TurkeyZilla Gets Away


About last week ...

We were away all week attending a reunion of shipmates of one of the cutters Live-In Handyman served aboard. My plan had been to use the time as my own personal writing retreat. I planned to blog and write, because the men from this cutter experienced a lot together and had much catching up to do.

However, the destination was awesome, and the Coasties and their wives were even more so. We spent hours talking and laughing poolside and at the bar. And I worked very little.

Most of you are aware that I ended up not visiting too many of your blogs, although I did make it to a few.

This was a time when real life definitely intervened upon my good intentions. I could always call it research, and who knows? Perhaps it was. But I had an excellent time and made many new friends.

And returned to San Antonio along with the rain and sleet. The Tiki Hut is a bit chilly :)

For those of you here in the U.S.: Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I'm wondering how a cranberry margarita would taste. Anyone know?

Can you tell I'm not much in the mood to crank out a Thanksgiving dinner? There's likely a reason for that - one that goes beyond just returning from a fabulous getaway.

It's the time of year when my cleverly crafted little world implodes. And it's the main reason I don't do NaNo - aside from the fact that my writing creeps along like Tammy Turtle.

Between mid-October and the end of the year, our slightly extended family has about a dozen birthdays.

As you may think, there's a bunch of extra shopping and wrapping and chat and get-togethers that have nothing to do with Christmas, which is also around the corner.

So smack in the middle of all that falls The Grand Turkey Feast. Most years, this one included, family gathers at our home.

Don't get me wrong. I'm more thankful than I can say to be part of all this. I cherish my family. All of them, each and every one.

I even cherish the stress level this time of year because it means I'm part of a crazy and loving family. How boring would a perfect no-stress holiday be? Not perfect at all. And totally unexciting.

So I'll be around here and at your blogs this week, and then ...

I'm taking another blog break for the entire month of December. Actually, I'll be unplugging almost totally. I may show up on Facebook and Twitter every so often, but the appearances will be rare. Please say hi if you see me there. I'll be going through social withdrawal.

Unplugging is the only way I know to accomplish all I need to do without halfway killing myself in the process. If anyone has other ways that work for them, please share!

Know that I will be busy, but I'll still think about all of you. In my heart, I'll be wishing you

Happy Thanksgiving!


Merry Christmas!


Happy New Year!


Be Thankful
I'm thankful to have all of you in my life.

Be Loving
'Tis the season, ya know :)

Good wishes for
Health, Wealth, and Happiness


I will be back here on Monday, January 6, 2014.

See you then!




Comments

Enjoying life is just as important - glad last week was so much fun.
Unplug and accomplish a lot next month.
Enjoy the holidays, even the cooking, and we'll see you on the other side.
Unknown said…
Enjoy your time away. It is difficult in the midst of all the demands, to keep up with online stuff. I'm hearing that more and more across the board. Enjoy your time. May it truly be joy-filled.
Carol Kilgore said…
Alex - I don't know that I'll accomplish anything beyond the essentials, but I will get those done without freaking out.

Julie - Thank you. I wish you a wonderful holiday season.
Helena said…
I'll miss you, Carol, but your life, your family and your writing come first. I think the holidays can get so crazy for all of us that maintaining a blog is nigh impossible.

It's great that you had such a good time with old friends. Now go have a cranberry margarita.
VR Barkowski said…
I've never had a cranberry margarita but it sounds delightful. I adore cranberries (as long as they're not served with meat). Cranberry muffins, cranberry bread, cranberry scones… yum!

Enjoy your holiday with family and friends. If you eek out a few minutes to write, so be it, but the other stuff is far more important.

See you on Jan 6. :)

VR Barkowski
Luanne G. Smith said…
So let's just cover it all…

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Um, happy birthday??? Happy whatever you celebrate, Carol. :))

I'll be taking a pretty low profile in December too. Couple things to post and then I'll be in revision mode I think.

Oh, and this post still isn't showing up on Blogger for me. Took me awhile to remember to check bloglovin' Still haven't got the hang of using that reader yet. :P
M Pax said…
We must enjoy and be grateful for what fills our days. We do need fun now and then. Happy holidays and celebrations!
Stina said…
LOL I think you've got most of the season's greetings covered. I don't blame you for taking December off. I would too if I could.

