Tag: roadtrips

Vacation Time :)

On By jillhaymakerIn RWA, Uncategorized, vacationLeave a comment

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I’m getting ready to leave on vacation tomorrow. Well, a working vacation. I’m headed home to beautiful Colorado for RWA (romance writers of America conference) in Denver. Of course, I’ll spend a few days in Fort Collins, too, with friends and family while I’m in the neighborhood. I can’t wait to get back to cooler, less humid air for a few days. This will be the first time since I moved to East Texas that I’ve made the 16 hour drive by myself. Not looking forward to that. I’ve got some audio books though, so I should be good.

I love RWA. It is so much fun to interact with other authors and learn about our business. This year is the first time I am also doing an Indie book signing. Since the conference is in Colorado, I have lots of friends who will be there to reconnect with. I can’t wait.

So what am I doing today in preparation? Besides working on marketing and book stuff and packing, I’m cleaning. What about you do you clean your house before vacation? It’s something I learned from my mother. She always made sure the sheets were changed, laundry done and everything was spick and span before we walked out that door. I’ve learned to agree with her. Trips are wonderful, but there’s nothing like coming home either. It always feels good to be back in your own bed and relax in your own space. There would be nothing worse than coming home to a dirty house (I’m guessing here because I’ve never done it!) Its so nice to fall on the couch and just relax for a few hours before heading back to work and regular life. So today, I’m cleaning liked crazy.

Anyway, I’d better get off the computer and back to my vacuum. Have a good week and if anyone else is traveling, safe travels. Enjoy your time away 🙂

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Texas Road Trip

On By jillhaymakerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

carhenge_nVacation starts tomorrow 🙂 Always a happy statement. This time I am especially excited because I am headed to Dallas to see my youngest, Ashley! I haven’t seen her since Christmas, a long time in the life of a mom. So anyway, I’m driving. Its about a 13-14 hour trip. When I share my plans everyone asks “Why?”  Not why on the visiting my daughter part, but why on the not flying in 2 hours part.

There are several reasons. First, it allows my dog and best friend, Laddie to come along for the ride. Second, I’m not a big fan of flying, not sure why, maybe it has something to do with the feeling of being out of control and for a control freak like me, that’s hard. But probably the best reason is I just like road trips! There is so much to see across our beautiful country, even in those “fly over states” as Jason Aldean so aptly described them. My favorite thing is to stop at every cheesy roadside attraction. The “World’s Largest” anything, always grabs my attention.  Every trip to California always involves a stop and photo op at the World’s largest thermometer. We’ve seen the world’s largest giraffe, a real six-legged cow, the world’s largest pop bottle (seriously if you are ever near Oklahoma City, you’ve got to see this-its one of my favorites). And if you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in northwestern Nebraska, you cant miss Carhenge. What could be better than an exact replica of Stonehenge, made out of old junk cars (see pic above) I’ve posed in front of giant cowboy boots, teepees and stuffed animals of numerous varieties.

So tomorrow begins another excellent adventure. I’m spending the night in Amarillo, Texas, where according to the internet, there is another fabulous site for me to visit. I’m not going to give it away right now, but come back tomorrow for pictures and the whole story. Do you like road trips? What are some memorable sights you’ve seen?

Road Trip Charlotte NC to Fort Collins CO

On By jillhaymakerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

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I am still trying to catch up on my sleep from the long road trip Ashley and I made in three days last weekend from Charlotte to Fort Collins! Lots of fun, lots of traffic and lots of long hours of driving!  I could complain about the heat, the humidity, and my stiffness from sitting in the car, or the hour we spent sitting at a dead stop on a Tennessee Interstate as we watched a vehicle, not too far in front of us go up in flames (yes, actual huge flames, never seen that before except in the movies!), but the fact is, all in all, I loved the trip and we made it home safe and sound.  The best part was spending lots of hours talking with my daughter Ashley, with our busy lives, we don’t get the chance to do that often enough.  There was our stop in Nashville, where we got to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and explore downtown with its many little bars with live country star want-to-be singers. We got to spend a night with my Aunt Jane in Indiana, who I had not seen in over 25 years and catch up with her. And we learned to appreciate the lack of humidity in Colorado (we coined our new slogan for Kansas, “Kansas the last state before you get to Colorado!”) I don’t want to offend anyone in Kansas, but really what else is there to appreciate about it! I know in this day and age its tempting to fly everywhere, especially when you have to get through those, as Jason Aldean calls them “fly over states”, but I think we learn so much more about ourselves and our great country when we take the time to drive. I still love road trips!

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