How I spent my summer vacation (part I)

Today I came home to my warm third floor walk-up, a week's worth of mail, and 2 messages on my answering machine. I turned on the a/c, watched Friends, talked to my siblings on the phone, and went to the drug store picked up my photos. I treated myself to a Haagen Daaz ice cream popsicle. It was my reward for paying cash...I'm trying to just pay cash from now on...I've been reading up on debt cascading (where you pay a lot on one debt and the same on the rest and when that one is paid off, you add that payment to the next debt, so that it's like the domino effect.) And the point is, to stop using credit. So I paid for my trip to Midas (an air filter costs $35 to install?) with cash, because, well, I had some. We'll see how long this experiment lasts. The key is to not go overboard either way (in the stingy department or the spending department). Like when you reach a milestone, reward yourself. You may push your "getting out of debt" back a month, but if you're following this plan, you're getting out of debt years in advance, so one month is minor, if you really need a break. I've been listening to this guy's tapes in my car.

So um, that tells you nothing about my summer vac-kay...I got to see my friend Kelly twice, and I got to see my brother every single day!! I usually saw my sister (but she doesn't always get up before noon). I went to Betterton Beach, "the Jewel of the Chesapeake," my favorite beach. I hope to retire near there. (I know, my mom said at 33 you're already planning this?) I love Pittsburgh, and plan to spend the rest of my professional life here, but I need to be near to the sea. My aunt has a house (two?) in South Carolina, near Myrtle Beach.

The day I went to Betterton, it was disguised as a trip to Chestertown, home of my alma mater, Washington College. I had dinner with an old friend and a bunch of his friends, over chinese food and lots of lacrosse talk. But the real reason I go to Chestertown as often as I can is to go to Betterton. My senior year of college was a lonely one. I had a car second semester, and so I used it to drive to Rock Hall and Betterton. The sand on Betterton is not like the white powder you find at playgrounds or Ocean City. It is amber and grainy, like someone emptied a thousand packets of raw sugar. While I was there, a lifeguard (I assume) was cleaning off one of the life guard chairs, getting it ready for the summer. I had my suit in the car, but thought it bad form to assume he would keep an eye out for me when he was clearly working on something. When I went to my car to get my journal, some folks came to the beach and did swim, but I thought it was bad form to join them, complete strangers. So my need to not exercise bad form kept me from exercising my own form. Alas. I have for a memento a stone that is yellow and quite possibly the smoothest stone ever. Last year I took some sand in an empty water bottle and it rolls around the bottom of my car, under the passenger seat.

What else? I went walking in the Memorial Day Falls Church 3k fun run-walk, where you walk around town with thousands of other folks (some people run), and get a free t-shirt and a water bottle! This year the tshirt was pink!! (As in my favorite color, hello?) But I dilly dallied and made a free border at the Creative Memories table and when I got to the tshirt table there they only had extra large. Oh well, it helps to be tall. Although, my mom left hers on the kitchen table (size large) all day and I was seriously tempted to snag it but I didn't. (Such a good daughter am I.)

I had breakfast with my friend Sandi, I had coffee with my friend Tally, and well, it was just a really good summer vacation. I just wanted to finally post something else.

Oh, and at the Memorial Day parade, we met George Fitch, underdog Republican candidate for the govenor of Virginia. This is the guy who created the Jamaican Bob Sled Team (as in the Disney movie Cool Runnings). He was very cool. Too bad I can't vote in Virginia.