F-A-M-I-L-Y Vacation

Have you ever been on a family vacation?

I mean a F-A-M-I-L-Y vacation which includes in-laws, nieces, nephews, crazy Uncle Tom and the pet hamster.

In my mind, the idea of family vacation creates visions of laughter, memories and all around good times. My ideals of a family vacation normally exceed what actually happens. We may even appear more like the Griswold’s on their way to Wally World or the Hillbillies meet Manhattan than the semi-sane family we actually are.

As a result, I am preparing for the upcoming family vacation with some trepidation. I know, in all likelihood, my concerns are strictly a result of my lack of control in the planning process. I know when we are leaving, when we are coming home and where we are staying. Anything else, I’m clueless. The question of what our plan is met with we don’t have a plan or it hasn’t been discussed. Not exactly reassuring. When there are four couples kids involved, it’s normally a good idea to have a plan.

I like to know where we are planning on going each day. There is no rule we cannot change our plans but my past experience tells me not having a fully communicated vacation plan leads to no good. You end up with eight adults with their own idea of what we are going to do. That is further broken down into the couples where one party, normally the husband, is doing their best to keep the wife happy (because if momma ain’t happy, no body is happy is a very true saying). The couples may end up doing their own thing, because each had their own idea of what a family vacation entails. And then, my entire vision of a family vacation falls apart.

But maybe, just maybe, because I am currently going into our upcoming family vacation with some uneasiness, it means this is going to be the family vacation that lives up to my ideals.

If not, if you see this in mid-April, you know you’ve ran into my family.