Category Archives: vacation

Jul 14 2011
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Family, vacation

Vacation Determination

Rain, rain, go away! What is UP with the weather in Colorado this summer? Watch … Next week will be fabulous when I’m back at work for probably a full 50 hours. Earlier this week, the forecast didn’t show rain for Thursday and Friday. It crept in anyway. I was sick of sitting at home, though, and was determined to get out of this house without having to spend a lot of money to do something indoors. I found Putter’s Pride in Lakewood on the internet. After getting a little lost, thanks ever so much to the inaccuracy of Google Maps, we made it and had fun despite it being uncharacteristically humid in our neck of the woods. We chose to play all three courses, but skipped several holes as we passed a large daycare or summer camp group of kids. Had I known that so many of the holes were so similar (and soggy), we probably would have stopped at one course. Some holes were also skipped because the cups were filled to the top with water! Still fun!

After this, we were hot, hungry, and thirsty. I knew Colorado Mills wasn’t too far away and thanks to GPS navigation on my phone, we found it. A little food, a little browsing, a little listening to the torrential downpour hitting the roof of the mall, and a couple games of air hockey (super fun and made me wish we had space and money for our own table!), then I was ready to go. Miranda wanted to walk the final third of the mall we had skipped, but I know rush hour starts early in Denver and wanted to try to make the front end of that.

P.S. Leaving at 3:30 did not put us at the front of rush hour – at least not by much. I kept thinking how thankful I am to work from home and not have to sit through that traffic every day.

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Jul 12 2011
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Entertainment, Family, Holiday, Travel, vacation

Summer Vacation or Just Time Off?

In the states, we call it “vacation”. In the UK, they call it “holiday”. Why does it feel like neither when you just stay home? It’s merely time off. The silly term “staycation” doesn’t even seem to fit. How about a “relaxcation”? Now that I could go for! An entire week (or at least half of it) to loaf around and be lazy. I’m not sure how much of that I’ll be doing, either. I need to use this time to catch up on things that I haven’t been able to do around the house. Take time off of work to work. Hmmm. :|

My official time off this week started with rain. Yesterday morning I did a little map searching for possible photo locations. There are so many parks tucked away that you couldn’t possibly spot them by simply driving around. I picked out two parks to check out, and we only managed to see one of them: Cherry Creek Ecological Park. Of course, as soon as we parked and got out of the car, it started raining. :( So we sat in the car and waited a few minutes for it to stop. Then we made it as far as a gazebo about 100 yards away before it started raining again … harder. Since I was in no hurry for anything, I thought it was nice to just sit there listening to the rain hit the roof and enjoy the breeze. Miranda, on the other hand, thought it was boring. Kids. :roll:

Once the rain stopped again, we strolled around some of the trail in this park. Part of the trail was a boardwalk, which could make for some interesting photos. There’s also a bridge over Cherry Creek, but I’m not that thrilled with it as a photo op. Being an ecological park, we’re supposed to stay on the path. So photo options are pretty limited here, except for this boardwalk.

Why are we not traveling?

Simple … money. I’m not airing dirty laundry here. I’m just telling it like it is. We are trying to do something now that we should have put into strict practice years ago. We’re not using credit cards for anything and are working towards being credit card debt free by (if not before) November 2015. To expand on this would take an entire post itself. It started when this major life change negatively impacted our income. I immediately started doing things like this to stop unnecessary spending. More opportunities to work overtime opened up along the way, and we got a little stupid again. That has to change. We have to stick to the budget!

We had tentative plans to drive to St. Louis and visit family during this time off (aka: vacation), but a semi-unexpected car expense (followed by this) happened that cost about double what our fuel expense would have been for a road trip to and from St. Louis. Not only that, but we decided that some home improvements should take a higher priority once and for all. When I sit back and look at the bigger picture, it’s easy to see that this situation is quite common. When someone moves out of state, it’s usually the one who moved who is expected to travel back for visits. Interesting. The highway runs both ways, and we would love for more people to come visit us. ;)

What are we doing instead of traveling?

It’s also important to note here that Greg was not able to take time off since he hasn’t been at his job for a full year yet. So he wouldn’t have been able to go with us anyway. We used quite a chunk of “vacation change” to go to the Colorado Renaissance Festival on Saturday. Only the girls went along because Jason had to work and Josh didn’t want to go. Even with saving $3 per ticket buying them at King Soopers, the total for four tickets was nearly $70. Add to that the expenses for food, drink, and trinkets while at the festival. Suffice it to say that this ate a considerable amount of money. I will say that the $4 spent to ride an elephant for all of about 4 minutes (including time sitting still waiting for the other riders to pay and get on the elephant) was definitely worth it! This could, and quite possibly will be, another post entirely.

