Memories From Childhood Part 1

This house business we're going through right now is a complete nightmare.  But!  I'm not even going to write about it.  At least until it's over.

Instead, let's visit a happy anecdote from the past and avoid packing, shall we?

Long ago, I attended Shelley Elementary.  It was the first day of first grade, and my teacher's first name was Montana.  I thought that was very strange at the time.  Actually, I still do.  Anyway, sometime during that first day we were assigned homework.  It was the popular "book in a bag" assignment, where all you have to do is take the book home, read all 5 pages of whatever paperback book you got, and get your mom to sign a paper saying that you did it.

I went home from school and clearly did not grasp the homework idea because that book stayed in my backpack and did not come out.

The next day Montana told us to get our books out and show her the paper our moms signed.  If we did it, we got a sticker and, I think, a tootsie roll.  I pulled out my book and slowly comprehended several things: (1) I did not do the assignment, (2) Because of #1, my paper was not signed by my mom, and (3) I would not get a tootsie roll if I didn't do something fast.  I panicked, and did the only thing I could think of.  I pulled out a blue colored pencil and wrote "LYNNE" on my paper in my best first-grade handwriting.   I thought it was pretty convincing.  It's not like I wrote it in crayon--Montana would never know it was me.

Somehow Montana found out that it was a forgery, and I got busted. I had to take home TWO books the next day.

First grade was not as fun as I thought it would be.

Cancun

I feel like Eben Alexander today.  Because I'm going to tell you all about my trip to heaven.  We had the best time in Mexico.  The best. 

We stayed at the beautiful Secrets Silversands resort, which is a fancy all-inclusive adults-only resort.  Oh, the luxury of that place.  7 high-end restaurants.  8 pools.  Unlimited smoothies.  Free room service.  Ash trays with the Secrets "seashell" logo embedded in the sand!   If that's not fancy, I don't know what is.  What I'm saying is this is the closest we'll ever get to living in Downton Abbey.  It was divine.

We swam in the pools.  We lounged on the beach.  We swung in hammocks.  We zip lined through the jungle.  We repelled.  We drank our body weight in daiquiris and coladas.  We snorkeled in a cenote.  We rode jet skis through the Caribbean.  Scott spoke Spanish. We watched pelicans crash land into the ocean.  We chowed down on fresh chips and pico de gallo every half hour.

We got the world's blotchy-est sunburns.  We ran through the DFW airport TWICE. 

We walked along the beach. We read books for FUN.  We spent more uninterrupted time together than ever before.  It was the best.

Ah, bien.

We're back!  It was pretty rough coming home. Not only did we have to leave the unlimited pina coladas behind, but we also had a stressful day of running through airports to get here.  Not to mention a million work emails, a bird who decided to build a giant nest in the carport above my car, and a forest of dandelions that somehow started growing in our yard.  Ahem.  Once the shock of being home again wears off, I'll blog more about the actual trip.  For now, enjoy some photos.