From The Home Office

Typing Ten Feet From the Atlantic

After stopping in Georgia, we drove to Flagler, Florida. The campground, Beverly Beach RV and Camptown Resort, was right on the ocean. Our RV was parked facing the surf and it was breathtakingly beautiful! After we stopped, pulled out the slides, and got set up, Richard checked his email while Max and Mason piled out of the RV and ran down to the beach with me, barefoot and carefree... …

Duck Attack!

On Saturday evening, we were feeding the ducks at a campground pond. They were pretty aggressive. Okay, they were incredibly aggressive... …

We’re in FLORIDA! (No, Not THAT Florida)

As I wrote last week, we escaped Maine, and are heading for the Florida Keys. We often take our business on the road for extended trips in our RV. Since our business is conducted almost entirely online, we can take off indefinitely, provided we have an Internet connection... …

The Annual Easter Slug-Fest

The large golden egg, which was good for a $20 bill that was perched on the mantle, was found by... …

Leaving The Nest

Speaking of leaving the nest, we're leaving in three weeks, heading south in the RV, and taking the business with us. Whoo hoo! The snow has slowed down dramatically and it looks like we'll be able to get the RV to the shop for the pre-trip inspection. …

The Big Boys!

Matt turned 21 this week (sniff). Seems like just yesterday he was a wee little teenager coming over to play videogames with little Zach... …

No Rest for the Snow Weary

March 1st dawned dreary for us with yet another snowstorm. We've had more than 93 inches this season so far. More snow and ice is expected later this week and we're starting to wonder if we'll be able to dig the RV out in time for our next trip... …

Dad Gummed Computers!

I have two laptops, a primary one and a backup one, for those days when the primary one croaks and needs to be taken to the computer doc. It's rare but it happens... …

My New Book is FINALLY FINISHED!

Well, my New Year's Resolution paid off. Using my new schedule of working on MY books at least one hour each morning has helped me finally finish the book I've been working on for what seems like forever, BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts! Whoo hoo!! Now I can sit back and...get to work on my next one! Ha ha. Richard will be doing the marketing campaign for the book. I write. He promotes. It works out really well for us all! I have a confession. Zach loaned us his DVD set of the first season of Lost... …

Strep Throat Causes Levitation!

One day last week, I was thinking to myself, "Wow, we haven't needed to go to the doctor's office in such a long time!" I don't know about you but every time I think something like that, whether I knock on wood or not, that "something" ends up happening, usually within a day or two. I think it's part Mother's Intuition and part Murphy's Law. Anyway, the next day, Ali was complaining about a sore in her throat that had been there for more than a week. …

Skedaddlin’

After a small ice storm this week, it's supposed to clear up. That's a good thing because we're planning to head to Portland for the The Vacationland RV & Camping Supershow! Whoo hoo! Okay, I'm not THAT enthusiastic about it because lugging Max and Mason through those things can be quite a challenge. However, Richard is terribly excited about it. I am looking forward to just getting away for a couple of days. While we do go on a date once a week, and run the occasional errand, spending almost all our time indoors this time of year can be a real drag. Mason is only 19 months old and our outdoor winter activities are really limited at this age. It's just too cold for him most days. …

Miracles Really DO Happen!

A few weeks ago, I posted a sad note about my friend, "G", who, at the age of 41, had a heart attack, suffered subsequent "severe brain damage" and was on life support. At that time, lots of my dear readers/friends out there sent notes of hope and prayers from all over the world. One friend even went to St. Patrick's Cathedral and lit candles for G. Another friend added G to her child's private school's morning prayers. Another friend posted G's story on her blog to ask for more prayers from more people. And another friend of a friend was praying for G all the way over in Israel. Even more friends added G to their church prayers, their prayer chains, and even their family dinner prayer-time. So many of you were praying for G! Well, I wanted to give you an update... …

First Formal Dance. Awweeee….

Ali and Frank had their first formal dance last weekend. Ali (age 17) went with her boyfriend and Frank (age 15) went with Ali's best friend, who just happens to be a senior. Now, don't worry. There is no romance there. They just went as friends. The boys looked quite spiffy in their tuxedos and the girls looked so beautiful. …

Yet Another Snow Day!

I'm happy to say that I have been sticking to one of my New Year's Resolution! I worked for an hour every morning last week (and for three hours on Sunday), and finally finished formatting one of my new books. We then printed it out for one last crack at editing. I always have to edit twice on paper - once using the manuscript and then once more using a real, printed copy of the book. That's the nice thing about Print on Demand (POD). You can make changes whenever you want. …

Back to My Books!

I'm relieved the holidays and our "home-based vacation" are over. I've made two New Year's Resolutions and I'm really going to stick to them this year...and neither one of them has anything to do with weight loss - ha ha! …

Still Chillin’

As I write this (on Monday), I'm still, technically, on vacation. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things later this week and I'm glad the holidays are over so we can get back to the usual schedule (working, homeschooling, working, homeschooling...). But, for now, I'm giving my brain a much-needed rest (which means I'm only working until 2:30 p.m. until after the holidays). …

Thanks bunches for your prayers!

