Is a Vacation Possible?

Brad and I are currently set to leave for the Northeast Wednesday afternoon. I'll be honest, I'm doing so with some hesitation. Do I want a week off from work? Of course! Do I want a week with the husband, just he and I traveling new territory that we have yet to explore in this great land of ours? An even bigger yes!

I have one worry, and it's my health. I try to ignore it, work around it, live around it. But then I have days like last Saturday where a simple couple hours at the mall ruined the entire weekend and sent me into an enormous "pain spiral." By the time we left I was in so much pain I honestly thought I would end up passed out on the floor of the mall. I have my stubbornness to thank for getting me to the car, but once I was there I gave the keys to Brad, sat in the passenger chair, closed my eyes and prayed for a brief coma...the only thing where I could still be alive but not feel pain, or so I think.

I'm definitely worried about the trip. The car ride - piece of cake. We're taking the new '10 Corolla, and it's comfortable and has a lot of different entertainment options. I also will have my partner in crime - Brad - right next to me. What I'm worried about is anything out of the car. Will I be able to handle sitting through my brother's musical? Will I actually be able to walk the estate grounds of President John Adams without the use of a wheelchair? Simple things, yet any of these could completely take me out of commission. And while I try to ignore it, I couldn't ignore what occurred Saturday. I was down for the count the rest of the day, and couldn't be on my feet for more than a few minutes on Sunday. That was after just two hours at a mall.

I'm certainly not going to pull out of the trip, but it certainly has my mind reeling about what I can and can't do. The last thing I want is to ruin the trip in any way, and I want to make the most of this week I'll have with my husband. I also want to make sure I'm not just limited to seeing things out of a car window. It will certainly be a balancing act, and I must do everything I can to make it successful and as painless as possible.

I did finally make hotel reservations Friday, and got some good deals. The bad news (for the economy) is that most of the hotels seem to have a lot of vacancies. It's good news for us though, since I get to take advantage of my Marriott Gold status and should get upgrades to concierge level rooms and several deals hotels were offering. We'll be spending Wednesday in Scranton, PA; Thursday & Friday in Quincy, MA (south of Boston); Saturday & Sunday in Providence, RI; and Monday in Syracuse, NY. This will officially put us in three new states we have never been to, and for me leaves only six states that I have not been to in the continental 48 states - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, North Carolina, South Carolina & Louisiana. We'll be somewhat close to the first three so it's possible we could hit them during this trip, but I doubt it. Must save something for another time.