Our second day in Nashville started a little slow. We went to the Belle Mead Plantation which is a working farm and an antebellum southern plantation. It was okay, but I’ve done plantations before and I get confused over all the names and dates. I guess I’m not a history nerd.

The good thing about Belle Mead was that there is a winery there, and I love wine tastings, so we did that. It’s the only winery in Tennessee and I loved the wines so I bought two bottles to take home.

Yes, I realize that bottles of wine take up more room than mugs but I’m going to be okay with my suitcase!

Then we went to a mall that the tour book said was over a million square feet of shops, which might be true but it seemed like a good quarter or more of them were closed. We finally found an O’Charley’s and had lunch.

After lunch, we decided to go to the Grand Ole Opry and it was a great decision! We loved the backstage tour so much we decided (or rather Elizabeth decided, as she’s the one who paid) to stay and see a show!

We had about an hour and a half to two hours to kill so we went to the Gaylord Opryland Resort to look around.

Last year, before the big flood, RWA was holding its annual conference there so I was supposed to stay there and even had a reservation already. I wanted to see what it was like.

It is, of course, magnificent, but I wonder how long it would take to figure out how to get in and out and where to go if I had gone to a conference there.

We ate dinner, which was super expensive, but super yummy. Elizabeth paid again and I had gotten her some music jewelry as a thank you for this trip and all. She is a bell ringer so the music symbols were appreciated.

Then we went to the show. Fabulous. We had third row seats and had a wonderful time. I signed up for a Opry Visa (which I do not need) but I got a free t-shirt and a chance to go backstage during the show. Didn’t win, but I have some new and old stars I think I will be following.

Tonight, I’m tired, but we have one more full day here so I think we’re doing another mansion and then the Country Music Hall of Fame.

About a month ago or so, my sister-in-law sent me a message on Facebook wondering if I would be interested in the two of us (JUST the two of us) meeting somewhere about halfway between Akron, OH (where she lives) and Baton Rouge, LA (where I live) and spending just a few days doing touristy things and hanging out.

It took a little planning and logistics but yesterday we both flew to Atlanta and got on the same flight from there to Nashville. We rented a car and drove to our hotel in downtown Nashville. After we got settled and all we walked down one of the main streets (5th Avenue, I think) where there were small little restaurants/bars and some little shops, all geared to country or at least live music. This was mid-afternoon, around 3 or 4. Several of these places had their doors open and you could hear and sometimes see live performers performing.

I’ve never been much of a country music fan, although my dad and mom kinda were. I did grow up watching Hee Haw, so many country stars from the 70s and 80s are familiar to me, and I do know some of their songs.

We went into a little rib place and ate something. Then we walked around some more. We came back to our hotel and then, around seven we headed out to a nearby mall and ate at a Ruby Tuesday. Not super exciting, but fun.

Today was our first full day. We went to the Ryman Auditorium which is the former home of the Grand Ole Opry. It was built to be a church in the 1800s and it’s lovely inside. In fact, it is called the Mother Church of Country Music.

We had our picture taken on the stage holding guitars and saw lots of memorabilia from country music stars. I may just find myself buying some country CDs!

Then we at lunch at Panera Bread right next door. We don’t have Panera’s in Louisiana so I eat at one whenever I can.

Then we went to Fontanel, a magnificent log mansion built by Barbara Mandrell’s husband. It was their family home for years and it was amazing. We got there about an hour before the next tour so we went into a small family-style restaurant (Farmhouse) that is at the parking lot for the tour. On the ceiling were about a dozen or so old quilts and both Elizabeth and I remarked how it made us miss Mom, who would have loved this trip and had a blast with us.

After that we went to the the Parthenon. I had promised my son I’d go as we’d seen it in the Percy Jackson movie. Turns out that the movie must have used a set or something because what I saw didn’t jibe with the movie but was more impressive and beautiful. Elizabeth took a bunch of pictures and I got a mug and a T-shirt.

Speaking of mugs, I collect them and I got three(one in each place we visited) before I thought possibly putting them in my suitcase was going to be a problem if this continued. So, no more mugs. I loved the Parthenon so much I also got a t-shirt!

Then we went to the Hard Rock Cafe down the street from our hotel and I got a souvenir glass with my drink! My last drinking vessel this trip! I promise!

Yes, it’s been over a month since I posted anything here. I can’t believe I let it go so long. How many blogs that you read say that now and then?

Where I have been since 21 Dec? Well, we had Christmas, of course, which was nice. I got a lovely bread machine from my in-laws. It was label as for both Beloved and myself, but let’s be honest. I will put the stuff in to make the bread and all of us will eat it. Today I’m trying a recipe for beer and cheese bread, but it turns out we’re out of beer so I used some wine so it’ll be an interesting experiment. It’s baking now and I have to say it smells good, anyway!

