Vaycay

There are many obvious benefits to being employed. I won't insult your intelligence by listing them. A couple of the not so obvious benefits of being a contributing member of society are being excited about Friday and taking a vacation.

When you're unemployed, every day feels like Saturday. That can get quite depressing...sort of that feeling you get when you're in casino where there are no windows and clocks. You lose track of time and days altogether and I find that to be rather depressing. (Another reason I find casinos depressing is because I have no money...another causality of being jobless.) I love being able to appreciate Fridays and the weekend. That sort of appreciation only comes from working hard all week and reaping the rewards of two days of downtime.

Planning a vacation is another upside to holding down a job. It gives you something to look forward to and you relish the time off. Not only is this not the case when you don't have a job but for me, it's hard to completely downshift and relax when I am not working. There's a little bit of guilt there and it just doesn't feel right.

Last week I managed to suck it up and join my family on the coast of North Carolina for a little bit of R&R. Unfortunately, the entire family couldn't join us but those who were able to make the trip were lucky enough to bask in the sun and eat and drink well. There's something about a beach vacation that just can't be beat. It's a mind clearing, low overhead getaway that does wonders to take the edge off.

As most of you know, I am not a sun goddess. I have fair skin and I burn just opening the sunroof to go to the grocery store. My makeup has sunscreen in it and I can't go on the beach without SPF 50 on my face. The rest of my pasty self is slathered in 35 and I am an OCD re applier. Until Neutrogena emerged with their sunscreen for pasty and sensitive skinned folks, going to the beach usually was a good idea turned bad. If I did apply sunscreen correctly, I usually was allergic to the brand so while I may not have been sunburned, I would most definitely have had a rash or some horrible reaction. Thanks to the skin freaks at Neutrogena for coming to my rescue. It is because of them that I was able to join my family out on the actual beach last week.

While it seems almost laughable to take a vacation while you're unemployed, I will say that there is a certain stress that comes with pounding the pavement in the middle of a 30% unemployment rate. If you've never had to do it, be glad. If you have or if you're weathering the storm right now, I feel your pain. It's a roller coaster and it's maddening.

Getting away for a few days with my family at the beach was a welcomed reprieve. I needed a change of scenery and time with my people. Thanks to my parents for planning such a wonderful time for everyone and thanks to my sisters and bro-in-law for being able to make the trip.

Below is a photo of my pops with some of the girls in the family. My brother in law, John, has about 852 hobbies, one of them being photography. He brought along his spiffy new camera and snapped this one of us on my last night there. Cheers!