Last weekend nine family members gathered together at a cabin in the Wisconsin woods for a long weekend. We had a blast. Still, I must admit that getting ready for the weekend was lots of work. I bought four cardboard grocery boxes and filled one each week. To cut down on food preparation at the cabin, I made meatballs to go with spaghetti, pre-cooked bacon, made salad dressing, and baked cupcakes. When we left for the cabin the car was almost packed to the ceiling and there wasn't an inch to spare. There were four of us in the car, and the second seat had sleeping bags in the middle of two people. Unloading was easy, but it took me a half hour to put everything away. Later that evening the remaining family members arrived and my husband and I stayed up later than usual. Tired as we were, it was hard to get to sleep because every foot step made a thunk on the wooden floor above us. The next morning everyone was up early and ready for action. From then on, the weekend was a blue of shared meals, canoeing, wading, walking in the woods, and photography. Before we left the cabin, I washed four sets of sheets, made four beds, cleaned out the refrigerator, and re-packed the car. Sunday evening was catch-up time -- getting groceries for supper, putting food away, doing laundry. On Monday morning I was tired. Does this story ring a bell with you? Like me, you may have put lots of effort into a mini vacation or extended stay. When you get home, you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation. And that's okay. Maybe our enjoyment depends, in part, on the effort we put into a vacation.