I’ve arrived home again for exactly twenty hours. This is just enough time to ditch the Husband, do all of the laundry and re-pack our suitcases. Oh- and pack up my laptop. I didn’t bring it with me to the beach and I cursed myself daily over my stupidity. I hate not checking my email or being able to see my bank account on a whim.

It seems like a whirlwind and possibly a waste of time, but it is actually a chance to say hello to my house and realize that I am perfectly happy to leave it for another week. Hello, House! Goodbye, House! I’ll see you in a week. Try to be here when I get back.

We’re also spending the day trying to figure out the strange allergy that Bright has developed this summer. Every time she gets in water outside, she breaks out in incredibly itchy hives. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pool or the beach, if there is chlorine or not. She doesn’t break out in the shower. She can drink water just fine. But put her outside and add water and WHAM! Hives. It’s been driving her crazy all summer. I’ve been dosing her with Benadryl to counteract it but I’m afraid she’s become a Benadryl junkie.

I think we’ve finally narrowed the problem down to sunblock. Bright has my skin, which burns at the thought of sun. Star is luckier. She seems to have inherited my Mom’s Cherokee skin that soaks in the sun and turns a gorgeous golden brown. But I’ve got my Dad’s Irish pink hue that prefers to be hidden under a rock all year long. Bright is just like me. Going without sunblock isn’t a viable alternative. She’s been fine every other year so she’s either developed a sudden allergy or all of the sunblock companies have decided to add a new ingredient that reacts to water.

The brand doesn’t seem to matter. I’ve tried three different brands today. Spray versus slather doesn’t seem to matter. I’ve tried a spray and liquid today. I’m lost. What’s a pink girl to do?

I’ll tell you what I’m going to do: pack the Benadryl and worry about it when I get back.