I Could Get Used To This

Oh friends. Thank you for all of your fabulous suggestions. I loved them all. And not one of you mentioned hiking as an option. It's why I like you so much.

My day off was glorious. I could very easily make a habit of it. Like a weekly habit. I will be happy to give you my boss's address so you can write a letter to him requesting that I get more time off. Just make sure you mention that it needs to be "paid" time off.

Thank you and I am sure he will love hearing from you.

So, as a recap, my day started like any other day: alarm blaring, hitting snooze, alarm blaring again, hitting snooze and so on. It was during my fifth snooze cycle that I realized that my work calendar was completely empty for the day, no appointments, meetings or deadlines. Additionally, I realized that I could use an additional 17 hours of sleep. I could tell my body needed it. And on top of that, as if I needed another excuse, I really needed to deep condition my hair and eat some of the large amounts of fruit that were in my refrigerator.

Thus, the vacation day was born.

From that moment on, my morning consisted of napping, checking email, checking Facebook, eating oatmeal with cinnamon, watching Hulu, drinking coffee, eating fruit, blogging for ideas on what to do on my day off, talking to my mom, eating more fruit, walking outside to my deck to check on my basil plant, drinking more coffee and deep conditioning my hair.

In other words, it was a perfect morning.

Around noon, I rallied and cleaned the kitchen and my bathroom. I know I said that I didn't want to deep clean, but it had to be done folks, HAD TO BE DONE.

After I had tried on all the clothes that I hadn't worn in six months, I finally decided on my favorite pair of jeans, sandals and t-shirt and hit the wide open road to Super Target.

Let's take a minute and think about all the things we love about Target.

I did a quick detour to the dry cleaners to drop off my down comforter because as much as I am in denial about cold weather coming, it's going to be here and this cowgirl does not like to be cold. I also ran by the bank to make a deposit, where I happened to drop the canister, causing it to roll under my car because I may or may not have been on the phone at the time. I hope all the bank tellers enjoyed me squeezing out of my car door and crawling around on the ground to retrieve it because there is no graceful way of doing that, folks. I blame poor engineering and Wells Fargo.

Finally, I descended upon Super Target where I spent the next two hours trying on anything that was remotely cute or trendy or fun or fabulous. I worked up a sweat and an appetite so once I gathered up my new wardrobe and finished my shopping, I headed for the golden arches for my new favorite snack: McDonald's ice cream cone.

Now, I know this may be a shock to all of you because McDonald's has been around since 1378 and the only flavor they offer is vanilla, but I KID YOU NOT, it is creamy cold perfection. And, on top of that, it is good for you, relatively speaking. Here are the stats:

For those of you counting calories: 150
For those of you counting points: 3
For those of you counting fat grams: 3.5
For those of you counting your pennies: $.64
For those of you who don't care: I can't help you.

My next stop was Cost Plus, which is a dangerous place for me because I want to buy one of everything in the store and two of their shower curtains. I really love their shower curtains. If you are in the market for one, I would recommend going there. After coveting the jewelry and their selection of European chocolate, I bought a huge piece of art that is now hanging in my condo.

I rounded out my day by having dinner with my mom and beginning the grand redecorating of my home. There is just something about the middle of August that screams "I can't stand this place another minute, I must redecorate immediately!" Or something like that. It is a huge project that Claire and I are working on while trying to be as frugal as possible. If you have any fun decorating tips, or would like to donate your interior design skills, or want to sign me up for HGTV, just let me know.

By 9:30 I realized I needed a nap. So after my 38th serving of fruit and re-trying on all the clothes that I brought home from Target, I went to bed and dreamed of future vacation days.

In conclusion, I would like to state for the record that vacation days are indeed a necessity of life. And if you can combine that with a weekend, it makes a four-day work week a little more doable. And if you combine a vacation day with a weekend, in the middle of August, then you know that you have another three-day sabbatical right around the corner: Labor Day.

Long live paid governmental holidays.