Post Vacation Post

I've needed a true vacation for some time . . . "vacations" always seem to really be code for "time off from work to attend a family event". As most of you know, family events are never TRULY a vacation. So how did I know this was truly a "vacation"?

• Tank top and bikini suntan marks
• A little extra belly fat, from all the eating we did
• Liver still processing the nightly bottles of wine and various other alcohols
• The new navel jewelry
• The HUGE dent in my bank account
• The sense of calm and laziness I feel (even with a huge dent in my bank account)

All in all, it was a great week. Our friends are great vacation companions. Living in close confines with two adults and their children can be very telling of your relationship. After hugging them goodbye today, I could honestly say I'd do it again. Soon.

Our kids had a great time. We had an awesome beach house - literally on Mission Beach. Walk across the boardwalk and you're at the ocean. Every day, they ran down to the sand. To play football. To throw the Frisbee. To dig the biggest sand hole they could dig. To tempt the waves, and then race away when the waves came after them. To meet the waves head on, and then go under, spitting saltwater and laughing on the way up.

The husband and I had a great time. We had a babysitter each night, which allowed us to go out as a couple, drink and eat and tell raunchy stories not fit for our children to hear, walk on the boardwalk, hold hands, and be a couple. Not parents. A couple.

Our families had a great time. Besides the beach, we hit Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Other than the kids getting a little tired from the sun and the walking, they had a great time and every day seemed to give them something new to be excited about. Even the adults had to be a little in awe of Shamu, feeding the dolphins, and the Lorakeets feeding off of our hands.

Unfortunately, reality sets in and the vacation comes to an end. We flew back today, sleepy and sun-drenched . . . with one more day to catch up.

Next weekend the Dr. and I will be in Vegas for an appropriate amount of debauchery . . . until then, I've got to be a good mom, good wife, and good accountant . . .

Which means by the time Friday rolls around, I'll be ready to collect on those free drinks and see how entertaining the Rhino can be.

Until then, enjoy pictures of vacation happiness . . .

Respectfully submitted,

The Wife