The Holiday

I was finally able to have a movie fest over the holidays in order to play catch up on some titles that I missed along the way.

The Holiday (2006) with Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black was the cutest movie that I've seen in a while. I absolutely fell in love with the concept. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, two women with relationship and career issues swap houses in each other's countries (USA and England.) The ladies meet local guys and fall in love.

Hey, I'm a romance writer so being fond of the love stories was a given. But what I found fascinating was the swap. There are times when life gets overwhelming, whether it's from the holidays, job, family or finances. Wouldn't it be nice to just say you've had enough and take off somewhere to recharge your battery? For me, two weeks in a cottage in the Scottish Highlands would be ideal. That's where I would want to regroup.

According to mindbodygreen.com, here are 27 ways to recharge your battery.

1. Plan a tech detox.

2. Go out with your girlfriends and drink a little too much wine.

3. Plan a swap group with your closest friends. This can be a clothes swap, book swap, or any theme you can think of!

4. Get out in nature. Nothing is more refreshing than some time outdoors! Look up new hiking trails online or spend the day at the beach.

5. Connect with your inner child. What did you love doing when you were little? Draw a picture, make a collage, build a fort.

6. Volunteer at a local animal shelter or even adopt a new pet from a shelter.

7. Try something new. Go rock climbing, try a foreign cuisine or simply read a book you wouldn't normally choose.

8. Clean out your closets and any clutter around your house and donate to Goodwill. Your energy feeds off your environment, so tidy up!

9. Plan your next vacation. The thrill of having something to look forward to will keep your going for awhile.

10. Light candles and take a bath with essential oils or Epsom salt. The Epsom salt will relax your muscles, and essential oils like chamomile or lavender will relax your body and mind.

11. Take a mental health day from work. Watch your favorite movies, meet up with a friend, walk around your neighborhood, see a matinee movie. Sometimes being "bad" is just what you need.

12. Recreate your favorite fancy, decadent restaurant meal at home. Chances are it'll taste much better when it's made with an ingredient list you control, plus some love.

13. Plant a garden. This idea will recharge you more than once. You'll feel good creating life, saving money on food and you'll get time to yourself out in nature every time you need to tend to it.

14. Rearrange your furniture. A new environment will likely bring new ideas and perspectives.

15. Budget money to get a quick 10-minute shoulder, neck and head massage once a week, or a 30- to 60-minute massage once a month.
Massages increase circulation and can help you relax.

16. Start a bucket list. Thinking about your goals in life will help you focus on the big picture and what will truly makes you happy.

17. Create something. Work on one of those projects you've neglected on your Pinterest board. Make it a Pinterest party by inviting friends.

18. Make a playlist of all of your favorite songs. Play them at home or take a drive and sing along at the top of your lungs.

19. Go to your local farmers market and talk with the farmers and people at the booths. You'll feel great connecting with your community and learning where your food comes from.

20. Plan a date night. Chances are, if you have kids or a demanding job, you haven't been on a proper date in quite a while. Here are 20 great date night ideas. If you're not in a relationship, have a friend date! Try to make it a weekly ritual and take turns planning the date.

21. Take a 20-minute cat nap.

22. Drink a green juice or smoothies when you start feeling the afternoon slump.

23. Set an alarm for each hour to remind yourself to get up and move around.

24. Get outside during lunch. Take a walk, eat outside, go to a local cafe. The main point is to get away from the office and your computer screen.

25. Meditate. Meditating sitting, or even lying down for 15 minutes can help you relax before you dig back into your work.

26. Take a shower. If you're stuck on an idea or frustrated after a hard day, a shower will give you a chance to relax and rethink your situation.

27. Exercise! Aim for 30 minutes of medium-high intensity exercise every day. It doesn't have to be all at once. Regular exercise will help regulate hormones (hello, endorphins!), increase circulation and often helps people clear their minds and reduce stress.

If you could swap places with someone anywhere in the world to recharge your battery, where would you go?

Last Summer Vacation

After having wonderful adventures in Colorado Springs, CO this summer, safely avoiding all natural disasters, the clan and I took our final summer vacation to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD.

