PDA

View Full Version : Summer Vacation!



TikiGoddess
08-18-2008, 10:00 PM
Two parts to this thread:

1. Tell us what you did this summer... anything exciting, relaxing... travel, home...

2. Tell us something you'd like to do before the summer ends -- or something you didn't get to do that you really wanted to...

TikiG

TikiGoddess
08-18-2008, 10:07 PM
1. Got to play with my girls. They're 3 and 5, and finally at an age where we can go places without worrying about diapers, naps, and strollers. We went to the beach -- museums -- playgrounds and had a wonderful time.

2. We didn't get to Disney this summer, although we knew that was happening. We are hoping to go next year -- especially if I win this contest I'm entered in (check out my homepage). I also didn't get to spend as much time as I'd like with my hubby. He's been working on his second book of recorder music nonstop, hoping to finish it by the end of the summer. It's almost done though!

Kathy

conorsmom2000
08-18-2008, 10:18 PM
1. Honestly, I feel rather guilty - with the stress of unemployment, we didn't do much this summer and I feel bad about that. We did swim in the pool a lot, and had both a 4th of July party and a surprise party for Mike's 40th birthday. Sunday we spent roaming around NYC (where Conor discovered M & M World!! :D )

2. Mike is going back to work next Monday so this week is our "get it done" week. We are going to Liberty Science Center tomorrow, then either the Bronx Zoo or a water park one day and hopefully down the shore for a day or two. Of course our real goal was to get to Disney but that wasn't in the cards this year!

kakn7294
08-18-2008, 10:57 PM
1. DH and I took our first adult only trip together since DD was born. We went to NYC for a weekend for a Yankees game. My whole family (well, immediate family for those who know the Debbie stories) went to Disney - in fact, we're just back today (at 3:30 am!).

2. We'd like to take the girls to the Pittsburgh zoo - we have a whole bunch of new babies, including an Amur tiger cub, 2 African elephant calves (their daddy Jackson also fathered a couple of babies at AK), and 6 beavers. Hopefully that's happening in a couple of weeks.

thrillme
08-19-2008, 09:02 AM
My DS spent a week in boy scout camp and had a total blast.

Then we drove up to South Dakota to meet my new husbands family. They were so wonderful...we popped probably close to $1200 worth of fireworks (they had a BIG family reunion and everybody chipped in a good handful). I found out why Dorthy wanted to go over the rainbow so bad...WHEW...our trip through Kansas and Nebraska was an awful lot of wheat, cows and telephone poles and little else. My husband just laughed at me and called me a "city girl".

Then we went to the coast for a fishing tournament. That was quite a blast. We caught quite a bit of whiting. Had a super fish fry when we got home.

We just returned from Orlando where we did Tyhpoon Lagoon, Seaworld and Universal. I was such a slow floater in the shark tank at Tyhpoon Lagoon...my boys told me they were about to jump in and push me along. I found out if you're a good floater and you steer away from the bulk of the people you will soon be surrounded by fish trying to get away from the "kickers". Universal was a blast...my son talked me into trying out for the "Fear Factor" show...and I actually made it in. We all thought for sure I'd be out in the second cut. The boys left...told me to call when I was done. I never called. The next time they saw me I was hanging in spandex from the top of the theater. ACK:jaw:

Our next outing is going to be in October where we're due for Disney. Normally we don't take this many trips in a year but...this has been an unusual year with a couple of opportunities that came up.

sportsguy2315
08-19-2008, 10:26 AM
1. Did my usual stint of being a counselor at Camp Invention/giving two weeks of my summer for Community Service while packing for my freshman year of college.

2. Would have liked to have done Disney (But I did DL in November, so I'm OK!)

CanadianWDWFan
08-19-2008, 10:28 AM
1. We took our first family trip out to DLR (http://flickr.com/photos/10566431@N04/sets/72157606622567893/) and California (http://flickr.com/photos/10566431@N04/sets/72157606632176274/). On our first monorail ride we even got to sit in the front of Monorail Red. We even experienced the earthquake while watching The Billys at the Golden Horseshoe. We were on the balcony, let me tell you the whole balcony was a movin' and a shakin'!:D We thought that it was part of the show! After Disneyland, we toured around California and put nearly 1800 miles on the rental car. We really got to see a lot of what California has to offer as well as being able to spend sometime with friends along the way.

