Finally, A Vacation!
A Well Earned Getaway
After 3 years of barely leaving the house, we finally plucked up the courage to take a 5 day cruise to Mexico. I sort of hinted to that in my last post about one of our stops in Encenada.
We did everything we were supposed to do. Quarantined, got all the covid vaccines, wore masks and did our best to follow all of the constantly changing guidelines. Just like everyone else we dealt with all of the issues that came along with it such as depression, anxiety, boredom and a high baseline level of constant stress. If you didn't experience this, then congratulations! I am jealous.
We hummed and hawed about when would be the right time, but the last thing that really made it happen was a good friend losing his wife to cancer. We asked him if he'd like to go on a cruise with us, and he agreed; so that was it! We planned this trip several months ago and have seriously been looking forward to it.
We were mostly worried about how @little-ricky would deal with the whole thing. We took him to England earlier this year to meet his extended family, and the airplane trip was 10 hours of him screaming bloody murder! Once we got there he had a blast, of course. I was really concerned that he wasn't going to enjoy being on a ship that much.
As it turns out, he really liked being on the ship. Of course, he made me carry him around everywhere because he was a bit overwhelmed with all of the people. But man did that kid love the buffet. I think the staff must have hated us though. He made a horrific mess under the table several times per day!
@afturner and I were talking earlier and did a bit of math. It turns out that it would be cheaper by literally 1000s of dollars per month to live on a cruise ship than our current life here in LA. Can you imagine? Room cleaned several times per day, all the food you can eat - prepared for you. Swimming pools, entertainment, really nice gym and best of all - getting to travel to new places every day.
I have to tell you. It is tempting! Apparently it's also something that a lot of people actually do. Some people retire to cruise ships. The major downslide that I see is that the internet connection is abysmal. We would have to be able to have a good internet connection for work. Who knows, it may be an option at some point in the future! It's fun to think about. Even if we only did it for several months out of the year.
Of course then you'd have to figure out what to do with all of your stuff in the meantime, which would kind of negate the point of saving money.
I was super stoked to see Ricky enjoying himself so much. We bought him a little blow up raft to float around in, but weren't sure if he'd be too scared to get into it. Well, it turned out that we had no reason to worry. It was actually much harder getting him to get out of it when it was time to leave! That kid went 100% energizer bunny all day long.
Of course the up-side to that was that he slept like a log for many, many hours at night giving us a chance to take a breather. To be fair we used most of that time sleeping ourselves - something we've not gotten much of over the past 2 years. I've never slept so much in my life!
I can't tell you how much we needed this trip. I'm not going to lie, it was not as relaxing as our previous child free cruises, but it was still super amazing to get away. One thing that I have learned from this whole experience is that human beings need contact with other humans. We are social creatures by nature!
I certainly won't be waiting another three years to travel again!
I would also like to have a nice holiday by the sea with my family. Happy holidays to you
Thanks! Happy holidays to you as well.
Congrats on dropping everything and seeing the world again. Dont wait another three years indwed. And yeah sure it is different with these rascals there but still...change of scenery change of everything. The brain needs it!
Oh trust me, I won't wait another 3 years! I don't think I could survive it. I definitely noticed a marked difference in the little one's behavior once we got into a new environment. It's just what the doctor ordered!
the one we chose for the holiday looks very nice
Yeah, it was a great choice indeed. I have taken this trip before, and will likely do it again!
Only rare people hadn't experienced anxiety and all that.... We all are kinda same in this aspect!
Happy to see things have became way much better now and Glad that you are a responsible citizen who took all safety precautions!
Ricky seems like enjoying there with family... That's really something Good... I wish you have more fun there. Have a wonderful Sunday ahead!
Thanks for your comments! I hope you had a great weekend yourself.
My Pleasure. Yea I had exciting day's and wish you Great day's ahead.
I would love to have a holiday vacation. I think it would be great to get away from work and relax for a bit. I also think it would be a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends.
I really enjoy cruises. It's funny, I never had much of a desire to get on a ship for most of my life because I thought I'd get sea sick. But now I've been on 5 or so and really love it! It's a great way to bond with family and old friends.
That place looks very colorful and the landscapes are to die for. I'd love to eventually get to visit Mexico. Happy for you and your fam dude!
Really the views are my favorite thing about going to Mexico. Especially the coastal areas. It's super relaxing on the eyes for sure!
Your vacation with your beloved family really makes me jealous and want to do like you, also in the same place as you, but that's impossible, because I get drunk on ships, both cruise ships and airplanes.
not only that, to travel far by car I will get drunk and vomit, what a dilemma.
I am amazed by the beauty of the places you visit, your togetherness with your family looks very happy, because there is no most beautiful thing for a father except seeing his children and wife smiling, and you have succeeded in doing that
It is crazy to me how being a father can be simultaneously the most exhausting and rewarding thing you can do. And of course making @afturner happy really makes my day as well!
