We landed at the airport late last night. During part of our four hour layover in Atlanta, we met a charming older retired couple who were returning to their Arkansas home for the summer (they live in Florida during the winter. Basically, they have an awesome life). Anyways, our new friends were chatting away with us, when the woman looked at me and said "honey, you're going to be cold when we get home!" I was wearing a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops, with a thin hoodie zip-up sweater. I figured it'd be colder, but I wasn't quite prepared to jump from our 85+ degree days to 30 degree lows. Needless to say, I've had an adjustment today in just the small fact that over 80% of my body was covered with clothing instead of laying poolside in a bikini.
I have a myriad of stories and pictures to share with you. Since we spent an entire week at the resort, it may take me a bit to shift through everything and get it all straight, so bear with me as I try to reacclimate from being in a kid-free environment to being inundated with cries for sippy cup refills and more strawberries.
Before I launch into posts that are more detailed and pretty, I figured I'd share some of my highs/lows of the trip.
High: The Antelope in the Living Room. Y'all. You need to read this book. The other people on the beach would stare at me like I was crazy as I laughed away at Big Mama's depiction of marriage. Also, if you read or have read the book: Perry is very similar to Drew. Right down to the hunter green duffle bag (that he's had since high school).
Low: the drinks were weak. I realize this statement sounds a bit like I'm an alcoholic, which I'm not. And I definitely don't go on vacation in search for strong alcohol. But I would like to at least taste a bit of rum in my daiquiris.
High: meeting people from around the world. The hotel we stayed at was kind of off the beaten path as far as tourists go. It was definitely geared to a more European taste, which didn't really bother either of us. It was fun hearing all of the different languages. Most of the other english speakers were from Canada, so we got to meet several nice Canadians.
Low: Because the resort catered to a wide array of culinary pallets, it meant that the food was not that Americanized. Which meant it leaned more towards "authentic Mexican/Italian/French" etc. This is not a problem if you are like Drew and have a stomach that could basically digest an entire bowl of metal shavings with no digestive problems to speak of. I, on the other hand, tend to have a digestive system that likes a little more pampering. And by pampering I mean that my digestive system tends to wage war on the rest of my body if I don't feed it Americanized food. I did enjoy the dinners and thought the food was really good (though not as good as a cruise ship, which is the definite downfall of an all inclusive versus a cruise vacation), I just had to be sure to stay on top of the $2 per pill Immodiums that we were able to snag in the gift shop (it's so nice (sarcasm) of the natives to realize that their culinary efforts, along with their less than stellar water supply, tends to wage war on the bowels of non-natives, thus driving demand for gastrointestinal drugs through the roof. And since we all know there's not a world shortage of Pepto Bismol, I'm just going to go ahead and say that we got raked over the coals a bit on the medicine. Lesson: always pack your own meds.
High: Technology. I loved having wifi at the pool and beach during our stay. It made it so convenient to check our emails or check in with our sitters. Which made me even more grateful for smartphones, which have the capabilities of having free apps that can be used to text/share photos/and walkie talkie each other. We were able to see and hear our boys real time, which was a welcome comfort to this momma who had a few issues with anxiety in leaving the babies.
Low: Being away from my babies. Honestly, I didn't really worry much about the boys once we left. But that all changed when tornadoes starting heading towards the Northwest and Central portions of Arkansas Sunday. I've decided that the most tortuous thing a mother has to endure is to watch from somewhere far away as their baby is in imminent danger. That's how I felt, so Sunday night was spent in a paralyzing fear that something could happen. Thankfully NWA was spared from the most of the damaging storms, but Central Arkansas was not as lucky. Many people lost loved ones and/or all of their belongings, and have a long road ahead of them to rebuild and piece together their lives. If you think about it, please pray for our state right now.
High: Seeing my boys this morning. Being away was refreshing, and definitely needed for Drew and I to reconnect. But at the end of the week, I was missing my babies something terrible. I left NWA a bit worn out from my day to day duties, and came home knowing that I have no doubt that this is what I am supposed to be doing. I love being a mom. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's often thankless. But there is nothing else on the face of the earth that I'd rather be doing than be raising my three boys to become young men. Such an honor and privilege.
I'm going to stop there, because I don't want to giveaway too many more stories or pictures. Can't wait to share with you all of our adventures....
