It is 2 hours and 45 minutes until my vacation begins and I am so excited about going on vacation! I love everything about vacation. I love the planning, the researching, the pouring over destination guides and Trip Advisor and city guides and Urban Spoon to see where to go, what to do and where to eat. I love looking up historical facts about where we’re going and learning a little bit about the place. I know, I know….I’m a big, huge nerd…..I embrace this and I savor every luscious minute of my nerdiness!! J
I love the anticipation of waiting on the appointed vacation time to arrive. I love counting down the days! I enjoy making lists of everything I’ll need to take and I even enjoy packing my suitcase. I usually have it ready to go a week prior our to departure date. I love going to the store to get “travel-snacks” and sunscreen and what-not. When the kids were little, I really enjoyed making “travel packs” for them with little toys and activities to entertain them in the car. I’d always put in some goodies that we’d all enjoy like Brain Quest games, Mad Libs, Travel Bingo cards and the like. Some of my favorite memories are driving down the road with the kids in the back seat….our entire little family laughing our heads off at our own silly antics. To this day, you can look at my kids and say one phrase from those trips and we all dissolve into a heap of writhing giggles. For example, the following phrases ALWAYS elicit a quick laugh: “Del Champs!” or “Nibblets!” or “Floppy Hindus!” or “Monkey Wrench!” or “Nemesis, Nemesis, Nemesis!” These specific words/phrases mean nothing much to other folks….but for us, these phrases are pure comedic gold. (See, you always knew the Griffins were a strange lot!) J
I love getting up early the morning of a big trip! I love the fluttery butterfly feelings I get in my tummy as we run around the house unplugging things, resetting the thermostat and making sure our bed is made and the dishes are all washed and put away (You know, in case I die on the trip….that way no one can talk about what a horrible housekeeper I was at my funeral!!! ) (*Yes, this is an irrational fear of mine; *Yes, I realize it’s not normal. *No, I can’t help it.) J I love getting all the suitcases packed into the back of the car and for road-trips, filling a cooler with bottles of water and ice.
There weren’t many trips we took as a family that involved airfare…simply because it’s expensive to fly a family of four to ANY where. We did fly to Jamaica
Flying adds a whole new dimension of excitement to my anticipation. I have a love-hate relationship with flying. I’m old enough to remember when flying was considered very glamorous and exciting. I remember my Aunt and Uncle talking about their flights on Pan-Am and Delta and wishing I could “Fly the Friendly Skies” too! There’s still just some mystery around flying for me…..the speed with which you can get from here to there….not counting all the waiting time….the time waiting to board, waiting to taxi, waiting to take of, waiting to land, waiting to deplane. When we flew to Japan Japan
I love getting to a destination and seeing things for the first time. I love the different types of architecture, plants and buildings. I love seeing the local stores, the local cafes and restaurants and hearing the accents of the local people. I love the new sounds and the new smells….different foods, the sea….different places have different smells. I love the different colors…..why is it that things are more brightly colored when you are on vacation? The houses along the beach are brightly colored, the sun umbrellas, the flip-flops, the flowers, the shops, menus, the sky even seems bluer…..it all seems brighter and more cheerful than in my day-to-day life. Maybe it’s just because I’m relaxed and slowed down enough when I’m on vacation to actually notice the colors….when I spend most ordinary days in a blur of activity and work, taking the scenery for granted.
I love learning my way around in a new place. I love figuring out what’s what and where’s where. I love trying new things, new foods and shopping for things in a different locale. Even when we’re at the beach and go somewhere as generic as Wal-mart to get groceries…..it takes on a level of excitement that I don’t feel when I go for my weekly, routine errands at home. Isn’t that odd? Why is buying a pound of coffee be more fun in Florida than it is in Tennessee
As much as I love going places and exploring and learning and experiencing new cultures and new cuisines and new adventures…….I also like it when the vacation is over and we come back home. There’s just something settling and welcoming and familiar and comforting about coming HOME. It is nice to have gone, but it’s also nice to return to the nest. I know I sound like a crazy lady…..but traveling is one of my most favorite things in the entire world. If I were to win the lottery tomorrow and become filthy rich and never have to work again…..I’d of course get out of debt and make sure my family was well cared for…..but after those things were settled, I’d take my money and set off on a world tour. I want to see, experience, taste, feel and hear it ALL!!! From the bright lights in the big cities to the crumbling ruins of antiquity to the rolling sea and the highest mountain above the clouds! The Jungle, the Rain Forrest, the Desert, the Plains, The Oceans, the Mountains, the Mesas, the Foot Hills, the Tundra, the Valleys, the Hills, the Rocks, the Rills….I want to see it ALL!!!!!!! My Mamaw used to say that people who liked to travel had ‘itchy feet’……guess I have itchy feet!! I feel that there is so much to learn from other people, other cultures, and other lands. I want to experience life through their eyes!
We’re going to Chicago Field Museum , the Willis Tower (Sears Tower ), and we’re making plans to see the Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park
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