I want to go to Europe with you! Damn. The farthest I'll head is Ontario, I think.

@Valerie – I wish I had bought tickets to Comic Con. Since it's local to me, I should have planned ahead. Oh well, maybe next year we'll have the $$ for it.

@Lori – you're in my thoughts. I hope everything turns out to be fine.

Fingers crossed about your surgery. Maybe if you have it, you should recover in Maui! 🙂

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone. I'm sure I'll be fine. It's just annoying. This stuff never happens in the winter when I'm bored. I'll know by Monday or Tuesday, Paula. Either way, I'm pretty much figuring on an overnight stay at the Hospital Hilton (so to speak).

Cathy, I'm coming with you on your vacation! Never been to Maui. Good luck on the walk! I'll toddle over to your site and donate. 🙂

Ashley, me too. I was at the beach last weekend. This weekend I'd LOVE it, but I have an anniversary and I don't think it's his favorite thing to do (how could it NOT be??).

Thanks, Kathy. 🙂 I appreciate the thoughts.

Wouldn't have figured you for the Nerd Vegas type, Valerie, but I think that's really cool!

Enjoy the daydreaming, Jake. I think we should all practice that often. :)) Sounds like a great trip you have planned! I know some folks around the blogosphere from San Diego. Too bad you can't meet up!

Wendy, that's just odd enough of a trip for me to want to go, too! I love the local celebrations and off-the-beaten-path things.

I think my situation is a sad one. I haven't been on a real vacation (travel outside of the Lone Star State) in years — that I am overwhelmed with trying to figure out what I'd do if we could make a trip happen.

It's not that we won't — things have come up and we had to make sacrifices. That's all.

I'm hoping for good news, of course!

Vacations are tough around here, as far as going anywhere. We have to work around what hubby's allowed to take for time off, my son's summer school times and my appts. It's just easier to plan to stay home.

The only thing we have planned this summer is to go to Walnut Grove for their Little House on the Prairie Celebration. The girl who played Nellie on the TV series awhile back is supposed to be there. We thought that would be interesting.

Second, the ideal vacation is…whatever's next! My wife and I are heading to San Diego (sans kids) in late July for a week of bareboat sailing on the SoCal coast, so we are really, really looking forward to that. (I'm bringing my fishing rod, but haven't a clue whether to expect any action.)

We generally do a weeklong summer trip every year, with a two-weeker every second or third year. We've had this one scheduled for a while, and it will be a "connectivity-free" trip, so I will contact my regular clients in the next few weeks in case they want to put anything on an accelerated timetable.

Great question, and thanks for getting me daydreaming again 🙂

Vacation? What's that?

When I was too little to remember, my family spent a week or so each summer at a rented lake cabin. Then from ages of about 5-9 we had two-week summer vacations – all by car, so half the trip was getting to and fro. When I was 10, it was downsized to a week at a family friend's house in Tennessee. That was the last of childhood vacations – they ended the summer my mom died.

My next vacation was in 1994. I spent 5 days in London (first plane trip ever), visiting a friend who was attending college there. Since then I've had a few short work-trips that I try to convince myself were vacations. LOL.

Seven years ago my cousin's family invite my sister and me (plus her three dogs and my one dog) to their lake house in the North Woods for a long weekend. That was relaxing, mostly because I didn't have to worry if my dog was okay.

Even if I could afford a nice trip, vacations are difficult for me to pull off. Despite the copious amounts of dog sitting I do for others, when I need a dog sitter no one's available. I'm not asking anyone to take my dog in, or stay here with her – just stop in, feed her, let her out, maybe play with her a bit a couple times a day. My dog is really nervous and anxious, and her vet said a kennel would not be a good idea – she could have a panic attack. At home, she might be a little lonesome (hah – my dog is the cat-dog – she always wants her space) but being in a familiar setting will keep her calm.

I've been through the wringer this week just trying to find someone to feed & water my dog for one night so I can go see my niece's first dance recital this weekend. See Lori, goldfish have their advantages!

I guess staycations are more my speed.

The only vacation I take is my annual trip to San Diego Comic Con, aka Nerd Vegas. Otherwise I try to fit in road trip weekends here or there to new destinations. I don't like to relax, I like to explore. I'd hoped to drive up the West Coast this summer but it doesn't look like my schedule will allow it… maybe next summer.