My husband and I haven't been there in over twenty years. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then. For instance, imagine my delightful surprise when I spotted the biggest Barnes and Noble EVER. As if the clouds parted and the angels sang...This. Was. Awesome! The picture below sort of resembled that feeling. At least, I thought so.  

BTW Sourcebooks sisters...your new releases were on the tower as soon as I walked through the door.

  

Just to give you an idea of how truly big this place was...The building used to be a power plant.

In 92 degree heat, we played the typical tourists and did most of the attractions like touring the ships. During which, we had a hard time trying to convince my son he wasn't a pirate.

 

It was so incredibly hot that we found some much needed solace in the National Aquarium. The building had definitely expanded since we were there last. They had some amazing species of jellyfish that I wouldn't want to necessarily swim with but were beautiful nonetheless.

The highlight of the aquarium visit had to be my son with his warped sense of humor. Being that he's only eight, I still haven't decided if I should be worried or not. 

There was an interactive computer and you had to type one sentence on how you felt water impacted life around you. So everyone wrote about frogs, how water is used to drink, dolphins, fish in the sea, etc. Well...in lieu of Shark Week, this was my son's sentence (in the middle): Yep, all sharks love to eat humans.

We took a boat ride over to Fells Point and walked around the shops which were a lot of fun. There were a couple of Irish pubs that I would've loved to visit, but when in Maryland, you have to go for Maryland crabs. How could you not? The Old Bay seasoning could be smelled everywhere! 

I told you about my son and Shark Week. Now I have to tell you about my husband. 

I swear the man watches everything on Discovery, Travel Channel, etc. Between Duck Dynasty, Man vs. Wild, Bizarre Foods, Alaska something-or-other...He saw a clip on the Travel Channel and took us to the World Famous (which my mom would've loved since she was obsessed with everything labeled "world famous") Lexington Market. Andrew Zimmer from Bizarre Foods was there and my husband had to be there, too. We went to Faidely's Seafood and had to have their awesome crab cakes and oysters. Unfortunately, the crab cakes were demolished before I had the chance to take a picture.

While we were in Baltimore, one of my Facebook friends told me her child was conceived there. In Baltimore, not the market. And I can see why. There were a ton of these signs all around the raw bars. We had a good laugh until my son asked as loud as can be, "What's Viagra?"

So the Roberts clan had another amazing mini-vacation before the start of school. What about you? Any last minute vacation plans for the summer?

Thunder, Lightning, Forest Fires and a Tornado

I'll admit that I do spin tales of fiction, but there is no way I could possibly make this up.

The clan and I recently returned from a family vacation in Colorado Springs, CO. For those of you who have never seen this beautiful state, place it on your bucket list!

As our flight traveled from Denver to Colorado Springs, we saw the raging forest fire below that destroyed thousands of acres in the Black Forest. Yep, you guessed it. The fires were in Colorado Springs.

Being from Pennsylvania, this type of natural behavior is not something that we're readily accustomed to and frankly, we were more than a little nervous. We said a silent prayer the fire wouldn't impact our vacation and it didn't, but our hearts certainly went out to the five hundred families who lost their homes. We were somewhat surprised that Colorado natives continued to go about their business as if the fires were a common occurrence. I guess they were. I suppose California natives act the same way about earthquakes.

Our travels took us to Garden of the Gods in which the name spoke for itself.



We also chuckled when we spotted the sign below since the signs in PA normally mention to clean up after your pet. lol

We took the cog train up to the very top of Pikes Peak. Yep, all 14,115 feet above sea level. They even sold oxygen at the train station.

That night, when we arrived back at the hotel, one of the hotel staff had asked me what we did that day. I told her that we had a great time taking the cog train up to Pikes Peak and a strange look crossed her face. She said, "Oh, please tell me your train was not the one that got struck by lightning today."

Thankfully, the Roberts family had managed to avoid the fires and did not get struck by lightning.

On another day, we traveled to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and we still hadn't had any rain. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze in the air, a great day for visiting the zoo.

Yeah, well, let me tell you that mountain weather is totally unpredictable. Within minutes, rain, thunder, and it poured buckets! At least we saw most of the zoo.

