GTKY Summer plans

[rere]

I don't think we have discussed this yet this year....


Where is everyone going on vacation?


Any fun plans, trips, or just relaxation on the table for the summer?

[rere]

I started this because I am in full vacation mode. We went to the Rockies last year, so we haven't been to the beach in 2 years, and we are all in full withdrawal.

We leave for Panama City Beach in a week and a half. We are meeting DH's sister and brother in law there. I cannot wait to sit on the beach and have nothing in particular for days in a row. We are just going to take it day by day.

We have a camping trip just girls and kids planned for the end of summer. We will stay at the camp site by the pool and the kids will go on the tram to the connecting amusement/water park. Sounds great to me.

DS will be going to DC with his fellow officers the last week of July. He will be flying alone for the first time. I hope we don't have some Home Alone situation and he ends up in Miami.

Other than that, we just hope to get in trips to the pool and barbeques. It has been hard to fit things in this summer not because of my schedule, but with DD's volleyball, DS's camps, trips and job, it's hard to find the time. It really hit me this summer, that we don't have many more left.

[polecat8]

No big extended family vacation this year. My mom wants to plan a trip to Orlando/Disney for 2020.

Instead, DH and I will be going to Letchworth State Park in NY for a few days next month to celebrate his 40th birthday/our anniversary/my birthday. We are excited to do some hiking and lounging around without the kids. I also booked a hot air balloon ride at sunset for us. I can't wait!

Then I think we'll do a long weekend with the kids in Columbus to visit my niece and see the sights.

We also have a gift card for Great Wolf Lodge. We'll probably go to the one in Sandusky in August and meet up with my SIL and her family.

We always have a big birthday party on the 4th of July for DH, DD, and my birthdays, since they are all around the same time.

Otherwise, you can find us in our big backyard or at a local park.

[186momx]

A long weekend trip to Seattle to celebrate DD's b-day the middle of July. We talked her into a trip vs a b-day party.

A couple camping or weekend trips with our friends in late August

Depending on DD's competitions we will do some fall camping at the coast when the weather is better and there are a lot less people.

[sdlaura]

We're going on a 10-day Pacific Northwest trip starting on the 4th of July.

We're going to fly to Seattle and spend 3 nights staying there and doing city stuff (space needle, museums, tour the Amazon spheres, etc). We're staying in a lake view room on Lake Union so DH and I can see the fireworks while the kids are in bed. Then we're driving North to the ferry terminal in Anacortes and taking the ferry to San Juan Island, and spending 4 nights there at Roche Harbor (for anyone who knows the area). Then we're driving plus taking two ferries to Portland, and staying there for 3 nights in a rental house up the street from our good friends who live there. We can use their babysitters and get some adult time with our friends, and maybe do some local wine tasting with the kids. Then fly back to San Diego. It will be our first trip just the 5 of us, without meeting family or friends (for most of the trip). DH and I love the San Juan Islands from visits pre-kids, and we're excited to take the kids back. If anyone has any recommendations on best activities with little kids in those areas, I'd love them.

This is reminding me that I need to find someone to watch the dog for 10 days

[mustardseed2007]

We went to Disney in April so we're just doing short trips. We're going to spend this weekend at the beach in a friend's beach house, and in August we're going to spend time in the Hill Country camping in a cabin (with AC).

[twinmomma]

I have zero real vacation plans for the summer. I'm saving up PTO and money and planning on a school year trip during spring break season instead.

But, I intend to go up to my parents' place every weekend that I have the kids this summer. It's a free place to stay, my mom feeds us, I get help with the kids, and we chill at the lake all summer. Total win! We'll kick that off with a long weekend for July 4th. I took the Friday and the Monday after off, so it'll be a nice long stretch to start the summer.

[186momx]

sdlaura, check out the City Pass for Seattle. It basically pays for itself if you at least go to 3 attractions. DD really wants to check out underground Seattle and the fish throwing at Pikes Market.

DH and I enjoyed exploring Deception Pass in Anacortes pre-DD and just wandering the town/beaches. Eddyline kayaks was based in Anacortes and his boat needed a fix job so we did a long weekend up there to get it fixed by the pros because the local kayak shop said it couldn't be done. Got a tour of the manufacturing facility and it was cool but they have since closed that location.

Pack layers. It may be 90 at one point and then be 50s and super windy especially on the islands or coast lines.

[covergirl82]

We are going to the town where my parents grew up (I feel like it's my 2nd hometown) for the week of the 4th of July. We'll be camping in our travel trailer. DS is going to have Little League All-Star practices, so DH and I will have to take him back and forth (2 hours each way) for practices on a few of the days.

