keeping it real

So, our summer odyssey is coming to an end today as we board the plane to return to our home sweet home. We miss it. While we did have the best summer we've had in many years, I have to confess that it has not all been a bowl of cherries for us. Our lives are not one bright and shining moment after another. We have issues, just like you. . . maybe more than you. I generally elect not to share too much about those, which probably (i know, shame on me) paints a false picture of our less-than-perfect life. Sorry, it ain't so. You should know that our summer wasn't just one big love fest with families at beaches or an ideal visit to Disney World or strolls through beautiful Southern towns. Not exactly.

I spent lots of time in LA in the dentist office with Maddy. Three visits and $1000 later, she is likely scarred for life and won't ever willingly step foot into a dentist office again. (Use the fluoride supplements -- don't listen to the people who say you don't need it. Use the rinse. Get the xylitol gum. See the American pediatric dentist.)

Mr. Duncan missed the LA part of the trip because work called. Not good for him.
My daughter learned the phrase: This is boring. She used it over and over and over again as she whined incessantly while we attempted to enjoy the city of Charleston, including during a one hour narrated carriage tour.

I missed seeing friends that I should not have missed, again.
Maddy and I spent an entire day in an airport. We never made it to Boston. An airline clerk actually told me that I "should have paid the $6" if I wanted my five year old to be seated next to me. Yeah, long story.

My father-in-law spent time in the hospital. (He is doing much better, but to say he is well is not exactly accurate.)
While sitting in a rental car in the parking lot of a Best Western in Greenville, NC, I went over the edge. I'll leave it to your imagination to determine exactly what that means. Do road trips ever send you over the edge?

My daughter does not sleep in the car. She does, however, refuse to walk at times. Oh, joy.
Each year we suffer tummy issues because of the sudden and drastic change in our diets; it generally lasts the entire trip. We eat the bad food anyhow.

Mr. Duncan. . . he's not exactly crazy about sand or heat. If you've followed our movement since June, you know that there has been a lot of sand, heat, and humidity involved. He managed not to be too cranky about that, but it is a bit of forced fun for him.

We will return just in time to say good-bye to several friends who are moving on, some expected and some suddenly. Do you know how difficult it is to make new friends as adults? Friends that fit the whole family? These folks fit that bill, well.

Some people just aren't that into us; this is a hard one.

. . . and these are just the things that I am able to quickly brainstrom as I sit here tonight. Certainly I have left out a thing or two, maybe even more. I'm not complaining or whining, only fessing up to our realities. I know that in the grand scheme of life that we are very blessed indeed. We'll be back next summer; in fact, plans are already in the works for a return to the beach and time in the mountains.