9 to 5 (Part One)

VACATION! Did you hear that? The Truman's went on vacation! As much as I enjoy visiting family in Texas (and, yes I do . . . I like giving family a hard time about it) I feel like it's not a "real" vacation. Between shuffling to and from families and friends while trying to squeeze in activities, restaurants, and trying to keep the kids on a schedule, I find that it's not really "relaxing." Don't get me wrong, I get some help while I'm there. It's really nice having someone always willing to go chase the kids for me while I actually sit and have a meal, but it's not really a vacation if I'm just visiting my childhood home.

It was fantastic having a vacation last week! We rented a cabin in New Hampshire with two families which are great friends of ours. The cabin was in a great location and pretty secluded all in one. Even better? There was a DQ right down the road! (I know, I know . . . we have a some DQs here in MA, but I only know of TWO full DQs; one is only open during summer and the other is a bit of a trip) Needless to say, we had blizzards almost every night and the kids were a big fan of the chicken baskets.

I digress. We left Saturday 7/24 and Keith and I decided that we have traveler's ADD (or is it ADHD?). What should have been a four hour car ride ended up being an eight hour ride! We hit every imaginable traffic jam! When we finally crossed over to NH we pulled over to go eat some food and was pleasantly surprised to find a firework warehouse! I've never been in a building that sold fireworks. My only memories prior to this trip of buying fireworks were us pulling over to the side of the road and purchasing them from a stand that was only open shortly before the fourth of July. Keith was like a little kid in a candy store. He's a BIG fan of fireworks. It's been six years since he's been able to purchase fireworks since they're illegal here in Massachusetts.

Anyway, back to our ADD (ADHD? - Seriously, tell me which I have). We stopped at a park located off the highway with a beach area.







As we were getting closer to the cabin (probably about 20 or so minutes) I noticed a great spot for a picture. Keith pulled over and by luck we found a FANTASTIC beach area. Seriously, it was amazing. In case anyone is in the area, try mile marker 66 on route 16. The area is super clean and not crowded at all.







We finally got to the cabin around six and lucky us . . . our friends were already settled and had dinner waiting on the table for us since we had sent our food up with our friends earlier in the day. Getting distracted sometimes has its benefits.

Sunday was a pretty laid back day (aside from Joey waking me at 4:45 a.m.). Since the sun rises so early here in New England Joey and I went for a little hike. Perhaps I shouldn't have since we were in the freakin' woods. Again, I digress. (Below is a picture of the sign that was the entrance to our cabin)



We went to a park in the center of town (in Conway).







After lunch (at DQ) we headed to Diana's Bath . It was beautiful! Unfortunately, not all of us were able to enjoy it. Shortly after arriving, Luke fell and ended up having to go to the hospital for some stitches. Luckily, they just used the glue, but still a scary sight to see.

Some of us stayed behind (mainly due to the fact that we were now down a vehicle). I was a nervous wreck, because I was certain that one of the other kids would also hurt themselves. Luckily, everyone was safe and the kids really enjoyed themselves.







After dinner that evening Keith brought out the fireworks. The kids had a blast!





Well . . . I have the rest of the week to document, but realized this is a REALLY long post. I wonder if any of you read all the way through. I'll finish the rest of our vacation later.