There were a lot of things going on and a lot to get done after we got home.
In the last week we officially got my first book of the year out (after having to explain to the publisher that captions actually need to be with the pictures and that the captions didn't have to be repeated more than once). I started writing text for my latest book project (due out in 2017). Lisa got chapter 1 of her dissertation to her advisor....
And then there were the things that weren't writing related. Two Sundays ago (the one before Mothers
Day) Lisa got her new choir director and got the choir to meet for the first time in our new ward (and the stake wants them to sing in stake conference next month...). I had a bunch of clerks office stuff to do including pushing to get my new membership clerk (who knows when that is going to happen...) and explaining to someone who really should have known better that as a clerk I do not in fact have the authority to perform marriages for the dead (talk about a looong story). And a whole series of other adventures better left to another time and place.
Somewhere in all of this I mentioned to Lisa that I didn't think the typical ward Mother's Day thing was going to be very good for either one of us at the moment. Lisa quickly found that with some club points we could get a really good price at a nice hotel in Salt Lake.
And then this happened...
Video courtesy of PandoricaGallifrey ...
In all seriousness we did get away for the weekend, and it really was what we needed. We got the relaxation and stress relief we didn't get on the last trip. Speaking of that stress relief...
I know it's a weird Mother's Day activity but we had a good time "bustin' caps" at a local shooting range. Lisa did pretty good for her first time with a pistol. No, the grouping on my target in the picture ain't the best, but considering it was a range gun not mine and this was my first clip with it... I'm not complaining. They got better after that.
Later in the day we went to a really good Brazilian steak house for a nice dinner.
I actually woke up both nights of the trip with ideas about the new book. So, Lisa kindly ignored a lot of rambling on my part...
So my tip to everyone is... If you really need to get a way for a day or two, find a way to do it once in a while...
It really helps.
Here are a few other lessons learned on this trip
1: Fancy hotel manager types get worried when they see a guy with crazy hair wandering into their hotel restaurant....
2: Those same managers get really embarrassed and defensive on the second day of the trip, when they come up to you in the hotel restaurant; see that you're writing in a notebook; and then read your t-shirt that says "Please don't annoy the writer he may put you in a book and kill you" (Thanks to Lisa's mom, Marisa, and company)... Yeah, the service got a lot better after that...
3: Lisa really prefers revolvers to semi automatics. Revolvers don't throw hot brass at you...
4: There is absolutely no point in me not taking a notebook into a restaurant... I only end up writing on the napkins!
Well, that's it for today...
Until next time...
Remember, your mind is your greatest weapon,
Keep it sharp and loaded!
