Joe and I took the last week off of work to do...NOTHING! Originally we were supposed to use all the rest of our vacation days on an actual vacation in October, but I had to cancel at the last minute for a work conflict (super lame...boo adulthood). So, we found ourselves with a few extra vacation days to burn before the end of the year and decided to just relax at home rather than try to plan a whole new trip. I had big plans for the week: we would hit the gym every day, we'd do a bunch of house projects, I'd get ahead on my schoolwork....in actuality we became fused to our couch. We watched all six Star Wars movies, and When Harry Met Sally, and the entire first season of Fixer Upper on HGTV (and a bunch of other random stuff I can't remember). Most importantly, we relaxed, and we even slept past 7am a couple times!
We didn't go to the gym once, but we did de-wallpaper the last bedroom upstairs and paint it. I didn't get ahead on my schoolwork, but I did get everything done that was due this week. You can't tell after a week of making a mess in it, but I actually cleaned the entire house top to bottom in every nook and cranny the first day we were home. We got all our Christmas decorations up, I made some great meals, we knocked off an entire case of wine, and I only felt slightly guilty about not checking my work email (I literally haven't checked it once!). We laughed a lot, we relaxed and we had a great week on our little staycation, I highly recommend it!
Vacations are great, I love drinking a pina colada with my toes in the sand as much as anyone, but there's plenty to enjoy at home too. Vacation's not about the beach, it's just about escaping your responsibilities for a week. We were able to get a few things done around the house that we've been pushing off, get in plenty of relaxation and lots of play time with the pups all without ever leaving the comfort of home! To me, it was more relaxing than a vacation because I didn't have to stress out over travelling, boarding the dogs, and how much money we were spending (no matter how much we make, I think I will always feel guilty spending money on a vacation rather than paying down debt or improving our house). So, even if all you can do is clear one weekend to do nothing, do it. Take a few days to really relax, appreciate what you have, and enjoy doing nothing!
