That's right! I'm some one's favorite blogger of the week. Okay, so my post was her favorite post of the week. But that totally translates into me being her favorite blogger, of the week anyway. So you should totally read Hamlet's Mistress' post!
In other odd news about me- Did any of you watch Bret Michael's Rock of Love show? C'mon, you can admit it, we're all friends here. No one will point and laugh, much. I watched it. All three seasons. Let's face it- Bret is still hott. And those crazy women! The drama, the fights, the boozing all go a long way towards making me happy I'm not them. So anyway, on season 2, there was this chick from Brazil, Marcia. She was the one who threw up and then kissed Brett (he didn't know). Yeah, now you remember her! She started following me on twitter, out of the blue, just randomly. How weird is that? Like I told Sean- I'm famous, yo.
Also, checking my blog stats and where people travel to my blog from, I'm still popular with the Eastern European crowd (shout out to my homies in The Czech Republic!) but also now, I'm popular with the goth crowd. Woot woot! I was wearing black and reading horror before it was a whole subculture. Go me!
Seriously, I don't understand any of this, but I'm thankful that anyone reads my ramblings. And the fam? Well, they are doing well.
Sean was home for just over 24 hours between West Virginia and New Mexico. Drove him to the train station on Monday evening. May have cried a little after he boarded. He may be a "hott guy" to some of you, but he's still my baby. And while I have complete confidence in his ability to take care of himself, it seems like we've graduated to a new era of his independence and I'm feeling a little lost. Plus, I miss him.
And Lu is settling in to being a mom with remarkable aplomb. Sure, she occasionally tries to pass off a dirty diaper to me to change (ain't happening folks, I did my share), she does everything else herself. Although, she will take me up on the offer to watch Dylan so she can get some sleep occasionally. He's an awesome baby but seems to think playtime is from 11pm to 2am. He's obviously a night owl like his mama. Unfortunately he also thinks being awake from 7am to 9 or so is cool. Not so much his mama and daddy.
Being a grandma is great. I get to smoobie the hell out of that baby, but don't have to get up in the night, change diapers or deal with the "after baby" body grossness. Mike is also way thrilled with being a grandpa.
And the editing business is booming, which reminds me that I need to get back to work...
Happy Hump Day!
♥Spot
Showing posts with label why I love my readers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label why I love my readers. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The one where I re-think my goals for the year...
Thank you to everyone for all your wonderful comments! Except you...you follower who deserted me. For real?? Kick a girl while she's down?! What kind of person does that? Rude.
You know what weirds me out? Not much actually. But it weirds me out when I'm in a group and I go to tell a story and someone says "Oh yeah! I read that on your blog". I know right?! In a sense it's a little annoying, because obviously I wanted to tell that story and now they've ruined it. But also because it means people I know know way more about me than I do them. It also makes me think twice before I write anything, which shouldn't be the case but it is. I mean if I bitched about someone I know on the blog now it would totally get back to them and probably blown all out of proportion. I mean, don't get me wrong, being widely read (at least in my little neck of the woods) is awesome but also kind of surreal.
Lu is doing well here at home. She hasn't run a fever, she's eating more, and other than tiring really easily she is symptom free. She takes her medicine with a jello cup or pudding cup and that seems to help it stay down. She is going stir crazy though. It's tough to be stuck at home when you're eighteen. So I spend alot of time hanging out with her to keep her entertained. Since I love hanging out with her, it's not much of a hardship but I do seem to fall behind in my tasks. Which got me to thinking about goals and how I haven't accomplished any this year.
Normally, I don't do New Year's resolutions. But turning forty last year had me thinking I needed to set some goals. You know, something to strive for. We're almost three quarters of the way through the year and I have accomplished exactly none of my goals. So either I need to reevaluate my goals or step up my game.
My goals were simple, because I believe in making them attainable so I don't feel like a failure (the way I kind of do right now). I wanted to lose twenty pounds (should be easy to do in a year, right? Hmmph). I wanted to get two stories accepted for publication. And I wanted to finish a novel. I have not lost any weight. Unless you count the five pounds I'm continually losing and then re-gaining. I guess I've done it at least four times now so technically I lost twenty pounds and said goal didn't state that I had to keep them off. I haven't had any stories accepted for publication although I have collected some really nice and some form rejection letters. And I have two novels in progress but nowhere near finished. And I haven't written a word of fiction in over two months. These goals are kicking my ass. So my Dad suggested I make a list of the things I have accomplished this year even if they weren't even in my thoughts when I made the last goals. So here goes:
1. Began freelancing. This wasn't even something I'd given thought to last December when I made my goals. I didn't think I had the skills or connections. But now I make enough money freelancing to pay the payments on my new vehicle plus save some. Thank you to Kathryn who talked me through getting started and gave me the pushes I needed.
