I am on vacation here in Massachusetts, my home state. Being with family and friends does a body (and a mind) good. I am relaxed and happy. Little things like sitting on the deck with my sister-in-law at her cabin on the lake is like happy medicine. Looking out I see water skiers and sailboats. I close my eyes and I hear the loons and the waves lapping on the sand. Being with people you love who love you is one of the happiest feelings in the world. On this trip home I am taking mental snapshots of moments that I want to remember, pulling them out when I am lonely back in Seattle on those wet, gray days.
Today I had one of those moments. I swear to God it felt like a TV spot for Nespresso and coffee creamer. My sister-in-law was cooking in the kitchen, my niece was bobbing around in her dance leotard, her hair in a neat, petite bun and my brother-in-law was wrapping up some work. Their daughter Chloe had just graduated from lower school this morning and we were hanging out as you do after a big moment like this.
I was checking the distance from here to Brattleboro, Vermont on my phone when my sister-in-law, Cayr, handed me a glass that looked like Bailey's on the rocks. I took a sip. It tasted like salted caramel. I looked at her "What IS this?" I asked her. She pulled the bottle out of the fridge. It was International Delight Creamer in Salted Caramel Mocha. Over ice she had added one tablespoon of creamer to a decaf espresso. It was incredible and sweet enough to take away that feeling for something sweet to nibble on. It was worth every one of those 35 calories. We sat with our iced coffees and stared out at the water. This is what vacation is about.
