She's a cold-hearted snake

Or, maybe I'm not.

I was trying to come up with a clever title, and came up with a title of a Paula Abdul song. By definition, I think that is the polar opposite of clever.

I'm cold-hearted today because I'm thinking of my sister-in-law's latest status on Facebook and how desperately I want to get away from everything with something more fun this year than getting car sick in Custer State Park.

"After work I have to go home and finish getting the laundry caught up, from being gone all weekend, so that we can re-pack for vacation... it doesn't sound as dreadful when you put it in those terms :)"

Wah, wah, you have to wash clothes to go to Cozumel.

Actually, I've been cold-hearted about this subject long before today.

Back in January, my parents planned a family trip. Paige said she wanted to go back to Branson, so the plan was for everyone to go and stay at the condos and try to talk me into going.

There were actually several reasons why I was opting out of this trip.

#1 I don't really like Branson. It's just not my kind of place. I think the shows are hokey and the people are pokey. At least something like that.

#2 My memories of previous trips to Branson don't necessarily bring up warm fuzzy feelings. In jr. high, we had to sit on the front row of the Sons of the Pioneers and clap after each song when in reality, I really could have taken a nap.

BUT, the last time that I went was with my brother and the girls one week after he and his wife split. IT WAS AWFUL! I understand it was quite a trying, stressful, emotional time. However, I think that Brian always acts that way around me. It was our worst vacation ever.

#3 Because of part 2b, and other experiences around Brian, I choose not to spend one of my weeks of vacation in the same locale as my brother.

#4 I originally thought Madison would be going, and though she doesn't mean to be the way she can be, a little bit of Madison goes a long way.

#5 Though things have gotten better since Brian's family moved in with my parents, Dad had to kick them out and my parents' have gotten a reality check, I just couldn't deal with being the 9th wheel in that group.

Anyway, there was question after the whole move in/move out as to whether their trip next week would actually happen. Mom and Dad kept kind of, sort of asking Brian about it. They needed to cancel reservations or make sure they were all on board. I kept telling Mom that they need to actually talk about it. But, Brian says, "yeah."

Until a couple of weeks after he says, "yeah."

Paige tells Mom and Dad that it will just be the four of them going because Julie said she wasn't going if Madison couldn't go. You see, after closer examination, her divorce decree says that Madison has to spend the month of July with her dad. And if Madison can't go, then, well, Julie just couldn't go and enjoy herself. Brian finally hem-haws around and says, yeah, they aren't going once Paige reveals this news.

(Thinking back, Paige was the one that told me her mommy wasn't going two years ago when we went and then I called Brian to ask him what was going on...)

OK, well, my parents were fine with just taking the girls. They will have a good time. Probably a better time.

Now, this is the part of the story that really gets me. As it ends up, since Madison will be with her dad, Paige and Peyton will be with my parents, they decide to leave Layton with her parents and go to Cozumel and return the day before his first birthday.

As Julie was saying one day on her Facebook, they decided to do this instead of the family vacation they had planned. (They planned, my foot. They didn't plan anything on the original trip.)

Since you can't have fun without one child, two already have plans, pass off the other and go have a great time.

Oh, and my parents didn't have reservations until Sunday, and since Brian and Julie are going to leave for Cozumel early Friday morning, they'll probably have Paige and Peyton Thursday night. Dad's taking off work to watch them Friday, then they'll leave for Branson when Mom gets off work on Friday and be gone until next Thursday.

If it were anywhere but Branson, I'd so be off next week too. But Dad has convinced the girls that Branson is the best place in the world. I enjoy time away with the girls and would have fun with them. However, in addition to the locale, other things factored in as well for me in the end.

Maybe I'm just a bitter, overly responsible single person, but well, I just won't go there.

I was chatting with my friend Rakia earlier. She is taking business trips to Asia (5 countries) and two weeks in Latin America before the end of the year. I don't want to go to China or India personally, but man, that's more exciting than what I've got going on right now.

I still have two weeks of vacation to use by the end of the year, but I'm thinking I'll probably be sitting at home trying not to run the air conditioner for a week in August. Jenny would probably be available to go do something, but I do not have the dinero to do anything. And did I mention that Paige and Peyton just got back from a week long cruise with their Mom?

I can use the week off to finish the scrapbooks (mine and my mom's) of our 3000+miles in 9 days journey stuck in the truck to South Dakota where the highlights were animal spotting and finding the few things that were actually open.

I'll take naps and dream of getting to go on the ledge at the SkyDeck at the Sears Tower in Chicago. Figure out if maybe I can save up some money for my trip with Paige to Hawaii for her graduation in 10 years once I finally get my car and student loan paid for next year.

I know that I truly have so much to be thankful for, but I'm just itching to go somewhere and do something.

Am I being cold-hearted and petty?

Probably so. I'm just in a cruddy mood.