Vacation- the Clint Eastwood film

The good:

• Every day was sunny.
• Our apartment has a good blender (mmm, milkshakes)
• Unlike the stores at home, the grocery store across the street sells beer and wine (one stop shopping!)
• Mom, Dad, Nic, MrNic, my brother and his girlfriend were in the same building as we were (thus providing lots of relief for me in watching the kids.)
• I wasn't at work

The bad:

• Sunny= hot; my kids can be very whiny whilst wilting
• Our apartment did not have a good corkscrew
• DH has not nearly enough tolerance for kids being kids, and banished DS1 to the apartment for a whole day while he took DD to the beach with the remainder of my family (thus banishing me as well, since the melanin-challenged parent is the logical one to stay in.)
• My in-box was very full when I checked my email Saturday night.

The ugly:

• DH does not reapply sunscreen to the children properly, so now two of them are peeling.
• Lack of sunburn also means lack of suntan, so my skin tone is still blinding
• Mom and I went outlet shopping, and I heard "That looks a bit too snug," a few too many times.
• Not enough places enforce a "no Speedo" rule
• The lovely, salty air does a number on my complexion

Overall, a good vacation. Too short, of course. The drive down was not bad, (traffic-wise, and in terms of the kids' tempraments.) The drive back was worse, but it always is (even when it takes less time) because of being tired. Pounds of sand were removed from swimsuits at the end of each day, but the frolicking in the ocean made for some sound sleeping. I didn't forget to pack anything imperative (unlike my father, who left his suitcase sitting on his bed.) We came home with a backpack full of junk from the grabby-machines (including a rubber cockroach my dad wants me to take to work,) most of which will probably be lost within a week.

And I'm ready to go back.