Travelling

Today, the princeling and I are going on a trip, in our favorite rocket ship…. it’s time for us to go out and about. On our own. Well, sort of. We’re going to go visit family, but twill just be he and I in the car.

My son can’t remember the times we used to go travelling on our own. Admittedly, it’s only been twice, but still. My child thinks his mommy can’t travel on her own. Which if you knew my travel history is hilarious.

I love travelling with Linda. She’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Somewhere along the way, I’ve allowed myself to rely a bit too much on her. Yes, there are situations where I am uncomfortable. But something she said to me on the firstish trip (she ended up meeting me and a friend and ray in monterey) has been ringing in my head. “Why did you bring Her? You’re fine, you don’t need help with the princeling. You’re a good mom and you’ve got it handled”. 

And then I promptly let her handle the travel. Don’t get me wrong, I love travelling with her and T. It’s fun, and we get to talk answer laugh and share heart to heart moments. 

But my son sees me as weak. I write about kick ass women who save themselves and my son sees me as weak. It’s time to write a different story, one that includes travelling with Linda, but also some solo adventures with the princeling. 

It’s al,osteoporosis time for us to cut loose. Stay well my lovelies! 

When

When did I forget that I love to travel?

Something so simple. And yet it took a phone call with my Auntie for me to realize that… hey. Philly is far away, but… there are airplanes. I can save for a trip out there.

I have flown before. I have flown many a time. I love the leashed energy right before take off. It’s amazing when you burst up into the air. Yet my son doesn’t know that about me. He doesn’t know that while I am afraid of driving in the mountains, there are so many other places I’ve traveled and had fun.

When did traveling become scary? Or is it scary?  Why is it scary, if it is?

When? Why? How?

The change has to start now.

So let it begin.

 

Travelation

I love to travel. Seeing new sights, meeting new people… it’s a wonderous thing. For me, it’s one of the most inspiring things to do.

Last weekend, for the holiday, we headed up HWY 101 on the coast and pointed North. We went to Oregon, saw tons of things, met people, made memories… and made memories.

I also now have 5 essay/article ideas, and 2 poems fighting to get out.

Possibly a short story, you never know.

I do know that the fresh salt air, camp fire stories, watching 2 boys learn to be men from 3 women, a teenage girl learn to be a kid again, laughter and stories and sun and sand and love. All that, wrapped up in a summertime kiss.

There are probably a gagillion things that could be written about that trip. What caught my curiosity, on the first pass, was limited to about 7 items.7 solid writings that have already been sketched out, so I won’t forget details.

This summer is looking to be promising. Hopefully, i can keep it up. I have a trip to Reno/Tahoe planned for the end of the month. Fingers crossed, it’s a semi solo trip involving driving in mountains. Eeek!

What inspires you? What clears your head, makes your fingers itch for the pen?

Two Queries

So I queried 2 local papers regarding a travel article. I heard back from one. The article is already off to the editor, now it’s time to obsessively check my email until I hear yay or nay.

The travel article was on the Willy Wonka Sing A Long. While this event is over, they have more coming up. Nice little day trip for a family.

Even Better: I actually did it, queried it, and wrote it & sent off. There are no guarantees but I have begun to be who I want to be. Both as a person and a writer.We all know what was going on with me as a person… no need to rehash here.

But I wrote the bare bones of the event down in article format on Sunday (day after the event) so I wouldn’t forget them. Then I went back and added personality and flavor 🙂 At the same time, I queried. I figured even if I didn’t hear back it would be good practice. I can always publish it here, with you.

Except. I heard back from one. It is in the hands of the correct editor at the moment. And like every writer who doesn’t submit enough, I’m obsessively checking my inbox.

Well.

Onwards and upwards. I have another trip this weekend, this time a solo trip to go see a friend. In May, 2 trips. I might just make myself into a travel writer yet!

 

New Years Goals: 2013

So it’s a new year again, this time with my luck number~ 13. I haven’t done any “resolutions” for a very long time, I’ve mostly skipped on that portion of celebrating the new year.

This year is different.

