Vacation

Hubby, Bubby & I recently took a great road trip.  This year we opted for somewhere close enough to drive to in one afternoon.  I HATE flying, it gets worse every time I do it.  Yes, I know the statistics about flying vs. driving, but only medication or alcohol help me relax on a plane these days.  I'm a control freak, what can I say.  Anyway, we decided to take a little trip up to the Black Hills of South Dakota and IT ROCKED.  I knew it would ... have been there a few times ... but Hubby & Bubby took a little convincing when I first suggested it.  It is about a 5 hour drive from where we live, perfect!

We did the typical stuff ... Mount Rushmore (we all liked!), Crazy Horse Memorial (I liked, Hubby & Bubby notsomuch), Bear Country (we all loved, loved, loved), Reptile Gardens, 1880 Train, etc.  We stayed in Hill City and shopped all the tourist traps in Custer and Keystone and Deadwood.  We communed with nature some.  We ate A LOT of great food (a buffalo burger to die for!  pie!  some great local brews!).  We bought a lot of crap ... I alone came home with earrings, two hats, a Harley Davidson tank top (yes, me), etc.  Who knew that there were many wineries to be found in the Black Hills?  Not I!

We also spent a few hours in Rapid City.  I had not been to Rapid in YEARS.  I was not that enthusiastic when Hubby suggested we head that direction for lunch one day, but I gave in (I think I was hoping for a Starbucks ... they had one!).  We found the little downtown area and I was thrilled.  So Cute!  I am a big fan of revamped old town areas.  Cute boutiques!  Coffee!  Unique eateries!  But the ultimate find ... the total score ... the gem that might actually change my life was the cutest little bookstore that I ever did see ...

As a book lover, this was a total treat.  Adorable.  As we had a lot of drive time over the next few days, I had a lot of brainstorming time.  I formulated a little plan.  See, I am not a dreamer.  I'm a realist.  I tend to live in the moment and don't get too caught up in 'what ifs' or 'somedays'.  I know that sounds kinda sad, but truly I am just rather content with my life (most days).  I'm not a Bucket List kinda gal.  When people have asked me, in the past, what my dream job would be, I haven't always had a clear answer.  I have one now.  I want to own a bookstore cafe!  I want it to be small scale, maybe 1 or 2 part-time employees and me.  I don't want Hubby to work there with me (seriously, we'd kill each other) but he can do the books, accounting, taxes, etc.  He can be the numbers guy.  I want to own this little piece of heaven either in my current town or in another town of similar or slightly smaller proportions.  Mitzis of Rapid is cute and ideal in that it has 2 floors ... in my mind, the top floor is perfect for a cafe.  Coffee, Tea, Cold Drinks, Pastries and Soups would be all I'd want to offer.  So Hubby and I struck a deal!  The plan is to keep working in my current job for another 10 years until Bubby finishes HS.  By that point, I'll have a great retirement built up.  We should be financially set if we keep on the path we've set.  Bubby will be college bound (I hope and pray!) and Hubby will still have several years before retirement.  He will keep working, but I will try to make a-go of the bookstore cafe ... either here or somewhere else where the potential is decent, a building can be rented (maybe bought eventually) and Hubby can continue to work until retirement (his).  We won't risk our old age $ or Bubby's college fund, but we should have enough $ to try it out for a couple of years.

Sound Good?  Wish me luck!  It's nice to have a dream ...