Summer Plans

[PrincessFiona]

Does anyone have anything exciting planned this summer? ie trips to Disney...something to make us all jealous??

kris

Nothing too exciting. Just summer swim lessons right now. And maybe a car camping trip in mid-July. And a road trip to Wisconsin in early september. If I can get some of these contracts to go through, we'll go to Aspen for a long weekend in August.
No Disneyland here, though!

[Rapunzel]

Our summer plans are: strip the wallpaper off all the walls in the house, texturize the walls, paint all of the walls and trim, replace a countertop in the kitchen, and find a way to pay for my husband to take step 3 (which he STILL hasn't taken yet!!!).

Jon doesn't have any vacation time this summer and I don't feel brave enough to go road-tripping alone with my young crew right now.

[Meenah]

We have been married for almost three years, and we are finally going on a honeymoon to Macinaw Island, Mi.
Luanne

[DCJenn]

We're saving the fun stuff for the fall, when my best friend gets married in Italy! In Florence, in a castle! I can bide my time for that!!

Jenn

Wow, that sounds fun Jenn!
Luanne, congrats on the honeymoon trip, better late than never!!
Nellie, you have your summer/early fall all planned out, I am jealous...Aspen, ahh...
Jennifer, that sounds more like my kind of summer plans!

We have to paint the exterior of our house with money that will instantaneously appear because I am going to will it to. With that same money, we are going to fly to DW's brothers wedding in Seattle first weekend in August. We have already taken road trips to Omaha zoo & St. Louis zoo. Makes for a long day to drive there and back, but friends of the zoo passes make up for it with free admission and discounted parking. When it gets hotter, we will relax in the six foot inflatable pool in the backyard...ah, the lap of luxury.

[twinsmom]

Nothen special around here ... We'll just be changing a few diapers, feeding some hungry babies, chasing after a crazy dog... the usual .
Although, my husband officially ends his third year next week, so we will be doing all of the above with a whole new zest for life .

He told me that he would start doing all of the grocery shopping, cook one night a week, and watch the kids every night so I could work on our home businesses (I asked if I could get that in writing ). I'll be happy just to be able to see him in the daylight hours for a change .

We were going to go on a road trip to DC to see some friends, then come back through niagra falls for a fun get away... but then he got a chance to shadow a neurosurgeon for that week... so plans quickly changed.

My major goal is painting the craft table my dad built while he was here, and finally getting caught up on scrapbooking (I'm officially 3 years behind!!), and getting our twins in a pool as often as I can!

That about raps up our fun and exciting plans .

Jen B.

We're leaving this Saturday for Florida for 10 fun-filled days on the beach. While we're there we'll also make a go at Disney World for a few days. I think we're going to try to sneak in through a hole in the fence or something.

But before anyone gets too jealous, I have to be there with my MIL, whom you all may or may not know, makes me ill at just the thought of her. (Kris, we need an emoticon that shows a face throwing up - it would be quite appropriate here). Maybe I'll ask DH for a prescription for Valium or Paxil or something - just to tide me over.

Afterwards we will be going to Dallas to see my family whom I haven't seen in a year and a half! So I'm very excited about that part!

Thu Van -- I think I would do much better around my MIL with a little, ok big, dose of *something* strong. I hope you have a great time at DisneyWorld and in Dallas.

Jen B -- I can't imagine keeping track of twins in the swimming pool! I have a hard enough time keeping track of my little eager swimmer. I'm glad she is not afraid of the water but she is a tad over-confident.

Jenn -- A castle in Florence!!! Now why didn't I think of that when we got married? That sounds so, so nice.

Jennifer/Rapunzel -- I'm sure you already thought of this, but does the military pay for his step III boards? It is unbelievable how much those things cost. At least we will be able to combine his board exam fees with interviewing costs and have enough expenses to take a tax deduction but that doesn't help us pay for them now! (Another reason why he better take that stupid test in 2003).

Luanne -- I read an article about Mackinaw Island a couple of years ago (Bon Appetit, maybe?) and it sounds like a wonderful place for a vacation. Have a great time!

I have a meeting re: one of my potential contracts at noon today. If it goes well and I'll get the work that means we get to go to Aspen for a weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, especially since this will be our last Colorado summer.

[houseelf]

We have decided that since Sean is going in the lab and I have a reduced week, this is going to be our "Summer of Fun". We have lived here for three years and haven't seen hardly anything at all! We sat down and made a list of activities that we wanted to do. We hope to do one of these activities a week.

In no particular order:
-Driving to the Dakotas with the inlaws during their upcoming visit to see Mt. Rushmore (No it is not close, but to us Ohians, we feel like we're in the "area")
-going to the State fair in August
-visiting to an Amusement park for the first time as a family.
-seeing the Wiggles live in August (I bought tickets yesterday)
-Going to the local summer festivals
-traveling up North to the boundary waters for hiking and canoeing
-catching a minor league baseball game.

I'm definitely looking forward to having some normal family time after being forever constrained by hubby's schedule.

Thu Van- How, pray tell, did you inlaws get to be a part of this trip.

Jennifer Hussey- JEALOUS!

Matt/Twins Mom- enjoy your punkin lunkins. The summer is so nice because you can take them outside and decrease the indoor mess

Luanne- Enjoy!

