Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Resetting the vacation clock

Returning from an extended vacation is hard. Part of me was ready to get back to the comforts and familiarity of home. Part of me didn’t want to give up the sun and sand we’d been enjoying for a week.

The view from my chair


Vacation allows you to trade your “real” life for a little bit of a dream, an alternate view of the world. This spring break vacation was a first for us--we’ve never taken a trip during this time of year. The air travel was a nightmare, but once we reached Miami and knew we’d make it to our cruise ship, we were all smiles. After missing our connecting flight in Chicago by five minutes, we were elated to have seats--any seats--on the next flight out a couple of hours later. Not all travelers were so lucky.

Life on a cruise ship is a complete step away from everyday life. Fabulous food prepared for you all day long. No cell phones or computers to distract. Time to knit and read! Beautiful scenery, ocean breezes. Visiting several countries in a few days, without driving or changing hotels.

Market Coral in turquoise waters Half Moon Bay Market day


I don’t know if we’ll ever have the opportunity for a trip of this kind again, but I’m so grateful we were able to make it work this time. With high school graduation looming around the corner, it was a chance to make memories together as a family. I know that once a young adult leaves home, things are never quite the same.

Walk on the beach


Now it’s time to get back to the routine. My goal is to count the days at home as carefully as we counted them while away, enjoying each as it unfolds.

You can see more photos on my flickr page.

7 comments:

Carole Knits said...

It's wonderful that you had the chance to have this vacation as a family. And you're right - we need to count the days at home as important, too. Beautiful photos even if they do make me long for the beach.

Anonymous said...

wow! Looks like you had a wonderful time...hope you came back relaxed and renewed :O)

Berlinswhimsy said...

Oh my goodness, that looks so wonderful! In fact, I feel like I've taken a bit of a vacation just looking at your pictures and dreaming... Thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

It looks and sounds so relaxing. Beautiful pics. Glad it was a fabulous time!

Anonymous said...

What a great trip! Sounds like you guys really had a good time, minus the flight down. He'll take this with him when he goes...

Count the days and make 'em count!

La Cabeza Grande said...

It looks so wonderfully relaxing. I can almost feel the warm shade in my office chair.

Anonymous said...

Oh, my!!