I can only imagine how refreshing it was for you to take this well-deserved vacation, the first 2-3 years of babies are exhausting and you can hardly sleep...
It is always very necessary to take a break even once a year to disconnect and repair, this is very good for the mind and soul.
Haha, everyone keeps telling me that things will get better with the little one. I can't say anything is getting better yet, only 'different' versions of very difficult. Well, at least he keeps me on my toes! But yes, we definitely have to take a break from time to time. The mind and body need a break!
It sounds like you had an awesome time! I have never been on a cruise. I have a bit of a phobia about all those people in such an enclosed space. I am glad that the little one had a great time too. I don't have kids, but I totally understand about enjoying all the sleep!
I can understand that phobia. I don't necessarily have a phobia about it, but I do get overwhelmed sometimes when in large crowds. I get a little bit disoriented when the boat is moving a lot, and I am trying to navigate around a large number of people in the cafeteria area when everyone is holding food. I am scared of spilling food on someone!
Haha, I would totally be the one to do that. My parents were always careful the stores they let me in when I was a kid. If there was lots of glass, I was likely waiting in the car!
100% right.
We need people around us to talk. Alone we are nothing.
We are undeniably social. I have noticed that if I am feeling depressed it is usually because I have been spending too much time alone. It is crazy how this is built into us as humans.
Exactly, we are social beings, we need others, I'm glad your friend agreed to go with y'all, at least he would have a companion.
Ricky enjoyed the trip the most obviously. Hehe.
Should I call you a tourist? You've visited a lot of places and I wish I could too.
Yes, my friend really needed it. He has been so depressed. Unfortunately, he didn't enjoy the cruise as much as he had hoped because it reminded him of his wife who died. But I did see him smile and laugh a lot, so he did have some good present moments.
haha, I suppose you could. I never feel like a tourist in Mexico though because I have lived there before. I guess I feel the same way about England. I have lived there in 6 month stints. Now, if I go to anywhere else in Europe/Africa/Asia I would definitely be a tourist!
yup, did that same covid dance.. :(
That is one cute kid! He can make all the messes he wants. perhaps he is solar powered.. that's why he has so much energy! 🌞😎🤙
lol! I think he is solar powered. But he is lunar powered as well because sometimes that kid does not shut down. I will say though, one thing that is nice is that when we put him in bed, and turn off the lights, he sleeps almost instantly. (I am kind of jealous of him for that, actually!)
Dear @nuthman,
Your support for the current HiveSQL proposal (#138) is much appreciated but the proposal will expire soon!
May I ask you to review and support the new proposal so HiveSQL can stay free to use for the community?
You can support the new proposal (#247) on Peakd, Ecency, Hive.blog or using HiveSigner.
Thank you!
No problem, I have supported it!
Thank you for your support @nuthman, really appreciate it! 👍
Without imposing and as we are in a renewal period for proposals, if you could take a look at the HiveBuzz Proposal Renewal - #248 as well 😁
done.
Thank you for your support @nuthman, really appreciate it! 👍
btw, not sure if it is just me, but I can never get the columms to work on hivebuzz rankings. For example, if I click 'HP effective', it spins for a minute, then shows a down arrow, but does not resort the data.
Update: I noticed that if I click a few different ones, like followers, it eventually sorts. Then if I go back and click HP effective, it sorts. Seems intermittent.
This is weird, I checked it right now and had no issue. What device are you trying it on? Mobile or laptop?
Most recently it was chrome on a Mac Studio desktop.
But just now as I am writing this, I did a test on my phone (Galaxy S20). I went straight to https://hivebuzz.me/ranking, and did nothing but click the HP effective tab. The arrow points down, and the loading line goes back and forth for a few seconds and then stops. However, no sorting occurs. Screenshot:
Wow, just caught this one in time also before the 7 day deadline.
Seems like a great decision you made, getting out of the rut this crazy Corona time has been. I am in the same boat. Have not been anywhere other than what is nearby for the last 3 years. And I am not getting any younger waiting for it to improve. I did make contingency plans though - should the situation here (with a war practically almost next door) deteriorate, I was researching Madeira, far away from trouble, but still EU (it belongs to Portugal) so my health insurance is good there and staying longer than six months is just a formality at the municipal office there (aside from that, I checked rentals and store prices, and just like mainland Portugal where I spent some time 3 years ago, it is much cheaper than where I am now in Vienna.
Anyway, interesting also that you mention living on a cruise ship. I had looked at that one as well and got some info on it. I could certainly swing it with my pension income and possibly draw down on some shares I own, if need be. For pensioners especially attraktive considering the cost of living in an old folks home, like my former neighbor: what she pays there would easily get her on a cruise instead; not only all that you mentioned, but also there is a doctor on board, so your medical needs are taken care of as well.
Looks like Ricky has grow quite a bit since last time I checked in with you. Those kids are a handful, even after they grow up. My younger one is currently lovesick, so I have to talk to him like a sick puppy - all this by remote, since he is in Canada and I am in Austria.