"Summer Nights, everybody are you with me?"

First off, I had to comment on KC's beginning of her last entry, because I <3 country music too! And I had to quote one of my favorite Rascal Flatts songs in the title of this entry, which is oh so appropriate because it's the first week of summer. Deep down inside, I feel like everyone has a little bit of a love for country music. It's one thing that picks me up when I feel down and the one thing that will make me cry my eyes out when I'm having a bad day. Country music screams summer to me and being away and just enjoying life!That's the best part about music though---those songs that make you feel that raw emotion you are experiencing right at the moment that you are experiencing them.


With that said, I had my first summer get-away from the office in about two years last week. And no I was not on the white, sandy beaches that Kenny Chesney sings about in his songs, and no I wasn't sipping corona in a beach chair by the crystal blue ocean. I was in the ocean, but it was the rough waters of the North Atlantic. Ironically, I was in the hockey mecca of the world---CANADA! I took a cruise with my family through the beautiful coastline of New England and around the St. Lawrence Seaway visiting Halifiax and Sydney, Nova Scotia and Quebec and Montreal. I couldn't have asked for more beautiful scenery and a more relaxing week. The only downside? The weather was a little chilly (55 degrees) and I had to wear a fleece and a scarf haha. The upside? I felt like it was me against the world on this huge ship. And as much as I wanted to stand on the very tip of the boat like Jack and Rose did in Titanic, I had to refrain haha.


It was a week away from Facebook and cellphones. It was a week spent with family filled with laughing, learning, smiling, not worrying about what's happening at the office. It was a time for me to get back to the things that mean the most in life. It was exciting to wake up each morning and be in a new place I've never been before and to soak up the culture and people around me. It was exciting to be in Quebec and Montreal and see the gorgeous architecture and absorbing a whole new language. Even though I had no clue what anyone was saying, it was half the fun trying to decipher everything.


It's always sad to go home from vacation, but I was so tired at the end of mine it was nice to come back home to Jersey. But now as I sit here and type and I'm not so tired anymore, I'm ready to plan my next adventure. And just to tie the whole thing together, let's end with a lyric from my fave Zac Brown song.

"I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand
Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand
Life is good today, life is good today."

Jazzzzz*********************************************