Rested! Just in time to wind up again.

Hello everyone! I hope you didn't miss me too much, and I hope that the extra day of our vacation wasn't too hard on you (yea, just pretend you noticed, it will make me feel better). We were originally planning to fly back on Sunday, but the presence of Hurricane Irene made that seem like a really terrible idea, so we stayed an extra day and came back yesterday. Probably a good idea...no idea when we would have finally landed had we tried to get here Sunday.

While I never mustered up the energy to do much of anything, the second half of the week was just as much fun as the first. I read a lot, took a lot of naps and got a ton of sun. Since school starts next week (more on that in a minute) I had some work to do so that I don't feel completely lost. Because, really, I kinda forget everything..."school mindset" is such a unique state of being, and it takes some time to get back into that. Hopefully I am not too lost.

So, let's see...weather was awesome and our hosts were lovely, as always. We did take a day trip on someone's super-nice boat (I think it was a friend of Frenchie's father, but I am not totally sure to be honest:-)). I am not really a huge boat fan...I don't get sea sick, but I get bored and feel kinda trapped. Yea, I can feel claustrophobic on the open ocean, go figure. And the idea of owning one seems like an awful lot of time, money and work...but sunning myself and enjoying a frosty beverage on the deck while floating in the Mediterranean? I can see the attraction...

Munchkin did great, too. She had a great time, got everything out of it that she could, and didn't shed a single tear when we left. They have made peace with the limits of their relationship, and when they are together they just focus on enjoying each other as much as they can...she is just so incredibly happy to be around him. I think in the past I have written a lot in the vein of "when this inevitably ends" but I am not so sure about that any more...I still think it is impossible for two people to have a serious relationship as they grow through the times when that means having to be on the same continent, but I kind of get the feeling that they will be a part of each other's lives for the long-term. I dunno...but I have stopped worrying about how she will feel when they break up.

Stupid anecdote, but I think it goes to why I like him for her so much. And this is all through the filter of them being 16 and only seeing each other a couple of weeks a year.

Soccer practice starts this week, so she was coming right back from vacation and into the season. She loves being an athlete, and she keeps herself in really good shape all year long, even when she is out of a sports season. During the summer, she runs. A LOT. She runs far and she runs fast (she also wears almost nothing when she does...we have discussed this...resolution still pending).

In an effort to not lose her conditioning during vacation, she vowed to run at least three times during the week. Since Frenchie is not really a runner, that meant finding someone to go with her. Turned out to be no problem in Paris, where two girls that are school friends of Frenchie's are pretty regular workout buddies, so she just went with them one morning. I went with her to a track one day in Nice so she could get a workout in, which was also easy enough.

On a totally separate note, when she is home, she generally runs in itty bitty running shorts and what looks to me like a sports bra...she doesn't like wearing sweaty clothes (or so she says, I think mostly she is built like a fucking underwear model and doesn't mind showing it off.) However, she was clearly aware of her "in-laws" because she suddenly decided that the appropriate attire for this trip was knee-length spandex shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt;-) Anyway...

So, back to my story...on Friday, she and Frenchie were hanging out with some of his friends and the subject must have come up, because a guy offered to run with her on Saturday morning. A slightly older Italian boy who Frenchie is apparently not the biggest fan of. So...think about how most 16 year olds would handle this. Well, he didn't make any kind of a stink, she enjoyed having someone to take her on a route along the water and through the city and that was that.

Obviously, not a major event, but this is what I like about them...they don't manufacture major events. Anywho...this is way too long, I have told you nothing of value, and I have to get back to work!!!

And yes, school starts again next week. I guess more on that tomorrow, then.
So,