Where, oh where, would I go?

Scott and Emma both individually told me the other day that I need some time to myself. Scott suggested a day. Emma suggested an entire week! Then she amended that thought and told me that a weekend would be better!! LOL!

Are Scott and Emma trying to tell me something about my mood lately? Is it showing that obviously that I need a break? Is my exhaustion (mental, physical and spiritual) that apparent? Am I reacting badly to the stress of trying to raise a pre-teen daughter? (No, there is no gray hair yet, but the fine lines aren't quite so fine anymore.)

So I got to thinking... What would I do with myself for an entire day? An entire weekend? A full week? Delirious with all the possibilities, I finally narrowed it down...

A day...
Washington Square Mall (the nicest mall in the greater Portland/Vancouver area)
Powell's (one of the world's largest independent bookstores -- seriously an amazing place)
Lunch at Gustav's (they have a prime rib sandwich to die for!)
A pedicure
A nap in the hammock
A movie (with buttered popcorn)
Dinner at Maggiano's (forget the meal, I just want the bread!)
A hot bubble bath with a side of chocolate cheesecake and a cold glass of milk
Fresh sheets, a fantastic book and a hour to read before I fall asleep

A weekend...
A trip to the Oregon coast (only if it's summer, though)
--Sunbathing
--A stack of great books!
A cabin in either Olympic National Park or Gifford-Pinchot National Forest
--Hiking
--A couple of my favorite movies
--Eating whatever I want, whenever I want (brownies for breakfast? Right on!)
--A warm rock next to a bubbling creek
--Reading (preferably in sunlight)
DeSmet, SD (if the weekend was just slightly longer -- maybe three days)
--I could spend as much time I want looking at the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites

A week...
Chicago
--to see Melanie and Amy and all my other friends
--to spend hours and hours in the Art Institute
--to listen in blissful peace to concerts in the Cultural Center (the most beautiful bldg. I've ever been in)
London (I've spent less than two weeks there ever, but I still miss it.)
Northern Scotland (the most amazing scenery I've ever enjoyed -- peaceful, colorful, God-like)
Hawaii (just because it would be nice to sit on the beach and do nothing but relax for an entire week!)

I'm practically relaxed right now just dreaming about all of this! I know it's completely unlikely that I'll get much more than a couple hours to myself any time soon, and that's ok. It's great, though, to imagine myself away when the currency of daily life threatens to interrupt its fluency.