A Journey About to Begin

Finally.
A moment of quiet.
Well, "quiet" for this household anyhow.

Adrienne is calling the garage about her car. Leo is finishing up last minute trip details. Amy, Heather and Ryan are playing with a Bop-It game. And me? I am finally holding still after a morning week of nonstop work, going here-and-there, planning a trip, getting groceries and lining up this-and-that for a weekend away in the wild.

Craziness has ensued at the start of a mini-vacation. It is true what they say: One needs a vacation after vacation to recover.

Now we are just waiting for my parents and the white train, ahem, I mean van, to arrive. All of us will pile in with miscellaneous bags of luggage and boxes of food to cook while there, snacks to eat on the way there, books to read and iPods to listen to, a bag of first aid supplies, sunscreen and bug spray, nail polish for a girls night of manicures, sleeping bags and pillows. There may just be room for people in this 16 passenger monstrosity. Remember that moment of quiet I was having? My parents + all of us + one enclosed van = the opposite of quiet.

Destination: somewhere in Kentucky that mapquest and google maps have really failed me on finding. Having a specific town to plug in would help, but of the numerous small communities that I can choose from, the results have varied. So, going the old-fashioned way, I wrote out the verbal instructions of the cabin owner. And I have an arial shot of the destination that I was able to drop a pin on to get directions. This may be interesting. Especially when some of the roads look like cooked noodles, twisty and winding. Hello Dramamine, my new best friend. And I can't forget Ginger, my other best friend who keeps the stomach in place (if it works in the back of an ambulance, I am sure it will work in a van.)

I finally have a moment to pause and rest. I have looked forward to a weekend to hike, read, drink coffee and relax. I wanted to take pictures, to write while in this remote location. Ahh, finally, a chance to catch up on some blogging that I have been too busy to just stop, sit down and do. I miss this outlet, this friend vintageDandelion of mine. But, alas, this remoteness that takes me away from it all really does take me away from it all. Mountains + WiFi = dead air. Nothing. Nada.

The paper journal is packed, the pen is in my bag and I'll still write. Sometimes old-fashioned isn't so bad after all. I'll let you know how it goes next week sometime. Until then, don't be like me, too busy to enjoy the simple things of life. Take the time. I am finding that I need it, I really need it and I hope this weekend will remind me to do it more often.

I think I just heard the decibel level go up in the kitchen as Ryan exclaimed that Aaron and Lisa-Anna are here. The journey is about to begin.

Love,
Dianne