I pay for adventure.

I'm weird when it comes to money. Like really weird. I will spend weeks planning out the financial details of our vacations. Every vacation comes with its own budget on an Excel spreadsheet. Really. (Is this any surprise though? I work in DoD Budgeting and love it.) But back to my vacay. And being weird.

I will spend hours finding the best price out there. Hours. Over many weeks. I read reviews on airlines and hotels. I check online sites (all of them) every day and sometimes multiple times in a day just to see what rates they have going on. I'm quite obsessive when it comes to getting the best deal.

So after all this time finding the best deal for vacation, it is quite weird that I have no problem handing over $15 for an umbrella'd drink by the pool. Or $100 to ride a crazy carnival contraption that looks very much like a death trap. And I will gladly cough up museum entry fees and tips for good street performers.

I pay for adventure.

When I look back at the thousands of pictures from our vacations and experiences I don't feel bad that I'm sitting on a six year old couch scuffed with rawhide from one of Zero's bones. I don't regret driving an older car and using a paper map. I'm happy to hold down my kitchen mixer arm because the latch broke. I'm not sorry that I have mixed glasses, a few chipped plates, and unmatched Tupperware. Really.

I'm glad I have memories of exciting adventures and thrilling escapes. The rest is just.... stuff.