Ali had to work Sunday and Monday at the pool, but they closed early both days due to the weather. Today still holds a threat of rain, which is only a slightly higher threat than tomorrow holds. So our plan is to see how much we can do for very little cost (while staying dry). I took out a certain amount of cash for the remainder of the week so we can easily see how much we have to play with. I’m tossing around the idea of a zoo day, complete with picnic lunch, but I’d be just as happy taking that picnic lunch to a reservoir (Colorado’s idea of a lake with a purpose) where I can relax with a book. :)

In other words, I have no plan at this point. That is actually worse, to me, than having a plan. That usually results in doing much of nothing, which results in disappointment over wasting an entire vacation. On the other hand, planning too much ends up overwhelming me and makes the week pass by way too fast. How do I find a happy medium?

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Jun 17 2011
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Family, vacation

Bust for the Win in “St. Louis or Bust”

The idea of a summer trip to St. Louis came to me back in March, but I kept it hush-hush because I had no idea (due to the financial upsets over the previous months) if it would be possible. Then overtime opened up at work, which helped us loosen our belts in normal daily life at least. It wasn’t until we found out that Uncle Sam owed us money this year that I thought it really might happen. I even started a little light planning in my head for a day at the St. Louis Zoo (a MUST), a day at the local water park, and a gathering of friends and family on my dad’s birthday. What better way to get to see everyone without spreading ourselves so thin that we run out of time to see the sites?!

Reality started to hit. Once upon a time, I would have whipped out credit cards for gas, food, and entertainment to make such a trip happen. We don’t play that game anymore! Fifty points to the Karner house! :D Also in the past, we would put off home improvements to afford trips “home” instead. This time, we decided it was finally time to get rid of the nasty carpet (instead of the nasty dogs) and put new flooring down with part of that tax return. There would still be enough for a road trip. Or so we thought. We got a little sloppy with the budget, too. Strict meal planning and bargain grocery shopping went by the wayside. Too much dining out happened. Then the biggest whammy … the other knock sensor began to fail in my car creating roughly an $800 dent in the bank account (twice the round-trip cost for gas alone, not counting in-town driving).

There was still enough to make the trip happen, especially if we pushed through and made the trip there and back without stopping overnight and paying about another $100 each way for a hotel, and if we mooched off of friends and family as much as possible, foregoing a few favorite restaurants while there. So I continued to put off a final decision while going back and forth in my mind … we can do it … we shouldn’t do it … we might be able to … we really shouldn’t …

The “shouldn’t” turned into “can’t” when the responsible side of me finally stepped up and said, “Look, dumbass! You can’t do this!” My willy-nilly side was trying to put some pretty big wants in front of needs. We have a dog in need of dental work – and I don’t mean just a cleaning; I mean extractions to avoid infection and end some pain. Do you know how horrible I’d feel if I used money that could have been used for that to go on an unnecessary trip and the dog ended up with a bad infection? And I say “unnecessary” because everyone in St. Louis knows where we live and are ALWAYS welcome to come see us! No guilt or pressure … just sayin’ … That highway runs both ways. ;) Plus, when people come to see us, they get to spend more time with us. No waiting to see when we can fit you in!

There were a few more reasons, but I’ll end on that note. Our doors are always open to friends and family. We may have a full house with no fancy-schmancy guest room to spare, but we have two spacious rooms (living room and family room) where air mattresses can be set up. I think we even have a couple small tents should anyone want a little extra privacy while sleeping! I’m not kidding! :)

So it’s yet another staycation for us. We can’t complain about that, though. We live in COLORADO!!!

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Jun 09 2011
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Holiday, vacation

What Type of Vacation Accommodations Do You Choose?

Many people are still just now learning that there are alternatives to staying in a hotel when on vacation. Without mentioning that place that starts with V and ends with O and has RB in the middle (that dot com place), I thought I’d ask the few people who happen to find this post to participate in this little poll. Pick the one you use the most.

Thanks for playing! :D

May 27 2011
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Family, Holiday, Life, Travel, vacation

Have You Heard of VRBO and HomeAway?

For those just surfing in who don’t know me, I work for VRBO, which is owned by HomeAway. These companies are being recognized by the media more and more these days! Here’s an article on CNN.com’s travel page.

