Queen of the Road

What if you were living life happily, the princess of your home? Everything you wanted was pretty much at your disposal. A cushy job that allows you to work from bed in your pajamas, pets that adore you, a husband that adores you and puts up with your quirks, a closet that can handle your shoe obsession.

Life would be grand, and who would want to change that? I know I wouldn't! I would be perfectly content to lay around in bed and watch TV, or more likely, to blog all day, not getting dressed. Except to go shopping. Sounds like the life to me.

It did to Doreen Orion, too. She had it made! She, and her husband, are both psychiatrists, only she worked from home doing case reviews and he went out and dealt with patients.

But then her husband got a crazy wild hair up his butt and wanted to quit work for a year and go on a year long bus tour of the United States. No, Doreen did not agree to that. Who would? Well, when you are married to a practicing psychiatrist, you might be surprised at how quickly you will change your mind...... and they were soon on their way. In a very posh bus, of course.

It was hysterical reading about their bus decorating. They started with a scratch bus and built the inside to their specifications. The MOST expensive marble counter top you can buy. $1200 glass bathroom sink with stainless steel tiles. Oh, it must be grand.

I found myself relating to Doreen so much. I hate being outdoors, hate spiders (and I have even had a melt-down over one as bad as she had in the book), hiking is for the weirdos, etc. We both would love nothing better than to not leave the house, or get dressed. I wouldn't trade my life with children for her ability to shop when she wants to, but I wouldn't have minded that life if things were different, lol.

The mishaps that happen on the trip are funny, and who can't relate? We've had things happen on almost every trip we've ever taken, we call it family bonding. (pass the puke bucket during the trip when everyone had the flu at the same time, during a blizzard with a flat tire)

During the year long trip, Doreen did turn from a princess into a Queen, but she also changed in other ways. She stopped feeling so attached to her possessions and started recognizing what was truly important in life; love.

Doreen and her husband Tim made a tour of the United States. Then she wrote a book. But we get to take a tour of blogs and win prizes! Everyone who comments is in a drawing for a grand prize. You can comment on every blog in the tour! Several bloggers are also giving away a prize for the commenter's on just their blog, though not quite as grand. I would love it if you helped me to win a prize among the tour bloggers by giving me the most comments! Come on, won't you help me? Thanks! I knew you loved me!

Here is the scoop on the prizes:

GRAND COMMENTATOR PRIZE
Everyone who comments on a tour post will be entered to win a grand prize of:

Mom Logic Tote bag, eye brightener and mouse pad.

Wrist water bottle from Swiggies $13 value
Gift certificate for free flashcards from Goosie Cards $29 value
Rose Pin ($10 value)
Natural, dye-free dog tug from Purrfect Play $18 value
Book, "Uncovered" by Mark Goldwich $13 value
"Attitude of Gratitude" Tank Top Med from Empowering Things $19.39 value
"Be Natural" tee shirt from Just Be $15 value
Cats on Cards Pet Rescue Stickers from Purrfect Play $7.95 value
2009 Park-It Guide for NYC $13 value

Total Value of Prize: $130.00+

Summary:
If you were to force Nora Ephron into an RV traveling across the United States, you might end up with a story like QUEEN OF THE ROAD: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own (Broadway Books; June 10, 2008; Trade Paperback Original; $13.95) by Doreen Orion, an uproarious travel memoir by a self-proclaimed "Long Island Princess" couch potato who embarks – kicking and screaming – on an action-packed, romantic, cross-country journey of trials, transformations, and the occasional nudist RV park.
Apart from the fact that they are both psychiatrists, Doreen and her husband Tim are polar opposites. He loves hiking and the great outdoors; she enjoys sitting in bed all day eating bon bons watching Oprah. In fact, she is damn proud of her record: 118 hours straight without leaving the house. So when Tim proposes they take a break from their careers and embark on a year-long trip across the country in a converted bus, Doreen immediately protests. Why can’t Tim be like every other normal husband and live out his mid-life crisis by having an affair or buying a shiny new Corvette!? But Tim works his magic and before long Doreen is packing up her things and moving into a 340-square-foot converted bus with a husband, two cats, a Standard Poodle, and one burning question: Can this marriage of opposites survive (perhaps even thrive) living together in such close quarters for an entire year?
A celebration of life all over our quirky country, QUEEN OF THE
ROAD is an engaging tale of adventure and misadventure across America (complete with episodes of fire, flood, and armed robbery). It’s also an account of one loving but odd couple’s journey of inspiration and transformation – the story of a woman with 200 pairs of shoes who learns to be less materialistic, while her Type-A husband tries to understand the meaning of mellow.

About the Author
DOREEN ORION is a triple-boarded psychiatrist on the faculty of The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Her first book, I Know You Really Love Me, established her as a national expert on stalking with related appearances on Larry King Live, 48 Hours, and Good Morning America, to name a few.
In spite of all this, Doreen considers her greatest accomplishment to be that her bus was featured as the centerfold for Bus Conversions magazine (where she is currently the travel writer), thus fulfilling her life-long ambition of becoming a Miss September.

Commenters on my blog will be in the contest for an additional prize of a Swiggies wrist water bottle. I will randomly choose a winner from all comments. Contest ends December 15. United States only.

If you would like to tour the blogs and enter to win the grand prize as many times as possible, you can visit these bloggers and leave comments:

Dorothy
Robyn
Louise
Christine
Beckie
Michelle
Tara
Stacie @
http://www.knackparenting.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-829-Family-Travel-Examiner
http://www.atlantaparent.com/
Ginny
Kat
Julie
Angela
Wendy @
http://www.shopping-gems.com/
http://sweetiessweeps.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth
Renee
Christine
Dennise
Kimberly
Alisa
Aimee
Toni
Connie
Jackie
Cathi
Sheena
Laura
Maria
Jane
Yvonne @
http://www.lipsticking.com/
http://www.scratchingsandsniffings.com/
DEC 10
Kailani
Tara