Back to the Daily Grind

We have been back for a few days now, but I always find it difficult to get back into the swing of things after leaving town.  It is especially hard when we cut ourselves off from all major modes of communication during the vacation.  Thanksgiving found us in the mountains of North Carolina.  There was ice on the ground, a chill in the air, a fire in the grate, and a cup of hot cocoa in my hand.  There we have no TV, no Internet, little cell phone phone connection, and only one radio station.  It is blissfully disconnected from modern life.

I decided not to bring any of my Christmas gifts/projects with me, as this was supposed to be relaxing vacation time.  I intended to relax, at least as much as is possible with two toddlers in tow, and I spent much of my time there curled up next to the warm fireplace with a good book.

My kids spent as much time as they could outside exploring the mountainside.  They were hoping to find snow, but instead found large and small icy pools all over the mountainside (the only ice we see in Florida comes out of the freezer).  The smallest were ice filled ruts in the road which they used as an ice skating rink.  The largest was a lake that they threw rocks at for at least an hour to see which would bounce off the ice and which would crack the surface.