VICARIOUS VACATION

My sister Liz sent me a picture of a waterfall. “Just checked into our hotel! Here's the view from our terrace!”

There was no texting back for me. I picked up the phone and called her. “Where are you?” I cried. “It's beautiful!”

“I booked a quick weekend get-away. We're up along the Hudson River in New York.”

I was happy for her but envious. I loved the Hudson River. There were so many mansions to tour, so much history to learn, so many shops to explore. “What are you planning on doing? I asked.

“Well, we're in the car headed for a two hour boat ride.” She said, I could hear her leafing through some papers. “It will go past a few lighthouses, under some really pretty bridges and past a bunch of mansions!”

“What a great trip!” I looked out my kitchen window to double check the weather. “It's beautiful here. How's the weather there?”

“Perfect! A little overcast but not too hot.”

I was really happy for her, she worked hard and deserved some time away.

So, even though I was standing in front of a sink filled with dirty dishes and looking over at the huge grocery list that needed to be purchased, I decided I was going to go on the trip with her. Not literally but vicariously.

“Send me pictures every step of the way!” I cradled the phone against my shoulder as I began running water in the sink, rinsing the dishes before stacking them in the dishwasher.

“Hey, it sounds like you're near a waterfall yourself!” she paused for a moment. “Eww, please tell me you're not in the bathroom!”

I had to laugh. “No, I'm rinsing a sink full of dishes before I head out to the grocery store.” I turned off the water and wiped my hands on the dishtowel. “Please snap pictures of everything you see on the boat tour.” I asked. “Especially the lighthouses!”

“Of course!” she had to laugh. “It'll be just like you're here!”

“Exactly!”

We hung up the phone as I grabbed the keys and the shopping list before heading out the door.

I was unlocking my car door when my phone dinged. I had a text from Liz. It was another picture, this time of the boat they were about to get on. “It's called the Rip Van Winkle!” she wrote. “How cute is that?”

I climbed into my hot car, started it up and turned the air conditioning on high. “Wish I was getting on a boat right now.” I grumbled to myself. But instead I texted back. “Adorable! Keep the pictures coming!” I added three smiley face emoji's just to let her know how happy I was for her.

I put the car in reverse and began backing out of the driveway. “Pictures of her trip are going to be the only thing making grocery shopping on a day like this even slightly bearable.” I sighed.