birthday season

Five Things - June 17, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

  1. First off, wishing a happy thirtieth birthday to our beautiful daughter-in-law, Leslie! We couldn’t have chosen a better partner for our son, or a kinder, lovelier person to join our family. Two days after her birthday, our third son, R.J. turns twenty-two. A while back I wrote a birthday post for him which you can read HERE, and all those sentiments still apply. He’s an amazing kid who is turning into an amazing adult, and we are so proud.

  2. A few reflections from Dallas Fan Expo… I’ve been signing books at these sorts of events for about seven years now, and I definitely feel all those seven years, mostly in my lower back! The weekend was exhausting, but it was also invigorating and inspiring to meet people who share a love of science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture. It was also fantastic to hang out with my bestie writer pals for an entire weekend. We filled the room for our panel, met dozens of aspiring writers and gamers, ate incredible bbq, and laughed until our faces hurt. All in all, it was another successful adventure, and we look forward to Chicago Fan Expo next year.

  3. Ray and I just spent a fun couple of weeks in Ohio. Yes, that’s correct, Ohio. Ray has cousins there we love to see, and we both used the convenient and easy John Glenn Columbus International Airport for travel. Even if this weren’t the case, this is one of those times when, because we are in our RV and we can’t always stay in the big, metropolitan areas, we have to find these cute little towns to drop anchor. Delaware, Ohio was just adorable, and the surrounding towns of Westerville and Dublin equally as charming. A good time was had by all!

  4. Yesterday, we visited Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. It was pretty cool to be standing in a place we all read about in our history books. With both feet in West Virginia, and while overlooking the exact spot where the Shenandoah River meets the Potomac, you can throw a stone and hit Maryland on one side of the water and Virginia on the other. It’s a truly magical spot.

  5. Today we arrived in South Jersey, so we’re officially back on the East Coast! We’ll be darting up through New England later this week and then hanging out in little Rhody from mid-July until after Labor Day. We’re really looking forward to spending time with family and friends in the next few weeks! Happy almost summer everyone!

Five Things - February 12, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. In addition, at the end of the blog, I’ll keep a running itinerary of our travel plans. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

  1. We’re in Palm Springs now, and wow this place is pretty! It’s mostly desert, but snow capped mountains ring the low, flat, sandy terrain, and the sky is just the brightest blue. Our National Park tour continued with a visit to Joshua Tree, and per usual, we were in awe. We’re only here for another week, and Ray is traveling for most of it, so we’re definitely planning a return trip!

  2. Did I mention my husband is traveling this week, so I will be all alone for Valentine’s Day? Please send pity and chocolate.

  3. It’s birthday season in our family, which is always fun, although I don’t think we’ll see any of the kids on their actual birthdays this year. Noah, kid #2 just turned 26, which is significant as this is the age when he gets kicked off our insurance policy. Adulting, as they are all learning, is sometimes not as much fun as it should be.

  4. However, one of the really fun things about having adult children is watching them pursue their passions and become these really cool, interesting people. Noah, the kid referenced above, is a stand-up comedian and writer. He was invited to perform at SXSW in Austin, Texas this March, and we’ve rerouted our trip to be there for the festival. So excited!

  5. I have another ‘sip and sprint’ virtual meet up tonight, and I’m really looking forward to it. As I explained on my last post, the idea behind a writing sprint is to block out any distractions and then write as much as you can in a short amount of time, which is how I’ve been structuring my writing time lately. I’m making good progress, but this kind of group enthusiasm, accountability, and encouragement is something I’ve missed since we’ve been on the road. These little get togethers with my future classmates also make grad school feel real. Just a few more months…

Our itinerary, subject to change:

February 2 - 16: Palm Springs, CA

February 16 - March 1: Las Vegas, NV

March 1 - March 4: Meteor Crater, AZ

March 4 - 8: Albuquerque, NM

March 10 - 17: Austin, TX

March 18 - April 5: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

April 5 - 12: Fredericksburg, TX

April 12 - 19: Hot Springs, AK

April 19 - 24: Ozarks, AK

April 24 - 28: Topeka, KS

April 24 - May 12: Kansas City, MO

May 8 - 23: Chicago, IL

May 23 -28: Wisconsin Dells, WI

“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien