Vacation Follies: Get Me Away From Winter

Today's Romance Writer's Weekly blog hop topic comes from the talented  A.S. Fenichel -
It's cold in most places. What's you're favorite vacation spot? This can be someplace you've been or someplace you dream of going. If you have a book with a terrific vacation spot, work it in, too. :)

Jo Richardson, Author.

I hoped you've stopped by from  Jo Richardson's Blog. http://jrrichardsonfics.weebly.com/the-blog


A person has to love winter to live where I do. Calgary, Alberta, Canada is cold. Very cold.
Okay, that may be a wee bit of an exaggeration this year. Today we are sitting at a balmy -4C. (That's about 25F for those of you who haven't gone metric.) Pretty nice weather for here.

Our summer place. In late April.

Calgary has special weather. Freezing cold, then a Chinook hits and bam, Chinook headache caused by all that warm air rushing in. But the temp can change 20 degrees in an hour. It's great for keeping the snow down. All that warm air and wind sweeps the snow away.

But, today we are talking vacation. Hubsters and I spend a lot of time in our holiday trailer at our summer place. In the summer it is awesome. Tons of trees. Lots of warm (not hot) weather. Good friends, great neighbors, family.

I'm not one for warm weather. I like a nice even plus 15C. Warm enough for shorts, but not melting my fat-arse off. Hubby and I have taken a few vacations. We spent a week on a floating lodge salmon fishing in British Columbia. That was awesome.

My favorite Canadian vacation spot is Newfoundland. We had a blast there. Seriously, how cute are these buildings? And the fish chowder is to die for! And only in St. Johns does it take two kegs of beer for two teams to play three games of lacrosse! 

We've been to Prague, Manchester and London for lacrosse tournaments. Ya, hubsters still plays lacrosse a couple times a week. It keeps him fit and hot. (Fans face.) Scotland was amazing. Such great people and harsh but pretty scenery.
When I am famous and raking in the big bucks, I'm going back to London to spend a week writing in Trafalgar Square. Writing, reading, people watching. All with a steaming hot cup of coffee and a pasty in my hands. And don't go getting all technical and telling me that if both hands are full I won't be able to write. I'm dreaming big here.

Author Jami Denise

Swing by Jami Denise's place for another vacation perspective. http://jamidenise.com/blog



Do you have a favorite vacation place? Tell us about it? Where do you go and what makes it so fabulous?

Hugs
Katie

What Rings Your Christmas Bells?

Yes, here we go again ... another blog hop post that includes the fabulous girls (and boys) from Romance Writer's Weekly. I hope you've stopped by from Betty Bolte's page. http://www.bettybolte.com/blog.htm

Today's topic comes from Carrie Elks this week:
We all love a bit of romance at Christmastime! Tell us about your favorite Christmas story—it could be a book, a movie or a true-life romance. What makes it so memorable?

Seems Simple enough .... right?

The main tree, for Grandkids.

I've put some thought into this, some serious thought. It isn't easy to pick just one special day or occurrence. So, in my typical, obstinate, non-conformist fashion, I'm going to do what ever I want.

The best part of Christmas is of course, spending time with family and friends. I consider Christmas the time to renew friendships and remind people how important they are to me. So I try to do nice things and find time to catch up with those who have drifted away during the year.

Bears 3 or 3 for every step.

Gifts? I can take them or leave them. I'm happy without gifts, but when I see something special that screams a loved one's name ... I have to buy it. I don't spend much, its not about the money, it is about reminding them how important they are.

And the decorating? Good grief, I LOVE the decorating. My house looks like Christmas exploded here. I was obsessed before, but now I have grandbabies to share with. So look out world! I've got two trees, one of which has a serious lean due to a crappy stand. I won't undecorate to replace the stand, so I've tied it to the railing to keep it upright. There are countless wreaths hanging everywhere, fake presents on the front step, teddy bears, a huge village, and lights strung up around every room on the main floor. I would have them upstairs too, but it is currently under renovation. No sense having lights when you have no carpet.

I'm adding a few pictures ... just to give you the idea.

Fragile ornament tree. Leaning Tower of Treeza.

