Start The Clock

Suddenly, it's summer. And I realize our mega camping vacation commences in just over a month. How does it sneak up like this every year? I'm excited for it, as always, but there are a lot of unknowns to temper the excitement. For one, we'll be staying in a part of the island we've never really seen before. Add to that the challenges of exposing the toddler to the elements - the sun, the rain, mosquitoes and ticks (as we learned the hard way last year), poison ivy, sand that never comes out of certain crevices, the packing - oh the packing. And thinking about how HR nearly didn't recover from the shake-up in his sleep pattern last year... it's enough to make you want to say, eh, let's go get a hotel instead.

As if! Even with all the worries and inconveniences, I'm way more excited for the good part of the unknown, seeing how our boy will react to things in his walking, talking, information-sponge state, what memories he'll start to form with this crazy gaggle of family, what he'll take into his adulthood as we all did. We could be looking at a fortnight of a little boy screeching for youtube clips, but my gut tells me there will be a lot more positive surprises than negative. Like always, we'll keep it flexible, and do what turns out to be best for all of us.

For those to whom it might be meaningful: in the tub last night HR talked about "Small Point" several times. I don't think he quite knows what it means--and the exquisite irony is that he learned the phrase from my mother, of all people--but it thrills me to no end. But before we get to that, we've got a lot more summer to cram in. Beginning with getting some work done before my brain fully melts.

Musical treat: I am downright scandalized that I've not heard this cover until now. It's all my favorite things.