Jennifer Streeter-Does Jon have to take Step III yet? Sean is finishing up his third year and just took it this past March. I don't know if anyone has already tipped you off. But the test costs $595 PLUS an extra $500 give or take to the Medical Board. I thought the first part was bad, but then we got hit up for the second part two months later. I guess I'm hoping that you all out there will be more prepared than we were. Fortunately, we just withdrew some dough from Swiss bank account trust funds to cover these expenses. Yeah right.

Kelly

Okay, this is going to sound so selfish and kind of stems off of my old post about being a groupie as far as bands are concerned. Next week I leave for 5 days to glorious Texas. Yes, my home state!! i am going without my DH and DDs. I am going to attend 2 Matchbox 20 concerts in San Antonio and Dallas with my 2 sons ages 13 and 15. I am so excited because, heck it's time away from dreary Ohio and my screaming toddlers and to have adult conversations even though they might be with teenagers. I haven't seen my son's by myself in over 6 years and haven't been with them in 6 months. We are gonna stay at 4* hotels, Thank you Priceline!!! it's so hard to make up for time lost, but am gonna pack as much in as possible and I am going to see see my boys(MB20) again. I had 2nd row in Cleveland and will have gone to 5 shows for this tour. Alright, Kris, not exactly jealous material, but I am sooo stoked(which by the way is a phrase my 15 yr old thinks is awesome) to be seeing them again.


Trisha

Kelly -- Sounds like you have great plans for the Summer of Fun. I have wanted to see Mt. Rushmore for a while now, and I guess we are closer driving from CO than OR. Maybe we can add that to our Wisc trip. Amusement park, boundary waters, state fair -- all that sounds so much fun! And your kiddo will be at a great age to enjoy it.

BUT -- WHAT is this about $500 to the medical board after taking Step 3? No, we did not know about that. We were just preparing for the $600. Is that to the state medical board for a license? Eric was thinking he could do Step 3 but not license and wait to see if he needs one in oregon. I know he has to send his step 3 stuff to the Colorado Medical Board for some kind of blessing before taking the test. Oh dear. If it's not one thing it's another. I sure am glad you said something!

[Rapunzel]

Well, it turns out this is the best time for Jon to take step three because this coming fall he has to take the physics portion of his board exam (that's $700 in addition to the $700 application fee he already paid just to apply to take the boards), then he has to take the written portion of the boards next year (that's another $700) and then the year after that (his final year of residency) he takes the dreaded oral portion of the boards (yet another $700 fee). So, if he will take step three now we might survive financially AND he will be able to moonlight much sooner (and afford all of his future board exam fees). Oh, I forgot the best part of the exam fees for the rads boards: If he is even a day late getting a check into the radiology board he has to pony up an additional $400. So, because we couldn't afford the $700 before the deadline for the physics exam we had to pay $1100 due to the late fee. Nice, huh?

The military will reimburse us for the exam fees - that is the good part of all of this. They do tend to be fairly slow to reimburse, however. Sometimes it takes months to be paid for these "occupational expenses." But, at least they do reimburse - I feel sorry for the non-military radiology residents who just have to swallow the horrendous, gouging fees.

OK, total change of subject. Everyone who is actually having fun this summer listen up! You MUST post details of your fun for those of us who must live vicariously through you!!!

Ok, it is a change of subject. But, Jennifer, that is a lot of money! At least the military does reimburse but it's hard to float $700 for a few months. Eric travels a lot for his work right now and we have to pay his travel expenses (except airfare) and every month we are on pins and needles waiting for a $600 reimbursement check to come in before the credit car bill with the charges.
So....$700 to sign up for the boards....$700 for physics...$700 for written.....$700 for oral -- total of $2100 not including the late fee? Not so bad if you have finished your residency and have more income to pay but as a resident....Yikes! After reading Kelly's post and talking to Eric, I realized that (I think) she was talking about the state medical license which is typically required for moonlighting. So you probably have to add that to your list of expenses too! This stuff really adds up.

[mommax3]

Everyone's plans sound good -- ESPECIALLY Luanne's! It is about time, girl. Have fun.

We just got back from the only guaranteed break we'll get this summer, due to DH's work situation -- however, we are optimistically hoping that things at work will improve by August and we'll be able to take a little more time then.

We bought season passes at Six Flags that are good nationwide, so I imagine we will be making some weekend trips to Arlington (Dallas) to go to the Six Flags there. We are members of a neighborhood pool, so that is something else we will be doing. We need to do some interior painting but I don't know if we will get to it.

Thu Van, if you are interested, maybe we could meet in Dallas while you are there. I don't want to take away from your family time, though. Are you guys flying or driving? If you are driving, you might be coming through Wichita Falls on your way home, right? Let me know.....

Kelly, I have been trying to keep track of your ever-changing feelings about adding to your family......but isn't this summer going to be the "summer of love" as well as the "summer of fun"? Have a blast!

Everyone else -- enjoy! I always try to tell myself, no matter what my vacation plans are, (or are NOT) that this is the only summer that my kids will be the age they are, and because of that, if for no other reason, I should enjoy it because it will pass all too quickly!

Sally