VACATION!!!!!

I did it. I took what I believe is one of the biggest challenges for a single parent of multiple children and I have conquered it...well, so far. Vacation. I mean a real vacation. A pack your bags and drive across the country in a car with no DVD player kind of vacation.

I have been looking forward for this vacation for months now and as the time grew closer, my vacation grew too. It started off as a single destination trip, but is ending up with multiple destinations. In fact, we are still on vacation right now. I was looking forward to this trip for a number of reasons. Of course, there was the obvious opportunity to get away from life, which is what most vacations are. I was also very excited to be able to see friends that I hadn't seen in years. But mostly for me it was a challenge and a chance to prove that I could do something like this by myself with the kids. Not that I really felt like I had anyone to prove it to, just myself. That changed though, as our vacation drew near and my ex caught wind of our impending vacation. I hadn't shared with him any information about the trip that I was planning. Especially with the turn of events over the summer, I didn't feel like I should have to share the details of our life with him or get his permission, and I really didn't want him to have the privilege of knowing. But, of course the kids were excited and the news got out. When he finally said something to me about it, he asked me why I was taking this trip by myself. This infuriated me and the response that I gave him, I should not repeat. I felt like he was questioning my parenting and was implying that this was something that I was not capable of doing by myself. More than anything, it was the tone in which he asked the question. So, now I did have something to prove.

So let me tell you briefly about our trip. We left on Monday and headed south for Arlington, Texas. We enjoyed an uneventful 9 hour drive in the car in which we only stopped to use the bathroom and the kids did GREAT! I was very pleasantly surprised, especially since I was prepared for the worst. In Arlington, we stayed with one of my old roommates and best friends from college. It was wonderful to see her and her family and to be able to spend a few days there. She was a great hostess and kept the kids just busy enough that they were entertained. I would have been happy just sitting and visiting at home. Pictures will follow in a few days with more details of our adventure. Thursday morning, we left Arlington and headed off to our second destination, Baton Rouge, Louisianna. This is where I am now. Here, we are visiting the family of my ex-boyfriend from high school. I know that sounds strange, but I have always remained close with his family. This is one of those trips that I could have never made while married to my husband...talk about awkward. Even though I know they would have welcomed him because of the love that they have for me, he would have never wanted to come. So, now we are going to bask in the love of my Louisianna family for several days.

That's it in a nutshell. So now, as I type this, I am watching my children sleep off some of the exhaustion that they have incurred over the past week. Wonderful exhaustion. It is so great to see them getting an escape from the reality of their lives, as I am all too aware that it is not just me that has to deal with everything. It is OUR struggle, not mine. Right now they are happy, excited to see what comes next, and exhausted. Sure signs of success. Yes, I did it!