We're finally going somewhere!

Montreal, to be precise!

It's been a long time coming. Not Montreal per se, but just the idea of the two of us going somewhere. Somewhere new, that is, and preferably out of the country. I suppose since it'll be the first time we've traveled together since the wedding, to a place not involving family or friends, you could call it our honeymoon. :-) (Though it's only two days, so maybe I'll save the "honeymoon" moniker for a longer trip.)

We'll get a little bit of  money back from the IRS this year, and we're finally getting to the point where we'll have a wee bit of breathing room in the budget. Naturally, my first thought was, "OMG, we have to go someplace f#*&%ing WARM!!!!!!!" Then I thought, well, really I should be fiscally responsible and put that money toward debt repayment. Then I thought, f*ck that sh*t, I'm going someplace dammit. Then I realized that our vacation time for the year is already spoken for, so we wouldn't be able to take a week or even a few days to go on this magical IRS-refund-funded journey. And I should really be fiscally responsible. Then there was more swearing.

And I despaired, because I didn't want to break the string. Every year since 2004, I've gone somewhere. 2004: Jamaica, Las Vegas and Aruba. 2005: A banner year, Brussels, Germany/Italy/France/Switzerland, and Hawaii (and that was enough to count into 2006. Also 2006: San Francisco). 2007: Rome. 2008: Mardi Gras and Buenos Aires. 2009: road trip. 2010: We got married, and we'll count that as a trip. So 2011: had to go somewhere.

But given the lack of vacation time, it looked like we would just go into NYC for the long weekend and see some shows. Which is an excellent way to spend both time and money, don't get me wrong, but would not scratch the travel itch.

So instead, we'll drive into Montreal for the long weekend. I mean, it can't be any colder or snowier than it is here right now (and we'll get off-season rates that way). And we can drive there, and we can stay in a really nice B&B and have a couple of great meals, and see new things, and be all cultured and whatnot, and Canada counts as a different country. (Barely, I know, but we'll have to bring our passports and speak French, so I'm counting it.) And because we won't have to fly and it's just a couple of days, we can go somewhere AND be fiscally responsible.

I really need to get out of here for a couple of days, and I'm sure my hubby will second that. Work is hectic, the weather is brutal, and we're both getting a bit of cabin fever. A long weekend away from it all will be just what the doctor ordered.

If the weather screws this up, I'm stealing a tank from the National Guard and going anyway.