On Holiday! (say that with a British accent!)

Argh! I'm so sorry I didn't call today. Of course, nothing went as planned, although, in the end, everything got done. I had a great, productive day, but not in any anticipated order.

Tomorrow morning we will hit the road around 9:00 (that's what a couple of Jack & 7's will do for my hubby's timeframe) and be on the road most of the day, save for a long lunch with C in Corvallis. I will call you then, since I will literally have nothing else to interrupt me.

We had a fabulous dinner with S, T, K, and TN, then R showed up when he got home from Florida. K and I drank a bit more than we probably should have, but hey. A) R was being a dick and 2) I'm on vacation.

We got home so J would have a little time to pack (I am so already out the door) and had a message from JJ on the phone --- Barb, what will I ever do when he leaves?? I miss him sooooooo much!! Please, God, don't let me become one of these moms who can't function as an empty nester. I'm sure some psychotherapist would surmise that my losing one son before the right time is causing me to feel uber-attached to my other son. Maybe. All I know is that I crave the sound of his little voice and can't wait to see him. And honestly, I know he's having a complete blast with his Grandad, he's not even thinking about us, really. And I am so grateful for that, it's just that....well, I needn't go on.

I will have access to my dad's computer while I'm gone but I'm not entirely sure I can access my email remotely. As it is, I will have my cell phone on me, so we can stay in touch. Thank you for being so patient with me in my absence; truly, I don't know what I would do without friends like you.

And speaking of mushy, I did try to drunk-text you tonight as we all sat around the table with a perplexing Spinal Tap trivia question. I shouted, "My friend Barb loves that movie! She will totally know this!! Let me text her!" (at midnight, of course.) God, you can make the girl 45 years old, but you can never take the 18 out of the girl.

I hope you do allow yourself a pool day before D arrives - you know, she's coming to see you, not your baseboards. Funny, but even not working, I still feel the same end-of-year exhaustion (ok, not nearly like you do). It's still summer, it's still free time, of sorts, even for me. And the fact that my kid is gone - wow, I could nap all day and no one would care!! Enjoy your time together (and alone)...

Love you & talk to you soon,

A