Back from vacation, and with a ton of mugs…

Hello, everyone!  After many weeks, I’ve returned to my desk.  I had an absolutely great time and accomplished a lot–and now I’ve more work to dive into.  Oh, how the work of a writer never ends.

🙂

I had a wonderful trip–seeing family and friends can be so rejuvenating and motivational.  And I can’t lie: seeing the ladies of Let the Words Flow was definitely the highlight of my trip!  (No offense Mom and Dad!)

In addition to lounging on the beach, playing in the waves, and dancing around singing Disney tunes (yes, we really did this), we visited Harry Potter World in Orlando.  It was–as you can no doubt guess–pretty FREAKING COOL.  The best part, though, was getting completely and utterly soaked on the log flume ride at the Island of Adventure (see the above picture).

This picture was taken with Savannah’s camera just outside the Island of Adventure–and before we got too hot and sweaty for photographs.

Another interesting event was that I discovered–quite by accident–that I was on the cover of Dalton Magazine.  Seeing as I didn’t even know such a magazine existed and since I wasn’t exactly told this whole interview thingy was going to be published, it was……well…..SURPRISING to walk into the local post office and see myself on the magazine rack.

Ha.

In addition to acquiring more copies of my face than I ever want in my life, I’ve come back to Germany with an assortment of new mugs.

I’m a coffee lover, so I can’t deny that new mugs ALWAYS makes me happy.  I drink coffee every day, all day, so only having to wash mugs once a week is fantastic. When my amazing crit partner Kat Brauer sent me a handmade Japanese mug with a top, I was over the moon.

When my BFF, Brenna, gave me a mug that CHANGES when there’s hot coffee in it, I practically cried. Yeah, the continents vanish beneath the oceans in the same way they will with global climate change.

And while I was home, I acquired these new and BEAUTIFUL coffee-drinking creations.

First off, the amazing Sarah J. Maas gave me this absolutely stunning and drool-worthy mug from Anthropologie. Seeing as I never treat myself to their lovely wares, I absolutely squeed over this mug.

Ah, so elegant. This will be my go-to mug for Something Strange and Deadly Book 2!

My mother then gifted me with this mug, which references this hilarious video.  After my dog, Jackie, died, we started quoting this video all the time because Jackie was LITERALLY as badass as the honey badger.  She once killed a skunk–even though it was spraying her in the face until her eyes bled.  She killed it and ate it, no concern for the foam and goo gushing from her face.

Honey badger don’t care, and neither did Jackie.

And then, my sister gave me this AMAZING mug that pretty much embodies all of my dietary priorities in life.  It’s the Cookie Monster–and yes, that little space in his mouth is meant to hold your cookies. Wow, huh?  Talk about INGENIUS.

Coooooookies!!

I actually have WAY more mugs from all sorts of places and people, but these are my most recent additions to that ever-growing collection.  I gotta say, my friends and family never fail to impress.

So what about you? Do you have any super special mugs?  What about other gifts that hold a special place in your heart?


🙂