All I want is...

The past few weeks I've been thinking "all I want is a little house and a baby, and maybe a dog too." Isn't that crazy? This from the lady who stays in the same sity for maybe a year before wanting to move again. I'm also the lady who has never had a long-term job before and is just getting started on this thing they call a "career" and a "life." I still want to travel and have hobbies and stuff, but I think I also want some permanance in the most basic areas of my life. This desire has only been perpetuated by recent things I've read about and seen on TV: House Hunters couple having their first baby and buying a little place in Arlington, VA; blogs about fixing up houses; the Alaska Real Estate website; baby product commercials; ads for puppies needing homes; Jim buying Pam their first house on The Office. You know, the usual stuff. These are all really big decisions and big changes, but honestly they're not that crazy. I don't want a mansion, I just want a little house with a strong foundation and a good roof, and a yard for Leigh's garden. Even if it's hideous, I'm happy to put the effort and love into making it a home. I don't want an expensive pure bred puppy either, just furry little buddy that we can love and play with. As for the baby, well I what can I say? I'll love the little thing no matter if it's a boy or a girl and I have no illusion that this kid will look anything like me. I just want one, eventually, when I have a permanent job so I can, you know, provide food and stuff... Anyway, it's hard to realize that a lot of people my age already have these things nailed down. For some reason it's been a longer journey for me (law school, moving a lot, no possibility of accidental babies) and that's OK, but what's a little less OK is knowing we're not nearly there yet. To have a house in this market we need to save a lot of money for a downpayment, and without a large gift from family it will take us at least 2 years to get there. For us having a baby will be costly too, as well as inconvenient. Since adoption is a $20k+ affair and we don't have a male friend in mind to provide, um, chromosomes, we'll be buying the um, chromosomes, from a bank (about $900 a pop!). Anyway, it's going to be a journey and I just have to learn to be patient and try to keep my jealousy at bay. In the mean time, this gives us a few more years to enjoy our youth before really settling down. I can take solace in that. A trip to Southeast Asia will be easier without a small child, or even without knowing we've left our small child with the grandparents and feeling guilty while eating our 400th bowl of delicious noodles before visiting a 1,000 year old temple in wonderfully hot weather. It will be good to get that trip out of our systems before having to completely alter our travel profiles from "young couple treking the world" to "moms treking the world with kids," which will inevitably require some changes in form and function. Now back to the present: I have one more day at work before my week-long vacation to Oahu, Hawai'i. I can't imagine that anyone has ever been so excited to go to Hawai'i before! This doesnt' meant that Hawai'i isn't great, because it is really, really great, but it means that I am just THAT EXCITED to have the time off, the warm weather, the good food, and the relaxation. I plan to do a lot of nothing: reading, sleeping in, laying on the beach, listening to music, hiking, eating, repeat. Divine.....