And don't discount that trip as research, Carol. You never know what idea it might has sparked. It just hasn't made it's presence known.
Carol Kilgore said…
Helena - Everyone was new to me. A few of us bonded quite well, and I'm hoping we'll see each other again - we all live about as far apart as possible LOL!

VR - We're the same with cranberries. And I've never had a cranrita either.

Luanne - Wish I knew why Blogger does what it does when it does. Sigh. And I did have a birthday during all this, too. So...thanks! Good luck with your revisions!

Mary - I've been blogging almost five years with only a few breaks. It's catching up with me. Hope your kitty stays well.

Stina - True about the research. Maybe next year will be your turn to take a holiday break. This one will be exciting, though, leading to your debut release!
Janie Junebug said…
Carol, Could you possibly squeeze in one more birthday card? I'm asking all my blogger buddies to send me birthday cards for my (former) mother-in-law, Margaret. I know it's a lot to ask, but I really want Margaret to get 80 cards for her 80th birthday. If you can work it in, please mail a card for Margaret to Janie Goltz PO Box 61371 Jacksonville FL 32236
I love ya whether you do it or not! I hope you can find some time to relax during the holidays.

Love,
Janie
Anonymous said…
It's a busy time of year for sure. Happy Holidays.
David Oliver said…
Good reading your blog. You sound happy and that's all any of us need. Hope you the best with all the birthdays and shopping and Happy Holidays!
Happy Everything to you and yours December/January is when our birthday binges take place so I know how you feel. We will be here when you return, rested and refreshed.
Shelly said…
I'm not quite ready for Thanksgiving, but I'd better get that way, and fast! I hope yours is wonderful, and that we get some better weather for it!
LR said…
Ooh I think a cranberry margarita sounds awesome.

Happy holidays! (all of them)
Melissa said…
I'm going on hiatus next month, too. Glad you had a good time with your friends. Have a wonderful holiday(s). See you next year. :)
H. R. Sinclair said…
I don't know how a cranberry margarita but it sound better than a crantini!
Unknown said…
Going away until January? Wow, no way could I be away from my virtual friends that long. My online friends ARE my family, and I couldn't wish for a better one.

Your vacay sounded great, full of much fodder for future stories. Good luck with all the birthdays, entertaining, and trips. Have a wonderful holiday season!! <3
Carol Kilgore said…
Janie - I will look for a card next week and get it in the mail to you. What a cool thing for you to do!

Delores - You should see my to-do list.

David - I am happy :) I just wish I could work faster or someone could add extra hours to all my days in November and December. Either one would work.

EC - I'm not sure how rested and refreshed I'll be in January, but I know I'll have spent some quality time with my family and not been totally stressed out.

Shelly - I'm not ready either, but I'll be baking tomorrow. What is with this weather! This is still Texas, right?
Carol Kilgore said…
LR - If I should run across one, I'll research the taste and report back.

Melissa - You have wonderful holidays, too. Here's to January!

Southpaw - You could experiment and include the recipe in a cookbook!

Lexa - Basically, my unplugging for five weeks is due to having a to-do list longer than a small town phone book. And a promise that I would not overload and work like crazy all day while attempting to function on five hours sleep every night - like I've done for way too many previous Decembers.

Every year, something has to go. And this year, it will be my online presence instead of my health, emotional well-being, forgotten gifts or more.

I will miss everyone terribly. You all are my family, too. I'm not going away, just taking a break.

Think of it as me going TDY/TAD - that's like a short-term deployment. Or a long business trip in the civilian world.

I intend to pop in occasionally on Facebook and Twitter. I hope you'll say hi if you see me there.

And I hope you'll be back to visit here in January.
Julie Flanders said…
I'm glad you had such a good time last week! Take care and have a wonderful holiday season, Carol. See you in January!
Bish Denham said…
The holidays shouldn't be stressful, so... enjoy your time off!
Jemi Fraser said…
Enjoy every single moment! This time of year is definitely a little nuts - make sure you fit in the fun!
Sounds like you had a terrific time, and terrific times in real life should always take precedence over whatever's going on in the cyber world, no matter how awesome your blogger, facebook, and twitter pals are.

One of the neat things about getting older (or delightfully mature, as I prefer to think of it) is the next generation now hosts all of the holiday meals. For lots of years, our house was packed with family and friends for every holiday, and I cooked for a week, but now, all I have to do is... show up! So, yeah, I'm "ready" for Thanksgiving.

