I’ve got a bunch of miscellaneous updates and things to share, so I’m joining Jennifer in 7 Quick Takes today…

1. I am soooo excited! Mike and I leave for Hawaii in a few days and I can’t wait. I plan on totally unplugging, but I’ve got some favorite posts from the archives scheduled to go up next week, so if you’re new here, I hope you enjoy them! I’ll look forward to sharing about our trip and posting photos when we get back.

2. The weather has finally improved and it’s starting to feel like summer! (It sounds like from all of your comments the last couple of days, everyone’s been getting some pretty strange weather lately.) Today was around 90 degrees and beautiful. We are loving it!!!

3. For you writers, Nathan Bransford had a post recently about How to Craft Mystery in a Novel, and another post about remembering that Rejection Is Not Personal. (Something every writer needs to keep in mind!)

4. And for you bloggers: if you’re looking to learn more about maximizing your blog and improving your content or increasing traffic, be sure to visit The SITS Girls, where they’re working through ProBloger Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog eBook. Great tips and resources.

5. If you’re local to the Sacramento area, join my friend and fellow children’s author, Anne Bowler, at the Roseville Library on Monday the 13th for a storytelling event. And be sure to bring the kids; it sounds like it will be a lot of fun.

6. Another thing if you’re local: have you heard of Sacramento Bee’s Sacramento Connect? It’s a network for local blogs and community news, and it is awesome. (I’m not getting any perks to say that… I’ve just been part of this network for a while now and I think it’s a great resource for local information!) Check it out!

7. Last, I want to take a minute and say thank you for stopping by and reading. I was looking at some of my older posts recently and realized I started MyCup2Yours almost three years ago (minus the seven-month break I took to work on one of my manuscripts and then ended up with the arm and knee injury!). This place here, and all of you, have become such an important a part of my life. I love your comments and emails, and the way you’ve reached out to me and others here. It’s been fun getting to know many of you, and I smile each time I see your name come through my email from a comment. I apologize I haven’t been very good about replying to comments lately; it has been a struggle to find the time, but please know I read and appreciate each and every one!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! As a reminder, I’ll be taking a break from Mom-Monday next week because I’ll be sitting on a beach enjoying the ocean with Mike and no kids!!!! (Can you tell I’m excited?! It’s our first kid-less full week away in twelve years! I know I’ll miss the kids like crazy, but I’m looking forward to the time alone!). I’ll be back here on 6/20 to continue with my two-part series on being a more grateful mom and helping our kids to be more grateful too! Aloha!

Hugs to all of you!