November 27, 2011

Interesting Detours: ROW 80 Check In

"Establishing goals is all right if you don't let them deprive you of interesting detours."
Doug Larson

Life is full of interesting detours, paths we choose that momentarily lead us away from our stated goals. This last week, I enjoyed those detours. I let them take my hand and lead me away from responsibilities. 

I enjoyed a lovely family-filled Thanksgiving with aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, parents, children, brothers-in-law (a silly term, they are my brothers), and friends. After stuffing ourselves with wonderful food, we settled down with our memories. I haven't laughed that much in ages. Nothing makes me feel more connected than shared emotions.

Mom, my sister, and I tackled Black Friday shopping the next day. Although the sales were short of spectacular and the crowds a sign of a still suffering economy, we had fun finishing off lists and continuing our walk down memory lane. We remembered the time we stood out in the cold for a chance at a beanie baby. Really, a beanie baby?

I even squeezed in a fun Turkey Trot with my other sister Thursday morning. I got lost and my sister had to run around looking for me, but it'll just be another memory to laugh about in years to come. I managed to turn a 5K into a 3.4 mile run. That's okay. More turkey, oh let's just be honest, more pie for me that day!

Even more special than reliving memories is seeing our children build their own. Our family has seven granddaughters and one more on the way. They are close. With each passing year, we see them becoming friends and strengthening the ties that bind.

I am thankful for life's detours, they make me a better person. My to do list may have grown over the last few days, but so has my heart.

"In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed." Sid Caesar


Writing: What's that? Seriously, I didn't write a darn thing. I did get a lot of editing done on my two car rides. Both are freelance projects that needed my attention, and they did get it. The next few days will be dedicated to catching up on my WIPs.

Blogging: I wrote ahead last week and posted every day here. Mom in Love with Fiction suffered a bit, no post since Tuesday, but it'll be full steam ahead this week.

Miscellaneous: I was hoping to read more, but I was going to bed late and waking up early. I'm hoping for some quiet evenings this week to read. Hoping, but not expecting. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is crazy at best.

Exercise: See my note about the Turkey Trot above. I've managed pretty well, but need to get back in a regular pattern. I'm better with schedules than trying to "fit in" exercise. Except for Thanksgiving day, when all sugar rules went out the window, I've been sticking to my no sugar policy.

An extra goal this week: I'm going to get all my Christmas cards out by the first of next week. I send almost 150, so I try to tackle it in batches. Wish me luck.

A quick poll: do you prefer a card with a quick update or a full-blown Christmas letter? If it's a Christmas letter: do you prefer cute and inventive or details from the year?

Hope all my ROW80 friends enjoyed time last week with friends and family. For those doing NaNo, I'm still cheering. Three more days to go... you can do it

9 comments:

Laura said...

Happy belated Thanksgiving from England.
xxxx

Tia Bach said...

Thanks, Laura. Hope you weren't missing family too much. Hugs!

Juliana said...

Everyone is forgiven on Thanksgiving weekend lol
And I love the quotes you chose ;)
As for the Christmas cards, I prefer a postcard or a small, happy card with a quick update.

Julie Glover said...

I love the Doug Larson quote. I needed to hear that. ;)

I personally like a Christmas card with a quick update. Also love pictures - not just of kids, but the whole family. I like to see pics of friends I haven't seen in a while. 150 cards sounds like a lot! Best wishes with that and the writing this week.

Anonymous said...

Love the Larson quote. :)

Glad you had a great Thanksgiving, and now you're ready to dive into more writerly stuff!

Poll answer- I'm a big reader. So I would enjoy a full-blown letter with a mixture of cute / inventive and details. But I know not everyone appreciates the longer letters, so I would say go with brevity for the bulk of the 150 on your list. :)

Nicole Basaraba said...

Yay I'm not the only one who wasn't writing. :)

I think if you're a writer and you send a letter with the Christmas card its a whole different story = actually interesting to read. If you're not a writer, a nice card with a few sentences is good for me.

Tia Bach said...

Thanks for all the advice on Christmas/holiday cards. I think I'll do a mixture. I know some people who only want a card and picture, and some love the cards. If I don't know, I'll guess picture. ;-)

Back to writing... although today has not been stellar. There's always tomorrow.

I love all the blog support. Thank you!

alberta ross said...

sounds like a good week:)

If I don't see the person from 1 year to next I'd like a letter forget the card - otherwise card and quick update

all the best for coming year

Tia Bach said...

Hi, Alberta. I love it when you stop by. And I agree.

I'm thinking of doing a Christmas letter post for all my new writing buddies. I don't have addresses for all of you, but you've become my friends and supporters.

Hmmm... now the wheels are turning!