Best Vacation EVER

I apologies for my prolonged absence. I have been on vacation over the last week, my first one in a year. Let me just reiterate it was AWESOME! I spent it at my grand parent's cottage. There at the same time as me were my young cousins. I came away with three big realizations.

1 - This type of vacation is sooo much better than the sunny south or Europe. I get to spend time with my family, I got to be useful, and I enjoyed scrumptious food and breath taking scenery. Because I spent it with family (and my grandmother wouldn't ever considering taking any more then a small gift to say thank you for the visit) so I didn't spend a penny on my vacation.

2 - I've found my weakness. The cottage that I've been visiting since I was a child is my version of paradise. I was in the water every day, feed chipmunks from my hand, and was a stone's throw from a pair of loons. Any one who's looked at my monthly budget would say that I never give into temptation. The truth is I am rarely tempted, I don't want new clothes or a fancy coffee. But at the moment I so much want to own my own little peace of paradise. I don't even need a cottage for the moment. I would be happy to just have a little piece of land upon which to stake a tent every other weekend. I could afford it too, it would just mean putting aside some other goals. I am currently battling with the desire to put just a couple hundred dollars a month aside so that I can have my paradise, I let you know if my rational mind losses the battle with my heart.

3 - I am very much ready to be a foster parent. I took the roll of both friend and authority figure with both my cousins (10 and 12) over the last week and I loved it. Sure nagging a kid to go put away the dishes isn't my preferred past time but I don't dislike it. Though many times I had to be the adult and spend more time supervising the activity than taking part I enjoyed being able to facilitate their fun. I must have treaded water for over an hour (in the middle of a very deep lake) while teaching one of my cousins to water ski; and I'd do it all over again in a heart beat. I have neither the means nor the time to take a child full time at the moment, however I am very much meant to be involved in kids lives and hope to start as a foster parent soon.

To round it all up I'm hoping to do the exact same thing again next year.