Enjoy your long hiatus, and best wishes for all the holidays between now and when you return. "See" ya next year!
Ava Quinn said…
Your vacation sounded fantastic! Have a nice unplugged respite for the month of December.See you back in January!!

Enjoy!
Carol Kilgore said…
Julie - I had loads of fun. Happy holidays to you, too :)

Bish and Jemi - I can't even imagine a carefree/no stress December. But I'm going to try my best to find one this year.

Susan - I can't imagine just having to show up, either. I think we are Holiday Central here.

Ava - Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, too.

River Fairchild said…
Can I come to your house and meet TurkeyZilla? ;)
Of course it was research...always. Especially if drinking was involved.
Happy holidays to you and I think I'll follow your example with the unplugging part. I've been mostly there already. :/
Linda G. said…
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to you, too! Enjoy being unplugged. :)
Glad you had a fun getaway with your husband! Happy holidays to you and your family, and I hope you enjoy your break! See you in the New Year!

Julie
Crystal Collier said…
=) It's good to see you back! Yay. That real life thing, it might be slightly overrated. ;)

Oh hey, I have some friends whose Thanksgiving tradition is to go to Crackerbarel. No clean up. No prep. Easy peasy.
LD Masterson said…
Enjoy your unplugged time. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to you, too. See you next year.
Robin said…
Hey Carol,

Isn't it fun to meet new people and learn new things? Yeah... you may or may not use it in your writing. Who knows? But it was still wonderful. Sounds like you will be very busy with holidays, birthdays, family time. ENJOY IT ALL.

I dedicated something to you on last week's Thursday post. If you get a chance drop by and watch it before you head out...
Emily R. King said…
We have a dozen birthdays and crazy holiday stuff too! It's so hard to write or blog this time of year. I'm glad you had a fun trip, and I hope you and your family have wonderful holidays! See you next year!
Carol Kilgore said…
River - Come on over! As to the research...there may have been a drink or many consumed.

Linda G, Julie and LD - Thanks! Happy, Happy :)

Crystal - Cracker Barrel! Now why didn't I think of that?

Robin - Yes! And I loved the snoring scenes :)

Emily - Good luck with all your family events, too!
Maria said…
Happy Thanksgiving, Carol.
klahanie said…
Hi Carol,

I'm so relating to the ideals of your articulate posting.

So, the hectic times can also make us appreciate those times when we unplug and just get on with other aspects of our life. You focus on your priorities. Quite right, I say.

When I'm busy trying to get other things done, I have Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar take over my blog and comment on other sites :)

Have a peaceful rest of the year and all the events in between.

Until next year, all the best....

Gary and family :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Maria - Thanks! I'm still stuffed from yesterday :)

Gary - You're so fortunate to have Penny. The two canines who share my life refuse to blog - they just want to comment :)
Anonymous said…
I hope you had a wonderful week. Yes, it is a busy time being with others and preparing things. Have a fantastic December.
Carol Kilgore said…
Medeia - I hope you have a fantastic December, too!
Anonymous said…
Hope you had a grand turkey day -- and enjoy your time unplugged. We all need more of that.
cleemckenzie said…
Here's to unplugging. May you have a wonderful December!
Carol Kilgore said…
Milo and Lee - Thanksgiving was awesome. Hope yours was, too. Happy December ... watch out for a fat bearded man with reindeer :)
Enjoy your unplugging. I'll be doing the same after Wednesday.
Carol Kilgore said…
Have a wonderful holiday, Lynda!

See, y'all, I really am still here :)
Rula Sinara said…
Can't blame you for needing to unplug! I'm still playing catch-up after an eventful Thanksgiving. Hope you have the best holiday season!
Carol Kilgore said…
Thanks, Rula! Hope your holidays are fab, too :)
Jennifer Shirk said…
I thought you were quiet! I know what you mean about trying to get what you need to get done. Enjoy your holiday!!!
See u in the new year!
Nas said…
Just dropped in to say Happy Holidays!
cleemckenzie said…
Popped back by to wish you a Merry Christmas. Glad to see you're still enjoying that break. I'm following right after you!
Inger said…
Merry Christmas and looking forward to seeing you soon.
Sean McLachlan said…
Love the new header! It would look good as a bookmark.

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