vacations

Well I am officially back. I feel exhausted, overwhelmed and nervous as all get out. I start the nanny thing tomorrow, and instead of 7:30-2:00 I will be there 7:30-5:30. I love the girls more than anything, but it’s going to be rough to fill 10 hours. It can’t be all fun and games like last year. Quiet time will have to be enforced. Swimming will be a crutch I hate to lean on, but if it works then why knock it? I came home to a hairy home. I can’t say that it is dirty, because Robert did a fairly nice job of tidying while I was gone. What he failed to understand is that I normally sweep and spot mop every other day. I also have a mountain of laundry to do. Robert only did what he had to do in order to get by, which is exactly what I asked him to do, but now that I look at the 10 or so loads that I need to do I wonder if I should have broke down and let him do more. I also have been feeling insanely tired and am having a difficult time transitioning back to my sugar free diet. I bought a twix bar while in Hermann and am back to my old ways of pinching off pieces every now and then for a quick fix. I need to chuck the rest and move on. I managed to find time for tennis yesterday and today, and as much as I dreaded heading into the humidity, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I instantly found my groove, which has never happened after a week of not playing, and I kicked everyone’s butt. It was a wonderful rush, but unfortunately I now feel absolutely drained. I still have three dogs to wash today. I am trying not to get stressed out or bossy or so irritated that I slip and cuss someone out, but I’m in a little over my head. Last night I finally let go and had a good cry about numerous things that are weighing me down. A great part of my faith involves letting go of things I have no control over. Interestingly enough I learned this valuable lesson from a few wonderful recovering alcoholics whom I shall not name. I think I was able to let go of a few things last night. There are a few things that are still knotted up tightly inside. Robert asked me to share memories of my grandma. I surprised even myself when I said, “no, they are mine”. I think that you can give away so much of yourself sometimes that you have absolutely nothing left that is sacred and private. As much as I love Robert I sometimes feel like he wants me to lay my soul out on the table and show him all the tiny compartments that contain my secrets. I think people misunderstand love. They think that it’s the completion of themselves, an answer to some mysterious riddle, or a combining of two selves. Well I’ve got news for you. Two people trying to interweave their lives is not as powerful as two people who separately agree on something. Unity doesn’t take two people and combine them into one big sticky mess. It joins two separate people in a way that illuminates how they individually work together.

I’m going to change the subject. Watch! I ended up getting home from Tucson at 1 AM on Wednesday. Robert and I left soon after that to the secret location, Hermann MO. Somehow that little sneak knew how much I wanted to go there. Before we left he took me to my favorite restaurant (well now my second favorite, but that’s another story). The place is called Blue Koi and it makes fantastic dumplings and crispy tofu. And yes, it has ‘awesome sauce’. After we ate we hopped on a train and took a 4 hour train ride (my first!) to Hermann. We walked to the Inn, got the keys and explored the town until dark. When we got to our suite we were exhausted so we didn’t take any pictures, but let me tell you it was the most beautiful place I have ever stayed in. It was a nationally historic building with a sitting room, kitchenette, tiny bathroom and most importantly, a Jacuzzi. The place was well equipped with candles, romantic cds, champagne glasses, extra quilts, fresh made brownies etc. It was unbelievably comfortable, friendly and romantic. We woke up to a wonderful breakfast made by the owner’s son. He was one of those hot buff guys (think of a bald Mario Lopez). He talked about his previous job before this one, wrestling, yep you heard me right, and said that he was taking care of the Inn while his father underwent radiation treatments. I admit I was a little intimidated by this fellow, his name was Brent, until he mentioned that he had been struggling to leash train his cat. That broke the ice. Plus he made a mean breakfast, apples and cinnamon French toast with a yogurt parfait. He also remembered his phone conversation with Robert when he was making the reservation. He knew that I drank tea in addition to my food preferences (you all know I am a picky eater). I couldn’t have been more impressed. After breakfast we walked to the river and nearly fell asleep on one of the benches. After that I tried a sugar free milky way coffee (decaf with vanilla, caramel, and chocolate syrup, and milk) at the Kaffee Haus. Next, we decided to tour the Hermanoff winery. It was very beautiful and spooky. I rather enjoyed the cherry wine, but both Robert and I fell in love their sparkling juice. We then rented bikes, stopped at the Stonehill winery to order a couple cases of our favorite. . . sparkling juice. We also ate a lovely lunch there. Robert ordered a German meal that I can’t remember to save my life. I wonder why ; ) After lunch we rode our bikes to the park and acted like two four year olds, ok well maybe two drunk four year olds. No, seriously we didn’t drink that much. I’ve never ever felt any kind of buzz from any alcoholic beverage I’ve drank. Seriously. We walked through a few of the shops before they closed (shop hours are 10-4 there). After we saw the town Brent drove us to the Swiss sausage shop (Too far away on a teeny tiny road for bikes). Robert fell in love with their apple cinnamon and cherry sausages. We ate an early supper at a wings place and went back to watch a movie; I think it was one of the Die Hard movies. I then spent about 6 hours in the Jacuzzi with some bubbly we had gotten during the day.

As I was coming home from Tucson I thought to myself, what does that little buggar have planned (He kept it a secret until we left), that could possibly compete with seeing my mom and grandma. Well, even though it was a quick trip it definitely ranks right up there with Tucson.

Tucson, by the way, was super freaking totally kick ass amazing awesome. Even though there was that painful rash that prevented me from wearing any of the cute things I brought with me, it still kicked ass. How does that work you may ask. Well, first of all I got to see my mom and grandma, who are the two very best ladies I know. We also went EVERYWHERE. Bisbee, the botanical gardens, 4th street, Saguaro East, the Desert Museum etc. I also ate at some of the best places I’ve eaten. One of them, Lovin’ Spoonfuls, was a vegan paradise with fantastic mock meats and soy brownies and shakes that knocked my socks off. They even served my food to me in the ‘unfriendly’ (a term used for a place that isn’t vegan/vegetarian friendly) place next door, because Josh and Robert decided to eat there. I also got to play tennis quite a few times with some locals who kicked my butt all over the place. The tennis facility, where I played, Randolph, was beautiful. Although it’s outside they still charge folks to play. The ‘free’ places around the RV park where I stayed were in red zones, which are crime infested. It was an awesome vacation.
Here are two websites to check out. I don’t know the fancy way to do this : )

Lovin’ Spoonfuls: http://www.lovinspoonfuls.com/
Captain Wohlt Inn: http://www.captainwohltinn.com/ Be sure to check out their pictures!
I have a slide show from my Hermann vacation BUT you have to watch it with a sense of humor! At one point during the trip I realized that I needed to shave my legs. . . Well you’ll see. It was a funny moment.
Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com