Life is so strange
Destination unknown
When you don't know
Your destination
Something could change
It's unknown
And then you won't know
Destination unknown
-Missing Persons
I love that song.
Anyway, I have a problem. Our little circle of friends tries to get together whenever the opportunity presents itself (You're driving through Virginia? Stay at my place! OR When you pass through Columbia, South Carolina, call me. We'll have breakfast!). Because of my nomadic childhood in the military, I made friends that eventually had to move away. Then I moved away. Go figure, now we're everywhere. It's hard to get us all in one place. But, it happens. With some work and some organization and some kind of plan.
The plan. Oh, yeah. A plan. Did anyone this year put one together? Not really. Well, yes. But did we stick to the plan? Nope. Now there's a problem.
PLANS THAT WORKED
The plan in 2006: Savannah, Georgia. Friends from Florida, Maryland, and South Carolina.
The plan in 2007: Charleston, South Carolina. Friends from Florida, Maryland and South Carolina.
The plan in 2007 (PART II!): Savannah, Georgia. Again. Just friends from Florida and South Carolina.
(Are you seeing a pattern here? We needed to step up the number of participants.)
The plan in 2008: York, South Carolina. Friends from Florida and Virginia.
The plan in 2008 (PART II!): Byron, Georgia: Friends from Florida and Maryland.
The plan in 2008 (PART III!): York, South Carolina. Friends from Florida and DeAnna's womb (Delilah was born in May of 2008.)
PLANS THAT ARE NOT WORKING OUT SO WELL
The plan for summer 2009: Jekyll Island, Georgia. Friends from Florida, South Carolina, Maryland, and Texas. Five adults and seven kids.
Oh, yeah. We forgot to book the rooms a few months ago. Actually, we didn't forget. I just put it off. "Let's wait to see if anyone else can make it!" Now the rooms are running at least $169 per night. And because there are so many of us, we cannot just book two rooms like we originally planned (there's that damn plan again!). Now we have to book three rooms and split that cost four ways (two of the five adults are married to each other), but Jekyll Island is too much money.
So I've thrown a few options out to my high school pals to see if they're open to moving to a new location. Suggestions include Tybee Island, Ga., St. Augustine, Fl., Savannah, Ga. (been there, done that 3 times), or Helen, Ga. - a small Bavarian mountain village north of Atlanta. It totally goes against the whole We Don't Live in Florida Like Dena Does So We Want The Beach vacation that we all had in mind a few months ago but it's inexpensive, has tons of water fun, and actually has quite a few activities for families. And if you forgot how many kids were going to be there, here's a reminder: seven. SEVEN!! All between the ages of 1 and 13.
Does anyone else have any other suggestions? We're looking for a family-friendly vacation area (east coast/southeast) that offers lodging for regular people. No resorts or week-long condo rentals here. We're of the hotel/motel crowd. Of course we won't sleep in a hotel that rents by the hour. We do have standards.
On a semi-related note, check out the website for Destination Unknown Journals. I came across this site when I was looking up the song lyrics and fell in love with some of these designs. $40 for a journal is craaazaaay, but they're pretty. This one's my fave:
Anyway, I'd love to hear your suggestions!
3 comments:
Look at VRBO.com Vacation Rentals by Owner. We've found some great deals there. Pensacola is so nice. The beach area is family oriented and easy to get around. Check it out.
I thought about visiting the panhandle, but for our friend driving down from Maryland it's too long a hike. Maybe another time though. I hear it's beautiful!
You can get cabins in Gatlinburg for a steal sometimes. If you're lucky, you might all fit in one of the bigger ones. Then you could do the whole Pigeon Forge touristy thing, Dollywood & Splash Country.
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