The End of an Era

I am not a coffee drinker. (Although, I do own a nice coffee pot.) I do however enjoy drinking warm flavored drinks (International Coffee) in the cold weather. (Which we have had a lot of lately.) So like a lot of people, I have a favorite mug. I received it as a birthday present many years ago (15, actually) from a dear friend.

I know you are looking at it and thinking that it would be your favorite mug, too. In fact, I often had to hide it when my Dad visited because despite the number of mugs I had in the cabinet, he would choose this one. My kids also seemed to be attracted to this mug. Maybe I should have put it up and saved it. But it was my favorite mug to drink from and I cherished it.

Oh, you know what is coming next. This week, while in the kitchen preparing supper, I heard the Crash, and I knew. The mug is broken. It could not be saved. It will be missed.

Bloggy Break

So much for trying to blog once a week. I didn't want to give up blogging. Mostly because I enjoyed having other people stop by and comment. I enjoyed reading other people's blogs, too. But having the time has become a problem. With what free-time I have reading blogs has just become a low priority. It has become increasingly difficult to find the motivation to blog at all. So I'm going to officially take a break. Maybe I'll come back. Maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just blog about the books I'm reading. I've enjoyed the time I spent reading others blogs and in general will miss all of you.

Nooga

We are enjoying a little family trip to Chattanooga. We're staying in a nice 2 bedroom suite near the Aquarium. The hotel has an indoor pool and a full breakfast. We've eaten at two good restaurants so far: Sticky Fingers and Big River Grille. My SIL has joined us and today we are headed to Ruby Falls.

I needed to get away for a few days and so far this is a relaxing trip. What I want from a vacation most of the time is time to read and relax and sleep and eat. Once in while a "do-all" trip is okay especially if you are shelling out the big bucks for the "Happiest Place on Earth". But often after these trips you need a vacation from your vacation.

Yesterday we went to the Tennessee Aquarium and I've got to say that it is much better than the Georgia Aquarium for many reasons. Not the least of which was how uncrowded it was. Of course, they do not have Beluga Whales but they had an amazing Penguin exhibit. It just doesn't seem as over done and commercial as the one in Atlanta.

I'm going to try and catch up on blogs this week because once school starts back we will be very busy again. January and February are very busy months at work, too. Keep stopping by occasionally and I'll try to blog at least once a week.