When Summer Staycation time rolls around each July, it means that Lin is on Staycation and everything here at Telling It Like It Is is put on hold. The term “Staycation” is defined in the Urban Dictionary as meaning “a vacation that is spent at or close to one’s home enjoying all that home and one’s home environs have to offer”, and with rising gas prices, baggage fees when flying, rising costs of flying etc, taking a Staycation this summer was the best thing we could have done.
So, do you want to know what I did on my Summer Staycation?
It’s very helpful that my husband is able to choose his own staycation/vacation time according to my work schedule, so when Lin is on Staycation, we are able to plan in advance some fun things to do as a couple.
You may recall my mentioning before that I’ve been shopping for a sports car, so the first order of business of being on Staycation was to finalize the deal and drive away with my shiny, red convertible Corvette! It’s kind of funny since a corvette wasn’t even on my list of sports cars I was looking at, but after test driving it and finding that my husband could actually fit into it as well as drive it being 6’9” in height, we knew the vette was a keeper.
We also spent quite a bit of time hanging out at the community pool relaxing and trying without success to get a tan, since swimming and tanning is a typical summer staycation/vacation activity for most people, but I’ll just have to accept the fact that burning and peeling is about all I can muster.
We also went to the movie theater and saw Will Smith’s movie “Hancock”, which was just okay in our opinion. Special effects are fine in movies, and we both really enjoy Will Smith’s other movies, but Hancock is not one of the movies we would go and see a second or third time. Sorry Will, but Hancock was sort of a Staycation downer.
Another fun thing we did while on Staycation was go cruising in the vette, with the top down of course, spending some time hanging out at beautiful Lake Texoma, which is an 89,000 acre lake on the Red River and is shared by Texas and Oklahoma. Lake Texoma is widely recognized as a top fishing lake (my husband agrees), and is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the Southwest for summer fun and relaxation. Maybe next summer we’ll actually rent one of the cabins on Lake Texoma, since many cabins are located in scenic and secluded areas surrounding the lake, allowing for quiet relaxation.
The “icing on the cake” of our Staycation was when we saw Martina McBride in concert at Dallas’ own Superpages.com Center. I don’t understand why the “powers that be” changed the name from Starplex to such an idiotic sounding name, but seeing Martina McBride in concert was one of the best and most fun things my husband and I did on my/our summer staycation.
I’ve also discovered that I can make legitimate money, even while on Staycation in the privacy of my own home, doing online surveys with CashCrate.com. Being someone who is highly suspicious of the legitimacy of online surveys and similar offers, I can attest to the fact that CashCrate.com is a legitimate way of making money online. I personally select only the “100% Free” offers from the menu shown, and I’ve been able to see immediate results in making real money doing online surveys.
I’ve also been having fun playing with ClipArt that I’ve begun using within some of my most recent articles, and with the variety of images, fonts, sounds, photographs, web graphics and animations offered, I now have a much larger selection of images to use for coming articles. While there are many sites, including Flickr.com, to find images to use within articles, I’ve been finding that the ClipArt site has many images that work very well for the articles I write.
I even managed to spend some time on Twitter, periodically chatting throughout my staycation with those I follow on Twitter. Well, staycation time is over and it’s time to get back to work and bringing you more informative and interesting articles to ponder, but at least you now know what I did on my summer staycation and we had a great time!
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16 responses so far ↓
1 Parrot Bluetooth (1 comments.) // Jul 22, 2008 at 5:06 am
Wow what a way to spend your vacations indeed! I liked the idea of “Staycation” as you cannot feel better than enjoying and having fun at your own house. A sports car and a movie would surely have augmented your enjoyment level for sure. Your blog is fantastic and here it is I am bookmarking it.
2 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 22, 2008 at 5:31 am
Hi Britney, we really had a fun time on Staycation. Not only is being on Staycation a lot cheaper, but it’s nice to be able to sleep in your own bed instead of a hotel bed.
3 display booths (57 comments.) // Jul 22, 2008 at 9:30 am
hi Lin, This is a great post about what to do on staycation. I’ll also note that when you decide to go after something, you really go after it!
Anyway, I think it’s more “small world syndrome”, but at the BBQ I mentioned in my comment yesterday the movie Hancock came up as well. A couple we know had just seen it and had the same reaction as you - It was just “OK”. They are Will Smith fans as well, as am I. It sounds like it doesn’t measure up to his earlier works like Independence Day (plug for RT). I’ll just put it on my Netflix queue. In the meantime, I look forward to your article on webcams. That is one topic that didn’t come up at this BBQ, I swear! ~ Steve (aka Mr Display Booths, aka huge Will Smith fan)
4 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 22, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Steve, Will Smith’s movie “Hancock” doesn’t even come close to how good “Independence Day” was, along with other movies Will has done. My husband and I agreed that we won’t even bother to rent it on DVD or buy it on the cheap aisle at the store.
