Mini-vacation

Today is the last day of my mini-vacation. The kids have been with their father since last Friday and come home tonight. I wonder if they missed me.

I've missed them but didn't miss the responsibility of caring for anyone but myself. I could linger over coffee in the morning instead of going on the daily hunt for Mell's socks. I did't have to break up a single tiff and I could pick up one slice of pizza for dinner instead of cooking for three after working 8+ hours. I did miss them though.

Bob and I spent Friday through Monday together and had a great time. We met at a Marriot in Rocky Hill, CT on Friday and celebrated my birthday by going to dinner at a neat little brewpub in Hartford. Great food! Bob got me a pair of pearl earrings and an iPod for my birthday. I am now not the last person on the face of the earth with an iPod! I bought him a massage from a place in North Andover. He's never had a professional massage before and desperately needs it.

We had our regiment's annual meeting on Saturday at John Koopman's house and his wife surprised us with a birthday cake. She's such a thoughtful person considering we're the ones who steal her husband away to play George Washington all summer.

After the meeting, we went to my cousin's house in Long Island for my aunt and uncle's 40th wedding anniversary party. It was a surprise party and I think I was the biggest surprise since they haven't seen me in five years. We had a blast and stayed up until 2:00 in the morning. Bob really hit it off with my family as I knew he would.

The next day was spent in recovery. We sat around all day talking and eating party leftovers. The sun had finally come out and we got to appreciate the view of Long Island Sound right outside my cousin's back window. I would love to live on the water like that. There is something so peaceful about the sound and motion.

We left around 4:00 and went straight to another Marriot in Stamford, CT. After an hour long nap, we walked across the street for a steak dinner. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and watching tv.

Bob has had a brutal schedule lately and really needed this break. We both tend to overschedule ourselves. We need to learn to schedule downtime.