Kimberly Nee's Blog, page 6
November 28, 2012
Just Dropping In
Long time, no post. I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a wonderful one!
I think this might be the longest I've gone between blog posts in a few years, maybe even the longest ever. I just haven't really had all that much to blog about over the last three weeks. Partly because I just haven't had much to say, but also partly because I was deeply immersed in this year's NaNoWriMo.
I started it late this year due to the hurricane (or superstorm, or whatever it actually was.) Well, sort of late. I did begin it on November 1, writing longhand in a spiral notebook I'd bought in anticipation of losing power with the hurricane (based on what happened after Tropical Storm Irene, I took no chances when Sandy was bearing down on us.) So while we had no electricity, I managed to fill nearly twenty pages of that notebook. Which then had to be transcribed into the computer, which took a few days. Then I was able to get back into the story. And it just took off.
Some NaNos are a real battle. Tiger Eyes began life as a NaNo project and every one of those 50k words was a struggle. It wasn't until about 3/4s of the way into that book, that writing it became enjoyable. Then there was the year I did NaNo while in the midst of edits on several other books. Because of the past, I almost decided not to do NaNo this year. I didn't sign up until the very end of October because I wasn't sure I wanted to put myself through it again.
But this time around, the story came easily. Despite the late start, I had a bunch of days where I did 5k+ words, so I quickly made up for the lost time. And this project was fun to work on - for the most part. There were still a few days when I just didn't want to be bothered, so I took those days off and said to hell with the daily word count. And I found out that doing so actually worked to my advantage. I took a day here, a day there, and when I came back, I was a writing fool.
And now we're getting into the swing of the holiday season, so I doubt I'll be back to regular blogging any time soon. I'm halfway through the book that my NaNo project is going to be and the writing is going well, so I'm concentrating on that. It's a bit of a change from my previous books - this one takes place in 1885 in the Southwest, so it deals with cowboys and bounty hunters and a road trip through the New Mexico Territory to Chicago and it's been fun to write so far. Fun, but time consuming.
So, if I don't see you before then, have a Merry Christmas (or a Happy Hanukkah) and I'll see you in 2013 (unless the Mayans were onto something and the world ends on December 21st. :D)
I think this might be the longest I've gone between blog posts in a few years, maybe even the longest ever. I just haven't really had all that much to blog about over the last three weeks. Partly because I just haven't had much to say, but also partly because I was deeply immersed in this year's NaNoWriMo.
I started it late this year due to the hurricane (or superstorm, or whatever it actually was.) Well, sort of late. I did begin it on November 1, writing longhand in a spiral notebook I'd bought in anticipation of losing power with the hurricane (based on what happened after Tropical Storm Irene, I took no chances when Sandy was bearing down on us.) So while we had no electricity, I managed to fill nearly twenty pages of that notebook. Which then had to be transcribed into the computer, which took a few days. Then I was able to get back into the story. And it just took off.
Some NaNos are a real battle. Tiger Eyes began life as a NaNo project and every one of those 50k words was a struggle. It wasn't until about 3/4s of the way into that book, that writing it became enjoyable. Then there was the year I did NaNo while in the midst of edits on several other books. Because of the past, I almost decided not to do NaNo this year. I didn't sign up until the very end of October because I wasn't sure I wanted to put myself through it again.
But this time around, the story came easily. Despite the late start, I had a bunch of days where I did 5k+ words, so I quickly made up for the lost time. And this project was fun to work on - for the most part. There were still a few days when I just didn't want to be bothered, so I took those days off and said to hell with the daily word count. And I found out that doing so actually worked to my advantage. I took a day here, a day there, and when I came back, I was a writing fool.
And now we're getting into the swing of the holiday season, so I doubt I'll be back to regular blogging any time soon. I'm halfway through the book that my NaNo project is going to be and the writing is going well, so I'm concentrating on that. It's a bit of a change from my previous books - this one takes place in 1885 in the Southwest, so it deals with cowboys and bounty hunters and a road trip through the New Mexico Territory to Chicago and it's been fun to write so far. Fun, but time consuming.
So, if I don't see you before then, have a Merry Christmas (or a Happy Hanukkah) and I'll see you in 2013 (unless the Mayans were onto something and the world ends on December 21st. :D)
November 3, 2012
Hurricane Sandy
I am a Jersey girl. I was born and raised right here. Despite the stupid jokes and moronic cast of The Jersey Shore, I've always been proud to be from New Jersey. It isn't just the Turnpike (I have no idea what exit my town is off either the Pike or the Parkway. I don't drive toll roads) and toll booths, refineries and swamps. It's mountains and horse farms. It's beautiful beaches and the Delaware Water Gap. It's Jockey Hollow, where George Washington and his army camped through the brutal winter of 1779-1780 that was even worse than Valley Forge. It's the Barnegate Lighthouse (known to locals as Barney.) It's the AC boardwalk. It is a beautiful place to visit, when you take the time to see beyond Newark Airport.
This week, my home state was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. My family was lucky. We were without power for four days and that was it. The people of the Jersey shore -- the real Jersey Shore, not those idiots you see on MTV -- were not so lucky. Many of them lost everything, including their houses. Everything.
My summer has included time spent at the Jersey shore for as long as I can remember. LBI, Pt. Pleasant. Lavallette. When I was a kid, my grandfather would take my brother and me to Seaside every year. We looked forward to it all year. Those memories are some of my most treasured. Now, the Seaside Heights boardwalk and those rides are gone. Just. Gone. Washed into the Atlantic Ocean, washed up on the beach a mile away in some cases.
It isn't just millionaires who have homes on the Jersey shore. It's regular people. And some of those houses are gone. Just. Gone. Washed out into Route 35.
I've always thought New Jerseyans were a special breed. We're strong and resilient and we WILL rebuild the Jersey shore. It will take time, but it will happen. I absolutely believe that.
Please, if you can, donate to the Red Cross to help those who've lost so much. Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. It's that easy.
This week, my home state was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. My family was lucky. We were without power for four days and that was it. The people of the Jersey shore -- the real Jersey Shore, not those idiots you see on MTV -- were not so lucky. Many of them lost everything, including their houses. Everything.
My summer has included time spent at the Jersey shore for as long as I can remember. LBI, Pt. Pleasant. Lavallette. When I was a kid, my grandfather would take my brother and me to Seaside every year. We looked forward to it all year. Those memories are some of my most treasured. Now, the Seaside Heights boardwalk and those rides are gone. Just. Gone. Washed into the Atlantic Ocean, washed up on the beach a mile away in some cases.
It isn't just millionaires who have homes on the Jersey shore. It's regular people. And some of those houses are gone. Just. Gone. Washed out into Route 35.
I've always thought New Jerseyans were a special breed. We're strong and resilient and we WILL rebuild the Jersey shore. It will take time, but it will happen. I absolutely believe that.
Please, if you can, donate to the Red Cross to help those who've lost so much. Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. It's that easy.
October 14, 2012
Happy Birthday!!
At 12:59 PM today, my son, The Boy, officially turns seven.
How
is that possible? It seems like only yesterday he was born. Small, but
stocky, he was quickly nicknamed Tank. When Tank because mobile, look
out. Nothing was safe. Unless you made him laugh. I wish I could
describe his laugh because it is the most infectious, silvery giggle
I've ever heard. He still has that laugh and it is impossible to hear it
and not join in. And he has a charmer's personality to boot. I can
just imagine the endless stream of girls who are going to be calling my
house in the near future. Not looking forward to it.
But now, he is still my baby. He hates being called my baby boy, but he will always be my baby boy. Always. That's how it works for us mothers. Our babies are always our babies, right, moms?
So,
putting the silliness aside, I love my boy. He's come a long way in
the last seven - when we first thought he might be autistic and
began working with him to get him to speak. Now, he never shuts up and
that's a good thing. He's becoming a normal, happy, healthy little boy
with a little extra energy who loves a good hug every now and again. He's in first grade in a regular ol' school and is doing so well, I can't even begin to say how proud of him I am. He's amazing and I love
him more than I ever thought possible to love another person. He's my
boy.
Happy 7th Birthday, my little man,
Mommy loves you.
October 8, 2012
And the Winner is...
Jen B.!
Congratulations!!
