Home Sweet Home

We made it! The adventure has come to an end and vacation is over. And actually it went pretty well, if you consider having a 2 year old along for the ride! We traveled down to Clearwater, FL for a week on the beach with my husband's family. It was really nice having a change of scenery and soaking up the sun. It was the first vacation my daughter will remember, and it was great having her 4 year old cousin along to swim, play, eat, and well, be a kid with.

My husband is a big time water lover. Not me. I wish I could get excited about it, but honestly, Im not a big fan. The pool is just too cold, and the ocean is too big. I love to be outdoors, smell the fresh air, feel the wind in my hair, but not the water on my body. At first we feared this might be the case with my daughter too. Every time she got near the water she would begin to freak out and want out. Finally we realized it was because her swimsuit was getting wet. She didnt want her suit to get wet! So we stripped her down to her swim diaper and she spent the rest of vacation swimming with daddy (which was great for me because it got me off the hook, and I had some extra free time!)

I think their are definitely pros and cons to traveling with family. And granted, this wasnt MY family but my husband's family, whom I thoroughly enjoy, so that might make a difference too, but it was certainly fun. The pros are: 1 lots of extra babysitters around, or at least "baby entertainers." 2 parents often want to "treat" you to dinner, movies, or at least an ice cream cone. 3 more people to help clean up the place, do dishes, fix meals. 4 extra conversation topics. 5 it's family!

I would say there really arent many cons, but here are a few that might be considered: 1 not much "alone time" with husband or individual family. 2 occasional awkwardnesses because you are still an "in-law" not one of the original members of the tribe. And 3 discrepancies over taking care of the baby, what food belongs to what family, what we are all doing today, etc.

All in all I really enjoyed myself. In fact, I had a meltdown this morning just so overwhelmed with the reality of life back at home! I miss my extra help! I miss the beautiful weather! I miss doing something different! But that is what makes vacation so special and what helps me appreciate it so much. So until next time, all I have are memories and photos, which I'd love to share with you if I could just figure out how to post them....(reality sets in again....I have so little time to learn any new skills....daughter is crying....house is a disaster....bed is calling....no more glorious dishwasher.....just a sink full of dishes needing to be hand washed.....piles of clothes and vacation things in every corner of the house....) Hmmm, guess we are home sweet home.