MARYLAND IN NOVEMBER

I took a month off.


REALLY took it off.



Went to Maryland and hung around with my oldest daughter and grandkids.



I slept... a LOT. I had the perfect excuse - "Hey, I'm still on Arizona time!"




I ate... a LOT. Calories don't count when you're on vacation, right?




I read... a LOT. My daughter had a bunch of books for me, and I had one from my book club that I needed to finish.




It was nice.

LEAVING ON A JET PLANE (PART 493)

I both dread and delight in going to visit my grandkids and my daughter in California.


I always have a lot of fun playing with Kate and Colin and just being silly with Harmony.



But I leave so much... OPEN stuff here at home.

Things that will probably never get CLOSED before the end of my  mortal existence, but still nag away at me when I am someplace else.

Although I can quite conveniently ignore when I am actually home.


Things like my photo albums (which were once completely organized and then taken apart by my mom in her Alzheimer's years) -- cleaning (which is never ever going to be enough of a priority with me to take very seriously) -- writing (things besides this silly blog - this I can keep up long distance) -- taking time to work more with my horse.

Things that take the time that I never seem to have while at home, and yet have in huge globs while on vacation.  

Okay, Hope, take a deep breath.

Get packed.

And enjoy the time in California.

LEAVING A CAT ALONE

I was gone from our house for almost three weeks, and my cat is certainly not going to let me forget that.

When I sit down, the cat jumps in my lap.

When I walk, the cat is weaving between my feet with each step.

When I lay down, the cat burrows into the blankets, snuggles up right against my stomach, and goes to sleep.

I don't think the cat really missed me, she missed my physical warmth and occasional treats.

But I will think twice about my next vacation, and what payback she may have lined up for me.

HOME SWEET SWEET HOME

Yes, I had a perfectly lovely time in Southern California with my daughter's family.

I got to sleep on a MUCH more expensive and nicer mattress than what I have at home.

I played with my grand kids, and watched way too episodes of "American's Funniest Home Videos" (which still seems to me to be nothing but repeated shots of men getting painfully hit in the groin).

I ate In 'N Out burgers every single chance I got, and learned to love Jersey Mike's subs.

I learned my ten-year-old grandson can give pretty good directions to a lot of places in and around Oceanside.

But I'm back with my same old slightly lumpy mattress with my favorite two green blankets and my best pillow.

I have a crazy dog dancing around every time she sees me.

I have a cat curled up immediately in my lap when ever I sit down.

I have a horse which whinnies anytime he sees me outside.

I have eighteen episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Colbert Report, Modern Family and Elementary to watch.

And I still have half of a left-over pizza in the fridge for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

I am happy to be back home.

OCEANSIDE

Two weeks in Southern California included:

My two adorable grandchildren

Disneyland

Late nights giggling with my daughter

The beach

A LOT of In 'N Out Burgers

Star Trek Into Darkness

And yes, it was a success.

RUNNING AWAY... AGAIN

I like vacations, but not like most people enjoy vacations.

At least to me, most vacations seem to be packing up a lot of your own stuff, dragging this stuff to a hotel or resort or cruise liner or someplace near a body of water.


You then unpack all of it, become involved with complete strangers over games of chance, stand in long lines waiting for entertainment, purchase expensive tokens, souvenirs, and fast food.


Then you pack everything back up and return home to unload your dirty laundry plus a whole lot of sand from the beach.

My main considerations for a vacation?

Where am I going to sleep, and how comfortable is the bed, and what books am I going to read as I lounge in aforementioned resting place.

Forget going anywhere; I'm just happy to hang.

Of course, everything about this upcoming vacation is (fortunately) turning into somewhat of a normal-what-everyone-else-does vacation.

I am planning on going to Disneyland.

I am going to insist I get my toes at least wet in the Pacific Ocean - I have been landlocked too many years now in Arizona.



And I am going to stand in as long a line as necessary for as long as necessary to see the "Star Trek: Into Darkness" premier (and yes, it is to see Benedict Cumberbatch).



But hopefully the rest of it will simply be hanging with my daughter and grand-kids at home.