migrate up north for the holiday weekend...how can the list continue to grow...but I guess that's what happens when you are comatose for 2 days.