I hate packing. I always pack too much - and then still forget things that I needed or wanted to bring, despite my checklist I keep to help remind me of these things.
The kids - especially my son - started whining about the 4 or so hours drive to get there. As a kid, I enjoyed the nearly two-day car ride from our house to my grandmother's house in North Carolina. I always liked seeing new places and imagined what it would be like to live there. I still do that. Not my kids. Even with a DVD player and a selection of DVD's, handheld game systems, books, and the radio, they get bored really fast.
Well, we made good time and got to the condo we were renting for five days - a place we had never stayed before. It was gorgeous! Almost too much luxury.... I didn't think we'd ever figure out all the controls in the showers, much less the stove, microwave, etc. It was truly a beautiful penthouse condo with a balcony that went all the way across it - probably three or four times longer than any I had ever seen before.
We weren't located on the beach this year, but the condo overlooked the bay. Strike one. While my husband and I enjoyed watching the variety of boats and jet skis coming and going, plus the pelicans and sea gulls, my kids found it boring.
Next we needed to go to the store to stock up on some groceries. Strike two. Spoiled teens don't want to eat in the condo - they want to go out to eat at a restaurant. My husband tried explaining that one of the main reasons to get a condo is for the full kitchen. That was okay with them for snacks and breakfast, but not for REAL meals.
They did seem to enjoy the amenities the condo had to offer such as the fitness room and the pools, especially the heated ones. And, in contrast to last year, we even got our son out on the beach and he seemed to enjoy it. The walk across the street to the beach wasn't bad at all.
By the end of day two, the kids were bored. By day three, they were more than just bored - they were practically stir-crazy! They couldn't fathom that anyone - me - could find sitting on the balcony, reading a book, and drinking a glass of tea while the breeze wafted over me a relaxing or enjoyable scenario. They wanted to get out and DO stuff - i.e., spend money! When we explained that we didn't have a lot of extra cash to DO stuff, they got almost angry. And then I got angry. Strike three. Then my midweek vacation depression set in. Am I the only one who suffers from this syndrome? I was determined at that moment that I was NEVER going to take them on a vacation again! Why spend all that money just to be miserable in another state? I could have stayed home and found things to do there - or have done absolutely nothing. They would probably be slightly less bored at home.
We all made it through vacation week. My husband and I had to endure the whining about the drive home or about any stop we made - my son HAD to get home to see his girlfriend! And we did make it home in pretty good time.
So while the kids were checking in with friends, getting on their computers, and giving the pets the attention they had missed, I was unpacking and starting to do the mountain of laundry.
I think I need another week off to recouperate from vacation.
Have been in those shoes! I thoroughly understand. What condo was it? Next time, take me. I promise not to whine, just as long as we can have the "cocktail hour" each evening.
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