Summer Vacations

Summer vacations are the highlight of the summer. From the minute school lets out, kids are ready to go and anxious to see the newest destination. Not to be singled out, but military kids have a bit of an advantage; the opportunity to travel the country or the world, not only during summer but all year long. One of our trips was in December 1999; my husband was being transferred from Texas to New Jersey. After spending a couple weeks packing and preparing our girls for yet another new school we set out for our trip. We would take 3 days for the trip, taking our time and enjoying the drive across the country. At the time our girls were 10, 9 and 6; old enough to appreciate the journey and gather memories along the way. We had 2 cars, my husband and I each drove dividing the girls between us at each stop. We traveled through Louisiana, passing through the Bayou the girls were mesmerized by the water and wondered where the alligators were. (I guess they do listen in school) As we got into Alabama, we stopped at a rest stop on the highway; inside they had a small museum showing the history of the state. On the wall was a large picture of the country group Alabama, you could see the pride in their faces. From Alabama the trip continued north, though not many more stops were made. The weather was not cooperating and we wanted to make up time. I guess the story here is, though we have driven half across the country several times, flown to other places and seen many sites, you can make memorable vacations even if you are only minutes from home.