2. Attended my first writing conference. Thank you to Deena and everyone at Coyote Con for coming up with and presenting an online conference that made it easy to attend. I learned so much and met so many amazing folks. I'm a better writer for it.
3. Began submitting again. Thank you to Tina for her encouragement and editing skills. Thanks also to Suzicate and Kenzie for being my fruit loop girls! I so want success for all of you as much as I do for myself. I haven't had any acceptances yet, but there are still three more months to the year...
4. Renewed my relationship with my husband. It's funny that this wasn't one of my original goals when I now know that it should have been. This relationship is the backbone of our family and both of us had taken it for granted for far too long. It's a shame it took such an earth shattering event for us to realize it, but you take your wake up calls where you find them.
5. Found out that I have the most amazing (and world wide) support group ever. So much love and support were sent our way after Mike's accident, not only from family and close friends, but from the entire community and the Internet. It feels amazing to realized that you are so blessed.
6. Found a renewed sense of my spirituality. I'm not going to preach here, but it's hard not to have faith in a higher power after everything this year has brought.
7. Managed to retain and even add a few followers to this blog (except for the deserter...). That means alot to me, because this blog has become so much a part of who I am.
And that's where my mind is at right now. Contemplative. What were your goals and have you reached them? Are you progressing towards them or is it time for a re-evaluation? Do you even set any? Enquiring minds want to know...
♥Spot
You know what weirds me out? Not much actually. But it weirds me out when I'm in a group and I go to tell a story and someone says "Oh yeah! I read that on your blog". I know right?! In a sense it's a little annoying, because obviously I wanted to tell that story and now they've ruined it. But also because it means people I know know way more about me than I do them. It also makes me think twice before I write anything, which shouldn't be the case but it is. I mean if I bitched about someone I know on the blog now it would totally get back to them and probably blown all out of proportion. I mean, don't get me wrong, being widely read (at least in my little neck of the woods) is awesome but also kind of surreal.
Lu is doing well here at home. She hasn't run a fever, she's eating more, and other than tiring really easily she is symptom free. She takes her medicine with a jello cup or pudding cup and that seems to help it stay down. She is going stir crazy though. It's tough to be stuck at home when you're eighteen. So I spend alot of time hanging out with her to keep her entertained. Since I love hanging out with her, it's not much of a hardship but I do seem to fall behind in my tasks. Which got me to thinking about goals and how I haven't accomplished any this year.
Normally, I don't do New Year's resolutions. But turning forty last year had me thinking I needed to set some goals. You know, something to strive for. We're almost three quarters of the way through the year and I have accomplished exactly none of my goals. So either I need to reevaluate my goals or step up my game.
My goals were simple, because I believe in making them attainable so I don't feel like a failure (the way I kind of do right now). I wanted to lose twenty pounds (should be easy to do in a year, right? Hmmph). I wanted to get two stories accepted for publication. And I wanted to finish a novel. I have not lost any weight. Unless you count the five pounds I'm continually losing and then re-gaining. I guess I've done it at least four times now so technically I lost twenty pounds and said goal didn't state that I had to keep them off. I haven't had any stories accepted for publication although I have collected some really nice and some form rejection letters. And I have two novels in progress but nowhere near finished. And I haven't written a word of fiction in over two months. These goals are kicking my ass. So my Dad suggested I make a list of the things I have accomplished this year even if they weren't even in my thoughts when I made the last goals. So here goes:
1. Began freelancing. This wasn't even something I'd given thought to last December when I made my goals. I didn't think I had the skills or connections. But now I make enough money freelancing to pay the payments on my new vehicle plus save some. Thank you to Kathryn who talked me through getting started and gave me the pushes I needed.
2. Attended my first writing conference. Thank you to Deena and everyone at Coyote Con for coming up with and presenting an online conference that made it easy to attend. I learned so much and met so many amazing folks. I'm a better writer for it.
3. Began submitting again. Thank you to Tina for her encouragement and editing skills. Thanks also to Suzicate and Kenzie for being my fruit loop girls! I so want success for all of you as much as I do for myself. I haven't had any acceptances yet, but there are still three more months to the year...
4. Renewed my relationship with my husband. It's funny that this wasn't one of my original goals when I now know that it should have been. This relationship is the backbone of our family and both of us had taken it for granted for far too long. It's a shame it took such an earth shattering event for us to realize it, but you take your wake up calls where you find them.
5. Found out that I have the most amazing (and world wide) support group ever. So much love and support were sent our way after Mike's accident, not only from family and close friends, but from the entire community and the Internet. It feels amazing to realized that you are so blessed.
6. Found a renewed sense of my spirituality. I'm not going to preach here, but it's hard not to have faith in a higher power after everything this year has brought.
7. Managed to retain and even add a few followers to this blog (except for the deserter...). That means alot to me, because this blog has become so much a part of who I am.
And that's where my mind is at right now. Contemplative. What were your goals and have you reached them? Are you progressing towards them or is it time for a re-evaluation? Do you even set any? Enquiring minds want to know...
♥Spot
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The one where I apologize & then make you laugh & remind you about the giveaway...
I'm truly sorry. I have probably been the worst bloggy friend in blogland lately. Remember those sayings your mother/grandmother used to use? You know the ones..."bitten off more than you can chew"..."burning your candle at both ends". Those ones? Right. I'm pretty sure I finally know exactly what they mean. And what they mean to me is that I'm having an incredibly hard time keeping up with everything. Of course, it could just be that I suck hardcore at time management, but I'm not going to just admit that, right? It could also be that I made a promise before I had my kids that they would always be the most important thing in my life and that no matter what I was doing, when they wanted to talk/hang out/chatter incessantly be with me, I would drop it all to spend time with them. And regardless of the fact that they are now mostly mini-adults, I still feel compelled (guilt-driven) to keep that promise. I do now often have to add "just give me a few minutes to finish this up, okay?". And sometimes my few minutes turns into half an hour, but I still hunt them down and keep my promise.
My house is a mess. I desperately need to get my butt to the grocery store. And I've forgotten what my husband looks like. Mostly because this is his super busy time of year as well and we keep missing each other. If I didn't know he was that snoring lump next to me in bed, I might think he'd been abducted by aliens. Luckily, we've managed to pencil each other in for October sometime. And even more luckily, we've been together long enough to know that this too shall pass and we will have plenty of time to get on each other's nerves later.
"What is taking up all your time Spot? What is more important than us?" I hear you asking. Really, nothing is more important than you (except my kids), but the squeaky wheel gets the grease, you know? And I seem to have a lot of squeaky wheels nowadays. First, they put me on physical therapy for the knee. Three freakin times a week. That may not sound bad, until you factor in a half hour drive to and from. Grr. Then I had CJ home for a visit last week. Which was awesome, we had a great time, but he's not real keen on me being on the computer and ignoring him, so I didn't. Then I had a kidney infection and spent 7 hours in the hospital. Which trust me, is another post.
I'm attending an online convention all month called Coyote Con which is absolutely amazing and it's only the second day!! I've already learned so much and met so many awesome people. Tina from The Clean White Page is attending also and we are having a (virtual) blast! We've also both been asked to submit to Drollerie Press, the wonderful people who are putting on the whole thing. Thank you Deena!! But that does mean that I have to find a hopefully finished story that suits their publishing needs and get it ready for submission. And since writing fiction is my ultimate goal, I'm not going to let that opportunity slip by! Also Tina and I have formed a little writing partnership (since we both right horror) so we edit each other's stories before they get sent anywhere.
And (ready for more? I know that plate's looking pretty full, but you're a big eater, right?) I started working as a freelance writer for a large marketing company. I administrate some social media sites, write newsletters and articles for newsletters and do some email contacting of potential clients. Which is fabulous. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time (thank you Kathryn!) and the stars aligned and presto! I have an interesting job doing what I've always wanted with a more or less stable income. Which in the world of freelancing is almost unheard of, so Kathryn tells me. And it's a great gig. I mostly work when I want, from my own home, and often in my jammies or sweats. Woot to the woot. Except on video conference days. Yeah, my client (boss) is so great he even bought me a webcam so I can be part of the video conferences. How cool is that?
