March 29, 2024

Vacation vs. stay-cation

Much like any kid the last few days of the school year, my mind is struggling to stay on task.

I have some vacation days in my very near future and although I don’t actually plan to go anywhere, I’m anxious for my “stay-cation” to begin.

(I have a throbbing in my leg. Hope it’s not a blood clot.)

I have tentative plans for my time away from the office. I say “tentative” because I certainly don’t want to commit to anything that I may not be in the mood to do when the time comes.

(A chocolate ice cream cone right about now would be awesome.)

I need to strip wallpaper in my dining room and the one remaining wall in my living room. But that was on my list last year during some time off. So ... yeah.

(Why is it, just when I think the world is going great for my kids, and they’re all happy at the same time ... one of them has to hit a speed bump in life? Never fails.)

The hubby’s three-days off during my week away from the office fall on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and I told him not to be deciding on places for us to go. He seems to think I need to be entertained and we need a change of scenery when on vacation. For me, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m a homebody through and through. Just give me my porch swing, my Kindle and my coffee.

Call me boring. Call me dull. Call me routine. What I actually am is content.

(Our water bill didn’t increase as much as I was expecting after turning the sprinkler on the garden so often. Oooh ... I can’t wait for my tomatoes.)

When we were raising our family, it was exciting to pack up the camper, leave our jobs and worries behind and take off for what was sure to be a week of stress-free fun and plenty of adventure. Well, isn’t that what we all think BEFORE we leave home?

(I need to convince the hubs it’s time to rip out the carpeting and install new flooring on the main floor at home. Oh, new furniture too.)

Let me tell you a little about one of our family vacations ... most notably, our “vacation from hell.”

Without going in to great detail, it involved blowing a tire on the camper near No-wheres-ville, somewhere in Missouri and having to put on the spare tire on the side of Interstate 35, only to have our spare do the same thing several miles further down the road. We limped our way to a motel in Chillicothe, Mo., where we ruined the freshly asphalted parking lot at a Comfort Inn when our Jeep leaked gas all over the new pavement. My distraught hubby had to not only find a new tire for the camper, but also locate and have a new gas tank delivered to the motel. He then had to crawl underneath the vehicle in 95 degree heat to change it himself, because it was quicker than waiting on an appointment at the car dealership.

To be honest, I’m not sure where we even went that year. But the two-day journey to travel those first 150 miles, I’ll never forget.

(I’m not sure I would enjoy riding a roller-coaster anymore. Used to love them, but now, I’d probably end up at the chiropractor’s office.)

Yep, a stay-cation is just what I need, and I can’t wait to get started.

Contact Dana King at dking@shawmedia.com