Taking the cure

I suppose you could say I am back in civilization. Hot Springs, AR really feels like the middle of nowhere, which is not a bad thing. Neither me nor my aunt had ever been there, and neither of us had ever been through the whole bathing ritual thing either ("taking the cure"). I must say, it's a little disconcerting to be naked in a tub with a large woman with a biker chic tattoo exfoliating your legs to increase circulation. Anyone who knows me has to be shocked I even went through with it. I am such a prude.

Of course, to get to Hot Springs, we had to go through Memphis. I think that made me happier than anything else. I wanted to go by the Williams-Sonoma outlet to see what linens and dishtowels they had, so we took a little jaunt through the city. I drove past campus (waving at Thad and the geography building as I passed), and we got some iced tea at McAllister's. I wanted so badly to scrap the evening's massages and just stay in Memphis to say hello to friends. Alas, that wouldn't have been much of a vacation for favorite aunt Mel. Off we went into the Natural State.

All in all, we had a great time. We ate when we wanted to eat, we napped when we were sleepy, and we had ice cream everyday. When you add in being massaged, it makes for a pretty relaxing break. We also took the Duck Tour, which was silly, and my right arm got a smidgen fried. Of course, I've never taken a vacation in my entire life that didn't involve at least a little bit of a sunburn...I don't know why I'd break the streak now.

Now it's back to the daily grind, and the pile of laundry in my bedroom is the ultimate sign that life is still exactly as it was when I left, except someone spoiled the dog rotten while I was away. OTIS IS NOT ALLOWED TO SLEEP IN THE BED!

I'm glad to be home. I missed my little family.