Vacation

by Suzanne

Well today is officially my last day of my summer vacation. Every year I use one week of my three weeks of vacation time from the hospital to go to the RWA National convention. I don't go to the beach, I don't go to the mountains, I don't go visit family. I do to a convention where I have to dress in nice clothes, smile at everyone and listen to speakers (in the workshops I attend).

Crazy?

Nope, not for me. See, since I started going to RWA National I've been to Atlanta, Reno, San Fransisco, Denver, Washington D.C., Orlando and now New York City. (The 2 Dallas conferences don't count coz that's just down I-75.) I've gotten to do a limo chauffered tour of Sonoma wine country. Been to Alcatraz. Seen the Golden Gate Bridge. Toured many of the monuments in the nation's capitol and walked through the Smithsonian. Hung out in Disney World. Played the slots in Reno. And last week I did NYC tours by day and night and boat! Not to mention went to 2--TWO--Broadway musicals, (WICKED and JERSEY BOYS).

But another great thing about my summer vacation is that it energizes me. It makes me want to come home and write. To words down on pages. It makes me want to read...all those great stories I brought home with me, or I heard about in conversations. It makes me wish I had a whole other week of vacation to take, but unfortunately, in my line of work summer is one of the busiest times of the year for having babies. (uh 9 months ago people were snuggling in the cool or cold weather.) So each nurse only gets one week of vacation in the summer.

I'll take another week in the fall to go see my parents in Ohio. I love fall in Ohio. It's cold. It's rainy. It helps me get in the mood for Thanksgiving and Chistmas. It completes the cycle of the seasons for me. Something I don't always get down here in Texas.

So, what about you? What is your favorite vacation? Beach? Mountains? The jungles of Costa Rica (my friend Aly Burton did this with her family!)? Let's talk VACATIONS!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/vacations
Visit i dont want tobe anything other than me for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection

Your Fantasy Christmas

by Kirsten Scott

I was reading a great Harlequin Desire the other day (The CEO's Christmas Proposition, by Merline Lovelace) and it was filled with fabulous descriptions of Christmas in Salzburg. You could see the homemade wooden toys, taste the buttery breads, and hear the children's choirs singing in the background of a wintery wonderland. (Here's a picture of Salzburg in the winter -- incredible, isn't it?)

Of course, if you're going to be stranded somewhere at Christmas time, it helps to be stranded with a gorgeous millionaire. But that's beside the point.

The point is, I am now adding "Spend Christmas in Salzburg" to my Bucket List. 


Not long after, I was at a holiday party and a friend of mine was complaining about her dysfunctional family and how Christmas brings nothing but angst and fighting. Some year, she vowed, she would be on a beach for Christmas, far away from everyone but her sweetie.

Hmm...Christmas in Oahu? I hadn't really considered it, but once she said it, the idea started to grow on me. Sure, I'd miss the kids and all, but putting that aside, wouldn't it be great to take that dreary, cold, wet time and spend it covered with suntan lotion, sipping a fruity beverage with my husband at my side?

Which leads me to the subject of today's blog: Your Fantasy Christmas.

Where would you go, if you could go anywhere in the world? I suspect most of us want to be exactly where we are, surrounded by family and friends, close to our church and all the people we love. But work with me here -- we're romance readers. No one does fantasy better than us. If you have to, you can imagine you've been stranded by cancelled flights or some other Act of God, and simply CAN'T get home (thereby absolving all Christmas-related guilt).


So what would it be, and who would you bring? A warm beach with your sweetie? A trip to Sweden's Ice Hotel with your best friend? How about New York City, with all the hustle and bustle, the ice skating in Central Park, and the giant Christmas tree?

Remember, we're still counting down the 12 Bandita Days of Christmas! One lucky commenter wins a prize! So let yourself go. Close your eyes and start fantasizing! Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/vacations
Visit i dont want tobe anything other than me for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection

GONE FISHING...

by Suzanne Welsh
The Bandits are going on vacation. Yep we're taking time off from the blog this week.




Wednesday is the official start to the Romance Writers of America's national conference in San Francisco. Yippee!! As you know 19 of the 20 thap gump will be in attendance at the conference. Yippee!! 6 of our published Bandits will be signing their books at the mega-author book signing Wednesday night. Yippee!!