For New Years’, we went up to Ohio to visit my family. It’s a very long car trip and we did it in our smaller car, a red four-door Mazda. The problem is that my van has become temperamental and sometimes decides just not to start when I turn the key. We didn’t really want that to happen on the road to Ohio.

We celebrated Christmas up there, too, and that was nice. Pepper got to get some bowling in with my brother giving her some pointers that seem to have helped her scores. My father was an amazing bowler and at one time considered leaving the military to go pro. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting in a bowling alley while he bowled in a league and being sure that his ball had eyes because it always went where he wanted it to. The pins just seemed to explode!

We are now back to our normal routine, except for my short stay in the hospital earlier this week with a bout of pneumonia. Because of my kidney transplant and the meds I take for that, they didn’t want to risk the infection getting out of hand so they kept me in the hospital for three days, bombarding me with antibiotics. Everyone I know who has had this before was sick for weeks and weeks, but today I’m actually feeling pretty normal. Not tired and weak. However, I’m skipping my writers’ meeting tomorrow because I don’t want to push myself too much. I’m good saying at home, but going out for several hours might be too much.

Plus, all the family will be gone for awhile so I’ll have the house to myself. I can get some editing on Sword & Illusion done.

Some thoughts on vacations and having people visit you on their vacations:

1. Some people are willing to spend money on a hotel just to get out of the car, regardless of how little they have left to go to get to their finally destination.

2. Flying long distances is never fun, regardless of the reason you’re doing it or who is with you.

3. For some reason, sitting completely still on an airplane for several hours can tire you out more than a full day’s work.

4. Many, many people think they deserve being served ahead of you even when there is clearly a line, it’s late at night, we’ve all missed our flight and no one’s flight is going anywhere until morning.

5. Standing in such a line, watching people walk right to the front and then to the next available ticket clerk because they missed their flight to Tel Aviv, is a bit of a bonding experience as you all complain at how slick that was.

6. Every trip away from home, even visiting relatives, should include a place where you can go when you just need some time away from the hustle and bustle, and maybe you family, too.

7. After about three or four days away, I’m ready to come home, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

8. For me, the best vacations are where I can just sit back and read a book if I want knowing that the laundry is hundreds of miles away.

9. Disney World is neat without kids, but so much better with them!

10. Friends can come from the most unlikely circumstances, and the best thing is to always be yourself.

11. Every now and then you need to treat yourself or be treated to a meal you’d never, ever think you could afford.

12. There are thousands of ways to have fun and you can have it anywhere.

13. Don’t take things so seriously because it’s more fun to laugh about circumstances and healthier, too!

I got back last Saturday from what was supposed to be the Writers’ Cruise.

From that opening sentence, you obviously can tell that it didn’t happen exactly as advertised.

Let me start from the beginning:

About 8-10 months ago, a member of RomVets, a group of romance writers who served or are currently serving in the military, came up with the idea of a writers’ cruise. She is also a quilt teacher and has done quilting cruises, so this seemed to be a great idea. She posed the question on our loop as to who wanted to go.

Four wonderful writers – myself, Susan Charnley, Terry Blain, and Lori Avocato – said we’d love to do this, so a travel agent took over to make all the arrangements.

For awhile, we didn’t hear anything, but once in a while, we’d get a little update. Susan had taken on the task of being go-between for the writers and the travel agent, and she did a fabulous job of keeping us up to date.

The plan was that we would each do two workshops, but the rest of the four day cruise would be free to mingle with the attendees and just enjoying the cruise.

The first problem we ran into had to do with selling books. As writers, we all assumed we’d be able to sign and sell books on the cruise. Some of us are epublished, which makes it a little tough for traditional booksellers to get our books for a number of reasons that come down to economics. However, we were assured that someone from the flagship office of Borders would be on board with us and would be able to get all of our books.

Then we discovered that either (1) the cruise company wouldn’t allow the bookseller on board (either there wasn’t a cabin or the company didn’t want books sold – I’m not sure of the real story) or (2) the bookseller’s higher-ups didn’t want someone cruising for four days instead of being in the office.

So, the next step was to see about setting up a website where our books could be sold before and after the cruise and we were going to have vouchers to give out to the attendees. Or something like that. I never was really clear on how that was going to work, but I figured I’d find out when we got closer to the cruise date.

Well, a month before we were supposed to leave on the cruise, we all got emails from the travel agent telling us that the website (which had no way for visitors to register for the trip, by the way) was taken down and we should take down any pages on our own sites. I was a little worried about this, but was reassured that we were still going but that no one had signed up.

Well, for the next few weeks we were trying to figure out what was going on, and on the Thursday before we were supposed to leave we found out that we might not be going on the ship we’d first believed. Apparently, for some reason still not clear to me, we weren’t actually confirmed on the ship until the last minute.

