Life With Frenchie

I was about to say that it’s been ages since I’d been anywhere, but I forgot that I went to Trinidad this summer for my cousin’s wedding and then went to St. Augustine in August for my one year anniversary with El Presidente. These definitely count as trips, but on the scale of the vacations that I’ve been known to take, these are not in the same category. The trip to Trinidad was definitely a big trip because I had not been there in about 20 years and I got to spend 10 days, but it was family. For those of you who like to travel, you know that a trip to see family just isn’t the same as a vacation. As for St. Augustine, don’t get me wrong, it was definitely a great vacation! El Presidente and I got to spend a weekend together, sans MM! The problem with that trip was that it was way too short! Oh, I almost forgot - I went to Universal Studios Orlando in September with my Girl Scout troop. That definitely does not count as a vacation! I spent 2 hectic days with 7 pre-teen girls in Orlando. Puh-lease! That was as far from a vacation as possible.

What I would love to do is to get back to traveling. We were supposed to go to the DC/Virginia/Maryland area this past May. Even though it was going to include visiting family, there were visits with friends and sightseeing included — enough to constitute a vacation. That got cancelled when I found out that I had to have surgery at the beginning of May and would not be able to travel for at least a month. Hopefully next year we can make that trip. For now, I will have to make do with what we have.

This month, being Thanksgiving and all, we are going to visit family. This year, it is El Presidente’s family. His maternal grandparents live here in Florida, on the “other” coast. At this point, I believe a few of his Aunts and Uncles will be there, too. We’ll hit the road early on Turkey Day (yes, we are crazy!) and cook dinner for the family. I have been assigned to make my Red Velvet Cake, sweet potato souffle (the kind with the brown sugar and pecan topping, not the yucky one with marshmallows and coconut!), and yeast rolls. Those are the only dishes on which I have proven my worth! More than likely, I will make the cake and souffle the night before. I really do not want to drive across the state and start cooking! Although I am looking forward to the trip, I’m sure it will be a hard one. We’re staying the night in a hotel and turning around and coming home that Friday!

It’s this kind of hectic holiday travel that made me swear that we are not going anywhere this Christmas! If I even hint at changing that vow, promptly smack me upside the head!