I've decided to go on part-time blogging status (Fiona is just going to be a full-time handful). That means I'll be here when I can, although not back to regular posting for a while. Blog hopping will not resume for a few weeks.Update Thingy:
I've only finished 3 books in the two weeks I've been away from the blog:
Stash by David Klein
Benny and Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti (thanks to Care!), and
Moose Droppings and Other Crimes Against Nature by Jim Brennan
I'm not even certain how many books I've abandoned for lack of concentration or still need to review, but I'll gather them together and write a list as I'm packing Kiddo for college, purging and all that. His bedroom is scary. Teenagers.
I will be an empty nester within a week!! Like, freak me out, dude.
What the heck am I doing?
Well, besides all the tidying to pack up the Kiddo, we did kind of zip up to Alaska for a week of vacation. This particular trip was Kiddo's graduation gift. There was literally nothing else he wanted, so we offered him a vacation and he chose to return to Alaska -- which is, at this point, apparently his favorite place on the planet because it's cold! The Moose Droppings book was probably a big hint as to where we've been. I bought that at Sam's in Anchorage.
There was a parcel from HarperCollins on my porch and may be more at the neighbor's house, as my next-door neighbor kindly watered the plants we hadn't already killed (our green pepper looks great!) and watched the porch, for us. Here's what I got from HarperCollins, "Compliments of the author":
Why Our Decisions Don't Matter by Simon Van Booy
Why We Fight by Simon Van Booy, and
Why We Need Love by Simon Van Booy
Let us pause for a moment of Simon Van Booy fan joy. Thank you Simon and HarperCollins!!! Oh boy, do I have some fun reading ahead of me. We'll see if there's more to come. I also have to go fetch the mail.
How are you doing? Read anything brilliant, lately?
Bookfool, on her 4th load of laundry and occasionally stopping to reassure the furball that I'm still here . . . it's okay . . . she can stop tearing the house apart (please, please).
What a great graduation gift! That empty nester stuff is tough at first, but boy, do you get used to it fast! How far away will your son be?
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteHe won't be far away at all - just 35 miles and he plans to come home on weekends. Since Kiddo is a homebody, we thought it would be best to start him out fairly close to home and then he'll move on to a major university (all of which are about a 3 hour drive away, minimum -- farther, of course, if he decides to leave the state) in two years. I'm actually looking forward to the empty nest, although I'm sure I'll have to adjust to the quiet!!
Nancy :D Hello! I missed you. Wow, Alaska! Just those temperatures alone have me drooling. I'm zipping off to New York to see Debi in a week though, so I should get to cool off a little bit too!
ReplyDeleteThat picture is so gorgeous! It's hard to believe that places like that exist when you just see the same landscapes over and over again. Can't wait to hear about your new Simon books :D
Hey Chris!
ReplyDeleteI missed you, too! I actually thought about you and wondered how you were doing. I didn't have internet access, most of the week (and when I did get online, I got a virus that shut me down for good) or I would have peeked in on you.
You would have loved the weather. It was so cold and wet that I had to buy a slicker, but I got the kind real Alaskans wear (really, really waterproof) so I was dry and happy. We didn't see a lot of gorgeous mountain scenery because of the cloud cover, but since this was our second trip we were fine with that. We knew the mountains were there and we got to see plenty of animals in front of them -- or where we assumed the mountains were. LOL
I hope you have fun cooling off in NY and visiting with Debi!
First of all, BRRR!!! ;) Ya'll are crazy. Just had to get that out there!
ReplyDeleteLovely picture of Fiona, she must have gone nuts with you guys gone. I'll miss you around the blog, but I'm glad you'll be coming back. Best of luck packing up Kiddo, and enjoy the empty nest :)
OH and WOOOO on the Simon Van Booy books!! Very very exciting :D
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome graduation present and thanks for sharing the beautiful pic! I just went through the empty nest syndrome last year and it went quite well. But I also got a part-time job to keep myself busy so I wouldn't go stir crazy. I'll be thinking about you...it will be nice that he will be so close to home too.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteAfter a week in Alaska in which it didn't get any warmer than 72 degrees (in August, for crying out loud -- we're only halfway through summer weather, here!), I can see why you get sick of the cold and Alaskans go to Hawaii to thaw out. For us, though, it's a sanity saver to go somewhere cool in the summer.
