Thursday, September 1, 2011

Coming Home, Housekeeping and Cheers!


            It’s been over two weeks since I last posted here on my blog.  As you know, I’ve been away from home.  I took my sixteen-year-old son on his college tour through California.  As daunting as the itinerary looked on paper, it proved even more so in reality.  Twelve schools in thirteen days, a rehearsal dinner, a wedding, a day-after brunch and a little sightseeing was just a wee bit much for me.  By the middle of day nine, I was thoroughly exhausted and sick as a dog.  And that was the day of the wedding rehearsal and dinner, one day before the wedding itself.  Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy myself as much as I wanted or expected.  Not one drink passed my lips and my feet only touched the dance floor to take photos of my family members as they frolicked with drunken glee.
            But the trip was not wasted.  Though I spent the last five days of it coughing and blowing my stuffy nose, I enjoyed my time with my son.  We spent many hours on the road together, talking about so many things.  We flitted from school to school, discussing the merits or drawbacks of each, what we liked and hated, and whether or not “that feeling” was there the moment we stepped out of the car.  Afterwards, we would be tourists and go to the beach, visit the city, tour a ballpark or have a nice meal.  He even managed to drag me to a San Francisco Giants baseball game though I was quite ill and wanted nothing more than to lay in bed and sleep.  All in all, it was a time of bonding I will cherish forever and never forget.  And the trip served its purpose; my son now has a list of his top schools to apply to:

            #1 - University of San Francisco
            #2 - University of California at Berkeley
            #3 - California State University at San Diego
            #4 - Santa Clara University
            #5 - California State University at San Francisco

My list would have been slightly different in that I loved the University of California at San Diego over Cal State San Diego and I would also change the order of the first four, but overall, we were on the same page about most schools.  There are many more to which he will apply, but these are his favorites.   
            While I was gone, many of you left comments of support, some commiserating with the experience of dropping their child off at college, or just wishing me luck and enjoyment.  I even received two awards over at Letters from Valentina Hepburn, but since I’ve already posted about both the Versatile Blogger and Irresistibly Sweet Blog Awards, I will simply thank Valentina and move on.
My plan was to get right back into posting about writing and querying and all that, but since returning only a day and a half ago, I am thoroughly exhausted.  I don’t remember the last time I spent two whole weeks away from home, and perhaps it’s just my advanced age or the fact that I’m still pretty sick, but I haven’t the energy to devote to a witty, dynamic post. 
            But if you would be so kind as to indulge me, I would like to mention one more thing.  My friend, Lisa Regan, emailed me two days ago, while I was still in California, reminding me that it was our one year anniversary, that is to say it was one year ago that we met online via Nathan Bransford’s website.  I had posted a request for a critique partner in one of Nathan’s forums and Lisa responded.  We hit it off immediately and have since become best friends.  She has inspired me to be the best writer I can be, while also teaching me more than I thought possible.
I’ve often referred to Lisa as my writing soul mate, but she is much more than that.  When I have exciting news to share or need cheering up, she is always the first person I turn to.  I could not imagine what my writing experience would have been like over the last year without her. 
So cheers, Lisa!  Here’s to many more years together!        

25 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Welcome back! Glad you got to visit so many colleges, although bummer you were sick for the wedding.

Tara said...

Welcome back, Nancy! You were missed. ;-) Sorry to hear that you were sick, but I'm glad you spent time with your son. Nothing can replace that.
Have a good one and woohoo to the 'WSM First Meeting' anniversary. ;-) (WSM = Writing Soul Mate)

Carrie Butler said...

Welcome back, Nancy! :D I hope you're feeling better, and happy anniversary. *grins* May you and Lisa share many happy years (critting) together!

M Pax said...

Glad you had a great trip, Nancy. What priceless time to get to spend with your son. Hope you're feeling better, and happy anniversary to you and Lisa. :)

Luanne G. Smith said...

Welcome back. Sounds like a successful trip with your son. And cheers to you and Lisa for your one year anniversary as critique partners and friends. So important to feel like you have at least one person standing in your corner, cheering you on no matter what. :)

Donna K. Weaver said...

Happy anniversary and welcome back. I'm glad you had a good time with your son.

Dawn Simon said...

Wow, that was a big trip! How wonderful that you and your son had that time together. I, by the way, went to the University of San Diego and loved it!

That's great about you and Lisa! Writing friends are so very special. I'm glad you have each other! :)

Lisa Regan said...

Woo hoo! You're back. I hope you feel better soon. Thanks for your kind words and happy anniversary to us! You make me a better writer but more importantly, a better person. Love you lots, WSM!

Alleged Author said...

