Surf and sand

Today after work, Torsten and I are flying back east to spend a week at the Jersey shore with my family. I am very excited about this. Our last real vacation was our honeymoon, back in November, and it was wonderful, but with everything that's been going on since then, I think we both really need another chance to just lie on the beach and relax.

Of course, it will be different--we're staying in a beach house with a bunch of family members, including young children, so it won't exactly be the romantic resort vacation with free drinks on the beach and somebody sprinkling our room with rose petals every day. But it will be lovely, and I think it's safe to say that vacations with my family are MUCH more relaxing than vacations with Torsten's family. And I'm not being rude, because he agrees. In fact, trips to visit his family are more stressful for him than they are for me.

This will be my first trip to sea level since we moved to Denver in February, and while I am not looking forward to the humidity, I am looking forward to the nearby ocean. The house we've rented is right on the beach, and apparently sometimes you can see dolphins swimming by, which I am inordinately excited about.

Plus, it will be nice to have, at least for a week, the hustle and bustle of lots of people around. I haven't had that for awhile, since it's just Torsten and me (and the dog) in our house, and I no longer have an office filled with coworkers, you know? So if Torsten has to spend a few hours getting some work done, there will be 10 other people that I can go hang out with while he does it.

Plus, you know, sand in the toes, sleeping late, no responsibilities, and all the rest. It should be lovely. And it's supposed to be sunny and in the seventies the whole time. I only hope that's true--I've had my fill of afternoon thunderstorms for awhile.

And I don't even feel guilty about leaving the dog behind, because she loves the daycare we board her at--so it's a vacation for her too. Only ours is the restful kind whereas hers is doggy Disneyland, where she'll play all day, every day, and come home exhausted and impossibly smelly.

Basically, it's going to be awesome all around. But things will be quiet around here for the next week or so--I haven't lined up guest posters or anything--and I doubt I'll be posting much. Of course, now that I've said that, it will probably rain all week and I'll have nothing to do BUT write blog posts. (Please don't let me have jinxed our beach weather. Please.)

But yeah. The plan is not to post much, if at all, while I'm gone. This is the only vacation we have planned all summer, so I need to enjoy it to the max. Which means I'll need to get maximize my lying on the beach time right away. Just thinking about it makes me feel all happy and relaxed.