Doesn’t it though?  Do you ever go on vacation and think, “If life could just be like this all the time.”  Although the vacation I just got back from? I can’t say I wish life was always like that.

My family and I went to Florida for a few days to visit my in-laws and relax and have some fun in the sun….in the Sunshine State….where the sun should be shining in April…right?  Apparently not.  Just after we landed, I was feeling so good while wearing my shades, enjoying the warmth of the sun through the car windows.  And that was it. I never saw the sun again.

My boy had a cold the entire vacation. It actually began two days before we left for Florida, and never really got better.  He was pretty good about it, but it couldn’t have *felt* that great.

The motel? Not so wonderful. Good price due to the renovations going on, but we didn’t get one of those rooms they had already renovated.  Lukewarm showers. At least the sheets were clean, we had a fridge and there was a decent pool.  My son swam one time, just before the sky turned black and it poured on us.

The visiting part was pretty great, though. My son turned 7 while we were there and it was the first time he got to spend his birthday with these grandparents, aunt and cousins.  Had a fantastic time at both Busch Gardens and Wonderworks–money well spent.   Both places were educational and loads of fun.

Most of the time we were there, we were not on a time schedule, which always makes me happy.  We tried to just live in the moment, have a good time, eat what we wanted and sleep when we could.

The night before coming home, though, I found out my mother may have broken her ankle.  Reality was going to take over the vacation before it officially ended.  I barely slept, had weird dreams, worried about my mom, and just knew that 3am was going to arrive sooner than I wanted it to.

During the flight back to Maine, I tried to hold onto a few memories to keep me in that vacation mode as long as possible.   Riding the log flume and the river rapids with my son at Busch Gardens while laughing the entire time (except when I was screaming), hanging out with the family and telling stories, enjoying a quiet moment in the stacks of a neighborhood library.

Once we were home, it was time for laundry and lunch and calling my mom.  She’s in pain. She’s confused. She’s frustrated. *I’m* frustrated.  I feel helpless, but right now there isn’t anything to do. Tomorrow will hopefully bring more answers.  After I get off the phone with her and lunch is cooking on the stove, I lean over my kitchen counter, put my head in my hands and cry.

It doesn’t last long, but it’s been building.  I’m pretty sure I’m not done yet, but I’m almost too tired to cry now, you know?

This was *not* a bad vacation. It just didn’t have all of those fantasy qualities you always hope to have.  Like sunshine.  But as I attempt to fall asleep tonight and get ready to be slapped by reality tomorrow, I’ll try to remember those great moments I *did* have.   Even something as simple, yet wonderful as this: