OH HOW FAST THIS YEAR HAS GONE

In less than five weeks we will be ringing in 2019.

What a year it has been! I have broken three bones, had four surgeries, still deal with cancer and have physical therapy every day. I have retired and opened my own travel agency. Nope; not the kind that I have to work for someone else...the kind that I own and operate on my own. I'm actually certified, crazy and as a travel agent.

Imagine that...2018 will be done in less than five weeks.

Have you gotten everything done that you wanted to? Have you finished or started that novel that you had been thinking about? Have you gotten yourself ready for the upcoming year?

Although the year wasn't what I thought it would be, it has sure turned out way better than I thought it would be.

I have traveled more in the past three months than I have in the past three years. 

I have met some wonderful people, authors and many have become friends.

I have fallen in love, out of love and something in between love.

I have welcomed a new 'almost' daughter in law and lost a dear friend.

2018 has been one helluva year but I wouldn't change it for anything.

2019 will bring new challenges, new hopes and new dreams and I am ready for it, are you?

SITTING STILL OR LIVING LIFE

Well, I have done now. 

I broke my ankle in two places and a bone in my foot. 

So, what do I do now?

Since I am on total bed rest, I am going to finish up my novel The Stiletto Stalker.

I'm on bed rest for at least three weeks and this will give me enough time to finish up my novel and edits and then begin working on finishing up The Teachers Lounge.

I am not a person who can sit still for any length of time but this is making me sit still. 

Someone said, "You never sit still so you needed something to make you sit still".

That made me think. Most people my age (51) are working, enjoying a simple life and doing things that they love.

I am no different. I live my life, I enjoy adventure and vacations and that is what I love doing. 

I'm 51 not 91. And even if I was, does that mean that I can't go out dancing every week, hanging with my friends for happy hour once a week or going on mini vacations whenever my bank account says I can?

Most people say that they will "wait until they retire to travel and really enjoy life." Why should I do that? Why should I wait? Why should I do what most people would do? 

Even my grown children say, "Mom you should slow down" No ma'am and no sir, I will not.

I want to live a life that I enjoy. I don't ask anyone for anything. I pay for my own trips and I pay for the life that I want. 

IF you choose to wait, than that is your choice. I choose not to. That's my choice. 

So, while I have to be on complete bed rest., I will finish up my novels but just as I am sitting in bed writing this blog; I have just booked my trip to the Bahamas in December.

So either you choose the life you want or let others tell you what you should be doing.

Which one will you do? I think you know my choice. 

WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

I blinked my eyes and summer was over and now the fall has begun.

Where did all of my time go?

Well, I spent a lot of it,  recuperating from various illnesses and trying to find my drive to write again.

I'm not ashamed to say that I have been occupy my time with relationships and travel and tiny house plans but now is the time for me to sit my butt back at my computer and get these novels done.

Yes, I said novels.

Since August, I have been working on three novels, at the same time. 

Trying to finish up, The Stiletto Stalker. Working on The Teacher's Lounge and also working on a new romance; not yet titled.

See; while it may "seem" that I have become a slacker; I really haven't. 

Life got in the way but so did I. You see, I got in the way of my own writing. Every time I wanted to sit down and write; something would pull my attention away from it. Grand kids ( I have a new set of twins grandchildren, which makes 11 for me!) Work...trying to retire so that I can write all the time. Friends...yes, I love hanging out with my friends.

So you see, my life took on a life of it's own and now I'm ready to slow myself back down and get back to my first love. 

Writing.

So, where did your time go? How did you spend it and was it worth it? 

I can say...Absolutely!

CATS, DOGS AND FISH....

My house has turned into Wild Kingdom.

First we only had a +Cat

The cat strutted around the house acting like a PRINCESS, hence her name (Princess) and she ruled the household.

Not only did she have her owners trained to jump whenever she started to whine but she climbs all over them while they are watching TV, whining if she can't get her way and finally hiding if they left her alone for longer than what "Princess" felt was acceptable.

I finally had enough of this behavior and proclaimed that I wanted a +Dogs

This wasn't going to be easy since my dog of choice is and has always been a +Rottweiler Fans or +PitBull however they are against the law in the county I reside in so the hunt was on for a dog that caught my fancy.

Little did I know that the dog that would melt my heart would be at the local +HumaneSociety of +CharlesCounty. Mocha was a little scruffy dog who had been abandoned and needed a home. He put on quite the show for me and of course I had to take him home. It's been four months and we all love him except for Princess.

She totally ignores him; well that is what we thought until one day she decided to set her foot (paws) down and scare Mocha have to death. She came at him, standing on her back legs, paws raised high in the air and making some kind of noise that would have scared any other animal senseless but not Mocha. He sat there, un-amused and turned his back to her.

Princes thought bubble
"I will not be filmed with him"

However, the dynamics are such that now whenever Princess comes around Mocha dare not move! It's almost like she has telepathically told him to keep still and he does. Normally lying there like a slug with his eyes wide open and breathing very slowly as if not to make the "princess' angry.

This is such foolishness that now even the +FISH , yes all four of them barely swim around their tank. Secretly I think Princess has gotten on top of the fish tank and hovered over them just far enough that the KNOW they better not mess with her or she will yank them from their watery homes and eat them or at the very least let them lie on the floor flopping around like...well fish out of water.

So you see, my house has become animal kingdom and now I feel like I need a REAL dog to come in and put Princess in her place or at the very least, protect Mocha from her.