Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

It’s hard to beat going out of town two weekends in a row for turning you into a tired, overwhelmed lump.  And while both trips–the one to Idaho two weekends ago and the one my friend Britt and I took to New England last weekend–were so, so worth it, that doesn’t actually lessen any of the coming home madness.  Laundry?  Kitchen?  School papers and projects for the kids?  Unpacking?

Blog posts?

Yeah, I dropped the ball there before I left, didn’t I?  I was going to try and post on Thursday before leaving for the airport, but that clearly didn’t happen.  (I was also going to try and mail cards to my sister from the different places we went to, but my brain is apparently too old to hold on to ALL of the things it wants to do.)  So here I am, home since Monday evening, trying to decide if I’ve got the will to write about my trip AND review a book, or if I should stick to one or the other.  I’d like to review a book–say, one of the 3 or 4 on my Goodreads “Currently Reading” shelf that I’ve actually finished, so it can move on to one of the various places that my completed books go–but that doesn’t feel nearly as doable as I want it to tonight.  I also want to actually write about my trip, and yet I think what I’ve got motivation enough to do is list out more of an itinerary–while feeling guilty for not being up to more.

Thursday, Oct. 3rd:  Arrived in RI after midnight local time.  Survived with Britt my first ever renting of a car.  (We adulted so hard!)  Managed to drive it safely to our destination and go to bed sometime after 3 am.

Friday, Oct. 4th:  Slept in.  Headed out to Newport around 11-ish and toured Rosecliff.  Successfully found a parking place near the beginning of the Cliff Walk (the parking meter took credit cards) and did a mile or so of it before returning to the car and desperately seeking seafood.  It wasn’t the best I’ve had, but we thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless.  Made it home in one piece, but I slept badly.

Saturday, Oct. 5th:  On the road before 7.  Breakfast courtesy of a Dunkin drive-though.  Drove up to Sharon, VT to visit the birthplace of the prophet Joseph Smith.  Beautiful weather!  From Sharon to Rutland–paying for the Norman Rockwell museum didn’t feel worth it, but lunch at Coach’s Deli was AMAZING.  From Rutland to Bennington–the Robert Frost museum was closed, but we wandered around the grounds and took pictures before heading to his grave.  The church was open past closing time because a couple was there preparing for an event the next day, and so we got to wander around both inside and out.  (They were completely lovely people.)  We hit Amherst, Massachusetts in the dark and Britt took pictures of Emily Dickinson’s house with her flash because we were listening to the Women’s Session of General Conference on my phone.  Home late, but it was a beautiful day.

Sunday, Oct. 6th:  Allie’s doughnuts for breakfast and then a drive around Scituate before heading to the Boston temple to walk around the grounds.  From there we went to York, Maine, and wandered around the rocks at Nubble Light (aka Cape Neddick) in some impressive wind.  The salt spray made us sticky, but the view was no less beautiful for being in shades of grey.  We stopped at Stonewall Kitchen on the way home–no purchases, it being Sunday, but we sampled and pondered the possibility of ordering various products online.  Made it home at a civilized hour and took a stroll in the dark before enjoying some music and turning in.

Monday, Oct. 7th:  Survived the drive to the airport and the returning of the rental car (so much adulting!) before embarking on an uneventful flight home.  It’s always hard for me to fly away from the color and into the brown–but my family was happy to see me.

Book reviews to follow, folks–but tonight, I’m turning in.