And I still have four busy teenagers to deal with. Yes, I said four...Lu's Dexter is moving in for the month of May. You should see the calendar with every one's schedules on it! Thank goodness we all have our own cars, although the insurance bill is the same as my food bill every month. So basically, I know that I am extremely blessed! I have a family who loves and supports me. I have teenagers who actually want to hang out with their mom and tell her every little detail of their lives, I have an understanding husband who's got his dream job. I have my dream job (freelance writer), I have a shot at publication, I have wonderful encouraging friends, I have my shiny new fancy phone (thank you Radio Shack! More on that later...), and while my health could be better I'm certainly not dying. All in all, I have it very good. I'm just super busy and feeling guilty about not blogging (because I love blogging) and not getting a chance to catch up on all of your blogs!! But hang with me and I promise I will find a balance soon. Now for funny...
Sean and I were driving on Wednesday and Sean reads a billboard~
Sean: "Follow the crowd. 68% of Adams County teens don't drink." Well, I would but my Mom taught me not to be a conformist!! I'm not a follower!
Me: Way to go Sean. Thanks for throwing a life lesson back in my face.
Sean: Hey, at least I listened, right?
And a convo between Lu and Sean after hopping in her car. Her name tag from work hangs from her mirror. It says the store name (DEB) and she has a Fashionista badge.
Sean: I need a name tag for my National Scout Jamboree uniform. I think I'll take your pretty pink one. I want to be a Fashionista. O-M-G! I can't believe you're wearing those flip flops with that shirt!
Lu: You don't even know what DEB stands for.
Sean: *thinks hard* You're right. I can't think of anything dirty for the "E".
Lu: Eww. You're so gross. It's an abbreviation of debutante. You know like in the old days when rich girls had their "coming out" parties.
Sean: In the old days rich people through parties for their lesbian daughters??! What?!
Lu: NO! Not that kind of "coming out"! Like coming into society.
Sean: I'm so lost. So they were sex parties?
Lu: OMG! NO! They were just introducing them to society.
Sean: So, they like hid them in the attic before that. "Look I have a daughter!"
Lu: You're so not getting this. Anyway, now it stands for "doing everything better".
Sean: *Sean convulses with laughter* Really? That might be false advertising.
Lu: Shut up Sean.
***Giveaway Reminder***
For those of you who are new...I'm doing a GIVEAWAY! Yay! All you have to do is visit any of CSNstores (there are over 200) and leave me a comment telling me something you liked and that you'd like to win! Simple as that. Leave a comment on every blog until Wednesday May 7th and I'll give you one entry per comment. On the 7th, Sean will draw a name from a hat and I'll announce the winner. The winner gets a promo code for $60 dollars off their purchase, not including shipping. Easy as that! And welcome all newcomers!!
Well, kids, I have to get to the conference. If anyone is interested it's Coyote Con and it's all online and all free. It's not too late to register. So far, the panelists have been amazing and everyone is super friendly! If you have any interest in writing speculative fiction (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, mythic, paranormal romance) you should join up. Like I said, there's much to be learned.
Happy Sunday!
♥Spot
My house is a mess. I desperately need to get my butt to the grocery store. And I've forgotten what my husband looks like. Mostly because this is his super busy time of year as well and we keep missing each other. If I didn't know he was that snoring lump next to me in bed, I might think he'd been abducted by aliens. Luckily, we've managed to pencil each other in for October sometime. And even more luckily, we've been together long enough to know that this too shall pass and we will have plenty of time to get on each other's nerves later.
"What is taking up all your time Spot? What is more important than us?" I hear you asking. Really, nothing is more important than you (except my kids), but the squeaky wheel gets the grease, you know? And I seem to have a lot of squeaky wheels nowadays. First, they put me on physical therapy for the knee. Three freakin times a week. That may not sound bad, until you factor in a half hour drive to and from. Grr. Then I had CJ home for a visit last week. Which was awesome, we had a great time, but he's not real keen on me being on the computer and ignoring him, so I didn't. Then I had a kidney infection and spent 7 hours in the hospital. Which trust me, is another post.
