Back in MO 2/29/12

     I left Myrtle Beach 7:15am on Sunday 2/26/12.  Had a near-perfect roadtripping day -- mostly blue sky, temps in the 50s, traffic wasn't terrible.  Made it almost to Paducah, KY, approx. 770 miles according to my SGD.  Stopped at a Days Inn for the night, in time to see the red carpet Oscar hoopla.  Wow, that was some dress J-Lo was wearing!  And the Clooney, hunkalicious!
     Back on the road before 8am on Monday for the final 330 miles, was rolling into my SGD's driveway and his wraparound hug by 1:30pm.  We've had a great time reconnecting, trying to fit all the stuff I brought back in with his.  In a way, it feels like I never left, like we were only on pause for a bit.  But I did leave, and I'm a different woman for running away and chasing my dream.  I know I am a writer now, even if I'm not making money at it.  I still love the beach, but I've learned that I am an adventurer and home is wherever I want to be, not a specific state or place.  So this won't be my last adventure, that's for sure.  And home may change many times until my journey is through, but I'm hoping my SGD will be right there with me wherever I go.  That will make it home.
     Thanks for reading Myrtle Moments.  I won't be blogging here again.  Who knows, maybe I'll start a new blog as my writer life continues and I can share the excitement when my novel and memoir come out.  So stay tuned, as Carrie Bradshaw says.      

Time to go 2/25/12

     It's been a crazy couple of days since I last posted.  I've had several good-byes:

• to Mother Ocean as I took my last barefoot walk on the beach.
• to Dirty Don's, my SGD's and my favorite Myrtle Beach bar, with one last Fat Tire and some delish fried cheese stix as I watched the tourists stroll by on the Boardwalk.
• to the Fun Plaza and Skeeball, which sucked because they got new Skeeball machines and I never could find the sweet spot that allowed me to score big (and even beat my SGD once or twice!).
• to my Myrtle Beach writer's group, whose support gave me the courage to share my work and who encouraged me to continue writing in my unique voice and style.
• to the hot tub last night, which I had peacefully to myself one last time.

     I have learned so much during this trip, about myself and being a writer, and done so many things for the first time.  It has truly been a dream realized.  But I'm not done dreaming.  I still believe that writing is my thing and I have something special to share with the world through my writing.  So I'm carrying that dream back to Missouri to start the next chapter of my life with my SGD.  Look out, Babe, you've got a crrr-azy writer woman coming your way!  And look out, World, you're going to have my novel "Life Is A Beach -- After I'm Gone" and memoir "Life Gone South (when I ran away to live at the beach and be a writer)" coming at you soon, even if I have to self-publish the suckers.
     Believe it or not, I am so ready to hit the road.  This place turned into "Animal House" yesterday, with 40-some young'uns from Virginia making the pool (and anywhere else they decided to take over) into their private bar and the whooping and partying continued late into the night.  They are already at it again this morning.  Yay -- so much for getting a good night's rest before my roadtrip tomorrow.  And now I have to fit all my junk from this 3-room condo into my Cavalier.  I'm not sure, but it will probably involve much drinking and cussing before the job is done.  Wish me luck.  I'll do one more post when I am safely back in my SGD's arms.  

Vacation state of mind 2/22/12

• I have been stressing too much lately, trying to write full time and pack and clean and do all the prep to head back to MO.  Decided that was a crappy way to spend my last four beach days.  So, I've adopted a vacation state of mind, starting today.  Like it so far.
• Took a sunrise beachwalk, first time in a long time.  My coffee didn't stay hot for long, the wind was mighty chilly, but seeing the sun come up with my sneakers in the sand was worth it.  Saw my buddy Bob, another sunrise walker.  He's headed back to Pennsylvania soon to go on a Caribbean cruise to St. Thomas with his lady friend.  Doesn't hurt so bad to leave the beach when you're going cruising to an even more tropical beach, huh?
• Saw a flock of seagulls like I've never seen before, with black heads and feet.  They were grouped up and far away from the "regular" gulls.  Wonder if they crashed the beach without being invited?
• Had my first pedicure today since I've been here.  Got a "welcome to the neighborhood" $10 off coupon in the mail for Sue Ann's Nails, thought I'd try it.  Worst pedicure ever!  Turns out Sue Ann is an Asian man who runs his computer repair business out of the nail shop and does nails when he doesn't have a computer to fix, or maybe the Asian lady that was his girlfriend, sister, or wife.  I couldn't tell by how they interacted what the relationship was.  He did my pedi, and there was no massaging of feet or legs, just soak, clip, and then he scrubbed my feet with a purple Brillo-like pad just like he was scrubbing a pan of burned lasagna.  I told him it tickled, and he just scrubbed harder.  And, no, my feet were not hoof-like, either, if that's what you're thinking.  I do my own exfoliation on a regular basis.  His polishing skills were lousy, too.  Didn't even get the Purple With A Purpose on evenly and left smudges on my toes.  I do like the color, though.  Purple is my signature color.  And I shouldn't need any further exfoliation for a year, at least!
• Got in another beachwalk this afternoon.  I did go barefoot, but in capris, shirt and sweater.  And I was still chilled.  There were kids in the pool and on the beach in swimsuits.  Don't know how they could stand it, but they were whooping it up big time.
• My peeps back in MO are having sticker shock today that gas went up from $3.23 to $3.39.  I empathize, that's a stinger of a jump.  But it's been in the $3.40s to $3.50s here for a month or better, even up to $3.66 when I was roadtripping.  So it could be worse.
• Think it's time for wineing and hot-tubbing.  That's what vacationers do, right?!

