High on Summertime

I've visited this post a million times in my mind.  I've thought about the things I'd be sure to write about and the new found thoughts I've acquired.  But instead, I've chosen to keep them cooking while I keep on adding to the pot.  I'm not ready for a new dish yet. 

The biggest thing on my mind recently has been our family vacation to North Carolina.  We have vacationed before with the kids...in Orlando, in the Mid-Atlantic states and in Maine...but we have never vacationed for a week on our own.  It was strange to have been married for 12 years, a mother of 2 kids and recently hit the 35 age mark, but feel like a grown up for the very first time in a new kind of way.  The dynamic of the trip litterally connected my own childhood to my current parenthood in a way that's never happened before.  There are many life events where you experience what you only knew of your parents doing (getting married, starting a family, buying a house, etc..), and then when those experiences become yours, a circle in life is completed, so to speak. 

But this one was different.  I felt like a link between two circles in my life, childhood vacations and my own family vacation.  I still remember being the kids in the backseat with the crayons and teddy bears.  I remember sitting on the floor of our vacation spot being entertained with simple toys that were fun to play with only because they weren't our own.  I remember getting trying to get cozy in unfamiliar beds, but the familiarity of our own lovie blankets made it okay.  I remember the feeling of having Mom and Dad away from the everyday distractions and instead filled with ideas for new adventures.  Now I am the parent.  What we ate, when we ate, what we did each day, how long of a drive we took, and what time we called it a day were all up to us!  It was like experiencing the newness of being a first time parent all over again.  You just can't believe it's all up to you!  As our kids have grown, that excitement has worn off, and we look forward to visits from our parents so they can call some of the shots again, giving us a brief relief. 

Carolina was fantastic.  I'm not quite ready to rid my mouth of it's sweetness, so I'll leave you with these memorable morsels from our trip:

Saw my first scorpion...and thankfully, it was dead. 
Fell in love with bluegrass music.
Wore daisy dukes and cowboy boots for the first time.
Browsed the Tuesday Flea Market, admiring the locals more than their treasures.
Swam in Olympic waterfalls...right next to 5 copperheads.
Made a killer coconut sauce for tilapia using margarita mix in lieu of lime.
Heard a little girl say, "I'm fixing to go right over there."
Caught a firefly.
Fell in love with my family all over again.
Broke in my Saltwaters.
Showed my son his first VHS, to which he said, "there's no movie in there, only a black box."
Helped my kids make shrinky dinks.
Heard my kids say, "These are the songs mommy sings," when they watched Lion King for the first time.
Completed a 550 piece puzzle as a family.  And yes, we all helped.
Gave my kids my childhood stencil kit.
Made hummingbird food which successfully attracted hummingbirds...and got a picture of one!
Picked fresh flowers for the table.
Bought homemade preserves.
Built a campfire...and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows.
Took the kids gem mining.
Watched my husband teach our son to shoot a BB gun and paintball gun at targets.
Bought our son a cork gun.
Bought a child's vintage dress, complete with smocking and a peter pan collar.
Ate lunch at Shoebooties, with my husband wearing a shoe AND a boot.
Made my first corned beef....my favorite meal at age one.
Watched three simultaneous Fourth of July firework displays from our back porch, overlooking the mountains.
Played Dutch Blitz almost every night.
Bought a vintage camera bag...which I now use as my everyday bag.  
Bought a camping mug for my husband...who really wanted one...but doesn't camp.
Drove my car in manual for the first time.
Went to Hell Hole.
Watched daring rafters and kayakers do flips and fancy stunts on the Ocoee River.
Went to a Piggly Wiggly.
Saw a 90 year old man be rescued from the rapids after voluntarily floating down without a raft.
Saw a sign that read, "Used fireworks for sale"
Found Moonshine Jelly.
Laughed as my husband was seriously asked if he is a moviestar. 
Learned local lingo:  "go out to the four lane" means "take the highway".

Well, it's good to know that one long stretch of "four lane" will always connect our home to the place where we left a piece of our hearts in the mountains of Carolina.   Until then, I'll keep my new favorite songs on repeat (Time is Love by Josh Turner and Drunk on You by Luke Bryan), choose my cowboy boots over my flip-flops, and live each day on vacation time. 

"It's 5:00 somewhere."

-Jimmy Buffet