For those who do not have teenagers at home, the word Vacay means Vacation (according to my teen daughter anyway).  I am still trying to learn the revised English language used by teens today  – Deets means details, Deec means decent, Cray-cray means crazy, Tots means totally, and vacay means vacation.  Spending last week at Lake Powell, or as the teens call it “L-Peezy”, with family and friends and several teenagers expanded my vocabulary tremendously.   Oh, and I learned that you have to say “hashtag” in front of everything if you want to be truly cool #swag #yolo #lpeezyfordays  :).

There is nothing like taking a summer vacation, especially when that vacation includes Lake Powell, my favorite spot to visit in the entire world.  We had a great week of boating, lying out in the sun, playing speed scrabble and other games, watching fun movies, talent shows, and of course, dance parties!  I think what makes Lake Powell my favorite is the fact that you cannot get email or cell phone signal at the lake so you are forced to unplug from technology and let the cares that come along with by-the-minute emails go out the window.  It is like a magical fairytale land where no one can call you and no one can reach you so you have absolutely no choice but to unwind and enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the company of your friends and loved ones.

For people like me who are fully addicted to their “crackberry” (my nickname for a blackberry), and who cannot seem to pull away from the computer or the phone, finding a vacation spot like Lake Powell is a MUST!  I have decided that everyone needs to find a way to leave the computer and the phone and the blackberry behind when they go on vacations.  Some of you may be disciplined enough to simply turn them off, but for those who are truly addicted like I am, it takes finding a vacation spot where you are forced into electronic silence submission with no internet or cell access available.  I know the thought of that probably sends many of you into a cold sweat just thinking about it, and trust me when I tell you that I understand that anxiety completely, but you have to believe me when I tell you that yes, you will be going through major withdrawals for the first two or three hours, but then something truly magical happens…after those first few hours of cold sweats and constant looking down at your iphone for those little bars to appear just long enough to download a message you will suddenly hit this moment of “wait, there is nothing I can do about it if I find out there is a problem anyway, so what the heck…it is what it is” and then then its over – the anxiety stops, the cold sweats subside, and the next thing you know you have broken that addiction for the rest of the trip.  You can laugh and smile and enjoy yourself completely.  You can relax and unwind and be present.  It is MAGIC!

Every single one of us needs that time away. It allows us to clear our minds, to reset, and to actually pause long enough to sort out all the thoughts in our own heads.  Sometimes we go so fast and so furious that we are just going through the motions without even taking the time to think about where we are trying to head with our lives.  So taking that time away on a technology free vacay is the only way to really step back from the day to day madness and regroup as a person.  And there is no need to feel guilty about taking a vacay because you will come back a much better and more productive person when its over.  But make sure that when you schedule a vacation that it truly is a non-working, non-texting, non-emailing vacation where you can relax and enjoy your time and your family completely.  And if you can soak in a little sun while you do it then all the better!

“A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.”  -Robert Orben

My suggestion today is to plan your techno-free vacay and make it happen baby!  #summer2k13 #disconnected #trulydontgetthishashtagthing 🙂

~Amy