While this is exciting for us and whichever of our readers make the trek to San Francisco, it leaves a bit of a hole in the blog schedule. Some of us flew to SF early to do some sight seeing before the conference starts. In fact, when y'all read this I'll be touring Sonoma Valley wineries with some friends from Texas. (Hopefully the limo driver will know the way back to the hotel!) So be patient with us. We Bandits love all our readers and will be missing our time with you here in the lair.


While we're out connecting with our Bandita sisters, researching ideas for our books, attending inspiring seminars, and partying like crazy, please know that we've left Christie Kelley in charge of the Lair. She will be making the cabana boys do their exercise routine like a drill sergeant. Sven will be practicing his massages, (on her, I'm sure). And the gladiators, (except Demetrius who is traveling as Joanie's personal body guard), will be polishing their gear in preparation for our return to the Lair! (Must remember to buy body oil for the boys while in SF!)


We have a few planned blogs ready to post. And if we get time with a computer, we'll try to pop on to flash y'all some pics of our adventures. (San Francisco may never be the same after a Bandit raid!)


So while we've got the "Gone Fishing" sign up on the lair door, be sure to check out the blog. You never know what or WHO might pop up!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/vacations
Visit i dont want tobe anything other than me for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection

Journey Proud

by Nancy

These last few days, as the lair buzzes with travel preparations and conference plans, I've started to feel kind of journey proud, as my mom would have put it. That was the phrase she used for excitement over a trip. As y'all know, the thap gump are preparing to descend on San Francisco (an apt phrase in this case since so many of us are flying in), and I'm getting excited about seeing everyone and meeting so many of our online buddies. Oh, yeah--other RWA buddies will be there, too. The RWA conference is always a fun time to see friends and make new acquaintances as well as developing professional contacts.

I just returned from the mall, which was not the nightmare experience it sometimes is. I actually found things that both fit and looked pretty good, things I can no longer depend on happening. Fashions keep getting younger while I, well, don't. As the saying goes, though, not getting younger beats the alternative.


Some trips require a lot of wardrobe planning and packing while others require almost none. For DragonCon, over Labor Day weekend, I'll pack spare jeans in case of a spill, a selection of appropriately adorned t-shirts, the usual unmentionables and vanity "products," and no extra shoes. That's it. Fits in one carry-on bag. Everyone there "just want[s] to have fun," as Cyndi Lauper noted on a different occasion. Everyone just hangs, and almost no one notices what anyone's wearing. Well, except for the people in costume.

Professional gatherings are different, to varying degrees. For RWA, we need business clothes, sightseeing clothes, dressy clothes, and appropriate accoutrements such as shoes, jewelry, makeup, and so forth. (I'm sure some of you are better at creative ideas for "and so forth" than I am, so I'm leaving you room here. *g*) While networking can occur in the pool (note: add swimsuit), the health club (note: add sneakers and workout gear), or the bar, it most often happens in restaurants, workshops and appointments. Since presenting a professional appearance is important, we have dress appropriately. Is wearing a nice suit going to sell my book? No. Is looking like a slob going to prevent it from selling? Probably not, but it's not going to make me an appealing person to strike up a conversation with.

Since I wasn't born with the accessorizing gene--and oh, how I envy those of you who were--I have to make a list. Just as an aside, watch out for confusing navy and black when you pack. I once did, and only the intervention of a friend with the accessorizing gene saved me from a major panic attack. I recommend bright light, preferably sunlight, for the packing stint.

Then, of course, there's the matter of book-shipping. Between the book sale, the literacy autographing, and the lunchtime giveaways, I always end up with way more books than will fit in my suitcase. I've started shipping them home. Especially with airlines dropping their weight allowances, I'd rather pay to send them along than hassle with carrying them. I sometimes pack a jetpack and strapping tape for this purpose, but only if there's a post office near the hotel. This time, there doesn't seem to be, but you can check at the Post Office website.

Despite all these concerns, I'm excited. I always am. The conference is so laden with possibility. While that can be anxiety-inducing, it also offers the chance to act on our dreams, and what's greater than that?


Once upon a time, many years ago, my parents scrimped and saved to send their Anglophile daughter to Oxford on a summer study program. I got to travel roads I'd dreamed about and see castles and armor and the Crown Jewels and all kinds of cool stuff. It was a dream come true.

Dreams can come true without travel, of course. But there's a reason someone coined the phrase, "journey of a lifetime."

What's your favorite travel experience? Did you take a trip that was a dream come true, or just very special for some other reason? Or did you have one that was a nightmare?Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/vacations
Visit i dont want tobe anything other than me for Daily Updated Hairstyles Collection