A Time For Everything

Eating out at Mesquite Pit Steaks and BBQ.

My writer peeps and I enjoyed a new venue this year for the annual writers retreat. For the last decade or so, we've decamped to Lake Conroe either in June or July. Sadly the house was sold (I've mentioned this before) and so the times...they are a changin'.

This year, we rented a VRBO in the town of Granbury, about an hour's drive from my place. Also, this year, I took over as cruise director--basically the person who thinks up, plans, and coordinates the theme of the weekend.

I was inspired to go with a Bingo theme: you get to sticker a square when you write during a sprint, but I included other things on the bingo card such as "did ten squats" and "ate fruits and veggies" and "made my bed." Surprisingly, they were all game to do squats and they made their beds every day. :0)

Everyone had a goal for the weekend and then we broke them down per day...

Everyone made great progress and completed not only daily goals but the weekend goal as well.

So my job was done. :0)

I was also able to spend an extended amount of time with one dear friend, one on one. We used to travel the four-hour trip to the lake house together...well we didn't get to do that, but everyone else was gone by Sunday evening and so she and I had the rest of Sunday evening and all of Monday morning before check-out to talk writing and other things we have in common.

For the most part, I enjoyed my time off work and in a beautiful neighborhood just a stone's throw from Lake Granbury. But there have been so many amazing things going on in my normal every day world that I'm glad to return and take life off pause...

Hope you have a great weekend!!

I like the weekdays just fine, to be honest. I get stuff done. As the regular readers know, I like routine. There's a day for everything and a task for every day. Oh, man--that's an awful bastardization of the maxim. :0) But it's true.

On the other hand, I do enjoy my weekends, and who doesn't love a long weekend? One extra day to sleep in or to just get other, random stuff done. I personally think there should be a long weekend every month. Who says no?

Now this long weekend, this Saturday, my besties are coming over for a day of writing, brainstorming, and general visiting. I haven't seen them in person since April, and sometimes we all miss just being together. During that first stretch of COVID lock downs, we met every week via Zoom to connect and uplift one another.

We've been a group since the early 2010s; and what a motley group we are in a variety of ways. But these women have loved me and supported me and offered their friendship and experience and knowledge over the years. Each one of them is a treasured gift from God.

The picture above doesn't include our dear friend Michelle who passed in February. She was part of our original group, but due to her medical issues wasn't able to travel much as the years marched on.

I'm so thankful for each one of them.

We loved our girl the best we could, but love doesn't cure cancer, and this past Monday, we said good bye.

She'd been in increasing pain, whining almost constantly, and not interested in her food unless we doctored it with tuna juice.

We had planned to wait until Saturday, but it didn't seem fair that after a week of being with at least one person 24/7, she'd spend her last week alone and miserable while I went back to work.

I'd taken Monday as a vacation day and DD was off for President's Day, so we took her in.

I know I shared a pic of young Rayna on Monday, but here are a few more from over the years....

Rest in pain-free peace, sweet girl...

The house where I spent so many wonderful summer days with my writer peeps is being sold... The owners are moving on from supporting a lake house to the next phase of their lives and so I won't ever see the house or spend time there again.

It's an especially sad pill for me since I missed this year's retreat since I couldn't leave Mom.

But that's life, right?

And so, my writer friends and I will just have to brainstorm some creative alternative locations. Time for us to move to a new phase of our lives as well.

It was a good run, though.

A few more pics and then we'll call the Memorial Service complete...

Thanks, Lake Conroe house, for some wonderful memories.

They will be treasured and you will be missed.

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My thoughts and prayers go out to the people and animals and businesses affected by Hurricane Ian...

God bless you and keep you...