Talk about a nervous groom… “I want to, but
I’m not ready… I know you need it, but I do not have the effort… Will I survive
without you????…. I miss you already – when do you return?’
In this particular case, the groom is not
my beloved husband, but his place of business.
“Critical” is yelled, “Holidays revoked”, and “The earth will no longer
spin without you”! Do not quote me here,
because this is what I heard inside. No
sugar coating. No free toffee apples. Am
I bitter? Hmmm, perhaps? (Last ranting
before holidays I promise.) Stress plays a major part of his day as it is, he deserves a holiday more than anyone I know and he can not afford to loose anymore hair. Javier was
granted leave for his holidays 3 days before we are to set off shore, I little
close for comfort. I was beginning to think
I may have to come true on the empty threats I had been spinning my children
over the last month. “Eat your
vegetables or no cruise!” (Not quite but
you get the gist.) So needless to say, no
Gonzalez story is ever short of a mini-drama, (nothing worthy of ‘Revenge’ or
‘Bold and The Beautiful’), but sure to provoke a laugh at the family that I love so
dearly.
I’ll start from the start, good place for
it.
When I was 4???? My family had an annual
holiday spot. We used to go to a beach house at Mermaid beach in Surfers
Paradise, (I think I was 4, maybe, memories are cloudy, trying to recall), any who
… Not sure if my memory may be provoked by memory or photo, but we holidayed at
a house ‘ON’ the beach, I looked really happy in photos, showered with siblings
on the grass after playing in the sand and wore a bikini that did not
appropriately cover my boobies for a 4 year old; important bit… I looked so
happy I might pee my bikini pants.
No preconceptions… memory of surf and sand…
that is the memory I wish to keep.
Lessons learnt; family time is very important,
and routine holidays provide security and more lessons learnt than any other
time of year. It gives you something to
look forward to, and no doubt, something for your parents to threaten you
with.
(INSERT LOUD GOD TYPE VOICE) “And on the 14th
day… God created Byron Bay as a holiday destination.” And so now, as grown up as I will ever be, it
was time for my family to start some rituals of their own. We saw the light, we shall spread the word, Byron
shall be our annual holiday spot. But alas, if you have followed the ‘Gonzo’s’,
then you know that we tend to travel; home is where we lay our hat; blah, blah,
blah. (Hence why Javier has so many hats, nothing to do with bald spot, who
would of thought)! This may seem long winded, and nothing about our cruise, but
I just want you all too know… Byron Bay… holds no preconceptions, just go. It
is the only place in the world that accepts a hippy, yuppie, gym junky, and
other words to describe a silly level of hierarchy and status. Everyone is welcome, and we spent that
precious time with family, and friends that are like family.
After realizing that we spent our child's university savings last
year, on a one-week holiday; after flights, accommodation, car hire,
groceries, etc. we thought maybe we could go abroad for close to the same cost?
Drum roll please………. “dumdumdumdumdumdum”………..
Enter the world of ‘cruising’. Half
packed, one more sleep, WOO HOO!
