Vacation

My sweet filterless neighbor asked me once again about my summer.  She asked her list of standard questions. Then she moved on to a new one.
 
"Are you going on vacation?" I told her we weren't and she seemed shocked.

She asked me again. "You aren't going on vacation?"

I patiently told her again that we wouldn't be going anywhere.

"No vacation? Your girls would love a vacation.  You haven't been in two years."

I laughed and agreed with her but I reassured her my girls are enjoying their low key summer and I promised her we would go next summer.

She brought it up one more time and I finally said words that rocked her world.  "Vacations are too much work and exhausting.  I am too worn out for that!"

She looked at me like I was the crazy one. Then she quickly shuffled away. 

Does she not understand what takes to plan and pack for an entire family? All the brainwork that is involved?  I am tired just thinking about it.

After she left I had a few moments in my head.  Was I letting my anxiety and OCD interfer with my girls having a good time?

Then I rationalized, last year A3 was only 3 months old so a vacation would not be ideal.  A 20 minute trip was pure screaming torture.  We would have hated each other before we even left Illinois. 

This year I wasn't able to dedicate the time I needed for vacation research.  I was teaching a new grade level so all my free time was spend trying to figure them out.  I didn't have the months of time I required to read books, search the internet, and perform personal interviews. Vacation is work and I couldn't let it get in the way of my real job. I need to do the research and plan my trip in order for me to still feel in control when the anxiety of leaving my familiar territory begins to consume me. 

Next year we will be going on vacation.  We will have fun.  AND I have already started my 12 months of research.  12 months of research is normal right?

We visited with the travel agent last night.  Going to a travel agent was hard for me at first.  Before meeting with her for our last trip, I saw her as a threat to my need to plan and control.  She was the mistress in my relationship with guide books and schedules. My view of Sue changed once I met her.  She quickly became my planning ally.  She was another tool in my planning belt.  She was someone who would hang out at home base and we could call if things were going awry.  She was always an email away and didn't seem annoyed when I would email her with silly questions.  She became my planning BFF.

Last night we found out we were so ahead of the game prices for next summer haven't even been released yet so we weren't able to book a trip.  It is ok though they are releasing them sometime today so I was able to come home and research restaurants we could eat at on our vacation. The only thing that accomplished was to make me hungry and my sub-par, normal food wasn't cutting it!

Now I will patiently wait until September when the travel guide books come out for 2014.   I can't wait until we put a deposit on this trip so I know that all my pre-planning planning isn't a waste. 

Maybe my neighbor was right in looking at me like I was out of my mind but this is what works for me.  AND no one complained on our last trip when we were able to do everything we wanted without having to wait in long Disney lines.  All my research and OCD planning worked out in everyone's favor.