I feel so out of it

Our vacation was very relaxing, especially since I didn't bring my computer with me. However, I feel so out of the loop. I have a feeling that it is going to take me a few days to get back into the blogging groove.

I do have some news, though. I have been asked to write a blog at NOLA. com. It is called North Shore Voice and will be exclusively about St. Tammany Parish. It should be up and running some time today. I'll provide the link when I have it.

Warning: What follows is a brief telling about my vacation.

North Carolina was wonderful. Most of our days were spent hiking. My kids impressed me with their abilities and eagerness to hike long distances and to go bouldering. They loved every minute of it and so did I. My 2 year old would announce that she is a "mountain girl" as she jumped from rock to rock. We had to constantly remind my 5 year old to not run ahead. He was very eager to see what we over the rise or around the bend.

We were lucky to be able to bring my dad and stepmom with us. Even though, my husband and I have spent a lot of time in N.C. (Jim went to Western Carolina University), no one from my family had been. My parents had a great time, too. Although I have to say, I think that we all ate waaaaaay too much. It always seems that way on vacation. At least we did things (like hike 5 miles on mountain paths) to build up appetites.

We also got to see a lot of the wildlife. Most of it was up close, too. We saw a deer drinking from a stream not 50 feet from us, a black bear about 150 feet from us, an elk, a goundhog, a snake and a salamander eating a grub. It was really see the kids reaction to these animals.

My husband and I are now looking to buy some vacation property there. Of course, we would love to actually move there, but considering we don't know what Jim would do there, I guess that we will have to be happy just vacationing there for now.

Once I come down from my vacation high (which won't be long considering all of the unpacking and laundry that I have to do), I will get back to normal blogging.