GEW? GEW?

I just waved goodbye to the family as they pulled out of the driveway to hit the road. They are heading north to pick up my niece and nephew, and they'll all be back here tomorrow, and we'll have a houseful of kids for the rest of the week. It's a five-hour drive each way, so they won't be back until later tomorrow.

As they left, I got a bit weepie. I love family road trips. Family road trips are our thing, and this time I'm staying home. It's just for one night, but it feels really weird to see them take off without me. I'm usually there in the front seat, where I usually alternate between knitting, getting Cokes for Hubby, and providing the children with their snacks, notebooks, movies, etc. So seeing them go was sad and weird and just sort of wrong.

Now that they are gone, I'm going to work on the dissertation for two days. But I have to say, it's hard not to feel a bit like Ferris Bueller. It's spring break at my college, and I keep thinking, "I have almost two whole days!" Carpe diem, and all that, right? I've been so busy lately, that it's hard to make myself just sit still and do more work. So here are some things I'm tempted to do with my time:

• Go to the yarn shop
• Go to the bookstore
• Hang out at a coffee shop
• Take the dog on a hike
• Take the dog to the beach
• Knit
• Stream all kinds of goodies from the Roku
• Take myself out for lunch at the cajun place
• Take myself out to a movie
• Go clothes shopping (for myself, not the kids!)
• Nap
• Read novels
• Lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling
• and so much more . . .

And I might do one or two things. I might go to the craft store to get stuff for the kids and their cousins. I might go to Trader Joe's so the kids will have snacks when they get back. I might take the dog for a hike tomorrow if I get enough work done for today. But, otherwise, I need to exercise restraint. This is probably my only shot to finish up a decent draft of this dissertation chapter in the next month. But it Is. So. Hard.