Lifes a Vacation, But Vacations Are Work

We're getting ready to go back to Orange Beach in a few days. Everyone is so excited. I'm excited too but I don't get as excited as the others.

Olivia told me today I didn't get as excited because I have it so good. She said I don't have to ever leave home and I like my life.  What could I say?  It's true, my life is like a permanent vacation.

Now the family vacation is a whole different story. When the kids were little vacation was like packing up all my work and taking it with me.  We couldn't afford to eat out so I packed the electric skillet and a weeks worth of groceries.  When you have four kids and one husband, (hopefully you have but one husband), you have to wash clothes before the weeks over so you pack laundry detergent, and keep an eye out for laundromats.

Then there is the ever present fear you will lose one of the kids. My eyes were constantly shooting everywhere and my nerves were on edge. One time when we were at Niagara Falls in an observation tower I saw this little boy hanging over the ledge. I thought to myself, "what kind of mother lets her kid do that kind of thing", then I realized it was Lucas.


In this picture you can't hardly tell it but that's Mark and Olivia, I'm the one back on the shore yelling for them to come back before they get attacked by a shark or caught in a rip-tide or stung by a sting ray.  They pretended not to hear me.

 Then there is this picture of Mark and his catch of
the day. I hated this fish. He brought it back to the
condo and told the big fish story then he preceded to
clean it right there in the condo, clogged up the
garbage disposal and spent the rest of the night
laying under the sink unclogging it while I
handed him tools and things.   I think Olivia is right, my life is a vacation. It's my vacations that are work.