is there actually such a thing as....

TOO MUCH QUIET? ha, no, not yet, anyway.

Paul left this morning after going down to the lobby and buying me a large Starbucks coffee, lots of cream, bit of nutmeg. We ran out of half and half in our little refrigerator, yes, we make our own coffee here in the room...we have a steam pot, and a pour through filter, and some good coffee. The Starbucks only stays open until 9:30 a.m., so a bit after nine I went down and got two more coffees to get me through the day:)

Then...I went for a walk. A long uninterrupted phone conversation with my sister-in-law, ate a few cherries...and soon I'm going down for a swim. I read some homeschooling stuff, finished two novels, and have read more news online than in the last five years put together.

But I am not bored. I don't mind taking leisurely showers, and sitting by the pool just thinking about things, or reading a book.

Because, I know when I get home, things will be going full speed again. The housework and the kids, and the dogs, and the cats....the volunteer work at church, and appointments, grocery shopping and cooking and and and.

Even being here, I am not insulated from dealing with kids...I have called, and texted, and dealt with issues.

So, I ended up having a nice time last evening. We drove through lots of nice neighborhoods to avoid the highway traffic. The houses and yards, wow. The place where the party was held: wow. A very nice place set back from the road, the pool just a dream with a waterfall and lots of natural rock landscaping. There were around 70 people there, and the caterers set up their tables and served...whole lobsters, clams, clam chowder, corn on the cob (we ARE in New England!), grilled chicken, salads, coleslaw, rolls, and yummers - bowls of strawberry shortcake...yes, please.

I am not a seafood girl, but the rest of the bunch really enjoyed digging in...I'm not sure the Europeans had ever had lobster like this, but cracking into those shells was a nice equalizer, you can't eat lobster in a crowd of people with too much dignity. It was quite fun, even though I went for the chicken.

My bathing suit stayed here at the hotel, but with the temperature in the low 90's, and the air saturated with humidity, I did put my feet in the pool. I sort of wished someone would push me in, it was so hot out.

As much as I hate meeting new people, I also love it at the same time. Two girls from Hungary, the French girl, the ladies from Texas...all so nice and pleasant. I talked to a native Bostonian with a fantastic accent, and of course the English guy, who says, "proper", all the time. It's neat to realize that we are all all so different, yet so much alike, us peoples. I ended up really enjoying the evening.

In real life, next week is Sonja's knee surgery, a vet appointment for Suri, and I'm sure we will need a boatload of groceries. Lydia is coming over on Saturday and Sunday, as Mali has to work, and Kathryn is flying out for Norway on Sunday:( (I am hoping and planning to go visit her in Norway for maybe New Year's. I will be scrimping and saving and hoping, ha.)(A year is too long for a girl to go without seeing her mama, right?). Anyway, real life will be busy.

For now, ahh, I am relaxed. I am going to mosey down to the pool now....