Photo 365 #348

July 21, 2015July 19, 2015Leave a comment

I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the comfort of a shady hammock Sunday morning:

The boys, however, wanted it to go faster.

*sigh* 🙂

Photo 365 #347

July 20, 2015July 19, 20152 Comments

Seymour took me out for supper last night, and it was grand. The food could have been better (and definitely cheaper!), but it didn’t really matter because it was just the two of us.

Alone.

Without the kids.

It was glorious. When you don’t have four kids constantly clamoring for your attention, it’s easy to take silence for granted, which is why I love date nights so freaking much.

But I digress.

Partway through supper, my new job came up in the conversation, and I confessed to being nervous about it. Seymour pulled out a package and handed it to me, saying, “Well, I thought you might like this for your new desk.”

I have! The best! Husband! Ever! 😀

“This way,” he continued, “when you’re having a bad day, you have something to look at and remind yourself that it could always be worse.”

“Yeah, at least I’m not going out on an away mission in a red shirt!” I quipped.

Seriously, though, the thing is awesome. And it’s going to look great right next to my Voyager figurine. 😉

Photo 365 #346

July 19, 201512 Comments

It’s a beautiful day! Not too hot, not too humid, a little bit sunny – completely gorgeous.

I could spend all day like this. Just give me a book and a drink and I’ll be good to go!

How do you like to relax on lazy Sunday afternoons?

Photo 365 #345

July 18, 2015July 19, 20154 Comments

After playing catch-up pretty much all day yesterday, I woke up this morning feeling like I was already behind on things. Despite that (and despite an unanticipated stop at the fairgrounds), I managed not to be late for anything today, which is pretty amazing. In my experience, kids move at their own speed, which is generally not as fast as I would like (unless the occasion calls for slow and quiet, in which case kids move as quickly and loudly as physically possible), so me getting anywhere on time is something of a miracle.

Today’s destination was my nephew’s wedding. The actual ceremony was outside, where it was downright tropical, but it was a beautiful ceremony, with beautiful vows spoken by beautiful (in every sense of the word) people. The reception was inside, which was wonderful because all the groomsmen (and the groom) looked exceedingly warm in their long sleeves. It was a beautiful wedding, and I’m so happy we could go.

The boys had an absolute blast playing with their cousins. My niece’s kids are the same ages as Cricket and Thumper, and Cricket couldn’t stop talking about how much fun he had playing and dancing with them. I’m glad they had so much fun together. I got to see three of my siblings, which was another treat as I don’t see them very often. It was a great evening.

I think Cricket’s going to have to teach Bubbles his dance moves. After picking up break dancing (kid style) from his cousin, Cricket busted out his own moves and managed not to break anything, unlike his big brother, who broke his glasses this spring when he tried break dancing at a school dance.

We did ‘t stay to dance as long as I’d have liked, but Seymour was super tired, and the boys were getting that way, too. Still, we had a lot of fun, and I can’t wait for the next big family event. 🙂

Do you like weddings? What’s your favorite part?

Photo 365 #343

July 16, 2015July 17, 20154 Comments

So today was crazy! I had my first book signing at Smith’s General Store in the morning, and it was a lot of fun. I only sold three books (five if you count the two I sold on Wednesday), but it was still a lot of fun. And we’re talking about doing another one in November during the town’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, where hopefully I’ll do even better.

Woo! …

Photo 365 #342

July 15, 2015July 17, 20152 Comments

It was a long and busy day yesterday, but this moment made it all worth it:

I just love moments like these after a long, stressful day. They make everything seem so much better and really put life’s petty irritations into perspective. 🙂

Photo 365 #341

July 14, 2015July 17, 20154 Comments

This is what we’ve been dealing with lately:

The worst part is that this was an improvement – it had read 106° a couple minutes before this. The even worse part is that this is how hot my car got with the windows cracked.

Ugh.

How’s your weather?

Photo 365 #340: Where everybody knows your name

July 13, 2015October 7, 20154 Comments

Mmm, reuben and chips, omnomnom!

Writing, of late, has been an odd sort of chore. I love to write – I yearn to write – but lately when I find myself alone with my thoughts and a pencil, I find that the words won’t come. They used to spill forth from my fingers like fat drops of rain from a heavy summer storm cloud. They used to burst froth from my pencil like rushing floodwaters through a broken dam.

But now?

Now, I find myself extracting each precious word like a miner with a gem. Or, more accurately, like a dentist with a particularly stubborn tooth. Bubbles’ first tooth, with its inch-long root and insistence on clinging to his lower gum, springs instantly to mind.

But that’s if the words come at all.

Today, for a change of pace…

Photo 365 #339

July 12, 201513 Comments

“I love you, tiny human. I think I’ll keep you.”

*sigh*

One of our cats isn’t doing well. Poor Buddy seems to be the target of the neighborhood bully. I don’t know who (or what) is beating him up, but the poor guy is really suffering. We cleaned out a wound near his eye last weekend, and this afternoon we went to clean it again and discovered an abscess on top of his head.

The poor thing is just miserable, and I feel miserable for him.

I was going to share a picture from the local paper today; there’s an article in it about my upcoming book signing, but I think I’ll wait a day or so. Poor Buddy’s at the top of my thoughts at the moment, so here’s a picture of him from earlier this year, snuggling up to Cricket one morning as I was heading off to work. He’s one of the most affectionate cats I’ve ever had the privilege to know, and I hope he makes it through this.

How do you cope with an ill pet?