Tuesday, June 16, 2009

East Coast Trip, Ronald McDonald House, and, Drum Roll, Writing


Checking in to report that the trip out East went well. E and I shared a suitcase and carried everything onto the plane. Keeping our gear to a minimum made navigating the airport and boarding the plane easier than I expected it to be. I imagine we made quite a sight as we puttered our way to and from the gates, E driving her scooter, Jewel trotting along E's left side, me lugging our gear on along her right.

We stayed at Ronald McDonald House during our visit to A.I. duPont Children's Hospital in Delaware. The house was close enough to the hospital that we walked to and from our appointments.

We can't say enough good things about our stay. The kitchens were well stocked (E loved this part), the staff friendly and knowledgeable, and the volunteers outstanding. It truly was a home away from home, and a much-needed break from the antiseptic hallways, bells and whistles of the hospital.

We met a lot of families while we were there, some in situations similar to ours, others wearing the glassy-eyed looks of parents under extreme stress. It brought me back to 2001 and the days post E's aneurysm rupture when our world tilted sideways, time crawled, and all that mattered was that E get better so we could go home.

Did you know that Ronald McDonald Houses pay for their utilities with pop tops? If you're looking for an easy way to make a difference, save those little tabs, and when you've got enough, drop them off at your local McDonald's. Take it from someone who knows, those little bits of aluminum do go a long way.

Writerly report: Keeping up with my online writer's group with T. Received positive feedback on my first M&R post with the group, and thoroughly enjoying the crits I've been doing. I continue to be amazed by how much the act of critiquing other people's work informs my own writing.

On deck: three Family Time articles, one due next week (aack!), the others due in July and August respectively.

Current read: Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton.

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