Pushing Reset

For most of the summer I've been struggling to find some equilibrium with the girls at home full time. It hasn't been terrible, but it's been a slog. We've been stuck in a rut of park, more park and well, you get the idea. Nacho gone for most of it just made things worse. But now that he's done with the bulk of training down south and will be off for a bit before he finishes the training flights out of JFK, it was finally time to take a little family vacation. And so we packed up and headed off to the airport last Tuesday morning for a quick jaunt to Raleigh. Or so we thought. What could have been a perfect 45 minutes in the terminal turned into a 4 hour delay that tested all our nerves. The girls did a great job of playing games and patiently pacing the hallway near our gate. But still, it wasn't fun. They were tired and any excitement about seeing their cousins and swimming in a pool was quickly wearing off. By the time we boarded, it was clear the delay was mostly on the tarmac and there was only another line to get in and wait some more. The captain was a chatty Kathy type who seemed intent on winning over the masses and while I found it amusing the first few times he updated us, the shtick wore thin about an hour into things.  Oh yes, this was the start of a great vacation. Fortunately, the flight zipped by and we had plenty of snacks on hand for these girls. When we landed, though, lightning was just starting by RDU and the ramp closed which meant we were stuck watching the rain lash the windows from inside the plane. They couldn't park us. But even in this continued misfortune, the whole atmosphere of the plane was one of resigned acceptance, and I have to say the girls did great. Surprisingly well. So while I might blame them for making me crazy most of June and July, on this particular day, they rocked it. Much appreciated, ladies. And to say thanks, we grabbed McDonald's (and gourmet pizza for their cousins from Mellow Mushroom) and zoomed back to Stacey's house once we were released from that travel hellhole. The pool the next day sealed the deal. I had forgotten all about our horrendous adventure to get there.   

A few days of eating well and lounging around their community pool and I was sold.  Summer isn't so bad when you can jump into a pool anytime you like. Unfortunately, Carolina found out the hard way that bees like the water too. She stepped on one near the steps and came screeching back over to me. I managed to pull out the stinger and get some ice on it. But mostly, I wondered if she was going to have an allergic reaction. I texted Mark and asked where the nearest ER was. But within 15 minutes or so, she seemed to be over it and I was happy to jump in the water with her and get on with our swim. Elisa took to the pool like a pro and was happiest running and jumping in (mask on). We even got Mimi to join us for a little while two of the days and Stace and Mark also made an appearance poolside the night they returned from DC. The last night, we took the girls shopping and out to dinner with Mark and Jordan while Stacey was over at Julie's marking another anniversary without Sean. It was good to see them all together after Mark's extended absences working in Africa this year. He's keeping the job now that the 6 month contract is over and I suppose that has worked out way better than any of us anticipated. I wasn't sold on the idea back in January when Stacey told us he would be heading to Sierra Leone to work with an organization conducting clinical trials on Ebola survivors. Yeah, no thanks. But Mark jumped at the chance and he's really found a niche for himself in doing so. Stacey's photography biz is flourishing and I think she too has found a calling to do something creative with food--both her strong points. So it was nice to check in with all of them. And then we were off... 

Our drive down to mom and dad's was actually the fastest part of this journey and one I enjoyed for its complete ease.  We pulled in and had the girls in their swimsuits splashing in the backyard inflatable pool in no time. The next day we did a little playing around and then headed to the beach at Emerald Isle late in the afternoon. It was free to park after 4 p.m. and the sun was so much less intense that we were smart to bide our time. The girls dove right in and there was plenty of shallow  (shark-free) water for us to enjoy for a couple of hours. Picking up dinner at Jordan's on the way back home was another brilliant idea. We had fried flounder, shrimp, bay scallops, clams, and oysters with all the fries and hushpuppies you could want. Yes, this trip down south was all working out and I have to say it's helped me push the reset button on our summer. I've been prone to my own bouts of screaming and irritation the past few weeks, so it's nice to have a string of days to break that pattern. And while Elisa hasn't been tantrum-free, she has mellowed. I think we all needed this little diversion from our norm. Having Nacho around has been a plus, and we will hopefully have another few weeks before he's off flying again. So I plan on savoring every bit. Summer can't end yet...