A Getaway

The truth is nobody wants to live and work in Saginaw, MI. In the last few years since working at Covenant, Matt's lost several coworkers due to divorce, suicide, and because they've had to fire people who were really big jerks. And that's not counting the ladies who keep taking two months paid leave to have babies, the lady who keeps having to go to rehab or gets malaria from her trips to Africa, or the guy last month who almost lost both his legs and may never come back to work. Result=Matt (and everyone else left in the department) has to work way more shifts than we want to.

There are up sides to working too much, like having more money, but, man, you really reach a point where money just doesn't seem worth it.

The good news is they've hired three new people. The bad news is they don't start until July and the fourth new hire doesn't start till April. In a fit of worn out glum this past fall, I asked Matt if we could just take the kids and get away for awhile. This, too, we have to "pay" for because Matt doesn't get vacation days. We take a vacation, he works every other single day of the month, but I really hate the gray winters in Michigan and I really, really needed a break from Saginaw. Financially, we have our ducks in a row. With all this extra money coming in, we decided to not think twice and just blow it all on a really nice trip with the kids.

For Christmas we surprised them with a Disney Cruise to St. Marrten, St. Thomas, and Disney's private island Castaway Cay. With six people in the fam, we had to book two rooms, which means, we had space to bring along Matt's youngest sibling, Katie. Seven days of sun, no chores, no work, so computers, no cell phones was awesome. Luke and Jarom got a big kick out of seeing the Disney characters all over the boat. Elyse got to bunk with her older aunt and felt all grown up when they stayed up late and ordered room service. Everyone loved swimming every day and getting ice cream any time they wanted. I loved the four musicals we saw on the boat and not having to wake up early for anything. The boys enjoyed the Pirates in the Carribean night when they all dressed up like pirates and watched fireworks off the boat. Paul and Luke got to touch a live shark at one of our stops, and watch butterflies fly for the first time. Elyse snorkeled for the first time. Elyse and I won a game show called Mickey Mania and Elyse sang a song all by herself on Kareoke night.

It's been rather depressing coming back home. We went from 85 degree weather is -5 the day we landed. I haven't seen the sun in a week. I've got a gorgous tan, but you can't tell because I keep myself covered from chin to toe in the warmest stuff I've got. Oh sun, I miss you.

I keep telling Matt we should move South.