Recovery Time

Hubby and I aren't so dumb. We both wisely scheduled today off as a vacation day. And boy, did we need it.

When hours, days, weeks and months are focused on the June 14 date on the calendar, we had to figure exhaustion would set in on June 15. And it did. But it was a good kind of tired.

Since I still had family in the house, we had helpers to get the tent and canopy down today and the rest of the party stuff cleaned up. By 1 p.m., I was out on the back deck in my swimsuit, ready to bake away any last remaining strands of stress. That was the ticket.

It was about 90 degrees and sunny today so it was actually too warm to get too active and motivated (how's that for an excuse?). Got dishes and laundry done inside the house when I needed a cool down and, yes, one more trip to Wal-Mart to get some items for Carter (who starts commuting with us in the morning so he can return to Kidz Camp!).

But that was it. I didn't have to do anything else. It was a finally a day off with no List hanging over my head. Yay!

But I can't take all the credit...

If there's one thing I learned (had reinforced) in this party-planning quest, it's that Jim and I are blessed. We have awesome neighbors, family and friends! The only reason it seemed so organized and stress-free is because I (we) didn't have to do it alone. We borrowed trucks, tables, coolers, you name it. Then these awesome people donated food and labor, too, from pitching tents to replenishing everything from cheese to toilet paper during the party.

It's an incredible feeling to be surrounded by such warm-hearted, giving people, willing to help our little family in any way possible. We look forward to returning the favor. And really, saying thanks does not seem like it's enough. But I hope they know that the only reason we could spend the day relaxing and recovering today was because of all their help.

So if you happen to be one of my Party Patrol members reading this, thanks. We owe ya one.