Family Vacation

Growing up we had a family vacation every year. Around the time my youngest sister graduated college my parents wanted to keep the tradition going, and made my two sisters and I a proposal.

1. Parents would set the budget and pay.
2. Kids would plan the vacation (we rotate years planning).
3. Has to be an overnight stay.
4. Has to have at least 1 activity we all do together.
5. We must have a meal all together.

Over the years we've gone snowmobiling in Colorado, river boated the Mississippi through Memphis, rented a beach house in Port Aransas and went bay fishing, and stayed at a dude ranch in Bandera.

With 7 adults, two kids (7 and 2.5), and a shoestring budget, planning is tricky. My youngest sister and her husband knocked it out of the park.

We arrived at our hotel in Dallas all within about 5 minutes of each other on Friday afternoon. After checking in and dropping off our bags. We were off to our first activity, Jumpstreet Indoor Trampoline Park. You only have to look at few posts down from this to know I have decent endurance. After five minutes of chasing a 7 year old on a bunch of trampolines I was sucking wind. I was surprised I could still do a front flip, but I never did stick the landing. I wasn't brave enough to see if I could back flip still. Off to the rope swing into a foam pit, followed by family trampoline dodgeball. After our time was up it was off to a family style dinner at Maggiano's. Unlimited crème brulee. Need I say more.

Saturday morning we headed to the Merry Madagascar ice sculptures exhibit at the Gaylord Texan. While the ice sculptures were cool, the highlight clearly was the indoor snow tubing. Back to the hotel for the my youngest nephews nap time. Dinner was dinner and a show at Medieval Times. If you've never done a Medieval Times show I highly recommend it. It's not the type of thing you would do routinely but it fun for a change of pace. Back to the hotel for “Uncles vs Nephews” wrestling WWE style.

We all head our separate ways Sunday morning after breakfast. Every year we complain about how hard it is to schedule these vacations with everyone working, school, and trying to make them kid and adult fun. Then we have the vacation and we realize how great it is that we do this. Next year is my planning year. Time to put on my thinking cap.