Time for Us

So I have a friend, well really just someone I was friendly with in high school (we were never really close) that is going through IF and semi-open with it on FB.  I have reached out to her through private message to cheer her on and explain some treatments but I know after three IUIs nothing has worked.  She had a status this week of "I just need a vacation from my life!" and I commented that in the past five years I have found that it *IS* needed even if only for 24 hours to get the hell out of dodge.

Some people may say "but Kati, you don't understand - we don't have the money."  Trust me find a way.  If you can borrow a tent and pack some food - go camping (basically free except for gas).  If you have a friend three hours away - agree to a visit down there.  Search out groupon or hotel sites for fire sale cheap deals.  Just do anything you can to at least twice a year for at least 24 hours get out and enjoy time for the two of you (with or without friends).  This is what I firmly believed help Jeff and I make it through.

And in that spirit - now that we have more money since we spent several years paying down debt, getting promotions, and finally being done keeping as much money as we can find for treatment we're stepping it up damn it!

This weekend we are heading out to a casino in Michigan.  Sure just a 36 hour get away but we're really looking forward to it as it's something we enjoy together.  Spending all that time together for the car trip, dining, a king size bed (aahhhh) and the laughs we have along the way will be worth it!

And we are planning a trip to Vegas in the spring.  Now, I know earlier in the year I said I wanted our next vacation to not be gambling.  But we agreed if we got the house we wouldn't have a vacation this year.  And we're not.  It's NEXT year people, and hell we just both decided we really want to go back so screw it if most of our vacations are gambling.

PLUS we will have a non-gambling vacation next year too.  My cousin was supposed to get married in Miami in April...but they've now decided to have a destination wedding in Puerto Rico with only bridal party and close family so we're off the hook (this is when we decided to go to Vegas instead).  My dad however was sad this meant we wouldn't have the opportunity for a family vacation (we've not had one since I was 22ish) and he had been working on getting us all to spend a whole week in a house rental for the wedding.  My brain kicked into high gear (since I know my dad was jealous of the family vacation we took with Jeff's side four years ago) and I said "Barb's parents own that house in Lake in the Ozarks - why don't we see if we could rent that out?"

It's perfect because it has enough space for us 6 adults and three grandkids.  It's on the water.  It's between my parents in OK, and my brother and I in Illinois.  AND Barb's parents agreed to rent it to us in mid June for five days for $800 - so less than $270 per family.  We can split costs of food to cook in the kitchen and maybe go out just once or twice.  We could rent a pontoon.  Overall MUCH cheaper than my dad's house and flights to Florida.   This is totally stuff up my dad's alley, while we all agreed we were not thrilled with the idea of Miami during spring break - as we're not beach people and hell - we're not college kids.  While he pouted a bit (because he likes to do the planning and I've put everything together for it) but he's come around to appreciate that we will indeed have a family vacation - the first in 15 years.  Yes, we will all get together for Christmas in Oklahoma this year (they get every other year).  But a real, out of our homes, vacation together.

I know IF brain makes a lot of you think "we can't plan that far ahead" and I totally get it. (We thought if we got KU from the June IVF I couldn't go to Miami.)  But seriously ladies still going through it.  Find a weekend in the next few months, even if it is to go see the leaves changing color somewhere and a little bed and breakfast.  And get the hell out of dodge for a day!