Going Away on Vacation

Vacation is the best part of life.....the bad part is getting ready to go away, and then recovering when you get back. A few weeks ago I was gearing up to go out of town for a week long retreat, with my son and husband!! I had been looking forward to it for a couple of months -- to get away from the phone, the computer, e-mail, house responsibilities, and our two dogs!! (they go off to doggie camp)

But before I could get away to relax, I had to live through getting my business organized to leave, and finish up any outstanding projects that are due. I also had to not only pack for myself (and somewhat for my husband), but I had to pack up all of Zack's "essentials" that a toddler requires! Which means that we are not flying anywhere, but are packing up our SUV (to the brim) for our week long getaway and driving to our destination.

With a toddler, you just can't go away, without taking half of your house with you. He requires a pack-n-play to sleep in, (can't sleep in a regular bed yet) a booster seat for eating at the table, the stroller for long walks, a water vest for going in the pool (too young to swim by himself), swimmie diapers, diapers, wipes, sippy cups, snacks, toys, portable dvd player and dvd's for the long ride, etc...

Plus, while we are away, we wanted to have a major paint job done in our house.....so I also had to pack up everthing that was on counters, or dressers, on the walls, and put them away so the items wouldn't be covered in dust. (another job to add to my 'to do' list)

So by the time I got in the car on friday morning; loaded up with suitcases, bags, my husband and son, I was exhausted....mentally and physically. It literally took me a couple of days to finally relax and unwind.

But then I was doing the "I only have 5 days left.....I only have 4 days left....I only have 3 days left" in my head during the week. I didn't want to leave the oasis of the beach, with no traffic and no pressures, just dedicated one-on-one time with my family!

However, all good things must come to an end -- after a glorious relaxing week in the sun, surf and pool, we arrived back home on sunday afternoon to discover our house totally transformed! And I had to unpack from our trip, and unpack the boxes within our house.....to gear up for the week ahead.

That night I could hardly sleep, as I constantly addressed in my head all that I needed to do that week and everything that had to be taken care of.

There went the rest I enjoyed while away, as I got back on the treadmill!