Branson Work Week

Periodically I go on a writing retreat. I get a discounted $199 timeshare from our Travel to Go membership and delve into my writing.

So this week I went to Branson. Tom decided to come along too. I think that was good. He needed a get-away and I got a butler and cook. He took good care of me. We left Monday morning.

We stopped at the John Deer place in Harrison to get some lawn mower parts and at Aldi's to get some food. We arrived in Branson about lunch time... what to do?  There was Andy's frozen custard!  And the weather was warm enough to sit outside to eat.

Our condo this time was at the Royal Crowne Resort. It was pleasant. We had a one bedroom (not deluxe; it had a smaller kitchen and table.) But it did have a Jacuzzi!  It did not have curtains on the bedroom windows-- only blinds that did not keep the sun out in the mornings. Good thing I had eye covers. 

We had a pretty good routine. I'd get up and start writing. Tom would read a book, nap or watch TV. We'd have lunch, and then I'd go back to work for a few more hours. By 4ish, I'd stop. Or at least slow down a bit.

Tom went shopping by himself on Tuesday and declared it not as much fun as going with me. We went to the exercise room in the late afternoons each day and walked the treadmill. I find it easy to do when I can watch TV at the same time.

Wednesday late afternoon we did a little shopping. Then we came home and watched a movie and soaked in the Jacuzzi. Thursday we had breakfast out, then after work we exercised again and soaked and watched a movie.

I worked on researching and sending off a proposal to Wyatt research. It had ideas for series of emails/videos/surveys to help subscribers stay loyal and renew their subscriptions.

 I had worked in the past with my client and co-author on a larger book on dividend paying life insurance. There have been misunderstandings and ill feelings between two and I keep trying to figure out ways to help them come together to get this project finished. They are both really good people and I can see how each might be offended by the actions of the other.

My latest brainstorm was to suggest an agreement so they know exactly what each will be responsible for and who will do what. Because working in a timely way has been a problem, I even put in penalties if people didn't do what then needed to do to move the project along. I have heard nothing from either of them. I'm really not sure what else I can do. Sigh.

I wrote and sent out a Product Launch Formula newsletter. This is an article about copywriting for the people I met at the Product Launch Formula event. I'm multi-tasking, in that I also post it to my website and put it up on LinkedIn. And I wrote an article for my TeenStyleU.com website. I also read some books on marketing and listened to some training.

All in all it was a productive week for me. And it was fun to spend the evenings with Tom. In a one bedroom condo, you really can't get that far away from each other. Although when he went into the bedroom to watch TV, it was so quiet I couldn't hear it in the living room.

That is unlike the neighbors we gained Thursday and Friday nights. Tom said he could hear their conversations in their bedroom in our bedroom. I know I heard snoring from one side or the other on Friday night. Which means for sure they were vibrated by our Jacuzzi motors. I don't think this resort is high on our list to return to. Still, it was much nicer than a hotel room.

Tom and I came back home on Saturday morning. We stopped again at John Deer to pick up the part they had to order and to check out used tractors. We also looked at Kubota in Harrison. Somehow the price we think we might be willing to pay for a nice used tractor keeps going up and up. They say in a few weeks there will be lots of trade-ins to look at.

We came home unpacked and checked out the chickens and the neighbors. It was Ernie's birthday, so we invited him and Barb over for breakfast burritos for supper. Tom made brownies-- with one candle on top-- for a happy birthday cake.

Sunday was ward conference in Mountain Grove, MO-- about 1.5 hours north of Mountain Home. I left about 6:40 in order to get there for the training meetings. I needed to do some prep on Saturday evening for the training and the RS class. It's a great ward and we had good meetings. After church I went visiting to two sisters. They did serve a delicious lunch to sustain us-- pulled pork, bean salad, baked beans, and coleslaw. The coleslaw is supposed to go on the pulled pork on the bun. This is a Southern thing, I was told. And it was delicious!

I got home about 5:30. Now I've read everyone's great letters, written to missionaries and grand kids and posted this blog. It's time for bed!