We were stuck under a small roof for over a half an hour, but we were so thankful because we knew the rain would help the Colorado firefighters. As soon as the rain had quit pelting us, we made a mad dash to the car. Imagine our surprise when a huge crowd stood at the entrance to the zoo for tickets in the rain. I turned to my husband and asked him if they were nuts. We get in the car, I back out, and guess what folks? You got it. The clouds parted, the rain stopped, and the sun was blinding. Grrr...

During our vacation, I even managed to swing by two Barnes and Noble bookstores and both stores were sold out of X Marks the Scot. Woot! So I signed stock of Temptation in a Kilt. I found myself in the romance section in both stores and turned out the covers of my Sourcebooks sisters and "rearranged" them in a prime location.

When we arrived back at the hotel that night, we found out a tornado touched down at the Denver airport. Seriously. I didn't think Colorado was that dangerous.

The highlight of our vacation had to be the wolves. Yep, you heard me right. Wolves. My daughter has been forever fascinated with all-things wolves. Imagine her surprise when her awesome mother paid for her to get her picture taken with a wolf pup.

Priceless...

Through thunder, lightning, forest fires and a tornado, emerged a wonderful family vacation that I know we will always hold dear. 

What about you? What is the best family vacation you have ever taken?

Sun, Sea, Sand, and a Rum and Coke? Seriously?

Greetings! The clan and I recently returned from a fabulous Christmas vacation to Riviera Maya, Mexico. We traveled with my dad and my sister and her family for a grand total of eight! Yep, a good old-fashioned Griswald family Christmas.

I was never away from the States for the holidays before and the trip was definitely an experience. But I have to admit, it was kind of odd not to have the dreary gray skies or snow. Instead, we were blessed with 85 degree weather, white sandy beaches and palm trees. This was pretty much my view every day under the cabana with an umbrella drink in hand.

This fair-skinned beauty only comes with two shades--white or red. I do not tan. I burn. The bird didn't seem to mind my company though.

The staff tried to make everyone feel at home and the resort was decorated with all-things Christmas.

This vacation was my daughter (twelve years old) and my son's (seven years old) first trip to Mexico. My tweeny pretty much rolls with anything, but my son--well, let's just say he's still at that impressionable age. Which brings me to the case in point.

The little lad played in the sand, minding his own business, when he spotted a topless woman on a lounger (the only woman on the entire beach sporting such nothingness.) His eyes widened, his jaw dropped and oh, boy...we knew it was coming.

"Where is her top? She doesn't even have a bra on!" he shouted.

We sat down and explained how some people in Europe go to the beach "natural" and I thought I had handled the situation like a seasoned pro. Then I politely added, "If it bothers you, just don't look."

Again, the little jaw dropped and my beloved son replied, "Of course I'm going to look. I'm a boy!" 

Hauling my great parenting skills to dinner that night, the entire clan had a drink beforehand at the bar. A round of drinks were ordered and my son was the only kid who wanted anything--a Coke. We sat around and waited for our name to be called for the reservation when my son came up to me and held out his glass.

"There is something totally wrong with this Coke."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

 "Taste it," he said, scrunching up his little face.

"No wonder it doesn't taste right. They gave you a rum and Coke."

"I had a rum and Coke? This vacation is awesome! I can't wait to tell my friends!"

Can you imagine this parent's nightmare? What is he going to tell his friends and teachers? I saw a naked lady and drank a rum and Coke!

We had a wonderful time, especially the kids. lol And the first day we were home, we awoke to a beautiful sunrise and four inches of snow.

Canadian Escape

The clan and I recently traveled to Niagara Falls, Canada. What an amazing time! The temperatures were in the low 80's, low humidity and no rain. Who could ask for more? The sound of rushing water was so incredibly peaceful--all 600,000 gallons of water per second. I wished we could've bottled it up and brought it home with us. *chuckle* I could have sipped some on the way home when it took us three hours just to cross the border, but that's another story...

