Are Vacations Worth it?

Ever wonder 24 hours after you’ve gotten home if you were even away? 

I most especially marvel at this post-holiday letdown in September.  In our family, the kids are not the only ones who get the summer off. As a teacher it is a full-on holiday for me too.  I love that there are two months off, I am never itching to get back to school, although occasionally I wish the kids were going back before me. And I tend to get the most out of summer. I relax, swim, run, play, go for romantic boat rides with Mr. Husband…

So there really is no reason why by the second day of school, Ok, maybe the third, that I feel like I have not even been off for a week.  I’m sure the physical affects of the stress that ravages my body and mind are alleviated by my two month holiday, but the exhaustion, frustration of getting everything done and low patience threshold with others is back and booming within the first week of school.

The same is true for any holiday I take.  Last weekend included.

48 hours I was lounging by the pool in 80 degree weather at this most decadent and delicious hotel

in Las Vegas, having the most relaxing holiday I’ve had in 7 or 8 years.

A 12hour flight of poor service and bad connections, SNOW, a crazy back-to-school day, a very bad Leaf game, no internet service, a missed urbanmoms post, preparation for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test and an impending belated Easter celebration later and I can barely remember that I was relaxed, once upon a time, for a few lovely, lovely days.

My apologies to all of you that my post fell victim to my holiday shenanigans. I did have great intentions of catching up last night, not knowing that our very fickle internet was also on vacation.

The stress-free portion of the programme may be over, but I do have to highly, highly recommend Wynn for a mommy and daddy retreat when you are prepared to sign for everything without looking at the price and just assume that you will pay for it for the next few years.  Either that, or hit it big at the slots.

Alas, lady luck, although not cruel to the Brooks, was rather cold and paid us little attention. I do have bragging rights of making it through 86 players in a Texas hold’em tournament at Caesar’s Palace, to number 11, but the money didn’t start paying until 9th. At least I beat Mr. Husband who got knocked out at 85 when his aces were cracked by trip  5’s.

We took a little advice from Elton John who rocked my world at the Colisseum and refused to let the sun go down on us…which may contribute to my exhaustion this week.

And we had the most decadent dinner, the chef’s menu at Alex, the signature restaurant at Wynn, which included caviar, lobster, scallops and seared foie gras.

The party may be over, there is an unpacked suitcase in every room of my house…some still left over from March Break and the unloading of the ski chalet, I have at least 12 loads of laundry, garbage that has missed last Thursday’s pick up and some awfully green and smelly foods in the fridge, but I had 4 quality days with my husband and all the frazzle dazzle that has come before and after is more than worth it. For a few hours it was just us and I will cling to this through all the personal missteps, house re-organizing calamities and back to work fiascos that follow that rare opportunity.