Vacation

My week off from work is wrapping up. As always, I have mixed feelings.

The Good

-- I got to spend the week at home with my family. I enjoyed walking into town to get the mail with the kids, going to playgrounds and just spending time about with the kids.

-- My daughter lost a tooth Saturday, and I would not have been here to enjoy it if I was at work.

-- The kids had a friend sleep over in the middle of the week and had a great time.

-- I took my youngest to a birthday party and enjoyed seeing other kids and parents.

-- I got in more bicycle riding and some longer rides than if I had been at work.

-- We visited with friends -- twice! -- whom we hadn't seen in a while. We had a great dinner and afternoon at their house in Sparta. They came to the Holland Community Aquatic Center later in the week with their kids and stopped by at our house for dinner.

-- We got the car looked at in Grand Rapids just days before the warranty expired.

-- I fixed my back door. No more duct-taped windows!

-- I got to bed before 3 a.m.

-- I got a book (The Illiad) from the library and am halfway through it already. Oh, Hektor!

The Bad

-- I didn't get to paint the cellar storm dorms.

-- I didn't get to spend enough time with my wife and kids.

-- I couldn't afford to visit my family in Buffalo.

-- I didn't bike ride enough.

-- I watched too much TV.

-- I didn't take my wife out to dinner.

-- My wife got sick.

The Ugly

-- My boss, as usual, made major changes at work while I was out so I could not be part of them. He makes sure I feel as insignificant as possible.

-- I actually sat around worrying more about my job and what I will do when I get fired than I should have.

-- I was haunted by bad dreams about dying family members.

Thought: What does Clint Eastwood do on his vacations?