With the Girls

First, a fore warning that in sharing these last two vacation posts right in a row comes as only a result of being regretfully behind on all regular postings here. Result of an even more regrettfully inconsistent laptop that has me dropping by the Mac Genius bar like it's my side job. And still babying a faulty hard drive I now refuse to put too much trust in after it's let me down now so many times before. 

That said, the days between the hotels and road trips have been stacked with all of the standard summer break chaos wrapped up in trying to entertain a house full of boys during these few summer weeks. When we're not camping we are fighting, usually over mine craft, and a single iPad that never seems to hold a charge past 25 percent. Sneaking and scolded hands for snagging popsicles in the morning when too many distractions turn impulsive temptations into real possibilities, tearing apart the house, building forts that look like land mines in the loft. Yelling at one another because, well, because there's always a new reason and brother to find real frustrations in. Being bored, and watching too much TV. Eating cereal for dinner (when, on certain days, it comes to that) and complaining, for no reason at all (unless you can find someone who thinks plain (healthy) boredom counts legitimately towards real junior heartache.)

Anyway, we are just getting caught up from a short weekend away with a few of my favorite ladies at The Ace Hotel, with a grip of kids in tow. All of which happened because of a discount code I received in an email that seemed the perfect excuse to get out of town and settle into the 110 degree desert heat and park it by the pool where we could watch our kids splash themselves into exhaustion and then collapse into a big cool bed after a full day of poolside fun. 

And we did. We ate, and drank and laughed and played. I got hit with a major migraine early Saturday afternoon (an instant, familiar effect of heat + beer. A combination I've never really been able to successfully carry out) that lasted through most of the evening, so I missed some of the glowing pool party with balloons and beach balls lit up in the water at dusk, but was thankful to have friends who helped care for the boys while I rested up and pulled through the headache. 

The heat was brutal. So hot it scorched our feet on the concrete straight out of the pool. But the desert evenings always make up for it. Sherbet colored sunsets and cooler temps replacing the afternoon's blazing heat waves. A couple of us sat out close to midnight by an empty pool after everyone else went to bed and enjoyed the end of the evening with a slice of pizza and a clear and painless headspace. 

Getting away like this with grilfriends is something I think we all need and deserve sometimes. To carve out a little time to share a summer's passing. If only for a night. To feel young, and carefree and splash around in a big pretty pool with or without the kids. Whichever way you can take it.