{They don’t look up properties for you or take any part in the reservation process. They are simply a venue for advertising for individual property owners and managers. Searching is the traveler’s job and booking is strictly between traveler and advertiser. This is stated in the Terms & Conditions that hardly anyone reads.}

Here is a snippet from Travel & Leisure Magazine:

And here is a snippet from Sunset Magazine:

If you’re a little hesitant about the whole idea of renting someone’s house instead of staying in a cramped hotel room, read this. You may have to do a little more homework before jumping into a rental agreement (and I suggest that you do), but it’s well worth the effort.

Going on vacation isn’t always about seeing how many activities you can do and how many sites you can see in a short period of time. It can also be about relaxing and experiencing life as you might if you didn’t have to work. There are homes around the world to fit any budget on these sites. There are even houseboats and yachts! Check it out if you haven’t already.

  • Edited on 6/3/11. Everything in this post is, without question, already public information. Not being snarky – just standing on principle. :)
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Apr 02 2011
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Entertainment, vacation

Goal Reached – The Julie/Julia Project

I said that I would read the entire blog, The Julie/Julia Project, by the end of my vacation. I did it! I’ve reached the end. I’m hungry now! Though I don’t really have the desire to read the book, or her subsequent book recently published, I do think I’ll wander into the kitchen and see what culinary madness I can muster with what few ingredients I have left in my kitchen, which is in dire need of replenishing. After satisfying my hunger, I’ll pop in the movie and chuckle here and there at the differences I notice between the movie and the blogged actualities while summoning up creative juices to design some new piece of jewelry. Hey! I never said my life was exciting. But it’s my life, and it works for me. :)

They really do have Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian.

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Apr 01 2011
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Family, vacation

I Could Be a Hermit | Day 7 of Vacation

No animal photos for me today. :( The lighting this morning was perfect, too. Overcast. At 10:30, the parking garage was full and blocked off, many cars drove around the old parking lot hopeful that someone was leaving (few got lucky), and there was a mob of people waiting to get through admissions. We decided to backtrack to Gunther Toody’s for food first. Second drive-by of the zoo – still packed.

I did find out that the red phone booth still stands. This was the brightest point of the day. Of course there was nowhere free to park for the few minutes it would have taken to snap a few photos, but at least I know it’s still there at 13th and Cherokee.

Then I got turned around, which is so easy to do downtown if you’re not that familiar with driving down there. Add to the unfamiliarity all the construction going on everywhere, and I ended up stuck in opening day traffic. The people. The buses. The jerks who feel compelled to cut you off. I had to pee. This is not a good thing when stuck in traffic with no convenient gas stations or restaurants with free parking anywhere around. I’ve at least learned that if you’re on a numbered street ending with “Street”, you’re going diagonally NW/SE. If your on a numbered street ending with “Avenue”, it runs east and west. People say to look for the mountains to see which way is west. This isn’t always possible when surrounded by tall buildings. This is when a compass would be nice again, and something you’d think would be a standard feature in a Jag.

Finally emerging from the Rockies traffic, we made one final attempt at the zoo. The parking garage was no longer blocked, but spots were only to be had by the lucky ones. We’re not lucky. Almost ever. I still had to pee. We give up on the zoo. Twenty minutes later, and after being stuck behind two more buses and a minor fender bender complete with cop on scene, I find a Burger King. Relief at last!

Not wanting the day to be a complete wash, I stopped at Target to look for leggings. Mission: one white pair and one gray pair. Mission half accomplished. Gray pair scored. Yes, I can still wear leggings. :)

I feel bad that the girls were stuck in a car half the day. At least we tried to do something. I could have just as easily spent the entire day at home creating jewelry. There’s a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with each completed piece of jewelry. Plus, it’s peaceful. I really wanted to photograph animals today, but everyone else had it in their mind to pounce on the first truly gorgeous day of the season and get out of the house as well. Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer, and everyone will be off. Hmmm… I think I’ll open my window and just enjoy the fresh air while surrounded by beads & things! Yep – I could be a hermit. Too much time out in public makes me anxious, but that’s for a whole other blog post entirely (if I ever choose to share).

Technically, my 40 hours of vacation time have been used. I’m now into normal weekend time. I knew it would fly by.

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Mar 31 2011
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Family, vacation

Downtown Denver | Day 6 of Vacation

“Life is like a box of chocolates.” This bench is outside of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. This was our first stop, not for lunch (like my girls would eat anything here), but for the girls to change from shorts into pants. I tried to tell them, but at least they were smart enough to bring pants to change into just in case. Sometimes, even when someone tells you what to expect, you still don’t really know until you bite into that chocolate candy what you’ll find inside.

So we were all the way downtown with all these interesting restaurants, and where do we end up eating? Chili’s. Paramount looked like a popular place. I’d love to try that sometime.

