Summer Past, Present, and Future

Well, it is officially the first day of summer vacation and we've done it up right. I took the kids to see Rango last night (yes, I took 3 kids to the movies by myself-proof my brain is fried and I am ready for summer vacation) and then we picked up supper from Chick-Fil-A complete with cookies and cream milkshakes. Today has been full of pancakes, dress up clothes, legos, arguing siblings, and friends over for a sleepover. Summer is here! Okay, so I haven't been able to eat any of the tasty treats and most of my day has been spent doing dishes and laundry and vacuuming and doing my same ol' reoutine. It's all good. It's nice to be able to do the routine on my own time table. But, it got me to thinking about how fun summer is when you're a kid. Then, I talked to a friend and she was telling me about a family vacation tradition she had growing up and how they take their kids to the same place. So neat. I find myself tonight longing for a fun trip.

Josh and I are still planning our cruise for this summer and we are SO READY! He's actually in Alabama this week helping with the tornado cleanup and I have the feeling that by the end of this week he will be even more ready for a vacay.  There have constantly been scheduling conflicts and extra expenses come up that have threatened our plans. I don't know about y'all, but sometimes I have a really hard time spending money on vacations. In fact, we've only had 3 official vacations since we've been married and this cruise will mark our 10 year anniversary. I just feel like there is always somewhere else the time and money could be going. But I have come to realize that sometimes you just have to make the time. I have especially learned that as a married couple you absolutely have to make the time for each other. It's an investment that is worth it. And right now there are lots of great hotel discounts and other deals. Josh and I are booking our hotel through http://www.discounthotels.com/. They are a great website that gives great deals on rooms and flights and it is super easy to use. Just type in where and when you're going and it will show you the best deals! And honestly, when you've been married ten years, have 3 kids, a dog, and a neighborhood full of kids in your house, it doesn't really matter where you go or where you stay as long it is somewhere that you don't feel like the live-in maid, right?  :)

While I am super excited about a romantic getaway with my hubby, I am also anxious for future family vacations. We've decided we won't do Disney until all 3 kids are old enough to remember it, but we are hoping maybe next summer. Kate will be almost 5. Oh my gosh. I can't think about that.

All this talk of vacations has brought back lots of memories. I went to look at some old pics my Mom had posted on FB and immediately noticed a pattern. We were usually standing in front of a plane.

This particular picture just happens to capture what was the 2nd worst haircut of my life.

My dad was such a war buff and we did not take a family vacation without visiting a war memorial. I wish I had made more of those times and actually learned some history, but most of the time my walkman blocked out the info. (For certain readers under a certain age who are reading this, a walkman was like the early version of the Ipod. Except it had huge, obnoxious headphones and you had to have tapes for it. If you ask me what a tape is I will tell you you are too young to read this blog.) 

This is my favorite. Don't you love how I just randomly struck dance poses on top of mountains whilst looking at cannons? Awesomeness....

If there weren't planes, there were monuments....

Don't we look cool? I'm not sure if we were all tired of each other by this point or if we were trying to recreate some artsy CD cover or something.

We didn't always go to war museums. We had lots of beach vacations, too. I think about my Daddy everytime I make a trip into "town" and ride through the little beach town where we spent many a summer day riding the waves together.

Notice, even at the age of 10 I would not take my t-shirt off. So modest. I was a preacher's wife in the making. :)

Finally, this isn't a war or beach trip. Although it may cause WWIII if my sister sees I posted this. Anyway, we were at Busch Gardens and it just cracks me up to look at our socks. Is anybody else amazed I found a husband after this little road trip down  memory lane? Yeah, me too.

So, I want to know. What is your favorite part about summer? Lazy days? Beach days? Family Vacays? Cookouts? Let me know!