Nathan and I wanted to take a trip out to Kansas so Lauren could see Grandma and Grandpa and we could also visit friends in IA and MO.  The time frame for doing so was a bit ambitious 7 – 10 days we could be gone, four days of that would be just the getting there and getting home, not to mention the day or so it was going to take to get to or from KS from MO.  That didn’t leave a lot of time for visiting.  And 12 – 16 hours in the car each day?  With Lauren?  She might do ok, but she might also get really pissed off.  So we thought, perhaps we can just fly grandma out here, but that didn’t work and grandpa couldn’t come either.  So then maybe just flying Lauren and I out there, but that didn’t work, grandma said to just wait, so we are.

Hopefully we can do the trip in the spring of this coming year when we can take more than 7 days off and do the trip some justice.  Half the time in the car each day and actually seeing things along the way, plus spending some time with friends and family.

We are still taking some time off but we are just doing a restful getaway in WA.  We need a break and our fear was the trip we were planning wasn’t going to be restful and we would come back and still need a break and be even more drained.  We are heading back up to the San Juans.  We haven’t been there since we were married up on Orcas, nearly three and a half years ago.  We thought it might be the perfect place to getaway to, the only problem is holy moley it is expensive.  Sorry to any of our B&B friends up there but there was no way we could afford it.  I thought, oh maybe one of the little cabins at this place…$300 a night?!  How about a room at this kid friendly place…$275!  The motel we stayed in about 5 years ago?  Now an upscale "motel" with a spa and $295 a night! Ouch.  so I found a nice, cozy (small), vacation rental on San Juan that is $130 a night, gives us access to the ferry, so we can go island hopping, and looks perfect for what we need.  No pool, no hot tub, but a jetted tub, and a kitchenette with a cooktop and microwave so we can stop at Costco on the way and eat well and not spend a fortune eating out (although fish and chips at the pub might be nice).

We are looking forward to our little break, just have to get past our last big outdoor wedding of the season and a meeting and away we go!