I was sitting on the new couch with Mr. W over the weekend, deep into Season 3 of “Ally McBeal,” when it occurred to me how much I was enjoying myself. We had just come back from Disneyland (where it was too crowded thanks to a cheerleading competition event there), we were curled up with our strawberry lemonade silver needle tea, we have a roof over our heads, I had no worries, and my cat’s so low-maintenance that he pets himself. Dodo has taken to petting his own head with his forepaw when we pet his body. He’d lay on his side, purr, and then the little white paw would pop up and down as he pet the top of his head. Cutest thing.

Aside from Disneyland and Ally, we visited my parents’ house on Saturday. My mom was in the mood for a different sort of dinner so we made our own Vietnamese spring rolls. We’d pick up a sheet of the round dried rice paper, dip it lightly in plate of water, then take it out and put it on our own plate. Next, we’d layer on raw carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro, then add cooked mushroom, a meat and tofu stir-fry dish, some grilled fish, drizzle on some garlic peanut sauce, wrap it up in a roll, and pig out. Then we’d do another and another until we were full. At home, I had a crock-potted beef, vegetable and wild rice stew waiting.

Our biggest decision right now is where to go on vacation. We’ve got 2 weeks in spring and 2 weeks in fall. I’m kind of thinking of these as our last major trips before we’ll have to stop extreme vacationing for awhile, cuz I’ll be 34 this year and I don’t want to have a baby after 35 (the most recent trial we had that dealt with amniotic testing for Down Syndrome didn’t help ease the heebie jeebies for me. Giant needle? EEK!!). We were thinking of a simple vacation to Canada (Niagara peninsula) for spring, but my Canadian cousin Mark in Toronto warned me that their temperatures then would run about 40 degrees if we’re lucky. I don’t want to spend money to go somewhere where I’d be too cold to be outdoors. We can always go to Canada and visit relatives there with a baby in tow, so that can hold off. I guess we can visit family in Taiwan or go to Bathhouse Row in Arkansas with a baby, too. What Mr. W thinks we can’t do with an infant and therefore should do now, is Africa. Aside from the big lions I’m hoping to ride in Africa, the country doesn’t hold much appeal for me. He’s trying to convince me that terrorists will probably not kill us. I’m thinking I need to brush up on jujitsu if he’s not going to bring firearms. Or maybe I can just brush up on my animal communication skills. It worked for the natives in “Avatar.” Apparently animal friends will defend you at the last minute if you’re in need. I witnessed this in “Sheena,” too. I want to do New Zealand and/or Australia for a high-adventure trip which I definitely can’t do with a baby, but our spring is their autumn/winter. I think it’s narrowed down to this…
* Low budget: American River white water rafting (Mr. W wants to go for a week-long training course to get certified in being a river rapids guide, so our stay will be paid for by the school AND we’ll have discounted future trips, plus the potential to earn money if we take a group) in Spring, save up money to go to New Zealand and/or Australia for high-adventure land/great barrier reef exploration in the fall (which will be their summer).
* High budget: European highlights trip in spring (escorted tour that includes meals/hotels/transportation in London, Paris, Rome, Munich, Amsterdam…), Japan/China/Taiwan trip in fall. Or Australia.

Man, we could do high-budget if we hadn’t just bought that piano and sofa set. But I did discover the “movie ballad” accompaniment button on the digital piano on Sunday, and the fun I had with playing on that mode is pretty priceless.

What about Ireland?