Village, part one of three.

Santa's Workshop

Village ... my grand daughter loves the people.

I've got quilts on tables, walls and floors. And the beds.

12 days of Christmas Quilt

Star Trek Ornaments.

There are Star Trek ornaments on the table ... to heavy to hang. And Jim Shore ornaments on tables and the mantle.
The best part are all the ornaments on the tree that my children made when they were young. Toilet paper angels, one eyed reindeer. Felt trees with their candy decorations eaten off, macaroni angels... you get the idea.  Each is flawed, precious and perfect. (Some are so hideous they are cute.)
And we won't even get into the mess that results from partially wrapped presents. With three grand kids, I may have gone overboard on the gifts.
For more on the important topic of Christmas memories, please visit Veronica Forand at http://veronicaforand.com The blog hop officially starts at two, but I'm up early. Please stop by and visit the other hoppers.

Hugs

Katie

The Christmas Conspiracy

So here I sit, in a room lit only by our Christmas tree and a couple dozen strings of mini-lights hanging is loving loops around the ceiling and railings. I am cuddled up under a quilt with a cup of coffee and a couple homemade cookies. The cats are curled up around me and my man is nearby puttering away, making homey little noises. I really do have to say that life doesn't get much better than this.

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about it; the lights, the decorations, the baking, the gifts, the food, the gatherings, the camaraderie. This is the only time of the year that I actually like shopping and that I can tolerate the mall and the crowds.

I love to decorate for Christmas. A tree (or two or three) loaded with sparkling ornaments and lots of shimmering lights. Some greenery, tables filled with delicious goodies, Christmas quilts and pillows, stockings on the mantle and snow globes on the piano. Wreaths and packages adorn my front step. Stuffed animals line the stairway to the second floor. A roaring fire and a glass of wine or eggnog. Maybe an Irish coffee or Mimosa. Christmas towels hanging in the bathrooms. Strings of lights hanging around the room and across the mantle. (And when the cats have grown out of the 'I'll destroy everything by playing with it' stage, I shall bring out my Christmas village with its houses, shops, lights, snow and wee little people.)

I have Christmas bracelets, brooches, hair clips, necklaces and a big box full of earrings. There are T-shirts, sweaters and vests. Cats wearing antlers or jingle bell collars just for fun.

I love any event that draws my family close to my side. Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Sunday dinners, and weddings; to me, all these events have one thing in common … there is great joy and happiness for me when everyone comes together. Family gatherings (also known as family rebuttals), are always a hodge-podge filled with food, fun, bickering, snide remarks, anger, teasing, joking, jesting, hugs, kisses, and loud voices but most of all, laughter and love.

For me the Christmas season brings the best of these things together for an extended time. November and December are filled with sneaky trips to the mall, hastily hidden bags and parcels, text message conspiracies, gift plotting, and quick gatherings to plan, shop, wrap or celebrate. I love planning and scheming with my daughters on what trinkets to buy or make for those we love. What gift will bring that treasured smile to their faces?

It isn't about money, or consumerism. It isn't about lights and shopping and commercialism. It is about expressing the deeper, tender emotions that we feel for our families and friends that we aren't always comfortable sharing. It is an excuse to hug friends and strangers to make them, and us, feel good.

I believe in Santa. There, I said it. Mock me as you will, it doesn't bother me one bit. But before you do, let me explain. For me Santa Claus is a symbol of all that is right and good in this world. The loving, caring, sharing, and kindness. He is the embodiment of what we could be, what we should be year round. For this one month, he reminds us to be better, kinder, more generous and forgiving. Walking the mall, I see smiles and hear manners being used. I hear excuse me, please and thank you. I see random acts of kindness. Someone buying a stranger's coffee or running down the mall to return a dropped glove or scarf. For me, Santa is a symbol of a conspiracy ... a conspiracy of kindness and good deeds. And that my friend is a good thing.

I hope for all the best for you this holiday season. May you be blessed with love and happiness. May you find a moment for a random act of kindness or giving.

Merry Christmas and enjoy the conspiracy!

Christmas Hugs

Katie