Is anyone going....

[Sheherezade]

......on a family vacation this summer?

We are starting to plan hauling our crew to the grand canyon and carlsbad caverns this summer. This will be our first real "family vacation". Previously we have travelled to visit family or on interviews , but now that the kids are older and we have a little more cash we thought we'd do a Chevy Chase style trip. Any tips or suggestions? (Other than remembering to put the dog IN the car and not leave him tied to the rear fender ...) I think we are going to take a train trip into the Canyon area on the Grand Canyon Railoroad. We might also stay at this cabin in Colorodo for a few days and do some horseback riding, hiking and try out fishing.

Anyone else planning a trip for the family?

We sort of have a few up in the air possibilities but it is dependent on DH's as-yet-to-be-determined vacation schedule.
We need to make a trip to Colorado to do his dad's ashes, but I don't know if it will happen this summer. We'll spread his ashes near a favorite trail in western CO so we would have a few days of a mountain vacation too.
Otherwise, I might take the kids to visit a friend in Madison.

Grand Canyon sounds so fun! I have never been there and would love to go.

[Phoebe]

That sounds like a fun trip, Angie!

We just submitted summer vacation request for DH and I just rented a beach house near Charleston, SC. We did the same thing last summer and had a blast. It is a 12 hour drive from IN and conveniently, the in-laws live at the 1/2 way point so we will stop there before and after to break up the trip.

I am trying to convince DH we also need a long weekend in Northern Michigan in August. We'll see.

Can't wait!

Jennifer

[Sheherezade]

It is really therapeutic to dream about summer vacation now. The winter blahs are at an all time peak here. We got 7 inches of snow on Monday and have been getting "lake effect" stuff every afternoon and evening. Every day there is another inch of snow on my deck!!! Enough, already!

Given that the 120 degree temp warning for Arizona in August doesn't seem so awful, but I am wondering if it will be too hot for the kids to enjoy. We took them to Disney once when we were vivisting my family in FL in August, and by afternoon they were asking to go home. They looked like little sweatballs. The throngs of people didn't help.

I looked into beach houses a few places, but it seemed pricey and hard to do sight unseen. How did you find your beach rental, Jennifer?

CO hiking would be fun too (in fact we will be doing that!), but too bad it is for a sad reason. I've never been to Madison, but I've always heard it was a great town. Everyone I've ever met from Madison was impossibly cool. We will have to visit Wisconson now that we are here in the midwest.

We too are waiting on our vacation time approval before booking anything.

[houseelf]

We are going to Orange County for my best friend's wedding in late August. I'm going to try to plan some relaxed days of hanging out at the beach counting the waves with a few Disney mania days. We were able to cash in frequent flyer miles for tickets and I'm going to mooch of my other friend for use of her time share, so we are hoping to keep costs down.

Also, my parents are springing for the kids & me to visit them in TN at their cabin over the Fourth. Unfortunately, DH can't go because he'll be back in hell...I mean clinicals. At least I will have my parents to help me cope.

Kelly

what's a vacation?

since we don't know where we'll be living in July or what kind of vacation or $ we'll have, I think my answer (bitterly) is NO.

pity party for ME!