Vacation... Yes, please.

I know I had a vacation about a month ago, but it seems like it was forever ago. I might point to my UD for all of the day-dreaming about vacation lately. About a week ago he asked if I would write a blog about family vacations growing up. It's made me long for a vacation... while I recall memories of vacations past.

Vacations Past...
As a kid, for more years than I can probably recollect, my Godparents (also my aunt and uncle) took me on vacation with their family. My (immediate) family has never been on vacation together. As an adult I now understand how difficult things were for us financially, thus making that the case. UD & AC, however, came through many a time for me. I was able to experience a lot of things that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

Places I remember vacationing (most) were Williamsburg and the Poconos. There may have been some other places but those are the two that stick out in my mind the most. AC and UD had a timeshare so the places we stayed in were like little condos. They slept something like 482 people (or 12) and had kitchens, multiple bathrooms and most of the time a jacuzzi. (SCOOORE!!!) Even as a kid I knew jacuzzis were awe-some!!

One of my favorite memories was one of our trips (city/location unknown) where we had a dishwasher for what seemed to be the first time. Dishwashers growing up were kids standing on chairs after dinner, with soapy hands, arms and clothes. Not machines where you could put the dirty dishes and they magically became clean. WHOA!!! The concept of don't put ice in the HOT glasses as they come out of the dishwasher was clearly lost on my cousins and I. We, quite capably, destroyed at least 8 glasses. I think after the 3rd call to housekeeping for more glasses they finally asked what the heck we were doing. It was THEN that we got our lesson. Oopsie.

Same place, same trip - UD got so excited at the thought of building a fire (IN THE SUMMER) that he turned down the AC in the unit to (what felt like) 23.Then we went grocery shopping... When we came back we were all shivering. What's that you say? What did we do? Why the only logical thing: We built a fire! In July. In the woods. =) That night, or one of the other nights we were there, we also had some deer visit us. My cousin went outside to the car and came in screaming that he'd seen a deer. I didn't check his underpants but I'm pretty sure there was trouble there given the look on his face. =)

During those trips I got to spend time with my cousins, who today are more like siblings than cousins to me. Whether it was playing 500 rummy, pinnacle (for which I constantly had to have a cheat sheet) or some other card game that my aunt and uncle patiently taught me... We had a lot of fun. Friday nights were always memorable as they were "clean out the fridge" nights... Whatever ice cream, goodies, etc. were left were fair game. No pea eating required. (JACKPOT)

Of course as I was on these trips I thought... Williamsburg? Mmm... I don't think I'll ever bring my kids here. I mean, who wants to go see people dress up in old costumes pretending to be soldiers?

Vacations Present...
We own a time share. One that we purchased on eBay... but we own one. Through our time share network we have booked vacations in Williamsburg for the last two years, in April. The two trips we've taken there have been some of our very best family time. K is now experiencing what I did in my youth, with a few differences.

We too go grocery shopping on the day of arrival however we bring at least 2 rubber maids full of non-perishables so we don't have to buy them while we're there. (paper towels, trash bags, dish soap, etc) We also know not to take hot glasses and put ice cubes in them. =)

We go to Williamsburg to walk around each time we're there. Our favorite lunch place is the Cheese Shop. S gets a plate of cheeses paired with a glass of wine, I get a sandwich (that K ends up eating half of) and she asks for a grilled cheese (which daddy and mommy end up eating because she's eating my food). We eat outside and people watch - something we all enjoy. After we're done eating we wander down the road and lay on the grass and play. Each time we visit W-burg we do this twice - at least. It's always a highlight for us.

This year we also visited Busch Gardens. The Sesame Street area was a HUGE hit. For all of us. There's nothing like seeing K's face so excited to see one of her favorite "friends".

Just like when I was growing up, the last night is always "clean out the fridge" night. Ice cream, goodies, or whatever other treats remain in the fridge are fair game.

As I sit and think about both vacations of my youth and now, with my little family, I smile at all of the fun we've had and memories we've made... and I look forward to making more in the future. Here's to next time we visit the Burg. =)


Daddy enjoying his wine & cheese


Laying on the grass looking at the clouds... Kinda...


Playing in the grass with time period toys!