SOL Day 1, March 1, 2017

Sometimes it is good to just take off for a few days.  This morning, we woke up at 3am to get to the airport for a 6am flight to LA and then to Maui to visit my mom.  Yes, I know.  How unfortunate that my mother spends several months a year in Maui.   She was so excited when we mentioned that we might come visit this year and before we knew it we had a short trip planned.  After 12 hours of travel, we landed in Maui and were greeted with a total downpour.  And the rain hasn’t stopped yet.  With just 5 days here, this was not what we had in mind.

In spite of rain, it has been a treat.  We saw a whale breach in the ocean as we were flying in.  We drove past the Krispy Kreme where we have had celebratory donuts with our kids on previous trips here.  The humidity has already sunk into my skin and put out of control curls in my hair.  We bought a fresh pineapple and tuna steaks for dinner.  And my mother is thrilled to see us, even though we are about to fall asleep.   It does feel good to be here.  And it does feel good to be taking some time off.

With summers off, spring break and long winter breaks, I have never taken a ‘vacation’ when school has been in session.  It just doesn’t feel right.  After being out for professional development classes from time to time, committee meetings, and the occasional stomach flu, it has always seemed wrong to me to take even more time off to vacation when my students still have to show up each day.  But as I sit here, listening to the wind in the palm trees with the windows wide open – I am pretty okay with it.