Souvenirs

I’m back, after a wonderful 2-week visit with my parents. This was probably the longest stretch that I’ve been there in a couple years, and it was one of the most fun visits.

Sadly, I’ve learned that no matter how long a vacation is – whether it’s 2 days or 2 weeks – it always feels like it lasted only 5 minutes.

And, in no particular order, here are a few of the things I brought back with me:

- sand in my shoes - a slight tan - clean clothes (thanks, mom, for doing laundry!) - salt water taffy for Husband - recipes from my parents’ cookbooks - a memory stick full of pictures, including:

the botanical gardens we visited, where we quite literally stopped and smelled the roses

also from the botanical gardens the beach, which I think still looks pretty even on a cloudy day

- homemade chocolate chip cookies from an afternoon baking with my mom - a couple of new work outfits - the memories of all of our adventures - fresh basil and oregano from my parents’ garden And speaking of gardens, I’m happy to report that the tomato plant grew quite nicely while I was gone. In fact, it’s already waist high!

But, with all my focus on the tomato plant, I forgot to tell Husband to look out for our basil plant, too. As far as its status, well, I’ll let the picture speak for itself:

(At least, I’m assuming that this withered stick is the formerly vibrant basil plant.)

That’s ok, though. It was a small price to pay for a great 2 weeks.