I've sent off an email to let you know and to everyone else, thank you so much participating!
Happy Reading!
September 30, 2012
Musa Publishing Turns One!!
It's hard to believe a year can go by so fast, but it has and now Musa Publishing is turning one!
To celebrate, Musa's birthday, we're inviting everyone to join us on our Musa Blog Hop to check out our fantastic authors and win some really great prizes in the process. Catch up on your favorite Musa authors, meet some new ones, and see what contests are being held in the process. It's win-win all around.
As for me, I'm giving away the first three books in the McKenzie series (A Perfect Lady, The Pursuit, and Playing With Fire). All you have to do to enter is fill in the Rafflecopter Widget - see how easy that is?
And for every comment you leave on any of the blogs in the Musa Blog Hop, you'll also be entered to win one of two Musa swag bags or the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire! The more you comment, the greater your chances of winning, so go forth and comment!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Rules to the HOP
) HAVE FUN!!!
2) INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!
3) THIS TOUR STARTS: October 1, at Midnight (est)
THIS TOUR ENDS: , October 7, at Midnight (pst)
Winners will be drawn and posted October 9th! ***
Come Join the Party on October 7th at The Romance Review Forum to enter to win more prizes.
http://www.theromancereviews.com/foru...
4) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS
RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP and
COMMENT ON, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES.
5) Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire is for
US and Canada mailing addresses only. International winners
will receive a $50.00 Musa Gift Card. Winner will be announced on
October 7th 2012 at 11 est at The Romance Review forum.
6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN?
***Authors & Book Pages have full
discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails
to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or
after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who
participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***
September 27, 2012
Meet Max
Everyone who knows me, knows I'm an animal person. Growing up, I had dogs, cats, hamsters. I was the one bringing home the strays and begging to keep them. On Thanksgiving, 1991, I found a little black cat tearing into the garbage and refused to come into the house until my mother said I could keep him. He stayed with us until he died in 2002. When a coworker needed to find a home for her cat, I took Casey in and she stayed with us until she died at the ripe old age of 19 (and that cat was evil. My husband called her Spawn. She hated everyone but me and made that plain as day.)
When my daughter was 6, and my husband spent that awful month in the hospital (summer, 2007) we got her a hamster. I might have mentioned Princess before - I can't remember if I blogged about the time I set the broiler on fire. For reasons I can't recall, Princess was living in the kitchen (I think we didn't quite trust the Girl yet to not try to take Princess out of her cage.) Anyway, long story short; the broiler caught fire, I blasted it with the fire extinguisher, and the hamster got caught in the crossfire, blinking beady little black eyes at me through the greenish dust with an expression that clearly said, "Um... what did I do?"
Well, six months after Princess arrived, she died. A month later, we bought the Girl what we thought were brother gerbils. Turned out they weren't brothers and what started out at two gerbils quickly became five. At first, we were going to find the babies homes, but as I found myself naming them, that idea went south. The last of the babies died of old age over the summer and now we have Shadow, who is the meanest frickin' gerbil you ever met. Gerbils are supposed to be kept in at least pairs, and this was a solo one and the Girl felt sorry for him (can't imagine where she got that from) and despite the fact that Shadow has drawn blood from both the Girl and me, he will be here until old age takes him as well.
Our dog - an adorable rescued boxer mix who barks too damn much - has been here almost four years and I've been trying to talk my other half into a cat, although I doubt that will ever happen. We've had fish. I'd like a bird, but the hubs made his feelings about that abundantly clear. Ain't gonna happen.
Well now, we have Max.
The Boy has been asking us for a pet of his own for some time now and since he'll be seven in a few weeks, we gave in. Max is a Syrian longhaired hamster. He came to live with us yesterday. He apparently hated us on sight, and he screams at any of us the moment our faces appear over the rim of his tank. Guess Max hasn't quite adjusted just yet. And man, when I say scream, I mean, scream. You would think I was squeezing him in a tight fist with the way this creature shrieks. I have never heard any animal make the sound this rodent makes. I'm really hoping Max settles in, since I'd hate to continue the streak of unfriendly little things with really sharp teeth living in my house.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Just how long an adjustment period does a hamster need?
