Carpe Diem

Tuesday...my last day to be carefree and enjoy the irrelevance of my actions. I can wander about with the greatest of ease and enjoy my last official day of summer break. It's kind of bittersweet, like the last day of a family vacation, something we were unable to squeeze in this year because of conflicting schedules. Probably a wise choice because putting three people through college is quite costly and anywhere money can be saved is probably worth the temporary sacrifice. Family vacations are very important though and I highly recommend a get-away of some sort even if it is just a day hike somewhere reasonably close by. For us, family vacations have generated funny stories that I'm certain will be remembered forever. About 5 years ago we took off in our travel trailer to visit The Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Sedona, Zion National Park and Las Vegas and as we bee-bopped down Route 66 we stopped where ever we fancied and partook of the local culture. We experienced all types of weather and just generally had a great time. We pulled into a campground we had reserved and the kids were elated that it was snowing (something we had not expected). So everyone is searching through the closets in the travel trailer for coats and Kristin pulls out one of Dave's old nylon jackets that had been designated "for camping only". She eagerly pushed her cold hands into the pockets and to her surprise, what did she find? Well, to be honest, at first we weren't quite sure. We all poked at it and inspected it quite thoroughly through the plastic bag, but once we opened it, we knew. She had discovered the remnants of being a responsible pet owner that were undoubtedly collected the summer before when we took Lacey to Pinecrest. We laughed so hard our sides ached and we couldn't get over the fact that the trailer didn't even hint of a bad smell. We have found some very strange articles before, but never quite like that. Needless to say we discarded the entire jacket and I think secretly we wondered if Lacey had somehow pulled a fast one to teach us a lesson about taking a family vacation without her. Many funny things happened on that particular trip but those stories can be for another day. Today is for seizing so I am off to explore my options. Upcoming blogs will be posted as time allows and for those who have been emailing me...yes, I am still working on those "summer projects" so stay tuned. I am even inquiring into sample jars for the pumpkin butter so that sharing might be feasible! If you have a memorable vacation experience you would like to share please do (or send me a link to your blog)! Have a great day!