STAY-cation = Total Relaxation

Now that your burgers are done grilling, and your pool towels are going through their first of many washer-dryer cycles of the season--I'd like to share our first experience with the increasingly popular "Staycation".

For those of you not in-the-know, a staycation is a vacation where you don't go anywhere--that is, you stay right at home, but act like you are somewhere luxurious. At first glance, it doesn't sound too exciting, right? Au contraire, mon fraire. A staycation is a wonderful excuse to play tourist in your own town, visit all those places that you drive by on a daily basis, discover new places to explore, and eat out as often as you like--all while saving a few bucks, a lot of stress, travel time, and contributing to your local economy. Fabulous--ya see!!

We happen to live in a resort town, although we often scoff at the idea. It is a sleepy little rural town about 3 miles from an island that is mostly famous for its Tiki Bar. The upside is that we are less than 90 minutes from: Baltimore, MD; Annapolis,MD; Washington,DC; and Alexandria, VA. Oh, and the other upside is that if we walk outside our door we are in the woods within walking distance of a lake, the Patuxent River, and the Chesapeake Bay. We can hike, kayak, sail...you name it.

Thanks to DH only working a 4 day week, we got to start our staycation on Friday. We originally planned to head to the National Zoo, but because the weather was sooo gorgeous, we decided the zoo might be too crowded. Since we can go to the zoo whenever we want, we decided to pass--and instead headed up to Annapolis for a little shopping. We headed out during nap time so the Tatiman could sleep in the car. It was a lovely and relaxing day, and we got to take advantage of Memorial Day sales. On our way home we debated where to go for dinner, and settled on a place we have often heard of, but never actually been to. Dinner at the Rod & Reel was actually very tasty, and the price was right. There was a live band playing, so after dinner we ventured outside to dance on the sand. There is nothing sweeter than watching the sky light up in pinks and purples over the Chesapeake Bay, while dancing with your husband and your baby.

Day two, my parents came for a visit. We piled into our car and headed a little bit south to take in Air Expo 09. I had never seen the Blue Angels do their thing, and we thought it was such a great opportunity to be able to do so, so close to home. We hit a traffic snaffu on the way into the airshow, but once we were parked, we got to spend a beautiful day looking at all kinds of airplanes and helicopters, honoring our military veterans, eating fair food (any day with a funnel cake is a great day in my book!), and yes--seeing the Blue Angels up close and personal. It was a ton of fun--and did I mention, entrance to the airshow was FREE. Following the show, we headed onto the island for a yummy fresh-caught seafood dinner. And, we got to take in another beautiful sunset--this one over the Patuxent River.

Day three, DH, the Tatiman, and I needed some exercise! We decided to stay close to home and go for a hike. We went to Calvert Cliffs, popped the Tatiman into the backpack, and hiked the beautiful hike out to the Bay. On our way we saw the landscape change from true woodlands, to wetlands, to marsh, to sand--to beautiful beachfront! We played in the freeezing water, saw a huge black snake, and Tatiman filled every single one of his orifices with sand. After our hike back home we decided we were craving Chinese food, so we went to one of our favorite places and enjoyed.

That brings us to today--we were a little tired after all of our adventures, and decided to play it low key. We hung around the house until after lunch, and then decided to head back to the island for a leisurely stroll. Again, it was great being outside, and nice seeing all of the beautiful waterfront homes' gardens in full bloom. For dinner, we headed to a pizza place that we know and love. And then we came home, snuggled with the Tatiman, and put him to bed.

We spent all day, every day, as a family. We spent less than 5 hours, total, traveling (it would have been less than 3 hours except for the unexpected Air Expo traffic!). We got to sleep in the comfort of our own home every night. We didn't have to pack (and unpack) a suitcase. We spent very little money--just for meals. We didn't have to do any dishes.

I feel more rested today than I have in as long as I can remember, and DH agrees. And, we have a weekend full of wonderful memories.

Staycations are here to stay!