Fiona is slowly recovering. She does not handle being boarded well at all, but she hasn't yowled quite as much this time as she did when we returned from Colorado, so that's something. I've given her lots of ear rubs and stopped the housework to play with her, whenever she gets nutty. :)
Thanks! It'll be sporadic, here, for a while but I'll at least be around when I can.
Simon Van Booy books are always worth celebrating!!
Jo-Jo,
ReplyDeleteI know, aren't we swell parents? LOL My graduation present must not have been anything wonderful because I don't even remember what my parents gave me. Kiddo ought to remember this trip for a good, long time! He got to freeze his patootie, just like he hoped.
I'm trying to focus on the positives of the empty nest and I don't think I'll have much trouble, especially since he'll be coming home on weekends. A job is a great idea. For a while, I'm planning to tag along on business trips with my husband whenever I can. I've been watching him go off to fabulous places without me for 25 years!!!
Jo-Jo,
ReplyDeleteUpdate: I remember, now. My parents paid for half of my ticket to London deep blush, so I guess that wasn't such a bad graduation gift (the rest of the expense was mine, but I went with a friend whose father lived there, so it wasn't too costly). Gettin' old and forgetful. :)
*pause*... JOY JOY JOY! for Simon. AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteBenny & Shrimp was a bit whacky, huh?
:)
A great graduation gift and a charming picture of Fiona!
ReplyDeleteCare,
ReplyDeleteI am still basking in the glow of new Simon-book ownership. They're such pretty little books all stacked up, one on top of the other in red, white and black. :)
Benny & Shrimp is definitely a quirky little book! Thanks, again!! I'll try to review it if I can squeeze in a few reviews, this week. Might try to slot in one or two, this afternoon. We'll see. There's soooo much to do!!!
Jenclair,
I'm pretty sure Kiddo's goals were to cool off and buy numerous T-shirts with wolves and the word "Alaska" emblazoned across the chest. He succeeded on both counts. ;)
Thanks! I've already got my Fiona Friday pic. She's been hilarious and adorable since we returned (as always).
Great to see you back Nancy! The picture of Alaska is beautiful. I'd love to go there - especially during one of our Texas summers. Escape the heat you know :)
ReplyDeleteHave fun spending time with your son before he goes off to college. I bet he's so excited.
Iliana,
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm only half here, but I guess that's better than nothing. LOL
Alaska is totally awesome. We've been there twice, now, and for just that reason -- to cool off! I've taught Kiddo well. He knows to go way north in the summer.
Thanks! Tomorrow, Kiddo is off to orientation. Yep, he's really thrilled to move on to the next step in his education. He was really funny, last week. We were in this incredibly beautiful place and all he really wanted to do was sleep and read, read and sleep. I guess he needed some relax time after lifeguarding in dangerous heat for 10 weeks. :)
Sounds like a great graduation gift. I hope you enjoy your empty nest.
ReplyDeleteSerena,
ReplyDeleteYes, and the parentals got a nice vacation out of it, too. ;) Thanks! I'm looking forward to the empty nest. There are an awful lot of things I've put off doing because of choosing to be a stay-at-home mom.
I can't even imagine the empty nest, but I can imagine the bedroom. :) My kids are already aspiring to teenage bedroom messes and they're not even to the double digits yet in age.
ReplyDeleteThe view of Alaska looks gorgeous! Glad you guys were able to cool off even if you did get rained on!
Alyce,
ReplyDeleteThe empty nest has been a long time coming, for me. I've been home the better part of 26 years with kids. I'm hoping that between having Kiddo home only on weekends and huzzy traveling all the time, I'll get some order around here!
Thanks. Alaska is naturally photogenic and I have to admit I honestly didn't care about the rain, even though most of the time it meant we couldn't see the mountains. I'm not sure about the guys, but I was just so happy to be cool that it didn't matter.