Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Last night hubby and I started talking about future vacations. Now that we have the kidlet, we have to be a little more selective about where we go and what we do. At first it seemed that every place we wanted to go was "not a good idea." For instance, my dream has always been to see Paris. But transatlantic with a baby is not something I want to undertake. That puts most of my other "want to see's" off limits as well: Italy, Prague, Morocco, Japan.... Hubby and I also want to go back to the resort where we spent our honeymoon (the Royal Plantation in Jamaica) but it is adult-only so that is out. We considered looking into a "Beaches" family resort nearby but then the overprotective parent gene kicked in and we decided that on the off chance Cora would get sick we weren't as fond of the Jamaican health care system as we could be. So, with sticking to the US in mind, we thought about a ski trip to Colorado... but it would be a little difficult to teach a kid who isn't walking yet to balance on two strips of wood while going 35mph.

After a lot of discussion we finally decided that perhaps the Keys or South Padre would be the best bet for this year's outing. Both places are lovely, but it did seem a little less exciting than our prior hopes. People tell you when you get married to travel as much as possible before having kids. I suppose this is why.

But then, when I take a minute, I stop thinking so much about what *I* want to do, what *I* will be missing, what *I* would enjoy, and start to think about Cora's view of her first vacation. Her first plane ride, her first view of the ocean, the first time she feels sand between her toes. So while Paris is still in my heart and the back of my mind, I find instead that I am suddenly looking forward to chubby little legs sticking out of the worlds cutest swimming suit, sandy little hands grabbing for my hair, ocean breezes ruffling baby-fine hair, and grilled cheese sandwiches at an oceanside cafe - and suddenly it seems like the world's perfect vacation. Paris can wait.