Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Pillow Talk

About a month ago, I was complaining that I wasn't sleeping well. Well, my tune has changed. Vacation helped my insomnia. I'm sleeping like a baby. In fact, I overslept for the first time in years.

I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a curse. But I'm going to let it flow as long as I can.

Your comments--priceless!
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Summer Is Over!


As vacation comes to a close, I must say that I had a great time. There were many things that we always do that we didn't this time. There are also things that we've never done, but have now been added into the rotation. I loved being with family and having a large group around. I hated being with family and having a large group around. It's so bittersweet! And there are tons of pictures so that I can forever relive it.

But now work looms. School starts later this month. College tours start in September. Back to the mundane routine. Summer is over.

What did you guys do this summer? Is it over for you or do you still have some fun left? Share your adventures with me...

Your comments--priceless!!
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Family Vacation: This is Gonna Be Good!

My Dad has struck again. He decided that we should do an extended family vacation next year. Extended family? Is he kidding? I have more close family members than most people, and now he wants to extend that?? Seriously? All of us? The babies? The toddlers? The hip hoppers? The old folks? ALL of us? He can't be serious, but he is.

He's thinks that we should all do a cruise next summer. I guess he hasn't considered that some of us don't get along with others of us, and that some of us are not above murder by cruise ship. We put the FUN, in dysFUNctional. And what cruise line would welcome US on their ship? This is gonna be good.

So anywho, Carnival has a new ship coming out, called the Dream. It sets sail this fall. We shall be on it next summer. A gang of us (pun intended). We'll visit ports in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. I have no idea how the jail systems work in these countries. Oh yeah..this is gonna be good!

I think I'm excited. Especially when the agent told me that a lot of the decisions rested with me. Hmmmm..you mean that I could "accidentally" schedule my own dinner time apart from theirs? And that "Carnival" could make a mistake and put my cabin wayyyyyyy on the other side of the ship? Hmmmm..this may not be so bad after all...

Your comments--priceless!!
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I Miss My Hometown!!

This weekend, I had a phone conversation with a FOJ. We went to high school together. He's now in the Atlanta area, and I'm in South Florida. One of the things that we discussed during that long conversation was a moment that most native Washingtonians have had.

It's the moment that you realize that you took all of the free cultural activities in the Washington, DC area for granted. I remember when that moment hit me. It was in the late 90's. I was on a business trip to Milwaukee. There was another woman there from North Carolina. She was very young and not very well traveled. I could tell because she considered Milwaukee to be the "big city." Hmmph. Anyhow, she wanted to go to the zoo, but after talking to her mom, they decided that she shouldn't be roaming the "big city" alone. She looked like she was about to cry, so I offered to go with her. Our hotel arranged the transportation.

When we got there, my mouth dropped when I saw the price of admission. If memory serves me correctly, it was something like $25 bucks! I do remember asking the ticket lady if they even had pandas. They didn't. I was shocked, but Country Girl's eyes welled up with tears again, so I just paid it. I hope the Milwaukee Zoo folks don't come after me for this, but they have NOTHING on the National Zoo in DC. I guess it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon, but it was then that I realized that I really need to partake more of the sites in the Nation's Capital.

There's so much there to do, and a lot of it is free or very inexpensive. There's the Smithsonian, the National Zoo, The White House, The Capitol, The Vietnam Vet's Memorial, The Lincoln & Jefferson Memorials, etc. It's a great place to vacation, since the tourist spending requirements are so low. Unfortunately, many residents never take advantage.

What kinds of attractions are in your hometown that are free or inexpensive? What should every tourist see? Have you seen it? When was the last time you did the tourist thing in your hometown?

Your comments--priceless!!
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Today is THE DAY!


So today is THE DAY. Not my birthday. Not Pay Day. But THE DAY. The day that I have to call my Dad and start planning the family's summer vacation.

I am so not looking forward to this conversation. If you are a long time reader, you know that this is no small task, talking to my Dad about the vacation. (If you are not a long time reader, please refer to my post of January 8th--you'll get our vacation history there.) I love him dearly. I love him more than life itself. I love him like French Vanilla Slimfast and Paul Newman lemonade. I can talk to him about nearly anything--EXCEPT vacation plans.