I wanted to thank everybody who wrote in with wise and loving messages about my friend, G. I appreciate the prayers most of all! They really do help. G's family is going to remove her from the respirator this week. I am feeling better. I've made peace with the situation and I am now fondly remembering G's love and the special gifts she gave to all of us during her special lifetime. …

Sometimes It Takes a Tragedy to Remember What’s Important in Life…

Things have been incredibly stressful here lately. Did I buy everything I was supposed to? Are all the books that MUST be done by Christmas formatted and uploaded to the printer? Did Frank remember to turn on the outdoor Christmas lights tonight? Is the baking on schedule? Who's going to shovel that half inch of snow and ice off the front steps in the morning? Did I just hear Max say he has a sore throat? Did Zach remember to ship the packages to the grandparents yesterday? Shouldn't Ali be home from basketball practice by now?? …

More Holiday Silliness

This weekend, we'll be having our annual Gingerbread gathering. The children will get together with some close friends and spend the evening making anatomically correct gingerbread people. You really don't know how creative your children can be until you give them free reign on a project like this. We've had everything from squalling newborn gingerbread babies to saucy gingerbread ladies-of-the-night...and some pretty hilarious characters in between. …

Blizzard!

In case you missed the news this week, Maine got hammered by a huge snowstorm. It started snowing around 3 a.m. on Monday morning and, as I write this at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, it's still snowing, but just a light, misty snowfall now. …

Gearing up for Christmas!

Now, we're gearing up for Christmas. Well, okay, we're already in the throes of it. Last Friday was Hoy Holiday. Each year, on the day after Thanksgiving, we go get our Christmas Tree at the local Christmas Tree farm. We then drag it home and all the girls laugh while the guys try to make it stand upright. We then pull the Christmas decorations out of the attic, decorate the whole house, inside and out, drink lots of hot chocolate, eat frozen pizza (don't worry - we cook it first) and then sit around the TV together that night watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. …

Gobble Gobble Gluttons

If you're in the U.S., you are undoubtedly staring at your computer screen today and trying to work, but really dreaming of the turkey and stuffing and gravy and warm pie you may be planning to have on Thursday. If you're not eating a large meal on Thursday, perhaps you are planning to work at the local shelter or soup kitchen, handing out delectable morsels to those who are less fortunate. If you will be eating at a shelter, God bless you. We are thrilled to have been invited to Alyssa's parents' house for Thanksgiving... …

Nothing Says Love… Like A Warm Toilet Seat

Richard's dad came to visit for the weekend from Texas and we all had a grand time! Max cried and cried when he left and we were so sad for him. It was pretty chilly all weekend with false threats of snow being flung by our whacky weatherman (he really is a pretty whacky fellow, quite bizarre, but we like him). Grandpa kept saying he was cold, even sitting in the living room with the heater turned up (and the rest of us sweating). He wasn't here long enough to get acclimated to our weather. We, on the other hand, don't really think it's terribly, unbearably cold until it gets below zero here. …

Mommy Zombie and Her Babies…

We had a wonderful, old-fashioned New England Halloween! If you want to see a picture of me with Max and Mason, click HERE. Gads, it took me about an hour to get those tangles out of my hair! …

Boo!

Just as soon as I started whining about the weather being too warm for Halloween, the temperatures dropped and the weatherman predicted snow. It hasn't snowed here on Halloween yet (since we moved her in 2000 anyway), but it did snow before Halloween one year. The red leaves falling on the snow was a incredible sight to behold! Matt reported ice on his car this morning, and said he thought we got some freezing drizzle instead of snow... …

The Eyeballs Stay In While the Boobs Fall Out…

Max must be growing up. For Halloween, instead of being something cute like a bunny rabbit or a Ninja Turtle, he wants to be something really scary (sigh). We haven't decided on Mason's costume yet. Max wants Mason to be something scary, too. I guess that would be okay because the mirror is too high in the bathroom for him to be able to scare himself. …

Gurgle, Gurgle… Ug…

Richard's two childhood friends, Chris and Scott, flew in from Wisconsin last Thursday. We did the standard Bar Harbor trip, drove up Cadillac Mountain, and got in some good leaf watching. It was definitely the peak weekend for leaf watchers and it was absolutely breathtaking. The night they arrived, we had lobster, which was precooked at a local seafood wholesaler. It was really good but mine might have been a bit undercooked. On Friday morning, I had pains in my stomach... …

Flashers on Our Street!

