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1) When you have bats in your house, call in a professional to take care of the problem. Apparently, sealing holes up around the house yourself will result in trapping the bats within your walls, crawl spaces, attic, etc. Yeah, don’t do that, especially when you’re renting out your house as a vacation home to others. Instead call the bat people. They come late at night when the bats are awake, pinpoint the problem, and make it all better. Love the bat men!
2) Also love me some Pollyesque meals…
A simple dinner consisting of an omelet & blue tortilla chips. Polly, if only I had goat cheese!
3) A shower and freshly shaven legs can change a girl’s entire outlook on life. I already knew this lesson but always worth repeating.
4) Let me preface this one with the fact that CD and I are probably the only couple under 60 years of age staying in this area. Because we love peaceful environments with beautiful weather, we often gravitate towards vacation spots with large populations of retirees. What can I say? We’re old souls. Anyway, back to lesson #4: If you have a large mosquito bite on your neck, do not go to town scratching it as it will turn into what looks like a large hickey. So, instead of being known as those crazy kids who stay up late screaming and knocking bats out of their house with pillows, you might henceforth be known as those horny kids who stay up late squealing while engaging in kinky pillow fights.
And now I’m off to the community clubhouse for a game of pinochle and some Tai Chi. 
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
Ah, I’m sure the retirees would just be jealous of your stamina and enthusiasm, whichever interpretation they cast on your noise
P.S. Goats cheese makes life so much better.
Hahaha this post just made my day!
Very nice, definitely words to live by! Glad you are having fun!
“A shower and freshly shaven legs can change a girl’s entire outlook on life. I already knew this lesson but always worth repeating.”–
Amen to that!
The wonders of a shower and a razor should NEVER be underestimated.
And you two crazy kids, pillowfighting, trapping bats, staying up late, i.e. what’s probably no later than midnight..but comparatively, you’re night owls I’m sure compared to everyone else in the area. Lol.
Glad you two are having fun. Bats, pillow fights, and all!
Such a cute post, Heather.
Dustin and I find ourselves surrounded by retirees and people two to three times our age quite often, especially at restaurants. We eat dinner at 4:30 pm, but it’s actually our lunch most of the time, so we look like early bird diners, lol. I noticed that they often seat us in the bar area away from the older crowds, so I know once that stops happening we are no longer the young-uns, haha.
Heather, can I just say once again that I really love you? Not just because I think an omelet and tortilla chips makes for a perfect meal, or because I want your baby (I don’t mean I want to have a baby WITH you, I mean I want Summer–which might sound just as creepy, sorry), or because my fiance and I are old souls just like you and CD, but because…actually, those ARE the reasons I love you. Your blog always puts a smile on my face!
I forgot to say that having freshly shaven legs is one of my favorite emotions. Yes, I consider the feeling of hairlessness an emotion in itself. I love freshly shaven legs + just washed sheets + sleeping naked. THE BEST.
Jen,
Love you too, and you are welcome to come hang with me and Summer anytime. Come visit us in Nashville! I’ll have plenty of razors on hand as well as clean sheets.
Hahaha I love this post! It sounds like you’re having a great time.
Nice post Heather, looks like you are all really enjoying your vacation!
I have two more days here in Brazil and right now have a mixed feeling of happiness and sadness as I miss my house and can’t wait to get back to our home and at the same time I don’t want to leave my family (mom, dad, and sister)…. to make me feel a bit better I just had a bowl of nice warm oats topped with a big spoon of amazingly delicious butter, soooo good, it is food for the soul – and I thought of you while I ate, I know you get my idea of oats as that kind of soothing food, especially with butter.
Ana
Ana,
I can’t believe your time in Brazil has almost come to an end. Sounds like it was a wonderful trip, and yes, oats + butter totally nourishes the soul. So happy it made you think of me.
Cute post
but what I have to say is totally unrelated. I finally tried your stir fried veggies in butter with tahini drizzled on top. OH MY GOSH! I could eat this everyday!!! My son Kevin, who is 24, came in and asked what I was making and then proceeded to eat half of it! He loved it too 
My husband missed out 
Thanks Heather!
Colleen,
Ha, I love it and about time! Glad it was a hit – CD always misses out on that one too. Husbands just don’t understand tahini. Oh well, just means more for us and the kiddos, right?
