"Must Be Nice..."

Gary and I decided to use some of our Hilton points and fly to Orlando to stay at one of the resorts for not just a few days, but for two weeks.  We purchased a package last year to use for Owen's Adoption Day celebration, but the day didn't happen as early as we had anticipated and the package was going to expire.  So we decided to use it for ourselves and add in another week in the sunshine.  After all...if we are going to spend the money to fly and there is really no reason (other than being with the grandkids who will be in school anyway) to stick around in the cold weather, we might as well stay for a couple of weeks.

Yesterday we booked the rooms, then we reserved the plane tickets, and we still have to plan for the rental car.  We shared the news with other family at Landon's birthday party yesterday.  The girls knew we were thinking about doing this and why we were doing it, but others didn't---and there was no reason why they should.

I am not sure who said it...and it doesn't really matter who did....but I heard the word 'Well, it must be nice" floating into the air.

Ok....I understand that maybe one would think that because not too many people can take off in the dead of winter and go to Florida for a couple of weeks.

But I think we have earned this opportunity.

Why?

Because for 43 years I taught either in the high school or in college and couldn't take off anytime during those usual nine months of a school year and go anywhere, except maybe at spring break when everyone else was going too or at Christmas break when the holidays and family activities prevented any type of travel except maybe to Ohio to endure Mom's wrath for a few days.

Because for many years the girls were on basketball teams that played during the winter months, the Student Council sold cookies at all of the home basketball games, and I supervised boys home games.  Then Gary was coaching either junior high girls or was the varsity assistant and I was the scorekeeper and our evenings and weekends from November to the beginning of February were full (and his afternoons were full of practices too). 

Because when I went to Ivy Tech to teach, not only did my schedule consist of two full semesters but also of teaching in the summers which had only two weeks in August and two weeks in May free.  Farming got in the way of doing anything in May, and the August time was usually full of other family things and state fair.

Because I spent SO much time grading and prepping and grading in my last semesters (especially when I had four very large ENGL 111 classes) that I had no time to do anything else except that.

I have earned the pleasure of travel.

Gary has earned the pleasure of travel.

We want to travel together and can do it now.

We have the money to travel.

We have the time to travel.

We want to go to Florida and just enjoy the sunshine and drive around the town and go out to eat and maybe drive to the beach one day and just have a good time.

So yes...it must be nice.  It IS nice.  But don't say the words begrudgingly like we should be sorry or guilty or ashamed that we are going to on a trip for two weeks.

We planned it.

We want to enjoy it.

We have worked hard to be able to do it.

And we will have fun!

It WILL be nice!