Family Vacation

The countdown has begun to the "Family Vacation". The whole family is going including our beloved dogs, Missy and Maggie. We are driving to Destin, Florida for a week of fun and relaxation on the beach. Everyone is really getting excited now!

It has been a long time since we've taken the kids with us on a trip, (not counting the time we evacuated because of Hurricane Rita and didn't have a choice). We used to take family trips every year, but when you have kids that have a love/hate relationship, the close confines of a car and hotel can make you claustrophobic. Not only does the shared spaces become smaller and smaller, they make you think like a prisoner planning the next great escape! On past trips we have been forced to put a cooler between them in the car to keep them from touching each other. We also have had to make one of them sleep on the floor in the hotel because there aren't beds big enough or covers wide enough to accommodate two relatively small girls with arms and legs flailing. Amber keeps reminding me that this all happened when they were younger. They are older now, but just because the arguing and sarcasm are now done on an adult level doesn't help. The rolling of the eyes and the exasperated blasts of air out of one's nostrils still speaks volumes.

We have made adjustments for our trip this year. This time everyone will be driving their own vehicles. It will be very hard to argue and get on someone else's nerves when they are driving past you at 70 MPH. Having their own transportation will also enable everyone to go and do as they please. (Thank you Lord for kids old enough to have cars and driver's licenses!) The condo we have rented has 3 bedrooms and 4 baths. Hopefully that will be plenty of room for everyone to have their own space. There will even be plenty of room on the beach to spread out if they need some alone time, quiet reflection, or a time out.

I'm trying my best to look at this vacation with a fresh, new approach. There is always a possibility that this could be the best vacation we have ever taken together. The chance that we will always look back on the week we spent together as a cherished time of family bonding and precious memories. Or... this could turn out to be like the Griswald's in their "Family Vacation"!
I'm betting there will be stories to tell for years to come!!