Twice in One Month!!

My life is just so full. Yes, it's a good thing, but it's also stressful. I keep thinking I'll get caught up, but it's been 2 years now since I quit the day job. Oy! My weeds are higher than ever, laundry beckons, and now I have a fabulous new vacation to prepare for. Guess what's going to get most of my spare time?

That's right! The vacation. Lane and I are headed to Vermont at the end of September to see the fall foliage and the gorgeous countryside. We're RVing, and I have our campsites picked out and reserved. We'll be staying at Apple Island Resort on a little island in Lake Champlain. We're renting a car for our driving tours. That's what I'm mapping out now - the driving tours. I definitely want to see 'The Kanc', a popular scenic highway with a long, long name I've already forgotten. It's in New Hampshire. We're going to see covered bridges and turn-of-the-century hamlets. I've always dreamed of this vacation.

I am getting more disciplined with my scheduling. I'm exercising on a regular basis (Wii tennis which is surprisingly great cardio) including weight lifting. I'm writing on a steadily more regular basis, and I'm involved in a project with my church that is incredibly exciting.

We're working toward a spiritual renewal from top to bottom based on Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church, 12 Steps to Congregational Transformation, and the Strategic Plan rolled out in our Annual Conference this year. We're an older congregation striving to survive, and I'm convinced the way to do it is to return to the church's roots, our 'first love', if you will.

Aw, man - time's up. I've got to go exercise and write and all the other things screaming my name! Hehehe. Hope you all have had a great summer, and Jo - it was great hearing from you!!

~pinkie

Sick-O-Rama

Just got back from national conference in San Francisco. Had a great time, but what I thought was a terrible allergy attack has turned into a cold. AND I came down with a bladder infection yesterday. My friends nicknamed me 'Tanks' because I can go so long without use of the facilities. Unfortunately, my capacity is down to a few drops at a time. Two different doctors have called in antibiotics (I was desperate and more than a bit wicked), so I'm soon off to the pharmacy.

I've been puttering in the yard today - so good to be home! This must be the year of the milkweed because mine are incredibly healthy since I've been gone. It's not too hot so after the pharm visit, I think I'll pull some weeds until it gets too hot. We're having big company this weekend, some who've never seen our house, so I'm trying to get it in extra good shape. And with my clutter, that is not an easy task. I like things where I can see them, okay? Drives my hubby bats.

Thanks to my great friend, KN (you know who you are!) I got to go to the Harlequin party this year at conference and had a freaking BLAST. You all know how I love to dance, and they were playing my favorite classics. Came home in an extreme writing mood.

Well, the tank is calling for attention, so I'm off to the ladies' room and then the pharmacy. You all have a great day and TTYL!

~pinkie

Ramblings

I started this blog originally because my local writer's group had a meeting about the efficacy of blogs in generating notoriety for a writer. I wasn't so sure about that, but I was willing to give it a try. Now that I'm writing like a mad woman, it's hard to get time to post!

Then, of course, the cancer appeared for a return engagement, so I switched to using this for updates on how I'm doing. Well, the show's been a bit boring (thank you, God!) and I've had no growth in the cancer for close to two years now.

Soooooo, I'm thinking of turning to discussions of topics near and dear to my heart (or at least on my mind at the moment). Right now the articles I've been reading and many news items have to do with going green. Being into my own convenience, I'm not so sure about the green thing.

I should qualify that. I do not like deforestation. I like doing whatever I can electronically and saving trees. I do not like pollution. I'm willing to do without a few things (like that extra trip to the store in the car) to cut down on my contribution in that area. There are other areas I can stand to be conservative about.

What I'm thinking of today are my leisurely baths in my huge (and I mean HUGE) tub. I read recently that I should turn the water off while I'm brushing my teeth. Okay. I shouldn't water my lawn during the day because so much of the water evaporates. No problem (but only because I have a sprinkler system). However...

I'm a twenty-minute showerer (or bather - I have a shower head in my tub). Then I read that I should keep my showers to under 5 minutes. Jennifer Aniston uses 3 minutes. Holy cow!! Does she turn the water off while soaping her hair or bod? That would be the equivalent of my bathing in about an inch and a half of water. I don't think I can do that.

Did I mention I haven't even used our walk-in shower since we moved into this house 14 months ago? I *love* my bath. I love filling it up and watching movies on my little bathroom TV. And why are we so concerned about water? I always thought it was a renewable resource. Water evaporates from the ground, turns into clouds and rains back down. I'm sure the article told me why it's so important, but I've blocked it out. Thank goodness I threw the magazine away!

I think I'm going to have to find other ways to be green. Did I mention I use all compact flourescent bulbs? I planted six trees in my yard this year? I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and use one of those carbon foot print calculators and see how much I really have to change to be a good citizen of earth. *Sigh*

If you have the cajones to map out your carbon footprint, you can visit https://gozero.conservationfund.org/calc/household or http://www.carboncounter.org/offset-your-emissions/personal-calculator.aspx. There are tons of them if you google "carbon footprint calculator." Get out your utility bills and be prepared to answer some fairly complicated questions.

You know, I think I can contribute to the green effort. It's kind of like a maturing process. I gave up my pacifier when I was less than two. But my baths... Now that really give me the shivers!!

Happy greening, guys!
~pinkie

Surfacing from my travels

I’m rounding out the end of a busy couple of weeks. The best kind of busy, too!

My daughter came home from Indiana University for a short visit May 21-24. We had Alec on Thursday, so she got to spend the day with him. We invited Grandma Peggy and Brooklynn over to swim The neighbor boys joined us too, so we had a great time. She and Brian left on Saturday, and on Sunday, I left for my mom’s in Texas.

Oh, and my best friend’s baby had his first birthday. Judging by the way he dived into the cake, I’d say he had a great time.

Mom and I didn’t do a whole lot, which is just the way we like it. Dad is doing really well. He still needs the walker, but he gets around pretty fast. We took him out to eat every day and to Hobby Lobby while I was there. Mom and I went to JC Penney’s but it just wasn’t the same shopping without my sister. I didn’t buy a darn thing.

We watched 8 or 9 movies, mostly old ones like Esther, Ruth, and David and Bathsheba. We also watched Overboard and As Good As It Gets. I hadn’t seen any of those in ages. I worked on the kids’ scrap/recipe books and got my niece’s caught up with the rest of them. My aunt (Mom’s twin) came up with more old family photos which was awesome. She had some old pictures of my cousins that really brought back memories.

I came back from there on Thursday and left for the lake on Friday. We had a great time. Brooklynn and I were nigh inseparable on Saturday which makes my heart glow. On Sunday Brady and I got quite a bit of quality time. He is such a cutie and a tooter at the same time. That child fears nothing and tries everything. He’s hard to keep up with but so fun to watch!

We came back yesterday, and I have Alec all day today. We’re going to invite Brooklynn and the neighbor boys to swim again this afternoon probably. I have a ton of work to get done because we’re leaving on vacation to San Antonio either Saturday or Sunday and will be gone a week. After that my summer pretty much returns to normal. I’ll be glad, but I’ve really had a great time.

Hope your summer is going well!

~pinkie