Surprise

Finally, I can write about this.

10 years ago my cousin Tom put together a vacation for much of our extended family.  His mother and my mother are sisters, and both of their families spent a week in a house on a lake in Vermont.  We had a great time and have been wanting to do something similar ever since.

My mother dropped a hint a few months ago that she wanted to do something like that this year.  My brother took the point and after a few days of back and forth between the three siblings and their spouses, we settled on a place in Maine and booked it.  That was a week ago.  We were all getting together at my sister's for our annual St Patrick's Day dinner yesterday so we decided to spring the surprise then.

That meant that I had a vacation to be excited about and couldn't blab about it here for a whole week!  Torture!

It will be my parents, me and my wife and two step kids, my sister and her husband and their two kids, and my brother and his wife and their two kids.  One full week in a huge house on a huge lake in the middle of nowhere in Western Maine.  That sounds pretty much like heaven to me.  I can't wait.  Everyone is very excited.  My not-quite four year old nephew even had a song to sing about it, but he got shy and decided to hop in place instead.  It was pretty cute. 

We have one thing to take care of before we can start concentrating on Maine though.  Me and my wife and step kids and my wife's mother and step father are all going to San Diego for a week. 

Oh yeah, did I mention?  Two monster vacations for us this year?  We are spoiled rotten and I Love It!

Spring in Southern California.  Summer in Western Maine.  Yeah, I'll take that.  We have to start planning ideas for San Diego.  The Zoo is obvious.  The beaches are just as obvious.  Should we go to a Padres game?  You won't get any argument from me.  I would love to see the seals in La Jolla.  Wild animals are cool, don't you know.  There are 100 different museums in Balboa Park and so far, in three trips since our wedding two years ago, we've made it to one.

So much to plan!  So much to do! 

Two vacations and I can't wait for either of them!

I can't wait!!!