Quick recap: I hadn’t taken a real vacation in nine years (awful, I know) when I received an invitation to a family event in Nashua, New Hampshire. In researching the travel, it turned out the best deal was to fly to Boston’s Logan airport and take a shuttle to Nashua. Well, if I’m gonna head that way, I might as well leave a couple of days early and see Boston for the first time.
Perfect vacation. Just miss three days of work and the trip lasted five days. Not too long to fall behind. Not too short that I feel rushed. Discover a new city while catching up with family I hadn’t seen in years.
I debated whether to take my laptop because I could access email on the BlackBerry. Hubby advised me to take the laptop. The Boston hotel charged a flat fee for an Internet connection for 24 hours. Nashua had free Internet.
Mom and I landed in Boston greeted with a misty rain and cooler temperatures. We caught a cab to take us to the hotel. The ride had a few tunnels. So I’d glance at my BlackBerry even though the connection broke while in the tunnels. Natural light returned. “Meryl, stop looking at your BlackBerry. Look at Boston!” Mom said.
I had been. She just caught me when I was looking down. I took the time to be aware of my surroundings and just absorb Boston into my skin and memories. I noticed the amazing buildings, old and new. The architecture captivated me that I wished I had a better eye for taking pictures so I could capture the landscapes. I knew about the rule of thirds, getting close ups and all. The photos turned out average as usual. I tried.
Anyway, one of the things that stresses me about a vacation is falling behind and playing catch up. Yes, the return home turned out to be a difficult one for about a week before my life returned to normal. It was worth it, but I’ll pass on another vacation for a little while — maybe not nine years.
How to Enjoy a Vacation without Worrying about Work from a Worrywart
I didn’t see everything in Boston, but I think I did well for two days and walking most of it. What do you know? Boston University is one of the colleges on my daughter’s list. So who knows? I could become a seasonal visitor there. I’d love to visit Boston again, but I’d like to visit some other cities first that I’ve never seen like San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle.
How do you make the most of a vacation?

Travel. Love it. Hate it. I dream of going to London, Paris, Greece, Italy and other places. But then I think about all the work it takes to do overseas travel and the desire goes away… for a little while. Maybe it will be easier to do overseas travel when my life calms down — after the kids are grown. So I’m in no hurry.
Going nine years without going someplace new is a bit much. (The last few trips have been to … Austin… Austin… San Antonio slash Austin… Not a big deal when you live in Texas and they were all for events, conferences and even a volleyball tournament.) It’s not that I put off travel for when a better time comes. Life worked out that way.
I do the best I can to enjoy the moment and appreciate my life every day of every year. Working in a home office makes that possible. Some days — rainy or freezing days for one — I don’t care to walk my dog. Other days I appreciate that I can do this activity and it forces me to take a break from the computer that I might not take except to exercise.
Early this year, I got an invitation to a family event in Savannah, Georgia. Well, hey, I haven’t been to Savannah (I’ve been to Atlanta) and I love these cousins. We tried to go, but the unreasonable airfare didn’t work for us. It turned out to be a good thing because I received a surprise award that same weekend.
Another invitation arrived for a family event in Nashua, NH. The cousins are not just family, but dear friends. At one point, we lived within 30 minutes of each other and got together a few times. I’ve been to Nashua, so the location didn’t excite me. After researching, I find out the best airfare meant flying into Boston and making a road trip to Nashua instead of flying straight to NH.
Boston. I’ve never been there. When I lived in Washington, DC, I managed to visit Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York. Never made it to Massachusetts.
****IDEA****
Since I have to fly to Boston, why not go a couple of days earlier and take a mini-vacation in Boston? That’s exactly what I’m doing. I did my research and managed to get a place in the North End near a lot of the action including the Freedom Trail. So I hope to squeeze it all in two days. It may be short, but it’ll be powerful to discover a spot in the U.S. that I’ve never visited and one with a rich history.
By the time this post goes live that I’ve had a grand time in Boston and I’ll be on my way to Nashua, NH. I hope I have lots to great stuff to report in the next link post. In the meantime, I hope you had a great week and you enjoy the little moments. Despite the hectic week before my trip, I took a breath and did my marching band routine to celebrate back to school week!
Here’s a funny sign fail from right here in Boston!
Brain food…
And for fun because we’re allowed…
What was the last new place you traveled to? Share your experience.

Those who know me well probably just fell out of their chairs seeing “vacation” in this post’s title. “Vacation” and “Meryl” don’t go together. I know. That’s pitiful, not a thing to brag about. Anyway, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting harsh reminders why I don’t like to travel often. The packing, the preparation, the clients. The stress of ensuring I have what I need and I make it to the airport on time without being too early.
As organized and proactive as I am, I run into bumps as the trip nears. It gives me an excuse to write a blog post before I go and check off another item on my list of things to do before I step outside the great state of Texas.
I was so rushed and determined to do a post that I should’ve looked up 10 Tasks to Prepare for Time off. Ah well… Like fellow Texan Robert says, you gotta expect the unexpected, eh? OK, I’ve run out of time and must dash. Besides, I want to hear from you. Your turn.
What do you do to prepare for vacation?

So many conferences, so little travel budget. How do you decide? The last few conferences I’ve attended are sxsw interactive and Texas PTA’s, both in Austin, of course. (The only place I’ve been go outside of the Dallas / Fort Worth area is Austin in almost 10 years. Sad, I know.) Flying or driving to Austin is cheap. My local PTA took care of the costs and I shared a hotel room.
With sxsw, I also shared a room with Christine Tremoulet one year and my husband and our unborn youngest child went the following year.
I almost went to a writer’s conference in Oklahoma City, which also has cheap flights and a great conference price. Plus, several people I know are speaking and it would be nice to meet them in person. But I opted not to due to crowded schedule.
It’s not that I’m cheap. Because of my deafness, I don’t quite get the full benefit of a conference especially one that’s full of panels that converse with the audience. It’s like watching a tennis match that happens all around you. This approach quickly turns well rested eyes into tired ones. I came this close to going to sxsw this year, but backed off when I saw how much attendance grew since my last visit in 2003.
So then… how do you decide which conference to attend with overwhelming options?
klatsch n. “A casual social gathering, usually for conversation.” Source: The Free Dictionary AKA a meryl.net blog post centered on a discussion topic.
Michael is my much older brother.
I’m such a nice little sister, ain’t I?
Anyway, we have about four more weeks before school begins. I love the Pajama Diaries (I’d so buy the book if it existed. Jill Kaplan (which happens to be my maiden name) is a mom who works in a home office as a freelance designer.
I can relate to many of the strips especially this one. We didn’t put our younger two kids into programs all summer, just the first month. So it’s been an adventure having them home. Though I have the advantage of being able to turn off my cochlear implant for instant silence, I prefer the silence with the cochlear implant on plus it lets me listen for doorbells and potential crying.
And for fun because we’re allowed…
And for fun because we’re allowed…
And for fun because you’re allowed
Geeky couple’s rings [Link: Chris Kieff] looks almost obscene. Chris and I were joking in Twitter. He said, “… I think it would be a little awkard to have them plugged together… God what a geek I am to think that!”
I replied, “Yeah, just amazing hooking ‘em up and trying to walk together side-by-side… ohhh, carpal tunnel!”
Wow. Not often I get to write February 29. Glad it falls on a Friday so I can use it in my links title.