Anticipation of adventure brightens the day

The dregs of February.

Today is dreary, with snow predicted. We haven’t had much snow or cold this winter, so there’s not much to complain about there. But it is just that time of year. All done with the holidays, sick of winter, anxious for spring.

This is the no-man’s land of the calendar. Nothing makes it special.  No wonder so many people take trips over “spring break”.

We don’t, unless the three days spent shivering in Oregon count.  That makes it even harder to get through this time of year.

In order to keep me going, I always have to have some sort of trip to look forward to, something to anticipate. A  future vacation. Otherwise, I go stir crazy.

We are planning a family gathering in Glacier Park this next August. That’s what is keeping one foot in front of the other right now.

Glacier is a special place for Husband and I and our kids. We have spent many vacations there. After many years of listening to us rave about the park,  my sister, her husband, at least one of their kids, and  my mom (this should be interesting) are planning to join us there. This started because our son and daughter-in-law decided to take their three little girls there for the first time. We also have maybes from my brother, our other son, and a niece. We are excited about sharing the park with the next generation as well as with the family members who have only heard our excitement about the place.

Vacationing with a big family group has become a bit of a tradition. We always have fun. There are always “adventures” which make the trips interesting.

There was the trip to Europe with 14 of us.  On that trip, the “kids” were kicked out of a bed and breakfast in Ireland. The sound of pounding on my sister’s bedroom door at 6:00 am to tell them that their kids (who were staying in the B&B next door)were to leave at once and their parents had better get them. The very loud explanation of what had happened could be heard by all guests.

There was the vacation with 9 of us at a beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My mom had her stroke and was airlifted to a hospital on that one.

There was a Christmas break gathering in California for 13 of us. Our youngest son was stuck alone in a malfunctioning elevator and had to be rescued by the fire department during that one. We could hear him singing show tunes to pass the time as we waited for them to arrive.

There was a trip to Myrtle Beach for 10 of us. The two vehicles had to coordinate to find a hospital emergency room in Indianapolis in the middle of the night as we drove from Chicago. My sister had food poisoning. On the return trip, we drove in a blizzard just ahead of the Interstate highway closures. We finally stopped, got the last hotel rooms, and had to be pulled out of the snow by the National Guard when we left the following morning.

There was the Christmas holiday gathering at my sister’s house when my son and I got the flu. We went back to the hotel early. As I turned on a faucet to get water to wash up before bed, the faucet exploded and spewed hot water in a two-foot high fountain spray. There was no turn-off valve in the room. The room filled with water and steam, eventually setting off the fire alarms. The rest of the hotel was evacuated as the fire department and several guests and staff attempted to find a shut-off valve in the hall ceiling. There were several inches of hot water in the room. They moved me to the last available room-a model room with new carpet whose smell made me even sicker than I was. Oh, and did I forget to mention I was in my pajamas throughout the whole drama?

Yup, we always have fun.

Just six months to wait for the next family adventure.

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