impulsive behavior

As you know, we're sadly counting down the days until Jimmy leaves on Saturday for the US. We won't see him again until the end of June, so it's going to a good lesson in preparing for the long Afghani absences that will start August 1.

I'm blaming the brief swine flu I had on Monday or either my melancholy resulting from Jimmy's departure and our subsequent departure in June, but I did something very irrational and very impulsive yesterday. This is just not how I operate, so it might have been swine flu (aka just a sore throat)-induced.

CVC, the big Brazilian tour operator, was running a sale that ended last night. I decided Mac and I would feel better about being on our own if we had something to look forward to. So I took myself to the CVC shop at the mall yesterday and got us all squared away. I made the executive decision that we'd go back to my most favorite place in all of Brazil: Porto de Galinhas up in the northeast.

I stewed over this decision before going to the CVC store and again once I got there. Do you go back to the same place twice (Jimmy would answer no) or do you explore somewhere new, especially given that we're leaving the country so soon (Jimmy would answer yes). Of the deals being offered, the only new place I was really interested in seeing was Manaus. But I don't do wild animals well; that is much more Daddy Territory at our house. While I did toy with a "Conquer Your Fears Tour" concept, I decided it would not be a good end to our amazing Brazilian posting if we went home having been attacked by piranhas. So I ix-nayed Manaus and decided I could handle PdeG. I know the town, I know the beach, and we can totally relax there.

So I booked us for a trip next weekend. I'm pulling Mac out of school for 2 days which Jimmy has made me feel horribly guilty about (not because he objects but because I wouldn't let him pull Mac out of school for other trips which makes me feel guilty now that I think about it). But a single mom's got to do what a single mom's got to do. And I'm feeling a trip to PdeG will soothe the beast in me and make me handle these last few weeks better on my own.

I leave you with some photos from our first trip to PdeG 3 years ago. It really is a paradise so I think you'll understand my decision to return one last time!