Site Meter Vamps and Scamps: Vacation anyone???

Monday, October 10, 2005

Vacation anyone???

Part of my recent ten day road trip was a mini-vacation. Hubby and I headed over to Isle of Palms near Charleston and did nothing for four days... it was wonderful! We are both of the "fry to a crisp in 20 minutes" variety of homo sapiens, so we always carry a beach umbrella...

We were also laden with books, books, and more books... it's bad enough to have one book-aholic in the family, but when there are two... well, you can only imagine. We sat for several hours each day reading, people watching, and listening to the sound of the surf. In the early morning and the late evening, we walked the beach for a couple of miles each time. This activity was not only for fun, but to walk off the pounds of seafood we consumed. We snacked for breakfast and lunch in the room and went out once a day for a "real" meal. I'm a shrimp and scallop lover... dh goes for crab cakes.

So you get the picture... this was a very low key vacation... but that is not really our usual m.o. Over the years we have been all kinds of places with our kids and without. Do you remember the show "Full House"? One time the guys took the little girls and went to Hawaii. When they got there Danny (the dad) laid out a very ambitious sight-seeing schedule. He got razzed about his "clipboad of fun". That became a standing joke in our family... and we still talk about the clipboard when we are planning something.

In the summer of '94 we spent 5 and a half weeks in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. My hubby was doing 2 books on the waterfalls of each park. I did a lot of the photography. For our girls (and us) that was a magical summer, and it has this "golden" aura in our collective family memory. We had saved up money to do this, and we also consciously went into debt that took us a couple of years to get rid of. I was a school teacher, and hubby worked in the non-profit world, so we were not "loaded". But it was absolutely the most wonderful trip we ever took.

Hubby bribed our girls to keep daily journals, and they still get them out even now and read them. The stories we tell and retell are part of the glue that holds family together.

This past weekend we had both girls, hubbies, and "almost 2" Anastasia visiting with us. It is rare that we can all seven get together, so we treasure the times we can do it.

Looking back at family vacations, I think we tend to forget the fighting, bickering, dirty rest stops, and other low moments... what we remember is the feeling that the open road lay ahead of us full of endless possibilities.

The only thing in my life that I would be willing to spend lots of money on is travel. In fact, I hope I live long enough to see all the places I want to visit before I die! The world is such a vast and mysterious and wonderful treasure... and I truly believe that travel informs us, educates us, and makes us better people.

Right after we graduated from college, dh and I went with a group on a mission trip to Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. We saw incredible beauty and unimaginable poverty. As young newlyweds, we often worried about having less than twenty dollars in the checkbook, and we surely didn't have a credit card. But even when we perceived ourselves to be scraping bottom, we had only to think back to Haiti and realize that we were blessed beyond measure. We had the privilege of an education, we had health care, we had parents who could have helped out in a real crisis. We had options.

Over the years our income has fluctuated with jobs, kids, and other factors. My dad died at 42, leaving my mom with me in college and three other kids still at home. He and my mom had always dreamed of traveling "someday" when he retired. At that moment, Charlie and I decided not to wait until someday. When possible we were going to travel and enjoy the world that lay beyond our small corner of Tennessee.

Our vacations have taken many forms over the years, some more exciting than others, but any time we step beyond our own front yard we find the opportunity to cement family relationships, learn about ourselves, and refresh our perspective on life.

Well, sheesh, I didn't set about to write a dissertation, but what can I say????
I'm in a "wordy" mood. :)

I want to hear about how "your" family vacations. Beach? Mountains? Disney? Outdoor adventure? Tents? Four star hotels? Relatives? Spill the details, people...

I'll be waiting!!

Janice M.
(who is babysitting today, because the daycare is closed for Columbus Day!)

7 comments:

Judy F said...

I loved your blog today Janice. We were never much of a vacation type of family...We did take one with my dad, my sister her then boyfriend and me. It was really nice, sure there were some bad moments. (Dad and said bf didn't get along) But I remember my dad riding a bike, me driving on Daytona's beach and swimming in the deep end of a pool for the first time. LOL

Janice Maynard said...

Judy - I think it's strange how some moments get stuck in our memory... either good or bad.

My dad was a funny guy. We never had money to vacation growing up until I was in junior high. Then we went to the beach a few times. Dad would take the vacation money and put half in each pocket. When the first pocket was empty, we would turn around and head for home, working on the second pocket. :)
Janice

Shiloh Walker said...

we like Gatlinburg and Williamsburg.

This year's family vacation was in Virginia, on the Eastern Shore. we had a wonderful time.

Now my DREAM family vacation... taking the kids to Ireland and Scotland, see if we can find Nessie. ;)

Lucy Monroe said...

I love travel, Janice and it is by far one of the biggest chunks out of our budget. We didn't vacation a lot together as a family either, but my mom tried and I've got grand memories from the trips she sacrificed in order for us to take. One of my personal favorite memories is the 2 month driving vacation we took with our kids in 2002. Tom had extra vacation weeks for his seven year sabbatical at Intel and we saw a lot of gorgeous country and really enjoyed our time together. While we've taken the kids to exotic locales like Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Spain, England, Australia and New Zealand, that trip will always live in my memory as the ultimate vacation because the kids didn't fight and it was so incredible to see a big chunk of this gorgeous country we live in.

Hugs,
Lucy

Anonymous said...

Janice, We went by the Isle of Palms vicinity this summer on our way from Charleston to Savannah - stopped at Carolina Cider Co. for peach cider - yum! Someday I'll get a sweetgrass basket as we pass through. Have you read Mary Alice Monroe's SWEETGRASS? It is set in the Isle of Palms area where she makes her home. I haven't read it but it sounds especially good.

Our family always took a two week camping vacation every year - my parents planned all year for it. We traveled to 37 different states overall. I have to admit though, I'm not much of a camper these days! Guess I've gotten soft in my old age!

Laurie

lamclane said...

Hi Janice,

I have to say that I love the beach and the panhandle of Florida with the sugar white beaches is my favorite stretch of sand. They call it the emerald coast because on a perfect day the water is an amazing emrald green. My parents had a condo in Seagrove Beach(sold it without my permission, I might add!) but we spent a dozen years vacationing there and I *really* want to have a place of my own there someday.

Anonymous said...

Growing up we took very few vacations, all of them only a few hours away from home. What I do remember is the yelling - LOL. My dad is a Sunday driver and will wait for cars coming from the next state before merging into traffic.

I've taken more vacations on my own, having gone to Finland when I was 21 and it was a memorable and wonderful experience to meet my relatives and have them treat me like a long-lost member of the family. I loved visiting my "homeland" and seeing the history this quiet country can tell. It fascinates me.

Last year I went on a cruise to the Grand Cayman islands and Ocho Rios, Jamaica during Thanksgiving, and it was heavenly. I am wondering if I can swing it again this year....

I've heard amazing things about Ireland, and I have a major thing for guys with a Scottish accent (Jamie Fraser, anyone?) so I would love to visit those places - sounds very mystical. Hawaii, Australia/New Zealand, Aruba, Belize...those are just a few more of the places I'd love to visit.