April 17, 2008

A Real Vacation

I feel like I need a vacation. My version of a vacation, anyway. My husband and I have gone on several trips in the two years since we met, going to several states and cities. We almost always drive, and we always do a lot. We take a day and do the touristy shopping in downtown of whatever town (or towns) we're visiting, and we take another few days to go to the local attractions, anything from skiing and horseback riding to 'gem grubbin' and eating at the places the locals recommend. We'll drive around and find hole-in-the-wall places to explore another day. Inevitably, our whole vacation is eaten up by our going and doing.

This is a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but I need a real vacation. The kind where you clean up the house before you leave, and then go and don't worry about cleaning for a week or so (or at least a weekend). You do whatever you feel like. If you're with someone you can go your separate ways or stick together, whatever works that day. When you get back, your house is already clean, allowing you to slowly slip back into your daily routine, instead of having to rev back up immediately.

A typical day in this type of vacation for me might go something like this:
9:00 am: lazily roll out of bed after dosing for an hour or so; eat something for breakfast (could be ice cream, or pizza, or whatever)
9:30 : shower, dress for day
10:00 : pick one of the books I've brought along, read a few chapters.
11:00 : stroll outside of my temporary residence, and decide what to do. Go fishing, stroll along the beach? Mini-golf? Maybe a movie?
1:30 : Eat lunch. Again, whatever strikes my fancy.
2:00 : Pick a lazy-day indoor activity, like reading or cross-stitch, maybe some TV surfing.
4:00 : Walk along main street of whatever place I'm in. Peek in interesting stores, not worry about the money I spend because I've saved just for this.
6:00 : Start thinking about dinner, ask around about good local places, or dinner shows, etc.
9:00 : After whatever dinner entertainment I could find, and perhaps a few unplanned side stops, return to temporary residence, take a dip in the pool if it's still open.
10:30 : Watch TV or read, find out when Mass is on Sunday, drift off to bed when I feel tired.

Sounds good, right? I could have a vacation like this for two weeks and not get bored. Unfortunately, my husband does not enjoy this kind of vacation. I wouldn't all the time, but this is what my childhood vacations were like. My grandmother had a timeshare in Daytona Beach, FL, and we would go every summer. There was a pool, the beach was just a few feet away, and we would have fun. As we got older, we explored the joys of mini-golf and beach-town attractions. We would tire ourselves out, and Mom could sit on the covered porch area overseeing us, reading or just relaxing and having adult conversation with the other parents keeping an eye on their kids.

This is the kind of vacation I remember. Going to a place that was familiar, but exciting nonetheless. A total break from responsibility and chores. I miss those times, and hope to have something similar back soon.

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