School's (Almost) Out for Summer by Amy Vastine

It's coming.
That date on the calendar.
The one my kids circled.
Twice.

Summer vacation is right around the corner and I can barely contain my excitement. Of course, there are a few things I'm not particularly looking forward to this summer. So, I thought I'd put together a little list of a few things with which you all might relate.  I call this ...

PRO:
Not having to set an alarm for 5:45 am. (I am so not a morning person!)

CON:
My kids not going to bed before me at night. This means I will have to get creative with when to watch my "Mom only" shows like Outlander and Orphan Black.
I'll see you again someday, Jamie. I promise!
PRO:
Getting to vacation at the lake, enjoying the blue skies and sunshine, dipping my toes in the water, and eating s'mores around the campfire.

CON:
Sharing one small cottage bathroom with my entire family including my teenaged daughter who packs an entire suitcase full of her bathroom "essentials".
What I pack for a weekend trip
What my daughter packs for a weekend trip
PRO:
Sunny days filled with lots of outdoor activities or just relaxing on the deck with my puppy.

CON:
Chasing said puppy all over the field behind our house because she has spotted yet another squirrel that she MUST catch. 

This is Macy guarding the deck from evil squirrels
PRO:
Going to New York City for the RWA National Conference and getting to see some of my lovely Heartwarming pals!

Here are some of the ladies from last year's Harlequin party! What an awesome bunch!
CON:
I can't really think of a con to this one except that not everyone will be there this year and I only get one weekend of non-stop giggles with my roomie Carol Ross. 

PRO:
My third book in the Chicago Sisters series, The Hardest Fight, comes out July 1st!
Oh, I love this cover!!
CON:
Ah! This is the last book in the series. Better start writing something new!

PRO:
Summer vacation lasts ten glorious weeks. I should be able to write a ton of books in that time, right?

CON:
Summer vacation only lasts ten weeks. I NEED MORE TIME!

Well, there you have it. My pros and cons for summer vacation. What are you looking forward to this summer? What are you dreading?

Comments

  1. Hi Amy!! Oh my....I'm really falling behind with my Heartwarming reading. Didn't you have a book out called The Best Laid Plans? Wasn't that you? I love your writing and feel bad I haven't read your others since The Weather Girl which was so very sweet I still remember so much of it. We just had a death in the family and running back and forth has slowed down my reading schedule but I'm trying to get back on track. But I digress.....
    I am cracking up at your daughter's weekend packing vs yours. Summers are pretty good for me all around minus the hot weather. My body doesn't like very hot weather so I guess that's what I dread most about it. I like being invited to Summer events though. Congratulations!! That IS a great cover.

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    1. Thank you, Laurie! Yes, The Best Laid Plans was mine and was out in March. The Better Man was before that in September. I saw you won a whole bunch of books - you could be reading day and night and never catch up! I hear what you're saying about hot weather. I'm not a fan of sweating but I prefer warm over freezing!!

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  2. Amy, your packing cracked me up, too. My big con this summer is not going to National. So color me out of that photo. But I know everyone going will have tons of fun.

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  3. LOVE this fun post, Amy! And love that cover, too. Can't wait to get my reader-greedy hands on it! :-)

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  4. Pro: My trip to the RWA conference, followed by meeting old friends, classmates and relatives on a road trip to places where I used to live. Con: Only two weeks! Not enough time.

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    1. How fun, Marion! There never is enough time for the good stuff, is there?

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    2. Ooh, Marion, I'm a little jealous of your road trip. Love road trips! I've always wanted to drive across the entire US. Two weeks is not enough time!

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  5. LOL! What a great list - I'm jealous of so much - take me to the lake! And RWA.
    Big love lady - get cracking on that new book!

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    1. I'm trying, I'm trying! Thanks for stopping by, Jo!! xoxo

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  6. Amy, cracking up this morning, thank you! I can't wait to see you--that is my summer PRO. Also looking very forward to Lucy's story. I adored her in the first two Chicago Sisters books and now excited for her to finally find love...

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  7. Amy, your humor is always a pleasure in the am (or any time of day). When my kids were young, we had year round school. They had 3 months off: March, July, and October. Try to schedule any kind of vacation around that!

    And speaking of vacation, I'm so excited to be taking 3 weeks off this summer to tour Italy and take a Mediterranean cruise! That said, how does one pack for such a trip (i.e., laundry costs $7 an item)? How do you pay your bills? What happens to our 4-legged family? Oh, the list goes on...

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    1. I wanna come! If one of your suitcases feels a little heavy after trying so hard to pack like Amy....;)

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    2. Oh Mel! I am jealous. That sounds like a fabulous trip. I would have absolutely no idea how to pack for something like that. :)

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  8. Such fun, Amy! Love your new cover. I too am looking forward to RWA this summer! It will be so good to see some of you there. But I dread trying to stuff everything I'll need into one small roll-on. This will require some creative thinking...

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    1. It's never easy to pack but I am much more capable than the rest of my family at packing "light"!

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  9. Amy, I'm still laughing about the packing. Too funny. And love the book cover. Can't wait to read it and to see you again at RWA!

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    1. Oh, and I have to agree with Mel...the logistics and cost of pet care added in is a con. I have a big 4 legged family, but I also have 32 two-legged family members who aren't human! LOL.

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    2. Thanks, Rula! I can't wait for NYC!!

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  10. What a fun post. I love the weekend luggage pictures. I am envious about National but expect those of you who are there to create enough...er...excitement to make up for the rest of us. Call if you need bail money. :-)

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    1. Thanks, Liz! We might take you up on that offer ;)

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  11. What a super cool post and I loved all the pictures, but your new cover is outstanding!!! Makes me want to take a day into Chicago which I will do on June 6 for Printer's Row. But you are right...summer vacation....not enough days to write!!!! Just not enough time. So sad to see the end of your Chicago Sisters series. Sniff.

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