Well, I took my little moment yesterday to pout (again) about our Europe trip being cancelled and today I’m moving on!
Honestly, I was already mostly “over it”…we’ve known the trip was cancelled for a long time now. The disappointment had already been processed, repeatedly, and the shock/anger/frustration had largely dulled. But it still hit me yesterday morning when looking at my planner and seeing the crossed out “Leave for Europe!!” entry in the box for August 13th.
C’est la vie.
I tried my best to look on the bright side and stopped for a moment on our morning walk to take in the beautiful, sunny, August sky right here in Wisconsin, in my own neighborhood.
Today will be a busy day- I have a full workday, a tree company appointment this morning and, I need to pack!
I don’t believe I’ve confirmed this on the blog here, but after much deliberation, we decided we will travel to Florida (leaving tomorrow morning) to spend our already-requested vacation days at the beach. I think if I’m honest there was a part of me that didn’t really want to admit this, in part in fear of maybe being judged for our decision.
I know there are so many differing views of everything right now and the pandemic is no exception. I also know everyone has different levels of comfort regarding it all- some people probably still never leave the house and haven’t had contact with another person since March, others do go out, but very much in moderation and taking many precautions (that would probably be us) and others still are throwing caution to the wind and being totally irresponsible.
Long story short, we ultimately decided that we do feel comfortable enough to take this very low key vacation to Panama City Beach. It was a hard decision initially, as Florida is certainly considered a “hotspot” within the U.S.
However, with more thought, we realized the area we are headed is hundreds of miles from the true hot spots in the state. Also, we will be driving, we’ll have our own kitchen/ cooking facilities and the place we stay is neither large nor crowded. Even in past years (we’ve been there many times before), we are never anywhere near anyone else on the beach. It just isn’t the kind of beach you see on the news with wall to wall people- it’s a quiet, family place and I know social distancing will be easy there. This upcoming week is also very off peak season there, since the South is already back in school.
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| Looking forward to planting myself right about THERE and not doing much else. |
Anyway! We realize that nothing at this point is completely risk free, but we will be taking every precaution possible, just as we do around home. We’ll have our masks, our hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes armed and ready. 🙂 As with everything in life, you have to calculate your risks and choices sometimes and just do the best you can for yourself and your own family.
I’m looking forward to getting away to one of my favorite places in the world. I haven’t decided if or how much I’ll be checking in on the blog. I am planning to take a laptop, and I do very much enjoy writing here, so I might decided to pop in. Probably not everyday though, or who knows- maybe not at all. 😊
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| It was a beautiful morning on the deck this morning. I sat for a full 10 minutes just….existing. |
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful that Ivan cut the grass and did all the laundry pre-vacation last night. We still need to pack, but I’m grateful those items are off the list.
GRATEFUL KAE 
enjoy your break! I think it's a balance act of being cautious, take risks and care our overall wellness. if we're allowed to go anywhere, I would probably do so too.
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So glad you guys decided to still take your vacation. I see no reason for all of us to be hiding in our homes. I think that we must just continue to live during these challenging times. I know for me personally I will be continuing to take care of the daily tasks that require my time and attention and then each night reminding myself to be grateful for my health, career, and family! If I choose to live in fear in my home, I am going to take away the careers and mental health of those that need me to continue to live (if that makes sense). You are helping to keep the travel industry alive and that is so needed at these times! ❤
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I'm glad you all decided to go. I was just in Florida to help out family and really as insane as it feels because Florida it can be done safely.
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Your decision to go makes sense to me but I know how it can feel to worry about what others will say about your decision. We have been on the more cautious side between me being pregnant and on immune suppressant drugs. So I'm worried about unknowingly infecting others since our son is in daycare and getting sick by others who aren't social distancing/wearing masks/taking covid seriously. I'm just trying to make the most of the warm weather months because once it's too cold for outdoor gatherings, we will only see our best friends whose kids go to the same daycare. I'm dreading the time of isolation but am trying not to think about it too much!
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