• Sunday Snippet: The Heart Update Edition, Rev. 2

    I think this is update 2, but if it’s number 3, well, sorry about that, and thank you for being patient with me processing this whole thing with y’all. I won’t update you every time I go to the cardiologist because that would be major TMI for you guys. That said, you’re kind to come along and I always appreciate all the good wishes. Right off, the good news is things are improving. I’m way less tired and can pretty much make it through a whole day and not lose steam. I still get breathless when I walk too fast or uphill or exercise too strenuously, but my cardiologist, Dr.…

  • Sunday Snippet: The I’m Dawdling Edition

    And so I am…it’s been a lazy Sunday so far, to the extent that I’m just now writing my Sunday Snippet for this week. Truthfully, the week has been… well… busy, so a dawdle or two is in order today. Right off, happy birthday to darling Husband, who turned 74 last week and is still the hottest guy I know. We celebrated with the neighbors on Wednesday night with spice cake and wine and then again on Thursday with the kiddos. I made beef stew and we had the best Italian bread and more spice cake and wine. All in all, turning another year older was mostly painless for him,…

  • Sunday Snippet: The Settling Back In Edition

    It’s me again! Time for just a plain old Sunday Snippet since I’m back home from Hawaii and settling into normal Editor and Author Nan life. Laundry, a new editing gig, laundry, walking the ‘hood with neighbor Mary, reviewing copy edits on book 2 in the Weaver Sisters series,  writing…oh, and did I mention laundry? I have a serious case of jet lag–feeling like I could sleep for a week, but I’m trying to get my circadian rhythms back to what they should be. Weird that I’m suffering jet lag from traveling across three time zones the same week that we here in the Midwest spring forward. My body has…

  • Monday (& Sunday) Snippet: The Vacation is Winding Down Edition

    Right off, here is my breakfast view this morning–our hotel is at Berkeley Marina. Pretty. I didn’t post last night because really, all we did yesterday was fly from Kona to San Francisco. A long plane ride during which I slept a lot and Son worked, and then we played some Trivia together on the screen in front of his seat. We did walk down to a lovely al fresco breakfast in Kona before we packed up and headed to the airport. The Kona airport is… interesting. Everything’s outside, even the gates, you get to your plane by walking across the tarmac and climbing up a rolling flight of stairs.…

  • Friday Snippet: The Let’s Explore The Big Island Edition

    And so we did! It’s our first full day on the Big Island of Hawaii–a much different place from Honolulu and Waikiki. Right off, it’s more laid back, not the hustle and bustle of a big city or a tourist destination like Waikiki. And maybe a little bit wilder, more natural, more of a small-town vibe. No less expensive, though, and that needs to be said. Son asked if I thought I could live here. Although it is gorgeous and amazing, if I lived here, I’d be on the street with a tin cup and shopping cart. There’s no place in Hawaii I could ever afford to live. I’m not…

  • Thursday Snippet: The We’ve Changed Islands Edition

    Big day today. We checked out of our lovely Marriott Resort and Spa around 8:00 a.m. and piled into Ruby’s rental car–four of Son’s colleagues and moi. The kids (they’re all Sons age, so kids definitely applies) dropped me at Pearl Harbor and then they went on to one last meeting, this time in Pearl City. I gotta tell you, Pearl Harbor was fascinating, sobering, touching, extraordinary–all the things you would imagine it to be. I started at the submarine exhibit and the anchor memorial that honors the men who perished on the Arizona–The boats out the to Arizona weren’t running this morning, so I opted to take the shuttle…

  • Wednesday Snippet: The Another Day In Paradise Edition

    It was a lazy day today–much like yesterday, although different in that Son and I walked down the Strip for breakfast. It was lovely to start the morning with him. Then he went to his conference and I came up to the room to write. Got about 1K words in–not bad. I’ll take it. After I got to a writing stopping place, I wandered down to the beach to walk along the shore and out on the pier. No whales but lots of surfers and tourists. I had an appointment to get my hair washed and blown out at noon (this is Liz’s and my travel thing–we don’t do our…

  • Tuesday Snippet: More Hawaii Stuff…

    I’m being completely and utterly self-absorbed this week, which is what vacation is supposed to be, yes? I think I buzz-posted enough about last night’s luau except to say that the Royal Hawaiian is a spectacular place. Full of history and just gorgeous. Son and I wandered a bit before the luau and oohed and ahhed appropriately at all the lovely frescos and high ceilings and the garden where there was a giant banyan tree. Today’s been a me day–a true one. I wrote in the morning–got in about 2K words, then went down to the beach for a little ramble, however I didn’t see any whales. After that I…

  • Monday Snippet: Day 1 in Hawaii

    Well, not quite a whole day 1, but I’m posting now because I’m writing this morning and this view is so knock-my-socks-off (if I were wearing socks) gorgeous, I just can’t resist sharing this with you. The trip here to Waikiki was pretty uneventful except for typical airline silliness, which we bore well because Son is a seasoned traveler and I always look at travel days as lost days. I never worry about delays or other such nonsense because traveling is an opportunity to people-watch and this time, it was a chance to be with Son, so a little flight delay was no big issue. The 9-hour flight cross-country, cross-ocean…

  • Sunday Snippet: The Travelogue Edition

    Okay, the start of a travelogue. As you’re waking up and reading this, I’m on a plane with Son headed to Hawaii. Seriously. He’s going for a work thing, I’m tagging along because when your 40-something kid invites you to go along with him to Hawaii for a week, you get the okay from your cardiologist and then you say, “you betcha!” (I actually did that the other way around, but our secret, okay?) Darling Husband (who is no traveler by choice) will stay home and hold down the fort, and DIL and Grandboy have work and school, plus they’ve already been to Hawaii, so this was a perfect opportunity…