2. What I want to do is spend a day or two with the kids before school starts back up and take them out and about the town. Generally spend some time rediscovering our city.

Ian
08-19-2008, 01:42 PM
1. Tell us what you did this summer... anything exciting, relaxing... travel, home...Well, the kids and I had a very nice 2 week vacation at the lake back in July. Just us, some of my family, and our boat in the woods. It was great bonding time. I love having that one-on-one time with the kids. It's awesome! :thumbsup:

Outside of that, nothing too outrageous. Didn't use our boat as much as I would have liked, but we really want to upgrade to something bigger and nicer, so I think that played into it a little bit.

Immediately before summer we hit WDW for 5 days and I guess technically our September trip begins before summer ends. We're doing WDW for 4 days and Vero Beach for 3 days. Looking forward to that!


2. Tell us something you'd like to do before the summer ends -- or something you didn't get to do that you really wanted to...Something we'd really like to do before summer ends?

Buy a new boat!! We've been looking and looking and looking and we just can't find one that meets all of our criteria. We find one we like, but it's too expensive. Or we find one we can afford, but it doesn't have everything we want. It's driving me a little batty. We're going to the Atlantic City Boat Show in a few weeks, so hopefully that will work out.

Something we wanted to do, but most likely won't get around to?

We planned on taking the kids to Dutch Wonderland (little, kid-friendly theme park near here), but I'm not sure if we'll find the time to do that before DD has to go back to school.

Disney Doll
08-19-2008, 02:05 PM
Our big summer event was moving. We closed on our new home July 31st and we moved in during the hottest week of the year. It was such a chore and I never want to move again. We are loving the new house though.

Before the summer is over I would really like to find a new grill for our patio. Maybe we can find some good end of season deals.

RedSoxFan
08-19-2008, 04:40 PM
The first weekend of June, we went to Boston to see the Red Sox. Lots of fun. My sister and her family came up for a day we just strolled around the city.

Really haven't done anything else as DS16 had a 6 week driver's ed class that just ended the first week of August.

But DD11 and I went to MA to visit DH's parents and then to RI to stay with my sister for a few days. Had lots of fun and saw WALL-E.

PirateLover
08-19-2008, 06:30 PM
1. Went to D.C. for 3 days to catch the Phils play the Nats and do some sightseeing. Very fun.

2. I would like to get to the shore a few more times. I love the beach.

Mousefever
08-19-2008, 08:32 PM
1. DS and I went on a 41 day cross-country trip in our fuel-efficient vehicle. Some highlights:

-a week with family in Pittsburgh including a day at Kennywood

-visits with college friends in Hershey and Phoenixville PA, with a trip to Hershey Park

-a visit with my sister in CT, and an afternoon visit with our own TikiGoddess!

-a lovely homecoming to Vermont with lots of time with friends



Something we wanted to do, but most likely won't get around to?

We planned on taking the kids to Dutch Wonderland (little, kid-friendly theme park near here), but I'm not sure if we'll find the time to do that before DD has to go back to school.

We almost visited Dutch Wonderland too, Ian. But the day we were going to go (July 18th) the area was under a heat advisory. It was a bazillion degrees with 110% humidity!

2. We don't have any summer left! School started Aug. 14th. Lord knows I won't be taking Jacob out of school for any special events this year. It's a long boring story with plenty of righteous indignation on my part and nannyism on the part of his school.

Amy


:dory:

DisneyDog
08-21-2008, 11:26 AM
We went to the Outer Banks for a week with DH's family. Rented a HUGE house right on the beach. It was a lot of fun. DS started swimming without waterwings while we were there, which was especially awesome.

DH and I are going away overnight this weekend. My folks are in town from FL and watching DS. We are going to Philly to be "tourists" for the weekend. LOL. We were going to Lancaster but changed our minds because of fuel costs. Instead we are going to take the train into the city. Going to the Masonic Museum/Library, and the National Liberty Museum. We've never done either.

School starts here September 2nd. DS's 6th birthday is September 3rd. We will be having a party for him September 7th, so it will feel like there is still a little bit more of the summer left, even after school starts. Fun!

