Today, I can finally relax and (almost) begin summer break.

(Almost, because one child has to finish a paper and one child has to take a test, and I have to do grades, and mail everything in.)

But we started summer break several weeks ago.  My niece and nephew finished school on May 20th, and my sister drove them from Tennessee to my parents’ house in the panhandle of Florida.  The next day, my mom and I met in Perry, FL, which is approximately halfway between our homes.  She got my 3 girls, and I got my brother and my nephew.

We repeated the drive the following week, only I got the girls and she got the boys.  I kept my brother.

And then last Tuesday, I drove out to them and spent a few nights in a cabin on the Choctawhatchee Bay.  Lovely.  Will have to do that again.  I went down to the beach with the little kids, and, after taking some pictures, actually sat down and sat still and just listened to the waves.  It was the most blissful 5 minutes of my week.

George

Such concentration

Mary

The view from my cabin

We returned home on Thursday.  It took me 7 hours from my parents’ house, which isn’t bad, just exhausting.

Friday was busy: Mass and a party for our homeschool group, pick up the dog from the kennel, girls went to a birthday party, kids came here to swim, boys had a meeting that evening.

And then yesterday.  Blue and Gold Banquet for the Cub Scouts, confession and the 4 pm Vigil Mass, then out for ice cream.  I used to hate going to the Vigil Mass.  I felt it just wasn’t right to not go to Mass on Sunday morning.  Now, forgive me, Lord, I am just so happy to have one day where I don’t have to get up and get out and be somewhere.