Vacation, Part I

A month later and I'm finally remembering to update about our whirlwind road trip! I think it has just taken me that long to recover. This trip was not spur of the moment, we had an inkling about what we were going to do. The transition from notion to action occurred a little faster than we anticipated.

We never went on a honeymoon. I lost my job four months before our wedding, and started a new job four days after. When we had the time, we didn't have the money and taking care of our home and creatures always took priority. John got it in his head that when he was done fishing for the winter we should just jump in the car and go, for like a month. However, finding someone to care for our animals for that long is just impossible. Not to mention, he brought home six little ducklings before his last fishing trip that were growing insanely fast! So he got done fishing on a Wednesday, and we were heading out the next Monday. I managed to get Monday through Friday off from work, but just couldn't get anyone to cover my shifts on Saturday and Sunday.

Day 1 of our trip was off to a rocky start. For one, we needed money, so we had to wait until we could get to the bank and cash his check. Then there were a number of other little things that needed to get done, and it took up half the day! It was early afternoon before we were finally on the road. We stopped that night for a nice dinner in Massachusetts, and since we didn't want to just use our hotel passes for 5 or 6 hours of sleep, we decided to drive through the night to the Outer Banks, North Carolina!

Around 10pm I really had to pee, so we pulled off the highway into a town where apparently everything closes at 10pm. The gas station didn't have a public restroom, McDonald's dining room was closed (but drive thru was still open), Lowe's was closed, and WalMart had just closed. FINALLY we found a Taco Bell that was still open and had a usable restroom. I really wish I could remember the name of this town so I could never ever go there again, but alas, I will probably end up there on our very next road trip.

Around 2am I dozed off. We saw so many signs for things that looked interesting, and so many thrift shops I wanted to see! But nothing was open, and we had to take mental notes for "next time". John was a trooper, he kept on driving. Finally, around 6am, we were near Chesapeake, VA, he got tired and asked if I could drive for awhile. I was thinking, "Sure! I'll just drive us to the next Rest Area, and we'll take a snooze in the car." There were no Rest Areas. I kept on driving and we made to the Outer Banks around 9am. Trouble is, the campground we were staying at didn't have check-in until noon.

This is where Day 1 runs into Day 2. We drove to the end, checked out the ferry to Ocracoke, and decided that would be a fun idea for the next day. We walked through the "Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum", and then I got to sit in the sun with my toes in the sand for about 20 minutes. This was easily the best 20 minutes of the trip for me. Right as I was about to fall asleep on the beach, we decided it was a good idea to find our campground and take a nap. Unfortunately, when we arrived at our campground, no one else was there either. No one answered the phone when we called. Tired and cranky, and definitely hungry, we set off to find lunch and decided if we saw another campground, we'd just stop at that one.

By the time we made it to lunch, we called the campground again, they would put up a map to our tent site on the door, and we could just setting up in the morning. Finally we had definitely plans to sleep at some point!

After a very late lunch (we might as well call it earlybird special dinner), we got our tent set up, and went for a walk to check out our surroundings. Our basic plan was to use the campground as our "base camp" and go exploring a lot more the next day. We drove all over the Outer Banks on the first day, and stopped and saw a lot of things, but our sleep deprived brains didn't fully enjoy everything. I managed to choose the one campground without beach access, but we did manage to find a marshy area we could sit and watch the sunset. We stayed up grilling, having a few drinks, and managing to stay warm as the night temps were in the 40's. Turns out the campground had just opened, and the hot water wasn't on yet.

Within a few minutes of putting food on the table, we had a kitty friend coming to visit! She was quite pretty, VERY friendly, and a completely unapologetic beggar. After an appetizer from us, she went in search of larger prey, and we watched her gracefully climb a tree next to a bunch of birdhouses. And then later she came scratching at the sand next to our tent, and we hoped and prayed we weren't sleeping in a giant litter box.

Whirlwind Adventure

We had so much fun on our little getaway! I'll sit down and fill you in more fully soon, but the highlights include:

Cold Camping Nights
Gaining what feels like 10 pounds (at least)
Lots of sitting in the car
A lighthouse
An Antiques Mall
And the Waffle House.

We arrived home in the wee hours of Saturday morning, and then I had to work Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. We are just starting to get back in the groove of being at home and with a little sunshine outside we have lots of plans for the coming days!

On The Road...

Since we have yet to have a honeymoon, and we both happen to be free this week, the Hubs and I are hittin' the road! On this cold and drizzly Maine morning we're packing up and heading south!!

We don't have a plan, we don't know where we'll be tonight, but we have a tent and love on our side. I'm hoping to find a beach and weather warm enough to sit on it. And that's about it.

See you Saturday!! (we hope)

Spring Fever?

