Some Thoughts (and Memories) of Vacation

Happy Friday!  I mentioned on Wednesday that we will be taking a couple of days away next week….woo hoo!  I’m ready.  We love Lancaster!  And, it is definitely vacation season.  Our local schools are finished next week (on Wednesday….why would you go for three days?  Seems like today would have been a great day for the end of the year – but I digress) and everyone is in true summer mode!  The questions for today are all about vacations.  I hope you enjoy…and let me know how you enjoy vacationing.  I recently read this post from Pamela – and, boy oh boy, I am pretty convinced that camping does not equal vacation for me.  Just sayin:)

1 – Are you planning to take a vacation anytime soon?  As I mentioned, we are planning to take a few days away each month over the summer.  Hopefully, we will take a “proper” vacation in the fall.  Maybe September – which is our favorite time to go away.

2 – Have you recently been on vacation?  I hesitated to answer this question.  Yes, I did take a great trip to Waco, Texas.  It has been one month already….and I’ve yet to get my photos posted.  I do have one excuse.  Most of my pictures include my friends – and I am not comfortable posting photos of others.  Occasionally, I ask someone if I can share a picture but I already know how some of my friends feel about it – and I completely understand.  I could share a lot of cool buildings and pretty landscaping….but that does make an interesting post?? Hmmm –

3 -What is your favorite way to travel?  Definitely not by car.  The older I get, the shorter my distance tolerance becomes.  Luckily, my husband feels the same.  I so used to enjoy flying – but covid sucked all the fun out of that – however, I would still say it is my preferred way of getting somewhere.

4 – If money were no object, where would you go?  The UK!  Give me several weeks to explore all the pretty villages, visit all the shops, sample all the tea and explore a castle.  Or two.  Then let me wander around Wales. Stroll down deserted beaches, see all the sheep, and sample all the food in Monmouthshire.  I’ll want to see Ireland before I leave.  Ah, more sheep and all the gorgeous views!!  Well, if money were no object – I would just stay!

5 – What do you absolutely have to pack when you go on vacation?  Sunglasses.  My eyes are fair-colored and very light-sensitive.  Without sunglasses, I am most miserable.  We left for Texas in the (way too) early morning hours and headed to the airport in the dark.  And I totally forgot to grab my sunglasses.  So, one of our first stops?  Walmart…for sunglasses.  Sad to say, that is certainly not the first time I have done that.  I also never leave home without my straightener (luckily, I’ve never had to replace that once I landed) or my Bible.

6 – Where would you never go on vacation?  Um, a campground.  Not to sound rude to all those folks who love a good camping adventure…but that type of fun is not for me.  So much nature!!

7 – Your worse experience on vacation?  Returning home from Thailand was, without a doubt, the longest and worst travel experience ever.  I was not feeling well.  Actually, I was feeling crummy and would have loved to stay in bed…but that was not an option.  I thought I simply had a cold but, turns out, I had an ear infection.  As soon as we took off, the splitting pain in my ear was almost unbearable.  The flight time??  Seventeen and a half hours!!  And that was not even to home.  I would have been happy to simply pass out on the floor of O’hare airport but, again, that was not an option.  I had to board another plane!  Let’s just say….it was beyond miserable.  I have not flown internationally since.

8 – The best thing to happen on vacation?  I cannot really think of one specific (stand out from the rest) event on a vacation; however, I do have memories from some of my favorite vacations.  My mom and traveled to Moscow for my brother’s wedding.  We stopped in Paris on the way and a friend (who was living in Germany at the time) came over the meet us.  With help from my uncle, we had the most amazing hotel room, dinner experience, and English-speaking driver/tour guide.  It was beyond fun!  A mission trip I took to Samoa was also amazing in so many ways.  I never would have imagined this simple girl on an island in the Pacific, but what a wonderful ten days.  (And the flight home – completely uneventful!)

As far as family vacations, we have a lot of fun memories.  When the kids were little, we would vacation at the beach with my parents.  My dad loved (LOVED) the beach.  We were “regulars” at Litchfield Beach in South Carolina.  So much fun!!  When the kids were older, we loved to vacation in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.  We have great memories of whitewater rafting, amusement park craziness, and just all the simple, silly stuff that makes family vacations so much fun!

Ah, that was a fun walk down memory lane for me.  Well, minus that flight from Thailand. John and I have had some great vacations – since the kids were grown – as well.  We have been on several cruises with friends and our last “big” vacation to Germany and Austria was with friends.  We had a blast!!

I would love to hear about the best place you have visited…or that you would highly recommend.  Or what is on your bucket list?  Hearing about other places…always gets me to dreaming:)   Have a wonderful weekend, friends.  You can see what others have to say about vacations by clicking here.

Just for fun…a photo of my favorite photo – three cuties at the beach!!:)