Roadtrip Recap 2/21/12

Good Lord, can't believe it's Tuesday already and I'm just now catching up on my blog about my roadtrip.  It's been crazy since I got back, lots of writing to do and getting ready to head back to MO.  I'll try to hit the high points and not bore you silly with all the details, BUT IT WAS A FABULOUS TRIP!

• Even though I left early on Saturday, still got caught in the Myrtle Beach Marathon and had to drive about 20 miles out of my way.  So the trip started out with much cussing.
• Beaufort, SC, was a dream town.  Literally, like something from a dream.  The old narrow streets topped by Angel Oaks with Spanish Moss hanging down.  The homes were quaint and welcoming, with the front doors near the street, as if saying "come on in."  Found Tidalholm, where "The Big Chill" was filmed.  Couldn't get close as it's a private residence and behind huge iron gates, but it was just like I was in the movie.  I could picture the scenes playing out right in front of me.  Got a few pictures to prove I was there.
• The Historic District on Bay Street had cutesy shops and funky cafes, behind was a lovely park with brick walkways bordering the bay that comes in from the Intracoastal Waterway.  Touristy and loud on Bay Street, with church people hawking Jesus on the corners, still and peaceful sitting by the bay.  Would love to come back and spend more than a couple hours here.
• Savannah, what a crazy tri-polar town.  The River District is wild with nightlife and drunks.  The Historic District is stately with family-named homes and ornate architecture and horse-drawn carriage tours.  Then down South, at least on Abercorn Street where my hotel was, it's any-urban-sprawl-type-town in America.  Loved the tour of the Mercer-Williams House Museum, although I would have loved even more to have had a cocktail on the veranda or to sit in Jim William's chair in his study where he fired the gun than just to hear about paintings and antiques.  Still I got the feeling at times that I was there when John Berendt, author of "Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil", was strolling through the house with Jim Williams, learning the sordid tales of Mercer House and Savannah and how to play Psycho Dice.
• Had a late lunch at Clary's Cafe, where John Berendt used to breakfast after his morning jogs.  It was just like he described it.  Had a delicious egg salad sandwich, one of their specialities.  Got a snap of Clary's, too, to remember her by. 
• And finally, The Lady Chablis show was FABULOUS!!  I got stuck in the middle of a bridal posse, complete with t-shirts that identified who they were in the posse, including "Mother of the Bride" and "Pastor's Wife."  They were party girls, now.  Curious -- no "Mother of the Groom" in sight.  Was she not invited?  Trouble in marital paradise already??  I did not get enough of Chablis, she had her drag queens perform a lot during her show, but what I did get of her was:  gun-shot quick comebacks to anything the audience could throw at her; raunchy hilarious comedy; gorgeous outfits that made her look like the most beautiful woman in the world (I would kill to have her sculpted arms!!); and a wonderfully talented performer that I could have watched all night long.
• So, all in all it was a final fling roadtrip dream!!  You'll have to buy my memoir -- Life Gone South (how I ran away from home to live at the beach and be a writer) -- to find out more.  Hopefully available in stores soon.  As soon as I find an agent.  And finish the dayum thing.      

Roadtripping 2/17/12

I am headed out early tomorrow for my final-fling roadtrip, the fun-venture I promised myself instead of making a New Year's resolution.  First stop is Beaufort, SC, where "The Big Chill" was filmed.  Love that movie.  Going to check out the house where the movie was made and cruise around town, check out the local flavor.  Then I'm off to Savannah, GA, setting for "Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil."  One of my fave books, I read it every year.  Have tickets to Lady Chablis's cabaret show tomorrow night, doing Clary's Cafe and the Mercer-Williams House Museum on Sunday for any of you familiar with the book/movie.  I am jazzed and ready to hit the road.  Will catch you up on all my crazy adventures when I return. 

Just one thing 2/16/12

     I had a meltdown a couple days ago -- a bad one -- from letting a writing rejection get to me.  It had me so down, I didn't want to get up the next morning.  So I made a deal with myself.  Do just one thing, that's all.  Just get out of bed.  If you don't do another thing all day, that's OK.  Do just one thing.  And I did.  And I did it with my full attention on that one thing.  Then when I felt like doing just one more thing, I did that.  I got through that day, and it felt so good, I carried doing just one thing on to yesterday.  Then today.
    It's been pretty amazing.  Most days I wake up with an entire day's worth of have-tos weighing on my chest.  No wonder getting out of bed is such a chore.  But I haven't felt that way since doing just one thing.  Last night I had a crappy sleep, waking with bouts of heartburn all night long, but all I had to do was get out of bed this morning.  Just one thing.  And I could do that, no matter how bad my night was.
     I've noticed that without feeling like I am forever running behind on getting things done, panting just to keep up with all I think I have to do, each one thing I do brings more pleasure.  I am actually present enough to enjoy that one thing, to really relish it, not already thinking about how I'm going to accomplish the next thing.
     This "just one thing" prescription may not be a biggie for anyone but me.  But so far, it feels like a life-changer.  And no side effects.  So I wanted to share it.  Now if I can only remember to take a big dose of just one thing every morning when I wake up.
   

Good 2/14/12

     Wishing a Happy Valentine's Day to all of you in love or like or lust or whatever state you find yourself in today.  If you are blessed to have someone special in your life, be good to each other and good for each other.  And if you find yourself alone today, be good to yourself.  Do something special just for you.  I splurged on a new notebook for my memoir and a nice bottle of wine today.  And it felt good.
     Soon, I'm going to crack open that bottle of Carmenere and share some phone time with my SGD.  Even 1200 miles away, he is so very good to me and good for me.  Thanks, SGD, for blessing my life on Valentine's Day and every day!