SEPTEMBER 21, 2008
Sunday night and this is the first time I've been at my computer in over a week. And considering I usually spend at least 6 hours a day at my laptop, going over a week without activity is unheard of. In fact, I didn't know it was possible to go that long without geeking, would have thought I'd go nuts without the internetz, but you learn something new every day.
Ross had last week off from work, which is why the clicking of my keyboard was silent for the computer equivalent of an eon. And, normally, when Ross takes a vacation, which doesn't happen often, we like to take a trip of some sort but, with the economy tanking and all the financial chaos going on in the country, we weren't in the mood to spend a lot on a vacation right now.
Luckily, the country's money ills haven't affected us and we're doing well, but we're nervous about how the economic meltdown might affect us eventually, so we chose to be frugal with vacation plans this year and, rather than spend a lot to go somewhere, we instead did a 'staycation' and had a damn good time!
Over the last week, we went to the Oregon coast and frolicked on the beach in 85 degree weather, went to the Oregon Zoo to see the baby elephant and ended up falling in love with the zoo's charismatic beaver, went to a soccer game and watched UP notch yet another win, strolled through Portland's Saturday Market, and last but not least, celebrated Ross' birthday on the 17th.
In the end, even though we didn't go far from home, we had great fun and felt like it was a real vacation, but barely had to use money. All told, we spent less than $90 for a day at the beach, trip to the zoo, soccer game, and various events in Portland, which was a lot less expensive than a trip to Europe. And while Europe would've been nice, it wouldn't have been worth the stress of spending thousands while the country is in economic crisis.
So, it turns out the whole "staycation" thing can be downright fun, contrary to popular belief. A lot of people have whined about not being able to take real vacations this year and having to do staycations instead but, if you actually put some thought into it, staying close to home can be just as much fun, especially if you live someplace like Portland.
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