I was driving to daycare from work yesterday, thinking about all of the things that were waiting for me at home on my ever-growing "To-do List" when Wish you Were Here by Pink Floyd came on the radio. Immediately I found myself daydreaming about the care-free days of summer after my senior year of high school. How nice not to have any real responsibilities, no money concerns, fun high school romance... you see, that was my senior year prom song. Random and bizarre, I know - I thought so back then too, but we all loved it so it stuck. And even now, multiple years later, whenever I hear it, I'm back at age 17. Driving my cute blue Jeep, barefoot and "working" oh so hard as a swimming pool lifeguarding... ah, to be young again.
It's like that with vacation towns too. LBI, as we lovingly refer to Long Beach Island here in NJ, means childhood to me. Maryland - the high school years when my family would charter boats on the Chesapeake and explore the shoreline towns. Maine is an easy one - Outward Bound right after college graduation. So much fun and so incredibly cold. And now? Now I'm planning my first family vacation for my family - my husband, son and myself. We've decided on the Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa in Puerto Rico after I saw that it was ranked as one of the top 10 beach resorts for families in the May issue of Parents magazine. I can't wait to see my baby's little chubby legs kicking in those fabulous pools - or to be on the massage table while my husband and the babe go to feed the iguana. (Seriously! How cool is that? Although, I'm personally not a big fan of iguanas, hence, me on the massage table instead.)
Travel, for me, has been a way to reconnect with friends and family, regroup and relax while celebrating everything from the everyday to life's monumental moments. It's incredible to me really; music and travel are the only two things that have the ability and reach to speak to individuals in such personal and emotional ways.
I love that anytime anyone mentions Newport, I immediately think about the weekend that I got engaged or that when I see pictures of Disney, I remember going there as a 10 year old.
I love even more that there is an entire world out there, just waiting to be explored. New foods to nibble on, old places to re-visit and view through my baby's eyes, and new memories to create. The possibilities are endless.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to my radio and dream about the next trip that I'm going to take.
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