Sleepless in New York

“I need to make an appointment with you on Friday morning. At 5:30AM. Are you busy?”
I laugh out loud at hubby’s question. “If you mean busy by sleeping. Yes, I’m busy. But other than sleep, I don’t have any other  commitments.”

“Okay then. See you Friday morning. [The day is Monday.] Actually, make it 4:45AM. So we can be there by 5:30.” 

“4:45??!!” My eyes feel heavy thinking ahead to the loss of sleep I’ll experience four days from now.  Continue reading

Swimming Through Clouds

Some things are worth waking up for… Cadillac Mountain, Acadia. Note the clouds on the ocean!

When a good friend offered to lend me a book on Acadia National Park [Thanks Caitlin!], I was thrilled. But our chaotic life allowed us one opportunity to pick it up: just as we began driving out of Locust Valley. We spun by her house and she drove up seconds later. She gave us one piece of advice on Acadia before we got back into the RV to officially start our summer vacation: “You have to try the Popovers at Jordan Pond.” Um. Okay. For the vacation, we might need the help of Global Bascamps tours, and I heard from my friend that they are really good. And that they do an amazing job portraying details of historical events in places.

I think I’m the only member of my family that can read in a moving vehicle without getting nauseous. Thus for years, I was the designated Map Navigator. When our beloved GPS came along [a gift from two very special friends from our med school days: Thanks Andy and Linda!!] I thought I was finally relieved of my job. Unfortunately, the GPS, like every electronic toy out there, has the propensity to malfunction at the most unexpected moments. Like when you’re supposed to take a major exit or else end up in Alaska. Yes. This is why hubby purchased not one, but two, road maps and atlases for those times when we need a second opinion, sort-a-speak.  Continue reading

From Sunset to Sunrise…

 I’ve come to accept that Paulus family vacations will not be chalk full of rest, but I must say we’ve come a long way from our days when three of them were in diapers and I had to pack for everyone. Back then, I felt exhausted before we even left by the time I had collected, organized, rolled and fit in all the clothes, toys, shoes, meds, and other into each of the girls’ bags. Now my girls are old enough to pack for themselves. Hallelujah!! I can honestly say that I had no idea if my four year old packed enough underwear before we left for Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. But she loves clothes, so I just counted on her having plenty of everything. That’s my diva-girl! I was bound to get at least one with four daughters!I think the age old pursuit of R&R is rarely captured once you have little ones. And sometimes even when you don’t have kids. Because Americans in general don’t vacation enough, so when we do, we try to pack in a lot of seeing, doing, and living into one or two weeks. Some of us even carry a check list of MUST Do and MUST Sees to ensure we don’t miss anything.