Yay for the anniversary! How cool is that with the list of colleges? Le sigh. I hope to help students to identify colleges/get prepared as well as you've helped your son.

McKenzie McCann said...

Oh gosh, colleges. I may only be a junior, but gosh, it's still daunting to think I'll be there soon. I want to go to Reed, but I wanted to go to Berkeley for the longest time. I didn't even have a reason, just did.

. said...

Nice to meet you, Nancy! :D Thanks for stopping by my blog and for following me. I'm honored! :D

Oh man, first of all, you need to rest and lots of fluids to get rid of that germ and get back on your feet. :) It's so wonderful that you and your son bonded and talked things out about the colleges you've visited. That helps a lot. I wish you and your son the very best! :D

Oh, here's a link I would like to share with you, if you like. I recently discovered this helpful gem called "Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writing Prompts." I gave it a try and it's fun and really helpful. Here's the link:
http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/writers-workshop-directions/

Bkloss said...

What a great tour! So many great colleges. I love California *sigh* Reading this makes me home sick (moved from Sac to Phoenix 3 months ago).

Happy anniversary!

Jeff King said...

Happy anniversary... and welcome back, thx for all you do!

Anonymous said...

Hello!
That does sound like a wonderful trip with your son, even with a little illness.
How lovely to find a writing buddy like that - congrats. x

Alexis Bass said...

Welcome back!! What a great trip. I love your sons list. Although if he picks San Diego he will be spoiled with amazing weather and might find it hard to come back to the rain! haha :)

Unknown said...

I love that you value your crit partner so much. Critique groups really do move writers up to the next level.

Glad you're home and getting re-settled. Sounds like you've got an awesome son, and he's got a fantastic mom :D

Al Penwasser said...

Welcome home, Nancy! We missed you. Well, I did, anyway.
Too bad you weren't feeling well enough to join your family on the dance floor. Never underestimate the power of drunken glee frolicking.
I plan to do the same when my niece gets married next month. Bud Lite and eggrolls, oh yeah.
Let the frolicking begin for my brothers and I, the "Druncles."

Laila Knight said...

Welcome back again, Nancy. I hope you're feeling better today. It sounds like your son has a cool list of colleges to pick from...let's hope he gets a scholarship. Tuition is a killer. Congratulations on your one year anniversary with Lisa! You two are an awesome duo...destined to meet, really. You should go visit each other on your next anniversary....meet in the middle somewhere. :)

Did you find time to join the campaign yet?

Kelley said...

YES. I am follower #100 :) Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Jocelyn Rish said...

First of all, from seeing your picture on your sidebar, I never would have guessed you have a sixteen-year-old son. Feel free to share your secrets to staying so youthful looking! :-)

Glad to hear you had such a great trip with your son, but sorry you were sick for part of it. Hope you're feeling better!

Nancy Thompson said...

Thanks to EVERYONE for all your kind wishes. It's so good to be back!

And hey, I just went over 100 followers!

Thanks to Kelley, Jocelyn, Julius, Barbara, Suz, Ellis, Isis and Small Town Shelly Brown for joining me this week!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

What you experienced with your son sounds like a true blessing, something you'll both remember always. That is so kewl. Glad you're back safely and feeling better.

Jasmine Walt said...

Wow, looks like you had quite a time! I just got back from out of town too-- although it sounds like your schedule was a lot more hectic than mine! I hate getting sick on vacations and during holidays-- it always seems to be one or the other! Looks like this time my body decided to let me have my vacation, and hit me with a cold during labor day weekend. :)

Your son is really lucky to have you to take him around for his college tour. My parents sure never did that for me!

Julie Flanders said...

Hi Nancy! Thanks for coming by my blog, I am glad to have found yours as a result. I know what you mean about it being hard to keep track with following, I am finding that too. There are so many wonderful blogs, it can be a little overwhelming trying to keep up.

I'm so glad to meet another thriller writer, sorry you missed the sign-up for the Campaign but I will be looking forward to following your blog.

I enjoyed reading about your college tour with your son, I remember doing that with my parents and your post brought back some great memories. Happy Anniversary to you!

Doralynn Kennedy said...

You may have gotten sick, but to have spent so much quality time with your son was worth it. Too bad you didn't get to enjoy the wedding more. How exciting that your sixteen-year-old son is ready for college!! Good for him -- and you!

Sounds like you got really lucky to find Lisa Regan as a critique partner. I've been very lucky with mine too. Clarissa Draper and J.L. Campbell have been amazing critique partners and friends over the last few years.

Thanks for visiting and following my blog. There really aren't many of us suspense/thriller writers out there. Seems everyone is writing YA nowadays.