What's bugging me today...

...is petty, I know.

DH and I want to go on a hot holiday. We'd never done that before last Feb, when we flew to Cuba on an all-inclusive holiday. DH really needed the time spent elsewhere, as his father had just passed away. And Cuba was indeed fabulous; he's said a few times that that vacation came along at the right time. We went to Varadero, Havana, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad, plus some of the stunning countryside. What an amazing country, with amazing people. I learned a lot of Spanish, too, which was cool.

DH has got a week off at Christmas - and I'm a grad student, so my schedule is flexible - so we are desperate to go away, especially since we're in eastern Canada for the time being, where flights are cheap in comparison to our prairie homeland.

Normally, we'd have the means to pay for this. He makes a decent living in trades, and I've been government-supported for the duration of my degree.

But not now. IF, as I'm sure you all know, has drained our wallets. It takes up all of my income, plus much of DH's.

Wah, wah, I know. Boo hoo for us. At least we have a decent apartment, good food, etc., etc. More than most of the world has. We know, and we're grateful. Very grateful.

It's just that 2008 has left us emotionally bankrupt. Empty arms, my brother is still missing, death of DH's father, unsuccessful IUI plus new male factor diagnosis, IVF, miscarriage, my dear father is developing severe health problems, and BIL has terminal cancer. It's a colossal understatement to say that we're looking forward to 2009.

We love going away. We are explorers. We like to see how different people live. We reconnect while we're away. It's a pity that we'll be stuck at home, in blah Canadian weather, with no family around and nothing to do.

At least I won't have to deal with children. As much as I adore my in-laws' kids and grandkids, it's so much to handle for me, especially during the holidays. As if I need the reminder that I'm already a great-aunt four times over, and not a mother yet.

I'm being a suck, I know, but I wanna go somewhere warm and think about nothing for a whole week!