Staycation?

There has been some silence, as we are now entering day 6 of our East Coast vacation, or staycation to some extent.  Not that we live here, but given we are technically from here, it seems very odd that we should suddenly consider ourselves tourists just because our zip code is now, oh, 2,971 miles in the opposite direction.   In fact, we would still be residents of VA, if not for the minor issue of the "system" not being tweaked so that FS folks can keep the residency of their home state when given a domestic assignment not in their home state (quite likely).  Unlike the military, we have to follow the rules of in which we reside. Unlike other states, CA refuses to let us keep our VA residency, even though we are on a government assignment.  Nice, eh?

So, here we are, playing tourist in the area that is essentially our home base.  We started off with 5 days at the home of our friends Shannon & Mark, who not only have an absolutely gorgeous new home to die for, but said home is complemented by a huge backyard complete with the most inviting pool one has seen in years.  In fact, I am sure if not for the lure of the beach, the girls would not want to leave the house, well, pool.

In an unusual turn of events, it also became family time.  My step-brother, Forrest, and his family are living in the area for the summer.  Their daughter is just two months older than Kelsey, and they get along famously.  Since they were here, Grandpa Kirk & Dibby (Gretchen) drove up with another cousin, Gus, who is just a few months younger than Cait.  We knew we would not be able to spend the entire time with them, due to our beach trip, but figured what better way to start our vacation, and spend quality time with them than by way of a pool party?

We spent Saturday recovering from jet lag (ha, it still lingers!), and stocking up on such delights as Skyr (Whole Foods has Siggi's & Skyr.is!).