Showing posts with label vacations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacations. Show all posts

Friday, January 3, 2020

2019 in Review

Another year has come to an end and a new one is just beginning. Is it a sign that I am getting older when the time passes so quickly?

I feel blessed that most of 2019 brought us good things and experiences. The speed bumps along the way make us stronger: the division in our church, the bullying of our daughter, and the challenge of caring for our elderly parents and hoping we make the right choices.

It is because of those obstacles, I often recite Philippians 4:13 to keep me focused: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It seems trite to say God never gives us more than we can handle, but it remains a truth that cannot be ignored. When I fear I can't go on, He lifts me up. As it says in Deuteronomy, It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

As I reflect on 2019, I hope it has encouraged me to be more grateful and more at peace, and may I learn to find joy in something every day.




Last church bazaar at Living Gate



Visiting the Arizona Memorial


Lost our beloved Killer



Adopted Autumn and...


Travis

The Lil' Diva graduated with honors



Spent three weeks in North Carolina



Acquired and edited this manuscript as acquisitions editor for 4RV Publishing



Held my first workshop on book marketing at the local library


Held my first book reading



Named 2019 RAPV REALTOR of the Year



Cleaned out my office ... and a few other places in this house too

I hope you'll share some of your 2019 highlights. Here's to a fabulous 2020!

Monday, July 13, 2015

Mailbox Monday - July 13

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

We survived the beaches of North Carolina despite Jaws trying to attack people. One afternoon, we arrived to discover they had pulled a shark from the waters a mile from us just a few hours prior to our arrival that day. What fun.

As always, vacations are too short. I also worked on vacation a bit. Overall, we had a superb time. I should have some photos to share soon.

I picked up an autographed copy of Voices from the Outer Banks edited by Stephen Kirk at Books to Be Red, an independent bookstore on Ocracoke Island. Kirk had book signings scheduled in Manteo and Duck while we were at the Outer Banks, but I didn't get a chance to meet him. I let the kids dictate our schedule while we are away. He is the editor of John F. Blair, Publisher.

While visiting, I also got a chance to recommend the books of Karen White to someone looking for Southern fiction. She picked up one of her books, which I hope she will enjoy as much as I did.



John F. Blair, Publisher, continues its Real Voices, Real HistoryTM series with Voices from the Outer Banks. This volume presents the actual words of the people who lived the uncommonly rich history of this chain of barrier islands stretching from the Virginia border southward through Cape Lookout.

Readers will enjoy contemporary accounts of the first British settlement in North America and the birth of the first English child on American soil. They ll read 18th-century letters, articles, and poems about the bloody death of Blackbeard, arguably the most famous of all the pirates. They ll read the news account of the first powered airplane flights in human history. And the editorial that created America s first national seashore. And the words of family members who once inhabited the nation s most iconic lighthouse part of a matched set of four.

Topics include the Graveyard of the Atlantic, in a nod to the rough waters that over the centuries have claimed hundreds of vessels, and Torpedo Junction, site of the Great American Turkey Shoot, the latter nickname bestowed by German submariners during World War II.

The volume includes first-person accounts of Civil War battles, a freedmen s colony, hunt clubs that drew the first wealthy tourists, and lifesavers who used horses to pull surfboats to the water and fired lines by cannon to wrecked vessels. Readers will even hear contemporary stories of the Boy Scout troop that rode ponies descended from ancient shipwrecked animals.

I also picked up several Kindle books while browsing Amazon's titles:












That last one I picked up to read with my online book club. You can learn more about it here.

Finally, when I returned home, this book was waiting for me--a gift from an author whose book tour I am hosting.


Trying to be a normal 12 year old is going to be hard but Jania is certainly going to try. Being the Princess and having to compete to become a Warrior Maiden is just the beginning of her problems. Looks like someone tried to kill her but got her guards instead. Now she and a small party must travel to a city that few people escape and return with a special flower to save her guards. Did I mention, it all has to happen within 24 hours or they become trapped forever. Like I said...just a normal 12 year old. 

What did you receive this week?






Thursday, May 16, 2013

Diary of a Busy Mom: Vacation



As a busy mom, there’s so much to do to get ready to leave on vacation:

·         Pick up the tickets from AAA
·         Hold the mail
·         Hold the paper
·         Arrange pet sitters
·         Clean the house (so I don’t have a mess when we return home)
·         Make sure we have enough good clothes for the trip (the kids seem to grow out of half of their things before we leave)
·         Pack
·         Help the girls pack
·         Confirm reservations before we leave
·         Confirm coverage for my clients while we’re away
·         Grocery shop so the pet sitters have what they need

    Pretty much, I’m exhausted before boarding the plane. Thankfully, when we finally go away, we’re at least going somewhere where we’ll be too busy for me to work. I rarely even read when we’re in Florida.

    The other nice thing about going to Disney is that I don’t have to plan meals. When we go to the Outer Banks, I’m usually cooking two meals a day. With Disney, I simply make dining reservations ahead of time for all our meals.

    Once we return, I’ll have six days of laundry for four people to wash and then have to go grocery shopping again, but at least once I set foot on the plane, I’m truly on vacation.

    What’s your favorite vacation spot? Is there somewhere you would love to go that you haven’t been to yet?