The New Normal

You know how talking about lice makes your head itch?  (OK, maybe you don't know this. When you work in an elementary school, winter means exposure to numerous flus, coughs and, yes, lice.  I, for one, can not think of the little buggers crawling around the scalp without scratching my own head.  Now, what was my point here?  Oh, yes, budgets.)  We start talking about saving money and I get the itch to spend some.

December was busy--full of school assignments, holiday shopping and family adventures.  December was certainly not the month for me to stick to our "normal" monthly budget.  Now it is 2013.  I turned in my final portfolio a few weeks ago.  Graduate class--done.  The tree is undecorated and bare by the curb. Christmas--done.  Last week we watched a promising post-season start give way to an injured quarterback.  Redskins season--done.  All the sudden I blinked and we're halfway through January.  I can turn my attention back to my normal life...only I'm not so sure what normal is. 

One of our December adventures was a birthday trip to Baltimore.  First we stopped by the aquarium...

...where I had plenty of opportunities to experiment with my new camera!



Then after an amazing lunch at Woodberry Kitchen we explored the Maryland Science Center...

...making sure to take a nap on the bed of nails, among other things.

It was so fun to get away and have an adventure.  While I know we can't afford to travel every weekend, I also don't want to plod along through the winter counting the days until Spring Break (68, but who's counting?)  I'm thinking about our Baltimore trip as we sit down to formulate our 2013 budget. Yes, we're trying to save for college, retirement and other practical reasons.  I'm also lobbying for this year's budget to include some funds for fun.  Honestly, I think adventure shouldn't be the exception, it should be part of our normal routine.

Now, where to next?