For someone who doesn't travel much, I sure travelled a lot in 2010!
We've been doing a trip to Florida for spring break the last few years. I've discovered that my emotional well-being is GREATLY enhanced by excessive amounts of sunshine and warmth in the late March timeframe. We stayed with Nana and Granddad, and visited the beach and pool many times. We went to Florida with two kids, but we returned with two...fish! Swimming is something the kids are getting better and better at and in Florida they had ample time to practice.
Summer, my nice, calm summer. Sigh. We went to Washington, D.C. in July, tagging along with DH on a business trip as we've done three or four of the last five summers. It's always an excellent trip, even though it's frigging JULY in WASHINGTON, D.C.! I am lucky to have a couple of really great cousins in the area, with kids all the same ages so the second cousins (did you know that's what it's called? My cousins' kids are my kids' second cousins. If all our children have children, those kids, that generation, would be third cousins, as the number + cousins indicates generation, apparently. Or so I was told. By a cousin. ;)
We also have some really great friends in the area who put us up for the weekend after the downtown part of the trip, which was fabulous. I'm convinced that some people's houses just have good house karma or a good house feel, probably has something to do with natural light and how a house sits on the lot and the division of rooms and the like, but it's just wonderful being with them. Maybe it's also about not seeing them very often and enjoying the time to catch up while the kids play.
Later in August, we went to Wisconsin for a week on a lake. None of the fancy lakes, but close enough to Milwaukee that we took an evening to go see a Brewer's game.
Then late in August, the kids and husband went to Kansas City for a weekend to see his family, which was great for them, and surprisingly great for me, too. I was able to get a lot of editing done (more on that later) on a novel I'd been working on for a long time, and had a nice time just being on my own in my own house, something that doesn't happen very often as most moms would understand.
In October, I went to Oregon on my first big trip away from family for a writer's workshop (one of Dean Wesley Smith's if you were curious. If you're serious about your writing, I highly recommend them!) It was 5 nights away, though I was home late late on the 5th night. I'm happy to report that the children and I survived, as did the husband. I had a great time, went to learn how to prep a marketing package for a novel and learned exactly that, and am now four rejections in on that novel. Le sigh. One of these times it'll hit, I'm sure.
November brought another trip, if you can believe it. I haven't been able to put my head around all this travel myself, particularly given I'm such a homebody! We went to New York City for the NYC marathon that my husband and his brother ran. Very cool marathon, and it was great being in the city with the kids. Great trip, I love being able to walk/train everywhere (another reason why I like D.C. so much!)
And also in November we drove to the Kansas City area to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family. As vegetarians, Thanksgiving isn't the kind of event for us that it is for most people, but it was lovely and we had a good time. Glad we went. I enjoyed talking walks each day with the dogs and various nieces, uncles, grandparents, etc. Very cool.
Now here in December we're breathing a sigh of relief about not having to travel anymore this year! And mind you, this is a report of my/the kids' travel only - my poor husband has been logging loads of miles for work. Hard. We're doing the opposite, which is hard in its own way, right now - hosting much family for the few days we're all in the same state at the same time. Worth it, but a wee bit part of me is slightly looking forward to Friday when nobody needs to be in our house for any reason. ;)
Did you do much travelling this year? Plans for next? I honestly don't know what next year holds, but if ticket prices stay this high for everything, we might be staying put the whole year!
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