The beach and a lion cub.

Today marks our last day of family vacation!  As he did last year, my father-in-law has treated everyone to a week in Nags Head, NC.  And what a treat it has been!

There have been highlights too numerous to mention, so this rattling on might be a bit choppy.

Food.  Mmm.  Yes, I brought my own butter… and my own baked bread.  ‘Cause I’m a snob like that, a’ight?  But I’ve enjoyed cooking a few meals for the family, butting in and assisting when other people have been taking their turns, and offering unsolicited advice when crab legs take too long to steam.  Revelation 1: I most feel like I’m on vacation when I’m in the kitchen.  Revelation 2: I quote Rachael Ray a lot.  Revelation 3: The rest of the world doesn’t watch Rachael Ray enough.

“Look, guys!  Mommy made me melon-kale-strawberry yogurt-carrot juice-banana-pineapple popsicles!  Yum!”

Beach.  Ahhhhh…  Bennett’s interest has held longer with every trek out to the sand.  Yesterday, he grinned as the water rushed back and for across our feet, over and over, so long as I crouched behind him and protected him, arms wrapped around.  Though I was incredibly fascinated with a tiny crab I captured in our beach bucket, Bennett’s attention never matched my own.

Family.  *sigh*  These cousins are too much!  Brian’s sister, Katie, joined us for the beginning of the week with her six month old, Noah.  Let’s just say that I was on careful alert to be sure my son didn’t smother him with loving intentions.  Bennett’s other cousin, Sophia, has been a great partner in crime.  They’ve found every nook and cranny in which to hide, scattered poker chips throughout the entire first floor (along with a couple decks of cards… and a bag of potatoes), taken turns shutting each other in a dog crate, “walked” the spare blenders (you know, dragging them around by their cords) until they were in a better place to practice taking the lids on and off (and filling with poker chips, playing cards, blocks and potatoes).  Bennett’s picked up the art of growling.  It seems like he’s attempting to make the blender sound when he plays with the blender’s buttons, but he just sounds like a baby cub to the rest of us and it’s freakin’ adorable.  He smiles from ear to ear when he’s growling, a twinkle in his eye.

Killer solitare.  Watch. Out.  It seems that this game was presented to me with a different name, but I’ve long since forgotten what that was since all we do is talk smack, threaten and intimidate (and laugh), until ultimately the cheaters win or I win.  Pray for me as I’ll be experiencing some pretty depressing competition withdraw when I get home.

Home.  Wow.  Back to Glass Door Salon I go!  It seems like vacation could not have come at a more awkward time given the fact that we were four weeks into our new business, running things smoothly from the kitchen while working on getting our permits to renovate the garage into a beautiful studio.  Most people wouldn’t be comfortable stepping away at such a time, but my associate, Corinne, is keeping me straight back home and I can’t wait to get back to training her!  I’m looking forward to the new software she’s set up with updated schedules, calendars and client data!  Wahoo!  While I certainly don’t begrudge pen & paper, it sure was tedious and time consuming scheduling out appointments and confirming existing appointments without technology.

Brian.  My dear hubby has taken this week to finally 100% wean himself from nicotine, both cigarettes and gum.  It turned out that he had been taken in higher levels of nicotine with the nicotine gum than with smoking, so he went back to the cigarettes to wean from the gum.  Yuck.  But he’s been smoke/gum free for about a week and I encourage you to encourage him!

(Here he is, teaching Bennett about kites.)

All in all, a lovely week.  Pool…  Shopping…  Law and Order SVU…  Devotions in the quiet of the morn…  All good.  All good.