After eating, we hopped on the mall shuttle to the south end to go check out Civic Center. There was a peaceful assembly happening on the steps of the capitol. Since I’m pretty oblivious to the issues happening around me, I asked some (what’s the politically correct term?) law enforcement officers standing nearby what was going on. There was a bill being discussed today on civil unions. I heard about an hour ago that it died around 9:15 tonight, though. Since this is about my vacation, I’m not going to weigh in on this subject here.

We ended up going inside the capitol – nearly all the way to the top even! After snapping some pics through the windows, we went back downstairs and decided against the free 45-minute tour. We left in search of the old-fashioned red phone booth I had seen just last year. Gone! Son of a sea biscuit! My poor, out-of-shape body made the trek all that way for nothing. I better at least see a little improvement in my rear! :) So back on the shuttle we went, stopping at Starbucks for a quick, frozen perk-me-up. By then, it was still windy, but it was actually pretty nice out.

That was about it. Enough to get out of the house. A small adventure for some but pretty big for us. It’s not because we’re pathetically lazy – just so busy all the time.

I’ll throw in a bit about American Idol here instead of creating a separate post. I’m a little disappointed to see Thia leave, but I don’t think she was ready yet. Another year or two might make a big difference. I thought it would be Naima and Paul, though. Lauren and Scotty did an amazing job on their duet!

Tomorrow: Zoo

 

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Mar 31 2011
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Entertainment, Family, vacation

Lunch AND a Movie at the Same Time! | Day 5 of Vacation

What a way to save time! We saw Red Riding Hood at the Movie Tavern while eating lunch (their food isn’t horrible). We really liked the movie! Despite comments by die hard Twilight fans, it’s not at all a rip-off of that series. Just know that every time you think you know who the wolf is, you’re probably wrong. Saying that is probably saying too much. I’m sorry, but did you think predictability would be a good thing in a movie? :)

After the movie, we did a little shopping at Kohl’s. Why do they not set up all stores the same? I felt lost and turned around in this store! Despite the minor discombobulation, all three of us found a few things each. My goal of finding some season cross-over items with birthday money was accomplished. I found a couple of cute sweaters for layering that didn’t look too old or too young for me. YAY! We’ve been having better luck finding age-appropriate clothes in Miranda’s size lately, and Ali found a couple tops that I’ve already made clear I may borrow. She’s already been raiding my closet, so why not?!

Feeling satisfied with our wardrobe finds, we headed to Golden Spoon for some froyo. This made me cold on the outside and happy on the inside!

Enough for the day – home again. After a quick check of Facebook and a little internet surfing, we watched Tangled. I always wonder about the correct way to say this. Do you watch something on On Demand or just watch something On Demand. On On? Is that like saying “do do” – “I do do that”? Me thinks too much!

Tangled was followed by nine rounds of Scattergories then ANTM real-time before Idol on DVR. I won’t even waste time expressing my thoughts on Idol this week, except that I love, love, LOVE that the freshly groomed Casey pulled back and showed a more tender side this time.

Today: LoDo in the wind!

I leave you with the trailer for Red Riding Hood:

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Mar 29 2011
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vacation, work

Chained to the Computer | Day 4 of Vacation

At least I got to stay in comfy frumpies all day while chained to the computer. After taking the new mixer for a spin making Granola Blondies, I caught up on two weeks worth of money tracking on my ultimate Excel workbook then made sure I had everything I needed in my file of tax information. After a little more hesitation, I grabbed a sandwich and a tall glass of water and dove into TurboTax. Two hours later, I resurfaced to catch my breath and let out a sigh of relief that we didn’t owe again! Last year’s mistake not repeated, plus having one in college to give a nice tax credit as well as our changing our W4 forms last year all helped. Lingering medical bills can now be obliterated at last!

By the time I finished, it was nearly 3:00. It’s hard to find something interesting to do at that time of day and not ruin dinner, so I thought I’d be bored the rest of the afternoon. Then Jason reminded me that I needed to renew our FAFSA info for 2011/2012 school year, which he just officially entered today. UGH! More computer work, but at least I had the taxes completed necessary to renew this thing. Before working on that, though, I e-filed Jason’s taxes as well so he would get his return faster than if he mailed them (he already had them completed).

Now two major things have been scratched off that to-do list. These are major accomplishments. So why do I feel like I got absolutely nothing done today to validate my exhaustion?  It can almost make a person resentful that vacation time needs to be used to get things like these accomplished (take a day off work to, well, work), but I’m glad I was able to get it completed in one day so I don’t have to feel trapped at home for the rest of the week.

Tomorrow: Red Riding Hood and lunch at The Movie Tavern, a little shopping, and The Golden Spoon for froyo!

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