I'm going on vacation for the week. It is what I call a 'real' vacation. In celebration of making it through the Holidays and to my personal vacation time I decided not write about Eve today. This is about me day.
The TL;DR is that I am out for a week. As often happens, I've prewritten a bunch of stuff so the blog itself will continue to post for a few days.
Now, onto my story:
As a kid we didn't do the family vacation thing. It was something that one saw on television. As an adult, when we became financially comfortable, I wanted to have vacations. They didn't have to be fancy or traditional. I just wanted to see new places and explore the world. I felt ignorant and uneducated. There were places I read about or watched on TV that made me tear up at their beauty and wonder. I wanted to see those places for myself and give things a try. I'm an introvert and a hermit but I do love to explore new places and just soak up the sights, sounds, nature, and history. I am happy to stay at home and take time off but a vacation to me is a bit of an adventure and a bit of self improvement.
Back in October, around Eve Vegas, my husband said that he wanted to go on another cruise. I didn't want to go on another cruise because I'm not interested in being disconnected from the world for a week. I know that some people gush about how much they love getting away and not being connected to anything. I have a co-worker who feels that cellphones are evil and the world was a better, simpler place when you couldn't access information at any moment. I disagree with that. For me, my stress in life is my employment. The internet has been nothing but a net positive in my life. I cannot support this concept that it is somehow some terrible influence and should be run away from to seek freedom from it to relax.
After all, I met my husband on the internet. Where is one going to meet computer geeks that like to spend all their free time on the computer... hmm... I wonder... bit of stalking and hunting and dragging out on a few dates with clear pointed discussions but it worked out.
This January marks our 11th year together. I count by when we met. He remembers whenever it was we got legally hitched. I'm not one to celebrate holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries. I doubt he remember's the January date because he never does but I find it amusing that our vacation falls across that time. I will not be reminding him nor will we be doing anything special to celebrate. None of that is double speak for "he better remember or I'll have a pissy entitled fit." I have zero romance in my soul.
I've found a very good life because of the internet. Like anything it can command someones life or it can be a functional part of it. Being overly addicted to the web is no different then someone who goes out and spends all their money doing socially acceptable drinking at bars every night to the detriment of everything else. Life is about balance in all parts. Or if not a true, zen like balance a type of productive flexibility. That stands for work and for games.
So... I didn't want to go on another cruise. However, last time we were on one we had stared at a Marriott Resort on the island and said, "We should try that one day." Idea on hand I turned to him and said, "What about the Marriott Resort we talked about?" He got excited and we wound up with a three hundred and fifty dollar vacation for a week in St Thomas.
But that is deceptive and I shall explain.
My husband travels a lot for his job. He loves it and I envy him. If I could travel as he does for employment I would. No more twelve hour days and wondering how evil I was in my prior lives to require so much penitence. He goes all over the world and spends weeks in major cities working hard but with plenty of quality free time. Piggybacking off of his trips is how I've done most of my international travel the last few years. (Free hotel rooms for me!) His company uses United Airlines and Marriott for all of these things. Because of the sheer number of days my husband flies/stays at hotels he is Platinum with Marriott and 1k with United. What this means is that he qualifies for free stuff. Lots of it and we cash in on it for travel as hotel rooms and plane tickets. With having to pay the various fees and taxes our week stay at the resort and round trip flights came to three hundred and fifty dollars.
Win.
We arrive Monday and leave the following Monday. Snorkel gear is packed (he had to shave his goatee, sadness), swimsuits are packed, the weather promises to be in the 80's with morning showers. We are going to sleep and swim and do a few little trips and hopefully find nice meals and just relax. My mom is pet sitting, the underwater camera is charged and I'll probably write if anything interesting happens at Downtime Hours.
The TL;DR is that I am out for a week. As often happens, I've prewritten a bunch of stuff so the blog itself will continue to post for a few days.
