STORM2K

Summer is just around the corner and many are planning our vacations. Some are staying at home due to the scorching gas prices. But, some are not going to let that get in the way somehow. My parents took their vacation early. They have been gone for nearly 2 weeks and will be home tomorrow. They went to places they never been before. They were scheduled to leave the first go around on August 29th. But, no, that Beast Katrina ruined their plans. They had their bags packed and everything. They talked about that trip for years. Anyway, I am glad they finally got to go on their dream vacation. They went to Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Montana, Colorodo. (My parents love the mountains) And even with the gas prices, they drove. My mom refuses to get on a plane no matter what.

My plans were originally going to be Galveston, Texas. But, my cousin and her husband changed it to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They invited me to go. They have 3 kids. Noah (7), Isabella who will be 4 on July 1st and the baby Natalie who is 2. We will be going for a whole week. The last week of July. We are renting a cabin in the Smoky mountains. I have been to Tennessee before, but I was only 6. And don't remember a whole lot. We will probably go to Dollywood which is a great place for the kids and adults who like to act like kids which is me. I only have to come up with $150 to help pay for the cabin. And give them $10 everytime they need gas. My cousin said they will provide the food. We will mostly be just eating and cooking in the cabin. They usually only go out to eat once. So, I am going to start saving my money from now until we leave in July. If I put $40 aside from each paycheck, I should be able to swing it. So, what are your plans if any this summer? And hope for a safe 2006 hurricane season and that it does not ruin any plans or lives for that matter.

Well, since our island is flat broke and agencies and businesses are shutting down, we will just stay on the island and finish working on the house. This is not a good time to leave our home. Things may be worse. That is fine, I have plenty to do here.

If I lived in Puerto Rico, I would probably just spend my whole summer lounging on the beach. It is so gorgeous there and I would love to visit there someday.

Oh, I am sure you will get here someday. Just take a different cruise next time that includes the Virgin Islands, etc. Yes, it is beautiful here just like all the other islands.

No real plans will probably wait until fall and the end of hurricane season to take a vacation like last year.

We're trying to get in a few mini-vacations before hurricane season really gets cooking here: an extended weekend in west central coastal Michigan with Chicago friends 5/19-22, a solo visit with my best Chicago friend 6/9-13; a cruise to Cozumel 6/16-19 (to use credit from the cruise we missed a few days after Wilma blasted us);and an extended weekend visit with family in Green Valley AZ 7/6-10. If we have a chance for a Disney weekend somewhere along the line, we'll be there, too -- haven't been up to visit Mickey et al. for 2 years now!

Work. The good Doc is going to India for 2 weeks, around Thanksgiving &
Christmas, so, we'll be expected to use our vacation days, then.

My sons are taking ME to Colorado for three days. Fly fishing and white water rafting.

An occasional trip to California to see our sons and their girls. Other than that, I will work plenty (so the crew can get THEIR time off), and we're having some updating done to our bathroom(s) so that the contractors can earn some money and spend their vacation in Hawaii or somewhere!

Next year...Florida and Maui if the body holds out!

Travel to Denver for work, travel to hometown for family reunion, travel to Indiana to see bro and sis-in-law and nephew-to-be.

Other than that, nothing just for me. Spending my dough on fixing the house.

Not really summer, but May 20 we're heading to Alaska for a week for vacation. At the end of the summer, Mrs. Alum and I are having our first baby.

Work...like all the other seasons.

I think more people are starting to stay home during hurricane season, at least those living close to water.

A 4-week trip through Vietnam and Cambodia.
And after that I'll have two weeks left to prepare some things before going to University (wish I had a longer summer vacation though, the usual 6 weeks aren't enough)

going to my cousin's wedding in Baltimore, my daughter's wedding in Lake Charles, and getting the house ready to sell for our move to Albuquerque.

alicia-w wrote:going to my cousin's wedding in Baltimore, my daughter's wedding in Lake Charles, and getting the house ready to sell for our move to Albuquerque.

Your moving to ABQ? I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo jealous We "LOVE" ABQ.....our next door neighbor JUST sold his house and moved there, I would move in a HEART BEAT BUT......who knows!! We go to ABQ EVERY October for vacation, who knows, we may meet up!

Dennis

I'll be off work for the summer so I plan to clean out closets, reorganize my kitchen drawers, other closets, bills, etc. And maybe paint my bedroom and hang new curtains. Big jobs that I no longer can get to during a work week (even though part time, the hours I work are when my family was gone to school or work.) When they're home and underfoot, it's so hard to get anything done. We just run-run-run. I'm really looking forward to getting up, staying home and getting work around here accomplished! Boring chores but if I can pull this off by August, I'll feel much better about going back to work!

We also have a one week vacation in Florida - we are visiting my FIL. A family reunion in Kentucky and a wedding shower for my niece. That's about it!

It will no doubt fly by.

Where to start.........

Visiting friends; maybe going to the annual Sci-fi convention in Tulsa, OK; etc...

No major plans though.

Now........to the question, I'll be working as usual, CI work in the summer up here is a KILLER, so many people up from Phoenix, Tucson.......our crime rate TRIPLES during the summer months, "OVERTIME, time and a 1/2 "

Dennis

azsnowman wrote:

alicia-w wrote:going to my cousin's wedding in Baltimore, my daughter's wedding in Lake Charles, and getting the house ready to sell for our move to Albuquerque.

Your moving to ABQ? I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo jealous We "LOVE" ABQ.....our next door neighbor JUST sold his house and moved there, I would move in a HEART BEAT BUT......who knows!! We go to ABQ EVERY October for vacation, who knows, we may meet up!

Dennis

we're settling for ALB until we can find something in SE AZ.... nonetheless it beats the heck out of the florida panhandle, aka southern alabama...

Our summer plans are for John not to lose his job, us not lose our house and savings, and Puerto Rico to not turn into a Cuba or Haiti.