PVB & 10 Step Course of Treatment.

It was magnificent. 

 Sure, there were a few things that could have been better, like the fact that we somehow brought the hot, humid Florida weather with us, giving SoCal record October temps, but it was still amazing. I had moments of soul nourishing inspiration and clarity, intellectual engagement, and natural beauty that still leaves me speechless. I had a thousand new ideas for paintings, drawings, and other projects, so why did I feel like crawling into bed and sleeping for days when I finally got home?

 I'm sure a teensy bit of jet lag is to blame, but I know that the core of it lies with my heart. The reason for our trip was to celebrate our anniversary. Spending nearly every waking moment with my husband for the past twelve days was wonderful. 

While we absolutely love and appreciate where we live (we know how very lucky we are to live in a place others come to vacation), we really don't get to spend much truly relaxed time together here at home. 

 Sure, we chill and do fun things, but there's a different vibe in a week with no work or obligations. There was a freedom and joy that we haven't shared in, well, almost a year. 

 That's why when I woke to his good morning/goodbye kiss today as he left for the office  my heart sank a little. 

Friends, it has happened to all of us.

P.V.B.

 So, instead of hitting you with a novella about my vacation, 

I'm working on getting my bearings back and out of the PVB funk.

 I've already started in on a few of these, and I'll blog the vacay in bite-sized posts later, but here's a little list I've put together to help in case you ever need it.

1. Unpack.

Yep. Sounds simple enough, but getting my home back to normal a.s.a.p. helps me readjust and put roots back down. Fishing through a suitcase for necessary items only makes me resent not still being on my now dead vacation. Unpack. Just do it. Trust me. 

photo by Charlie Philips

2. Cuddles

 Again, the routine of a cozy abode has me appreciating the little things I missed. 

One of those little things is my teensy Sugar! Lots of play and cuddles with her help me feel happy to be back. (Cuddles also happened before and after all other numbers on this list, but I couldn't leave her off of it.)

3. Take a Salt Bath

There's nothing like getting ready in my own bathroom. I also missed out on my salt bath soaks while traveling. These help my back pain immensely, and they just plain feel great. I prepared a nice salt bath with all of my favorite essential oils. Heavenly.

4. Sleep

There's also nothing like a nap in my own bedroom with my dog. Clean up and hit the hay, it helps everything. 

5. Check that DVR

 We were way too busy during our trip to watch any television. (We even missed the debate!)

I still felt too tired for much else, so I gave myself time to veg out on the couch with Sugar and enjoy some programs I normally watch. 

(Dr. Who, The Leftovers, SNL, & AHS.) SNL was surprisingly funny last week, and I highly recommend comedy. Best medicine fo' sho.

6. Work Out/Get Outside

 A run on the trail got my endorphins pumping and had me appreciating being back home, and I saw some of my beloved gopher tortoises. I see them almost daily out here, but there aren't any on the west coast. That made it even more special to be back. I also saw a gator, deer, and wild turkey. 

(My husband actually saw four wild turkeys that morning in our yard!) 

7. Comfort Food!

 We dined out every single meal for over a week straight.
The food we ate was delicious, but I was actually really ready for a meal cooked in my own kitchen and devoured in sweat pants. The cooler weather last night was perfect for roasted red pepper tomato soup & ultimate grilled cheese on rye. (Eaten in paint stained clothes on my couch.)
We also grocery shopped and stocked up on veggies and food to prepare for the week, and a replacement Nutri-bullet has been added to the kitchen. We are ready.


8. More Nesting/Seasonal Decor (more on that later)

 This one involved more laundry, cleaning, and nesting, (tbh I'm still going through our physical & e-mail) basically the clean home is a happy home vibe.
We also have a seasonal home tradition that was put on hold until we returned, and I'll give that its own post later in the week. Find something that makes you happy about being in your home.
This seasonal tradition really helped me get my roots back into the ground and my heart glowing again, and it leads nicely into the next...


9. Make Plans/Be a Hometown Tourist

 As I've said before, we live in a place many people come for vacation. On the flight home, a couple behind us was marveling at all the water in Florida from the plane and discussing if bull sharks even have large enough mouths to bite humans. (They totally do, but I did not say a word.)
 We made plans with my sister (who also lives here in FL) for Halloween. It's one of our favorite holidays, and I love spending time with her. This also gives me something fun to look forward to, and we have a ton of arts and entertainment to choose from in the central FL area, like Phantasmagoria, our seasonal fave!
 After my DVR veg out, it was pretty awesome to take a quick drive to New Smyrna Beach and walk along the water. My lucky little piggies were in the chilly Pacific just a day before and they were now in the warm waters of the Atlantic. Pretty cool.


10.   Upload or Print your Photos and Share your stories

 I'm kind of still kicking myself for not taking my "good" camera with me, but I know I was having such a good time and really too in the moment to drag out an SLR. So, blurry iPhone pics it was. We are still working on this one, but we did make the first step! My husband actually suggested buying a photo album specifically for our travels. We purchased it last night.
 I know it will be more fun to print them out and put them into an album than simply uploading them, but tech is an awesome backup system.

 I'll be sharing bits of my vacation in the next few weeks here on my blog. Yay! It's like the old days when people sat around and shared their boring vacation slides, but you don't have to sit in my house and you can click off whenever you want. ;)



  I suppose the next natural thing on the list would be to take any remaining blahs with me into the studio, but at this point the inspiration far outweighs the blues. It's really just a matter of figuring out what to do with it all!
I'll see you soon.