#vacation 2020

[misskittysmagicportal]

Rob on vacation with Greer Ellison, whom he met on the set of "Cherrybomb" in 2008. The two of them, and Rupert, have been friends ever since. Greer wrote a short film starring Rob and Rosie Day, "The Bigger Picture"

(I'm assuming this was last summer because Europeans were free to travel unlike us piggish Americans)

[mythixprincess]

You never know how cruel reality truly is until you experienced it.

I left my state and went to Florida for a week with the family and everything was different. While there was some fun to be had, there was the constant sanitizing and watching my distance between people. Disney World was very different compared to last year.

Everyone had to practice physical distancing and wear a mask. There were no character meet and greets, no parades. (except for the small ones.) No fireworks, no park hopping, no fast passes. Taking pictures had to be done with masks on. You could only have the mask off in your hotel room or if you sat down and eating something.

Although there was still magic to be had but it was quite different. Now that I'm back in my own state I have to quarentine until I get a negative test result. I didn't like being tested as it gave me great anxiety. Rest assured I took care of myself and feel fine but you never really know.

We are in a pandemic and it's very much real. Please wear your mask if you go out and do anything. Practice social distancing and respect the 6ft rule. And don't fight others if they tell you to fix your mask. Just wear it properly completely covering your nose and mouth. WE ALL HAVE TO DO IT!!!

We're in this together and we'll make it through together.

[frugalhoe]

I'm on vacation from my vanilla job!

I've been sleeping a lot and staying off my feet as much as possible.

Work has been absolutely horrible and I immediately feel severely depressed whenever I'm there. Ex fwb flipped out and screamed at me a few weeks ago. He apologized and now just completely ignores me...not even hello or to discuss work related stuff.

So this vacation is badly needed. I'm so exhausted between work, school and trying to deal with my severe depression etc.

I wrote up a new 2 year life plan and organized my pantry etc. I've decided to gradually transition (~3 weeks) back to eating vegan with a bigger emphasis on whole foods.

I'm also doing some fun things...I watched some shows on Hulu and YouTube. I also checked out a tall stack of books from the library and bought a pair of jeans from a thrift store.

I finally hit the gym today - did a upper body and core workout and then relaxed in the hot tub and sauna before leaving.

I stocked up on a bunch of bulk spices for future recipes. I made a great dinner tonight - al pastor tacos with some yellow rice on the side.

For the last half of my vacation, I'm going to get caught up and ahead on my school stuff.

10/18/20

[frugalhoe]

10/1/20

I finally got back on track with my homework...I'm finally ahead.

2 of my classes have a late start date...an art class and my second math class (statistics).

I decided to try studying from home again...I cleared off a space in my living room and so far it's going well.

Campus is getting somewhat busy and I've been having trouble finding a free study room lately.

The only downside of studying at home is that my dog is super needy. He's interrupted every single class this week whenever he sees me talking to a classmate on Zoom etc.

Aside from that it's good, I even made dinner during my pre calculus lecture the other nice. Almost relaxing lol

I decided to take 3 days off from work later this month. I'm so burnt out and honestly my vanilla job has such a negative affect on my mental health. My depression etc is at its worst during my shift. I'm withdrawn and I get upset very easily and just spiral. When I leave work, my mood improves drastically (still depressed but I'm not holding back tears or dealing with as intense negative self talk).

I'm so tired I just don't want to work at all. Idk how I'm going to get back in shape to make that necessary transition back into escorting and stripping FT. I sleep 3-5 hours a night...work crazy hours at a job w an ex who cripples my self esteem and I'm taking 17 credits this semester on top of that.

I set a new goal of being retired in 10 years.

10/1/20

[lxnbg-itsnevertoolate]

This path actually leads to the sea, which is almost directly behind me.

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Color modified Edited Straight out of the gopro

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[changing-mylife-now]

10./ 11.09.2020 ~ Amsterdam, Netherlands

[keylamonster]

Some camping photos of the lake! It was nice!!!

[raisingsupergirl]

When 2020 Hands You a Staycation, Make... Everything

My family was looking forward to our trip for months. My mom was going to take all of us to a beautiful cabin at Kentucky Lake. It would have been the first time we've all gone on a family vacation in literally decades. And man, did we need it. But, of course, we forgot to consider the 2020 factor. So, literally days before we were supposed to leave, the air conditioning went out in my truck, my grandma broke her hip, my grandma-in-law was diagnosed with a terminal illness (and passed away soon after), and my mom tested positive for COVID-19. And so, in a twist of fate that we all should have seen coming, our vacation turned into a staycation. And this is how mine went…

Like any respectable week stuck at home, my family's started with donuts. And the food just kept coming all week. It was my fault, really. I decided I'd play Master Chef, and so I cooked and I cooked and I cooked, from scratch. Fettuccine alfredo, sushi (x 2), all the grilled things (including my world famous ribs with homemade BBQ sauce), breakfast yummies, pizza (for my wife's birthday), and Sunday piña coladas. We can't forget the Sunday piña coladas. My family will back up my claim that it was all wonderful (even if my wife complained about all the weight she gained), but if I'm being honest, by the end, I was a little sick of cooking. Okay, a lot sick of cooking. And that unexpected side-effect was kind of the theme of my week.