Tiggerlovr9000
08-21-2008, 01:24 PM
My DS spent a week in boy scout camp and had a total blast.

Then we drove up to South Dakota to meet my new husbands family. They were so wonderful...we popped probably close to $1200 worth of fireworks (they had a BIG family reunion and everybody chipped in a good handful). I found out why Dorthy wanted to go over the rainbow so bad...WHEW...our trip through Kansas and Nebraska was an awful lot of wheat, cows and telephone poles and little else. My husband just laughed at me and called me a "city girl".

Then we went to the coast for a fishing tournament. That was quite a blast. We caught quite a bit of whiting. Had a super fish fry when we got home.

We just returned from Orlando where we did Tyhpoon Lagoon, Seaworld and Universal. I was such a slow floater in the shark tank at Tyhpoon Lagoon...my boys told me they were about to jump in and push me along. I found out if you're a good floater and you steer away from the bulk of the people you will soon be surrounded by fish trying to get away from the "kickers". Universal was a blast...my son talked me into trying out for the "Fear Factor" show...and I actually made it in. We all thought for sure I'd be out in the second cut. The boys left...told me to call when I was done. I never called. The next time they saw me I was hanging in spandex from the top of the theater. ACK:jaw:

Our next outing is going to be in October where we're due for Disney. Normally we don't take this many trips in a year but...this has been an unusual year with a couple of opportunities that came up.



Hey Nebraska is a beautiful state and a great place to live. The people are awesome. If you ever get a chance to vacation here maybe you'll see what I see. In Omaha we have one of the greatest zoo's in the country. The museums and shows are also over the top. Try canoeing down the niobrara and see the water falls and amazing scenery. Please don't judge NE by just driving through..

pixiebeliever
08-21-2008, 01:27 PM
1. Tell us what you did this summer... anything exciting, relaxing... travel, home...

Our summer was busier then we expected it to be. Oldest DS did a week at Springhill camps and turned around and did an 9 day missions trip to Oklahoma. Then right before school started his grandmother took him to Ohio to see the Creation Muesum and the zoo. I gave my DH an early b-day/f-day gift of two tickets for us to go the Nascar race in Pocono in June. Well little did I know that would turn into us going to Chicagoland, back to Pocono and Michigan races. We're trying to get to TN this weekend but it does not look like it is happening. But NC trip is already booked for Oct.

The rest of our summer was spent with me working all but 6 days the entire time. We have now 4 trips before the end of the year to WDW, so I am saving every penny for extras.

2. Tell us something you'd like to do before the summer ends -- or something you didn't get to do that you really wanted to...

I really wanted to try and get to our zoo to see the koalas that are visiting. They leave Sept 1st so I don't think I will be able to get there. Even though school has started we don't think of summer over until LDW when we go up to the Blueberry Festival. The only thing other thing I would have like to have done was go camping. We just never found a good weekend when schedules and weather worked.

jrkcr
08-21-2008, 02:49 PM
1. :boat: I started my sailing classes. But apparently there are days with no wind at all, and you can't sail without wind...So I have 3 more days planned in September to finish up my classes.

2. I explored Reno more. Took DH to the botanical gardens and a favorite local restaurant we'd never been to. (Pegs Glorified Ham and Eggs) :eat:

3. DD8 has matching clothes for herself and her doll Kit. Took her and Kit doll to see the Kit Kittredge movie and out to Belles Tea Cottage for strawberry tea and scones. :tasty:

4. I have semi-planned a trip to the Grand Canyon in Sept or October. I would love to river raft it, but we'll see. If not, we'll visit the coast of Oregon. And I know we'll be going back to Lake Tahoe on the weekends in September.

5. We are all going to DisneyLand and taking DD16s friend, and DIznee4me is flying to California and meeting us there! We leave in 3 days!! why am I on here? I need to be packing!!!:blush:

MNNHFLTX
08-21-2008, 05:07 PM
Well, DS and I did Disneyland in June and had a great time! We also did a long-awaited family vacation up to Calgary for the Stampede and then the Canadian Rockies, which was absolutely stunning!

