One of the great things about my current situation is that no matter what happens, I will have a job to go to at the end of it all.  Even if the academic job in Maine does not work out, I will still have a postdoc here in Vermont.  And regardless of what happens, there are many things to look forward to in the coming months.  I will enumerate them here, as a way to psych myself up and get through these last weeks of snow and bitter cold.

1.  Holden will be turning one in June.  I haven’t written our plans in stone yet because I am not sure where we will be in June, but the current plan is to rent out a picnic shelter at Oakledge Park in Burlington and have a potluck cookout for the little guy.  This park is lovely; it’s right on Lake Champlain, it borders the bike path, and sports the world’s first handicapped accessible treehouse.  What could be more fun than playing in a treehouse?  As soon as I know more about where we’re going to be in the next few months, I will be able to make the reservations and send out invites.

2.  First family vacation.  Rob and I have made it a priority to get away every year, even if it’s only for a long weekend.  We want to be able to take our first family vacation, just the three of us.  We are still undecided on the details.  We have contemplated going to North Carolina (we had a wonderful time there 2 years ago), or staying at a beachside cottage in Maine (although that option is less appealing if we actually end up living there).  Or we may opt for something completely new and different.  There are a billion places I would like to go without Holden (including many destinations in Europe), but we’re not ready to leave him for a week yet.  Maybe in a few more years.  For now, we’re just trying to find a simple, relaxing spot where the three of us can chill for a week.  Any suggestions?

3.  Dishwasher!  Whether we move or not, I am getting a dishwasher.  If we end up staying in our condo another couple years, I have decided that I can’t live without one.  I do way too much cooking and end up spending an hour of my day doing dishes (no lie).  Our kitchen is small and it will require some creative maneuvering to fit another appliance in here, but I am confident I can find someone handy enough (e.g. not one of us) to do the dirty work for us.

4.  Television!  The fact that Rob and I do not own a television makes us feel smug and superior on a daily basis.  We pride ourselves on being bookworms and reading the local newspaper instead.  We are avid fans of Netflix and watch many a movie on our desktop computer in the living room.  Alas, I am now 30 years old, and I can’t quite see the screen like I used to.  I am finding myself squinting as we watch movies most of the time.  We toyed around with the idea of getting a projector to save space, but now that flat screen TVs have really come down in price, it seems a good time to take the leap and snatch up a screen that we can actually see.  Our most recent obsession has been watching Cosmos (the famous PBS series hosted by Carl Sagan)—can you imagine how some of those shots of the Milky Way would look on a huge screen?  We’ve decided the TV will be reserved for watching movies and that we will forego cable.  After all, who wants to pay for being advertised to?

5.  Kayaking & Hiking!  In 2 more months, the mud will be gone and we will be able to hike.  Hauling Holden up a mountain might present a bit of a challenge, but we’ll figure it out.  We are excited for kayaking too—we just need to find a baby life preserver and we’ll be set!

What are you excited for as we spring forward into the warmer months?