Family Vacations

2/22/12

When I was a child we didn’t often take vacations. When I was 10 my parents asked my brothers and I if we would rather have a camper or go to Disney. We chose a camper. We would often go to Texas during the summers and stay with our grandparents, but we didn’t have what I consider to be an actual family vacation until I was 12. We went on a cruise to the Bahamas. After I had children of my own I decided we would try to take a family vacation at least every other year. Our first family vacation we went to Port Aransas, Texas. I like to spend a lot of time fishing, my wife loves the ocean and the kids like sand, dolphins and hermit crabs. So last May we decided that we would try the Gulf Coast in Alabama. We rented a beach house on Dauphin Island, Alabama. We wanted to go to Pensacola but the last thing I wanted to do was stay in a condo. So we moved our search west a little and found Dauphin Island. It couldn’t have been better the Island was more family friendly than Pensacola. We really enjoyed the rich military history of the area. There were forts, battleships and the Blue Angels. My two older children made a song about the Blue Angels and sang it all the way home.

This was our first family vacation that included all three children and I realized that although it makes it nice to be able to go somewhere new and unexplored. The more important thing is that we all take time away from the everyday grind we endure, and spend time together doing all the things we enjoy. I will continue traveling with my kids, because I can still remember that cruise to the Bahamas and how much I enjoyed being able spend time with my family.