Off on another journey...

Well, we took a poll and all in the family agreed that there has been WAY too much going on around here lately and after Andy and I had a major blowout on Friday night, I am in agreement. We have been running around like crazy people, working and playing WAY TOO HARD! I have learned that there actually is such a thing as too much FUN! We are going to spend more time at home, just hanging out and maybe even doing nothing!

I am understanding that I cannot expect everything to be done NOW and perfectly and that somethings I must just do myself (and get over it). I am telling you, for a grown up, I really don't know much...at all! I think that I have it all figured out and then, I realize that the rules have changed, or that we are playing a different game entirely! I seem to think that my husband is superhuman and can fix dinner, clean the kitchen, put the kids to bed AND do all of the "man" jobs like fix stuff and take care of the yard (oh, and balance that with the new job that he has this year!) I am wrong, he can't... just like I can't go to school, go to work, do the paperwork and household chores, spend time with kids, scrapbook, work out AND still have the time and energy to work on projects until midnight. I am ... human. So is he. That is it. My secret is out! I CAN'T DO IT ALL. I can do some of it and I can do some of it well and the rest of it will either not be done, or done "half-assed". What I really want for my family is to do some of it and BE HAPPY. Whatever the cost, be it messy house, unfinished projects, dirty cars, unkempt yards.... I want us to get along and to enjoy our lives.

Don't get me wrong and go thinking that I am going to let everything go to pot and be joyous about it. I am just saying that I am going to try to let more things go and focus on what really matters. I will still probably hate the clutter and the brown patches on the lawn, but I would rather be known for my happy, wonderful family than for my Martha like home and yard. Really! (boy, that is hard to say, and I am sure that it will be even harder to live with) Today, I worked out and then I went to Lowe's to get the things that I thought Andy would get ('cause he is the man and men do that stuff) but realized that they were MY priority and not his. I also bought new plants for the porch, 'cause the ones we planted last spring are half dead and not really working in the space. I look at them everytime I walk in the door and wish that "someone" would do something about it, so I am, and I think that I am going to go and plant them, as soon as I get off of the computer!

After that, I am going to put on the handles for the laundry room cabinet, fold the laundry and maybe replace the hinges that are the wrong color. I will not get "everything" done today that "needs" to be done. But I will also do some of my homework and fix dinner and read to my kids. After that, I will see how many more hours (or minutes) are left before I retire to the couch to watch t.v. for an hour (which I am learning that I deserve!) before getting myself off to bed. I am going to work harder at taking care of ME... (and not by getting manicures or having days at the spa, but by being nicer to myself and accepting my human-ness). I am going to work harder at taking care of my family too, in this same way. I think that I spend so much time taking care of the house and the shopping and the laundry and the, and the, and the.. I forget about taking care of our hearts and our souls...

Off on another journey I am.... one of a deeper level of understanding and acceptance. I think that I have packed well and I really hope that I haven't forgotten anything.

p.s. We did not put together any of the furniture this weekend...we hung out, laughed, played, watched a movie, ate popcorn, went to a birthday party, had dinner as a family... and Andy replaced all of the switches and outlets in the family room, kitchen and laundry room. We will see how we do next weekend!

Carpinteria

Our little haven

The weekend already seems so long ago, it is amazing how quickly our minds can loose a thought or a feeling. We arrived in Carpinteria at 10:30 on Thursday night. It was Andy's last day of work, so we had to wait until he got home. By that time, there would have been terrible traffic, so we went to dinner with some family and then hit the road. There was NO traffic and we zipped right up there. We pulled into our gorgeous spot ON THE BEACH and felt the waves of relaxation wash over us. Carp is great... when I say ON THE BEACH...that is exactly what I mean. The back end of the motorhome was hanging over the sand. It is AWESOME.

We had dressed the kids in p.j.'s and put them in their beds for the drive, so they were already out cold when we arrived. Andy and I took advantage of that fact, and sat a while on the sand in the light of the full moon and listened to the roar of the ocean. We reminisced about sitting on the shores of the Indian Ocean, falling in love and how we never could have imagined our lives being what they are today. We have a GOOD life, a GREAT life. We just sat there, taking it all in. Finally, our beds called and we gave in to a great night's sleep.

This was my view of Gavin all weekend long

The weekend was spent on the beach and in the ocean. We just played and relaxed. When we got there on Thursday night, I was admiring the lights that the camp site next to us had put in the trees. It looked like a magazine and so very "vacationy", I was envious that we had not brought our lights. This weekend is one of our only getaways this summer, and I really wanted to just enjoy it. Andy got up on Friday morning and needed to run to the store for ice and a few other things that we had forgotten, so he hopped on his bike and was off. He is THE best husband ever, because he not only came back with ice and beer... he bought me LIGHTS! AND a BEACH CHAIR!!! He too, really wanted me to enjoy the weekend and boy, did I!

I read a book (NOT a text book) all weekend long... I decided to start "Love In The Time Of Cholera" on our last trip and had only gotten a few pages in. I read half of the book and am LOVING it! I can't wait 'till our 4th of July weekend, when I will get to finish it!

I got some sun, sat in my chair, ate yummy food (but not too much) and watched the kids PLAY. Ella decided that she loves the ocean and Gavin made tons of friends and played in the waves, dug in the sand and tried his hand at boogie boarding. I hardly saw that kid all weekend. Ella got stung by a bee, poor thing....and Andy played in the water and with the kids and we all just had such a wonderful time (except for the bee stinging part). We showered that night and felt all clean and shiny. Oh, that is the other thing that Carpinteria has... HOOK UPS! That means water and electricity in the motorhome... these are BIG. The kids crashed and Andy and I sat outside, listened to Jimmy Buffet and Jack Johnson (the Curious George song guy) and loved the waves and the moon and my lights in the trees. That night the Grunion (lil fish who come up onto the beach to lay eggs) were running.. so we sauntered down to the waves to watch. It was really very interesting and we thought that it was really funny that there were so many humans on the beach all waiting to watch, "fish sex". They don't actually "do" anything, the female digs a hole, lays the eggs and then the males flop up and make their contribution. After that, they all head back down to the water!

This is BEFORE the bee sting - Ella in her "itsy, bitsy, kind of teeny, yellow, polka dot tankini"

On Saturday, we had company! Andy's cousin lives in Lompoc and he, his wife and 2 year old daughter came to hang out with us for a couple of hours. Right about the time they were getting ready to pack up and head out...our friends from Santa Barbara stopped in. A buddy of mine from college days, who went to UC Santa Barbara, came with his wife and their 2 year old daughter. The girls left after a while to head home, but he stayed to have dinner and relax. Of course we talked about the "good ol days" and laughed and stayed up way too late.

Sunday came to soon, and it was time to pack up and head out. Before going home, we went into town to have lunch. We really wanted to treat ourselves...we rarely eat out when we are camping, but heck...this was our vacation! We went to "Senor Frogs" and had the most wonderful lunch. The restaurant was relaxed and peaceful and the kids were so incredibly well behaved and the food was excellent! Gavin ordered off of the regular menu, which he read by himself! He was so proud and so were we! We then walked across the street to the candy store which has just about every candy you could want, and a red and white checkered floor and big white paper bags that they put your purchases in. We each chose something yummy and then, the trip was done. We drove home with little traffic and enjoyed dinner with Andy's parents. Then it was off to prep for our new schedule. School for me, and day camp for the kids and summer school for Andy. I put my head down on the pillow relaxed and refreshed (and tan!) and ready for the adventure that I was about to begin.