Ramblings of a Procrastinator

Every day, I keep telling myself that I will post something, but I just can't come up with anything. I am having a hard time getting used to our summer schedule this year, and I can't figure out why. I didn't have the usual closure to the school year; I left school at noon on the last day, because we were flying to Boston for a wedding in Newport. Consequently, I didn't get to spend the final afternoon with the kids, and have the long goodbye chat that we normally have. We were gone for five days, then I came home, and couldn't get motivated to unpack or clean my house. The last few weeks of school, everything was put off, because in my mind, I would have all the free time in the world once I was off work for the summer. As usual, I was/have been consumed by all the wonderful things I would accomplish this summer, and get very frustrated with myself when I don't fulfill my expectations. I did manage to organize all of my scrapbooking materials into a manageable area, which I am proud of. However, all of the paper that was displaced to create that scrapbook area is now in a Rubbermaid container. I'll get to it...What I am supposed to be doing today is laundry, and getting ready for our trip to Galveston tomorrow. I've gotten some laundry done, and still need to hit the grocery store, but I feel like writing right now. So, I'll write about our trip.

Anyway, we spent five wonderful days in New England on our vacation. We flew into Boston late on the night of the 26th, my parents picked us up at the airport, then we drove to Newport. Along the way, we stopped and ate at a McDonald's/rest area. That was strange! Saturday morning, my mom, sister, and I went to the bridal luncheon, then all the bridesmaids went off for hair appointments. Mom and I walked around and looked at all the shops, then Dad took Darren and me to drive along the coast. The scenery there is breathtaking, and Darren had never seen the Atlantic Ocean before. Saturday evening, Beth, my sister's childhood best friend, got married at a beautiful outdoor setting. It was at a resort overlooking the water, and there were fresh flowers everywhere. Some other former neighbors from Louisiana flew in for the wedding, and it was nice to catch up with them. There was an outdoor cocktail hour after the ceremony, then we went inside for the reception. It was a sit-down dinner of steak and shrimp, and there was a very good band, who had learned some Mardi Gras music for the occasion. It was a wonderful, relaxing evening, and having a babysitter was an added bonus!

On Sunday, we had breakfast, then went walking along the Cliff Walk, which goes behind several of the mansions. It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to spend some time with Natalie and Kevin before they flew back to South Carolina. I would have liked to spend more time in Newport, and will definitely try to go back sometime. Mom, Dad, Darren, Zach and I headed to Boston around noon, checked into our hotel, then took the T into the city. We walked part of the Freedom Trail, ate at a pub, then headed back We also got some Italian cookies from a bakery in the North End, which were really good. Monday, we drove to Lexington and Concord, and visited Minute Man National Park, Longfellow's Wayside Inn, and the town of Sudbury, where Mom and Dad's friends grew up. We were exhausted by the time we returned from our expedition, and ate at the Mexican restaurant at our hotel. Afterwards, we went back to the room and watched The Apprentice. Tuesday, we went back into the city, rode the Swan Boats at the Public Garden, looked around Faneuil Hall, and finished walking the Freedom Trail. American history means so much more to me now that I teach it. I went to Boston when I was twelve, but all of the monuments had no significance to me then. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant in the North End, which was a neighborhood that we fell in love with. I think Darren and I are meant to live in a big city, where we can walk to locally owned shops and restaurants. We toured the USS Constitution, then walked to the Bunker Hill Monument, which was closed for remodeling. We all felt cheated that we had walked so far for nothing. We then took a taxi back to the harbor, and went on a sunset cruise. It was cold outside on the boat! We watched the Constitution do their sunset cannon firing, then went back to dock. We ate at a seafood place called Tia's, which was fairly good. I wanted to have lobster on our trip, but it could have used some seasoning. Wednesday, we went next door to our hotel to the Necco factory, and stocked up on candy. Mom and Dad rode with us to the airport, then went back to the hotel before their flight to Scotland. Of course, our flight was delayed. We made it home around 6:00, and did nothing for the rest of the evening.

Since we've been back from our trip, I've been to physical therapy a couple of times for my foot, cleaned out part of the office, went to Austin last Thursday and Friday for an art conference, we've joined the Woodlands pools, and tomorrow we are going to Galveston to the beach. We're going to Lafayette this weekend for Father's Day, and Zach will spend next week with my parents. I have three days of workshops, but will enjoy my free time (and miss him!)

I know you're sleeping, and drooling on your keyboard by now, so I think I'll stop.