Vacation Countdown

98 days ago, my husband, thinking he would cheer us up at dinner one night, announced that there were 100 days until vacation. He thought he was doing a good thing. The weather at that time was still cold and dreary and we needed a boost in spirit. My daughter and I, upon his announcement, drooped our shoulders in defeat – what? A HUNDRED days?

We’re two days away from leaving. You’d think we’ve never gone any where before, given how excited we are. It’s not the first time we’ve been to Virginia or to Williamsburg, or to Busch Gardens. Our prior experiences have been good ones, and the road trip portion of this vacation throws in an added element. So we’re excited and anxious. And the countdown is on. The checklists are being checked off.



Find someone to stay at the house and tend to my garden – check



Shop for road food and snacks – check



Get car serviced – check



Charge camera batteries, dump memory cards and reformat, charge phones. Get a car charger for the phone and laptop. Check check check.



Packing – do the laundry, decide which shorts and tee shirts we need. Which sandals? Which bathing suits? Beach towels, surf board, blankets, sunscreen, and goggles.



Got it.



Waist packs, water bottle holders, hats, good walking shoes, cell phones programmed with other family member’s cell phone number for when we’re at the park.



Yep.



Get hair cut & color. New contact lenses. Refill prescriptions.



Done.



Forward the voice mail, set up the out-of-office reply, delegate my assignments to be covered in my absence.



Big check.



Transplant the herbs, weed the gardens, trellis the unruly peas, harvest the lettuce.



Done. Done. Done.



I love that feeling when you finally get the suitcases packed, the car packed, everyone buckled in and ready to go. The tank’s full of gas. I can breathe a sigh of relief at that point. Everything’s done except the fun. There’s no turning back now.

The truth is that for me, the planning and preparing for vacation is just as much fun as the actual going. That anticipation of a good time, of being away from the normal everyday life, of a change of scenery and new experiences makes the whole thing so much more than just the time spent away. Its anti climactic to return and have nothing on the horizon to look forward to, travel wise, I mean. Yes, we’ve got a birthday party to plan, and school shopping to do, and plenty of summer time left to enjoy, but no big trips planned, no reason to keep the suitcases out.



Yet.



Who knows what may transpire during our travels? We may decide that we’ve just got to do this more often.

So here it is. The culmination of months of planning will occur sometime Friday morning, as we load up the car, lock up the house, and head out on the road.



I won’t be posting while I’m gone. I will be taking hundreds of photos to share. I will be taking notes about our travels and experiences and plan on writing about them when we return. I will review the hotels, restaurants, and roadside attractions. I will refocus, closer to home, and write more!



Have a wonderful week everyone!