Time to go home
Celebrating six months in the air

What I did on my summer/fall vacation

I apologize in advance for this post, because it's going to be a big ol' picture-dump, wherein I show you all these pictures from our trip, even though vacation photos are never that interesting to the people who weren't there.

But oh, you guys. We had so much fun.

Clay's parent's house is simply the best vacation site ever. The kids got to drive the gator.

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There's plenty of space to play. To breathe. To do flips.

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They got to play by the river.

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Raphael got ASTONISHINGLY dirty.

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Jennie got to spend bonding time with her new sister.

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And Sophia got to spend bonding time with her grandma.

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There was kayaking.

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And blackberry picking.

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As if that weren't enough, Clay's brother Doug, and his wife, Jill, took us sailing for five days around the San Juan Islands.

It was...look, do you have a word that you tend to overuse sometimes? For me, that word is "amazing." And last week, if you happened to need to use "amazing," and you picked it up and discovered that it was worn smooth, with a groove down the middle just the size of my thumb, well, sorry.

But it was just amazing.

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Max and Raphi both got to steer the boat, and Max especially loved it. He wants his own boat now, to which I say lalalalalala you can't because all my children must grow up and live in Colorado.

He's not so sure that's true.

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Doug was so great with the boys, showing them how things worked, explaining things to them, patient and so kind.

You know, in a guy way.

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The rest of us found Jill MUCH more interesting than Sophia seemed to.

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We went crabbing. I very bravely took some of them out of their traps. This one pinched me. So I ate him. WHO'S LAUGHING NOW, CRAB BOY?

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Just about every day we explored another island.

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My favorite part was watching the kids, all of the kids, have time to be together.

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So they could do important things, like skipping rocks.

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And early texting instructions.

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Sophia didn't much care for her life vest.

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Raphael was largely unhampered by his.

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And Clay rocked his.  
Rrrowlll, sailor.

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It took a full week after I got off the boat for the earth to stop gently rolling under my feet. It will take longer than that to get my house back in order after coming back home.

But oh.

It was worth it.   
 
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Comments

Mir

Please tell Tre that he needs to stop looking so much like a grown-up.

Please tell mini-Kira, erm, Max, that I love his haircut.

Please tell Raphi to take a bath. Also let him know I asked how Ruby is doing.

Please tell Sophia I said *SMOOCH* and you don't need to tell Jennie anything--she's probably already figured out how lucky she is that I haven't met her yet. ;)

Jan in Norman, OK

It's raining here today... and we lost a heartbreaker of a game on Saturday... and I have 70 papers to grade... and a boatload of whiny graduate students and petulant faculty to deal with. I think I'm going to be coming back to this post several times in the next few days to take a little virtual, vicarious vacation. It'll be my own, private, life-vest!

Groovecatmom

Next time I am going to hide in your suitcase, with W. and C. and maybe even J. in the other ones. That looks, well, amazing!

Em

Wow. Can I be you on vacation next year? That really seems like the perfect vacation - stuff to do, pretty things to look at, ways to wear out kids and keep them happy. Just perfect.

christopher

glad you all had such a great time here in my neck of the woods :)

mirdy

Yes we all did have an AMAZING time didn't we? Can't wait to do it again! Each time you come on the boat, the "landsickness" just gets easier & easier! Next time maybe we'll see whales! love you all!

Terri

What a great vacation for all of you! And that photo of Sophia and her grandmother is, I think, quite possibly the sweetest grandma/grandkid picture I've ever seen. :)

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