A Time For Everything

I made my annual trek to Omaha and back over Labor Day weekend...

The fam is still the fam. Quirky and chaotic and so welcoming of their Texas outlier.

The all day gathering marathons are no longer a thing, and I think my step-mother, my uncle, and I are all glad for the change.

It used to be I stayed at the house and the galloping hordes descended by 10 or 11 am, and there was a houseful until I could convince the visitors to leave by 9 pm--which was well past my bedtime. Sometimes I'd just have to go to bed.

Last year, I ended up getting a hotel and that was the best decision I've made regarding this trip I've made in a while. I can leave when I'm ready and the fam can stay and visit.

This year though...no one arrived on Saturday until 2ish... So Sunday I thought to enjoy a more leisurely morning, but got summonsed around 11:30 when the gray sheep of the family and her posse came to see me earlier than I expected. I still got to enjoy the view from my hotel room for a good forty-five minutes. And although it's hard to tell, a light rain was falling. A very peaceful start to the day.

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But now that I'm home -- that road trip closes out the middle part of my year -- it's time to look down the road to the end of the year for all the businesses I wrangle as well as planning for Christmas and into 2027 for my personal businesses.

This year I'm going create a more formalized business plan for both the publishing and the Etsy store. I won't be able to retire (yet?) on my royalty income, but I've been considering ways to expand my readership/customer reach and increase those royalties. Every little bit helps me reach my goal of financial freedom before we reach retirement.

There are lots of moving parts for both businesses so figuring out how to keep track of them is also part of the overall plan of attack.

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend and that this weekend also lives up to its potential.

Stay cool and stay hydrated...but cooler temps are on the horizon for North Texas, thank goodness.

Take care!

Sweet baby angel Caleb, the newest member of the family.

I traveled to Omaha this Labor Day -- as I have done every Labor Day for the last decade or so -- and met that sweet little boy pictured above. He's just turned three months old and is a sweet natured baby.

I also saw my oldest daughter who drove from Colorado, so that was a nice treat as well.

But let me tell you, my family is a hot mess. Mostly lovable, but such a hot mess.

I also went to visit my dad's grave and left my traditional offering of pinwheels. There was a lovely breeze, and I did get video, but as I'm technologically challenged sometimes, I messed things up and now can't get the video to play. (Bah!) But here's a picture:

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And I've finally, finally gotten to work on the revamp of Series One, Book One!

Yeah, remember that?

I've struggled to make progress over the last four months because there were more changes/fixes than I expected there to be. But I kept reading / reviewing and making notes. Finally figured out some of the things that were holding me back and now I'm able to move forward. Whew!

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Oh, guess what? I'm no longer an official member of my writers group board of directors! Someone else ran for Treasurer. I still manage the website, but I'm gonna work on documentation so that someone else can take on that job at some point. Maybe even next year. :0)

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I've also made some progress on those clay pots I mentioned wanting to paint. Here's the first one:

And, yes, I obviously went with a Pride theme. :0) The other one is going to have gnomes, but I'm still searching for a simple pattern that I like and can pull off with my rudimentary painting skills.

Once I plant something in this pot, I'll share the completely finished project. And once I finish the other, I will of course share that as well.

Take care and see you in two weeks.

My annual trek to Omaha to see my family was good...

I took a different approach to the actual driving portion of the weekend which was to just not hurry. I really love the scenery of the mid-west corridor or this section of the fly-over states.

Farmers' fields in the plush bloom of being just about ready for harvest feeds my soul. The sky, usually a crisp blue, was blocked by hazy air most of the way this year due to heat and wildfires. But I hit a stretch of road and sky between Holton, Kansas and Nebraska City, NE with the clear blue that brings me so much joy. I rolled down all the windows and enjoyed the view along with the "cool"--only mid-80's that day!!

The actual visits are uncontrolled chaos. There are toddlers and elementary-aged kids along with young adults and, really, just A LOT of bodies in a very small space. My step-mom says next year we're dividing up the visits. Half the fam on Saturday, the half on Sunday. I am very okay with that. :0)

Mostly we sat around chit-chatting and getting caught up on one another's lives. And then there's always some delicious food. This year, spaghetti, pulled pork, and fajitas.

Also--my brother James arrived home from boot camp/tech school on Thursday evening. So the whole crew was there.

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting my dad's grave during daylight hours. I've always gone at 5am on my way out of town. This time I went Sunday morning around sunrise. And it was lovely and I'm doing that again next year.

Another bonus of going to the cemetery while it was light out was seeing deer, but more importantly, actually seeing the pinwheels I leave behind. As an extra special hello, there was a bit of a breeze, and I managed to catch the whirling pinwheels on video.

Hope your three-day weekend was relaxing.

And now that Labor Day is behind us, it's time to for me to get back to work and back on track with exercising and eating right and all the other things that have taken a back seat to surviving the heat.

Catch you Thursday!

Hope you're enjoying your three-day break from your usual labors.

As I have done for at least five years now, I went home to Omaha, NE to visit family. Actually, today, the Monday of Labor Day, is the day I'm making the ten hour trek home.

I look forward to getting home, but I have to admit that the drive back home is tougher than the drive to Nebraska. Mostly because I'm driving south the whole way and since it's usually bright and sunny, as this time of year is wont to be, the sun is shining directly into the car through the front windshield. I have to take care to consume enough non-caffeinated liquids. Especially once I hit Oklahoma.

More about the trip and the fam later.

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The March 2024 Buc-ee's road trip itinerary has been altered and mostly finalized. We're re-routing from our original Buc-ee's destinations in Tennessee and Kentucky to the two in Georgia and the two in Alabama we didn't realize existed the last time we...went to Alabama.

We'll also be hitting the Memphis Zoo (and a staying at a hotel in Memphis as a way point) and the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta as well meeting a couple of friends of mine, one in Huntsville, AL and one in Atlanta, GA respectively for a meal.

It's going to be a four-day whirlwind of driving...

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Speaking of Buc-ee's...Finance Buzz is offering positions to taste-test Buc-ee's snacks. So DD and I signed up. Chosen Buc-ee's Bud-ees receive money to offset their expenses.

*fingers crossed* that one or both of us get selected.

Still speaking of Buc-ee's, there's a new one being built juuust south of the I-35 split/rejoin which is juuust north of Hillsboro. It should open sometime in 2024. I pass that location at least four times a year on my way to and from the fireworks store which is probably another thirty minutes south of Hillsboro.

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Our new air fryer...

Why oh why did it take me sooo long to break down and buy one? And we've already decided we need another so we can cook two things at once. :0) It won't take me as long to buy the second one though.

The best things so far cooked: tater tots (!!!) and breaded ravioli.

I've even cooked pork chops and burgers in it and both were good. My technique and the timing both need adjusting for even better results although the burgers were pretty good. Pork chops were a little tough, so less cooking time me-thinks.

And thats it for today. Enjoy the rest of your day/weekend! See you Thursday