I just returned a few days ago from a weeklong vacation with my family (parents, siblings and their significant others). My dad scored us a great house right on the beach and the weather was beyond perfect, especially for September. Every day was in the high 80s or low 90s and it only rained on our first day – the travel day that no one cared about.
My goals for the trip were simple: lay out and soak up sun, read, sleep.
Prior to the trip, Wonder Boy and I created an emergency word that we could use if we needed alone time. If I uttered this word in his presence he was committed to getting me to someone place quiet, and vice versa. I only fell back on this once and Wonder Boy never did, not surprising since I tend to like to hole away and having 10 people in one house doesn’t give you a ton of opportunities for that.
The fact that I read 6 books and started a 7th was probably my saving grace. It achieved one of my goals (read) and let me zone out a little. The books I read were really all pretty good:
- Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
- 4 out of 5 stars … I learned a ton about Afghanistan but did not find the narrator very likable.
- Things I’ve Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi
- 3 out of 5 stars … This book was meandering and hard to read but very informational’
- The Whole Truth by Nancy Pickard
- 2 out of 5 stars, at best … Pickard just seemed like a Picoult wannabe in this book.
- All Together Dead Harris by Charlaine Harris
- 5 out of 5 stars
- From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
- 5 out of 5 stars
- Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
- 5 out of 5 stars
- Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
- 5 out of 5 stars … Aaaack — now I’m done with the Sookie Stackhouse novels! What will I do?!?
One aspect of the trip that went really well was the tradition we have around our dinners. For the sake of saving time and money, each couple cooks one meal. After that, you don’t have to cook anymore. Pretty fabulous, right? This year people tried to step it up and do theme nights. We had a Gilligan’s Island theme, with prize for best costume, a Jersey Shore theme with assigned roles and a Mexican night. Wonder Boy and I threw a classic party complete with invitations and lots of glow jewelry. It looked like an old school rave in the dining room!
Now I am at home, tanned, mildly better-rested and definitely experiencing some post-vacation blues. If this isn’t motivation to start planning the next trip for Wonder Boy and I, I don’t know what is!
Jason B.
Lets bless the rains in Africa!