A Non-Writing Related Update

I am on vacation.  I’m not on the beach or in the mountains or at any popular destination spot.  I’m in Kansas City visiting one of my best friends, my honorary niece (aged 5 months and adorable), and having an absolute ball.  I went through a book and a half in the airport and on the plane yesterday (Katie MacAlister’s Holy Smokes and another hundred pages or so into Mindhunter, which I want to finish before starting the next draft of House of Cards).  I am about halfway through Susan Andersen’s Baby Don’t Go, but it wasn’t really what I was in the mood to read after my grandfather’s funeral on Thursday.  I’ll come back to it when I’m in a bit less of a somber mood.  There’s been a lot going on in my family lately.  My grandmother missed granddaddy’s funeral because she was rushed to the hospital from the visitation with internal bleeding.  They found a tumor in her colon.  My other grandmother has a tumor on her pituitary gland and my father is having brain surgery to remove a tumor on his auditory nerve on Tuesday.  I keep waiting for something to happen to my mother.  So yeah, this vacation is much needed.

At present I’m curled up on the sofa, living out one of my favorite relaxation fantasies…sitting in front of the fire with a mug of hot cocoa and total silence but for the jingle of the dog’s tags.  Perfect.  We don’t have a fireplace at our house, so I’m absolutely enjoying theirs.  It was a fun day.  We hit the gym this morning (which was perfectly insulting to me–Not that she got me a two day guest pass, but that I’ve let myself get SO out of shape!  THAT is going to change when I get home), then went to lunch with her mom and spent the afternoon shopping.  I wound up getting a new pair of black loafers (as I totally forgot the proper shoes to go with my outfit for church in the morning) and a new pair of running shoes at DSW, which was having a big sale today.  I hadn’t realized how uncomfortable my old running shoes had gotten until I put the new ones on.  I also needed to hem my pants for tomorrow too, and stopped by JoAnnes to pick up some hem tape.  I found a good deal on a fleece remnant and for about $2, I got enough to make a pair of little doggie coats for Daisy and Angel since we’re going to be walking at night.  And then we went to World Market, where I picked up two jars of my favorite Lyle’s Golden Syrup for my Scottish oatmeal, some Mexican oregano, some dried chipoltle chilies, and a very nice bottle of pinot noir (under $7!) that we had with dinner.  They have several Half-Price Books stores here, but since I didn’t budget for two pair of shoes (or shoes at all for that matter), no bookstore for me.  Which is fine.  I have a ludicrous TBR pile anyway.

I could fall asleep here, curled on the sofa, staring at the flames, enjoying the quiet.  It’s soothing.  I do confess to missing the pop and hiss of real wood burning, but you sure can’t beat the convenience of gas logs.  Hopefully our next house will have a fireplace.  That falls after the more immediate necessities of a second bathroom and an indoor laundry room.  I don’t have any writing news (as my title suggests).  I just thought I’d update and let you know where I’ve been.