Facie’s Ramblings

Well, maybe my title is not entirely accurate. I mean, I can find joy in little things. I don't need to be part of something that is big and spectacular. But yet I sometimes (maybe closer to often) find myself becoming sad because those little moments are going to end, and I focus more on the loss (and trying to capture the moments). A few hours ago, we returned home from a week at OC MD. When we went last year, we stayed only four nights, and I honestly thought we would not be back for years. But one year later, there we were, and staying longer to boot. Yet during the last couple of days, which would be more days than we had last year, I found myself almost panicking. I felt as if I had to grab a hold of the final days and fill them with as much beach and ocean as I could. I kept worrying that we were not doing enough things or that I was going to regret doing nothing. Thursday was the first bad weather day we had. Before the storm came, I managed to get a run in on the bea...

If I did a search on "car" or "cars," I am sure that would turn up a lot of posts. I can't seem to go more than six to eight months without having to put money into my car(s). And in the last 10 months, I have spent around $1,500 among tires, a couple of oil changes, an inspection, brakes and rotors, an AC quick fix (not what I really need for it to actually be repaired), and some oil pan or plug. Looking on the bright side, if I had a new/not-yet-paid-off car, I would have spent more on car payments during that time. But still. I tend to go through a set of brakes and rotors every two years. In fact, every other June/July for the past six years, I have replaced my front set. You might be wondering what in the h-e-double hockey sticks I am doing. I kind of am too. But I guess when you speed up to a stop sign and then slam on your brakes, along with sitting in rush hour traffic in general twice a day, five days a week, well, that can do it. Plus I recently disc...

What do you consider a vacation? Does your trip need to be a certain number of hours or miles away? Do you need to be gone for at least three or four days for it "to count"? Or as long as you are off work or school for more than two days, is that enough of a vacation? I was a pretty spoiled child. We went to the beach for a week pretty much every year in addition to going to another place or two for a day or more. When I was in high school, my family had a house in Ocean City, Maryland, which meant several weeks at the beach. And for about a year, my family also had a house on Indian Lake (near where Flight 93 crashed), so we had many weekend getaways there as well.Yep, rough life I had. But as an adult, I never felt the need to go away every year. And once I got married, we often went several years in between "going on vacation." In fact, during our 13-plus years of marriage, the only week-long trip we have taken was to Disney for our honeymoon. It took us 10 m...

I am still in beach vacation mode. Not vacation mode, mind you, because I have been in that mode for months. But rather stuck in the lazy, really-do-nothing state that an actual, going-somewhere vacation provides. I am so glad we went to the beach and got away. Although Jordan at first thought the ocean smelled too fishy, after a day away (we stayed on the bay), she changed her mind (or maybe the air was just better). It was truly delightful to listen to and watch her scream and laugh in the waves. And it was kind of fun for me, even when a wave knocked me down. Probably my favorite part, though, was the eating. Shocking, I know. I had seafood at every dinner. It was wonderful. Crab soup, scallops, clams, crab legs, and more. I would love to eat like that once or twice a week. I can still taste all that deliciousness. And sipping a fruity drink while overlooking the pool during happy hour the first night was a perfect way to start the vacation. That hour really was happy! And, even bet...

Yesterday, I booked a vacation at Ocean City, Maryland, for the end of June. This will be the first vacation we have taken since our honeymoon almost 10 years ago. Twice we have gone with Brian's mom and her friend for a couple of nights to a resort in Virginia, but this is our vacation, to a destination we wanted to go to, staying at a condo we picked out (and by we I mostly mean I), where we can have our own bedroom and not share it with a kid. Growing up, we went to OC a lot, but since I have been married, I have mostly avoided the sun, so it is kind of odd we picked a beach. But there is a lot to do in OC, and the place that we picked has some amenities that I am sure Jordan will like (if only Brian had someone to golf with...). Plus, one assumes it should not be as hot in June as it would be in later summer, so hopefully that will help. With all the gloom and doom going on with the economy, it is nice to have something to look forward to for the next four months. I definitely...