Travel Tensation

Twenty-six hours before we leave for our amazing vacation and my tension is through the roof.  Our (cat)dog has serious attachment issues, so I haven not been able to fully pack and cannot until we drop him off today around 8pm. 

Even with being 'careful', we know he knows we're leaving - he has bee groaning, purring, huffing and puffing all week long - more so than usual.  We LOVE taking our vacations, but he does not handle them well, and when we return it has taken over a month for him to 'forgive' us and respond appropriately.  He's an elderly man in every sense of the word

He Thinks the Pity Vote Counts

I wish I could sleep right now, I desperately need it, but my mind is running like crazy.  I have a list of over 40 things left to do in the next 30 hours (including small things like dishes, pack suitcases, move food from mini-fridge upstairs, etc).  I have no idea how it piled up this bad - trying to keep Cocoa from freaking out has caused a major backlog, I think.

I guess this isn't unusual, though.  In the last 18 months, we have done 3 (going on 4) major road trips and have visited over 16 states. I've knocked off a major chunk of my 'see all 50 states' bucket list item and we've worked on other BL things, including 'see every baseball stadium' and 'see all major zoos' and 'visit every National Park'. 

Mt Rainier, Fall 2012

Our vacations are rarely restful.  We don't know how long my health will stay 'up', so we're trying to knock off as much as we can right now.  We add 2-5 'new' states each trip and also add in a zoo, stadium, and NP or two.  We love doing this VERY much, but it also creates a ton of stress and I think we're taking it out on each other right now.

Part of the stress is the fact that I do not drive outside of Iowa.  Part of it is the fact that we do not stay in the same place for more than a night.  Either way, it often feels like we need a vacation from our vacation when we return home. 

I'm not going to lie - I LOVE the way we vacation.  I just worry it adds up to some extreme stress for M (since he plans, pays, and drives each vacation) and keeps him from truly enjoying the vacation.  The good news is that this vacation ends with his secondary Jeopardy audition.  We've both done it in the past, but he was the only one that got invited back this time  I'm not jealous- it is his dream, not mine. 

I sincerely hope this is his break because he deserves it and has been studying like a fiend - he has the test in the bag.  His only downfall is that he falls in the 'majority' of Jeopardy auditioners - 30-something white guys.  I hate to be stereotypical, but in my room of auditioners last time, at least, almost 75% of the auditioners were white males between the ages of 30 and 41.

I promise to try to update my blog daily during our vacation (what a great way to keep to my 365 promise), but I'm not sure if M will allow me to bring my laptop or not.  He's worried, rightfully so, about car break-ins.  As much as I REALLY want my laptop with me 24/7, I also worry about someone stealing it while we're hiking.  It feels like a lose/lose situation.

Even if I do not get to bring my laptop, I plan on updating Instagram.  Look for my vacation photos there!