What’s different about it? Well, I’m getting my voice back (writing wise) and feeling more capabale in general. More able to take on risks. Sooo… without further ado, I give you:

RESOLUTIONS 2013

1. Write a novel. This one’s a no brainer, and it’s one that has been chasing around in the back of my mind for a while. I think it needs to perk a little bit more, but that’s ok. I’m a quick writer.

2. Write my Bon Jovi Rock Opera. Actually, it’s either more of a one woman play or something with a narrator that does all the talking, except for the songs. This one has already started to tingle my fingers, which writers will understand. I drove to work on Friday screaming ‘ MY FINGERS ARE ITCHING, MY FINGERS ARE ITCHING!!!” I hate to think what the person next to me thought, but you know… Itchy fingers for a writer are a good thing.

3. Get passports for my sonand I. I don’t know how easy or hard this will be. I don’t talk about it much, but I have full physical and legal custody of my son, so you would think it would be easy. However, the ex is still alive, if not in the picture right now. So we shall see. But this leads into wanting to be able to travel to Europe with Ray in 2014.

A girl’s gotta have some goals, right?

4. Accept how I look. Not to say that i don’t want to loose weight, or what ever. But I hate getting my picture taken. HATE IT. If you’ve friended me on facebook, you know I RARELY post pictures of me. But what does that do to my son? When he’s older, is he going to care whether or not i was overweight? Or will he care more that he has no pics of his mom, and none of us together? Yah. I got over myself real quick with that one. I posted 2 or 3 pics with me in them to Facebook last night, as a matter of fact. So progress!

5. Be Joyous!! Let the boogie out!!!

6. Pray every day for the women of the world. It’s easy to forget here in the US, where we have an expectation of safety to a certain degree (and yes, mostly, but there are always exceptions)… But in other parts of the world young girls are being beaten, shot, killed for daring to want an education. In other parts of the world, young women can be out with an escort and get beaten and raped,… and ultimately killed. This last case polarized the country, and hopefully will bring about change in India. I’m still gonna pray for them. just my thing.

7. Figure out how to write a montage scene in fiction with 2 characters who are geographically far apart. I think i’ve figured it out, but will see.

8. And this one hurts. Even more than number four. Write more, read less. I can’t write if my head is always in someone elses world. I just can’t. I know some of you are here because I started reviewing books.,.. and i’ll still do that to a certain degree. But writing book reviews brought me back to *my* writing…. And I need to do this. For me, for my son.  (BTW– i do have a very interesting book review for next week. HA!)

Anyways, that’s the list as of right now. 8 tiny little goals. Right? Not too ambitious, right?

 

Yah, that’s what I thought!

Special Travel Arrangments

With Ray’s Dispraxia, I was terrified to travel with him. What if he fell and hurt himself— badly? What if I couldn’t handle all the stress and freaked out? How would he react to the change in routine? We’ve never gone anywhere of any great length before, certainly not a 3 hour road trip with a hotel stay overnight.

I shouldn’t have worried.

He had a great time. We went to Monterey, and Saturday was travel, Aquarium, shopping and a bunch of hanging out getting checked into the hotel. When we went for a walk around the water before dinner, he fell down probably 5 times. Tired boy-o. But that’s all it was. He so excited about holding a star fish, and seeing sharks, and and and…. I’m kind of suprised the falls didn’t happen until after we got to the hotel.

Sunday, I was worried about taking him to the ocean. Standing in the little wavelets— it can be unsettling as the sand and water shift under your feet. It kind feels as if the would is falling out from under you. Which, you know, probably isn’t far from what he feels most of the time. When he fell in the water, it was with a laugh “Mommy, the water is SOFT!” He attacked those waves with gusto… and a toy pirate sword. He had a blast. On the way home, he told me “I’ve had a long day, Mommy. I need to go to sleep.” And he did so… sleeping for about an hour and a half.

Lesson number one: Make sure he gets rest breaks in between fun. That one will be important when we go to Disney Land. Will also mean that if we go back to hotel for a nap, he’ll be able to see the night shows 🙂 Do they still have parade of lights?

One great thing– I called ahead to find out that by buying my tickets online, we did not have to stand in line. We were wisked right inside the aquarium. Research, people!

And lots and lots of smiles. Next weekend, we’re off to the Rosecrutian (Egyptian) Museum. Yay us!