Wallowing (Again)

I'm having a little pity party for myself today. My parents and brother spent the night last night, because they had a morning flight today to California. My cousin is getting married and the whole family is gathering for the occasion. And y'all, my family is fun! My mom is one of seven kids, and most of them have children that will be there. Plus, it's in California. I'm pretty sure I have a beach-shaped hole in my heart that can only be filled with more beach.

But, hey, I'm healthy, my kids are healthy, Husband has a job, and life is good. I'll make it to a beach eventually, and it will be great because we won't be sacrificing financial responsibility to do it. And I know that will be a better vacation than one that we can't afford.

To compensate, I'm enjoying some very good books. I recently read The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb and it was fantastic. I can't even really explain what made it so good, I just know that I loved it. It was a story, with characters I cared about, even when I didn't like them that much. I'm finishing up The Given Day by Dennis Lehane right now. He wrote several detective novels that I enjoyed because they were less about the crimes and more about the detectives. This newest book is still about police officers, but set in Boston in and around 1919. It is broader in scope, but fascinating. Again, characters you care about, even when you don't like them. If you're looking for a good read check out either of those books.

And my pity party has ended, because how can I look at this and not feel blessed?