When my daughter was 6, and my husband spent that awful month in the hospital (summer, 2007) we got her a hamster. I might have mentioned Princess before - I can't remember if I blogged about the time I set the broiler on fire. For reasons I can't recall, Princess was living in the kitchen (I think we didn't quite trust the Girl yet to not try to take Princess out of her cage.) Anyway, long story short; the broiler caught fire, I blasted it with the fire extinguisher, and the hamster got caught in the crossfire, blinking beady little black eyes at me through the greenish dust with an expression that clearly said, "Um... what did I do?"
Well, six months after Princess arrived, she died. A month later, we bought the Girl what we thought were brother gerbils. Turned out they weren't brothers and what started out at two gerbils quickly became five. At first, we were going to find the babies homes, but as I found myself naming them, that idea went south. The last of the babies died of old age over the summer and now we have Shadow, who is the meanest frickin' gerbil you ever met. Gerbils are supposed to be kept in at least pairs, and this was a solo one and the Girl felt sorry for him (can't imagine where she got that from) and despite the fact that Shadow has drawn blood from both the Girl and me, he will be here until old age takes him as well.
Our dog - an adorable rescued boxer mix who barks too damn much - has been here almost four years and I've been trying to talk my other half into a cat, although I doubt that will ever happen. We've had fish. I'd like a bird, but the hubs made his feelings about that abundantly clear. Ain't gonna happen.
Well now, we have Max.
The Boy has been asking us for a pet of his own for some time now and since he'll be seven in a few weeks, we gave in. Max is a Syrian longhaired hamster. He came to live with us yesterday. He apparently hated us on sight, and he screams at any of us the moment our faces appear over the rim of his tank. Guess Max hasn't quite adjusted just yet. And man, when I say scream, I mean, scream. You would think I was squeezing him in a tight fist with the way this creature shrieks. I have never heard any animal make the sound this rodent makes. I'm really hoping Max settles in, since I'd hate to continue the streak of unfriendly little things with really sharp teeth living in my house.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Just how long an adjustment period does a hamster need?
September 25, 2012
Cover Love ~ Windemere
Yay! I can haz cover nao?
Here is the final cover for Windemere and I LOVE it. I think it totally captures the darker tones of Julian and Emma's story...
Seriously, this is probably my favorite of my Musa covers, and I'm giving Kelly Shorten all the props in the world because she did an excellent job (as always.)
It's hard to believe this book will be out in just a few weeks. What a stressful project it turned out to be, considering how tight the deadline was for writing it. And to celebrate its release, along with Musa's birthday, I'll be taking part in the Musa Blog Hop, with some copies of Windemere, and a few other of my Musa titles, up for grabs as prizes.
Here is the final cover for Windemere and I LOVE it. I think it totally captures the darker tones of Julian and Emma's story...
Seriously, this is probably my favorite of my Musa covers, and I'm giving Kelly Shorten all the props in the world because she did an excellent job (as always.)
It's hard to believe this book will be out in just a few weeks. What a stressful project it turned out to be, considering how tight the deadline was for writing it. And to celebrate its release, along with Musa's birthday, I'll be taking part in the Musa Blog Hop, with some copies of Windemere, and a few other of my Musa titles, up for grabs as prizes.
September 17, 2012
A Bit of This and That
The autumn is absolutely my favorite time of the year. The kids are back in school - and now that the Boy is in first grade, that means full day. For the first time in twelve years, my days belong only to me. Yay! More time to write.
Except that I've just finished the edits on Windemere and considering the pressure that came with that book, I need a little bit of a break before beginning anything new. I've never written anything on as tight a deadline as that book and although I tend to write my best under pressure (my editor joked that I should write every book that way. I think I'd have a stroke if I did. :D) it's not something I care to repeat any time soon.
I should have some cover love to share fairly soon and of course, Musa's birthday coming up, there will be a blog hop and some prizes and all that. And with any luck, I'll have more good news to share. Keep your fingers crossed.
But back to autumn being my favorite time of the year. This past summer was so hot and so muggy and so god-awful, that this autumn is like a gift. I love being able to open the windows and let in the fresh air. Especially after a summer of AC. Don't get me wrong, I think the inventor of central air should be canonized, but there's something wonderful about fresh, cool crisp, fall air. I swap out my summer candles (Yankee Candle is my home away from home, I have a candle for every season) for the autumn ones (Spiced Pumpkin left from last autumn.)
