Vanished?

Any time I go two weeks without posting anything here, I feel a little guilty. No matter how busy I get, there’s always time for just a little bit of sharing, even if it’s an abbreviated update. But here I am, back among the living.

So what happened? Well, for one thing, I haven’t spent any time at home in the past three weeks. Las Vegas, northern Wisconsin, and southwest Missouri- those have been my stomping grounds these past three weeks. I provided some updates from Vegas, but nothing since then.

So to quickly recap- after Vegas (where I solved eight escape rooms), I spent the next week near Crivitz, Wisconsin, catching my breath after the challenge of working out of a hotel room. Then we headed down to visit family in Missouri and meet my new goddaughter.

I rented a VRBO for the first time, and I was blown away. At only about 20% more expensive than a normal hotel room, this VRBO is about 50% larger than the home I live in. It’s decked to the gills with incredible amenities (it has 250 MPBS internet and a $350 printer!!!) and feels extremely luxurious. It’s a loft in an old brick building, refitted for modern living.

I even had the opportunity to participate in a puzzle hunt, with more resources than I have at home. This place comes with many standard office supplies in addition to the printer, so I was well equipped to do everything I can do at home, and more.

The puzzle hunt is the secret behind why I vanished off the face of the planet, as well. Often I write in the last 30 minutes of the day. With a puzzle hunt to participate in, I was throwing that little bit of discretionary time at a puzzle or two. My days have been pretty full between work and family, so I wasn’t able to make much progress on anything else.

Today I’m heading back to Chicago, and I’m solving a murder mystery from Tall Tales Mysteries while on the road. Verdict is still out on how well my phone will handle mobile Zoom in the middle of nowhere between Springfield & St. Louis, but I will try my best!

I’m excited about VRBO for the future, though. This arrangement makes it extremely easy to travel and work with all the amenities of home and more. I don’t know what doors this will open, but I’m excited about it.