What I Learned on My Vacation

I got to spend the last week in Florida. Yes, for those of you reading my blog in Virginia or other frigid climates, you are allowed to be a tad jealous. Even though the evenings were cool, I got by with a sweater. And I walked on the beach almost every day.

It all ends tomorrow.

Overall, I had a great time with friends and family. I spoke at my hometown library to a crowd of over 60 people and also presented to a great Girl Scout troop run by an old childhood friend. After all of that, I had a chance for some rest and relaxation.

I did have a few realizations during my trip.

I have become the queen of reminiscence. I think I drove Roger crazy with stories of "there used to be a huge hotel in this spot" and "back when I was a kid, nothing was built out here" and "I remember when...". Yeah, I'm getting older. There is a mixture of feelings in watching your hometown change, especially when you don't live there all the time.

Hanging with a few of my high school buddies.
We haven't aged a bit!

On that note, I also realized that as we age, my girlfriends and I have fewer qualms about cursing. I read an interview with (my Celebrity BFFs) Tina Fey and Amy Poehler recently where they talked about hosting the Golden Globes. Tina said, "I feel like we're both just, just old enough that we don't really give a shit anymore." Poehler seemed to agree and I do as well. As I hung out with a few of my best friends, we let the four letter words fly. Is this just the first steps to curmudgeon-dom?

When I wasn't ranting about the latest whatever with my girls, Roger and I had a chance to work. Yes, that's right. Work. It turns out it's always a working vacation when I'm around. On Monday, we didn't really have any visits scheduled so we took some time to catch up on emails, work on a few projects, and meet about some upcoming CJSTUF projects.

Sunset on the Halifax River

I'm not complaining. I still had plenty of time to relax. In fact, we spent time walking on the beach, lazing around the house, and visiting friends. Rest is good for the soul and I always know when I am finally on vacation when I forget the day of the week or the date. That happened many times!

So now it's back to reality, back to the freezing temps of Richmond, and back to my dual life as school principal and nonprofit director. I suppose I can't complain.

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