I'm So Glad THAT'S Over...

...Today, I mean. Today was:
1. The end of a long week.
2. Long and arduous.
3. Full of last minute projects
and, best of all...
4. My last day before VACATION!

That's right ladies and gents, I am now done work for not one but TWO whole weeks. I emphasize the two because I haven't taken two consecutive weeks of vacation since Andrew and I honeymooned almost 7 years ago (the 7 year anniversary is on August 2nd!). I am soooooooooo looking forward to these next two weeks.

So, here I am, sitting at home, blinking my eyes to make sure I'm not dreaming. Two weeks. YAY!

Week number one will be spent at Andrew's family cottage in New Brunswick. Andrew is working insane hours right now (80 hours a week, HA! I would be happy if he was working only 80 hours a week), so I am running away with his sister and her three kids. Andrew's parents will be there for the first part of the week and then it'll just be S and I with the kids until our men-folk arrive on the weekend.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my in-laws? I really, really do. What's funny is that I love them the most when we're all on vacation together. We've all gone to the cottage for a week for almost as long as Andrew and I have been married. It's crazy, I know: 6 adults and 3 kids in the same space for a week. We all live in the same city, but we rarely see each other. Everyone is so busy. At the cottage, though, you can't help but to relax and have a great time.

Here are my bits of happy for you, the VACATION EDITION:
1. Waking up at the cottage on the first morning, walking out of the bedroom and seeing only the lake out the patio doors and realizing - "I'm on VACATION!"
2. Watching the kids sitting around in their jammies before breakfast, playing with the same old toys that were there last year, and realizing how much they've grown in relation to the toys.
3. Our annual pedicure morning with my SIL, MIL and niece. Everyone takes turns.
4. Swimming with the kids and having cannonball contests.
5. Sunning yourself on the float until your skin is dry and realizing you have to swim back to shore.
6. Picking blueberries and eating them with our cereal.
7. Calling Uncle M and Auntie K at the cottage next door and saying "come over for some dessert!"
8. Going for walks with my SIL.
9. Only flushing when "necessary". (ok, it's not really a happy thought, but I love hearing it every year - "Kids, only flush when it's necessary, ok?")
10. Fires on the beach.
11. Sunsets on the point.
12. Putting puzzles together.
13. Reading and knitting in the evenings.
14. My annual night swim with my SIL. It's soooooo refreshing.
15. Despite the availability of the shower, bathing in the lake, a tradition that started when there was no shower (the cottage was rebuilt).
16. Sitting at the end of the dock with my SIL, shaving our legs and laughing about the neighbours seeing us.
17. Hearing my BIL laugh hystericall while he plays with his kids.
18. Toasted marshmallows.
19. Going to church in the tiny little village down the road - my FIL often preaches while we're there.
20. Sitting on the float with my FIL - talking about what great swimmers the kids are.
21. No TELEVISION.
22. Sparklers.
23. Playing soccer in the back field.
24. Biking to the corner store.
25. The food, oh, the food. It always tastes better out on the deck with everyone still in their swimsuits.

In the spirit of the vacation, I've got two photos for you. These were both taken while I was home in NB over the July 1st holiday weekend.

This is the lake where I spent my summers as a kid.



Pretty, eh? That's my dad's "barge". The lake is 7 miles long and our cottage is at one end of it on a cove. It's fairly calm, so I did a lot of canoeing there when I was a kid.

And here's my dad and my SM:



This photo was taken on the steps of the old general store in Harvey, NB. My family always stopped there for ice cream on our way to see my grandparents or on the way home. I love this store. Can you see the date it was established? 1869. Yup. That's a long time. It's got wooden creaky floors and an ancient door.

Ok, I'm on vacation, but there is no rest for the wicked. I've got to get the lawn mowed. I don't leave for the cottage until Sunday and there is lots to be done!