Omelette and tortilla chips with avocado was lunch today. Totally delicious.
Bat catching was my job in college when I worked on the summer conference crew. All the boys would scream and run away.
Sounds like you guys are having a blast, and you are missing nothing but miserable heat here at home. I can’t wait for ou to get back and hear all about your vacation over long morning walks. School starts next Tuesday
xxoo
I love everything about this post, but especially enjoyed #4
Eeek BATS?!? I hope that problem is quickly fixed!! :/
Are you sure the “hickey” wasn’t due to the shower and shaven legs?
Lindsay,
Hehe…yep, pretty sure.
Ahahahahaha!!!!! That is too funny!
naked bingo anyone?
haha thanks for the reminder, I need to shave tomorrow
and my best friend had bats, and it cost him about $2000 to get them removed, crazy
Pure2Raw,
Yeah, the bat guys charge $100 an hour…glad it’s not our house.
Hehe the hickey thing is hilarious
We always prefer retiree favorites as well; we went to Naples, FL in July, if that gives you any idea…
I couldn’t agree more on #3. Possibly my life mantra. On rough days, my husband just says, “You should go take a shower — that always makes you feel better.” LOL. Ah, marriage. Got to love the observations of each other’s quirks. 
I totally agree with #3!!! And #4 is hilarious and quite true.
Heather, you crack me up! So witty and wise.
And by the way…how long are you vacationing?! I’m so jealous of your long break!
Kim,
We’re in Michigan for 7 weeks. Chris’s boss allows him to work from another location for part of the summer every year, and so it’s a working vacation…well, at least for him. Summer and I just get to hang out.
Oh that bats, we have them in Austin. They are freaky! Call someone indeed. But james and I are much like you and CD. we like peaceful and relaxing environments. We like to pretend we’re retired, haha.
Hahahahaha. Heather, I have no words. Just sitting here in my room giggling.
But do not feel bad about being “old souls.” Your vacation sounds like blissful perfection.
Ack, bats!! That reminds me of my aunt..turns out she had a opossum in her attic this past week. She tried getting it out and fell through the ceiling!! :S
haha… glad the bat situation got taken care of…. yikes.
I just showered and shaved today (it had been a few days without a shower and, um….longer for the shaving thing) and GIRL. Yes. I’m a new woman.
Don’t forget shuffleboard. You got those old ladies beat!
Eeek bats freak me out so much! I would have fled the house and made CD deal with it.
I’m also an old soul…peaceful relaxing vacations are the only kind I like!
Well – if bats and peacefulness (and Tai Chi) keeps up this beautiful, light and positively humor-filled vibe from you …then keep it up! Bat-Men need to work too
I am always looking forward to your fun and adventures (with bats, and all) vacation posts Heather! And now, you’ve thrown in shaving and pillow fights mantra. So unexpected, and funny
When my roommate had a bat in her room last week, we were joking about her waking up with two big bite marks on her neck because apparently she slept in the room for a good 4 hours with the thing! Lesson #4 made my night hahah!
Bahahahahaha….I live in a town with a lot of retirees and they always think I’m this crazy nature girl…even at the grocery store. LOL.
Glad you solved the bat problem!
I LOVE THIS!! Sooooooooo true and hope u enjoy the peace after the bat! I’m always bad at going after an intruder in my home. YIKES. YOU GO GIRL!
Hi Heather!
We just got back from Maine, and I feel the same way there as you do about Michigan. Fun Fact: Michigan has the most Lighthouses in the States!
Enjoy everyday of peace and solitude!
Andrea,
Really? We have two where we’re staying right now, and I hope to climb both before we leave.
Heather, I’m going to shave my legs now.
. . . Only 9 more days until I leave for college in Virginia! Thank you so much for being supportive throughout my whole college selection process.
Sami,
9 more days? Still sad you won’t be in Nashville, but I know you made the right decision. UVA is lucky to have you. I’ve been meaning to ask you which school did Samantha choose?
*shudder*. I actually love bats but imagining them stuck in the wall and trying to claw/gnaw their way out gives me the creeps. haha. And I can totally relate to the bugbite-turned-hickey! Two weeks ago I was a horsefly bit the back of my neck and it pretty much swelled to the size of a baseball. Not attractive at all!
well, it sounds like you guys are keeping things interesting around there
Hhahaha I am laughing so hard xD
Love you heather, have an amazing week
xoxo
Lola
“Love the bat men”…duh na na na na na na na…Bat man!!! Sorry, I couldn’t help it
I LOVE hangin’ with the senior set!
