The Long and Short of Vacationing

Hello, All!

I just got back (late last night) from visiting my brother in Charleston, SC. We were there only three short days (three days was all the time off we could afford since Ben and I both work retail), but man did we do a lot in those three days!

Let's see... we went to the beach three times, rented three movies, ate out... you guessed it, three times, and also found time to see the new Evan Almighty in theaters, made iced coffees (thanks to Ben's free Starbuck's pound!), and had our first kayaking experience! I am very, very sore.

Recommendations:

1) Terraza coffee from Starbucks, on ice, with International Delight Irish Cream Coffee Creamer. Man... it's good.

2) Taking a Charleston Ghost Walk (we didn't get to go this time, but I've been before and they are spoooooky cool!)

3) Steinbeck's The Pearl. That's not something you have to be in Charleston to read, I just happened to pick it up in the morning when the guys were still sleeping. It's sad (obviously, it's Steinbeck!), but incredibly written.

4) The movie "Ghost Rider." Terrible movie, but hilarious. The dialog had us rolling.

5) The Seafood Alfredo from an awesome restaurant right on the water called RB's. Their sweet tea is also amazing.

6) And finally, staying in Chris's 3-bedroom (are we noticing a theme here??) condo and mooching off his depth of generosity!

Also, if you can make time for it whenever you're in the area, go to Kaminsky's for an out-of-this-world dessert experience (sorry man, couldn't resist!).

All in all, it was an extremely tiring and fun trip! I finally bought a Peace Frogs shirt and a sticker for my car. Jack's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks (I have to find the title and discover when exactly he was signed over to me), and I'm going to celebrate by decorating him with stickers. Yaayyy!!

So... now the hard stuff begins, because I really have no excuse anymore for not cleaning up my apartment and finding a job. My next vacation won't be until the end of July, and that gives me at least a month to get my life sorted out, which ought to be enough time, but inevitably won't be. But look at me, pretending my life is difficult because I need a better job and happen to leave messes in my space. No, I realize that I am very blessed and that things will be changing for me soon, it's only a matter of time.

One more plug before I go. Kayaking. Man, is it awesome! I'll admit, it took me a long time to be convinced. I am not exactly the rugged type, nor am I incredibly in shape at the moment, but in the end I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Go in the morning, though, when it's not as hot. I can't imagine that heat, sitting in a little boat, in the afternoon. I was a sticky, sweaty mess when the tour was over, but I have to say it was enjoyable nonetheless. I think it is something I could definitely get into if I had the money. How much do kayaks cost anyway?

I was very clumsy with it all, and kept running into people and docks. Luckily, I never wrecked any of the expensive boats in the harbor we passed through, or had any major disasters. Just felt sore, tired, sweaty, and clumsy, and pressed on anyway. Somehow I think there's a metaphor for life in there, but I'm not desperate enough to dig for it just now. In the end, I think I may have been really getting the hang of it. Who knows, when I'm a rich and famous author sometime in the near future, I just might take up kayaking to escape the pressures of my fame and fortune. By then I'll even have enough to tip the tour guide!

If only...