Vacation vs Relocation

We are having an amazing vacation. No, we're not in Hawaii, though I'd really like to go someday... We're not in Puerto Rico, though I'd highly recommend it to anyone living in the Eastern part of the U.S. Especially in February...

No, we're in a large town in West Texas, surrounded by miles and miles of pasture and cotton fields.

No white beaches, no balmy breezes. It's gray and cool and windy. The girls still need mittens for morning trips to the playground. There aren't a lot of "things" to "do". But this is a great vacation.

A trip to Hawaii or Puerto Rico would be a relocation. A lovely relocation, but a relocation all the same. Most elements of life would still be the same. Sleeping and eating schedules for toddlers. Power struggles and negotiations. But without the familiar comforts of home: familiar beds, favorite toys, child proofing devices, favorite foods. To me, that doesn't sound like a vacation, just a relocation to a more interesting, yet significantly less convenient, place. With less sleep for everyone, more sources of conflict, and fewer systems in place to deal with them.

If you ask me, that's a waste of perfectly expensive plane tickets.

But we're taking a real vacation. A trip to Nana and Pawpaw's house is like heaven. There are new toys waiting. There are novel playgrounds. Edible treats that Mama and Daddy don't usually buy. But more importantly, there are two people who have joyfully anticipated the arrival of my two energetic and chatty darlings, and are delighted to pour all of their energy into playing with them.

Nana had sparkly stickers and foam hearts for making valentines. And coloring books with stickers. There's been bed-jumping. And playing "monster". (I don't know exactly what it is, but there's a lot of roaring and shrieking involved.) And a new sand box. And wagon rides. And new DVDs And a second cousin to play with.

The fun doesn't stop!
And we're not responsible for it.

We get to have semi-uninterrupted conversations with family members we don't see often enough. And with each other.

Everyone here is having a great time. There may not be much for us to do here, but it might be our best vacation yet.