Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Top 10 reasons to give thanks...

10. Great reports cards from both boys.
9. A supportive (and fun) boss.
8. Finding the perfect Christmas gift for that someone special.
7. Book sales!
6. Celebrating my birthday. (Getting older isn't really all that bad.)
5. Listening to Noah read Harry Potter.
4. Coloring with Payton.
3. Magazine contracts and more writing assignments.
2. A husband with great math and accounting skills. (Someone has to take care of the paperwork that goes with my writing, and God knows that can't be me!)
1. My family and our health.

Top 5 Things Making Me Insane This Week...

5. Deadlines and writer's block. Truly NOT a great combination.
4. Cold weather. Ever year about this time I wonder why I have remained a Wisconsin resident all my life!
3. Christmas preparations. Is it just me or doesn't it feel like we just finished shopping for last year's gifts? I'm SO not in the mood yet. Maybe after the first real snowfall...
2. A stupid ending to one of my favorite shows, The Bachelor. What a waste of my Monday nights for the past few weeks.
1. Corporate America. External consultants providing multi-million dollar recommendations on how to run your business can make life miserable. Don't ask me why...just trust me on this one.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Getting back to the real world...

Having spent 8 days on a Disney Cruise last week, I'm still trying to find my way back to the real world again. That thing about "sea legs" -- it's not a myth. Trust me! I'm still finding myself walking sideways down the hallway, and I swear my bed was rocking from side to side last night. That's not the worst part though. This morning I awoke to find my kitchen looking the same way it did last night...without chefs and a buffet line. I became accustomed to sliding out of bed, slapping on a baseball cap and treading to Deck 9 for a buffet of all my breakfast favorites: hash browns, scrambled eggs, sausage links, caramel rolls, little cheese slices, bagels with chive cream cheese. This morning I was lucky shove a Diet Coke in my purse as I headed out the door for work. The kids were a little disappointed, too, when they only had mini chocolate chip pancakes -- without the chocolate sauce that their server brought upon request. At 2:16, my midafternoon hunger pangs started and instead of running back up to Deck 9 for my usual snack (chicken strips or a bratwurst and french fries), I dug around in the back of my desk drawer to find an old package of Certs. Somehow that just wasn't the same. At 2:55, I became a little thirsty. A bottle of water was the only thing I had to cure that dilemma. What happened to that nice guy in the white shorts and colorful shirt walking around next to the pool -- the one who was always carrying the Drink of the Day with pineapple and a cherry hanging off the glass? Where was he when I needed him? And that brings me to think about dinner. Hmmm...I actually have to think about making dinner. That's something I haven't done in a while. I got used to sitting down to a lovely presentation of lamb chops, lobster, risotto, and plaintain chips. And if I still had room -- which I always did -- I topped it off with a chocolate molten lava cake or some other plate heaped with calories. Mmmm, I can taste it all now. I think we'll have frozen fish sandwiches and Fritos tonight. And if kids are good, we'll dig out an Oreo or two for dessert.

Yes, it's a little hard to get back to the real world again. Making my own meals. Doing my own dishes. Cleaning my own house. Oh yeah...that reminds me. What do you want to bet my bed didn't get made after I left the house this morning and my bath towel is still hanging off the shower? And who's going to magically replace the bottle of shampoo that I used up this morning? And who's going to turn down my sheets, make towel animals, and leave chocolates on my pillow?

Getting back to the real world really stinks!!!