Another truly relaxing and fun family vacation has transpired in Deep Creek, Maryland.  There were 10 of us this year, not including the goat, which I was NOT allowed to bring home. Ugh. Whatever. There was hiking and swimming and lake’ing and kickball (please don’t ask me to talk about it) and horseback riding and campfires and ice cream.  But more importantly, there were goats. Dave and Darlene at Sunnyside Wools allow me to cuddle their baby goats every year (you may recall the crazy stunt that transpired on our last visit), and oddly, they all calm down in my arms.  I’m a Goat Whisperer, who knew? This is Noni, and we grew close. Maybe he’ll write, it’s hard to say. Goats are famous for bad penmanship.

This is Dorkus, 8 weeks old. I tried to steal him too. It’s a Llama and Alpaca farm, so I just don’t see how they’d miss the goats!

For now, we’re unloading, unpacking, and washing the lake and campfire smell out of everything we own (why does it smell so great in the mountains and so horrible in my house?…did we stink all week and not notice?).  It will take me a week to detox to the children from the sugar and late night “bear hunting”.  I’m not going to detail for you how much I ate and drank around that campfire…I’ll leave it to your imagination.  I’m the kind of woman who cuddles with farm animals, so add 10 to your lowest estimate.

Deep Creek, Maryland. Quiet. Pleasant. Just enough to do, but not too much. Get a house with an indoor pool and watch your child hair’s turn green. Remember to move the bathing suits drying on the deck railing BEFORE you light the fireworks; we’re unpacking today, but Auntie Amanda is bikini shopping (or, in Kelly-speak, Auntie Amanda needs a new BOO-kini). Tell Dave and Darlene the crazy goat-napper sent you. Or maybe don’t do that. Pretend we’ve never met…yes, good decision.

P.S. I was right: coming home to a clean house is just the most rockin’-awesome experience.  It was everything I imagined it would be and more. Note to self: Recover from perfectionism, keep the “clean the house before going on vacation” rule.