Recovery

Well I'm back from vacation. Now it's all about recovering from it. Ideally, vacations are a stress-free, relaxation-filled enjoyable time where you get to do nothing but what you want. Realistically, vacations are not always what they're cracked up to be. There was nothing wrong with my vacation, per se, but not everything was right either. As my mom said earlier this evening, we have just forgotten how to have fun as a family. I agree. We can't seem to get past the silly petty stuff that doesn't matter and just appreciate each other's company. I think it stems a bit from the fact that my dad's a little uptight, and if he can't control the situation he can't enjoy it. And if dad doesn't enjoy it, nobody enjoys it.

Anyway, it certainly had its good parts and high points, fun moments and intriguing sights, pleasurable conversations and playful banter. I am thankful to have a family, period, with whom I can take a vacation. Here are a few observations and conclusions I came to after returning home:

1. I can't dance any better in Mexico than I can in the U.S.

At the restaurant we ate lunch at in Cozumel, there were two Mexican dancers shakin' down some pretty wicked moves on the dance floor. Of course, to foster Mexican-American relations and get bigger tips, they dragged a few diners out to participate. So suddenly I found myself literally yanked from my seat by a tall, sweaty mariachi man and being pulled around the dance floor. I emphasize the word pulled here. There were no graceful moves on my part, just a little foot-shuffle in a desperate attempt to keep up. I wish to God someone had made me dance as a little kid and things would be considerably less painful in my adult life. Ah once again I am forced to blame my parents for this.

2. I have a Band-Aid tan.

No matter how see-through translucent waterproof Band-Aids are, they are not see-through by Mr. Sunshine. My skin browned evenly, save for the distinct white portion of my leg where I wore a Band-Aid all week to hide my ugly stitch (which came out today, by the way.)

3. My father will always comment on my driving skills no matter how many years I've been driving or no matter how asleep he appears to be.

It is the most frustrating thing to drive a car with my dad in it.

4. The rocking sensation you feel while on a cruise ship still lasts a good 36 hours after you hit dry land.

I swear if I get up suddenly from my chair or stand to wash my hands at the sink it feels like the house might pitch over at any given second.

5. Ping-pong is not the best sport to play aboard a sea-faring vessel.

Why they had ping-pong on the deck of a cruise ship is beyond me, but 15 games later I am reigning champion. Just let me gloat a minute before you tell me that beating my younger brother doesn't necessarily make me good. By the way, the Gulf of Mexico has officially eaten 4 ping-pong balls. (I can only imagine how hungry it got when the 6 year-olds played.)

6. The only gratifying thing about spending 12 hours in the car with all four members of my family is that now it's my parents who have to stop every hour for a bathroom break.

When I was young, my dad would hand my brother an empty Gatorade bottle on roadtrips because as soon as we'd pull away from a reststop he already had to pee again. Now, I can't help but realize how closely lemon-lime Gatorade resembles urine...

7. I will never enjoy an alcoholic beverage in the presence of my parents.

Oh, it's no big deal for them to have a glass of wine, but apparently 22 is still way under the legal drinking age of our household. I sure would have liked to sip a pink umbrella drink while roasting on the sun deck, but no... maybe next year.

Well, hope I was able to create some vague picture of my vacation. I'll provide a few more details tomorrow, but for tonight, I'm spent. I was going to post some pics as a teaser of more to come, but for some reason I couldn't get it to work. So I'll have to save those for tomorrow as well.

Do you remember any amusing vacation stories from your family? I'd love to hear 'em.