7 Quick Takes: August 16, 2012 (Vol. 127)

~ 1 ~

This week, on a whim, the family conversation turned to trips and vacations.  We never used to take vacations, and then in the last few years, we’ve made treks to Florida (Destin), a trip to Disney World (which I have been saving business money to try to repeat), and then a camping trip (which we definitely plan to repeat).

It’s only been through taking vacations that we have realized the value in the life experiences of trips.

The conversation began because I started asking about where else people would be interested in going besides Florida.  Some of the suggestions were things like New York City, Yellowstone, Niagra Falls, Hollywood, Minnesota (isn’t that funny to say after Hollywood?), Mount Rushmore, and some of the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites.  What an eclectic grouping, huh?

I’d love to hear some of your suggestions for amazing places to take family vacations!

~ 2 ~

Apparently writing last week about not having tried out my guitar at all during July, like had originally been my plan, made me feel bad.  This week, I just finally grabbed it out one day, figuring that I would never learn if it just sat in its case forever.

So, I got it out, tried to mess with it, decided it sounded horrible, and maybe this was all a mistake.  I’m kind of an all or nothing kind of girl, so it’s easy for me to get all defeatist on my efforts.  But, I sucked it up, figured out how to tune the guitar (bonus!), realized it sounded much better tuned, and kept working.

Then, I started working through my guitar book, and over the course of a couple of practices, I learned six notes (working on notes right now instead of chords).  I can also kind of play just a little bit of three songs (notes, not chords, again).

If you’re in the mood for a little “Skip to My Lou,” just let me know.  I can help you out.

~ 3 ~

Jack said I should becomes a concert guitarist.  He said, “You know, the kind of guitarist that has to keep saying, ‘Oh no, hang on, that’s not the right note.’”

Then, we both had to giggle.

~ 4 ~

Need to tune a guitar? I was thrilled to be able to use Garage Band on my iPad to do it. (Garage Band is also available as an iPhone app.)

Plus, we all just generally have so much fun playing around with Garage Band.  Seriously – this is a fun app, even when you don’t know what you’re doing with it.

~ 5 ~

Nurse Angie is back again this week.  Or, rather, the reminder that I never became a nurse for a reason.

This week has found me giving twice a day shots to my Mom in preparation for a procedure on Friday.  (I had to do the same thing last year.) Sometimes during the week, I couldn’t decide who liked it least – the giver or the receiver.  Thankfully, the shots ended on Thursday morning.

If I ever think about going into nursing, I’ll have to remember these weeks.

~ 6 ~

Know what I bought, on a whim (of sorts)?  A ticket to Blissdom 2013!

It’s not so much that it was a whim.  I had planned to go to Blissdom again this year (I went in 2010) because Nashville is drivable for me.  But, then they surprised me with the announcement of Dallas as a location.  I thought that it was out of the question, but then when the tickets went on sale, I decided to go ahead and buy a ticket just in case.

Anyone else planning to go to Blissdom next year?

~ 7 ~

Upon drinking hot chocolate this afternoon, Molly declared, “Hot chocolate makes me smile…on the inside.”

That made me smile on the inside and the outside.  What makes you smile on the inside?

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Related posts:

7 Quick Takes: August 10, 2012 (Vol. 126) 7 Quick Takes: June 1, 2012 (Vol. 121)