Back at it.

Vacation was good,  y'all. I spent nearly a week soaking up sand and sun with my parents and Ben in Sanibel. I didn't answer emails, I never wore makeup, and I focused my energy on spending time outside with people I love.

twilight beach stroll. 

Some highlights:

• Cycling. We biked nearly every day including one spectacular 36 mile ride to Captiva (and back). I also went on one lovely 5 mile run and more beach walks than I can count.

in captiva

• Games. Shuffleboard, Ping Pong, board games, card games...we're a pretty game-loving family, especially on vacation.
• Animals. I've been to Sanibel several times before, but don't really remember it as being filled with animals. I now stand corrected. We saw two alligators (!) and a family of ospreys (!!) as well as a whole host of sea birds in the Ding Darling wildlife preserve. It was fantastic.

osprey

• Books. I (finally) finished My Own Country, and while I really did enjoy it, it's not exactly a beach read. I followed it with Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, a fun and unique mystery novel that was perfectly light but never frivolous. I devoured it in 48 hours. 

go-read reading spot. also, not hot dogs.

• Food. Since I was on an island, this definitely includes fresh seafood and fruit, but really, I'm talking about the key lime pie. I love key lime pie and the four of us split a piece after nearly every dinner. During one of our last dinners,  Ben actually asked me if we could have this instead of wedding cake. Um, YES.
• Family. Best for last, right? Seriously, though. They're the best.

And now I'm back to reality, gearing up to drive a billion (aka 8) hours tomorrow for my last (last!) residency interview. As I said in my previous post, the entire process has been surprisingly fun and interesting, but I'm more than ready to put the time and expense of interview travel behind me.