For the record

Life has not slowed down.

Not one little bit.

We spent five beautiful days together as a family on vacation.

Part of those five days (23 and a half hours) were spent together in an eight-passenger mini van driving to Virginia and then back to Massachusetts.

We're grateful that Aunt Rachael offered us her van so we could spend our precious hours together, instead of in separate cars.  For the record, last Thanksgiving weekend we made this same trip in two separate vehicles, and one of the cars was dubbed "the fun car."  This year we ALL got to ride in the fun car.  Also for the record:  all young adults and teenagers who have energetic eight-year-old brothers should recognize how lucky they are to have a living window into their pasts of energy and enthusiasm.  Especially when confined to close quarters with energy and enthusiasm seat-belted next to them.  For hours on end.

I left the lap top at home and finished a book.  Loved it.

We've enjoyed house guests almost non stop this summer.  Now that college students are transitioning back to their remote lives and school is on the horizon, I fear that we might not know what to do with ourselves in the looming stillness of reduced family members and being guest-less.

I suspect our busy Fall schedules will take care of the above.

We completed a 1,000 piece puzzle.  To the eight-year-old, it was just as monumental as reaching the summit of Mount Monadnock.

I sliced my finger while cutting watermelon at my in-law's house.  There was a trip to the ER and some stitches.  Mr. Dub decided it would be more fun to intern instead of holding my hand, and switched sides of the bed so he could peer over the shoulder of the attending doctor while she worked.  He became so engrossed in the procedure that the doctor gifted him the implements he would need to remove my stitches in ten days.  Meanwhile, the two of them chatted it up and didn't notice that I was writhing in pain as she stitched away at parts of my finger that were NOT numbed.  I hollered "uncle" after the third stitch and assured them that the fourth stitch she intended to put in was not necessary.  The cut is healing nicely.  Now I feel a little bit like Frankenstein.

Mr. Dub and I sat out front tonight for about an hour in the Adirondack chairs and just talked.  We also spent some quality time at the temple today.  This makes up for all the crazy and hectic that sometimes makes us wonder if we'll ever speak more than two consecutive sentences to each other in the same day.  I love him.  Crazy and hectic and all.

Just for the record.