We also have a long weekend camping trip planned in early August to go to Mackinaw City, and we'll spend the day one of the days on Mackinac Island.

We just booked a Disney World trip for spring break 2020.

[k3am]

We have a long weekend in Tahoe planned for July, and a week in Avila Beach in August. We're going to be mellow at a nice airbnb with lots of beach town stuff to do in walking distance. And we're going to eat our faces off, since we both went to college nearby and need to hit all the old haunts.

Next year DS will be 4 and able to go to kids club at just about any resort, so I think we're going to try to go bigger next year.

[sdlaura]

Thanks 186momx! I was looking at that city pass. Since we're in the land of coastal SoCal May gray and June gloom right now, where it rarely gets above 70 degrees and is really chilly at night, we're used to layers!

[mae0111]

We are doing a week at Cape Cod. DH will probably work for part of it, which is fine - he can work from anywhere. He has promised not to travel anywhere this year during the vacation week, so that's good. Last year he had a huge project wrapping up that week so he had to leave for part of the week.

Dh is also taking the kids camping with his brothers, SILs, SIL's siblings, and a ton of kids. I think there will probably be 20-30 people camping together. This is the first year DD2 will go, and the first year they have the pop-up camper (tents previously). I will have 5 glorious days to myself. So that's my vacation!

[k3am]

twinmomma, if I could replace spending it with my mom to spending it with my sister, that sounds like a perfect lazy summer that I could get on board with.

[waverly]

Planning on Maine and a camping trip to Picture Rocks. I can't remember which dates we picked for the camping trip though.

[librarychica]

I am currently at the beach with my in-laws. It’s a nice trip, but a little trying being on someone else’s schedule and FIL and I don’t always manage to get along. We will go to the beach for a shorter trip, just us, at the very end of the summer that I am really looking forward to. Otherwise, just as many lazy weekends at the house as I can manage.

One thing that is very exciting is I took a girls trip in April and I am taking another short one to Chicago in July. So excited!

[soccermama]

We leave for the beach on Sunday, for 7 days!! We are so excited, especially DD. She LOVES the beach!! We bought a beautiful, brand new
RV so we are taking it to our fave campground. My in-laws had a nice RV for the last several years, but they sold it recently so we decided to take the plunge.

No other big travel plans after that. I have at least 2 concerts planned, and a possible girls trip in August with my bff. Probably a couple weekend trips with the RV.

[sandandsea]

We just got back from Southern California for our family vacation. Ds and dh had a race there and we followed it with Disneyland, legoland and the wild animal park. It was fun! Not at all relaxing but we made great family memories.

In late July DH and I are going to Aruba for a week while my mom stays with the boys. Our plan is to sit on a beach chair and do nothing but decompress. It is needed.

[2chatter]

I’ve already had three of my trips - Galveston with DD, Dragon Ranch for my sorority reunion, casino for REO Speedwagon. DH wants to plan a weekend in Tampa - he’s going there for work a bit lately.

We go to the lake house for the 4th long weekend and Colorado to Sky Ranch for family camp in July. Trying to convince DH to do Meow Wolf in Santa Fe after Colorado. The girls will go somewhere with their Dad so I may do a weekend away with DS and maybe DH, depending on his work stuff, the weekend after vaca. Just a single overnight - somewhere with an awesome pool, if I can get any of his buddies on board. School starts again August 12 so summer started in May and feels short. I need to book one last camp for DS the first week of August.

[k3am]

BIL (engaged, no kids) is constantly trying to schedule a family vacation with us, their parents, their sister and her family. Is there any polite way to tell him I would rather be subjected to water torture than have to go on that trip?

[mustardseed2007]

k3am, "I don't really love trips with lots of people. Even family...Especially family."

[186momx]

k3am, I don't think any of you would like to start your day at 4am when on vacation as that is when my kids normally start our day.

My sister keeps trying to get DD & I to go on trips with her and I keep saying no. Her idea of vacation doesn't vibe with mine and DD needs to eat more than once a day and so do I.

[mommyatty]

We are on Hilton Head Island right now. We are trying to organize a long weekend with two other families in late July. That’s it for us. I would like to book something else, maybe a short trip somewhere we could drive, but convincing DH to do much of anything is like pushing a boulder up a mountain. It generally involves threats by me and pouting by him. I don’t have the energy.

We have a pool, though, so we spend a lot of time either just family or with friends in and around the pool. I love that.

[k3am]

Also DH is taking a trip with his college friends in the end of August, so I feel like I'm entitled to a girls trip. Sadly, I'm not sure there are girls I'm friends who can/would take a trip (budget/new babies/no vacation time, whatever the excuse de jour is) with that I wouldn't need a break from after a night. >.< I'm a terrible person.

[sunbutter]

Kids started off summer with a trip to RI without me because I was working. They then have 9 weeks of camp.
I will take some staycation time with them around Labor Day.
Other than that, we have an annual family reunion to attend in July. We have grown to a family of 23 for a house that does not fit 23 for a weekend...so our nuclear family has volunteered to stay in an RV our front. I am ridiculously excited. My kids are the oldest (11&7). The other seven are 5 and under. Yes, Aunt Sunbutter is going to her RV with her wine. See you tomorrow!
And we will sneak in some long weekends for tent camping here and there in the Poconos.

[waverly]

Jun 19, 2019 12:56:03 GMT -5 k3am said:

BIL (engaged, no kids) is constantly trying to schedule a family vacation with us, their parents, their sister and her family. Is there any polite way to tell him I would rather be subjected to water torture than have to go on that trip?

I had this with my SIL. She wanted us to pull the kids out of school and rent a house with them. 1. Not pulling them out of school. 2. Not spending my money renting a house 2 hours from our lake house. 3. I don’t like you that much.

I gave her the first 2 reasons and had someone proofread it for me to make sure it was polite.

Her latest- New Zealand for her parents wedding anniversary. Um I can’t afford to take 4 people to NZ and pay part or all of her parents. She doesn’t have children (has a stepchild that would stay home) so no expenses there.

[sdlaura]

k3am at least your BIL wants to hang out with you guys, I guess? I wonder if you could travel just with them and not the parents.

Re: a girls trip, don’t let new babies or budget stand in your way! I’d rather stay at an inexpensive hotel (or offer to pay) or have a baby along and get to hang out with people I really like. One friend and I brought babies along to a girls trip one year because they were both under 3 months. It was a little less relaxing for us than the other two girls, but still not too bad since the older kids were at home. We just hung by the pool and ordered take out and did a puzzle

[k3am]

sdlaura the amusing part? BIL makes no effort to see us the rest of the year. He will drive up to see his parents (passing us) or fly into our town and then drive 1.5 hours to his parents and make no attempts to see us. DH will suggest that we meet up for lunch or he stop for a break before finishing the drive, but nada. DD was 10 months before he saw her for the first time, and he only met DS as a baby because his now fiance had to point out that they were going to be *in* our town for a full day with nothing else to do. (ETA: BIL called DH to ask what they should do in our town on a Friday afternoon/evening when we were both out on maternity/paternity leave... "umm.. visit your nephew? Have dinner here?) My family lives about 5 hours south from us and 2 hours north of him, and we visit a few times a year. Every time, we suggest meeting at a halfway point, but the 45-60 minute drive is "too far" for him to make. (Last year his priority was taking his bike in for a tune up. Can't miss that.)

He also complains to MIL/FIL that he isn't as close to the kids as he'd like to be.

[186momx]

k3am, I think we have the same BIL. BIL and SIL live 2 hours north. The last time they came down to see us was when I threw DH a surprise 30th b-day, DH will be 39 this October. SIL and I have meet pre-nephew in the middle for lunch but once she had the baby that stop. Nephew will be 4 in October and we have seen him 6 times. Not for our lack of trying but they either cancel when we make plans or aren't available. SIL wants to get together. I sent 4 dates a month in advance that we could drive up, and nothing back. DD's b-day comes around and she apologizes and asks when we are free. I turned it around and told her to give me dates they were free and we would work it around as our schedule for summer is pretty open. I've heard nothing again. It doesn't help that DH and his brother don't have a great history together.

[freezorburn]

Not a whole lot planned ... I want to stay available in case I can manage to land a job interview. DS will be spending the month of August back east with his dad. Last week of summer I will fly out there to pick him up, then we are taking a train across the country to come back.

[mustardseed2007]

BIL and SIL used to always talk about taking trips together but after a truly nasty trip during their vow renewal (I've posted about it before) DH and I vowed to avoid all trips with them. MIL would continuously suggest us going on trips together and helpfully propose that we share lodgings with BIL and SIL to save costs, until I told DH that he needed to tell her to stop suggesting that. We have children. We don't need to scar them watching BIL and SIL have a raucous argument.

Well anyway they are now getting a divorce. Allegedly. I've heard that before, so we'll see if it sticks. I don't wish bad things on anyone's marriage but they are not good for each other and his family spent so many years pretending it was fine when it CLEARLY hasn't been for a very long time.