I'm attending an online convention all month called Coyote Con which is absolutely amazing and it's only the second day!! I've already learned so much and met so many awesome people. Tina from The Clean White Page is attending also and we are having a (virtual) blast! We've also both been asked to submit to Drollerie Press, the wonderful people who are putting on the whole thing. Thank you Deena!! But that does mean that I have to find a hopefully finished story that suits their publishing needs and get it ready for submission. And since writing fiction is my ultimate goal, I'm not going to let that opportunity slip by! Also Tina and I have formed a little writing partnership (since we both right horror) so we edit each other's stories before they get sent anywhere.
And (ready for more? I know that plate's looking pretty full, but you're a big eater, right?) I started working as a freelance writer for a large marketing company. I administrate some social media sites, write newsletters and articles for newsletters and do some email contacting of potential clients. Which is fabulous. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time (thank you Kathryn!) and the stars aligned and presto! I have an interesting job doing what I've always wanted with a more or less stable income. Which in the world of freelancing is almost unheard of, so Kathryn tells me. And it's a great gig. I mostly work when I want, from my own home, and often in my jammies or sweats. Woot to the woot. Except on video conference days. Yeah, my client (boss) is so great he even bought me a webcam so I can be part of the video conferences. How cool is that?
And I still have four busy teenagers to deal with. Yes, I said four...Lu's Dexter is moving in for the month of May. You should see the calendar with every one's schedules on it! Thank goodness we all have our own cars, although the insurance bill is the same as my food bill every month. So basically, I know that I am extremely blessed! I have a family who loves and supports me. I have teenagers who actually want to hang out with their mom and tell her every little detail of their lives, I have an understanding husband who's got his dream job. I have my dream job (freelance writer), I have a shot at publication, I have wonderful encouraging friends, I have my shiny new fancy phone (thank you Radio Shack! More on that later...), and while my health could be better I'm certainly not dying. All in all, I have it very good. I'm just super busy and feeling guilty about not blogging (because I love blogging) and not getting a chance to catch up on all of your blogs!! But hang with me and I promise I will find a balance soon. Now for funny...
Sean and I were driving on Wednesday and Sean reads a billboard~
Sean: "Follow the crowd. 68% of Adams County teens don't drink." Well, I would but my Mom taught me not to be a conformist!! I'm not a follower!
Me: Way to go Sean. Thanks for throwing a life lesson back in my face.
Sean: Hey, at least I listened, right?
And a convo between Lu and Sean after hopping in her car. Her name tag from work hangs from her mirror. It says the store name (DEB) and she has a Fashionista badge.
Sean: I need a name tag for my National Scout Jamboree uniform. I think I'll take your pretty pink one. I want to be a Fashionista. O-M-G! I can't believe you're wearing those flip flops with that shirt!
Lu: You don't even know what DEB stands for.
Sean: *thinks hard* You're right. I can't think of anything dirty for the "E".
Lu: Eww. You're so gross. It's an abbreviation of debutante. You know like in the old days when rich girls had their "coming out" parties.
Sean: In the old days rich people through parties for their lesbian daughters??! What?!
Lu: NO! Not that kind of "coming out"! Like coming into society.
Sean: I'm so lost. So they were sex parties?
Lu: OMG! NO! They were just introducing them to society.
Sean: So, they like hid them in the attic before that. "Look I have a daughter!"
Lu: You're so not getting this. Anyway, now it stands for "doing everything better".
Sean: *Sean convulses with laughter* Really? That might be false advertising.
Lu: Shut up Sean.
***Giveaway Reminder***
For those of you who are new...I'm doing a GIVEAWAY! Yay! All you have to do is visit any of CSNstores (there are over 200) and leave me a comment telling me something you liked and that you'd like to win! Simple as that. Leave a comment on every blog until Wednesday May 7th and I'll give you one entry per comment. On the 7th, Sean will draw a name from a hat and I'll announce the winner. The winner gets a promo code for $60 dollars off their purchase, not including shipping. Easy as that! And welcome all newcomers!!
Well, kids, I have to get to the conference. If anyone is interested it's Coyote Con and it's all online and all free. It's not too late to register. So far, the panelists have been amazing and everyone is super friendly! If you have any interest in writing speculative fiction (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, mythic, paranormal romance) you should join up. Like I said, there's much to be learned.
Happy Sunday!