After many years of doing this, I've learned not to try to get him to decide too much at a time. So today, the only thing we need to confirm is which weeks he wants to come. Last year, this talk lasted about 2 hours. Based on our recent conversations, I'm blocking off about 4 hours for today's talk. He's hinted that rather than a week or so in South Florida, he wants to do perhaps a weekend in South Florida and then a cruise someplace else. And, we have more family members coming this year.

This is a man who takes 3 days to decide which sneakers to bring. That wouldn't be so bad, except NOTHING else can go into the suitcase until he puts the sneakers in. This is a man who gets to the airport AT LEAST 8 hours before the flight--he doesnt want to miss it. But he's also a man who has worked all of his life to provide for his family. I must say, he afforded me a wonderful childhood and until I was in high school, I thought we were rich! I have never not been able to do something that I wanted to do because there was no money. I have never not had the latest and greatest. And he has a good heart. If you meet him once, and he determines that you like, say Root Beer, you will NEVER come to his home again when there is not Root Beer there and when you walk in, he'll drop a 12 pack on root beer on the table in front of you and point you to the corner where 3 more 12 packs sit.

So, I will try to struggle through this today. Wish me luck!!!

Your comments--priceless!!

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Fear of Flying

We are in the final days of winter--spring is just around the corner. For me, this means that it's time to start making summer vacation plans. When I mentioned it to a neighbor recently, she was concerned with the recent rash of plane crashes. She said that she wouldn't be flying anywhere this year, she was only considering ground transportation. I thought she was kidding. She wasn't.

I believe that my destiny, including dates of birth and death, was predetermined and that there is nothing that I can do to change it. When the date of my death comes, it won't matter whether I'm in a plane, on a bicycle, or comfortably relaxing at home. I have absolutely no qualms about plane crashes, auto accidents, or train wrecks. This certainly doesn't mean that I'm not a careful traveler, but I would not alter my plans because of recent events.

What about you? Are you so concerned with plane crashes that you won't fly this year? Do you feel safer in a car, bus on train? Why? I'm very interested..

Your comments--priceless!!
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Vacationing With the ENTIRE Family

A few years back, my family started taking annual vacations that include multiple generations. I never, ever would have thought that it could have worked (you've got to know my family), but it actually does. Of course, it takes lots of planning and lots of flexibility. Even then, there's always a ridiculous argument--generally during the first 24 hours, followed by a wonderful time!

We generally plan many months in advance--who's going, who's not going, who wants to go but showed off last year so they are blacklisted, etc. The hardest part of the planning is determining dates that work for everyone. Once you have the WHO and the WHEN...the rest generally falls into place. Since I live in South Florida, the WHERE is a given.

Of course, we've learned quite a few lessons along the way--like the older folks don't really appreciate venues without elevators, and the younger folks don't seem to care for casinos (you've got to be 21 to enter). Also, you can NOT speak to my Mom or even look in her direction while the plane is in the air. She just sits there white knuckled, staring straight ahead, braced for some imagined collision, any moment. (shrug) And, what may be the most important lesson of all--my Dad will NOT leave his hotel room for ANY reason until EVERY judge show on television has gone off--including Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown, Judge Wapner(reruns), the Texas Judge, the Divorce Judge, etc. There is no reason to even plan an activity before every single case has been settled. Hmmmm..what is THAT about? Really..WHAT is THAT about???

It's also a challenge to find activities that everyone agrees on. Two that always work are shopping and eating. Shopping can be anything from a cheap souvenir shop to an upscale mall. We used to split up at the mall, until it became apparent that it is in your best interest to stick close to my Dad, whose been known to whip out a credit card at the Coach counter in Macy's and buy purses for every female in the group. Now we fight over whose turn it is to "walk with GrandDad." Same with food--we can go anywhere from fast food to fine dining--just know that my older daughter always orders something she doesnt really want, asks the server for an extra plate, and then insists that everyone around the table share their meal with her and that my younger daughter will be mortified if we all get up on the table to dance, as is the custom in our favorite Greek restaurant.

All in all, even being the dysFUNctional lot that we are, I wouldn't give up these memories for anything in the world. The photo ops alone are worth the drama! What are your family vacations like? Who goes? Who plans? Who needs to watch all the judge shows? Share--

Your comments--priceless!
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