A Vacation Metamorphosis

We are halfway through our vacation with friends and I'm happy to say that they are, in fact, still our friends. It's our first time getting away with another family (actually three other families) for a whole week, but so far, so good.

I think one of the best things about this group vacation is the vacation it provides for the kids. A vacation from us, their parents. There's something about being with friends that allows you to totally somewhat ignore your kids. Much to their delight and relief. Here is just a short list of things that Ian and Abby get away with when we're drinking hanging with our friends and our kids are surrounded by their kids:

• Crazy late bedtimes. I confess; we forget that they're here. And awake.
• Extra crappy eating habits. You know I'm no model of healthy eating, but I'm fairly certain neither of my children has had anything resembling a fruit or vegetable in three or four days. We may very well develop scurvy, as Karen, our resident nurse pointed out. 
• Bedrooms unfit for human habitation. Truth be told I haven't actually stepped into Ian or Abby's bedroom here in the vacation house. I'm afraid. But from what I've seen from a distance I'm fairly sure they could be legally condemned. They're worse than their bedrooms at home and that's saying something.

Ian's upcoming adventure

Vacationing with friends also changes our children's behavior. Abby, for example, is much less clingy and seems to have matured considerably (a.k.a. "too cool for mom"). And Ian is suddenly digging holes and hang gliding. Seriously. The kid who I can't get to lift a finger at home spent a couple hours on the beach with his friends digging a hole so deep that we're bound to be sued when someone falls into it while taking a midnight stroll. And the boy who I think might be afraid to ride his bike is signed up for hang gliding lessons at Jockey's Ridge State Park on Thursday afternoon. But that's the power of friends. Peer pressure at its finest.

Seriously, that's the house!

I must admit that this trip has also changed me, probably just temporarily, but definitely for the better. For one thing, and most importantly, I feel 100% better emotionally and mentally than I did a week ago. And I'm doing stuff! I usually avoid doing stuff because stuff costs money and we know how cheap I am. Heck, the sheer fact that I'm sitting in the most amazing home I've ever seen directly on the oceanfront speaks volumes. I'm not the splurging type. And along with the house, I've gone fishing on a charter boat (remind me to tell  you about the one that got away...), spent stupid amounts of money on food and drink (there's no way we're going to consume all this before Saturday), am allowing my son to take an expensive hang gliding lesson (he better not chicken out cuz there are no refunds), and am paying for the whole family to take a kayaking adventure. This will not be an inexpensive vacation, but you can't put a price on your sanity.

So that's an update from Pine Island in the Outer Banks. I'll let you know how the rest of the week goes. In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying spring break and Holy Week.