♥Spot
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Road trip? You mean grueling descent into hell? Oh sure, I'm in!
Okay...first "whew", *wipes sweat off brow*, No one unfollowed me!! Or unsubscribed from Kindle! I gotta tell you I was sweating it with taking a week off. I meant to blog. I sat down to blog. I wrote blogs in my head. I just didn't get them blogged. We had a super time in Myrtle Beach. And stayed busy. And busy for me = super tired. Plus, my parents really don't get the whole "blogging" thing. So they talked to me while I was online. And they're my parents, so it's not like I can ignore them like I do my children or hubby. So without further ado...
Road trip has always equaled fun in my book. Until now. The trip to Myrtle Beach, SC from Mendon, Il a week ago Monday was pretty much like a glimpse into hell. It's a long trip to begin with...17.5 hours straight through. 17.5 hours in a Grand Am (Lu's car. Better gas mileage). 17.5 hours with my kids. 17.5 hours of rest stop/gas station bathrooms. 17.5 hours of junk food. 17.5 hours of sharing the road with semi-trucks. What the hell was I thinking??! I've made the trip 3 times before, but always with another adult present. This time? Me and two quasi-adult teens. Probably, someone should've slapped some sense into me. But, well, no one did.
I was dreading the drive all weekend before we left. Mostly because it's incredibly long. But also because the weather has been so bad this winter and they were predicting a snow storm for our night of departure. So I plotted a southerly route to hopefully avoid alot of snow. Because, while I love snow, I don't like driving in it. And we're talking tiny Grand Am, not a four wheel drive anything. So our route takes us across the bridge to Hannibal, Mo. Then down to St. Louis, and back into Illinois. We cross through southern Illinois into Kentucky, down into Tennessee. Through Nashville and Chattanooga, into Georgia. Through Atlanta and Augusta and into South Carolina. Then across SC through Columbia to Myrtle. We've been this way before. Sometimes we go through Tennessee to NC and down, but there was a rock slide at Asheville and the interstate is still closed. Plus I was worried about snow in the mountains between Knoxville and Asheville.
Figuring that at some point in time, on the drive, my children will begin to make me crazy, I plan a little revenge. And by revenge, I totally mean torture. Torture in the form of two 80's CDs. Filled with songs that I love. Therefore, insuring they won't. Or so I thought. Damn them. Turns out they liked a lot of the songs. Sean more than Lu, but then that figures. Neither one of them was really down with the Tears for Fears or Pet Shop Boys. But the Police? REO Speedwagon? Madonna? Right up their alleys. And of course I'd thrown in some Simple Minds and Cutting Crew.
So we start out on our journey (read: descent into hell) at ten pm on Monday night. Sean and I had loaded down the vehicle and picked Lu up from work. We got milkshakes and gas and we were on our way. I started the driving, with Lu as a backup driver and Sean firmly ensconced in the navigational seat, armed with MapQuest directions and a trusty Atlas. Into the snow filled night we went. And went and went and kept going. It snowed all the way to Nashville. And not just snowed, but blizzarded at times. I literally drove 30 mph for part of the way. When the semis slow down, you know you better slow down too, because nothing scares those guy. At one point, a red car went blazing past me and the semi I was following (at a safe distance of course). We saw him later in a ditch on the side of the road. I saw lots of people in ditches on the side of the road. I was white knuckling it, let me tell you. At 4:30, I finally drove out of the snow, or so I thought. I whipped into a gas station in Kentucky and after filling up, and hitting the restrooms, Lu took over driving. Both kids had been asleep, Lu for the nearly the entire time, and Sean off and on. I hit the backseat and was out like a light. For 40 minutes. That's when Lu woke me up and said she couldn't see. Yeah, it was snowing again. Alot! So at the next gas station, we switched again. I may or may not have been extremely cranky by this point. I drove on til 8:30 and an hour north of Chattanooga. The snow had finally turned to rain about the time we hit Nashville. We stopped for McD's, gas and restrooms. Then Lu drove and I got some much needed sleep.
We didn't see the sun until we hit the SC border. I'm pretty sure angels sang. I hope Booshy heard me yell "hi Booshy!!" when we passed through Atlanta. Lu drove all the way to Columbia and I took over for the last three hours of the trip. It was dark by the time we got close to Myrtle, and the directions took us on some curvy foggy roads. But finally we arrived at 7 pm SC time. Which means the trip actually took 20 hours. Un-freakin-believable.
