Goal 2013: Vacation {How to Count Down}

I have a running list of things I want to do this year.

But goals, rather than resolutions.

Because sometimes it’s harder to say “I will never …” or “I promise to …”

How about “I want to …” or “I will try…”

It feels like it’s just filled to the brim with positivity.

Which is something we all need infinite amounts of.

One of my goals for this year was to take a vacation with the kids.

Like an honest-to-goodness vacation.

Sure, we did a few road trips last year. And the year before. And the year before. And even the year before that.

Tacking on a day here and there to make a long weekend.

Which was ten shades of awesome.

But just not the same.

And so I wanted to be able to take a real vacation. When we go away this Spring, it will have been 4-and-a-half years since the last time we took a proper vacation.

And 4-and-a-half-years since I took more than two consecutive days off from work.

Between being a single mom, tackling debt, juggling, work, schedules, and the like, there has been a long list of why we couldn’t go.

But no more.

It’s booked. Paid for. And the countdown is seriously on.

And while I worry that when we get back, I will say “wow, that went fast,” I intend to enjoy every single second of it.

Because we so need it.

Madeline’s passport is still good (from the vacation we took when she was 11 months old), but Nick’s needed renewing. So that was the first step.

And that will be, of course, the first picture to go in the Spring Break 2013 photo album.

Natch.

But how to combat the “…how many days until we go” questions?

A paper chain, of course.

I used a super cute fishy scrapbook paper I found at Michael’s. Which means this fun idea cost me less than $1.50 to make.

And since we will be visiting some very blue oceans and fishies, it was even more appropriate.

There is a link for each day between now and when we leave. And we, of course, remove one piece every day.

And eventually there will be way less.

On the inside of the links, I numbered each piece, so we would know the exact number of days until we go.

And while we are beyond excited to know that we are going on a vacation this Spring.

And while it is super fun to count down the days until we leave.

And while it was necessary (necessary!) to shop the bathing suit section of Target for a new suit for Madeline (because we’re going away!).

When our mornings start at 23 degrees (today!), it is supremely satisfying to know exactly how many days there are left until Spring starts.

Vacation or not.

#winterisnotmyfavorite