As you read
this, Mr. Ashbury and our daughter are lounging on a beach somewhere in the
Caribbean. Ah, the sand, the surf, the sun.
The joy of
having the house to myself, more or less, for an entire week!
Now, I don't
want you to think for one moment that I don't miss the old dear. Of course, I
do. However we have been married an awfully long time. Not as long as
some, but much longer than others. And a little time apart is not a bad thing at
all.
We've never
lived in each other's pockets. And as a matter of fact, our first experiment
with the concept of "separate vacations" happened many years ago, when we were
still butt-deep in the raising of our three kids.
Mind you, that
first "mini" solo vacation was in the form of separate weekends enjoyed at a
downtown Toronto hotel.
As I recall,
mine was spent swimming in the pool, indulging in a solo restaurant meal or two,
and sleeping. I did a lot of sleeping. The weekend was memorable for me, because
it was an entire weekend of not taking care of others.
This is the
second time my beloved has taken our daughter on a vacation to the tropics. As
you can imagine, it's not easy for a single mother to manage to afford something
like a one week resort stay—although they're not as expensive as they used to
be. In this instance, however, our motivation was different than just giving her
a break.
Since May,
Jennifer has taken her daddy to work nearly every single morning. I no longer
routinely have to awaken at 5 am to drive a 50 mile round trip.
I didn't mind
the driving, per se. It was the part that had me rolling out of bed so early
that was beating me up. After taking my beloved to work, I'd then have to come
home and go back to bed for at least an hour and a half. On mornings when I had
the children to get up and get ready for school, that return to bed often didn't
happen until after 9 am.
This, of course,
meant I wasn't out of bed and at work until 11 or later. Then I'd have to leave
the house again at 3:30 in the afternoon to pick him up from work—usually just
as I was really getting into my story.
A lot of days,
Jenny also makes that return trip in the afternoon to bring her daddy
home. That's 100 miles a day all told—and more than 2 hours of my time each
day—that I've gotten back.
Jenny and her
father really are two peas in a pod. She has just as much redneck in her as he
does. They spend a lot of time together, and I'm very grateful their
relationship is so strong. We've not been in communication since they left, but
I know they're having a very good time together, and I don't have to worry as
they will, very likely, keep each other out of trouble.
Or, conversely,
they'll share whatever trouble they tumble into.
I'm just as
happy to stay home and get some writing done—interspersed with just enough
housework to keep the place functioning. Yes, I know I sound boring to those of
you who aren't writers. You're likely thinking, "but don't you do that
anyway?"
The answer of
course is yes, I do. Vacation for me isn't the same as vacation for the
non-writer. Vacation for me is writing, as always, only in a different
locale.
My favorite for
this year of 2012 took place in February when we were in Freeport, in the
Bahamas. I had a cabana all to myself, the ocean breezes cooling my brow, the
view of the pool and the ocean before me, and my very favorite thing: the
sensation of the keyboard at the end of my finger tips. The words flowed and I
very happily kept up.
My beloved
enjoys the ocean, and the sun, and the possibility, however remote, that he
might encounter the hint of a hurricane—since it is still the
season.
Two very
different definitions of heaven—which is what vacation, by anyone's measure, is
supposed to be all about.
Love,
The only dream I've ever had was to be a published author. It was a dream formed in childhood, and held on to through the business of growing up. Life intruded, as life does, and my dream was put on hold. But now, through hard work, faith, and luck dream has evolved into reality.
Romance is a wonderful genre that accommodates every other. Comedy, mystery, paranormal, suspense, or science fiction, romance embraces them all. Erotic romance gives all of that, and so much more.
For readers who want all the best traditional romance has to offer – great characters, compelling stories and a happy ending – and who crave that extra bit of heat – I invite you to read one of my novels and let me know what you think!
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