the not quite a year in review

My buddy Kim asked the question and here is the answer. So far I've read 62 books this year. Yep, more than one a week. I try to read a variety of books, but as my love lies in the fantasy/paranormal genre, the list is tilted in that direction.

The thing I haven't done this past year is work on my Maddy Blue WIP. This past year the intent was to finish tinkering with that story and move on to the next. It didn't happen. I realized I needed to junk the entire last quarter of the book and I stopped working. I couldn't come up with an alternative ending. I've resolved the issue in my head, but I haven't stirred up the energy to tackle the rewrite, or in this case the new write.

Two weeks from today I will be setting foot in Europe! I can hardly believe it. I rec'd a delightful email from a friends' granddaughter with a list of recommendations for us regarding Parisian things to do and see for a family of five. It was perfect. I'm relying on my brother to be the tour guide for our time in Germany/Bavaria.

The bookstore is closed for the next three days as the library is closed while new shelving is installed. It will drive me nuts to see those brand new half full shelves over the next several months. I hope they ramp up their ordering!

It will be nice to be at home for a few days without feeling the need to head to the bookstore. Maybe I will read a book....or maybe, I will open a long neglected Word file and actually create something.

the trip to europe

I checked out Paris for Dummies yesterday at the library. Yep, we have our tickets to Germany and we have a hotel lined up for Paris. My brother is taking care of other details of this trip for us including the leg of it we are spending down towards Salzburg.

So our itinerary is such...arrive in Frankfurt, collapse. Get up the next day and visit Triere. Collapse. Get up again and visit Strasbourg, come home and collapse. Enjoy Christmas. Get on a plane or train and head to Paris. Paris, Paris and then back home. Get in the car and drive to Garmish, Salzburg, Neuschwanstein etc...have New Years...get back home. Rest and repack. Catch a plane back to the States and resume normal life. We will be gone exactly two weeks on this trip and I'm already thinking of how to pack, what to pack etc. I feel like I'm coordinating a small military campaign. I've read Rick Steves travel blog boards until my eyes crossed.

This is the trip of a lifetime and I don't want to blow it! Good grief, why do I put so much pressure on myself to make sure everyone has a spectacular time??

I'm sure I've spelled the names of the town wrong...I need more coffee.