There is nowhere more beautiful than Seattle in the summertime.  Decide for once, to remain here and relax rather than go somewhere else for vacation.  Have many friends who do this.  Watch all their good times on facebook.  They explore the city.  Stay home and garden.   Have friends over.  Hang out on the patio.

This is what happens when  a trial lawyer decides to take a stay-cation.

First off, this is not unplanned.  Months ago, Anne and John marked off calendar.  Anne actually nagged me about it:  Karen you need to take some time off.  Knew she was right because couldn't remember what day of the week it was anymore.  A symptom of working weekends.

Monday morning dawns bright, lovely and 68 degrees by 7:30 a.m.  This is when the alarm goes off.

Lie in bed until 7:45.  Jump up, brush teeth, splash water on face to make sure won't sound like have just woken up.

8:00 call 1-800 number and listen to bad classical music on speaker phone.  Am waiting for others to join in.  Shrill music continues for 6 minutes.  Email.  What's going on.  The moderator hasn't arrived yet.  Finally arrives.  We are discussing nominations for the WSBA executive litigation committtee.  This takes 30 minutes.  Finish up at 8:40.

Alysha has taken Nala for a run.  But I need also to run.  Weather.com says it is another degree warmer.  Eat a handful of granola and chocolate chips.  Because breakfast isn't complete without chocolate.  Throw on run gear.  Alysha comes back.  Nala is panting.  They ran to the sculpture park and back.  Alysha runs fast.  So feed Nala and head out the door solo.

Down the hill.  Over the pedestrian bridge.  Along Myrtle Edwards.  Through the railroad yard.  Back up then traversing the hill back to the house.  It is 10:15.   Get ready.  Noelle needs to borrow the car.

She drives me to the office.  Arrive at 10:49.  Call down to Thelma - Pat will be coming to see me at 11.  He's already there.  He comes up.  We are preparing for mediation.  Do that.  John drives us back downtown.  We grab lunch at Il Forniao.  Walk across the street to WAMS for mediation.  Pat goes gets files out of his car which he had left in the garage before cabbing it over to my office.  I sit on a bench in the sun for 10 minutes.

Go inside.  Walk to elevator and remember, this is the funky one.  Go back to foyer and hit key pad for 9th floor.  It tells me to go to elevator N.  Which zips me to the 9th floor and WAMs.

Where we stay until 5:40 p.m.  Doing top secret stuff which I can't tell you about except to say.  It is a total waste of court ordered time.

Call Noelle to pick me up.  Now she is going for a run.  Walk outside.  Take off black peep toe heels.  Put on purple flip flops.   Flop down 6th Avenue turn on Pine and make way over to Westlake.  Bask in the sunlight.  Walk up stairs at Westlake.  Pay $2.25 for a one-way ticket on the monorail.  It is there waiting for me...nah.  It leaves just as I get there.  Wait for it to come back.  Ride for 3 minutes to the Seattle Center.  Call Noelle.  She's down by the Ferris Wheel.  Tells me to call Alysha for pickup.  Alysha is at yoga.  So decide to walk home.  This takes a while.   Because am wearing flip flops.

Get home.  No Alysha.  No Noelle.  And Noelle has my house key.  What to do.  Decide to deadhead some flowers.  Pick up the debris bucket when neighbor Sherri walks by.  Yay.  She saves me.  She has the extra key.

Open door.  Nala is wagging her whole body in greeting.  It is now 6:20.  Take her to do her business.  Change outfit.  Text Noelle that I made it inside.  She returns around 45 minutes later.  Gets cleaned up.  We go to Blue Water Taco Grill at 8:00 for dinner.  Eat.  Go to drug store for shampoo.  Go to movie to see The Heat.  Laugh.

Get home.  Settle in.  Open email at 1.  Note from Anne.  Client issue.  Need to figure out how to deal with it tomorrow.  Which means, I'm going to have to do it.  After the firm meeting.

Yes, that's right.  Tomorrow day 2 of stay-cation.   Means that I will be attending the firm meeting that starts at 9:30.  Then helping client in the afternoon.

This is why in order to have an actual vacation, a trial lawyer must leave town.