Sarah and Meagan, of the Rutland Nadlers

I'm writing this blog while on remote location.  Michelle and I drove up to Rutland, VT to spend the evening with my sister and two of our nieces.  I sorta promised them I'd mention them in a blog.  Sarah is 16 and Meagan is 13.  My sister's other two children, Anna and Andrew are away at college.  Actually, Andrew is in Jacksonville, FL right now for a convention of Business Honor Society Students.

Michelle and I are on vacation this week.  We have both worked at the same places for long enough to get several weeks off each year.  Although we'd love to travel to exotic places on all our vacations our time off exceeds our travel budget.  I'm not complaining, in this time of decreasing workplace benefits I'm glad we still have our vacation time.  I'm also glad we are now both in unions so we have a say in those benefits.

It's great to get up here and see my sister and nieces before winter sets in and travel up north turns into an "iffy" adventure.

Mary's a single mom, with 2 in college and 2 at home, since Ira lost his battle to cancer, so they don't get to dine out a lot. We went out to a trendy downtown Rutland restaurant called "Roots-the Restaurant" which features locally grown food and an extensive gluten free menu, important because all the kids have ciliac, a gluten allergy.

We had a great visit, it was fun to watch the girls react to the food choices, especially the Shrimp Ceviche!

At times I can be obsessive about things.  OK, OK, I can hear the sarcastic "no, not you John" remarks.  But even I realize the importance of balance, a time to work hard and a time to rest.  Stopping, stepping back, getting a fresh perspective, resting from our battles, can invigorate us.

Getting away from work is good.  Getting out of town is nice.  Visiting with family is priceless.