It's been spendy!

This is a purchase we have been looking at for about 2 years. No rush. We had decided to buy one for Christmas, but dh wasn't impressed with prices, etc. I don't remember precisely why we passed up the purchase. Just felt it wasn't time.

So yesterday he saw an ad for a decent deal and looked into it. We ended up finding it at Wal mart for about $190. We were originally looking at some of the $100 ones, but they didn't really have the features we wanted. Which I think is why we decided to wait. Instead, this one has way more features than we were even considering.

We went to a wedding out of town yesterday and tried it out. It is AWESOME! LOVE it! We have been borrowing dh's parents' GPS for more and more trips and have become increasingly reliant on it. It really makes travel so much easier! Some of the added features are that it tells you speed limit (incorrectly at times though) and has a lot of traffic data. It correctly predicted a traffic slowdown due to construction, on our way home. It also has bike and pedestrian modes, which we haven't explored. It if actually has like bike trails on it I will be in pure heaven.

It also tells you all the nearest police stations, gas stations, hospitals, etc. I am sure the older one does too, but it wasn't so obvious/easy to find all of this data.

It's a Garmin and was very similar to dh's parents' GPS, so we didn't have to spend any time figuring it out. Though I enjoyed playing with it on the long car ride. IT even chastised me for using it while the car was moving. Hey, I was a passenger! LOL.

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I've decided I know the perfect place for frugal people to get married/have receptions, in California anyway. If they want something truly elegant, go for a public golf course!

We had our wedding and reception at a public golf course in San Jose. IT was A+.

Cinnabar Hills Golf Club:



Not sure if we had ever been to another golf course wedding or reception, until last night. I was JEALOUS! Why hadn't we heard of THIS place?

Picture does not do it justice. The views were just incredible!!!! I know, I know, we didn't do half bad. But if I saw this place I would have picked it.

Boundary Oak Golf Course in Walnut Creek, CA



Which reminds me, we haven't been back there since our wedding. We will have to go back for an anniversary lunch next year for our 10-year. The though just never occurred to us before. But suddenly the idea seems so simple and exciting.

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I also have an interesting article to share:

"Summer Vacation: What Should Isaac Do?"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124252957050027380.html?mod=...

I shared because I have been reading these father/son articles for a while and find them interesting.

I also thought this was a particularly interesting topic.

I think I'd sum it up to, "It depends on the Person." Though considering the economy, if my kids were graduating high school today, I would have them strongly consider summer jobs. Simply because I think if they had a job it would be harder to find another one down the road, etc. I think it's a fair lesson in these times to not give up a job! I think in these times we have to ask, do we really have the luxury to not work and put vacation ahead of reality?

That being said, I am extremely practical and I come from an extremely practical family. If I said I was traipsing off to Europe the summer after high school, my parents would have thought I had lost my mind.

Of course, delving further into it, though my college experience was not exactly easy, looking back I am amazed at the balance I was able to achieve. I know often this debate comes up (working in school, etc.) and it becomes very black and white. If you had to support yourself at all you become in debt and miserable and you miss out on everything. & many people who had a positive experience on their own feel that having a free ride and not working when possible means a lifetime of irresponsibility. Obviously the truth is somewhere in the middle. Everyone's experience is unique.

As for me, I worked all through college out of necessity. However, I always took the summers off. I never took summer classes and I even got a full month off work every summer. I met my spouse in college and we dated. I would drive to visit my friends who went away to college, most of my weekends. I look back on college VERY fondly. I remember a lot of leisure and fun times. Sure, I probably never worked harder in my life, but I made sure to have plenty of balance, for my sanity.

I even planned a month long trip to Europe during my month off one summer, but my friend ditched me because she wanted to spend the whole summer there. She felt sorry for me and my responsibilities (rent, tuition, etc.)

Looking back I don't even regret it. Most of my friends have traveled Europe extensively, and though I have been to Europe, I admit I haven't had quite the same experience. That being said, I have learned over the years I am of the more practical side and I am not sure I would have particularly enjoyed the trip. I feel personally it was for the best, for me.

Since most of my good friends do have major wanderlust (probably as a result of having little responsibilities and deep pocketbooks to dig, in college) I have thought about it much as we age. A lot of the same friends seem to have a fair amount of discontent in their lives. I know in our college years I was the "boring one" who had to work and had a serious relationship. But when you fast forward a decade I can't describe the joy that my children have brought to my life. I feel I have been on my own completely exciting adventure. I guess I personally feel being practical and "boring" has paid off in the long run. But it could maybe be summed up as easily as "balance is important."

Experiences are also relative. Compared to my parents' college experience I had much more leisure and freedom. So I was never going to sit and cry I didn't have money in pocket and entire summers free to do whatever the hell I wanted. I was blessed to have food, shelter, education, and leisure, to boot. I always felt extremely blessed for what I did have.

& I have also been blessed with plenty of travel opportunity in adulthood.

So the practical side of me says Isaac should work. Of course! That being said, he needs to find balance in his life. & he has to find it in the way that makes HIM happy.

This is largely why I stray from planning my childrens' life down to every detail. I could end up suggesting completely different paths in college, for each of them, based on their personalities. I always cringe when people say that, "My child has to do x, y, z, because that's what I wish I did." Or because, "That's what I did." I try not to have a lot of preconceived notions. Probably easier said than done, but I do try!