Happy to report that The Man, The Bun and I (The Mama:) are very good. Oh, and The Pups;)
I know I've complained about needing to tighten up the purse strings but, and I think I also mentioned this, I've said to hell with that this year. Between the emotional and physical issues this year as well as stress from the j-o-b, we all agreed that we can make this work. By we, I mean my village - My parents AKA The Bun's secondary care givers, hubby and me. It helped we also had those stipends from that effed up Hawaiian Airlines experience.
Truth be told, The Man needed some convincing. When we were in the thick of it the second time, he said we needed a vacation. This is a big deal because once we acquired more expenses like all that come with a home, he was less excited about vacations. In his job, he doesn't get PTO. So if he takes time off, he loses money. The Man sees it as a double loss - not only is he not getting paid but he's also paying for expenses incurred while on vacation. When I was at home and he was taking care of me, however, the sadness was palpable and I think he realized it would do us good to go on vacation.
Well, that was several weeks ago. Even though I was perusing possible places to stay, nothing fit in my very cheap budget. Except one. And it seemed like a very slim chance because it was through the military so first priority goes to active duty, second goes to retired. My dad (well, my mom on behalf of my dad) could only reserve a beach cottage two months in advance.
Let me stop for a second. The apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. My mom does NOT like to travel that way. This is a woman who plans months in advance. I being the apple and my mama being the tree am pretty much the same way. That's only eight weeks! But we decided to give it a try. With a very precise timeline, my mom called to reserve a cottage two months out from when I could travel. She was told that they don’t book for a holiday weekend so she would have to call back. She waited for two days and called at 5 AM, our time. They said that a cottage was available and we could book. What?!
I haven’t actually stayed there before so I can’t sing their praises just quite yet. I mean, I’ve got to experience it. But what is so great about them is that they are away from the bustle, on a military base and right on the beach. We’ve never been so I can’t say they’re perfect but, for our price, I’m going to say that they are pretty darn near perfect. For two bedroom cottage on the beach, we are paying $120/night. That means $60/night per couple. No frills, but it met all my requirements: clean, ground floor, two bedrooms, beach access.
When I went with my girlfriends and stayed in a condo, it was so nice being very close to the beach. When The Bun was tuckered out, I could go back to the condo and let her nap or just play indoors. Often times, I would hang out in the patio and she would just come out when she wanted attention. Because we were on the first floor, I had the luxury of having the family room (TV, couches and toys) right on the other side of the patio door. My daughter is not a wanderer, either, so I didn’t have to worry about her wanting to go in the kitchen, bedrooms or bathrooms. She just stuck around the family room or outside.
Anyway, once everything was booked, of course it was basically a reality. I swear, The Man SAW me looking online every night. He even helped with a condo search but found it too difficult to find everything that we were looking for that could even come close to the military cottage my mom found. But once the flights were booked and the cottages were reserved, The Man said something like, “Wait, what? I thought we were broke.” To which I replied, “You SAID we needed a vacation! You knew I was looking at flights and accommodations!” His retort? “When I said vacation, I meant Lake Tahoe!”
Now, I couldn't tell if he was serious or joking. I still can't. Seriously! But really, it’s too late. I’m looking forward to it. The Man admitted that he’s looking forward to being in Hawaii too. What he’s not looking forward to is the stress of traveling. I get it. My parents, specifically my mom, is pretty high-strung. He’s not looking forward to their bickering, the stress they cause me (I love them but they also can hit nerves no one else can … I think all family can, right?), the anxiety I already have from flying (I've had two horrific experiences so while I try to forget about them, I really can't) and of course the stress of flying with a three year old. Two hours of waiting, six hours of flight then another two hours or so to get our baggage, rental car and drive to the place we’re staying.
But that’s what Bloody Marys and Xanax are for, right? Well, I’ve never taken Xanax but I still have them from when I forgot to bring them on my last flight. And I think my need for some R&R trumps the inconvenience it takes to get there. And the dent it’s going to put in our savings. And while my mom and I can get on each other nerves, I'm honestly looking forward to being with them, too. Not only are they great and very helpful with The Bun, there really aren't that many opportunities for us to be together. Work obviously has me very busy during the weekdays and, on those weeknights, I'm too pooped to talk to anyone other than The Man & The Bun. Then the weekends just fly by. So I'm going to focus more on the good in that I'll be able to have some quality time with my folks, something kind of rare nowadays.
Plus, how can I dread anything that will result in me being here?
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