Vacation

Long, long ago in far away land... there used to live two kids. They had very few responsibilities and lots of time. However, they thought they were stressed. College is just so taxing and paying $700 a month in rent (back when both worked, so really like $350) can really take its toll. So obviously, these kids needed lots of vacations. And they took them; 5 weeks in Europe with little more than a backpack and a train ticket. The Greek Islands, a summer in Costa Rica exploring every rainforest and hitting up each beach on the Pacific Coast. Exotic Islands like Culebra in the Spanish Virgin Islands, Skiing in Colorado in the Winter. Ah, Life was good. Throughout their courtship they often spoke of children and how they couldn't wait to get their little babies passports and take them to foreign lands. After all, they wanted their children to be worldly, cultured and educated. Why didn't more parents travel with kids? How hard could it be?


Well, very hard, unless you are Angelina and Brad. Yes, that is the lesson learned after 2 kids and about 9 years. Children require a boatload of stuff. Even for a minimalist parent. And I think it cost's over a gazillion dollars to check a bag these days. And should you still be able to afford 4 plane tickets and 5 checked bags (you know after the mortgage, doctor bills, frequent trips to the ER, the dentist, minivan payments, preschool, enough groceries to feed an entire farm, clothes, shoes, replacement shoes for the ones they loose, etc...) then you still have to ride on the plane with them. And considering I have to be heavily sedated to even enter the airport the thought of caring for two screaming mad men across the ocean scares me worse then the actual plane. So yeah, all exotic vaca's need to be taken while the children are with babysitters. And besides, they get tons of culture already from Handy Manny and Dora. They don't need to come with us to Mexico.

But it IS summertime and these kids deserve some fun. So, we do our best to take them anywhere that is 3 movies away in the minivan. Anymore and it just isn't worth it. This past week with visited Greensboro, NC for the 4th year in a row for the annual CPA festival at The Embassy Suites. Think Cedar Rapids but with accountants instead of insurance agents.

On Wednesday we went to Emerald Point Water Park and it may as well have been the beaches of Tamerindo. I really don't know who had more fun, Jaime and I or the kids? We went down water slides and jumped off of pirate ships. It was fabulous. On Thursday Jaime had to go to his accounting school and I ventured off the North Caroline Zoo in Asheboro with the kids solo. This is the point where I tell anyone with kids: NEVER, ever, go to the North Carolina Zoo with your children by yourself. You have to take someone else. That place is too hot and too large. We walked, literally, from North America to Africa. There were supposed to be little trams to take you around but I couldn't find it. I was stuck on the Baboon trail and the bus was on the Zebra trail. Oh and did I mention that since I am crazy and obsessive about my workouts I had gotten up at 5am to run 5 miles before heading out on this adventure? Thursday was a marathon of a day to say the very least. I was so excited to see Jaime after his class that I wasn't even mad at him for being gone 11 hours. I did however leave him in the room after dinner to put the kids to bed while I went down to reception and cashed in my two free drink tickets.

Friday morning got off to a slow start with all of us overly exhausted and I was eternally grateful for the Television. Thankfully the boys stayed transfixed by Nickelodeon (No TV for 6 weeks and they go into a trance when it comes back. Yes!) They laid there until 10am and I was thrilled. We ended up having a pretty great day after that and went to the Science Center and out to lunch. We picked Daddy up around 2:00pm and began to make our way back to Asheville.

It was a fantastic couple of days. I am so amazed at how grown up and well behaved the boys are getting. This year was 100 times easier than last year. And although we were all hot and over walked at the zoo, no one lost their cool and we survived. We won't do it again, but I am glad we did it one time. These are the days memories are made. I never would of imagined 9 years ago that two little blond boys could fill up my heart and make me love a trip to Greensboro so much. Nothing else matters at this point except enjoying every second with them while they still love me and want to hang out with me. One day, I won't be cool anymore and we will have to force them to go on trips, at which point a bribe to Costa Rica may be in order...

The Absense of Cable TV

Sometime in elementary school this boy in my class, who had one of the nerdiest and nicest dads ever, brought in letter for show and tell. He explained that he and his Dad together had gotten rid of their TV and it had been an entire year since they had last watched. The letter he was holding was from the President who was writing his congratulations after they had written him explaining what they had accomplished. Wow! I was floored. Both that a kid could not watch TV for a year and that the President of The United States actually cared! I was insanely jealous, I wanted one too.

But there was no way I could ever get a letter like that. We watched the Andy Griffith show every night during dinner and my Dad would never give up TV for a letter from George Bush Sr. He would consider that a major rip off. Also, I had no brothers or sisters living at home and I needed my friends in TV-land. So, I ogled his letter and lived in awe of that kid until we graduated from high-school. Now through facebook stalking I have determined that he is the director of a large global software company in Washington DC and probably chilling with Obama doing stuff besides watching TV. But I digress. Here I am now 20 years later and Jaime has canceled the cable.

We are almost one month in and oddly enough, I have survived. We still have a DVD player/Netflix and will pop in the occasional movie when we are feeling close to heat stroke or getting washed away by the rain...but for the most part we are now part of the elite no TV crew. I don't know how my neighbor feels about me showing up on her porch every Monday night begging to be let in to watch the Bachelorette but I am feeling pretty good about our choice. I just stared my 9th book of the year. Jaime and I are playing board games after the kids go to bed or hanging outside on the porch and actually talking to one another instead of siting in a trance on the couch too tired to move. It's really kinda nice. And just look at all the fun we have been having! Never a dull moment in the Conley Casa.