More With the Damn Packing

I'm leaving tomorrow for Mobile, and will be gone for another 10 day stint. This time, though, there's a washing machine and dryer, so I know I'll be able to do some laundry along the way. With at least three, and up to five, tennis matches on tap for the next five days, this is a very good thing. Sweaty workout clothes that sit around a while get pretty damn nasty.

I've written before about feeling like I'm just hanging on to the handlebars, careening down the road at breakneck speed, holding on for dear life. That's sort of how I feel right now. I'm not really stressed, but at the same time, there is zero sense of normalcy about life right now. We're going to spend next week at the beach, though, and I'm hoping we can all slow down a little and just enjoy being together. The kiddos are so much fun right now, even though they fight like friggin' cats and dogs. They are very much looking forward to the beach and hanging out with friends, and so am I.

At the same time, though, it feels strange not to be coming back to something. I haven't yet started looking for a job, and probably won't until after we finish our last trip in a few weeks. It feels really odd to not be coming back to work, but at the same time, I'm not sure how I would've managed this summer and worked at the same time. I'm sure I could have, but I know the stress level would have been high.

The kiddos had a really good summer, I think. They've learned how to occupy themselves much more than they could at the beginning of the summer, and we've not spent too much time in front of the television. They've learned to swim, climbed a mountain, spent time with friends, and had long, lazy summer days.

Of course, we've also had our share of temper tantrums. The girl threw a classic one this morning when she refused to get out of the shower and walk 4 steps to the cabinet to get herself a towel. She wanted me to bring her one, and I was in the middle of something else and couldn't do it. I told her to get out and get her own towel. Apparently the thought of getting cold on the 2 foot trek to get the towel inflicted mass pain on her psyche. So instead, she screamed inside the shower for about 20 minutes. During which time she got cold. Go figure.

Oh well. The honeymoon period ended sooner than expected after the Ireland trip, but that's ok. After the next few days in Mobile, I don't have any more trips away from the kiddos for a long time. That'll be more than enough time for us all to get sick of each other again, right?