But I could/would/will most definitely go and see Martina McBride again and again. Hmm, I wonder if there’s any chance of Martina having Black Sabbath be her opening act?! Now THAT would be an great show to brag about the next time I talk about what I did on my summer staycation.
5 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 22, 2008 at 12:33 pm
hehehe Steve, I’m now #2 for Lin is on Staycation and double indexed to boot. HA!
6 display booths (57 comments.) // Jul 22, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Hi Lin, At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised to see you hit the first page for the single word staycation, which would be quite a feat since there appears to be a lot of competition. I’ll be rooting for you.
As to Will Smith movies I used to think they were like pizza - there’s great pizza and good pizza, but no such thing as bad pizza. Well, that was until I saw I am Legend. Maybe I’ll take Hancock off of my Netflix’ list. Thanks for the heads up. ~ Steve
7 display booths (57 comments.) // Jul 23, 2008 at 10:16 am
hi Lin, I checked earlier this morning, and then just checked again now to make sure. You are now #1 and #2 on google for “Lin is on Staycation”. Way to go. Congrats! ~ Steve
8 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 23, 2008 at 10:28 am
ah hahahahahahaha! I’m dancing and doing a jig!
9 hank freid (1 comments.) // Jul 25, 2008 at 1:47 am
Very nice article about vacation. Vacation always bring nice activities and also entertainment. Thanks for sharing
10 Michael (1 comments.) // Jul 25, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Congrats on the ‘Vette!!!
That is awesome!! I like the little term you gave me “staycation”… being that I live in the greater LA area, I am gonna have to utilize this term!!
Cheers!
11 Jeremy (Discovering Dad) (3 comments.) // Jul 26, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Your husband is 6′ 9″ - Wow! It is hard for me to fit in a sports car of any kind, and I’m only 6′ 3″. My uncle is a collector of ‘vettes (he has 3), and he loves them. I like driving his ‘84, althougth the ‘72 is pretty cool too. Sounds like your staycation was fun Lin!
12 Lin (904 comments.) // Jul 26, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Hi Jeremy! Yeah it’s weird how my husband can fit into the vette and drive it etc, but couldn’t squeeze into a 350 Z or a Saturn Sky.
I’m loving my Corvette for sure! Vroooooom!
13 Lin's Daughter // Aug 1, 2008 at 7:25 pm
wow mom. sounds like you had a lot of fun!
nice car by the way. too bad your suprise didnt work very well. LOL. i’m a lot smarter than most people would like to think. calling the house and checking to messages. lol. i’m a genius.
but its good to know you found a car that you like AND pops can fit it! lol
14 Lin (904 comments.) // Aug 1, 2008 at 8:19 pm
@ “Lin’s Daughter”, yeah you spoilt my surprise you little sneak.
That’s ok, I still can’t wait for you to get back home so we can go for a spin with the top down. 
15 Gwen Jennings // Aug 2, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Are you out your MIND?!!!! I loved “Hancock” and I love the unusual storyline. And yes, “Independence Day” was also a great movie, but this story helped people view people that have emotional problems in a different light as well as allowing people to see that “Love” has no color. And that you can go on, still loving that person you use to be with, and have a peaceful and loving relationship with them and your new mate. Obviously, you didn’t get the “substance” of the movie. You were too busy with your “staycation”.
16 Lin (904 comments.) // Aug 3, 2008 at 6:53 am
Hi Gwen, Hancock did/does have an unusual storyline and that was good. I suppose that after seeing so many of Will Smith’s movies that I believed deserved numerous awards and accolades, it’s easy to walk away from a movie comparing the most recent ones with those of the past. Independence Day and others were amazingly good, and I think Will is one of the best actors out there, and I look forward to seeing every movie he does.
I agree with you about the need for movies to send the message that love has no color and is color blind, because I’ve never understood or agreed with racism at all, and anytime I hear racist remarks or see someone ridiculed for being in an interracial relationship it makes my blood boil with anger and disgust.
I got the message and the substance of Hancock, and it thought it was well done. Hancock doesn’t (or didn’t at least for me) compare to the other block buster movies Will has done. But I do look forward to seeing whatever he has coming out next.
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