31 Days of Journaling Prompts: Vacation

Day 6: Vacation

Do we ever get enough of vacationing? Okay, maybe we do. You know that last day or the last few hours before your plane departs? Or maybe it’s not until you’re almost home that you start to miss home and you’re ready to go back to your regularly scheduled life. The last day is usually the worst, because it seems that there’s a ton of things to cram in at the last minute or there’s a rush to pack and get going. The funny thing for me is that usually the last day of vacation is the worst day for weather for me. It’s like God is taking off my rose-colored glasses and reminding me that even the best vacation spots don’t have perfect weather all the time. Too hot, too cold, rain, and so on.

This year I have been blessed with a few vacations and still 2 more planned for this year.

In February, David and I got married in Savannah, Georgia, so we made a week out of it for a vacation. Our families were there for at least half of that time, so it was good to be able to experience the beautiful city with them while they were there for our wedding. We had a list of recommended restaurants to try out, and we made it to most of them. Actually, we always have Yelp bookmarks of places we’ve heard to try in various cities that we plan to visit. We also did several tourist events, like a trolley tour and a ghost tour, as well as our own walking tours through the beautiful squares and Bonaventure Cemetery. The South is known for humidity, and in Tennessee we get a fair amount of it during the summer. However, I was not prepared to be inundated by the humidity in late February. My frizzy hair definitely showed how humid the city was! On the flip side, the warm air made it possible for us to enjoy the weather outside without being cold.

In April, David had a conference in Las Vegas, and I went with him. He’s been going to this conference every year for about 10 years, and this was my fourth year to go. We have friends who live in Vegas, so there is always something for me to do during the day while he is conferencing. The best thing about Vegas is that there are TONS of non-gambling things to do, see and visit. I usually treat myself to some spa time and shopping. In the evenings David and I explore restaurants we haven’t tried and re-visit the ones we loved the most from prior years. We try to go to one event or show each year, too. This year we saw Ka at the MGM Grand, our first Cirque De Soleil show. It was amazing! Next year David’s conference is in New Orleans, and while I think it will be cool to visit a new place (somewhere I haven’t been since I was a kid), I’m going to miss visiting my Vegas friends…and In-N-Out.

For Labor Day weekend, David and I headed south to Orange Beach, Alabama for some much needed time spent on the beach. Well, the much needed part was for me, not David. He’s not a huge fan of the beach, but he indulged me this year. There’s something incredibly relaxing for me to spend some time with my sand in the toes, and the sounds of the waves coming in. Since this trip was not long after my surgery, I was afraid I would be limited in what I could eat while dining out, but luckily being that close to the ocean, there are tons of fresh seafood offered at pretty much every restaurant. Since the vacation was more for relaxing and not being on-the-go like some vacations end up being, I also took the time to exercise every day, too. I came back from that vacation 4 1/2 pounds lighter! It was definitely enough for me to wish the vacation never ended, but on our last day we took a final walk on the beach, and it poured down rain on us for the last half mile. Blinding, unexpected rain!

Two other trips that we have planned this year is a weekend trip to Atlanta for David’s Birthday and Thanksgiving in Detroit with David’s family. I’m incredibly excited about both! I love planning out trips and can’t wait to start planning for next years vacations.