Staying Fluid In My Plans to Enjoy the Beach!

Ok, so This trip was still all I wanted it to be, but the plans I had in place changed a bit. It is actually important to be able to be a bit fluid in your plans anyway. This trip was definitely a reminder of that skill. Of course it’s important to take care of your own needs, but be open to doing that in different ways than you may have planned.

This is what I wrote before I went on my trip, while I was still in the planning stages. It’s an interesting comparison. I have generally prioritized planning any trips well since having children. It’s also important to leave space for the unplannable.

My prep post illustrates just how much changed!

Yahooooo! I’m making plans to go to Myrtle Beach again this winter! This time for a whole month! I can’t wait, but I do feel a bit of pressure to have it planned well in advance of my trip. Of course Youngest is coming with me, but everyone else is staying home. I have relatively “big plans” for this trip but I also have to make sure things at home are as prepared as I can make them.

Ok, there have been better years for travel. I decided I’m doing it, and I am going forward with those plans! If I have to quarantine so be it. This time Husband may even join me for a little while. For a few months we’ve debated whether he should go in the beginning of my trip, or the end. Of course, he wants to drive. I’ve never taken a passenger car for this trip. He’s gone with a friend, and our daughter. I’ve been on both ends of it when others made the trip. I’ve been on many long road trips, but this will be new a new one.

Apparently “dart throwing” doesn’t work for me for dates! I don’t think I could have picked a worse date for traveling!

Timing of this whole trip has kind of felt like throwing darts. The way my schedule works no particular time works better or worse than another. My schedule is “my own” although I clearly have to balance many other people’s schedules. Usually I’d pick days by looking at my husband’s schedule, the school calendar, and any other scheduled items on our calendar. I currently have no to do’s on my calendar that can’t be done from home, or away. Eldest is no longer tethered to public school- not to mention she’s 18, who knows what she’ll be doing. Husband’s schedule is far more normal than usual and only really impacts times of day for dropping us off at the train. All I had to go by was that I wanted to get away for the most of the coldest part of Vermont’s winter. My exact dates were decided quite randomly!

Decisions, Decisions! They do have to be made…

I did have to make a decision though, if I wanted to reserve a place to stay. This felt a bit random, but maybe less so than last year. I really wanted to find a place that wasn’t attached to a resort. While we LOVED the place, we stayed we did kind of want to try something different this time around. I know the value of finding a place I’m comfortable with though. After considering a house rental that really was very cute I settled on a condo in the same building we were in last year. I found one that looks to me a bit smaller inside, but has a huge balcony. I’m pretty excited about the balcony! The others with similar balconies were far more expensive.

When I splurge I still try to get the most for my dollar, and spend as little money as possible for what I want. I’ve never had a whole lot of expendable money, so I endeavor to make it go as far as I possibly can. Spending just a hundred dollars less on accommodations could make quite the difference on our trip either to or from the Myrtle Beach. It could be two really nice meals out for two of us, or grocery shopping for a week.

I’ve squeeked by in tough times with a regular budget of $100-$150 for groceries for our whole family biweekly! (It’s not particularly fun, and definitely not a vacation idea…) Thankfully I don’t have to do that anymore, or I wouldn’t consider a vacation like this. It is why I ALWAYS look for the best value within my budget. I’ve always made what would seem like a little in this context go a long way on an adventure. I look for the memories.

We definitely brought home a ton of memories…

First, my random date for my trip turned out to be the 19-20^th of January. (Can you say face palm?) Going down the east coast the evening of the 19^th of January is where playing darts to decide on a date landed me. Honestly other than evidence of a whole lot of police presence around D.C. I didn’t see any actual evidence of anything amiss. The most “action” came further down the track in the middle of nowhere over pretty much nothing.

Stay aware, but relaxed in most situations.

 I’ve ridden the train enough to know it was normal, but there are a lot of passengers new to riding the rail. They were getting nervous. No one had made an announcement as to why we were stopped. It was rather dark, and quiet, and it was an exceptional date, but in the middle of the night they aren’t as apt to make loud announcements more often than necessary, especially before they really knew what was going on themselves, or how long we might be stuck for.

As it turned out a freight train ahead of us had broken a part and was blocking the rail we were on. A couple people were getting anxious enough to cause some trouble. My main concern was at what point we would actually make my stop. I knew we weren’t far from it, but would we be sitting for minutes or hours? (To be honest this is an inconvenient stop anyway and for me would be a better connection if light when we arrived, but I wouldn’t really wish for the train to be that late for everyone else down the track. I also know they can usually make up time very quickly)

Enjoy the rainy day’s too! Always look on the bright side

My daughter and I spent a whole month on the beach, so clearly, we made some awesome memories, and relaxation time while we were there. The weather wasn’t what it usually is, but that just made it stand out more I think. I mean, the liquid falling from the sky wasn’t frozen so that by itself was something! (And yes, I went in the ocean!)

Drastic changes mean swift action! do your best to change things to the positive

Oh, boy when it came time to come home things got interesting! As it turned out, about a day and a half before we were supposed to leave, my husband called to tell me that he wouldn’t be picking us up… Suffice to say I was NOT thrilled at the timing of finding out. I did, however, pivot pretty quickly. My daughter made it quite clear she didn’t want to fly. She was very concerned with luggage she had been able to carry on the train that would have to be checked or shipped if we flew. As it was, I spent an exorbitant amount on shipping since we had planned on using our personal vehicle for baggage. To be fair, the money would have been spent on our way home with my husband and Middle girl joining us for a road trip anyway.

I also had to spring for a hotel since Amtrack has been running on a 3x/week schedule on most of it’s regular daily trips. For once I actually saw Florence, S.C. when it was light out and I wandered for once! I even found a better route between the train and bus station! Yes, I had to ride the bus AND the train through all this, but I’m glad to say both seem to be keeping with safety protocols and limiting how many of us are packed in.

Be open to all options when plans have to change! Some lead to interesting ideas

I actually considered buying a vehicle and driving it home, but well, this was a last-minute change, and the legalities were a mystery to me. It had potential to have been more financially prudent, but that’s a whole other post!

If you keep room for fluidity you may see and experience things you would have missed

I’ll be honest, the whole trip north I felt like I was going in the wrong direction. The weather we were moving toward was really not great. The weather where we had just left had just, finally, changed for the better. Sure enough, when we arrived at the new train hall in New York City crossing the street ended with me being soaked and covered in snow. By the way the new Moynihan train hall is beautiful! If plans hadn’t changed I wouldn’t have gotten to appreciate it.

Sooo… The big question- After all the changes and “difficulties” was going with the flow worth it?

Now here I sit in quarantine, with tons of time to think. All in all it’s been worth it for me. It’s been a little weird staying in my room all day, every day with Youngest, but again, we are making some wonderful memories because we were fluid enough with our plans to let go of what “should have happened.” Oh, and my room happens to be where I actually have my desk and the rest of my “office”

I’m so glad I took the leap and prioritized this for myself. It did feel a bit odd because I don’t always prioritize what I want, but I don’t regret it for a second. The beach, and travel are good for my soul. Being fluid and open to changing how you do what you want to do is necessary in enjoying life in general.

If you enjoyed this post you may also be interested in Silver Lake a Day Adventure