Vacation has ended and real-life resumes

Vacation is over, and I am back at home. Just me and B and The Boy. It's quiet and calm. Ahhhhhhhhhh .....

I had a great time with the family, and it was really fun to hang out with my nieces and nephews. I only see the kids two or three times a year, and it is usually only for a few hours or so. We played in the pool, went on bike rides, walked on the beach, visited the boardwalk, watched movies, and just hung out. It was a very good time. It was also fun to hang out with my siblings, but the kids were more fun! I so easily forget how different and entertaining they all are. We had some good times, and hopefully we will have more fun times next week when I drive up to NY for the birthday extravaganza.

All in all, the vacation was a good time. I didn't do any work (boo!), and I relaxed the whole week (yeah!). But it was really nice to get home yesterday evening and be in my own home. Bailey immediately nesteled into her bed and slept. All night long (until the storm came through, but that is another story!). You could tell that she was happy to be back in her own space and her own bed. The Boy and I got Mexican take out and opened a bottle of wine. By 10pm, I was ready for bed. I was freakin' exhausted. It's weird how exhausting a family vacation can be. I guess any vacation has that affect, but I still don't understand why. How can a week of relaxing be so draining? Anyway, I went to bed and slept HARD until the storm came.

What an AWESOME storm! It rolled through around 2am (I think. I was still pretty comatose.), and it was HUGE. Of course, Bailey hated it and hid in the bathroom until it passed. I really wanted to stay awake and listen to it, but I was so exhausted that I kept falling asleep. I was able to stay awake for a little while to listen, and it sounded like the storm was directly over the apartment. The thunderclaps were so loud and close they house shook every time it thundered. The lightening was blindingly bright, and then the rain started. My back porch got flooded (like it usually does when it rains that hard), but nothing got damaged. I was so happy for the rain since it was a free, nature-sponsored watering for the plants. And the tomato plants outside didn't even get damaged! None of the little baby tomatoes got knocked off in the downpour, and one little tom even fully ripened! Water is an amazing thing. It was a wonderful storm.

The building was also powerwashed while we were gone, and it looks a million percent better. The algae and grossness that had accumulated on the siding is all gone. All the gross cobwebs and spider webs are washed away. The building looks so much better, and, now that my patio is all put back together and normal, I'm looking forward to spending some quality time outside ... if it ever cools off!