I've been incredibly exhausted since the heat of summer always saps my energy. I've been trying to slow down at work, which, oddly enough, is actually working for a change. I take my time. The queue's slowing down; it's getting to the final August lag where the summers leave but the new hires haven't started yet, despite the crazy amount of deals in the works.

So since there's nothing interesting going on in my work life, I've been concentrating more on my vacation to Hawaii.  Since my insurance changed 5 years ago, basically I'm poor, as in spending more than a raise could possibly keep up with rent hikes and insane deductibles. The last major vacation I took that didn't involve staying at a friend's house was in October of 2013 when my parents and I went to Disney World.  They paid the lion's share of the cost, but we all had an incredible time, revisiting my childhood and them reminiscing when my sister and I were young. This was particularly notable since we haven't been there since about 1993 when they were building Universal Studios, and MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios, but the Tower of Terror was just being built, that's how long ago it was) had just opened.

It's been almost 2 years since that trip, and I'm still relatively poor, even more so from a wage raise/cost of living perspective, so when I was offered the chance to go to Hawaii under similar circumstances, I jumped at it. This past weekend I was down the shore with them and we ironed out the basic details of plane/cruise room and time/major excursions. I'm actually really excited, and I think I've gotten over the semi-guilt felt when I take advantage of what modest money they do have. When I run the numbers, with inflation and ex-union salaries, they have owned more home equity and made more money than I will ever have a chance at. With pensions and Social Security, they will have a better retirement than I'll ever have.

So I choose to accept that, and take the opportunity. It's an 11 day cruise touching all 4 major islands (Oahu (duh), Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai) and while we were debating on the 7 day vs. 11 day (since I'm running low on days off), I basically said screw it. I probably will not get there again, so it's worth it to take a couple more days to get more of an experience. We're not going all-in on excursions, basically doing one per island, and only one helicopter on Kauai, but these side-trips were what we were resolving in terms of where we wanted to spend our time and money.

There are many times, especially working where I do, when I wonder what must run through (or not run through) the heads of the people I work for who make enough that money is no object.  They could take all the excursions, or design a custom tour, and go the VIP route all the way. Yet without my work to prepare them with correct data to bring to clients, they might not be able to do those giant deals that net them millions, or at least not as successfully. Then I have to remind myself that I'm lucky I have what I do in terms of job security precisely because the higher-ups need the information supplied through my search skills.

Times may have changed in the work world for me, but most importantly, time is ticking for my parents and I. Ultimately, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to experience Hawaii with them, even knowing that they may be helping me financially for this trip, but we're all doing this before we're too old, sick, or injured to really enjoy ourselves. It's a bucket list item I can cross out, with help :).