In my house, the master bedroom is on the top floor, which means it's always the hottest room in the house. During the summer, the ceiling fan runs nonstop (shut off only when we go away) and even then, it's still only barely comfortable. But now, I actually need a blanket and there's nothing quite like waking up on a chilly Saturday morning and being able to snuggle under the cozy covers. :D
October is my favorite month - my son was born in October and, of course, Halloween is here, which marks the beginning of the Holiday season as far as I'm concerned. But October is also the same month we moved into our house (which I love) and when the leaves start to change, my backyard is just the most beautiful mosaic of reds, yellows, golds, and oranges.
Right now, I've got chili simmering in the crockpot (the kidlets are off from school for Rosh Hashanah) and that's another plus about the autumn. I love to cook and bake and this is the perfect time of the year for that. I baked an apple pie yesterday. So you can imagine how delish my house smells right about now. :D
Except that I've just finished the edits on Windemere and considering the pressure that came with that book, I need a little bit of a break before beginning anything new. I've never written anything on as tight a deadline as that book and although I tend to write my best under pressure (my editor joked that I should write every book that way. I think I'd have a stroke if I did. :D) it's not something I care to repeat any time soon.
I should have some cover love to share fairly soon and of course, Musa's birthday coming up, there will be a blog hop and some prizes and all that. And with any luck, I'll have more good news to share. Keep your fingers crossed.
But back to autumn being my favorite time of the year. This past summer was so hot and so muggy and so god-awful, that this autumn is like a gift. I love being able to open the windows and let in the fresh air. Especially after a summer of AC. Don't get me wrong, I think the inventor of central air should be canonized, but there's something wonderful about fresh, cool crisp, fall air. I swap out my summer candles (Yankee Candle is my home away from home, I have a candle for every season) for the autumn ones (Spiced Pumpkin left from last autumn.)
In my house, the master bedroom is on the top floor, which means it's always the hottest room in the house. During the summer, the ceiling fan runs nonstop (shut off only when we go away) and even then, it's still only barely comfortable. But now, I actually need a blanket and there's nothing quite like waking up on a chilly Saturday morning and being able to snuggle under the cozy covers. :D
October is my favorite month - my son was born in October and, of course, Halloween is here, which marks the beginning of the Holiday season as far as I'm concerned. But October is also the same month we moved into our house (which I love) and when the leaves start to change, my backyard is just the most beautiful mosaic of reds, yellows, golds, and oranges.
Right now, I've got chili simmering in the crockpot (the kidlets are off from school for Rosh Hashanah) and that's another plus about the autumn. I love to cook and bake and this is the perfect time of the year for that. I baked an apple pie yesterday. So you can imagine how delish my house smells right about now. :D
September 10, 2012
September 11, 2001
Never forget.
September 11, 2001
August 28, 2012
It the Summer REALLY Almost Over?
O hai.
I know I've been MIA the last few weeks, but between revisions for Windemere and my family vacation, I've spent precious little time on anything else. I'm happy to say that after those edits (which included rewriting the entire last third of the book that required a fourteen hour writing session at one point) the rest of them should be smooth sailing. My editor was thrilled with the new ending and I'm thrilled that she's thrilled because I really don't know if I could pull off another 14 hour write-fest. Thank God for my husband, who took the kids down the shore that weekend, which gave me a writing block of three uninterrupted days. He was a godsend during this book's revisions. An absolute godsend.
And, yes - we did a family vacation - a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean to celebrate my inlaws upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. Fifty years and they haven't killed each other (or anyone else, for that matter.) It's amazing to think of being married to one person for that long. My husband and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in June and it isn't easy, that's for sure. I'd have killed me long ago, I'm such a pain in the ass to live with. :D
But this cruise was absolutely wonderful. It was my inlaws, my husband's brother, his sister, our nephew and the Boy and the Girl (4 people in one stateroom for 9 days is a bit too much togetherness, but we survived without too much incident.) We left from Port Liberty, Bayonne (I didn't even know cruise ships went out of Bayonne until this trip) and visited Bermuda, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Haiti and it was probably the best vacation I've ever had. The Boy and I played on pink sand at Horseshoe Bay on Bermuda while my husband and the Girl swam with dolphins. We all went snorkeling in St. Maarten. We walked all over Old San Juan, and the hubs and I zip-lined in Haiti. A-MAY-ZING.
