Sunday, June 5, 2016

And then finally Vacation

I would say 4 long years but, actually it has been much longer since I've been on an actual vacation. Growing up my family never really went on vacation together. My mother was always working, so I would go to Maryland for part of the summer to live with my aunt and uncle. I grew up watching Full House and Family Matters on fridays (I lived for TGIF) and in my mind that's the way family was supposed to be. However, it wasn't anything like how my family actually was. I always told myself, when I got older I would have the perfect family. I would put in place all sorts of family traditions. Unfortunately Evander is not big on holidays or traditions, but Ems and I force him into participating anyway.


 In efforts to spark up traditions, we planned a 2k16 Reid's Family Vacation. I've always wanted to do a cruise, I've had a few friends to do cruises and they loved it. I didn't really know where to start with trying to find the best "deal" on a cruise. The only thing I knew for certain was that I didn't want to only vacation for 3 days. I visited  several different cruise lines and the prices seemed relatively reasonable, however by the time I got to checkout the total was nearly 3 or 4 grand. I was overwhelmed and disencouraged, while Evander was saying we really weren't going to be able to do a vacation this year. Something, that we had talked about doing for over 4 years, was really about not to happen. We argued a lot about this.

 What ended up happening though was actually pretty cool. Reid's Vacation 2K16 ended up being 12 days on 2 different cruises with a pit stop in Palm Beach, Florida. How? Groupon. But the highlight of our trip,was the Escape. We spent 7 days on the Norwegian Escape and it was absolutely wonderful: the room, the staff, the food selection and entertainment. I don't think we could have planned a better time. The only complaint is related to the excursions, they were really poorly put together and the prices are ridiculous. Being as cautious as we are, we decided to book our excursions through Norwegian if only because we knew the ship wouldn't leave us. The excursions were really unorganized and cost us nearly $700.00. We could have done the same things for half the cost. We drove to Florida, which I like driving because it gives us a chance to talk, sing, and bond.


We've been back home for 2 weeks and we are ready to plan our next adventure. Its back to reality for now. I have to study for the Naplex, which has me just beside myself.



The goal that I have set for this blog is to always post something meaningful. So, if I don't have anything meaning to write, I don't post. Simple. So in an attempt to be meaningful: Life goes by so fast. I look at my baby Emsley and it feels like just yesterday that she was 6 months old. We get so caught up in the future, that we forget to live for the now. We don't cherish the learning experiences and opportunities (especially if they aren't glamorous) we face right now. We want the glory and fame but not the glow up (the process of getting to the glow). Trust the process. Trust life. Trust Destiny. Spending time with our families is so important. I encourage everyone to take a vacation. Be it one day or one month. It's so simple to do, planning and saving are essential. We choose to afford what we want to afford. Take the time to see the world and if you have children then take the time to show them the world. We get so complacent with seeing life, the same way each and every day. Go somewhere, anywhere and offer your mind some expansion and different perspectives.

XOXO,

Charity











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