We came, we saw, we stayed.

How was the staycation, you ask? It was the best of times, it was the....not so best of times. I definitely wouldn’t say “worst” but please don’t be fooled- A vacation and a staycation may rhyme, but they are far more different than their names might suggest.

We really did have a great time overall. We slept in, relaxed, talked, shopped, laughed, watched movies, explored, did projects, ate, ate, and ate. The week was full of many traditional “vacation” type activities, as well as an almost complete disregard for time (which is half the fun of taking off work. You don’t have to be anywhere) BUT- the week also lacked many of the typical “vacation” benefits that I look forward to; most notably- the sun. And warmth. No, it wasn’t a surprise that Pittsburgh would be grey and freezing this time of year, but I think I may have underestimated its affect on my mood....even during a week off. Scraping the car and driveway got old quickly (or so I’m told!), and it was hard (nearly impossible) to resist the urge to bail on plans to stay home and curl up and nap instead.

So while we had big goals, and lofty ideals, our Staycation ended up feeling a little like one too many snowdays in a row. You know when kids reach their boredom threshold and actually beg to go back to school? Well, it wasn’t quite that bad (I can assure you no matter how much I love my job, I don’t ever beg to go to work) but we did wonder if perhaps it would have been worth the money, and the hassle to actually take a trip. I think next time around we might try a Staycation during the warmer months. For some reason laying in the sun for five hours a day feels like more productive than catching up on a Big Love marathon.And that’s what I’m after- all the feeling of accomplishment, none of the work. Plus a tan.

My husband, making a path to our car....

But- I actually don’t regret a minute of our lazy, slow, indulgent week off.....we really did have a great time, and only slightly wanted to claw each others eyes out (and that wasn’t until Friday!). We tried to make the most of our time- trying new places, visiting old favorites, and not bothering to feel bad about the amount of TV and movies we watched (Let’s just say that if cable was ala carte....we’d be in trouble.) We ate as much as we wanted (which was lots) as often as we wanted (which was lots) and laid around in between. And like I do every vacation...I tried to document it...

We started off big- with a dinner out at The Original Fish Market (Thank you Groupon!).

Does that look like enough? Don't worry....we got salads too.
And bread.
And soup.

I may have been on a sushi high....

From there the eating pretty much never slowed down.
We had hot dogs at Ikea:

And all KINDS of stuff at the fanciest Giant Eagle in the world....

Seriously. A gelato stand at a grocery store!

We had breakfast....

And breakfast...

Oh, and breakfast...

What? If a bakery sells it...it counts as breakfast!

But don't worry....though we made sure to prioritize the most important meal of the day, we didn't skip other meals....Especially the cheese course! Which means I got to use one of my Christmas presents from Dustin:

Aren't they the cutest things you've ever seen?

And we ended the week the same way we started.....by spending far too much, on far too much food. Yum.

Yes, we went to Table....would you expect anything different?

But don't worry, in between all that face stuffing, we did find time for other pursuits. Like shopping! I dragged poor Dustin to no less than four different antique stores.

Look how excited he is!

But it paid off in the end (for me)....I found a globe, and a vintage book of children's stories.

Oh, and maybe we stopped at the dollar store.....you'll see what all this is for soon....


So those are the highlights....
We did take on a few projects around the house (other than just ripping things apart... repeatedly.) but I'll share those soon. And we cleaned a bunch (you'll have to trust me on that one). We hung out with some friends (Make your own grilled cheese party? You betcha!), and we played games (Check out Bezzerwizzer...so fun!)...

So all in all? I leaned I'd go, or stay, anywhere as long as it's with Dustin.
(but if he suggests we head to the tropics? I won't even flinch. Let's jet!)