Vacation time is over...

But the memories will last a lifetime.

Going on late afternoon promenades. Discovering the adventurer Bear Grylls. Commandeering the streets of New York at midnight. The sweet taste of a Chippi. Savoring the wonderful flavors of every meal. Battling the minuscule beasts - the deer tick. The Scarface parking lot attendant. The Summer Murder Mystery movie. Capturing over 1000 photos. Enjoying life.

The vibrant energy of this household is something I treasure and embrace. Though at times a bit chaotic, I can feel the family's liveliness pumping through the house. Random outbursts into showtunes and melodic interludes. An abundance of food being prepared and devoured nearly all in the same breath. Artists' scrawls and gamer strategy. There is never a dull moment at this address. Calm comes in sweet little doses. The true spirit of a large family, overflowing with love, never skimping on kindness.

I'm thinking that most people my age wouldn't spring for a ticket to got to the South Coast of Massachusetts for a week. I would imagine trips to Cancun, Miami, Hawaii, etc. But I love it here when I get the chance to just hang out. Plus we caravaned to New York City. It's like a two-for-one deal.

My sister bought this great plaque inscribed with "Families are like Fudge... Mostly sweet with a few nuts". I love catching up on the latest family gossip, hearing about stories of my mom and auntie's family growing up, and my cousins' crazy uncle. The best tales are always the unbelievably true ones. Life truly is like a box of chocolates - there are sweet cremes, sticky and chewy ones, and of course the nutty variety... and you never know which one you're going to get.

Ah, family.

Bear Grylls

During my stay here, my cousins and I discovered a new show on the Discovery Channel - Man vs. Wild starring the crazy and daring adventurer Bear Grylls, née Edward Michael Grylls.

We watched a couple of episodes last night around 1 in the morning, with the first scene of him drinking his own urine in the Australian Outback, in order to combat dehydration. I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. I won't lie, it was disgusting, but something about the pure horror of it kept us intrigued and interested, trying to see if he would survive.

Basically, the premise of the show is that he gets dumped in the middle of nowhere at some geographical location, such as the Australian Outback, the Colorado Rockies, the African Savannah, and the Florida Everglades. He has nothing but the shirt on his back and possibly a few supplied in tow, such as a knife and flint stick. Everything else comes from pure wits. Every episode is a harrowing journey, and almost painful to watch. And yet, even when things look dire, he makes it out. It wouldn't be much of a show if he didn't make it out.

So far, we've seen him drink his own pee, bite off the head of a live frog, kill and roast a turtle, eat live earthworms, swallow whole maggots, and wrangle a baby alligator. I'm sure that's just the beginning. He's quite an amazing adventurer or a truly fearless idiot. Either way, he's quite entertaining to watch and imitate his British accent. Check it out here: BearGrylls.com

East Coast Living

Here we are in New Bedford, MA. We arrived early this morning, with the sunshine nearly blinding our eyes. The flight was smooth, and while the middle seat of the non-upgraded plane wasn't the most comfy, it wasn't bad. I slept the entire way, as Wild Hogs didn't exactly entice me to stay awake. And although it was technically 4:45am on my body clock, the fresh air, and sight of familiar faces was enough to jostle me awake.

I'm officially on vacation. No work, no worries, all fun. I can sleep in without pangs of guilt and eat until my hearts desire. I know that probably isn't the brightest plan, given all my efforts of working out these past few months, but hey, why not live a little? My cousins and sister are fantastic cooks, able to prepare a beautiful spread, enviable by anyone.

There's a party tonight to celebrate my cousin's exist from the teen world, and into his twenties. Ah, to be surrounded by college kids again, haha, as if I'm so far-removed from that sort of environment. There's going to be shrimp, pad thai, chips and salsa, chutney, roasted potatoes, and I think that's just the beginning. There are two kinds of cakes and I'm sure there's to be plenty of fun.

While I'm here, I'd like to hit the beach. Or at least something vaguely resembling a beach. Also, I'd like to take every open opportunity to practice taking photographs. I've already taken some nice nature shots, as well as some up close portraits. Given that I'm still jetlagged and in denial as to how tired I really am,
I think it'll take me another day to get my act together completely. I'm excited though. I get to have more subjects than just my two silly puppies. They are still my favorite subjects though.

I need a vacation.

I can't wait to go on vacation. While my vacation destination doesn't quite look like the picture above, it will be a fantastic getaway from all the hustle and bustle of the workplace. My boss has been on vacation for three weeks, and while it's been a blast, I've also had to fight some fires without her. I've had to answer crazy and stupid questions from people who should know the answers. I've felt "in charge" or "next in command". I never had this feeling in my previous job. And for all the stress that I have experienced, it's been great.

I would love to go to the Bahamas. Lavish in the lap of luxury at this resort -- The Atlantis. Or anywhere in the Caribbean really - Bermuda, St. Lucia, Virgin Islands, Antigua, etc. Beautiful locale, lush vegetation, and fabulous beaches. It's been a couple of years since I've been to a really nice beach. The most recent beach adventure was in 2005 in Mazatlan. Before that was in Hawai'i on the Big Island in 2000. I'm overdue. Maybe I'll have a beach getaway sometime in the near future.

I'm excited about going to the East Coast. New Bedford, Massachusetts and New York City. Woo hoo. We'll go Yankee watching and see the fantastic 4th of July display in the Big Apple. Hang out with the cousins and catch up on the family gossip. It will be great! I can't wait!