On Friday (remember I’m leaving home on Saturday!), Lori decided that she wasn’t going on the trip because she had other personal and professional things to attend to. Terry wasn’t sure she was going but Susan and I said we were heading down to Orlando on Saturday.

Personally, I needed some time away from things for myself. Friday afternoon, my husband took the Boy out to play and I sat down for a few minutes to relax and I decided whatever happened, I was okay with it. Then he came back in and said, “Whatever happens, we won’t lose the house.”

I stared at him and said, “I wasn’t stressed about all this. I am now.”

What he meant was that we’d be okay financially if I had to turn around and buy a plane ticket home Saturday night.

So, Saturday morning, I met Susan at the Orlando airport and we headed to the Embassy Suites where she had a room reservation. The travel agent was paying for everything now, so things were okay.

I had planned to go to Mass at 5 pm Saturday thinking we were leaving Sunday for the cruise ship, but Susan said at this point it didn’t look like we were, so I decided I’d wait and go to Mass Sunday morning. It was already about four when we got to the hotel anyway. Susan told me she saw signs for a Catholic chapel at the airport so I could take the shuttle there and back.

Terry arrived around six or so, and Susan filled her in on the plans. Terry had been to RWA’s National Conference, so she decided that if we weren’t cruising, she would rather just go home. We all had dinner together and she contacted the travel agent and said she wanted to go home the next day.

I headed out the next morning back to the airport but discovered that the chapel was behind security so only ticketed passengers could go to Mass. I had called the hotel a week before and knew that the closest church was Blessed Trinity, so I got a cab to take me there.

Well, the driver misheard the address and then proceeded to get lost. I got the 8 am mass at 8:18 and it cost me $30. I was a little worried about how I was going to get home, but I decided that God would help me and if worse came to worse, I could call Susan at the hotel and ask her to call a cab for me as I had no phone numbers!

The priest asked visitors to stand up after Mass and introduce themselves. I did and said I was from Louisiana. As I was shaking his hand afterward, I told him I would need his help to get a cab back to the hotel. He asked a man to call a cab for me, and this man and his wife said, “Oh, she’s the woman from Louisiana? We’ll take her to the hotel.”

Turns out the woman had graduated from LSU and they were happy to drive me back. They also gave me their names, address and phone number in case I needed anything else while in Orlando. Later this week, they will be sent a copy of my book as a thank you gift.

Well, Terry, Susan and I had breakfast together then Terry headed back to the hotel. Susan and I got to know each other pretty well as we waited to hear from the travel agent to find out what we were doing next. When she called, Susan told her that she could save some money, and send us to Disney World.

See, the plan now was to get us on a ship on Monday, which would mean that my plane ticket home on Thursday would be worthless and she’d have to buy us tickets on Friday. If we went to Disney, we could go home on Thursday as planned.

Well, she said she was getting us on a Royal Caribbean ship, so we got our stuff together and got on a shuttle that took us to Port Canaveral. We had a room in a wonderful Radisson hotel, and once we figured the layout out, we had a great time. We walked around, had dinner at the restaurant and started talking about an anthology of novellas about traveling plans that go awry.

Monday morning, after my sleeping on a Select Comfort bed for the first time, we found out that we wouldn’t be getting on that ship after all. Our names didn’t make the manifest in time, even though she got them to the office in time. So, now we were going to Disney World.

Now the story gets better.

We stayed in the Yacht Club resort Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and had Park Hopper tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday. The staff was wonderful and we felt like royalty. Regardless of the social stand Disney has taken on some life issues (like their support of Planned Parenthood), I can’t deny they know what they’re doing. Customer service second to none and everyone who works there is unfailing friendly and helpful. Like when I lost my room key and park pass (all on one card), no one every blinked when I told them. It was all handled in less than five minutes and I got a new card. (I found the old one as I was packing to leave – I’d put it in an obscure pocket of my bag “so I wouldn’t lose it.”)

We had a great time in the parks because we had no kids begging to do everything or buy everything. We each had specific things we needed to do to say we’d been to Disney, and the rest of the time we just relaxed, wrote, or napped.

Our last night, Susan treated us to a fabulous meal at the Yachtman Steakhouse. It was expensive but so good. She said it was a business dinner and we did work out some kinks in the novellas we’re each going to write when we finish current projects.

Thursday evening when it was time for my plane to leave, it was about an hour late leaving Orlando and landed in Atlanta 25 minutes after the last flight to Baton Rouge took off, so I had to stay over in Atlanta, with no toiletries or clean clothes because my bags stayed at the airport to get on the BR plane. I finally got home around 11 am Friday morning and was so tired and glad to be home, I cried when my husband hugged me.

Now, I’m excited about writing again. I’m working on the edits to Sword & Illusion, hoping to be done with that by the end of August, and I have a superhero chick lit I’m pre-writing. Susan is a great traveling companion and she’s got wonderful story ideas. I can’t wait to read her fairy tales!