Happy 4th & Other Things

Happy (belated) 4th!  I hope you enjoyed the day, even if the heat was so awful and stifling that it felt like being stuck inside an oven in the middle of the rainforest.  Can you tell I'm tired of the heat?  I'm sure the rest of the country is, too, seeing as 23 states are currently under a heat advisory.  This morning we were woken up by a thunderstorm so intense I was convinced the windows were going to blow out.  I read after the storm passed that we had 60 mile per hour winds.  Amazingly we did not lose power, which is especially surprising because we tend to lose power easily.  As in, someone sneezes too hard and the power flicks off for a little bit.

You know what state is not under a heat advisory?  Maine.  Why do I care about this, you ask?  Because we are leaving for a week long vacation to Maine next week.  The weather where we're staying is currently 75 and partly sunny, which is pretty much the most perfect summer weather I can think of.

Speaking of this Maine vacation...we're going to be driving there.  I've been in denial about the fact that we will be enduring a 13 hour drive with a 13-month old baby.  I finally went on Google maps to plan out our route and tried not to cry at the trip length: 780 miles.  Duration: 13 hours and 6 minutes.  I'm trying to focus all of my thoughts on the fun we'll have once we're there: a house on the beach, a day trip to Kittery/Portsmouth to visit Chad's family, a day trip to Portland to visit more family, possibly a trip to Boston, and many hours of doing little more than reading on a beach towel.

This will be the first time we've traveled with Charlotte, and actually the first vacation we've taken in almost two years.  I just made a list of what I'll need to pack, broken down by "Our Stuff", "Baby Stuff" and "Food."  I was kind of amazed by how much stuff Charlotte will require.  I briefly considered renting a moving van.  Thankfully my parents and brother & sister-in-law are also going and have all been nice enough to pack a few things in their cars.

Howard's going to a kennel for the week.  I imagine that he will be less than pleased about this arrangement.  He went to a kennel during our last vacation, to Alaska, but at the time Henry was still around and they shared one large kennel.  My parents old dog, Frances, was in the kennel next to them and Howard adored her, so it made the situation more livable.  Sadly, Frances passed away too, so all of the dogs in the entire world that Howard could ever tolerate are gone.  When I booked his stay I made sure to include the typical Howard warnings: "It would be best  absolutely necessary for Howard to not be around other dogs."  And "Howard should probably definitely not be let into the yard to play with the other dogs."  And "Howard functions best in a solo environment." And "Howard is afraid of some things absolutely everything ever and it can make him act aggressively  like a complete and total fool." And finally "I'm sorry in advance if he behaves ridiculously."  Oh Howard.

Anyhow, regardless of whatever kind of weather you're having I hope you had a wonderful holiday (and hopefully a day off!).  Today is also a special day to me--my Grandpa (on my mom's side) would have turned 80 years old.  He died at 69, when I was a senior in high school.  He was a character and had an opinion about almost everything that he was not afraid to share.  I would love to hear what kind of colorful things he'd have to say about turning 80; I can only imagine.

I leave you on a happy note, with a photo from my girl's first 4th of July...

...and now:

What a difference a year makes.  I need a bucket of water to calm down baby fever...yikes.


~Stacy