"When Is A Vacation Not A Vacation?"

I just got back from a visit to North Carolina. My wife and I went to visit our son JJ and his wife of one year Angela. This was really the first time we had visited them as a couple. Oh we had gone to see them when they had only been married a couple of weeks but that didn't count. This was our first real visit.

We went to Durham on Thursday of last week and came back on Monday. That meant we were with them for three whole days and two partial days. Now that is a long time for me to stay away from home but honestly the time flew by. I think that is because we didn't have much planned to do. We just did what we wanted to do. And a lot of that involved eating.

Angela says she wasn't much of a cook before she and JJ got married. If that is the case then everyone should watch those cooking shows. That's what she does and she has become an excellent cook. We had a roast dinner the night before we came back and it was out of this world. I mean I could have sat there and eaten for hours.

She and JJ had also gone out and gotten me Tomato juice, cheese crackers with peanut butter, and peanut M&M's. That was so sweet of them and made me feel really special coming into their home. I am big on the little things and this thoughtfulness really impressed me.

We also learned on the day we got there that Angela had been hired as a third grade teacher for the fall. She will be teaching at a private school in Durham and they are so lucky to get her. Of course Angela is so lucky to have my wife Terry cheering her on. They spent every day while we were there talking about school and how to be the best possible teacher.

Then there was my "special event" while I was there. I was fortunate enough to arrange a lunch date with Jeffery Deaver. Jeff, as he calls himself, is the author of numerous books including the new best seller THE COLD MOON. I have been a fan of his for years and we have swapped e-mails for the past few months. I had had the chance to meet him at a function in Atlanta a few weeks ago but this was the first time I got to really get to know him.

He was off to Italy on a book tour the day after we had lunch so I was really appreciative he squeezed me in. I had a great time listening to him talk about creating Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, the two main characters in his series of books.

I kept pinching myself as I heard him tell his stories. Am I lucky or what? A few weeks ago I had coffee with Deborah Roberts and her husband Al Roker, and now I have also had lunch with Jeffery Deaver. Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Back to the Durham trip. Another highlight of the visit was meeting Roxy, JJ and Angela's new dog. She is a year and a half old and just the sweetest dog ever. She is an inside dog and every well behaved. I really enjoyed her company while we were there.

The main joy of the trip was seeing how happy our son JJ is. He has really taken to married life and I am so happy for him. I guess all that praying we did about his wife for so many years really has paid off.

Anyway I came away form our "vacation" feeling really good about our trip. I am not a big vacation person but this one didn't seem too vacation-y. It was just eating, relaxing and having fun with my kids. I had a great time and I think they did too.

Now I am home and back into my routine which is also a good thing. I missed it. I honestly did.

 

 

 

 

 

©2006 Jackie K. Cooper

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