While I wish it was my idea, it wasn't. Somebody sent me an email last week that contained photos of creative things people have done with pumpkins. One was so cute that we just had to recreate it ourselves. It took most of the weekend, a bit of Richard's engineering creativity, and about $75 in supplies (wood from Home Depot, pumpkins from the local nursery, and HUGE clothes from the Salvation Army store), but we did it! And, now we're getting quite a few honks and people are even pulling over to take pictures. …

Boo Boo Instant Replay

Mason is now 15 months old! He's as cute as a button and keeps us chuckling all day long. He is also saying lots of new words. In fact, if you work with him, he'll say just about anything just to get a laugh, which the big kids think makes him a great parlor trick... …

I’m terribly backed up…

I'm writing this at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday night. I just got started on wrapping up this week's issue. Since I'm running so far behind this week, I didn't think you'd mind if I let the Maxism entertain you this week... …

The Best Gift Ever…

We had another birthday in the family last week. Zach, our oldest, turned 21. He opened his presents and then we all went out to dinner. His girlfriend, Alyssa, made his favorite - Oreo Cheesecake. He sure hated sharing it with the rest of us! Ha ha... …

Party! Party!!

Max's sixth birthday was last Saturday and the house was jam-packed with revelers, big and small. We started out bowling at the local alley, and then migrated to the house where Richard had stayed behind to grill. We all wolfed down burgers, dogs, cake and ice cream, the kids cracked the pinata, and Max opened his gifts. I put a bar of trick soap in the bathroom for the party. Anybody who used it found their hands getting more and more dirty as they washed. The soap has a black chunk of something yucky on the back of it. Heh... …

We’re Home…Just in Time to Fire Up the Heater!

We arrived home from our fun, month-long trek through the midwest and the northeast...just in time to fire up the heater. It's been downright chilly here in Bangor. Last night, we went out to dinner to celebrate the first day of school, and got goosebumps walking from the restaurant to the car. The wind was blowing with sprinkles so tiny they made us wonder if it was really raining or if it was our imagination. …

Heading To The Big Apple!

We spent a few days last week at the Wisconsin Dells. We rode a duck, ate a LOT of food, played mini-golf, had our portrait taken in a bathtub, and more! We've been faithfully logging our experiences (and photos!) here: https://www.wirelesstrips.com

Eatin’ Some Excellent Wisconsin Cheese, Don’tcha Know!

We're in Wisconsin this week! We've spent tons of time with Richard's relatives and childhood friends (yes, they really do talk funny), gone to the State Fair (it was so hot!), visited the Mars Cheese Castle, and been to a fish fry! We've been faithfully logging our experiences (and photos!) here: https://www.wirelesstrips.com With all the eating we've been doing, it's a wonder we haven't had to stop and buy some bigger vacation clothes... …

What State Are We In Today?

We're once again back on the road in our RV, exploring the backroads (and toll roads) of this fine country! And, after our Jet Blue nightmare last month, being back in our RV is heaven! We've been to a beach town in Massachusetts and tubing in upstate New York...and we haven't had any accidents, blow-outs, or emergency room trips! Yea!! …

We’re Roughin’ It – Heh…

We're spending this week on our property in rural Western Maine. Richard has us online via a dish and he's building a storage shed while Mason and I "rough it" inside the RV, with the air conditioner running and the refrigerator stocked full of yummy stuff... that can be cooked on the stove or in the microwave (no campfire required!). We do use the campfire at night for the s'mores. Some things just aren't the same in a microwave... …

Frank’s Boo Boo is Healing Nicely, but…

After Frank was finally triaged (He sat in the waiting room, bleeding, for about 40 minutes, until people started complaining. They even triaged a little girl who was laughing and skipping around her mother in the the E.R. before they looked at Frank!), we saw a doctor. They didn't order x-rays or anything else. The doctor looked at him, felt the wound, and said, "I'm going to glue you right up." I thought he was kidding... …

Hoys + Vacation = SECOND E.R. TRIP IN TWO WEEKS!

This morning, after Mason went down for his nap, Frank and a neighbor started banging on the front door. I got angry because the dogs started barking and they woke up the baby. I opened the front door, ready to lecture them on being too noisy (I feel so guilty about that now)...and Frank was standing there with blood all over him. He had a pretty bad head wound... …

Hoy Family Vacation = Trip to the E.R.

We're on the road, desperately trying to enjoy our summer vacation. First, Jet Blue made our lives hell by canceling one of our flights, after we'd already gone through security! Our trip was delayed a day which resulted in a $200 hotel bill. Jet Blue claimed air traffic control shut down flights going in and out of the state we were trying to visit. We found out later that another passenger was given a completely different excuse. In addition, they had to fly us into a different city. We lost our original rental car reservation and had to get a new one with a different company in the new city. That cost was an additional $500 ($1200 for 2 weeks instead of $700). So, Jet Blue, which we will never, EVER fly again, cost us $700 plus a ton of aggravation and stress. And, by the way, air traffic control did NOT shut down flights to our original destination. We checked. And, yes, Jet Blue will definitely be hearing from me when this is all over. …

Mason’s Birthday and Talking Boxes

Mason's birthday was great fun...even though he had no idea what was going on! He just kept looking at all the people in the house with big eyes. He was friendly and let a couple of people hold him. Max (age 5) opened Mason's gifts for him. That didn't bother Max one bit! I guess we at least have photos of the party for Mason to see some day...when he knows what birthdays are. ;) …

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