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Westward Ho in a Modern Covered Wagon – Disconnect the Devices & Reconnect on a Family Vacation

I’m a working mother, who’s hurried, hassled, . . . and hungry for some quality family time. On my endless taxi runs to soccer and dance practices, I’ve dreamed of whisking my family away on some of the idyllic, memory-filled summer vacations that I enjoyed as a child. This summer, it’s happening. We’ll spend four weeks traveling the West – conquering as many sights as possible. Join us on our journey, and share the fun and frustrations of family togetherness. Also, I’ll give you all the info about our destinations, in case you want to visit. In the end, we’ll see if my fairy-tale vision of a family getaway turns out more like “Leave It to Beaver” or Chevy Chase’s “Vacation.”…

June 4, 2014Comments Off on Westward Ho in a Modern Covered Wagon – Disconnect the Devices & Reconnect on a Family VacationRead More

The Announcement

As a parent, you yearn to make your kids happy. To clarify, you don’t just want them to be happy. You want to be the instrument of that glee. You want the feeling of exhilaration that occurs when YOU put that smile on their faces. You want the credit. Maybe that sounds shallow. Yet, if you carried that baby in your tummy for nine months (or helped your wife through pregnancy or waded through endless adoption procedures), then you deserve a little reward.

When your children are young, it’s fairly easy to be the source of their joy – an ice cream cone, a lollipop, a trip to the zoo. As they grow older, it becomes more difficult to be the hero. By the time they progress into their teens, it’s darned near impossible.

I know this first hand. My children are teenagers. Well, at 12½ years old, Autumn (my daughter), thinks she’s a teen. My son, Ethan, is 15. So, he’s official. At these ages, it’s difficult to extract any response from them – unless you text them, of course.

Perhaps this is why I’m still basking in the glow of the day I told them that we were …

The Announcement

June 3, 2014Comments Off on The AnnouncementRead More

Dreaming of 4 Weeks Out West

I’m a working mother, who’s harried, hurried, . . . and hungry for some quality family time. (Sound familiar?) For years I’ve dreamed of whisking my family away on some of the idyllic, memory-filled summer vacations that I enjoyed as a child. (Ah, remember those days? – no internet, no DVD players, … no seatbelts.)

This summer the dream becomes reality. My family will spend four weeks traveling the West – disconnecting from devices and schedules while reconnecting with nature and history.

We’ll set out to conquer as many Western sights as possible – from the Grand Canyon to the Grand Tetons, from the very alive Sequoias to the very dead Petrified Forest, from Yellowstone’s geysers to the yellow stars of Bryce Canyon’s night sky. We’ll be turning off the TV and turning on the grill; unplugging the iPods and pulling on our hiking boots. (Okay, Okay. The RV has a television, and the campgrounds have WiFi, but we won’t be using them all the time.)

In the end, we’ll see if my fairy-tale vision of a family getaway turns out more like “Leave It to Beaver” or Chevy Chase’s “Vacation.”

Please join us on this quintessential American vacation. Share …

Dreaming of 4 Weeks Out West

June 3, 2014Comments Off on Dreaming of 4 Weeks Out WestRead More

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