May 13, 2014

Wordy Wednesday: How We All Ended Up Exhausted

Just looked back and in almost a month I've only posted 3 times. I mentioned the blog would be quiet for a bit, and originally that was for a good reason. I was feverishly editing my new book! (More book news below.) But then the good reason for the blogging break turned into a sad reason.
A begonia on the hospital room windowsill
In mid-January we learned my mother-in-law had stomach cancer. (A shock since she always ate healthy!) The hubs went to see her in March and he was actually surprised by how good she looked. Sadly, things changed on Easter when my brother-in-law called to say she'd rapidly declined.

We flew out very suddenly. Luckily we got to spend a couple of days with her, although those were exhausting days spent almost non-stop at the hospital. Then there were more exhausting days of going through her things, plus preparing for and attending the funeral. The first 10 days of the trip were so exhausting we changed our plans (we were to return on day 11) to stay longer to visit more friends and family.

So, here are a few pictures of some fun things we did, and pics of what Rita did while we were gone.
Hubs (handsome devil front & center) went to a Canadiens game!
We took nice walks. (I know... a tourist shot for sure!)
We ate a beaver tail. Yum.
(Note: didn't realize this beaver tail said MAPLE until I saw the photo later. In my defense, he handed it to me with the writing upside down.)
Drank absinthe at a fun restaurant. (Mmm. Licorice-y.)
Met this cuddle bug, Ollie - & I wasn't allergic!
Luckily my sis and bro-in-law, Reggie's parents, watched Rita for us for the 15 days we were away. My sis estimated they played 30-40% of the time! So, the rest of the time was spent like this:
Or, to really mix it up, like this:

We missed out on the Cinco de Mayo fun, but my sis sent cute pics of her "dancing dogs" from Guadalajara and the San Diego version:

When we finally returned, Rita made her little whining noises she only makes at her happiest! Either that or she was telling us her troubles... of all the abuse she suffered while staying at The Gulag. (Sis's house is The Gulag, cuz they have RULES for dogs. Okay... reasonable rules but still... Our house is The Spa cuz there are no rules. Okay... there are a couple...)

This is what Rita basically looked like the rest of the day:
And here's the pic my sis sent of Reg:


Apparently it was an exhausting two weeks for all involved!

Wee Book News
Book #3 is coming along. Still LOTS of editing to do. And I actually signed with a new agent (and I'm really excited about working with her!) so I'll be pursuing traditional publishing with this one. That means I don't really know when the book will be out. If we find a publisher, it could be ages! If we don't, well, then I'll self publish it like the others, but even that process could take months and months. Would love to have a new book out this year, but it's most likely not going to happen.

In other news... Rescue Me, Maybe will be published in Hungarian! Crazy, right? It's my first foreign rights deal and I'm pretty excited. I hope those Hungarians are Big Time Dog Lovers! Just signed the contract the other day, which says they have 18 months to get the book out so, again, it could be a while, but I can't wait to see/share the cover!


Sorry this was SO wordy, but there was lots to catch up on!

Will try to blog more regularly now, but still have much editing to do, so we'll see how it goes!

Thanks to BlogPaws for hosting the hop!

39 comments:

  1. So sorry, and hope you are coping well. Glad to see Rita made it through your absence just fine. :)

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  2. So sorry to read about your mother in law. We send love and hugs to you and the family. Glad Rita is fine. Congratulations for having your book translated into Hungarian which is epic as it is one of the hardest languages ever. We know they love their dogs and we hope it is a big hit. Good luck. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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    1. I didn't know that about the Hungarian language. Thanks for the hugs and good wishes!

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  3. I'm so sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family. Glad you had family to watch Rita and keep you updated on her through photos...that always helps. Good luck with your new agent. I hope your manuscript lands in the lap of an eager dog-loving editor at one of the big six! But even if you got he route you've been, can't wait to read it. :-)

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    1. It does help to get photos while you're away from home! Some days, those were the highlight of the day!

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  4. I'm sorry for your loss. Cancer has been a sad blight on our family and we lost someone quickly to stomach cancer, too. I'm glad you had someone in the family to comfort your dog while you were gone.

    Congrats on your new book. Best wishes as you work through the publishing phase.

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    1. Thank you. Yes, cancer is a blight. That's the perfect word for it. Sorry for your losses as well.

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  5. I am so very about your mother-in-law. Cancer truly sucks.

    I look forward to your new book! If you need a proof-reader, I'd be happy to help out ;-) LOL!

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    1. I'll keep you in mind! It's about a dog-mom, so I hope you'll like it!

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  6. Sorry to hear about your reason for the absence. Hugs from us. Glad to hear that Rita survived the Gulag with no ill effects. Your book in Hungarian, how great is that!! Now if it will just move across Europe and Asia. Anyway, welcome back and happy editing.

