1. People enjoy their protectors

 For the first time I participated in National Night Out. I wasn’t hanging out getting to know my neighbors in Minneapolis, but rather I was covering the evening for the Pacer. It was interesting to see people interact not only with each other and enjoy everyone’s company, but to see how excited they would get or eager to talk to the police and firefighters who were making rounds. I also got to ride in the front seat of a cop car, there sure are a ton of gadgets up there.

1. My mother is trouble

 Being the fun daughter I am, I invited my mom and aunt over to my place for an evening and wanted to take them to one of my favorite hangouts- the Shout House, a dueling piano bar, in Block E. Both ladies loved it and we had a good time, but next time I think we should wear shoes that fit so we don’t stumble and fall, that would be a much safer route.

1. Vacationing with the family can be work

Ten days in the sun, a house with a pool, hot tub, game room, so large it needed an elevator the Atlantic Ocean as a back yard and surrounded by loving cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings and the like sound like a great vacay to you too? It did to me! And, for the most part it was, really. I read a few books, laid on the beach, did some ocean kayaking, played a little Olympic-inspired beach volleyball, helped my sister master the art of goggle use and did some shopping. But sharing a house with 20 other people was a little too much for me. I needed somewhere to go that was quiet and I wouldn’t be followed by small children, so I took a two-night hiatus from the beach front place and went to my grandparent’s second home a few miles off the shore and slept in an extra bedroom there, all by myself – that’s my kind of vacation. A break from the noise, from the business, from the everything. I loved it all, now I just have to wait till next year to get back …Paradise Point beach house

1. It never hurts to ask

 On our way home from vacation, we were to fly from Raleigh to St. Louise, then back to Minneapolis – a trip I was admittedly not thrilled to take. With a hurricane nearing the southern shore, additional bad weather in N.C. and a political convention at our final destination, we weren’t too surprised when we got to RDU airport and our flight was cancelled, the airline had already re-scheduled flights for us and had us potentially going through Chicago, but we were getting home significantly later. Begrudgingly, we called our respective rides to tell them we would be home later, when we weren’t really positive. When we heard another person ask about getting a direct flight on another airline, and being obliged, we marched back up to the super friendly service counter and asked – and an two hours later – viola! – our bags were individually retrieved from one airline’s carts on the tarmac, back in our hands, checked at the other airline and we’re on a direct flight to MSP getting home an hour before our original flight had us landing. Sweet – lesson learned, always ask.

1. Unplugged does not mean unglued

 While I was on my summer getaway, I made it a point to not touch a computer to check my e-mail, to leave my cell phone in the house next to my iPod. Without these distractions, I was so relaxed. Typically I receive e-mails constantly throughout the day, have a voicemail or two, and a few texts during the day, I’ve always got a radio station of some sorts on while I’m in the car and the TV is on during some parts of the evening – and I get stressed about it all. I’m going to try to unplug more often, maybe I can try for a whole day each month.