I'm Baaaack (from family vacation)

Arizona temple, aka the building where my husband and I were married

My 3yo son took this picture of the reflection pool on temple grounds

Vacation over!

I'm sure you've missed me. :-) I've missed you, too.

Now it's back to mountains of laundry, unpacking suitcases, re-reading my WIP synopsis and trying to figure out what the heck I was going for before my five-day hiatus.

And back to blogging. *happy sigh* I missed this.

While it was heavenly to spend time with my family, close and extended, the greatest reprieve my little vacation offered was from myself. Yes, I checked my email for query communications. No, no offers magically appeared (that would be a good story). But I didn't think (much) about plotting the perfect story. I didn't feel guilty for going a few days without lifting my proverbial pen. I just lived. I enjoyed my sons' cuteness, my husband's sense of humor, my brothers' competitive spirit, and my parents' unconditional acceptance. I basked in the July Arizona sunshine and went down the water slide TWICE! I got a necklace from my mom's trip to Hawaii (though I've still never been there myself), and a pair of yellow and white sport Skechers at Ross for $25. I read SOULLESS by Gail Carriger on my brand new Barnes and Noble NOOK (both fantastic products, btw). In short, I ditched my computer tether and saw a few of the things I like to write about: people, places, and pluck (courage or resolution in the face of difficulties.).

Almost the moment we returned home, my stories began invading my mind again. Mostly, it's Azalea and her antics that keep me up at night. Oh, Zales, what are you doing to me?

I'm washing the dishes while my husband talks to me. Somehow I don't realize he's asked me a question until a few seconds of silence follow. Luckily, my brain stores that information in temporary files, so I'm able to retrieve the question to answer it. "Oh yeah, let's have a light dinner tonight. All that junk food definitely needs some health food to wash it down."

Then she's back. Azalea's doing flips, zapping around (her kind does that), making snarky remarks to Tabitha, who sighs deeply at the teenager's disrespectful ways. Oh, the shenanigans. This is why I write. To get the darn voices out of my head and onto the page so I can get some REST!

Oh, and because it's delightful, good fun.