Summer ends next week (at least for DS, when school starts up), but we wished we could have seen more of family. But with my husband's relatives over in Florida and mine up in Minnesota, it is always hard to find enough time and money to do both.

thrillme
08-22-2008, 12:17 AM
Hey Nebraska is a beautiful state and a great place to live. The people are awesome. If you ever get a chance to vacation here maybe you'll see what I see. In Omaha we have one of the greatest zoo's in the country. The museums and shows are also over the top. Try canoeing down the niobrara and see the water falls and amazing scenery. Please don't judge NE by just driving through..

I KNEW we were on the wrong road :D. I was CERTIAN you were hiding all the good stuff.

Flower
08-22-2008, 08:39 AM
Two parts to this thread:

1. Tell us what you did this summer... anything exciting, relaxing... travel, home...

We did not go away this summer, a first for us in a LONG time. As for day trips, we went to the beach, the zoo, a local water park (I am headed back there today actually!), visiting with friends and family, and a few other local things.


2. Tell us something you'd like to do before the summer ends -- or something you didn't get to do that you really wanted to...

TikiG

I wish we had of been able to do another trip to Disney this summer: my son's annual pass expires at the end of September and I know we are not going to get there, short of winning the lottery.

I would have liked to have done some form of camping with the boys, but we were limited to weekends only due to my husbands job (No time off:(). The weekends were either too busy, too hot or too wet.

J.C.&ALI'SMOM
08-22-2008, 08:44 AM
Two parts to this thread:

1. Tell us what you did this summer... anything exciting, relaxing... travel, home...

This summer DH, the girls, and I went to Myrtle Beach for a few nights. Then later in July we went with my Mom, Dad, and Sister on a trip through California. We visited SF, Yosemite, DLR, and LA over 15 days. It was great! We would love to go back and visit some of those places again.


2. Tell us something you'd like to do before the summer ends -- or something you didn't get to do that you really wanted to...

TikiG

We will probably take a weekend in Sept. and go to the Smokies, stay in a cabin, and do some shopping for school clothes.

Stitchahula
08-22-2008, 03:31 PM
We went to Camp Sunshine for DBA week this summer. It's a camp for kids with life threatening illnesses and their families. The place is great it cost no money for the family except for what it costs you to get there. My 5 y/o DS loved it so much he didn't want to come home.
We also went to the beach for the day with payroll princess. It was my 1y/o DS 1st time at the beach. He did really well...until a wave smacked him in the face he wasn't a big fan of salt water. My 5 y/o DS had a blast though jumping the waves. I would love to get to the beach again this summer.
It just feels like I blinked and the summer is gone. Maybe because it seemed like every weekend we had thunderstorms.

Kennywife
08-22-2008, 03:40 PM
We worked all summer. I wrote tons of articles and Kenny kept busy at his job as Supervisor at Wal-Mart. Went to movies together and I got to go to the casino with my cousin a couple of times.

That's about it.

Anna

princessgirls
08-22-2008, 03:56 PM
1. I'd just like to say that this summer was one of my favorites!! My girls are 6 & 7 and go with the flow really good. I worked 20 hours per week, but as soon as I picked them up from the sitters, we were off to the town pool, which is like a resort hotel facility. I got pool and lounge time after work! Oh, how I will miss the days of the pool...

2. We are leaving for Myrtle Beach tonight. We rented a ocean front home in Surfside Beach with our friends. We have stayed there before and it is a wonderful beach vacation.
We did a few days in Hershey, went to the Jersey Shore twice for day trips, and spent Sundays at the lake boating.
We knew we weren't doing Disney this year, but I BOOKED my trip this week for my 40th Birthday celebration in 2009! Yippie!!
I would have liked to do a long weekend in Wildwood Crest (my favorite beach) on the Jersey Shore, but other than that this summer was a home-run!
Hope everyone else had a nice summer too!
Julie:mickey:

amd780
08-23-2008, 11:06 AM
1. This has been a very eventful summer for DH and I! We moved from CT to NC at the beginning of the summer, and both started new jobs. We also spent a wonderful week in the NC mountains with my family, and had the opportunity to take two weekend trips to Myrtle Beach with one of my two closest friends.

2. One thing I really wanted to do was to take my 10-year-old sister to her local water park (my family lives about an hour and a half away from me). We had plans to go last weekend, but I was sick with a cold. Since summer is almost over, it looks like we'll have to wait until next year to do this! :(