We hit the usual jaunts such as Journey Behind the Falls, Whirlpool Aero Car and Clifton Hill. This year we tried something different and actually hiked down to the bottom of the gorge. Twisting trails led us through breathtaking views of the Niagara River. When we reached the bottom, I found a huge rock and sat for a long time. Clean air, no cars, just the sounds of nature herself. *sigh* The picturesque views of the Niagara River were truly beautiful.

 

We journeyed north through the wine vineyards of Niagara-on-the-Lake. If you're ever in the area, the scenery alone is worth the trip. One does have to wonder what these residents do for a living. Passing two red Ferrari's and too many sports cars to name, it was definitely the Rodeo Drive of Canada. 

The charming little shops along Queen Street beckon any passerby. Of course, this Scottish historical author could not pass up her stop into The Scottish Loft. I believe some MacGregor and Campbell items may have fallen into my basket. The dh claims too many, but hey, it's research. Right? I also found a charming little shop called Irish Design and knew some of my writer friends would have loved it (Maeve and Pat!)

Have you been on an exciting trip lately? 

I'm Possessed... Oops... Obsessed

It's true. I'm possessed--well, not really, but I behave that way. My name is Victoria Roberts and I have an addiction to Kathy Van Zeeland handbags... and her luggage among other things!

First, let me admit that I am NOT a material person and never have been.

It all started before I went to California in 2005--Emmy weekend. I could not go to California looking like a frump. Macy's loved me. I bought all new clothes, new shoes, got a new haircut, but my cheap Wal-Mart purse was not going to fit the bill. What if I ran into someone famous? 

Proceeding to the purses, I checked out everything--Coach, Liz Claiborne, Dooney & Bourke, but nothing caught my eye. I wanted to be different. Wandering aimlessly among the rows and clusters of bags, I almost gave up. That is until I saw the dazzling display before me.

There she sat all alone. Her black leather was adorned with stunning bling and she was so familiar, yet so unique in her own way. She called to me. "Take me home."

Approaching her cautiously, I gave her a raking gaze from head to toe. "Do you want to come home with me?" I asked, lifting her price tag and gasping at the cost. $80 for a purse? I think not. 

Pivoting on my heel, I left her there without so much as a backwards glance--well, that is until I looped around and found myself driven to her again. I returned three times while she patiently waited. Grabbing her tenderly from the shelf was all it took. She had me at 'hello.' 

Six years later...

12 Kathy Van Zeeland handbags grace my closet along with KVZ lavender luggage that I bought for a business trip. I was wondering why my male boss did not want to watch my luggage while I went to the restroom!

I can't help it. I'm an addict. Tell me. What is your weakness?

Canada eh?

Recently, we took a family trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. I had not been there since I was a little girl. I have to admit, I was not too sure about this family vacation so I only booked it for three nights. When I was there some time ago, there was nothing but the falls. Needless to say, it was a little boring. I was immediately impressed with how much it has grown since then.

The gardens and landscaping were beautiful.

One of the first tourist attractions we did was Maid of the Mist. This was a completely up front and personal view of the falls. We really enjoyed it.

After getting soaked on a bright, sunny day, we scampered off to Clifton Hill. The Sky Wheel offered spectacular views of Niagara Falls. Every night at 10p.m. fireworks dazzled the sky. The place to be was on the Sky Wheel during that time. It was so romantic. In fact, a man proposed to his girlfriend the same night we were there. I think he was a keeper!

Marineland offered the kids an experience similar to Sea World.

If you're not afraid of heights, the Aero Car is for you. Riding several hundred feet about the whirlpool, breathtaking views greeted us. The Car glides over to the New York side where New Yorker's stand on the top of a cliff, looking down the cliff at you. It was quite amusing when a guy on the Car held up his hands and yelled, "Help me! I want to come back to America!"

A short drive away was Niagara on the Lake. The DH took us on a horse-drawn carriage ride through the small town that has plenty of scenic gardens to enjoy. Not to mention, quaint little shops and a ton of wineries. We definitely did not spend enough time here.

At the end of the vacation, both of my kids said in unison, "This was the best vacation ever!"

That could be because we also stayed at an indoor waterpark ;)

Have you done anything fun this summer?