That night we unpacked, ate, showered and fell into our beds exhausted. The trip was grueling. But of course, we had some fun too. And that, my friends, is tomorrow's blog...
♥Spot
Road trip has always equaled fun in my book. Until now. The trip to Myrtle Beach, SC from Mendon, Il a week ago Monday was pretty much like a glimpse into hell. It's a long trip to begin with...17.5 hours straight through. 17.5 hours in a Grand Am (Lu's car. Better gas mileage). 17.5 hours with my kids. 17.5 hours of rest stop/gas station bathrooms. 17.5 hours of junk food. 17.5 hours of sharing the road with semi-trucks. What the hell was I thinking??! I've made the trip 3 times before, but always with another adult present. This time? Me and two quasi-adult teens. Probably, someone should've slapped some sense into me. But, well, no one did.
I was dreading the drive all weekend before we left. Mostly because it's incredibly long. But also because the weather has been so bad this winter and they were predicting a snow storm for our night of departure. So I plotted a southerly route to hopefully avoid alot of snow. Because, while I love snow, I don't like driving in it. And we're talking tiny Grand Am, not a four wheel drive anything. So our route takes us across the bridge to Hannibal, Mo. Then down to St. Louis, and back into Illinois. We cross through southern Illinois into Kentucky, down into Tennessee. Through Nashville and Chattanooga, into Georgia. Through Atlanta and Augusta and into South Carolina. Then across SC through Columbia to Myrtle. We've been this way before. Sometimes we go through Tennessee to NC and down, but there was a rock slide at Asheville and the interstate is still closed. Plus I was worried about snow in the mountains between Knoxville and Asheville.
Figuring that at some point in time, on the drive, my children will begin to make me crazy, I plan a little revenge. And by revenge, I totally mean torture. Torture in the form of two 80's CDs. Filled with songs that I love. Therefore, insuring they won't. Or so I thought. Damn them. Turns out they liked a lot of the songs. Sean more than Lu, but then that figures. Neither one of them was really down with the Tears for Fears or Pet Shop Boys. But the Police? REO Speedwagon? Madonna? Right up their alleys. And of course I'd thrown in some Simple Minds and Cutting Crew.
So we start out on our journey (read: descent into hell) at ten pm on Monday night. Sean and I had loaded down the vehicle and picked Lu up from work. We got milkshakes and gas and we were on our way. I started the driving, with Lu as a backup driver and Sean firmly ensconced in the navigational seat, armed with MapQuest directions and a trusty Atlas. Into the snow filled night we went. And went and went and kept going. It snowed all the way to Nashville. And not just snowed, but blizzarded at times. I literally drove 30 mph for part of the way. When the semis slow down, you know you better slow down too, because nothing scares those guy. At one point, a red car went blazing past me and the semi I was following (at a safe distance of course). We saw him later in a ditch on the side of the road. I saw lots of people in ditches on the side of the road. I was white knuckling it, let me tell you. At 4:30, I finally drove out of the snow, or so I thought. I whipped into a gas station in Kentucky and after filling up, and hitting the restrooms, Lu took over driving. Both kids had been asleep, Lu for the nearly the entire time, and Sean off and on. I hit the backseat and was out like a light. For 40 minutes. That's when Lu woke me up and said she couldn't see. Yeah, it was snowing again. Alot! So at the next gas station, we switched again. I may or may not have been extremely cranky by this point. I drove on til 8:30 and an hour north of Chattanooga. The snow had finally turned to rain about the time we hit Nashville. We stopped for McD's, gas and restrooms. Then Lu drove and I got some much needed sleep.
We didn't see the sun until we hit the SC border. I'm pretty sure angels sang. I hope Booshy heard me yell "hi Booshy!!" when we passed through Atlanta. Lu drove all the way to Columbia and I took over for the last three hours of the trip. It was dark by the time we got close to Myrtle, and the directions took us on some curvy foggy roads. But finally we arrived at 7 pm SC time. Which means the trip actually took 20 hours. Un-freakin-believable.
That night we unpacked, ate, showered and fell into our beds exhausted. The trip was grueling. But of course, we had some fun too. And that, my friends, is tomorrow's blog...
♥Spot
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)