It seems that staycation gets a bad wrap. I googled staycation before writing this blog and found all sorts of crap about how to make your home feel like a resort or things to do while on staycation. But no where did I find the simple bliss of just being. No commitments, no schedules, no obligations, and a lot less technological interference.

Last week Michael and I celebrated our seven year anniversary by avoiding TSA, long car rides, and uncomfortable hotel beds in favor for sleeping on our wonderful temurpedic mattress, cooking our own delicious food, and doing whatever we felt like. It was so awesome!

Not even two years ago if someone suggested staying at home with time off from work I would have been annoyed… well… I guess I should be more specific. If Michael had suggested a staycation while he was in the Army or graduate school I would have been pissed!

It lead me to do a lot of reflecting about what has happened over the past seven years…

Once upon a time we lived a life filled with long commutes, very long work hours, and short weekends. When Michael left the Army he had over 30 days vacation stored up meaning we didn’t take any additional time off (just holidays). YUCK! Looking back, I don’t know how we did it. I remember as a new wife I wanted to work along side his insane Army schedule, often putting in 50+ hour weeks myself.

In contrast, today Michael drove the full 2.5 mile commute to work and I started on this blog after a long walk with Abbey. Our blurring over worked days are long gone. It was a huge undertaking but I am so grateful we both changed careers. Most days feel like a holiday now. I get to work with people doing meaningful therapeutic work, engage my creative side in all sorts of crazy projects I make up, and set my own schedule. It has taken some hard work, especially moving to Bend but over the past six months it has been coming together.

So when I started researching travel for our anniversary this year and looked at hotel prices, flight costs, and overall headache of travel I thought to myself, “Why bother?” Michael and I used to happily drive the 6.5 hour drive to Bend multiple times a year just to flee our hectic life. One time we drove the long way (through Hood River… over 8 hours of driving) and stayed in Bend ONE NIGHT before driving back home to make it to work on Monday.

The past week was the best staycation. We did whatever we wanted when we wanted. Rode the scooter, cooked and experimented with recipes, slept when we were tired, read, played with Abbey and took her on adventures, explored Crater Lake. It was awesome. And it signified the accomplishment of a very big lofty dream we had long ago. I can’t even call it a goal because deep down I didn’t know if it was possible. But Michael and I heard Tim Keller speak on the idea of vacation and that living your purpose in life shouldn’t require checking out and vacating your everyday life. So we dreamed of one day living in a place with careers and a lifestyle that didn’t require us to hit burn out and vacate but instead living a simple life that we love. It’s not perfect…. but I am so grateful for the journey that lead us here.

And somehow, last week we ended up in all the right places to represent this transformation. It wasn’t planned but see the pictures for yourself 🙂