Resetting Focus – Vacation!

Last week, I got to reset my focus. And I SO needed it. I had begun to feel bogged down by responsibilities and that’s a true tell that it’s time for a vacation.  So I had the privilege of participating in the second annual family women’s wine weekend. Just to clarify, that’s wine-tasting, not whin-ing. 🙂 No whining allowed on this vacay.

After spending a few days helping my daughter unpack in their new home (found out I LOVE organizing kitchens), I headed for a Bavarian town in the middle of Washington State called Leavenworth.  Six of the nine of us arrived Thursday night. The rest came on Friday. Everything in this town is walking distance, which is wonderful. I parked my car on Thursday and didn’t move it until I left on Sunday.

Have I mentioned yet it was 100+ degrees out? I don’t DO that hot. Or didn’t. Somehow, it didn’t bother me too badly, sitting in the beer garden, sipping a local IPA. 🙂

Friday was absolutely the most relaxing day I’ve had in years. We sat by the pool (again, 100 degrees out!) from 9AM until 4PM. We swam, sunned, chatted, and read. A LOT of reading. I can’t remember the last time I had that much time to just be a reader and read. It was heaven!

That night, we had dinner out, then headed for a local karaoke bar. I hate to admit this, but I’ve never been to a karaoke bar. EVER. I always thought it was a bunch of drunk off-key people. Maybe it is. Well, maybe there was a bit of “drunk” going on, but what got my attention was the singing. Probably 75% of the folks who got up could carry a tune pretty darn well. And a good portion of that was two of my daughters (I’m preening my prideful peacock feathers here). Michal and Christie both have great voices and great presence. How did I not know that?

By Saturday, we really needed to be able to tell our husbands we wine tasted. So we hit several of the local wine tasting rooms and found a few really good wines. I think everyone bought at least one bottle to take home.

The other “new” thing for me was Saturday’s dinner. It was my niece, Sammie’s birthday (happy birthday again, dear Samantha!), and she chose a Sushi and Thai place. I don’t do Sushi, but had Thai for the first time and loved it! I only chose a spice level 1 (on a zero to five scale) and it was pretty hot, but tasty. 🙂

By the end of the weekend, I was ready to come home and get back to my normal schedule. But I learned some things about myself and my children and had a wonderful time. As well, I re-affirmed what awesome sisters, nieces, and daughters I have. Especially, I had the same feeling I had last year. That the generation that will take our family forward is filled with amazing, powerful women whom I love, respect, and trust with the future of our family.