Super Road Trip

Every summer I like to plan a family road trip. Every fall I realize that my husband and I have totally different thoughts on what exactly that means.


Me: When I said I wanted to go on a road trip to an exotic locale, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.

Husband: What could be more exotic than Metropolis? It’s the home of Superman!

Me: Somehow I think the comic book was referring to some other major fictitious city, not Metropolis, Illinois.

Husband: I know. We lucked out that it existed just a few hours drive from home.

Me: (Staring up at giant plastic Superman statue in the town square.) Not sure if “lucky” is the word I’d use....

Husband: Go stand there in front of it and I’ll take your picture.

Me: As much as I’d love using that image as my Facebook profile picture, how about we go into the museum instead?

Husband: Way ahead of you there, honey. I’ve got V.I.P. tickets right here!

Me: (Inspecting dilapidated building we are about to enter.) Did you say, V.I.P. or OMG?

Husband: (Ignoring me, completely engrossed in the gross.) What was that, dear?

Me: Oh nothing. Say, was that substance Superman was susceptible to?

Husband: Kryptonite?

Me: (Noticing the falling ceiling tiles.) How did he do with asbestos?

Husband: (Again, ignoring me and now stumbling into the 1970’s Superman popular merchandise exhibit.) I had that same lunch box when I was in the third grade!

Me: Hmm, very authentic. I don’t think it’s been dusted since then. (Surveying the dingy surroundings.) You know, I saw Superman I, 2 and 3, and not once did Krypton look like some creepy guy’s basement.

Husband: I know, isn’t it great that all of this precious memorabilia could be preserved like this and not thrown away by a wife who has watched too many hours of HGTV...

Me: (My turn to ignore. I am captivated by the Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist’s puppet on a unicycle dressed in Underoos hat seems to follow me with its wooden eyes around the room.)

In unison: I wonder if anything (I hope nothing) in here is for sale....

Me: If you take one more step toward that case of Justice League replica signet rings, you’ll be sleeping in your own Fortress of Solitude.

Husband: Why don’t you go outside and wait by that empty phone booth? You never know when you might run into Clark Kent.

A few more bad super hero puns, a bag of nostalgic novelties and five ice cream ringed smiles later, he and the kids emerge giggling and triumphant.

It is then I realize that he may not be more powerful than a locomotive or leap buildings in a single bound, but when it comes to fun family road trips, he is Mr. Fantastic.

Summer must be coming soon...

Hey, The St. Pete Times linked to our R.V. vacation last summer on the front page today.



Good times...

(I wonder if it will be in print tomorrow?)

You just need to apply heat to activate my creativity I guess

I'm taking a short break in between laundry loads to watch the girls in the pool and write. Yep, write, not work. There is a difference and I finally found that missing piece in my never-ending novel to finally bring it altogether, after a several month hiatus from all things fiction. So I've been typing away since Saturday on that. Who'd have thought it had been rattling around my head the whole time? That means the laptop makes the suitcase for the trip later this week.

Serious laundry and packing preparations now. I've got the majority of the shopping done--which just means packing more food and beverages than clothes for this particular destination. I. Can't. Wait.

BTW, head on over to Suburbandiva.com to win some fabulous giveaways this week. I've got a couple of fun ones going on at the moment.

I'm packed! Too bad we're not leaving for another month

We seriously need to finally leave for this vacation already so I quit shopping for it. I have amassed an arsenal of beach "necessities" that rivals Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale. Every possible activity is covered now, except for eating.

We probably won't have any tomatoes from our garden ready quite yet, but I wrote about our new garden here.

Maybe we can grill oregano and pumpkins, though.

Ah, summer....

I am writing this tonight from my new laptop whilst watching the kids swim whilst sitting on the lanai whilst drinking a glass of wine whilst reminiscing of yesterday's first Thirsty Thursday whilst baking a white chocolate strawberry cheesecake for tomorrow's wine tasting event.

I love summer's whilst factor.

Psst...June. Over here...

Why hello, June, I've been waiting all year for you. Because you seem like a really fun month.

For instance, in two short days school will be out and we can sleep a little longer on your mornings. We started a garden this weekend (more on that awesome project later) and I look forward to spending much of the month playing in the dirt with my kids. June also marks the return of "Thirsty Thursdays," that wonderful day of fun with friends. And let us not forget that we are all off to Palm Island for a break on the beach--a trip we all look forward to as a major highlight of the year.

And even working June seems to be pleasant. I have a few projects on the horizon that I am really looking forward to diving into.

And so welcome, sixth month, birthstone pearl, flower rose. Home of Flag Day, Father's Day, the Stanley Cup Finals, and summer equinox. I'm so glad you are here--make yourself comfortable and I'll go fetch you a cold glass of lemonade.

I bet it tastes like sand too

Matty and I need to step away from the Family Fun magazine...

June!

Summer showed up today.

Spring was so yesterday with its mid 80 temps and somewhat lower humidity.

But not today. Today was that 90 something day that hurts your eyes when you open the door and burns the back of your thighs when you sit in the car. It was a day complete with street mirages and flushed faces. Heat lethargy. A real need for antiperspirant.

However, we risked 3rd degree burns and loss of our retinas so that the kids and I could make our first summer field trip to the paint your own pottery store. Big fun. Made birthday gifts for my Grandmother, and the kids painted undetermined ceramic animals. It took 3 hours. And cost $110. I'm freaking exhausted. And poor.

But a couple of the other goals of the summer were also completed. I wrote 2 more pages in the novel. Boys have dentist appointments tomorrow. (I don't know if I mentioned, but we're seeing every doctor/health professional I can think of in the next 2 months to take full advantage of insurance.) And tonight I will have cooked three nights in a row!

And so the season begins on a high (tempertaure, mileage and pricetag) note.