Now, onto my story:
As a kid we didn't do the family vacation thing. It was something that one saw on television. As an adult, when we became financially comfortable, I wanted to have vacations. They didn't have to be fancy or traditional. I just wanted to see new places and explore the world. I felt ignorant and uneducated. There were places I read about or watched on TV that made me tear up at their beauty and wonder. I wanted to see those places for myself and give things a try. I'm an introvert and a hermit but I do love to explore new places and just soak up the sights, sounds, nature, and history. I am happy to stay at home and take time off but a vacation to me is a bit of an adventure and a bit of self improvement.
Back in October, around Eve Vegas, my husband said that he wanted to go on another cruise. I didn't want to go on another cruise because I'm not interested in being disconnected from the world for a week. I know that some people gush about how much they love getting away and not being connected to anything. I have a co-worker who feels that cellphones are evil and the world was a better, simpler place when you couldn't access information at any moment. I disagree with that. For me, my stress in life is my employment. The internet has been nothing but a net positive in my life. I cannot support this concept that it is somehow some terrible influence and should be run away from to seek freedom from it to relax.
After all, I met my husband on the internet. Where is one going to meet computer geeks that like to spend all their free time on the computer... hmm... I wonder... bit of stalking and hunting and dragging out on a few dates with clear pointed discussions but it worked out.
This January marks our 11th year together. I count by when we met. He remembers whenever it was we got legally hitched. I'm not one to celebrate holidays, birthdays, or anniversaries. I doubt he remember's the January date because he never does but I find it amusing that our vacation falls across that time. I will not be reminding him nor will we be doing anything special to celebrate. None of that is double speak for "he better remember or I'll have a pissy entitled fit." I have zero romance in my soul.
I've found a very good life because of the internet. Like anything it can command someones life or it can be a functional part of it. Being overly addicted to the web is no different then someone who goes out and spends all their money doing socially acceptable drinking at bars every night to the detriment of everything else. Life is about balance in all parts. Or if not a true, zen like balance a type of productive flexibility. That stands for work and for games.
So... I didn't want to go on another cruise. However, last time we were on one we had stared at a Marriott Resort on the island and said, "We should try that one day." Idea on hand I turned to him and said, "What about the Marriott Resort we talked about?" He got excited and we wound up with a three hundred and fifty dollar vacation for a week in St Thomas.
But that is deceptive and I shall explain.
My husband travels a lot for his job. He loves it and I envy him. If I could travel as he does for employment I would. No more twelve hour days and wondering how evil I was in my prior lives to require so much penitence. He goes all over the world and spends weeks in major cities working hard but with plenty of quality free time. Piggybacking off of his trips is how I've done most of my international travel the last few years. (Free hotel rooms for me!) His company uses United Airlines and Marriott for all of these things. Because of the sheer number of days my husband flies/stays at hotels he is Platinum with Marriott and 1k with United. What this means is that he qualifies for free stuff. Lots of it and we cash in on it for travel as hotel rooms and plane tickets. With having to pay the various fees and taxes our week stay at the resort and round trip flights came to three hundred and fifty dollars.
Win.
We arrive Monday and leave the following Monday. Snorkel gear is packed (he had to shave his goatee, sadness), swimsuits are packed, the weather promises to be in the 80's with morning showers. We are going to sleep and swim and do a few little trips and hopefully find nice meals and just relax. My mom is pet sitting, the underwater camera is charged and I'll probably write if anything interesting happens at Downtime Hours.
I am so jealous!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy yourself and don't get too burned in the sun.
ReplyDeleteGenetics say its very hard for me to get a sunburn. :) My mother is from the islands. My husband thou lobsters up. We have UV swim shirts and sunblock by the bucket. Plus I don't want my tattoos to fade.
DeleteJeez, I had a headshake moment so hard I hurt my neck. I read "underwater camera" as "underwear camera" - CRICK!.
ReplyDeleteo/ Have fun. Take pics. St Thomas sounds awesome. I wish I could go, but I've been pre-emptively banned from the Virgin Islands so they don't lose their Virginity. :-/
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your vacation.
ReplyDeleteExcellent strategy to get a husband with travel benefits like these :) Only snorkel gear or will you real diving as well?
Well do snuba which is a psudo scoba thing. He's not a strong swimmer. I may look into getting scuba certified in the near future.
Delete