So yesterday night I got a phone call from my 6-year-old niece “Baby,” a bubbly, bright but often crazy little girl whom I just love. I missed the phone call by mere seconds, so I listened to the message she left me on my voice mail. In-between the ramblings that are often associated with that age group, I swear I heard her say that she was inviting me to come with her, her little brother and parents to Florida for vacation.

Without thinking about the fact that her mind is still very young, I called her back, very excited, and asked her again what she had called me about.

After a couple of minutes of rambunctious talk, it turned out she didn’t leave a message asking me to go to Florida with them. Rather, she had called to ask me to come bike riding with them at the park that day.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a thoughtful invitation, but be that as it may, I was kind of let down after I talked with her. First of all, because (1) it was so short notice that I couldn’t do it anyway, (2) I don’t own a bike, and (3) I was looking forward to visiting Disney World.  

Do I even need to ask you? If I’m looking to 6-year-olds to somehow score me a vacation, I think that means I really need one.

While I do have some vacation hours stored up from the Catholic Herald, I’m not sure how I will find the time to use them, or even if I will be able to go anywhere with them. Saving for a wedding has seriously put a cramp in my traveling, especially when we are also hoping to go on an exotic honeymoon after the wedding. 

I think what I will do is take my own advice, and go back to an article I wrote for MyFaith called “The Five Best Places to go on a Date.”  In it, I was able to gather a whole plethora of places to visit that didn’t put a dent in your wallet.

My next stop? Well, once I figure out when to take a vacation, I think I will take in a few movies at the Oriental, take a tour at Lakefront Brewery, go for some long walks (if I’m in the mood), and just overall take in what Milwaukee has to offer. This includes, of course, visiting a few churches downtown that I normally don’t frequent. Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, Bishop William P. Callahan and Bishop Richard J. Sklba take turns saying the morning Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

I think it’s time I took them up on their offer to “see you at Mass!”

-Amy

Music playing while writing this: “Change is Hard” by Zooey Deschanel