Crazy decision, much excitement.

So, I've been working my tail off here at this job.  Well over 40 hours a week, which is all that I had originally committed to when interviewing, as I wanted to make sure I would have time to work on applications.

But it's going to end up paying off...  My boss told me today to plan on taking off all of Thanksgiving week as paid vacation!!!  I had already insisted that I was taking Wednesday through Friday off, to drive to where Eugenie will be celebrating turkey day with her family.  With Monday and Tuesday off, I've got a 9 day vacation now!!!  I haven't had that much time off since like right after graduation this past May.

With all this new-found vacation time, I've come up with rather a crazy scheme, which doesn't make a huge amount of practical/logical sense, making it rather attractive.  Even more attractive, it means that I'll be seeing Eugenie in less than a week from today!!!!  I'm going to fly from one local city, up north to visit Eugenie at SLAC for about four days (and get to see my sister too!), then flying back south to a different city along with Eugenie and her sister for another 4 days or so, including turkey day.  And then flying back to a 3rd southern city (a reallly big one with cheap flights), from which I will catch a ride back here with another of the research techs.  All in all, six plane flights and seven trips to and from airports in 9 days, yeeeeehaww.  I'm really really excited though.  I'm dying to see Eugenie (I last saw her just over two months ago, and today is our 11 month anniversary.  Pretty soon we're going be shifting over to a whole new unit, gasp!).

Only two downsides that I can see - 

1) Carbon footprint.  It's a lot of traveling.  Flying is supposed to be better than driving for this, but I doubt that 6 flights balances out with two 8 hour car trips, which is what I had been planning.  Maybe I'll look into personal offsets, I think they have them.  Although this traveling is going to pinch the piggy bank a bit as is.  A month or so ago, it would even have been a possibility, but I guess with falling oil prices, ticket prices have gone down quite a bit.

2) This will be my first thanksgiving away from home.  I don't think that's quite sunk in yet.  I'm very close with my family, so it will be kinda strange to readjust from our usual small (~4 people), relaxed celebration to celebrating with Eugenie and her family (20+ people).  And it feels a little awkward to be back in the same state as my family for just a couple of days, but then not stay for turkey day.   I'm telling myself though that I'll see them soon enough, as I'll be home for Christmas, and plan to stay for a good long while as I'll be in-between jobs.  It's definitely strange to feel love pulling you in different directions.