A few pictures that I took:
Cast-off Party on deck as we approached the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge sailing out of Bayonne, NJ
A scenic spot along the road in Bermuda
An elephant made of towels, left by our stateroom attendant one night. :D
St. Maarten, on the way back from snorkeling. No picture I took could possibly capture just how beautiful this island is
El Morro Fort - San Juan, Puerto Rico. Well, part of it, anyway.
Labadee, Haiti
Sunrise over New York City as we returned home...
Sunrise over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as we returned to Bayonne
But now I'm back in NJ and I returned to find Windemere's second edits in my in-box, Phyllis Diller and Neil Armstrong died, and the Republican party is still chock full o'crazy. It was nice, being cut off from all the crap that is a 24-hour news cycle (I avoid politics like the plague on this blog for the most part because you'd never get me off my soapbox otherwise. And really, who cares what I think, politically-speaking?) I left my laptop at home, my cell phone remained shut off and locked in our stateroom safe, and it was wonderful. But, as all good things must end, here I am, back in the real world. Next week, the kidlets go back to school and the summer of 2012 go down in the books as one of the best, and fastest, summers I've ever spent.
I know I've been MIA the last few weeks, but between revisions for Windemere and my family vacation, I've spent precious little time on anything else. I'm happy to say that after those edits (which included rewriting the entire last third of the book that required a fourteen hour writing session at one point) the rest of them should be smooth sailing. My editor was thrilled with the new ending and I'm thrilled that she's thrilled because I really don't know if I could pull off another 14 hour write-fest. Thank God for my husband, who took the kids down the shore that weekend, which gave me a writing block of three uninterrupted days. He was a godsend during this book's revisions. An absolute godsend.
And, yes - we did a family vacation - a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean to celebrate my inlaws upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. Fifty years and they haven't killed each other (or anyone else, for that matter.) It's amazing to think of being married to one person for that long. My husband and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in June and it isn't easy, that's for sure. I'd have killed me long ago, I'm such a pain in the ass to live with. :D
But this cruise was absolutely wonderful. It was my inlaws, my husband's brother, his sister, our nephew and the Boy and the Girl (4 people in one stateroom for 9 days is a bit too much togetherness, but we survived without too much incident.) We left from Port Liberty, Bayonne (I didn't even know cruise ships went out of Bayonne until this trip) and visited Bermuda, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Haiti and it was probably the best vacation I've ever had. The Boy and I played on pink sand at Horseshoe Bay on Bermuda while my husband and the Girl swam with dolphins. We all went snorkeling in St. Maarten. We walked all over Old San Juan, and the hubs and I zip-lined in Haiti. A-MAY-ZING.
A few pictures that I took:
Cast-off Party on deck as we approached the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge sailing out of Bayonne, NJ
A scenic spot along the road in Bermuda
An elephant made of towels, left by our stateroom attendant one night. :D
St. Maarten, on the way back from snorkeling. No picture I took could possibly capture just how beautiful this island is
El Morro Fort - San Juan, Puerto Rico. Well, part of it, anyway.
Labadee, Haiti
Sunrise over New York City as we returned home...
Sunrise over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as we returned to Bayonne
But now I'm back in NJ and I returned to find Windemere's second edits in my in-box, Phyllis Diller and Neil Armstrong died, and the Republican party is still chock full o'crazy. It was nice, being cut off from all the crap that is a 24-hour news cycle (I avoid politics like the plague on this blog for the most part because you'd never get me off my soapbox otherwise. And really, who cares what I think, politically-speaking?) I left my laptop at home, my cell phone remained shut off and locked in our stateroom safe, and it was wonderful. But, as all good things must end, here I am, back in the real world. Next week, the kidlets go back to school and the summer of 2012 go down in the books as one of the best, and fastest, summers I've ever spent.
