Vacation starts

The air travel probably went better than expected. Several good Samaritans chipped in to help the woman with two kids and too many carry-ons. (I did check a large suitcase, but I wanted to be sure I had everything I needed to amuse the kids.) Special thanks due to the man in the Penn State T-shirt who helped carry stuff from A terminal to C in Dulles, claiming that he was on a two-hour layover and had plenty of time.

The girl didn't nap at all on the plane, but she was quite well behaved. She colored, she read, she looked around. She didn't keep her EarPlanes in, but her ears didn't appear to trouble her unduly, for which I am grateful.

Yesterday was a quiet day, hanging out at my in-laws', watching the kids play in the wading pool, and reading A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski. Small birthday party in the evening for the boy. He got an RC car, a digital camera, and books. He was especially thrilled to see The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan. We had been reading the library copy for bedtime stories, but returned it unfinished before we left. Very happy to know he doesn't have to wait two weeks to find out what happens next.

This morning, I started reading saetter's Echoes of Truth. The boy wanted to play on my iPod Touch, but I showed him that I was reading-- and how much reading material I have on here. Showed him that I have an RTF of one of my WIPs -- Rob & Jeanie -- that I put on here last summer.

Started reading it. Read it all the way through. Wanted to start in writing some of the missing scenes, but I remember starting work on it last year after vacation. (There appears to be a trend here.) I still might write on it, but not today. I remember now why finishing this was on my list of goals for the year.

Instead, I went to grab the notebook I started a short story, "Wish Hunter," in last week. Oops. I brought the other short story I started, as well as my Sekrit Projekt. So I did a bit on the SP this morning, and I'll probably do more this afternoon.

Maybe tomorrow or Tuesday, my MIL and I will go hit the local quilt shops. Mostly just looking, though I need some lightweight fusible interfacing for the appliqué I want to do. Tried without, and there's just too much fraying.

A couple more short story rejections, too, including more feedback on the index story that I'll have to ponder after I get back home.

All in all, I can feel myself relaxing. Life is good.