I know I should be excited the days are getting longer, the temperatures are getting warmer, and there's a hint of summer just around the corner. The truth is, there's something about the onset of Spring that makes me very sad. Or maybe it makes me have SAD, just in a different month than everyone else. I get super tired all the time and I just don't want to really do anything. I start thinking I have chronic fatigue, or some other deadly affliction, and then I remember that I get extra tired every year at this time.

I think the possibility of being able to do things outside reminds me of all the inside projects I never got around to doing over the winter. And then I start down this spiral thinking about everything in my life I didn't finish, or didn't finish well, and then I start thinking that I'm never going to be successful, and everyone hates me and I'm going to end up homeless and alone.

I know it's not rational, but sometimes I'm not rational. Instead, I lay in bed a little longer, I wear my sweatpants a little more often, and I drink a little more coffee. This year I'm trying to be somewhat proactive. I'm working on projects more often, I'm cleaning and getting rid of a LOT of things. I'm making the area around me a little happier in hopes that it will be a reflection of myself. And you know what? I think it's working.

For starters, I'm watching less TV. It is so easy for me to get sucked into sitting on the couch all day, and then the laundry doesn't get folded, the dishes don't get washed, and nothing gets finished. By limiting my TV time, I am able to get a lot more accomplished, and I start feeling like there are more hours in a day, and maybe I'm not quite the failure I thought I was.

I will keep you guys updated, but this is shaping up to be the best Spring ever! Or, at least I'm trying to make it the best Spring ever.

Storm Warning

We have soooo much snow! And without Hubs around, I have a lot of shoveling to do. A few weeks ago when we had a big storm, I did a small amount of shoveling and later had a back spasm that I haven't fully gotten over. Last night I spent an hour clearing off our deck, and now the pile nearly reaches the deck! This snow is heavy, branches of trees are leaning down, and under the snow is a lovely layer of ice.  Even though I'm all plowed and shoveled, my car isn't going anywhere today.

My inlaws were kind enough to schedule a delivery of wood the other day, and the only place for the guy to deliver was right in front of the garage. When I heard snow was coming, I had to get that pile of wood stacked under the deck so I could park my car out of the way, and so the wood would not get covered in snow. I did what any self-respecting woman would do, and I called my Mommy and asked for help! She is such a trooper.

It has been quite the weekend of physical labor, but I kind of love it. All my muscles are sore, all my clothes are wet, my dogs are tired from chasing me around, and there's a beautiful layer of white over everything. Soon it will all melt away, and all my hard work will seem like it was for nothing.

Today the wind stopped blowing, the fire is going in the woodstove, and a nice pot of soup is simmering on the stove.

Happy Birthday Daddio!

Last Monday was my dad's birthday. My dad LOVED his birthday. His excitement every year rivaled that of a ten year old, and while at times it was annoying, it was also wonderful and contagious. We celebrate every birthday in our family with the same exuberance, getting the whole fam together for dinner and cake, and a few presents. Having his birthday in January was an added bonus because, frankly, January sucks. It's cold, we're usually low on money, and it's easy to get depressed. But his birthday was a chance to celebrate, laugh, and forget about the middle of winter for a little bit.

We still all got together and had a great meal and a great time, but it just wasn't the same. I knew all the firsts without him were going to be hard. We made it through a lot of other birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, but his birthday was just impossible for me. It caught me by surprise. Sometimes it's good to be caught by surprise, let out a few tears, and get it all out there.

In the last few years our family has grown, and winter isn't as bleak as it used to be. We now have another birthday in January, one in February, and then things warm up a little in March. There are many causes for celebration, and my dad loved every second of it. I'm so happy that I live in close proximity with the majority of my family, that we're able to get together on all these occasions, and sometimes just because it's Tuesday.

Resolutions Are For Suckers

I don't like New Year's Resolution, and I do my best not to make any. The times I've tried, I've ended up failing and feeling bad about myself. Which is why I'm writing this post on January 12th, and not January 1st. This year I'm giving up from the start, and I mean that in the best possible way. My goal this year is to feel better about myself, and do whatever it takes to make that happen. 2012 was crap for the most part, and I'm ready to start a better life in 2013.

For starters, I'm going to get outside more. Tough to do in the winter, but that is why it is the best time to start. With three dogs, getting outside with them will solve so many problems. Tired dogs are well behaved dogs, and maybe they won't eat all my stuff.

I want to cook more. I love trying new recipes, and spending time in the kitchen.

I want a new job. Something I can feel good about myself doing and makes me able to pay the bills.

And if none of these things happen, that's ok too. Because I have a wonderful husband, a roof over our heads, three crazy dogs, and a cat that will likely take over the world.

Happy 2013 everyone.