Along with cooking, I kept the Martha Stewart Living dream alive by starting an elderberry tincture, bottling up some flavored alcohol I've been working on, cleaning my fish tanks, fixing my wife's shower, and spending three days power spraying All the Things—little honey-dos and creative projects to keep my mind and body busy, to make me feel like the week wasn't completely wasted. Unfortunately, that mentality royally backfired. You see, the thing about projects is that there's an endless supply of them. There's no finish line to the things that need doing. And once you start digging into the pile, you realize just how deep it is. And then you quickly realize how little time you have left to do them before you have to go back to work for another year. At least, that's what happened to me, which tinted every day with this little feeling of desperation, like I wasn't in control of my time, my work, or my life. And as I got further into the week, I started feeling a little worthless, like none of the things I was doing, had done up to that point, or would ever do again, meant a gosh darned thing. And that kind of thinking is a royal bummer when you're on vacation, let me tell ya.

By the final Sunday, it got to the point where I was sitting on my back porch with beautiful weather, good music, a colada in my hand, my amazing wife by my side, and my kids squealing in the kiddie pool, and all I could think about as I stared up at the fluffy, white clouds was, "Why do I feel so bad?" And then I felt bad for feeling bad. At that moment, my life was perfect. So why was I searching for more? Why did I feel like I hadn't done enough on my vacation—enough work, enough relaxing, enough memory making? I'd done my best all week to stay in the moment and be appreciative of my abundant blessings. But for some reason, it hadn't helped. I'd kept dreading my return to the "real world" despite a pretty stinkin' successful staycation. So what was it? What was bothering me about that perfect week? Well, I can be a little slow sometimes. The obvious often eludes me. Remember the first paragraph of this post? The one where all the bad things happened? Yeah, I guess I had tried to bury that reality instead of deal with it. And there ain't no amount of sushi or power spraying or piña coladas that can bury 2020.

It's strange that it took me going back to work on Monday to gain some real perspective. The thing I had been dreading was the very thing that saved me—that helped me appreciate everything about my previous week spent at home. Not because work was bad or hard. Quite the opposite, actually. My first day back was busy, I felt scatterbrained, and I was thoroughly exhausted when I got home. But it felt great. Getting back with my patients and co-workers, doing what I knew so well how to do, falling into a rhythm. It all helped remind me of who I am and what all I'd learned from my staycation (yes, I'm repeating that ridiculous word to annoy everyone who hates it). And, as it turns out, I learned quite a lot.

First off, I do actually love my job. I love helping people (even if they exhaust me). I love what I do and who I work with. I get burned out from time to time, but there's no other career I would rather do on a full-time basis. It offers a sense of fulfillment and stability that I've never appreciated until now (which has also given me a greater appreciation for all those people stuck at home in quarantine. I guess putting your life on hold isn't as amazing as it sounds…). Secondly, I love my family. There are some real memories from this past week that I'll never forget. Those lazy afternoons in the back yard with my wife while my kids played in their tiny pool. The mornings getting sunburned at my six-year-old's soccer games. The movie nights, laughs, and cuddles. Oh so many cuddles. Despite the craziness and heartache looming just outside our little pocket universe, my family and I really did make the most of it. Oh, and the last thing I learned? When making homemade pizza sauce, don't add baking soda to lower the acidity and then mix the resulting science experiment in a sealed blender. That is, unless you're looking to redo your kitchen.

On the bright side, my wife figured out what she wanted for her birthday—a new blender! That, my friends, is what you do when 2020 strikes. You make lemonade out of lemons. Sure, tragedy continues to weigh on our planet, our country, our society, and our families. Yes, my grandma's hip is still broken. Yes, my family lost a wonderful woman last week, and the world will always be just a little darker for that loss. Yes, the pandemic continues to rage. Yes, my county is second in the nation for active cases, which means full protective equipment and precautions at work every day. And yes, I'm going to have to pay a few hundred dollars to have my truck's air conditioner fixed. But you know what? My mom has been essentially symptom-free as she battles the Virus Which Shall Not Be Named. In fact, she's been out doing yard work. That's the epitome of making lemonade, folks. And this past Monday, on my wife's birthday, just when I was starting to feel bad that she hadn't had the special day that she so greatly deserved because I had to work and then drop off my truck at the repair shop, something kind of neat happened. The summer rain cleared away, and a promise revealed itself—a rainbow, tip to tail. God's reminder that he's watching over us. That there is always an end to the heartache. That no darkness lasts forever. And that, even in the midst of it all, there is beauty. There is laughter. There is hope.

So keep hoping, y'all. Better times are coming. It might get choppier before things start smoothing out. The school year and the winter are going to be challenging. But it won't be the end. "If you're going through hell, keep going," seems like wonderfully appropriate advice. So let's keep going, together. Let's remind each other what we're fighting for. Let's keep praying and taking extra time to help each other out. Showing kindness and patience when both seem to be in short supply. Oh, and remember, if you're thinking about ending it all by adding tomatoes and baking soda to a blender, just say no. Instead, maybe take a deep breath and power spray a smiley face into your sidewalk as a gentle reminder that it’ll all be okay.