Infinite apologies for my absence. I know all of you hang on my every word and that my missing the last two blog posts has been complete and utter torture. Right, so maybe not that extreme, but nonetheless, I humbly beg your pardon. You see, I was on vacation. Like a real, honest-to-goodness vacation. For those of you who don’t know me as well yet, that doesn’t mean much. Never fear; I will explain why/how that is such a big deal.
My husbands likes to tease me that I don’t know how to vacation. And he is 100% right. I always have a plan; as in every single second of the day is scheduled and mapped out, because dagnabit, if I’m going to experience something, I’m going to experience all of it. You do not want to see me at Disney. Pretty sure my husband didn’t want to see me at Disney. At any rate, relaxing isn’t really something I do. That being said, what exactly do I mean by a Real Vacation?
I had no plan.
Nope.
You heard me.
Not one.
Literally had some vacation time to take, called up my best friend who I haven’t seen in ages, bought a plane ticket, a viola: VACATION. In Wausau, Wisconsin of all places. What does one do in Wausau you might ask? I could tell you what my bestie told me, but quite frankly it’s not fit for decent society. (What can I say? That’s besties for you.) So how about the abridged version instead: Eat cheese, drink beer, and generally have a good time. For me, that mostly consisted of catching up with my soul sister and enjoying the absence of triple digit weather.
It was absolutely wonderful. I loved spending time with my girl and seeing where she is currently living. We explored some of the downtown area/square where it was quaint, but still way more than what my homestead can boast. Did I mention it looked like spring? (Also technically felt like a Texas spring as well, for the record.) But seriously, there were flowers everywhere. Like literally everywhere. Giant, beautiful flowers in practically every color imaginable sprouting like weeds. Now that’s a weed problem I could live with.
Full disclosure, I did do the beers and the cheese. We checked out several breweries including Great Dane Pub & Brewing, Red Eye Brewing Co, and O’so Brewing Company. Learned that I apparently like stouts; only person who was surprised by this was me. We also checked a couple cheese factories namely Wisconsin Dairy State Cheese Factory and Mullins. It was cool. At the State Cheese Factory, I was able to see (through extremely large glass windows) the actual process of mixing, salting, and what not. Also, got to eat cheese curds for the first time. That was…different. For those who never have, be warned, they squeak. Not exaggerating, they actually freaking squeak when you chew; something about the proteins being so tight, or some other science that eludes me. Either way, getting through my first piece was a struggle because I couldn’t stop laughing.
Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my four-day vacation and even more, the fact that I got to spend time with my best friend (for anyone curious, it’s K Cowser, co-author of The Shadow Chronicles: Shades of Power). Now I’m back home feeling rested and recharged. I’ve shared a few of my pictures in this post. If you would like to see more, follow me on Twitter @BooksbySBolanos and Instagram @sbolanosbooks to see even more great images from my stellar trip! #inspiration #writerlife #bookstagram