June 19, 2016
It's 6:49am. I'm on a plane to Miami, then Barbados, for my first vacation in 5 years, alone with my husband, without pregnancy or babies. Life is good.
After navigating the inevitable tears, (mine, not theirs) I feel myself sinking deep into this gift of rest. An entire week. My body has almost forgotten, but is ready to remember, sucking in this oxygen of freedom to fill every cell from my fingertips to my toes.
🎶 "Toes in the water...tush in the sand..." 🎶
Where's the RV? It's waiting for us, forlorn, at Camping World... on hold while we finish two other adventures and reunite in July for one last RV adventure of summer 2016.
We disappeared from this blog over the last month, caught up in the excitement and charm of our new house. Our furniture arrived and we couldn't help abandoning the RV to unpack box after box, reuniting with little treasures that remind us of Home. It was better than Christmas Morning. We LOVE our new nest.
The delight, which charms us most at our new address, is the tree swing. We are IN LOVE with our big backyard, rider mower for Mama and tree swing for Samantha. Massive trees give character and shelter to a welcoming neighborhood, walking distance to Daddy's new college campus.
This is the first neighborhood I've ever lived in which feels like a neighborhood is supposed to feel; it's a community that cares for one-another. Within our first week we had more interactions and had already made more friends than we ever did in any previous house, even the house we lived in for 7 years!
In June, after a two month RV adventure, we were ready to be seduced by the warm embrace of our new home. We have come to the conclusion that we love RVing and exploring the U.S.A, but we also love a sprawling house and patio and the familiarity of one location. We enjoy both lifestyles. As the years go by, we plan to indulge in a mixture of both.
June 26, 11:30pm
Barbados was incredible. I've never been so grateful for a vacation in my entire life.
I swam with sea turtles, became deeply tan, talking with two of my favorite vacation buddies, (you girls know who you are) I drank more local rum than I ever knew I could, I twisted and stretched in outdoor yoga class, tucked in gorgeous, tropical woods (where we were warned that if a monkey showed up we would need to vacate the area quickly as they are pesky little trouble makers). I danced with locals and tourists alike, outdoors, at Oistens Fish Fry, til 11:00, when a fight broke out and 50 cab drivers were lined up ready to whisk us away to the safety of our hotels and homes.
Last, but not least, I discovered that while I may have Caucasian skin, my soul far more resembles a dark skinned Barbadian, than any of the light skinned people from the many light skinned countries I've visited.
I'm now on a plane, ears popping as we descend, destined to crawl into bed next to my beloved little girls in the middle of the night. My three year old has put on a brave face, but I can see she doesn't fully understand my need for a full week away from her and my ten month old is 100% confused by the whole thing, but they will understand someday and they will also be grateful. In the meantime, they are about to get more kisses than they ever knew possible.
Til next time....
