September is a time for new beginnings. After summer, where time was measured by the sunny days, the temperature of the water and the direction of the winds, September always draws one up with a jolt as we return to responsibilities and routine. My sons are back in school, and the alarms go off around our house a lot earlier than any of us want to hear them. We ended the summer with a great trip to the Outer Banks and still am kicking the sand from between my toes as I write this. I spent most of our vacation reading while floating in the pool. It had been a hectic summer of sheetrock dust, early mornings and late nights with our office renovation, which took almost four weeks and thus I was happy to do as little as possible to rejuvenate myself. For a blog about what I read as I floated, click here.

August either means you are back in school, or headed there VERY VERY soon. Why does it seem like summer days fly by so very very quickly while winter drags on and on and on?

August either means you are back in the school routine, or headed there VERY VERY soon. I know I dread the alarm clock that will be ringing around our house at 6AM starting next Thursday. Why does it seem like summer days fly by so very very quickly while winter drags on and on and on?

My suitcase once again is a topic of big discussion around our house today. We are leaving for the Outer Banks, and the usual vacation conversation has begun. My suitcase needs to go in the trunk first for everything else to fit. I somehow never understand this since we have a Yukon XL. HOW can MY bag be so mission-critical? I have learned not to ask questions like this since my husband is an engineer and clearly feels there is some method to this madness.

We all have authors whose writing we just love. When they have a new book out, we have to have it and then we have to read it right that moment. Life takes a back seat while you read. Carolyn Mackler is one of those authors for me. I fell in love with her writing years ago, and thus when I saw her new book, GUYAHOLIC, I knew that little would be happening around my house until I read it. Once again Carolyn has written a story where her words made me think. Afterwards we did a whole email exchange about it, and it was such fun getting her insight into V and the story. Thus I am very excited to share an interview with Carolyn and our review of GUYAHOLIC with you this month. Carolyn also just launched a new website at CarolynMackler.com that you'll want to check out.

For the record, after last week when I wrote the newsletter standing up in the middle of the construction zone at the office, this week I AM sitting down. The project is about 95% completed. My office is getting a glass wall, which will go in last. I have been WALKING through the window area instead of the door for weeks now, thus the staff is taking bets on how many times I am going to gallop into the glass. I am not betting against them. I figure I will need to keep the Windex handy to destroy all telltale fingermarks!