Not all women can say that they vacation with their ex's...

Not all women can say that they vacation with their ex's... But, I just got back from a week long work/vacation in Sag Harbor, NY with mine. I went with Albert (my ex) and the three kids, as he was performing with me. Jen (his wife) came a day later, and then Dave (my husband) came the final two days. We all stayed with Liz, a good friend of Albert's, who is an amazing puppeteer and an overall super fun person. Liz has a nice big house for us. This is our third year in a row making this trip.

I would love to say that it was an easy, breezy time, but honestly it's always a bit of a challenge for us all to get along at every waking moment. It was a lot of WORK. Everyone has so many needs. To eat, to sleep (and get enough of it), to go to the beach, to shower, to have down time, to drink, to entertain, to not entertain, to nap, to eat again, and to just "be." Albert and I also had to rehearse for the 5 performances and music video thrown into the mix.

Fortunately, Liz has a lot of land around her house, and a lot of animals. 1 dog, 1 cat and 4 chickens to be exact. I am not really an "animal lover", but Emma was in heaven as the nature girl that she is, and for the most part, was pretty easy to handle. Sebastian did OK, too, even though he has allergies to the animals, had summer homework to finish, and had to deal with so many parents under one roof telling him what to do and what is "expected" of a 12 year old. Cole is three years old and was a combination of deliciously adorable and, well...not so much.
Anyway, I thought I would share a few moments that really stand out for me on this trip:
1. After a particularly awful show, Sebastian said that he thought the show was "great!"
2. One evening Albert, Liz, Jen and I were outside having some cocktails and Jen told me she thought I was one of the most beautiful women she knows.
3. Emma hypnotizing a real chicken and cradling it like it were her own baby.
4. Emma secretly leaving a post it note on my guitar backstage that said "i love you."
5. Dave throwing Emma up in the sky while in the waves of the ocean and turning around to make sure that I was watching the sheer joy on her face.
6. Albert and his puppet "Raul" as he tried out all sorts of personalities (some not so appropriate for a kids show), and watching Sebastian rolling on the ground cracking up.
7. Sitting in the back of Liz's truck on the way to the beach with music blasting and everyone laughing as Albert broke the beach chair.
8. Cole holding the bottle opener all evening and asking everyone if they were ready for another beer?
9. Waking up in the middle of the night thinking that Cole or Emma was crying out and finding out it was only a chicken squawking outside.
10. Riding with Liz in her truck on the way to a show, laughing, and feeling like she is part of our family.

It was a great trip. Exhausting, but great. Anyway, here is the music video that came out of it. Dave is the master videographer. Enjoy!