I’m On Fire

Like literally, I am on fire!  I’m down in Florida right now, hanging out one last time at my mom’s place with the family.  I went to the beach the other day with my nieces and apparently I am not very good at applying sunscreen.  I have what looks like a freaking mask around my face where I am burned up near my hairline.  I have a big red blotch on my neck and my shoulders and back are burned as well.  You would think I would be better at this by now.  Aside from being burned alive things are going well and we are having a good time.

As I referenced above, this is the last time we’ll be down here.  My mom is selling her place and will be renting instead when she comes down in the winter.  She and my brother were both wanting me and my kids to come down and vacation as a family one last time.  Both offered to help fund the trip.  At first I wasn’t in any kind of mood for a vacation.  I had been way too depressed and I wasn’t sure how the kids would feel about it either. But we relented and ended up surprising my mom.  She was so happy she burst into tears.

I am loving all this togetherness.  We’ve been eating at home and my sister-in-law and mom have been doing a lot of cooking.  My turn comes on Friday.  I believe I’m going to be making fettucine Alfredo and then sautéing up some shrimp, chicken and mushrooms and steaming some broccoli.  I’ll let everyone put whatever they want on it instead of mixing it all together.

It’s amazing sometimes how well nine people live together in a 2 bedroom/1.5 bathroom townhouse.  I hopped in the shower yesterday and added my shampoo and conditioner to the row already in existence.  At the time I thought, “I love this.  I love how chaotic it is.  I love that it’s kinda messy and not perfect.  We’re all creating a little corner for our stuff (and with three young ladies that’s a lot of stuff!) and things are going well.”  My daughter is the youngest of the three at 16.  Her cousins are 19 and 21 but they all get along fabulously.  I think they’d drag her out to the clubs if they could.  The three of them will frequently go off together, whether it’s down to the beach or out shopping.  The two boys hang out together but aren’t opposed to playing on their phones and ignoring one another either.

I’m trying to enjoy this time because when I go back home I’m going back to reality.  I need to close accounts down, start packing, start pricing things for my two yard sales, and just getting ready to leave.  It’s a strange feeling.

My mom asked me if it was going to be hard to leave this house because on one hand we only lived here for two years.  On the other hand I thought this was going to be the house I lived in forever.  I think it will be a little difficult.  I love my house.  I wasn’t wild about it at first but I think that’s to be expected when you’ve had your eye on another house for months and it turns out to be a dud and then you’ve got to pick something else in two to three days.  I love my big, spacious bedroom and my enclosed porch and my porch swing.  I love my granite countertops that I so badly wanted and of course, my pool.  Even though I didn’t use them much I will miss my jetted tub and my hot tub.  Mainly I think I will miss having my own house.  I’m equally sure it’s going to be hard for my kids going back to sharing a bathroom, especially one that is much smaller than the one that either of them has had to themselves. Oh well, it’s just bricks and drywall.

That’s my update.  I’m having fun and enjoying family time at the beach.  Now I’m off to rub more aloe on my burning skin.