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    1. Thank you. That would be lovely it moved across Europe and on over to Asia! A girl can dream...

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  7. We were sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. Glad you were able to be with her at the end.
    and that you have a great place to leave Rita while you are away.
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Greta

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    1. Thanks. Yes, it's a huge relief to have a great place to leave her when we go!

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  8. Sorry for your loss. Congrats on the agent and foreign rights!

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  9. So sorry about your mother-in-law...glad you got there to spend some time with her. Also glad Rita survived her stint at the gulag...poor thing, she looks miserable. Welcome back, and congrats on the book news! Exciting.

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    1. Thanks. Yes, doesn't Rita look like she suffered???

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  10. so glad to have you back but I am terribly, terribly sorry about your mother-in-law. My heart is just breaking. Sending my most heartfelt sympathy.
    You KNOW I want to review #3! It's a given!!

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    1. Thanks, Caren. I definitely want you to read it! I hope you'll like it! It might be a while though...

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  11. Well it looks like a good visit despite the reason for it.
    I've never been to Montreal, but definitely would love to - the furthest east I've travelled is Ottawa. I certainly hope you also had some poutine while you were in the area. SUPER jealous about the playoff game! Big night tonight for the Habs - fingers crossed! (All of Canada's fingers are crossed, I think.)

    Oh, and congrats about the Hungarian! That's awesome!

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    1. Montreal is nice - especially Old Montreal. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do anything fun in Montreal, other than the hubs hitting the Habs game. Ottawa is lovely and we always have a nice time when we go there. No poutine this trip, but we did have some the last time. Love that squeaky cheese!

      Yes, BIG GAME tonight!! Hoping the hubs will get home from work in time to watch it with me! Fingers definitely crossed!!!

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  12. So sorry to hear of your loss. Happy to hear though that you all were able to be there and spend sometime together. I will return to read more of your blogs. Peace & many blessings

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  13. So sorry for your loss. At least it sounds like she felt well until the very end which is a great thing. Good news on your book. We will be tuned in to hear how it is going.

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    1. Thanks. She felt okay - although she hadn't eaten any real food in 3 months. I'm such a food person... I can't imagine that.

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  14. I'm so glad you were able to have some fun amongst the sad times. Being with family is always good even if it's a loss that brings everyone together.
    Ugh....cancer can be so fast, but at least your hubby had some time with his Mom when she was feeling well.
    It looks like Rita didn't suffer too badly at the Gulag while you were gone.....it's so great that she has a place like that to go with a buddy so you don't have to worry about her on top of everything else.
    Glad you are back! PS....your book should be on it's way so hopefully you have it soon.

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    1. Thank you. Yes, we did manage to have a few good times, so that was nice. And it's good we were there for her. Looking forward to receiving the book!

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  15. So sorry for you loss. It is always a hard thing.
    Glad you found some fun in that time.
    We are cheering for the Habs tonight! Paws crossed!

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    1. Go HABS!!!! Watching right now... winning so far.... Paws still crossed!

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  16. I am offering you a combination of "I'm so sorry for your loss" and a "congratulations on the book deal!" I'm glad that you are back. Bark More, Growl Less Barking from the Bayou!

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    1. Thank you. Yes, it's a combo of good and sad here today. It's good to be back home!

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  17. Sounds like a long wait for the new book (sad face), but congratulations on your new agent and going the traditional route! Looks like you had some fun while you were away :-) My mom died from stomach cancer, so have much empathy for what you've been through.

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    1. So sorry to hear that you also lost your mom to stomach cancer. It's such a sneaky disease. Hate it.

      Sorry about the long wait on the new book!

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  18. Sounds like a very busy time. I am so sorry about your mom-in-law. As well as the sadness and shock, there is always so much to do.

    CONGRATS on the book. Big smiles about that :) Looks like Rita is relatively unscathed after her sojourn at the Gulag!! ;) xx

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    1. Thanks! Yes, the sadness, shock, and so-much-to-do (plus sleeping in a host of strange beds) really combine to wipe you out!

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  19. I was so sorry to hear about your MIL, my husband's aunt had stomach cancer. They caught it in stage 3 and it was a very long (18 month) decline. I wish we had better screening for this.

    And best of luck with the third book. I'm getting ready to really buckle down and work on mine too. ;-)

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    1. They caught hers at St 3 too, so we really hoped for more time! (Although a long decline is not good...) I think it would have been different if she'd had a different doctor. Very sad.

      Get to work on that book, girl! :)

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  20. You have had lots going on good and sad stuff. Glad to see the updates. Hope all is well and you are getting back to normal life.

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  21. My sincere condolences to your family. I am glad you were able to have some fun time. Congrats on your new book deals!

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