I also love that there are people whose job it is to remove bats. Just goes to show that there’s a career for everyone.
#2 looks yummy, old soul and I will take your word on #1. I’ve only ever found bats outside (where they belong!) I think of #3 when I’m camping or after a long winter! sn: I knew people who shaved their entire bodies to get a milli-second faster at swim meets (I did not!) #4 It’s fun to hang out with older people I think. No shuffleboard? ;.)
Nolita,
I’m sure there is a shuffle board around here somewhere.
I have triathlete friends who shave their entire bodies. No thanks…could you imagine arm stubble?
Totally understand the bite turning into hickey situation… Got attacked by a nice big swarm of mosquitoes last year while I was tending to my garden and forgot to apply bug spray… I walked around in shorts in my neighborhood and everyone looked horrified when they saw my legs. They were all, “=O! OMIGOD WHAT HAPPENED TO HER LEGS?!?!?!” Yeahh… that was fun.
you kill me!
you have the best life!
This made me giggle–which I totally needed today. Glad you can turn a not-so-convenient situation into an adventure! Thanks for sharing.
Good luck with the bat problem! It reminded me of an issue we had with flying squirrels when I was younger. Let’s just say there were many sleepless nights. No one believed me until my mother found an acorn near her bedroom. It was only at that time did the exterminator get called. LOL. Unfortunately, they found their way in every year around the same time. The first year after we moved from that house we questioned whether they returned and what havoc they played on the new owners.
have you ever seen the tai chi lady on tosh.0? secretly, i love me some daniel tosh. i laughed pretty hard about the bat-capades. i’ve been having some bat adventures of my own trying to go to work. batman is filming here and seriously from the sounds of it you would think michael bay is directing because the explosions are so.friggin.loud. i need a woodsy retreat so i can get some zzz’s!
DP,
No, I have not, but I’m sure I would find it quite amusing. Daniel Tosh makes me laugh too.
I can totally identify with this!!
hullo old soul peach!
Yay for blue chips and eggs for dinner!!! Gosh I love blue chips. Ben digging the peaches lately but all that sugar… I am with you, Heather! Do you think we could survive on avocado, hamburger and beef? I do. I really do.
Love that walking photo with the tennies and handle of Summie’s stroller!
You are loved, my Michigan girl. Mandy called today, they officially moved north! We go visit in just a few weeks. I hope they are picking apples by then. I love Fall. It’s almost time to crack open the pumpkin! Have you found any yet? Probably not in the retirement center, huh? hehe.
Lurve you!
Polly,
Lurve you too. Been thinking about ya and miss checking in with your blog. No wi-fi has been great in many ways…most ways, but I miss keeping up with everyone.
Believe it or not, I found plenty of Libby’s in Fife Lake, MI, but I can’t find any up here. They told me it’s seasonal. Wish I could experience MI in the fall as I hear it’s amazing. You will have so much fun, BUT still sad you won’t be coming to Nashville for your Mandy visits.
I love #4 … so VERY true!
I love #3 … so VERY true!
Hooray! Batman to the rescue!
Bahaha! Love that last line! And I couldn’t agree more with lesson #3!
Sounds like you guys are having a great time! I’m all for quiet and relaxing vacations!
Hmmm… couldn’t you be both?? Actually I would think any retirees who see you with wee little Summer would know it’s more likely to be bats, lol.
Charlotte,
Hehe – so true.
Ughhh. We have bats in our house right now too. On Sunday night, we woke up to one flying around our bedroom and had to chase it out. On Monday night, I opened the kitchen door to let the dog out, and a bat flew into my hair.
Bahhhh. We’re planning on closing up all the holes this weekend and chasing them out one last time. Unless we find a colony of them living in our attic, in which case we’ll have to do it in the evenings when they fly out to hunt (which is what my parents had to do when they had bats in the chimney/attic).
NOT a fan of bats.
Julie,
I’ve learned it’s better to do all hole sealing at night after the bats are OUT. Otherwise, you’ll trap them inside and if they can’t get out, they will find their way into your house. Not fun – trust me, I feel your pain.