i need a vacation, but at what cost?

This summer, my family is planning to go on vacation together. My mom and dad, and my sister and her husband (along with one or both of their kids) are heading to Destin, Florida in July. Everyone is renting their own condo at a beautifulspice resort.

Of course, the whole gang wants Mr. and Mrs. Amber Murphy to join them.

See. Here's the thing. Hubs and I would never choose to go on vacation smack dab in the middle of the summer. Everything is more crowded, and everything is more expensive.

However, the trip date revolves around my sister's nursing school schedule (ends in late May) and my niece's regular school schedule (she starts kindergarden in early August.)

So, the date is non-negiotable.

Hubs doesn't really want to go. He would rather do our own thing for vacay, and choose where and when we travel. Basically, he doesn't want to spend the money. It's true that our lovely tax return could be spent more wisely. We could put some of that money toward the tiny bit of credit card debt we have, or I could finally part ways with my wisdom teeth. We need new windows. Etc.

We have basically been using the "we can't afford it" excuse for months. Secretly, I didn't care that we couldn't really afford it. I wanted to go anyway. This will be our first family trip to Florida in over ten years. I don't want to miss out on playing in the ocean with my niece, laying out by the pool swapping magazines with mom, or getting ready for dinner and deciding what to wear with my sister.

Last night, my mom called and told me that if we really didn't want to spend the money, that I could still go. There's a sleeper sofa in the condo Mom and Dad chose. I could ride down with them, stay in their room, and all I would have to pay for would be my food (and adult beverages.)

Um, can I get a hell yeah? I told my Mom that I would want to pay for some of the room -- or help with gas or something, because I felt guilty and a bit like the black sheep of my immediate family.

So, I told hubs about the invitation to crash with my rents.

Of course, I'll share his pouty this-is-the-way-a-man-brain-works response with all of you. (That's how I roll.)

Hubs said, "But if you go, then it will look like we really can't afford it."

Trust me. I'd prefer we both went, and paid for our own private one-bedroom condo. I'd rather drive down with him, listening to what I want on the radio (well, no, fighting for control of the radio) and smoking the occasional road-trip cigarette. I'd rather it appear to my family that we are a healthy, normal, well-adjusted married couple.

So, I told him. "Then, let's both go."

Then he tells me that we should refinance the house instead.

I swear to god. I am.going.to.shove.a.flip.flop.up.his.

nostril.

P.S. Last night hubs stayed up waaaaay later than me and I couldn't sleep. I was momentarily paranoid that he had discovered my blog and was sitting out in the living room reading previous entries. Then, I decided that if he had discovered my blog I would probably yell at him for taking so long to do so, and then tell him that I am going to Florida with or without him, and to suckithard.

But, I don't think he discovered my blog. I'm pretty sure he would have mentioned it this morning.