15 Things I Learned From My Summer Vacation

We just returned from our summer vacation. As we were driving home from the airport last night and then while at home unpacking, I was running a replay of sorts through my head. It was a great trip: we spent 2 1/2 days sight-seeing in Washington, D.C., then drove to our biennial family reunion at a resort in the mountains of Virginia. All of our travel plans went off without a hitch. We navigated the D.C. subway system to and from the airport with our luggage and managed to get our rental car picked up and dropped off in downtown D.C. with no difficulty. The hotel I had picked was convenient, quiet, and clean. These are things I generally stress over (and did) but all went well so I say, “Yay me!” And our time with family at the resort we go to every other summer was wonderful. The kids got along, memories were made, and goodness, we have a lot of good cooks in our family 🙂

Panoramic view at our resort in Virginia

 

As I got ready for bed, my mind was still going full-speed ahead, despite being exhausted (and stuffed full of Tex-Mex. We HAD to load up on the way home from the airport. Thank you to Chuy’s for the warm welcome home). What was I thinking about, you ask? This:

1. I overpack. Always.

2. When traveling to the East Coast in summertime, a flat iron is absolutely unnecessary because it’s futile. I took one and never even bothered to use it…not once. Save the space in your suitcase. Ponytails. That is all.

Ponytail. Oh, and an elephant. Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian

3. There’s really no need to pack a bunch of snacks for travel. You’ll still end up buying overpriced stuff in the airport or asking the flight attendant for 5 extra bags of pretzels. And the baggie of crackers, granola bars, and goldfish in your backpack will just get pulverized when you cram your personal item under the seat in front of you.

4. My anxiety over how our daughter would behave was as unnecessary as her anxiety about the trip. She did better than ever, her best vacation yet.

Having fun with her daddy at the Washington Monument

5. My child IS capable of playing by herself! I caught her coloring, down by the water, while we were at the condo. She stayed out there for almost half an hour, completely on her own. This is unprecedented with no electronics present.

Playing by herself

6. Although I didn’t eat perfectly, I did a hell of a lot better than I normally do on vacation. The lifestyle and diet changes I’ve been making are sticking and I didn’t feel deprived when I opted for healthier meals over my normal vacation style eating. And on top of the miles of walking we did, I even exercised on vacation. Me. 5 times in 9 days. I know, right? Who knew they even had gyms at hotels?  😉

Dog-tired tootsies after miles of walking on day 1

7. I enjoyed canoeing. I’m not a “water sports” kind of gal but I really enjoyed it. The nice weather and beautiful scenery (lush trees and a bald eagle sighting) no doubt helped. And the fact that I’ve been exercising and really improved my upper-body strength probably made it more enjoyable as well; I liked the workout it provided (Full disclosure: I counted this excursion as one of the aforementioned “5 times” I exercised). And my Eagle Scout husband, who used to canoe rapids back in the day, helping me figure out how to do it all certainly helped too 🙂

8. Lion cubs practicing their pouncing skills is the cutest…thing…ever.

9. Abraham Lincoln really was a pretty amazing dude. I think I most enjoyed Ford’s Theater and the Lincoln Memorial.

 

Lincoln Memorial and Ford’s Theatre

10. The carousel at the National Zoo is absolutely gorgeous. I happily rode it and felt like I was about 5 years old as I went round and round on my lion!

View from atop my lion, carousel at the National Zoo, Smithsonian

11. I’m glad I did all of the laundry before we left. And did a load before we left the condo. My over-planning and anal-rententive habits do pay off sometimes.

12. My house is so pretty. I appreciate the hard work we’ve done decorating and landscaping even more after spending a week in a condo decorated in polished brass and floral everything.

13. Three cats home alone for a week can generate an astounding number of “dust-bunnies”. Or “hair-bunnies.” I seriously need to swiffer. Now.

14. No bed is as comfortable as my bed. With my sheets.

15. There’s no place like home.

Dorothy’s ruby slippers, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian.

All photos property of “Crazy Much?”