Vacations

Hello again.

I’ve taken a break from writing over the last 10 days as we headed out for our annual family vacation. Summer plans for Holly & Paul necessitated an earlier trip this year (we tend to go in July - after Lisa’s summer class, usually taught in June, concludes).

So, basically, the minute the 2011-12 school year ended, we hopped on a plane and headed out for our family vacation. This year’s destination was San Francisco. Our vacation was so early this year, in fact, that we actually marked the occasion of my birthday with a dinner at a nice little bistro near Union Square in downtown San Fran.

I’ll write a little more about my impressions of the City by the Bay (and the time we spent there) in a future blog. My topic, today, is more global.

We’ve had some great family vacations over the years. We feel very blessed to afford our vacations and we see it as an investment in the family, the opportunity to make memories, and a chance to sew seeds for the future.

Some folks don’t take a family vacation at all. They’re too busy. Or Mom and Dad go on their own and schlamp the kiddos off w/ gramma and grandpa while they have their own fun.

Other folks cheat the fundamentals of life - such as planning for retirement, putting money into taking care of their homes or saving for college educations - when they probably can’t afford such lavish luxuries to begin with.

We’ve always planned ahead and set aside a portion of our annual budget for our adventures. Last year, we rested on the eastern-most reaches of the Outer Banks in N.C. This year, we explored the shores of sunny California. And over the years, we have had great trips to many places in between.

I said, earlier, our trips are about making memories and sewing seeds for the future.

As we flew back from the West Coast, Lisa and I noticed the sibling banter taking place up in front of us as Holly & Paul passed the time. Throughout this trip, there were other great moments - watching the sun set over the Pacific, driving back and forth across the Golden Gate bridge, seeing a ballgame in one of America’s premier ballparks (and much much more).

These are moments to last a lifetime. Once they’re gone, you can’t get them back. It was great to watch our ones share them.

We feel so lucky to have been able to do many of these family vacations over the years; we have plans to do many more. 

JG

Originally posted 6/2/2012