The Value of Vacation

By now, you might be sick of me talking about the vacation we took. Sorry about that. Before I bring that topic to a close, I wanted to share some thoughts about the true value of a vacation.

Plane tickets. Hotel rooms. Dining out. New swimsuit. Attraction tickets. These are all the hard costs of a vacation that can be found, often, on sale. Travel companies, hotels and airlines slash prices and draw us in with limited time deals and pictures of sun and sand in the middle of December. No matter if your vacation costs $500 or $5,000, there is an inherent value to vacation that cannot be measured in dollars.

It's the priceless experience of seeing something amazing for the first time, like a sunset over the Indian Ocean. It's sharing a moment in a place that you could previously only imagine, like stargazing in the Middle Eastern desert. It's holding hands with your husband as you walk through the streets of London knowing the rest of the world is so far away from you in that moment.

To me, vacation is essential for so many reasons. The relaxation and the escape it brings are well worth the money. But on our latest trip, I felt so connected to Scott in a way that I haven't in previous vacations. I think it was the sense of adventure; the two of us together in foreign lands and places. I love all the memories I have with him and I'm thankful we were able to add a few more unforgettable moments. 

Worth the Journey - The Magical Maldives

This one will be short and sweet because my phone is almost dead and we will be boarding soon. We're on our way to London. I think our feet were confused when we put socks and shoes on for the first time in a while.

The Maldives, particularly the island our resort was on called Haddahha, is an incredible place. I will let some iPhone pics show you the water and the villas but even our good camera won't do it justice. Each morning our personal host asked us what we wanted to do that day like a tour, boat trip, etc. We wanted to scream "Ummm have you seen the pool? Have you seen our room?! That is what we'll be doing today, thank you very much!" So we are leaving relaxed and a little sunburned. :-)

Lots more to share when I have our pictures downloaded but here are a few highlights:
- hearing "have you heard of a Portuguese Man of War jellyfish?" on our first day...and then me getting stung by a stray tentacle not even attached to the damn thing.
- not wearing shoes to dinner because it is in a sand restaurant on the beach.
- Scott sucking down a "flaming Lamborghini" with a Badger fan who now lives in Australia. This was a flaming drink that melted two straws!
- Some of the best people watching EVER!
- Champagne cocktail hour with traditional drummers and a BBQ dinner under the stars.
- Sunset cocktails from our water villa with a perfect view of the horizon!

Xo!
D & S