While I have traditionally blogged straight through vacations in years past, this year?  This year…I was pooped.  It took all I had to pack up the entire house, beg Greg to squeeze it into the minivan (for which he should receive a Nobel Prize for Packing), and drive to the mountains and waters of Deep Creek, Maryland.  Vacation involved a lot of hiking, swimming, camp-firing/s’more’ing, boating, drinking & eating (and maybe a couple of shots at the local Tiki Bar), horseback riding, reading (3 books in 1 week…you KNOW I was reading 50 Shades), hot-tubb’ing, catching up with family, and movie watching.  But what it didn’t involve was my brain…working…whatsoever.  I put my brain on auto-pilot.  I didn’t cook a single recipe which required a recipe.  I didn’t check into this space a single time. I didn’t pick up a needle or thread, or sketch out a craft in my mind. I tried to unwind and let nature flow through me, which was quite a challenge after this very, um, well, challenging year.  But by week’s end, I found myself inside my emotionally bankrupt head.  Hello Me.  Feeling better?  Lord, I hope so.

We returned home to a very dirty house, which means the Mom Police will be here any minute to give me a ticket.  Going on vacation with a dirty house is probably less of a Mom Misdemeanor, and more of a Mom Felony.  It’s an infraction no husband can possibly understand.  BUT, Max is still alive, which, to quote our Vet, “Is something we look for!”  Alive?  Yes…we look for that too.  Bless her heart.  A Cheerleading Vet, they are the best kind. And thank you to Megan, our house sitter, for miraculously giving his cranky soul the many doses of required meds, along with somehow keeping my lawn alive through Day 60 of no rain and high temperatures. The mail pile, much to my excitement, included new hardware for one of my more ambitious projects, and borrowed Cricut cartridges for an upcoming party you’re sure to enjoy.  At Kelly’s request, this year we’ll be holding a small, but colorful, “Rainbow Art Party”.  Thank You Roxanne!  Crafty Friends never let Crafty Friends work without the proper cartridges.  And as we downloaded photos I came across this sweet shot of Auntie Amanda Felice and her namesake Sara Felice riding upon Myrtle.  No 2 people look forward to the annual family Vaca more than Amanda and Sara.  They bounce around like fireflies sugared up on Dippin’ Dots for the entire month beforehand, practically high-five’ing each other across the states that separate them.  FAMILY VACATION!  OH MY GOD!!!  OHHHH MYYYYY GOOOODDDD!!!  But when we get there, their happiness is simply contagious, and Amanda’s daily planning of excursions for no less than 13 people (gasp!), is truly a lot of fun.  They usually spend the entire week in a perpetual hug, again…contagious joy. Every family should contain Amandas & Saras.

Alas, the very packed minivan brought us back crispy Indiana (oh sweet, cool mountain streams of Maryland…I miss you already). Back to reality.  Back to posting about our fun summer Culinary Adventures.  Back to sharing furniture rehab projects and crafty crap I make out of paper and glue.  Back to the floors that need mopped and the bathrooms screaming to be scrubbed.  And the laundry.  Holy-Moley…the laundry. Back to this little space where we share a cup of coffee and few laughs. My, how I’ve missed you’all!